Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Homecoming ORHS 2008
I have to say that our oldest son is a source of great pride for us. We love both of our boys equally, but tonight we are especially proud of Alex. Of course, a Mother's love for her son is a special bond and we definitely share something special.Last night was the Homecoming dance for his high school and he went with his girlfriend of 7 months. They make such a nice couple. I am happy that he has found someone that complements him and shares the same values as our family.
This last week was spirit week at ORHS and part of that was the election of the Big Man on Campus and the Queen of our high school. In the end it was another boy who won, but it was thrilling that Alex was nominated for this honor.
Not only is he in the top 6% of his class, a sportsman (Captain of both the varsity Lacrosse and Waterpolo teams) he is a Christ follower and leads both teams in prayer before every game.
We love you Alex...let your candle light the world.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
One of the things that I love about living in SoCal is that in late October you can swim outdoors. We are blessed with having a beautiful pool in our yard and a perfect house for parties. Tonight we had about 30 boys over and I was thrilled to see them having so much fun in and out of the water. We had a team bonding party here at the house for the boys JV and Varsity water polo team. There was a fine variety of food; lumpia, hot dogs, chicken wings, pasta, chips, soda ... all of the good stuff that makes a party fun. Of course, pool side music was provided by the OutCast wireless speaker!
We have been heavily involved in water polo since Alex was a freshman and he is having a stellar season his senior year. In fact, he is team captain and has just broken the school record for most goals scored in a season and there are still three more games to play! Maybe we are just a little bit proud! Also, this last past weekend he played in a invitational regional tournament and won Most Valuable Player. He was presented with the medal shown here. We are so happy for our son. It seems that teenagers get such a bad rap, but I can honestly say that the teenagers we know through sports and our church are a great bunch of kids.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Random thoughts of a typical weekend
Last night we had some old friends over for dinner. It was nice to spend time with them and catch up with the details of their lives. We shared a delicious meal, if I do say so myself and drank some very nice wine. All in all it was a pleasant evening and reminded me of how important friends are in our lives.Sunday we headed off to church early. There are lots of people that we have not seen at church lately so I thought that they may go to a different service than we do. Sure enough we ran into some friends that we had not seen for a while. During the service I began thinking that I need to get more involved with our church again. There was a time that I was busy with church things three times a week . I miss that and although I am not sure that I want to be quite so involved, perhaps I need to be more involved than I am now. I am seriously considering hosting a couples bible study at our house, so I have decided to pray about this and see what direction God wants me to move on this.
After lunch I felt the need to hit the road, so I donned the bike gear and headed out for a good long ride. I felt jubilant when I was able to make it home without stopping except when I got caught at a light near the end. I can see that I am improving and I like that. This week I am going to begin lifting again. Not sure where I am going to fit this into the schedule, but it has been a while and I am ready to push myself and take this to the next level.
Today we received the official invitation to Christmas dinner with the Tait's. We will need to made some decisions fairly soon on this otherwise we may not get the best flights. I have never spent a Christmas at home and although we had intended to head south, I am now thinking that north may be the best option. In a perfect world we would go north for Christmas and south for New Year's....hmmm if only we were really, really rich!
This is a photo of David with some friends at Church today. He will be 14 on Tuesday. Where has the time gone? Notice the hair! About a month ago these three kids had long hair now they all have short hair. At least David has hair since the other dudes look like they got the prison cut.Sunday, October 5, 2008
Happy Birthday Paul!
It's not every day that someone you know has an 83rd birthday and it just so happens the this weekend our friend Paul did just that. It is so wonderful to have a friends of all ages as it makes life more interesting and gives one a different perspective on life.
I have known Paul for about 20 years. It was my husband who introduced us as they had a working relationship, but it turned out to be Paul and I who really ended up making a connection. Until recently we worked together, if you can call it that. For me it was more fun than work, but it was work just the same. Bottom line is that for four months of every year I run his company for him so that he can take off and do what he loves to do...travel to Mexico!
During our time I have had the good fortune of helping Paul out of some terrible medical situations. When he talks about this he says that twice I have saved his life and that might be true. Although what I did for Paul is not anything that I wouldn't have done for another friend. Isn't that what friends are for!
One of the things that I love about Paul is his great sense of humor and the fact that he laughs at my jokes makes me like him even more.
Happy Birthday my dear friend! I hope you are with us for many more.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Dear Dad!
Today is the anniversary of your last day with us on this earth. I remember well that you so desperately wanted to leave and that I felt happy for you when your time finally came. I miss you so much, but I know you are with me always.
The perfect thing about today was I was actually able to feel happiness. You know it is not in my nature to be sad. It took me a while to get here, but I know you would want me to be happy and I am.
One of the special things that happened today was it rained. It has not rained here for a long time and today it did. Of course it made me think of you. Please stay close to me Dad, I still need you!
The perfect thing about today was I was actually able to feel happiness. You know it is not in my nature to be sad. It took me a while to get here, but I know you would want me to be happy and I am.
One of the special things that happened today was it rained. It has not rained here for a long time and today it did. Of course it made me think of you. Please stay close to me Dad, I still need you!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Island Girls Forever!
The strange thing about being an Island Girl is that the island never really lets you go. It has some magical, mystical pull that draws you back. When I look at all of the people who have left, yes moved away, it is amazing to me how many return. Right now I feel the pull and I am being drawn back. The Island is callling me and I am resisting the urge.
Normally I like to get back at least once a year. I have my routine of what I like to do, who I like to see and of course what I like to eat. Yes, I feel that irristible desire to return and I am not sure why. Sometimes I wonder if I will end up calling it home again some day. It seems like my friends are all waiting for me. They look at me knowingly as if to say, ya your coming back and maybe one day that will happen.
In the meantime, I am excited as I will spend Saturday with one of the other Island Girls. We will be getting together to tell our stories and share our secrets. We have known each other since before I was 20 and never lost touch. I am sure we will laugh, cry and laugh some more, but it will all be good after all we are more that just friends we are Island Girls. Yes, Island Girls forever!
Monday, September 22, 2008
First Day of Fall
Today is the first day of fall. Throughout my life I have always enjoyed this time of year, but for the last few years; well two to be exact it has become a melancholy time for me. Although on the outside I like to maintain a "happy" facade inside I feel quite differently. It was only two years ago that we realized Dad would not see Christmas. It was in September that I brought the boys home to see their Grandfather for the last time. We all knew it was the last time, which made the trip bittersweet.
Dad was so excited to see the boys. He had a list of all of the things he wanted to do with them none of which he would fulfill. To this day I still have the list! Time was of the essence now, especially since he was on a time line. He still felt reasonably well so an outing was planned to Starbucks the morning after we arrived. We jumped out of the car and began walking toward the coffee shop and suddenly his legs collapsed and he had to steady himself on Alex and I. It took a moment, but he regained his strength and we continued the short distance to a chair. Once seated we all sat stunned by what had just happened. What did just happen? When we talked to the hospice nurse she said that the body begins to die in the limbs and usually the legs go first. We had just witnessed the first signs that he would not live forever nor even for long. It was a sad time; a time of many prayers, tears and difficult choices.
We each assumed our role. My mother was the caregiver, sister support and I the leader. I spent countless hours with my dad. In fact, I spent more time with him than anyone else. We planned the details of who should be called when the inevitable happened, what bills had to be paid and what documents had to signed, etc. I took him for his last car ride, hair cut and shopping at London Drugs. He had been there for all of my "firsts" and I was there for all of his "lasts". Every night I prayed until I fell asleep. Yes, it is possible to pray and weep at the same time.
I will be writing more about this over the next few weeks as we approach the anniversary of his passing.
Dad was so excited to see the boys. He had a list of all of the things he wanted to do with them none of which he would fulfill. To this day I still have the list! Time was of the essence now, especially since he was on a time line. He still felt reasonably well so an outing was planned to Starbucks the morning after we arrived. We jumped out of the car and began walking toward the coffee shop and suddenly his legs collapsed and he had to steady himself on Alex and I. It took a moment, but he regained his strength and we continued the short distance to a chair. Once seated we all sat stunned by what had just happened. What did just happen? When we talked to the hospice nurse she said that the body begins to die in the limbs and usually the legs go first. We had just witnessed the first signs that he would not live forever nor even for long. It was a sad time; a time of many prayers, tears and difficult choices.
We each assumed our role. My mother was the caregiver, sister support and I the leader. I spent countless hours with my dad. In fact, I spent more time with him than anyone else. We planned the details of who should be called when the inevitable happened, what bills had to be paid and what documents had to signed, etc. I took him for his last car ride, hair cut and shopping at London Drugs. He had been there for all of my "firsts" and I was there for all of his "lasts". Every night I prayed until I fell asleep. Yes, it is possible to pray and weep at the same time.
