My Parents: Paul & ______, both were 35 years old at the time so I was 17 then. This photo was taken in prison. It was his 2nd year of what turned out to be a life sentence. They were divorced within a couple of years after this photo was taken.My mother is not pictured as she is still around physically and wants to keep her ananimity for the time being.

My father Paul LaValley (20) and myself (age 3)

My father spent the last 20 years of his life in prison. He passed about 1995 or so. He never got the message of Love, of loving oneself. He learned the traditional macho male role. Too bad. But he was a good role model of what not to be for me.

My mother grew up mostly in southern California but moved to a small town south of Sacramento with her parents in the early 50's. Met my father there and it was not long before they got married and I was born. Neither parent went on to higher education. They had a volatile relationship and so my early life is filled with our moving in yo-yo fashion. When they were together we lived anywhere else but with my grandparents and when they broke up we moved back in with them, atleast temporarily.

My father did and sold drugs (outside the home). Oh, he worked a regular job as a housepainter but aside from that he made extra money (we never saw) that way and at least in his later years with us, by robbing businesses also. When I was 13 years of age my father took me with him on a trip to southern California where I hung out with some aquaintences of his while he did his dirty work. Got to see my first heroin overdose on that trip. I sat on the couch and watched as they tried for at least a half hour to revive the guy which luckily for him they were able to do.

I guess with their ill gotten gains they bought some drugs. One of those my dad took the time to aquaint me during the trip, that was Marijuana. On the ride home I was molested by one of his robber buddies while my father was asleep. It wasn't anything major at all and it, while disturbing for awhile, did not turn out to be some traumatic life event for me. It was not too long after this trip, probably a year or so after when he, one drunk, met up with another and together the two of them created havoc at a gas station here in Sacramento. It ended up with the other drunk dead and an undercover officer wounded. My father spent the rest of his life behind bars and physically passed away there after many years.

My mother continued to improve on her situation, took night courses, and worked at various jobs to support us four kids. She did very well at this and while we weren't eating the finest of foods we got by pretty well. She made sure we all got up and went to school. It takes a hell of a lot of energy to handle 4 kids and I tell you she did a great job considering that. I certainly did not make it easy for her. Oldest one teasing the 3 other siblings oftentimes. She gave me her old car when I came of age. She really looked out for me pretty well. Let me know of her fears. Luckily I stayed out of trouble pretty well. It took me till the age of 21 or so before I could really start appreciatating who all my mother had been for me. I began to stop taking her for granted then. Today we are pretty close. Two different kinds of people but two who appreciate eachother now.