Goin' Solo

This week my husband is traveling, again, to San Diego. He was there all last week, too.  I'm doing fine, being solo.  Last week I only had my 13 year old home.  Shawna was at my parents house all week. Paula and I got along really well.  No fighting.  No disagreements.  I really enjoyed having her all to myself.  She opened up a bit with me too and shared more.  We shared some funny laughing moments that I'll cherish.  I love her so much but it's hard not to butt heads. Plus I'm very annoying to her.  Shocker, I know, given she's a young teen.  I will have to endure these next rough years.  Thank god for wine.

Paula had volleyball camp at Stanford last week for 3 days.  She went for 2 days in 2013 and really enjoyed the camp.  This time she was in a 3-day camp.   She loved it!  She learned a lot, did better than she thought she would.  On the last day they had a ball control contest.  Out of more than 100 girls competing, she made the top 5 and won a jersey worn by previous Stanford player, Carly Wopat.  She cried when she won it, she was THAT  happy.  When she got home she put a different photo on her Instagram,  tagging Carly.  Carly wrote back "Congrats!" with a thumbs up picture.  Talk about excited!  Even her friends were impressed.  We're so proud of Paula. 

Paula really wants to be in a club volleyball.  Some of her friends at school are in club.  Why does club volleyball cost almost $2K more than other sport clubs?  Seriously, we have friends who are on softball travel teams and pay 50% less than what V-ball clubs charge.  Not to mention the time commitment by her and us required when you're in club.  We're struggling with what to do. She LOVES volleyball and she's obviously good at it.  She's also very tall, which is a bonus in this sport.  We measured her Sunday at 5' 6.5" already at age 13.  She's gonna be tall! 

Every parent wants to give their child the world and we're no different.  November is try-outs.  We'll have to decide by then, I guess. 

 

 

Speaking of tall.  We measured both girls Sunday.  I'm just barely 5' 3".  Shawna (age 11) came in at 5' 2" and as mentioned above Paula was 5' 6.5".  Todd is 6' 1" so they get their height from him, clearly.  My dad's side of the family is tall, too.  I'm glad they're tall.  Tall is better than short! 

 





The dog is making us crazy. Rosie CAN'T STOP SCRATCHING AND BITING.  We've gone to the vet twice.  Both times she got cortisone shots which helped, but didn't fix her.  We're giving her pills twice a day.  Yesterday the cone of shame had to go on because she won't stop biting at her tail. It "might" be pollen, it "might" be an allergy to flea bite, it "might" be nerves.  She got really bad after our Memorial Day Weekend camping trip where she stayed home with a dog sitter.  We gave her flea treatment.  I just changed her food.  We know she's allergic to wheat since a puppy but I was suspicious of a brand we got about 3 months ago.  I went back to Wellness brand, which she doesn't love, but I know its grain free.  She's cute, damn-it, but she needs to STOP SCRATCHING.   

 

 

Until next time. 

xoxo

It's been more than a year!

Wow, guess I need to update this blog!  Unfortunately I can't put much right now since I have to catch my shuttle to the ACE train in a short bit.  I'm a train commuter since October and loving it! 

Life is different here on the farm (so to speak). I have a 13 year old now, who's really good at being 13.  I apparently annoy her at every turn, even when I'm not trying, and I do try, sometimes.
Thankfully my 11 year old still loves me and wants me around.  We tell her if she plays her cards right she can remain the favorite child for a long time. 

Todd's work has changed to where he's traveling now.  This is fine except he's a very hands-on dad who picks up the kids and stuff.  He's leaving for China on Friday the 13th (he's not thrilled about the date of his departure).  He's also traveling to Tijuana/San Diego now.  This is all good news for his job, which is expanding. 

Rosie the dog is still doing well when she isn't drooling, scratching or biting herself. 

We still have the snake. 

We have added a beta fish for Shawna. Shawna is a very good fish mommy. 

We're currently redoing the upstairs hallway bathroom a little at a time.  The entire house needs to be updated from the 90's.  We're tackling little things here and there. 