I will be writing more about this over the next few weeks as we approach the anniversary of his passing.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Shaken not stirred please
I would not consider myself as a drinker, however every once in a while I do enjoy a good drink. If there is a drink that I would consider mine it is a Cosmo. I love the look; a deep pink liquid, almost red, very seductive. I love to hold the chilled martini glass in my hand, twirl the stem and then bring it to my lips and sip. Almost immediately I can feel the effect. It starts in my head and works through my entire body. I think it heightens my senses and makes me feel . . . well, let's just say, it makes me feel tingly all over. Mmmmm! I can never drink two; just one chilly Cosmo does it for me. Shaken not stirred please.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Life is like a great novel !
Today I did something that I never thought I would do. What it is doesn't matter for now, but I have always lived life a little differently than most. I feel that life has taken me to places I never would have believed possible if I wasn't able to take a chance and push myself out of my comfort zone. I don't think that I randomly take uncalculated risks, but rather I am not afraid to live life to the fullest. I have friends that are still living in the small town that I grew up in and that is OK, but I am so glad that I am not still there. If I had stayed surely I would have shriveled and died.
Actually, when I lived in that small town, I had a pretty decent life including a great job and a lot of stability, but I knew in my heart that I had to fly. And fly I did. I really wanted to take six months off and go somewhere and do something, but I didn't really know what. At first I thought that I might like to travel the world, but I discarded that idea because I couldn't find anyone to travel with who could get away for an extended period of time. I got the idea that I might like to work abroad, so I made a list of what I was looking for in a job and it was really quite simple. I wanted to be somewhere warm and have no stress. Immediately I was hired as a destination representative for a charter travel company in Venezuela! That is another story.
Before I left for my new life I had dinner with my friends and each of them told me how proud they were of me. In their own way, they told me how they wished they had the confidence to break free and do what I was doing. But I was the one who actually did it and I was on the way to a life of adventure. My friends still live in that small town and they have had wonderful full lives, but I am happy that I took the unbeaten path. I have a lot of living left to do, but I never could have imagined what a full and wonderful life this would be.
Today I took a chance and only time will tell where this will lead. In fact, life is like a great novel and I hope mine is a great read.
Actually, when I lived in that small town, I had a pretty decent life including a great job and a lot of stability, but I knew in my heart that I had to fly. And fly I did. I really wanted to take six months off and go somewhere and do something, but I didn't really know what. At first I thought that I might like to travel the world, but I discarded that idea because I couldn't find anyone to travel with who could get away for an extended period of time. I got the idea that I might like to work abroad, so I made a list of what I was looking for in a job and it was really quite simple. I wanted to be somewhere warm and have no stress. Immediately I was hired as a destination representative for a charter travel company in Venezuela! That is another story.
Before I left for my new life I had dinner with my friends and each of them told me how proud they were of me. In their own way, they told me how they wished they had the confidence to break free and do what I was doing. But I was the one who actually did it and I was on the way to a life of adventure. My friends still live in that small town and they have had wonderful full lives, but I am happy that I took the unbeaten path. I have a lot of living left to do, but I never could have imagined what a full and wonderful life this would be.
Today I took a chance and only time will tell where this will lead. In fact, life is like a great novel and I hope mine is a great read.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Today I feel very happy! Actually, I am usually a happy person, but today I feel even more happy. I think that part of the reason that I feel so good is that I really like my job. I had been away from work for the last few days at the trade show and going back today was almost as fun as seeing my family again. I guess the people at work are my family; my work family that is. People that may never have come together otherwise can form signifigant relationships in the work place; relationships that can last a lifetime !Another reason that I am happy today is that I am now the proud owner of an iPod. My iPod is "pink"! I am not so fond of the color as I would have preferred black or silver, but I am happy with it just the same. I have been compiling a play list for a long time in hope that one day I would have an iPod, so tonight I began to load it with the music I love! I think that this will likely be a long process, but eventually I will have it loaded up with all of my tunes.
I am also aware that we are now in September and that has always signified a high energy time for me. The reason for this I believe is rooted in the many years of being in school and September is the month that school starts back. It is the month for a fresh start, a new beginning and that is always welcome. I wish I had signed up for some classes at the community college this semester. There is so much I want to learn and somehow time got away from me and I missed registration.
It is time to think ahead to Christmas, which seems so far away, but in reality is just around the corner. Maybe this year we will go south and celebrate there. I still need to spread my Dad's ashes in the surf of Mazatlan and finally set him free. He loved the beach so it is appropriate that part of him should live there forever. I think he always loved the sea. He was a fabulous sailor and spent a lot of his life living on an island. Mazatlan brought a particular joy to him and I know that he would be happy if we gathered there and let him go. It is time!
Yes, today I am very happy!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Working hard or hardly working?
For the last few days I worked at a trade show and I must admit that I really enjoy doing this. I like people, especially talking to people and there is a variety of them here at the show. The routine is that they approach the booth and we give them information about our product. At first, I did not really know that much and there was no training per se, but after listening to my co-workers I have managed to pick up quite a bit of information and feel quite confident! I want to be the best at what I am doing so I am really trying to get people excited and make them remember our product. With such a great product it is not hard to do.The fun thing about being away from home was it was not all work! The first night Lisa and I went to see the movie "Mama Mia" and that was a fun and memorable event. It is definitely a "chick flick" so I am glad that I saw it with her . The next night we had a fabulous dinner with some of our reps from Florida! We not only enjoyed a great meal, but had a chance to tell a few "customer" stories and have have a few laughs. The story that I told was about a lady who called to tell me she had just received her new product and when she opened the box there was an overwhelming smell. When I asked her what the smell was she told me that it smelled like "electronics"...! (It was electronics). She wanted to know if that was normal, so I told her that I would open a box, walk around the office and take a poll to see if anyone else thought that it smelled like "electronics". We all had a good laugh over that one!
It was fun to spend so much time with my co-workers as we had a chance to get to know more about each other and form a strong team bond. I was the "newbie" among us and I am grateful that they were so helpful. On another note I will always remember the pb&j sandwiches; the comfort food that got us through the show.
Next year the show will be in Atlanta. It will be interesting to see what changes will happen in the company between now and then. Who will go to the show? What new products will we have?
I will surely raise my hand to go!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Dog Beach
How wonderful that we live in a place so sophisticated that not only do we have fabulous parks for our children, but also for our dogs. Yes, we have been to the dog park, which is a favorite place of our boy Baxter. It is a social time for our pet to get out and meet other dogs and we in turn get to talk to others who are as crazy about dogs as we are.Monday was the day we finally decided it was time to step up to "Dog Beach". Dog beach conjures up visions of dogs frolicking in the surf and that is exactly what happens. We encountered dogs of every breed, shape, size and color. Some had Frisbees, others had balls, but all of them were joyfully enjoying their beach day. All of them that is except ours! Baxter did not like the water at all and when I tried to get him to come in with me he reacted like I was taking him to a watery grave. In fact, he extended his nails and attempted to climb my leg. Such a fun idea with such a sad ending...!
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Signs that Summer is Over
This has been the best summer musically in my entire life! We were able to go to 8 concerts this year and I loved every one of them. If I had to pick a favorite I would say that Broadway Show Tunes is "it" for me. Each year they feature a selection of show tunes performed by the symphony and three guest singers; usually a man and two women. This year's the concert featured vocalist Capathia Jenkins, who performed "When You're Good To Mama" from Chicago and gave a spectacular performance of "And I am Telling You" from Dream Girls. This song brought the house to their feet and I honestly can not remember the last time that I was so moved by a performance. This was followed by "Don't Cry for me Argentina" from Evita (Rachel York) and then Doug LaBrecque who we have seen several times over the years finished off the evening with Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Music of the Night" from the Phantom. For me this was the best.
My second favorite show is the season finally (which was tonight). It is the 1812 Tchaikovsky Spectacular, which featured principal Cello Yao Zhao performing Tchaikovsky's Variations on a Rococo Theme. This show is the symphony at it's best if you like symphony and I do and Yao Zhao is a show on his own. We are so lucky to have such talent accessible to us here.
But with this last concert, it is a signal that the summer has once again come to an end. I am so grateful for the opportunity of attending the Pops. It would not be possible for us to attend the Pops if it were not for our dear friend Paul. He has been so kind and generous to us.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Daydream Believer
Front row almost center is where we sat. I was giddy with excitement as I had waited for over 40 years for this moment! Then he appeared on stage....Davy Jones! I was completely mesmerized by this man from my past and he did not disappoint. He was just as much the heart throb now as he was in 1966. It wasn't just the way he looked, but the whole package; his British accent, his movements and the twinkle in his eye. I know I was the best chair dancer there! 
We listened to him sing and tell stories for almost two hours and then he mentioned that he would be available after the show to sign autographs. Could this get any better? So I patiently waited in line with the other star-struck women to have my moment with him. I told him it was my birthday and he gave me a hug! I think he whispered in my ear something about leaving with him on the last train to Parksville. I am a daydream believer and Mrs. Davy Jones at last.
My "Special" Moment!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Thoughts at 49.99
Wow, where did this come from?
I was just trotting merrily through life and here it is . . . the big birthday! Birthday's do not normally catch my attention, but I must say that this one really has made me pause and think about where I am at in life.
No matter which way you look at it I am most certain that my life is more than half over. Although I have always viewed life like a great novel joyfully moving to the next chapter however this time has been more difficult.
A few things have been weighing heavily on my mind like recent health issues and the letter from the health insurance company telling me that my premium will go up now that I am approaching a "significant" birthday.
Life is a series of choices and I have taken a different path on many occasions, but it has made for an exciting life. Some highlights are:
at age 11 traveled to Scotland alone and stayed with family for a year
at age 12 travelled on a train from Edmonton to Vancouver with my younger sister
at age 13 tried out for the swim club (a major trauma but that is another story)
at age 16 travelled to Edmonton with an girlfriend (hitch hiking some of the way)
at age 30 moving to Mexico to build a new life
at age 42 moving to the U.S. to build a new life
I have been to Europe and major international cities such as London, New York, Paris, Rome and Mexico City. I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building!
I have skied, snorkeled, swam with dolphins and yes, I did the canopy ride!
I have seen the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac (twice), Rod Stewart (twice), Elton John (twice) Yanni and the Gypsy Kings.
I have seen, Cats, Les Miserables, Phantom (twice), Chicago, Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Super Star, Mama Mia, Miss Saigon, South Pacific, Lion King, Stomp and Lord of the Dance (twice).
I have owned a '71 Datsun 510, '89 Honda Accord, Nissan 300z, '90 Ford Thunderbird and a '2000 Ford Expedition.
I cannot play a musical instrument or sing. I have taken windsurfing lessons. I have worked in an operating room and as a waitress. I love to ride my bike. I have been on a road trip from San Diego to Canada and from San Diego to Mazatlan, Mexico.
Favorite food: Presidio Pastsa - Favorite drink: Cosmo
Accomplishments:
Competed in a speech contest at age 11 and won
Member of the Victoria Figure Skating Club and got all badges in one year!
I learned a second language
Was President of the PTO (twice)
Opened my own business
Competed in an on road bicycle race!
Skied Whistler at age 44 with my kids and kept up!
I have many wonderful friends; some I have known forever like Terry, Susan, Daphne, Rolie, Jennifer and some more recently like Julie, Lisa and Gloria.
I would be nothing without the love of my family; Mother, Father, Sister and Cliff. My happiest times are with my loving husband and two wonderful sons. P.S. I love my dog Baxter.
I was just trotting merrily through life and here it is . . . the big birthday! Birthday's do not normally catch my attention, but I must say that this one really has made me pause and think about where I am at in life.
No matter which way you look at it I am most certain that my life is more than half over. Although I have always viewed life like a great novel joyfully moving to the next chapter however this time has been more difficult.
A few things have been weighing heavily on my mind like recent health issues and the letter from the health insurance company telling me that my premium will go up now that I am approaching a "significant" birthday.
Life is a series of choices and I have taken a different path on many occasions, but it has made for an exciting life. Some highlights are:
at age 11 traveled to Scotland alone and stayed with family for a year
at age 12 travelled on a train from Edmonton to Vancouver with my younger sister
at age 13 tried out for the swim club (a major trauma but that is another story)
at age 16 travelled to Edmonton with an girlfriend (hitch hiking some of the way)
at age 30 moving to Mexico to build a new life
at age 42 moving to the U.S. to build a new life
I have been to Europe and major international cities such as London, New York, Paris, Rome and Mexico City. I have been to the top of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building!
I have skied, snorkeled, swam with dolphins and yes, I did the canopy ride!
I have seen the Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac (twice), Rod Stewart (twice), Elton John (twice) Yanni and the Gypsy Kings.
I have seen, Cats, Les Miserables, Phantom (twice), Chicago, Beauty and the Beast, Jesus Christ Super Star, Mama Mia, Miss Saigon, South Pacific, Lion King, Stomp and Lord of the Dance (twice).
I have owned a '71 Datsun 510, '89 Honda Accord, Nissan 300z, '90 Ford Thunderbird and a '2000 Ford Expedition.
I cannot play a musical instrument or sing. I have taken windsurfing lessons. I have worked in an operating room and as a waitress. I love to ride my bike. I have been on a road trip from San Diego to Canada and from San Diego to Mazatlan, Mexico.
Favorite food: Presidio Pastsa - Favorite drink: Cosmo
Accomplishments:
Competed in a speech contest at age 11 and won
Member of the Victoria Figure Skating Club and got all badges in one year!
I learned a second language
Was President of the PTO (twice)
Opened my own business
Competed in an on road bicycle race!
Skied Whistler at age 44 with my kids and kept up!
I have many wonderful friends; some I have known forever like Terry, Susan, Daphne, Rolie, Jennifer and some more recently like Julie, Lisa and Gloria.
I would be nothing without the love of my family; Mother, Father, Sister and Cliff. My happiest times are with my loving husband and two wonderful sons. P.S. I love my dog Baxter.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Facebook . . . here I come!
I have just discovered Facebook. Who knew that this is where all my old friends are hanging out? I have been trying to "socially network" in all the wrong places. Of course, I love it and see why kids get addicted to MYSPACE and FACEBOOK. Since signing up I too have been obsessively checking my account to see what messages may have been sent my way. When I am not doing that I am aimlessly searching up peoples names that randomly come to mind. Who knows who I will find and if they will want to be my friend.
When I was socially networking one of my friends told me to watch out for stalkers! Yikes, that's all I need some stalker wierdo checking me out . . . I have enough of that in real life without getting "cyber stalkers" after me. But what she actually was referring to was "old friend stalkers" who once they find you won't leave you alone! Hmmm, I wonder if she was giving me the heads up on what I might become! How horrible would it be to be ignored by my cyber friends because I have become too friendly and they just want to shake me off! I guess I will have to pace myself and set some ground rules. I may need to search up "social network etiquette" just to be sure that I do not cross the line. At any rate, I am excited about this new outlet and hope to find lots of cyber friends. Hopefully, this will make up for my lack of "real" friends.
When I was socially networking one of my friends told me to watch out for stalkers! Yikes, that's all I need some stalker wierdo checking me out . . . I have enough of that in real life without getting "cyber stalkers" after me. But what she actually was referring to was "old friend stalkers" who once they find you won't leave you alone! Hmmm, I wonder if she was giving me the heads up on what I might become! How horrible would it be to be ignored by my cyber friends because I have become too friendly and they just want to shake me off! I guess I will have to pace myself and set some ground rules. I may need to search up "social network etiquette" just to be sure that I do not cross the line. At any rate, I am excited about this new outlet and hope to find lots of cyber friends. Hopefully, this will make up for my lack of "real" friends.
Friday, August 8, 2008
I saw the light
I started my blog to chronicle my life, the good bad and the weird. So far everything on my blog has been on the "good" side, because life is basically good right now, however that is about to change with the following. I will say that if I heard this from someone else, I probably would take it with a grain of salt, but since this happened to me I wanted to blog about it and see what you think. I will classify that as weird . . .
I really did not want my Mother thinking that all you had to do was "meditate" and you could communicate with the dead, so I immediately discredited the recent news that my aunt had "heard" from my deceased dad. The story goes that she had been in deep meditation and that she heard my dad talking to her. As much as I would have loved that to be true, common sense would not allow me to buy into the idea and especially not my mother. After all, she was just putting her life back together after my father's passing and I did not want her to relapse, especially since we had focused on the wonderful years of living she had ahead. Taking up meditation so that she could communicate with dear ol' dad was not what we wanted for her.