I'm painting furniture with milk paint.  It's my new favorite thing. 

Okay, gotta run! 

xoxo

 

  

Time MARCHes On

March was no less busy than February with sports, school, work and life.

One thing new we did was take a self-defense class. One of my co-workers was mugged/assaulted earlier in March so this was at the forefront of my mind.  I missed the class in February due to Presidents Day Weekend but I knew I wanted to take the girls to the March class.  We learned how to get out of 3 different choke holds. I was so proud of my girls.  Paula felt very empowered afterwards and told me how much she appreciated me taking her. Shawna had a basketball game later that day and shared all her new skills with her teammates. She even asked her coach to "choke me" to which he said a quick 'Uh, NO".  haha He eventually played along and was impressed by her new skills.  Our next class we'll learn the Super Slap!

This month we also attended my nieces 4th birthday party at a jumping type place with lots of trampolines, side trampolines, and did I mention trampolines?  The kids had a blast and want to go back.  Allison was super cute and funny with her swimming and preschool friends.  I can't believe she's already 4!  My brother and his wife are now pre-approved for a home loan so they're on their way to owning their own home.  This is a huge deal for anyone, but especially them.  I'm very proud of them. 

We also went camping over Easter weekend.  Ever since Todd's family stopped regularly getting together on Easter we've gone camping instead.. They used to do a money hunt for kids and adults. No one wanted to miss that!  Todd's dad would hide about $400 in 1's and maybe a few 5's out in the side yard for everyone to find. We also chipped in plastic candy filled eggs and other Eastery stuff to find.  But, his dad is 79 TODAY and over the past few years his parents haven't felt like getting together with the family for various reasons so we go camping instead.  This time we went to a KOA we visited over Mothers Day weekend that has TONS of amenities like a pool, hot tub, jumping pillow, store, petting zoo, rock wall, playground, etc, etc.  The kids had a blast. It even rained a bit but no one cared.  Trailer camping is the best.


I'm totally hooked (again) to West Wing TV series on Netflix.  OMG it's a total obsession and I'm already on season 3.  I watch it everyday and would watch it ALL DAY if I could.  I just love the characters and story lines. The humor is great.  I wish we had another show like it now, because when I've watched the entire thing I'm going to be soo depressed. 

I'm super proud of my girls and who they've become. 

Paula is such a sweet soul. She babysits neighbor twins almost every week and does such a great job with them. The parents compliment and praise her often.    She's so helpful around our house too.  Her grades are great and she has really good friends.  Friends I hope she keeps a lifetime. 

Shawna's loves for animal's is wonderful.  She keeps saying she wants to be a vet, but time will tell.  Her teacher emailed me recently how proud she is of Shawna's accomplishments, grades and just overall conduct. She really enjoys basketball this year and I think works much harder and stays more focused than she did last year. Shawna's grades are also very good.  She still loves kisses and hugs from me, which I hope never ends! 

Life is so good right now.  I'm very blessed.

How for the pictures!

 

Allison (black shirt) turns 4! 

Shawna in love with her farm animals at the KOA

Paula dye's eggs for the Easter egg hunt

The girls and their loot. The Easter Bunny hid eggs in front of the trailer but he forgot baskets this year so we improvised.

Paula helps mommy make Easter dinner with homemade scalloped potatoes. 

Paula Deen's recipe.  

It was really good!  I recommend it!

Paula and Shawna at their 12 and 10 year well checks 4/2/13.

Paula's stats (she's now taller than I am!)

Shawna's stats

Beach and Butterflies

If I don’t get this down I’ll forget so here is what we’ve been up to for the past few weeks.  This won’t be interesting to you unless you’re me.  J

Last weekend of January:


January 26th my baby turned 10. DOUBLE-DIGITS. This was huge of course. Shawna talked about the big day for weeks.

We invited several of her friends to a bowling party at a local bowling alley, which I’d never been to prior. Thankfully the place was great. We had our own party person who handled the shoes, lane computer, drinks, pizza and cut the cake. I LOVED HER!!!! Birthday parties stress me out. Especially when I have to be the host.