With this in mind, you can imagine how surprised I was at the sequence of events that happened just a couple of days later. It was Friday night and my husband, 13 year old son and myself were watching TV. Our older son was out for the evening and I was anxious about him coming home on time, so I glanced at the clock and it happened to be 11:11. I have no idea where this came from, but our boys have a thing that if you glance at the clock and it is 11:11 you get to make a wish. I made my wish and finished it off with a comment to my dad that went something like, "I don't need wishes with you watching over us". I often speak to my dad in my head of course so there was nothing strange about that, however exactly seven minutes later the ceiling light above where we were sitting turned on by itself. Yes, turned on by itself! As we were looking around at each other in surprise and wondering how this happened, my son's phone began to ring. The ring tone was a laughing tone, so it made it sound like someone was laughing. So the light turned on by itself and the laughter broke the silence . . . ! WEIRD !
I do not know how this happened as there is no explanation of how a light turns on by itself or a phone rings (laughing) with no one on the other end. But somehow I think that my Dad might be closer than we think. Perhaps by turning on the light he was telling me to "see the light". Then he was laughing like hell as we sat there looking like scardy cats trying to figure it out.
I really did not want my Mother thinking that all you had to do was "meditate" and you could communicate with the dead, so I immediately discredited the recent news that my aunt had "heard" from my deceased dad. The story goes that she had been in deep meditation and that she heard my dad talking to her. As much as I would have loved that to be true, common sense would not allow me to buy into the idea and especially not my mother. After all, she was just putting her life back together after my father's passing and I did not want her to relapse, especially since we had focused on the wonderful years of living she had ahead. Taking up meditation so that she could communicate with dear ol' dad was not what we wanted for her.
With this in mind, you can imagine how surprised I was at the sequence of events that happened just a couple of days later. It was Friday night and my husband, 13 year old son and myself were watching TV. Our older son was out for the evening and I was anxious about him coming home on time, so I glanced at the clock and it happened to be 11:11. I have no idea where this came from, but our boys have a thing that if you glance at the clock and it is 11:11 you get to make a wish. I made my wish and finished it off with a comment to my dad that went something like, "I don't need wishes with you watching over us". I often speak to my dad in my head of course so there was nothing strange about that, however exactly seven minutes later the ceiling light above where we were sitting turned on by itself. Yes, turned on by itself! As we were looking around at each other in surprise and wondering how this happened, my son's phone began to ring. The ring tone was a laughing tone, so it made it sound like someone was laughing. So the light turned on by itself and the laughter broke the silence . . . ! WEIRD !
I do not know how this happened as there is no explanation of how a light turns on by itself or a phone rings (laughing) with no one on the other end. But somehow I think that my Dad might be closer than we think. Perhaps by turning on the light he was telling me to "see the light". Then he was laughing like hell as we sat there looking like scardy cats trying to figure it out.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Phantom of the Opera
As parents we are charged with educating our children in all aspects of life including cultural education. Although they had just seen "Chicago" on Broadway last month, yes in New York, we felt that the Phantom of the Opera is the finest production of our time, so they should see it with us.The Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the 1976 musical, which in turn was based on the book written by the French novelist Gaston Leroux. The musical focuses on a beautiful soprano, Christine Daae, who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius known as "The Phantom of the Opera", who terrorizes the Paris Opera House.
It is now the second-longest-running West End musical of all time, behind Les Miserables and the longest-running Broadway musical of all time, breaking the record held by Lloyd Webber's Cats on January 9, 2006. The musical won both the Olivier Award and Tony Award as the best musical in its debut years on the West End and Broadway.
We figured seeing this would give them an idea of what a "great" show looked like. So last night we headed off to see the Phantom and we were not disappointed. We sat mesmerized as the story unfolded. For me personally I enjoyed it even more this time (2nd time) as I already knew the plot and most of the songs.
We left the theater feeling very satisfied and as a parent, I felt we had educated them well in musical theater.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
They came here with a dream!
It was like watching a movie only this was real life. When I looked out my office window I saw a young woman laying face down in the parking lot. She had been the driver of the van, but was now handcuffed with a border patrol officer standing nearby. One of the many officers was taking photographs in and around a white van, which had two border patrol vehicles parked behind it and several others nearby. By the look of it the van had ended up here after being followed or perhaps chased into our parking lot. The border patrol vehicles still had their emergency lights flashing.
Soon after the photographs were taken the agents began to escort people one by one from the van; fourteen in all! Two of them were children; a young girl and boy and also a teenage girl. They were with a young woman who may have been their mother. The rest of the detainees were young men. They all looked like they were from the central part of Mexico. Twigs and bits of plant material on their clothing indicated that they had likely spent at least one night sleeping outside. They all looked scared, but particularly the children who were sobbing as the young mother tried to console them. The woman and children were separated from the men and sat in the parking lot. A shawl was draped over the children's faces shielding them not only from the hot sun, but from the sight of their companions being patted down and searched. Some of them had blankets in their backpacks, so perhaps they had been prepared for the cold desert nights. Next they were put in the border patrol trucks; men in one and the woman and children in another. The driver of the white van was put in an unmarked SUV and soon after they all drove away.
Where had these people come from and where were they going? Even although they came here illegally, it was so sad to see where they ended up. Most certainly each of them had a story and that story ended in a dream shattered. Perhaps the young mother was supposed to meet up with the father of her children. Perhaps another had a sick family member on this side of the border and they just needed to get to them before it was too late. Maybe they had all travelled for days and were hungry and tired
I am sure that whatever the circumstance they all had paid a great price; monetarily, physically and emotionally. I can't help but think of those young children with tears in their eyes. Do they even know that they were victims of human trafficking; the "Coyotes"? What will become of these people as they are released into Tijuana with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.? How will they get home or will they? And what about the driver who looked like a young mother herself? How did she come to be here? Was it motivated by greed or does she have a habit? Maybe she was at the point of losing her home like so many people in this area and thought she could make a quick buck.
We will never know the answers to theses questions, but I know that they all came here with a dream to leave what they had behind and risk everything for a chance at a brighter future. As I sit on my ever so comfy sofa tonight I think of not just these people, but all of the people who everyday risk it all to come to America, "land of the free". Tonight I am especially grateful for the wonderful life I have.
Yes, it was like watching a movie, but a movie with a very sad ending!
People emerging from the van.
The driver . . . yes, it's a woman!
A young mother, two small children and a
teenage girl sit patiently on the pavement.
The Border Patrol loading the van with the detainees.
Soon after the photographs were taken the agents began to escort people one by one from the van; fourteen in all! Two of them were children; a young girl and boy and also a teenage girl. They were with a young woman who may have been their mother. The rest of the detainees were young men. They all looked like they were from the central part of Mexico. Twigs and bits of plant material on their clothing indicated that they had likely spent at least one night sleeping outside. They all looked scared, but particularly the children who were sobbing as the young mother tried to console them. The woman and children were separated from the men and sat in the parking lot. A shawl was draped over the children's faces shielding them not only from the hot sun, but from the sight of their companions being patted down and searched. Some of them had blankets in their backpacks, so perhaps they had been prepared for the cold desert nights. Next they were put in the border patrol trucks; men in one and the woman and children in another. The driver of the white van was put in an unmarked SUV and soon after they all drove away.
Where had these people come from and where were they going? Even although they came here illegally, it was so sad to see where they ended up. Most certainly each of them had a story and that story ended in a dream shattered. Perhaps the young mother was supposed to meet up with the father of her children. Perhaps another had a sick family member on this side of the border and they just needed to get to them before it was too late. Maybe they had all travelled for days and were hungry and tired
I am sure that whatever the circumstance they all had paid a great price; monetarily, physically and emotionally. I can't help but think of those young children with tears in their eyes. Do they even know that they were victims of human trafficking; the "Coyotes"? What will become of these people as they are released into Tijuana with nothing more than the clothes on their backs.? How will they get home or will they? And what about the driver who looked like a young mother herself? How did she come to be here? Was it motivated by greed or does she have a habit? Maybe she was at the point of losing her home like so many people in this area and thought she could make a quick buck.
We will never know the answers to theses questions, but I know that they all came here with a dream to leave what they had behind and risk everything for a chance at a brighter future. As I sit on my ever so comfy sofa tonight I think of not just these people, but all of the people who everyday risk it all to come to America, "land of the free". Tonight I am especially grateful for the wonderful life I have.
Yes, it was like watching a movie, but a movie with a very sad ending!
People emerging from the van.
The driver . . . yes, it's a woman!
A young mother, two small children and a
teenage girl sit patiently on the pavement.
The Border Patrol loading the van with the detainees.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
New York, New York
It had been a couple of years since we had had a family vacation and what a vacation this was. We flew almost 6 hours to get to the Big Apple. We arrived in the late afternoon and before we knew it the airport taxi was taking us through Times Square. It was sensory overload (in a good way) of people, sights and lights. We just passed through the bustling area and got a taste of it, but the excitement left us wanting more. It was July 4th, 2008 and there would be no fireworks for us due to the low cloud cover and rainfall, but that did not put a damper on our excitement.
For the next few days we were typical tourists, fortunately we hooked up with a Gray Line 72 hours "Hop on Hop Off" tour. It was a perfect way to see this spectacular city as we could spend as much time in any one area as we liked and when ready to move on another bus would come along and take us to the next place of interest. Some of the places we saw were:
The Empire State building
Ground Zero (WTC)
The Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Times Square
Herald Square
The Theater District
China Town
The Plaza Hotel
Radio City
Lots of Yellow Taxis
Wall Street
Juniors
Yes, we packed a lot into those few days including seeing the Broadway play "Chicago", taking a stroll through Central Park and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Speaking of bridges, our tour guide told us an easy way to remember the name of the three bridges. He said to think BMW: Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg.
On the Monday, we rented a small SUV and headed south out of town. Our destination was Washington, DC however we had a stop over in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to check out the Liberty Bell and Liberty Square, where Thomas Jefferson signed the Declaration of Independence.
Shortly after leaving Philly, we saw a road sign that read "Johns Hopkins" and with two lacrosse players in the car we decided that we could not pass up the opportunity to visit this famous lacrosse school, so we pulled in for the evening and headed to Johns Hopkins the next morning. Not only did we get to see a great school, but we also came upon the U.S. Lacrosse Association Head Quarters, which had an interesting lacrosse museum that we spent some time in.
Washington, DC was our next stop where we saw the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capital Building, the World War Two Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was the most spectacular as we were able to stand on the exact spot as Martin Luther King did when he delivered his famous speech. Also from that exact spot you can see the fountain, War Memorial, Washington Memorial and the Capital Building. We drove completely around the Pentagon and managed to see the wall that was affected by 9-11 before heading out of town.
Dartmouth in Hanover, NH was our next destination, but we had a stop over in New Haven, Connecticut to tour Yale. The presentation at the historic university was so compelling that not only Alex, but all of us were ready to apply. We really were impressed with the organization and tradition offered here. Dartmouth was also impressive! Established in 1762, the town of Hanover is built around the college. We noticed that even a lot of the houses were painted in the school colors of white and green. Hanover reminded us a lot of Canada with its fresh air, greenery and we loved the quaintness of this small town.
Watching Alex play lacrosse was a big plus as the level of play at this Elite camp was above anything we had ever seen. We were impressed with how clean cut and tidy the boys were. There we no tats or piercings here. The fact that he got to stay in the college dorm was another plus as he got to have the college experience so to speak.
Boston was our next stop. Unfortunately, we did not make a connection with this city. Maybe by this stage of the trip we just had had enough, but things just did not click for us here. We drove around and saw the sights then unanimously decided to head back to NY.
Arriving back in NY we once again were drawn to Times Square. We really wanted to go to the Empire State Building as when we were in New York at the beginning of the trip, we had light rain and clouds, so we were unable to go to the top. The Empire State Building is once again the tallest building in NY after 9-11 destroyed the twin towers. Our timing was perfectthis time around as when we began the assent it was daylight, but the sunset while on the 86th floor, so we were able to see the spectacular sights of NY city at night. It was a sight to remember for the rest of our lives!
We had completed 10 days of exquisite family time and all too soon we were on our way home. We had made wonderful memories of a carefree time in our lives when we were blessed with health, happiness and a love of each other.
For the next few days we were typical tourists, fortunately we hooked up with a Gray Line 72 hours "Hop on Hop Off" tour. It was a perfect way to see this spectacular city as we could spend as much time in any one area as we liked and when ready to move on another bus would come along and take us to the next place of interest. Some of the places we saw were:
The Empire State building
Ground Zero (WTC)
The Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Times Square
Herald Square
The Theater District
China Town
The Plaza Hotel
Radio City
Lots of Yellow Taxis
Wall Street
Juniors
Yes, we packed a lot into those few days including seeing the Broadway play "Chicago", taking a stroll through Central Park and walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. Speaking of bridges, our tour guide told us an easy way to remember the name of the three bridges. He said to think BMW: Brooklyn, Manhattan and Williamsburg.
On the Monday, we rented a small SUV and headed south out of town. Our destination was Washington, DC however we had a stop over in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to check out the Liberty Bell and Liberty Square, where Thomas Jefferson signed the Declaration of Independence.
Shortly after leaving Philly, we saw a road sign that read "Johns Hopkins" and with two lacrosse players in the car we decided that we could not pass up the opportunity to visit this famous lacrosse school, so we pulled in for the evening and headed to Johns Hopkins the next morning. Not only did we get to see a great school, but we also came upon the U.S. Lacrosse Association Head Quarters, which had an interesting lacrosse museum that we spent some time in.
Washington, DC was our next stop where we saw the White House, the Washington Monument, the Capital Building, the World War Two Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was the most spectacular as we were able to stand on the exact spot as Martin Luther King did when he delivered his famous speech. Also from that exact spot you can see the fountain, War Memorial, Washington Memorial and the Capital Building. We drove completely around the Pentagon and managed to see the wall that was affected by 9-11 before heading out of town.
Dartmouth in Hanover, NH was our next destination, but we had a stop over in New Haven, Connecticut to tour Yale. The presentation at the historic university was so compelling that not only Alex, but all of us were ready to apply. We really were impressed with the organization and tradition offered here. Dartmouth was also impressive! Established in 1762, the town of Hanover is built around the college. We noticed that even a lot of the houses were painted in the school colors of white and green. Hanover reminded us a lot of Canada with its fresh air, greenery and we loved the quaintness of this small town.
Watching Alex play lacrosse was a big plus as the level of play at this Elite camp was above anything we had ever seen. We were impressed with how clean cut and tidy the boys were. There we no tats or piercings here. The fact that he got to stay in the college dorm was another plus as he got to have the college experience so to speak.
Boston was our next stop. Unfortunately, we did not make a connection with this city. Maybe by this stage of the trip we just had had enough, but things just did not click for us here. We drove around and saw the sights then unanimously decided to head back to NY.
Arriving back in NY we once again were drawn to Times Square. We really wanted to go to the Empire State Building as when we were in New York at the beginning of the trip, we had light rain and clouds, so we were unable to go to the top. The Empire State Building is once again the tallest building in NY after 9-11 destroyed the twin towers. Our timing was perfectthis time around as when we began the assent it was daylight, but the sunset while on the 86th floor, so we were able to see the spectacular sights of NY city at night. It was a sight to remember for the rest of our lives!
We had completed 10 days of exquisite family time and all too soon we were on our way home. We had made wonderful memories of a carefree time in our lives when we were blessed with health, happiness and a love of each other.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
A Boy after my own heart
My baby boy was going to high school. It was his first day and I could hardly wait to find out how it went and when the after school phone call never came, I called our older son, a senior at the same school to find out what was up. Much to my horror, he told me that the school was under "lockdown". The phone calls between parents began and we tried to figure out what was going on inside the school. The kids had no information other than that they were not able to leave their classrooms. We found out that there were about 10 police cars surrounding the school, helicopters in the sky and the police were seen by students with their guns pulled moving around outside the classrooms. As it turns out, there was no danger and the students were able to leave the campus about 1-1/2 hours after school normally gets out. This hour and a half was very tense for me as I was at work and could only get information from my computer and other parents. I couldn't wait to get home to comfort my young son. I was worried about the trauma he might have suffered and approached the "lockdown" subject with caution. I asked him how he felt being kept in the classroom and if he was worried. He replied that he was worried. I was happy that he was able to open up and talk about the situation, so I probed and asked him what he was worried about. He replied that he was worried about when he would get to eat next! Yes, that's right, he was worried about his next meal. Yep, he's my son, a boy after my own heart!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
A Perfect Weekend
There are few times in life that everything comes together to create something perfect and this weekend was one of them. The idea of a camping trip was pitched to us a few weeks ago and somehow we agreed before we could completely conceive what we were agreeing to. After all, we are not campers! As the trip grew closer we thought it best to cancel ,as the idea of us spending the weekend roughing it sounded like a lot of hard work at a time that we really needed to relax. But Friday came around, the truck was loaded and we headed out of town. Our destination was Lake Jennings, which is a nice 45 minutes drive from home. We were meeting another family from church who we had become friends with and they were the campers. Thank goodness they had a camper and knew what they were doing.