Later that night Shawna was invited, along with her entire class of 30 kids and their families, to an ice skating party for a birthday party. My parents were in town for Shawna’s birthday and didn’t want to go to the ice rink so Todd stayed home with them while Paula, Shawna and I went out. The girls had fun skating while I watched. I can sort of skate. Not great. I don’t need to fall and injure myself. There was an open bar in the lounge, along with tons of food. The mom of the daughter went over and beyond, I was told, because she wanted to thank the school families for their support for her and her family after her husband died in October.


Sunday was open house at school and the final volleyball games for most teams. Todd helped at the annual pancake breakfast all day. He brought mimosas for everyone working. Weee.

Shawna brought home a play date. Overall a great weekend.



1st weekend of February:

Friday the 1st the girls and Todd went to a Father-Daughter dance which was beach themed. The girls had a BLAST. Todd did too, he said it was the best one yet.

Saturday was Paula’s volleyball party at a pizza place where she got to play video games and Shawna played her last volleyball game that day.


Sunday was SUPER BOWL. We had a party. I even let Todd buy a new TV. That’s huge since I swore until the ancient projector one we had broke, he couldn’t buy another one. But the projector TV you
need to be sitting practically directly in front of the TV to see it clearly and I would have 13 people in my living room so I needed one that was viewable from all sides. Our new TV is a SmartTV. You can talk to it and it responds with an action. omg.

We have Amazon subscribed to the TV and we’re prime members, so I’m now watching season 2 of Downton Abbey all week. I’m sooo hooked to this show.


2nd weekend

Not as exciting as the previous weekends. Shawna went on a play date to her friend’s house on Saturday. Sunday Girl Scout Cookie sales began! I have two girls in Girl Scouts which means I have a lot more cookies than some people.

Although, I’m amazed how many cookies a single girl can sell. We aren’t power sellers. Shawna and I went around the neighborhood Sunday selling 40 boxes while Paula and her friend made cakes in my kitchen. Todd changed the oil in his hoopty.

Let me know if you want GS cookies. I’m selling thru March!



3rd weekend

Presidents Day weekend we headed with the travel trailer to Pismo Beach. We stayed at a new RV park that packed you in like sardines. We didn’t even bother opening our awning because it almost hit the trailer next to us. LOL

We also had to park the truck next to the trailer and almost couldn’t open the trailer door all the way.

The Jacuzzi was the best part of the park. The kids LOVED the pool and Jacuzzi. They also met a friend age 9 from Riverside, who had her own bodyguard. She told Shawna her mom is overprotective. Yah think?! Her brother, age 10, had his own bodyguard.

They were sort of glorified nannys. The girl’s bodyguard was very friendly and talked about himself to us a lot. He’s an ex-sheriff. He’d sit outside my trailer when Shawna and her were inside. I got so comfortable with him I didn’t even worry about my kids since I knew he was watching over them since his ‘ward’ was with my kids.

They would play in the pool and he’d watch them. It was great! I met the parents, who were nice and they even invited us to dinner one night, but we refused as we’d bought meat to BBQ. This was before we knew he was a bodyguard and not a “family friend” like he said at first. I’d might have said yes just for that since I’m so nosy!

We went to the beach for a couple hours one day and drove the truck on the sand. Paula hung out in the freezing cold water for awhile. Shawna dug sand with a shovel, then Paula joined her. Rosie ran around and got sandy and wet. She was cute.

We saw a bunch of the monarch butterflies on our way back to the campgrounds. There is a monarch preserve that has thousands who fly in every year for a few months. It’s amazing to see.



4th weekend:

This weekend we’re selling girl scouts cookies (surprise) and going to our good friends’ 2nd annual soup party. You can enter your own soup for $10 or just show up and taste the soup, then vote on the best ones. The winner goes home with all the money. I was considering

Making a soup but I never make soup. And with GS cookie sales in the afternoon I won’t have time to do anything. So I’ll just go and eat.