The first glimpses of our site instantly put us at ease. We may have had the most beautiful location in the entire campground with a spectacular view of the lake. The tent was pitched and before long dinner was behind us, the camp fire was lit and the easy strum of the guitar was a perfect end to a busy day. The weekend went merrily along. The boys fished all day and then went back for more after dinner....night fishing that is! We the ladies passed the afternoon leafing through magazines, then we took an adventurous trip to the nearby outlet for some shopping! This was not "roughing it" as I had imagined, but we sure had fun. Even the dog settled in like he was born to camp.
The first glimpses of our site instantly put us at ease. We may have had the most beautiful location in the entire campground with a spectacular view of the lake. The tent was pitched and before long dinner was behind us, the camp fire was lit and the easy strum of the guitar was a perfect end to a busy day. The weekend went merrily along. The boys fished all day and then went back for more after dinner....night fishing that is! We the ladies passed the afternoon leafing through magazines, then we took an adventurous trip to the nearby outlet for some shopping! This was not "roughing it" as I had imagined, but we sure had fun. Even the dog settled in like he was born to camp.
Saturday turned to Sunday and before we knew it we were packing up and heading home. The weekend ended just a little too soon for all of us. In fact, it left us wanting more, which is not what we expected. We all agreed that this was the best weekend we had had in a long, long time.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Biking the Bayshore
We had been looking forward to today for a long time and finally it was here. We almost cancelled due to extreme heat, but this morning seemed a little cooler so it was a GO. Today was the day we would bike the Bayshore! "The Bayshore is a delightful 25-mile ride with no significant hills. Most of it runs along bike lanes or separated bike paths. The scenery is rich and varied".
We arrived downtown and started on our way at 7:50. Of course, it would have been better if we had left earlier, but what the heck, we were on the ride at last and the morning air was still somewhat fresh.
I may have looked a little dorky cycling along with a map in my hand along with written directions, but we didn't know if the route was well marked so dorky or not we headed off. The first part of the ride was an eye opener as we rode past rubby after rubby (Canadian for homeless). Some were still tucked in while other were foraging about. Before we knew it we were in an industrial district. This was the least interesting part of the ride and I am glad that it was at the beginning, but having said that there was still lots to look at. We wound through this area, under the Coronado bridge and before long, ended up at a very nice area called Bayfront Park (J Street). Next time this is where we will stop for a snack and rest room break. (We did not stop this time and I regretted it later). The park was on the shore and there was a welcome refreshing breeze.
We managed to find our way, only checking the directions when there was a question about where to go which was not too often. At one point we rode past the entrance to the bike route, but quickly realized and did not waste much time going the wrong way. This was marked on the directions as "poorly marked" so we should have been aware.
Somehow in Imperial Beach we ended up cycling a lot of the way on busy Main Street. This was the first time I felt I really had to be paying attention to cars. It turns out that when we hit the strand we merged with a bike path that we probably should have been following. This path would have taken us through this area without being on the street. I will re-check that later.
The Strand is the Strand! There were many happy cyclists along with skaters, runners and mom's pushing babies along the path. Everyone was very courteously sharing the space. After all, this is such a lovely spot that one could not expect to have it to ones self. Once again the breeze from the water was welcome. We cycled past Glorietta Bay Park , which also looked like a good spot to snack, stretch and use the facilities. Once in Coronado we followed along the route past the golf course and under the bridge. At last across the water the skyline of the City of San Diego was in our sight.
We arrived at the San Diego Bay Ferry dock at 10:20. The ride took us exactly 2-1/2 hours as indicated on the route directions. Just as we were about to look for a bite of breakfast or at least an iced something the ferry arrived and we hopped aboard. Cost was $3.50 each including bike. We were among about 20 other bikers as well as several other families that were on this sailing. I must say this part of the route was the icing on the cake. It made us love our city even more. Where in the world can you have such a wonderful bike ride and finish it off with a ferry ride? Only in America's Finest City.
We arrived downtown and started on our way at 7:50. Of course, it would have been better if we had left earlier, but what the heck, we were on the ride at last and the morning air was still somewhat fresh.
I may have looked a little dorky cycling along with a map in my hand along with written directions, but we didn't know if the route was well marked so dorky or not we headed off. The first part of the ride was an eye opener as we rode past rubby after rubby (Canadian for homeless). Some were still tucked in while other were foraging about. Before we knew it we were in an industrial district. This was the least interesting part of the ride and I am glad that it was at the beginning, but having said that there was still lots to look at. We wound through this area, under the Coronado bridge and before long, ended up at a very nice area called Bayfront Park (J Street). Next time this is where we will stop for a snack and rest room break. (We did not stop this time and I regretted it later). The park was on the shore and there was a welcome refreshing breeze.
We managed to find our way, only checking the directions when there was a question about where to go which was not too often. At one point we rode past the entrance to the bike route, but quickly realized and did not waste much time going the wrong way. This was marked on the directions as "poorly marked" so we should have been aware.
Somehow in Imperial Beach we ended up cycling a lot of the way on busy Main Street. This was the first time I felt I really had to be paying attention to cars. It turns out that when we hit the strand we merged with a bike path that we probably should have been following. This path would have taken us through this area without being on the street. I will re-check that later.
The Strand is the Strand! There were many happy cyclists along with skaters, runners and mom's pushing babies along the path. Everyone was very courteously sharing the space. After all, this is such a lovely spot that one could not expect to have it to ones self. Once again the breeze from the water was welcome. We cycled past Glorietta Bay Park , which also looked like a good spot to snack, stretch and use the facilities. Once in Coronado we followed along the route past the golf course and under the bridge. At last across the water the skyline of the City of San Diego was in our sight.
We arrived at the San Diego Bay Ferry dock at 10:20. The ride took us exactly 2-1/2 hours as indicated on the route directions. Just as we were about to look for a bite of breakfast or at least an iced something the ferry arrived and we hopped aboard. Cost was $3.50 each including bike. We were among about 20 other bikers as well as several other families that were on this sailing. I must say this part of the route was the icing on the cake. It made us love our city even more. Where in the world can you have such a wonderful bike ride and finish it off with a ferry ride? Only in America's Finest City.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Father's Day 2008
Tomorrow is Father's Day and we have a nice day planned. We are going to try to make it all about "Dad", of course. Our plan is to get up early and go for a long bike ride. Nothing like starting our Sunday with a little exercise!We will try to leave home about 7:30 and be back around 9:30. If we leave early we can avoid the heat and get home early enough that we can still enjoy breakfast. Father's Day needs to have good food, so we will start off with our traditional family special occasion breakfast ,which includes "Wife Saver Breakfast Special, fruit salad and this time we will have Einstein Bagels (Cinnamon Sugar and Jalapeno Cheese). We are going to try adding Mimosas, which we have never had with our meal before but loved them when we had them at Lisa's for Mothers' day. We hope to be home from the ride and sit down to eat about 10:30, at the latest.
After breakfast we will head off to church. They will have something special for Father's day and we won't want to miss feeding our spiritual souls, so that will be a nice part of our day. What will we do after church? What ever the "Father" in our house wants to do. Perhaps a walk on the beach or a trip to the dog park! I guess as long as we are all together it doesn't really matter.
We have a dinner reservation at 5:30 at our fav restaurant. Yes, more eating! You could say in our house every celebration centers around food. It's no wonder that we have "large" waist lines. If everything goes as planned it should be a perfect day.
Two years ago I missed sending my Father his Father's day card. I actually took the time to buy the card, but just never got it in the mail. Sadly, this was my dad's last Father's day. Who knew? Who would have ever thought that he would be gone in less than four months? A Father's Day will never pass without thinking of my ol' Dad... sure do miss you!
Two years ago I missed sending my Father his Father's day card. I actually took the time to buy the card, but just never got it in the mail. Sadly, this was my dad's last Father's day. Who knew? Who would have ever thought that he would be gone in less than four months? A Father's Day will never pass without thinking of my ol' Dad... sure do miss you!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Crystalized Ginger-Snap Cookies
1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger and cloves in a bowl and then set aside. Beat the butter and sugar until light. Mix in the egg, vinegar and molasses. Add the flour mixture and crystallized ginger until blended. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking tray, spacing them 2-inches apart. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely on a baking rack.
These moist cookies get better with age. Store in a tight-sealed jar and try them after a week or so. The flavors in the cookie will deliciously meld together, making eating just on a very hard thing to do.
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger and cloves in a bowl and then set aside. Beat the butter and sugar until light. Mix in the egg, vinegar and molasses. Add the flour mixture and crystallized ginger until blended. Form dough into 1-inch balls and place on a non-stick or parchment-lined baking tray, spacing them 2-inches apart. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely on a baking rack.
These moist cookies get better with age. Store in a tight-sealed jar and try them after a week or so. The flavors in the cookie will deliciously meld together, making eating just on a very hard thing to do.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
My Little Boy is Growing Up!
Tomorrow my little boy will graduate from Middle School. OMG ! Where has the time gone? When I look at him I still see a little boy and perhaps I always will. This last school year has not been the best academically for him, but not because of lack of intelligence. He does not go to school to learn. He goes to school to entertain and if he gathers a little knowledge along the way, that is a bonus.
The last progress report that he brought home from school was the worst ever. In fact, he received his first "F" and in English of all subjects. I say that because at the beginning of middle school he was in honors English and was tested to be reading at a grade 12 level...and the boy can read. How does this happen to a smart kid like this? When I contacted the teacher she said he was a really good kid, funny and polite. The reason for the "F" was that he simply had not handed in his assignments nor his reading logs. Again, the boys reads all of the time so why would he not hand in the reading log? When I asked him he had no answer, so I can only assume that it was not a priority for him or he is just plain lazy.
English was not the only subject that he did poorly in and the other teachers told me basically the same things about him. How can a parent motivate a child to do well when he simply does not care? I had already taken away all of his privileges and praised him when he did well so what was the thing that would motivate him to succeed? I was at my wits end, but really wanted to help my child.
In the end it was constant follow up from me that got him to take interest. It seemed that he wanted me to be much more involved than I wanted to be. I guess I wanted him to be like his brother and follow through without supervision and he proved to me that each child is an different. Many years ago I read a book called "ending the homework hassle". The book explained how to liberate yourself from feeling anxiety about homework by making your child responsible for his own work/actions. At the time I was beside myself with my older son who would take HOURS to do his homework. It was frustrating for both of us, but the book cured me and helped him. I wanted that for this child too, but he really needed me to be following him every step of the way, not just going through the motions. It was his way of getting my attention, making me slow down and take notice of him. Once I realized that he really needed to be parented in a different way it made things easier.
With this new found knowledge I hope to be able to help my son succeed in high school. I know now that he is not ready to let go and needs me still. After all he is my little boy!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
The Bike Ride of our Life
Today we went on another bike ride. We headed out from the mall where we left the truck. Immediately, we had the good fortune to come upon a group of cyclists called the Knickerbikers. It would have been fun to ride with them, as they were following a route from the J Street marina over toward Otay Lakes, but we already had an idea of where we wanted to ride.
We wanted to try a little "off roading" and follow the power lines to see where they might lead. We soon discovered that we were heading down into a valley. At first the rush downhill was fun, but we got a little concerned when we continued to head down hill realizing that sooner or later we would need to head back up. We had an idea to follow a path that we saw at the bottom that would hopefully take us out of the valley another way.
Unfortunately, when we got to the bottom, there was no connection to the path that we could see in the distance. In fact, we realized that it was a dead end. We headed off in another direction still trying to find a way to the path that we wanted to take. At some points we had to get off our bikes and walk as the hill was just to steep to pedal up and at other points we were heading down hill so fast it was scary.
It was then out there in the middle of no where that I realized how this bike ride was so similar to our lives right now. For example, we could have ridden with the pack but we chose to go our own way. So true in our lives as we have followed a very different life path than those around us. Personally, we too have come so very close to the bottom and how desperately we are searching for that path that would take us up again. The path was there, we could see but somehow not get to it. Just like the bike ride, in our lives we had tried several paths, sometimes I led, sometimes he led. He saw things that I didn't see and vise versa. Together we tried to get back on top, but just can't seem to find the way. At some points we had to back track a little, but eventually we did get out.
In our life we have not found the way out of the valley just yet. I guess we need to keep trying, stick together and take turns leading. And remember that with faith we will find our way. Maybe where we want to go is not where he wants us to go, but he will show us the way. It seems clear to me that this the bike ride came at an opportune time. This was the the Ride of our Life.
We wanted to try a little "off roading" and follow the power lines to see where they might lead. We soon discovered that we were heading down into a valley. At first the rush downhill was fun, but we got a little concerned when we continued to head down hill realizing that sooner or later we would need to head back up. We had an idea to follow a path that we saw at the bottom that would hopefully take us out of the valley another way.
Unfortunately, when we got to the bottom, there was no connection to the path that we could see in the distance. In fact, we realized that it was a dead end. We headed off in another direction still trying to find a way to the path that we wanted to take. At some points we had to get off our bikes and walk as the hill was just to steep to pedal up and at other points we were heading down hill so fast it was scary.
It was then out there in the middle of no where that I realized how this bike ride was so similar to our lives right now. For example, we could have ridden with the pack but we chose to go our own way. So true in our lives as we have followed a very different life path than those around us. Personally, we too have come so very close to the bottom and how desperately we are searching for that path that would take us up again. The path was there, we could see but somehow not get to it. Just like the bike ride, in our lives we had tried several paths, sometimes I led, sometimes he led. He saw things that I didn't see and vise versa. Together we tried to get back on top, but just can't seem to find the way. At some points we had to back track a little, but eventually we did get out.
In our life we have not found the way out of the valley just yet. I guess we need to keep trying, stick together and take turns leading. And remember that with faith we will find our way. Maybe where we want to go is not where he wants us to go, but he will show us the way. It seems clear to me that this the bike ride came at an opportune time. This was the the Ride of our Life.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
I am only one
I wanted to share this original art created by Brad Ruggles. I liked it enough that I decided to post it so I could look at it from time to time.
Last night was the lacrosse banquet for our older son. I was very proud of him as he has turned out to be a fine young man both athletically and intellectually. Last night he received an award for 2008 Varsity Attackman of the Year. He is making some wonderful memories for himself as an athlete and a good one at that. Younger son was at the banquet too, taking it all in. Next month he will be in high school with his older brother! I will have a freshman and a senior. How the time is flying.
The first week on the new "secret" job is over. I feel very happy with how it went and have learned a lot already. My question is how deep is the pond? In other words, right now I am not sure if I have learned 10% or 70% of the job. At any rate, I am enjoying having my own office and feel comfortable with my new responsibilities.
I am worried about my DH. I know he is trying to keep a happy face, but I can tell that inside he is raw. His job situation or rather lack of has him really down. I on the other hand, seem to be so very positive that something good will come of this bad situation. I think he needs to reflect and see what is really important to him in life. He seems to have lost himself somewhere in his journey and he needs to find himself and fast.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
June Already!
I am very happy these days as I am training for my new job. It is amazing how a change of employment can really make work exciting again. I am still feeling happy that I was picked to be "the one". I wonder where this job will lead? It is the beginning of something new.. something I can really plunge into and explore. What is this job? Well ,for now it is a secret so I will have to write about it at another time.
Also, Mum is here visiting. It is nice to have her around as she always gives an interesting perspective to things. Maybe I just like having another female in the house. Yesterday she declared that she could not possibly spend another day in this house. I guess she is feeling a little cabin fever from being holed up here for the last few days. We planned a nice outing to cheer her up. The boys and my DH met me at Islands near the job. We had a delicious lunch together. I went back to work and they headed to Target. Who doesn't love Target? The day before, when I was at Target, I picked up the cutest patio lights. I had visions of stringing them on the fence in the backyard to give it a more romantic look. I bought 75 feet of lights only to find out that I actually need 175 feet. Opps! I think I was a little off on the calculations. I really want the yard to look great so we can enjoy it as this may be our last summer here. Now all we need, besides the extra lights, is a gas heater which we will pick up when they are on sale at Costco this month....we have a coupon. Yippee!
This has to be the busiest week of the year! Not just this year but every year. Tuesday was the PTSO meeting, Wednesday the nail appointment, Thursday is the awards ceremony at the high school and Friday the High school LAX banquet..! The weekend does not look any quieter. We have dinner at Lisa's on Saturday night and the middle school LAX close of season party on Sunday. It is good to be busy. I just hope we can squeeze a bike ride in somewhere.
I was saddened to hear the news today that Sen. Hillary Clinton will officially suspend her campaign for the presidency on Saturday and "express her support for Senator Obama. I really wanted Clinton to win. I feel that she would have former President Bill Clinton there to guide her along so it would be like getting 2 for 1. After all she has already been in the White house so to speak. It's not that I have anything against Obama, it's just that I think Clinton is a stronger candidate....darn I wish I could vote!