My mug leaks

This weekend my niece, Allison, came over for a sleepover.  Her mom had a chiropractic seminar she needed to attend all day for her yearly credits and my brother, the cop, was on duty from 2pm on. The girls always have fun together playing.  But, boy oh boy is this girl bossy and full of attitude.  She's in a preschool class with 5 year olds now even though she's only 3.  The reason is she does better with older children. I think they tolerate her better than the younger ones.

We had one time-out and a few threats of time-out this weekend, all which were not received well.  Go figure. 

Apparently, peanut butter on a spoon is her favorite snack, which was a surprise to her mother. 

I spent most of Sunday working on Shawna's scrapbook project for her 4th grade mission.  She has Mission Santa Cruz.  Whoever thinks these projects are done by the children is sadly mistaken.  Whoever thinks a child of the age of 9 can do this without parent help and produce anything worthy of a decent grade, is also mistaken. 

Two years ago Paula did a scrapbook for her mission.  She gave great input and did a lot of the work herself but I definitely helped the entire time.  It took us 8 hours but we did it together.
Shawna was available only in spurts. Her concentration level is less than her sisters. She did help pick colors of paper and used some of my scrapbook supplies to punch out shapes to add to the book, and placed those shapes on the pages.  She pulled off every letter and handed it to me to apply to the paper.  But mostly she wanted to play with Allison or go outside, or watch tv, or do anything other than sit at the table and help with the scrapbook. 

I was determined this scrapbook would be complete this weekend so I trudged along.  It came out nice and it's DONE. 

We have a model that she did too.  Their class has to do two projects.  Her dad helped with the model.  I got to do the scrapbook. Teamwork. We have it. 

I need to complain about my coffee mug.  I have an old Thermos brand coffee mug I use for work.  Sometimes after I wash it, water gets trapped under the plastic and drips each time I take a sip.  Today my keyboard & desk are getting wet. Why why why.  So annoying. 

Christmas 2012

This year Christmas went very well.  Having a full weekend before Christmas arrives is KEY.  I wish that happened every year.

The week before Christmas my brother's family joined us on the Niles Christmas Train of Lights. His daughter is 3.5 years old so watching her experience this event is pretty fun for all of us. I only have iPhone pictures to share so forgive the quality.

Shawna and I

Paula, Shawna and niece Allison

                                My brother Alan, Todd and Santa and Mrs. Clause coming down the train

Paula and I

My sister-in-law Jennifer. See how pretty the lights are inside the train. 

Allison at my house after.  We were trying on snow wear.  

The girls worked together to build mini gingerbread houses.  I vowed to buy normal size ones next year.

My husband's sense of humor attached to my light fixture

My brother (the cop) and his sense of humor. 

Alan sent this to me saying another cop sent it to him. He said this is what cops do when they're bored with Christmas stuff. 

Shawna pretending to make a phone call on the antique phone at my in-laws house.

There is actually a dial tone!

My in-laws house, where my husband grew up, is practically all wood inside. It might explain why my house is too. 

The husband ADORES OAK. 

My table scape with my Spode Christmas China

This is a 66 year old Elf on a Shelf my mom has from when she was a child. 

The face appears to be carved from wood.  My kids had fun looking for him one day when Grandma hid him several times. Like hide-n-seek.

Both girls were part of the nativity story at church on Christmas Eve. They did very well. Shawna was an Angel and Paula was Mary. The priest asked all the kids questions and both girls answered correctly on all counts. Did you know sheep herders were considered BAD? Yes, apparently they were the low man on the totem pole and were not considered "good". When the priest mentioned this the entire church hummed. I don't think anyone knew this fact. If it is in fact, a fact. Heh.

Overall this Christmas was enjoyable and not too stressful.  I'm very grateful for my family and friends.  Hope everyone reading this (all 4 of you) had a wonderful Christmas too!  xoxo







DUST IF YOU MUST

DUST IF YOU MUST


Dust if you must but wouldn’t it be better

To paint a picture or write a letter,

Bake a cake or plant a seed.

Ponder the difference between want and need.



Dust if you must but there’s not much time.