In closing I am reflecting on the boys. I can hardly believe that one will be a senior and the other a freshman. Where has the time gone? How will I feel next year at this time when my senior will be graduating? The thought of it makes me sad....very sad. I must do everything I can to make this last year of school a good one for him and the first year of high school a good one for my little boy.
Also, Mum is here visiting. It is nice to have her around as she always gives an interesting perspective to things. Maybe I just like having another female in the house. Yesterday she declared that she could not possibly spend another day in this house. I guess she is feeling a little cabin fever from being holed up here for the last few days. We planned a nice outing to cheer her up. The boys and my DH met me at Islands near the job. We had a delicious lunch together. I went back to work and they headed to Target. Who doesn't love Target? The day before, when I was at Target, I picked up the cutest patio lights. I had visions of stringing them on the fence in the backyard to give it a more romantic look. I bought 75 feet of lights only to find out that I actually need 175 feet. Opps! I think I was a little off on the calculations. I really want the yard to look great so we can enjoy it as this may be our last summer here. Now all we need, besides the extra lights, is a gas heater which we will pick up when they are on sale at Costco this month....we have a coupon. Yippee!
This has to be the busiest week of the year! Not just this year but every year. Tuesday was the PTSO meeting, Wednesday the nail appointment, Thursday is the awards ceremony at the high school and Friday the High school LAX banquet..! The weekend does not look any quieter. We have dinner at Lisa's on Saturday night and the middle school LAX close of season party on Sunday. It is good to be busy. I just hope we can squeeze a bike ride in somewhere.
I was saddened to hear the news today that Sen. Hillary Clinton will officially suspend her campaign for the presidency on Saturday and "express her support for Senator Obama. I really wanted Clinton to win. I feel that she would have former President Bill Clinton there to guide her along so it would be like getting 2 for 1. After all she has already been in the White house so to speak. It's not that I have anything against Obama, it's just that I think Clinton is a stronger candidate....darn I wish I could vote!
In closing I am reflecting on the boys. I can hardly believe that one will be a senior and the other a freshman. Where has the time gone? How will I feel next year at this time when my senior will be graduating? The thought of it makes me sad....very sad. I must do everything I can to make this last year of school a good one for him and the first year of high school a good one for my little boy.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Weekend Bike Ride
Bike Ride number two was on Memorial Day weekend. What started out as a 12 mile ride turned into a 15 mile ride, but who's counting. We rode around Otay Lake and found a perfect spot for a future picnic or hiking adventure - Lower Otay Park Pavillon. The scenery around the lake was truly beautiful and there was very little traffic. In fact, much of the ride was on a bike path, so it would be a perfect place to ride with children or people that are not comfortable in traffic. On the ride home we saw a rather large sized coyote in close proximity to Salt Creek Elementary school. Good thing that school was not in session.
The only thing missing from this ride was a good hydration system. Indeed both of us were sharing one plastic water bottle, which was not nearly enough. So after the ride we headed down to our local bike shop to take advantage of the holiday weekend sale pricing. I fixed myself up with a Camelbak Dream. It is a water supply and backpack in one ... just what I needed. Also, because it is refillable I felt like I was doing the "green thing" or environmentally correct thing. I also bought some other cycling accessories that were too cheap to resist.Ride number 2-1/2 came the next day when son #2 decided to try on Dad's new cycling attire. Once decked out with the gear he wanted to ride so off we went again with the wee one in tow. This time we drove up to the the lake and cycled around it. Turned out to be a nice 5 mile ride.
Yep, this is him on his first ride with Dad's clothes on. He loved the ride and had no problem doing the 5 miles. If fact, after the ride he was asking when we could go again! Who knew!
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Mole Mio
4-6 chicken breasts, skinned boned
chicken flavor bouillon
cilantro - handful
medium onion, chopped
2 jars Dona Maria mole
1 tablet of Mexican Chocolate (Ibarra)
peanut butter (check measure)
oil
Boil water in a large pot and make chicken broth with chicken bouillon, cilantro and onion. Taste for flavor.
Add chicken broth and boil about 30 (check this) minutes until chicken is no longer pink at center. When cooked remove breasts a shred with two forks. Do not discard broth.
Heat oil in large sauce pan. Add mole and stir well. Add chocolate tablet and 1 large spoonful of peanut butter and continue to stir. Once mixed add reserved chicken broth to make smooth sauce.
Add shredded chicken and stir well. Add more chicken broth if necessary.
Serve with rice and hot tortillas.
Serves 6
Monday, May 19, 2008
Out and about - Bike Ride
Today we went on an awesome bike ride.
We left home at 7:20 and followed a trail from our house to the local bagel place, Einstein Bros. Bagels. The ride was perfect for our first time out in a long, long time. The way there was mostly down hill so the way back was a little harder. Of course, it would be better if the harder ride was on the way there but it was fun just the same. It was mostly on unpaved trails although there is a bit of street riding toward the end. Basically the ride was a half hour each way and we stopped at the Einstein's for half an hour, so an hour an a half total and we were home by 9.
What a perfect way to start a Sunday!
Things to take next time:
- Allergy Meds (before the ride)
- Tissue (just incase)
- Cell phone (also just incase)
- Credit Card/Cash
Welcome
I decided that it was time for me to start a blog. Why another blog? It's because I hope to inpsire you, to make you laugh and to give you some information that may same you time, energy and maybe some money. I want to share my crazy life with you and give you hope that there is someone else out there just like you. For my friends and family that are so far away, know that I miss you and hope you check in here every once in a while to see what we are up to.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Marinated Flank Steak
1 pound flank steak
Marinade:
3/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon grated ginger
(or 1 tsp ginger powder)
- Score one side of the steak by making shallow cuts in a criss-cross design.
- Combine remaining ingredients and pour over the meat.
- Put in Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 1 or 3 days or leave at room temperature for 3 or 4 hours.
- Broil or barbecue about 4 or 5 minutes on each side.
- Slice in thin strips across the grain.
Good hot or cold. For 2 steaks use the same amount of marinade.
Makes about 4 servings.
Matrimony Cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup soft butter
Filling:
2 cups pitted and chopped dates
1/3 cup brown sugar
1-1/4 cups water
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven 375
In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, soda, brown sugar, rolled oats and butter. Rub together with fingers until it's like coarse meal. Combine the Filling ingredients in a saucepan and simmer, stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Press half the flour mixture into the bottom of a greased 9 x 9" cake pan. Spoon filling on top and smooth with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle remaining flour mixture evenly on top. Bake about 25 minutes or until top is slightly browned.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Slow Cooker Lasagna
1 pound bulk Italian sausage - Papa Cantella's Hot Italian Sausage
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 container (15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
(spinach if desired)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 cans (15 ounces each) Italian-style tomato sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 container (15 ounces part-skim ricotta cheese)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
(spinach if desired)
- Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt. (Can be done the night before.)
- Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.) (Can be done the night before.)
- Spoon one-fourth of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker (large one); top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles , remain cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.
- Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender. (4 is better)
- Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.
HINT - Set it up like this:
Top of pot
Sausage mix - 1/4
Noodles
Sausage mix - 1/4
Cheese mix - half
Noodles
Sausage mix - 1/4
Cheese mix - half
Noodles
Sausage mix - 1/4
Bottom of pot
Serve with salad and garlic toast.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Baxter
Our dog Baxter is a gift from above. He came to us quite by accident in September of 2007. As cute as he was, I had no desire to take on yet another responsibility, but somehow the woman at my door convinced me to take him in. And that was it! Baxter came bounding into our lives. He was about four months old at the time and soon this furry canine brought about an incredible change in our household. Somewhere along the way we had lost our joy and Baxter brought it back to us.
BFF
In the spring of this year we all got together at Jackie's house. We had not been together since last summer and a good time was long overdue. Each of us brought a snack and the expectation of nothing more that a fun evening. There is something comforting about "old" friends and "old" friends we are. Each of you have a special place in my heart and no matter the distance or time we spend apart when we get together is it magical and like no time has passed at all.
Strange how our evening took us to cyberspace. When we were teenagers we never even had computers and here we were gathered around one. We spent time looking at a strange on-line dating website. We found some people from our high school days and laughed our heads off at ...... ! Can you remember? We viewed some fun stuff on youtube ... "show em to me" and "business time".
I think of "us" often and long for the time we can all get together again. For me, it is never soon enough. I wonder when and hope that nothing will ever change.
May 14, 2008
Hey, I finally have my own blog! I am excited to be able to share the details of my crazy life. I hope you visit often.
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