With rivers to swim and mountains to climb!

Music to hear and books to read,

Friends to cherish and life to lead.



Dust if you must but the world’s out there

With the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

This day will not come around again.



Dust if you must but bear in mind,

Old age will come and it’s not kind.

And when you go and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust.



Remember, a house becomes a home when

You can write “I love you” on the furniture……



Author unknown

Israel not so far from home

I work for an Israeli owned company with our HQ in Tel Aviv. I talk to my Israeli folks almost daily for one reason or another. I’ve met some in person when they’ve come out here for sales conferences or projects. We've gone to lunch, hugged, kissed cheek to cheek.  Shown each other pictures of our kids, told stories, laughed. 

Last week when this war with Gaza started I was on a conference call with Israel.  I was remotely working on one Dawn's computer in test mode so her emails came thru to my side. Emails saying that "we" bombed Gaza.  I did not receive those same emails here in the US.  I wasn't on that distribution list.  It was odd to see those emails flashing in front of me while I worked to run the testing I needed to finish. 

We also have several Israeli’s here in our Sunnyvale office who have either been transferred here or are visiting.

The situation over there is very close to home is what I’m saying.

Monday I emailed someone in our IT department who handles Oracle issues for us on a regularly basis. I've met him during a visit here. He's a really nice person. His name is Guy.  Guy is fast to fix problems. I've worked here for almost 1 and 1/2 years and he's the 'guy' to go to, literally.  Thankfully our group figured out the problem on our own so we told him to ignore.

He still responded. “I'm on RD (Reserve Duty) anyway, so I couldn't really help...
No clue when I'll be back. Will inform you once I do.”

Yikes!

I replied to him to "STAY SAFE.  Hoping this ends quickly and safely for all of you."

He just replied to me this morning

"Thanks, doing my best."

I feel like this war is not so far from home.

November Update

I need to update this thing or I'll forget simple things.

Paula has started babysitting for 20 month old twins who live around the block from us. Boy/girl twins. The mom or dad or both are always home. Paula is more of a mothers helper right now but she wants to be able to babysit them and other kids alone some day. She gets paid but not much, although money does make her feel like it’s a real job. In December she’s signed up for a Red Cross babysitting class in Palo Alto from 9am-6pm. That’s a long class. The list of what they get taught is lengthy.


Volleyball started up again at school. There are two 5th/6th grade teams and the one she was on last year (coach) she did not get on this year. This time her team has a lot of new players and although they can hold their own for awhile, they end up losing in the end. She’s discouraged.

For Halloween she dressed up in 80’s clothes. Some from the Halloween super store and some from Goodwill and Walgreens. She wears the legwarmers quite frequently. She may bring them back in style. Heh.

Parents at school asked me if I had those clothes lying around. Ha! I actually did have the black shirt buckle in my hope chest. I just could not throw it out. Good thing! 

Paula's grades are very good also. Almost all A's.  During parent teacher conferences we were surprised to learn she gets distracted easily in class.  Yet she has A's so the teacher is not sure what to make of the two.  Paula is working on paying more attention. 

Shawna is doing really well in school. She also has almost all A's.  Her teacher started the year tutoring her then said she no longer needs it.  She's all caught up from summers lack of reading.  Not that we didn't try to get her to read, she just refused most of the time to pick up a book.  She does better when a teacher makes her read, apparently. 

Volleyball is happening for her too. She's loving her first year. I really like her coach, who has a scheduled movie night for the team. We got her new sneakers yesterday with white soles for the gym.  A new rule or old rule, I'm not sure. She wanted to test them out by jogging but I don't job. haha Todd took her to the school by our house for her to run around. 

This past weekend Paula went to two different sleepovers so Shawna and I got to pal around. We watched Soul Surfer together on the couch.  She's a snuggler that girl. Love my Shawna time. 

Todd turns 45 in a couple days. I'm throwing him a birthday party with our close friends.  I wanted to invite more people than we are but I started to hyperventilate. Thankfully he wanted something smaller.  For Christmas maybe we'll have a big one, who knows.

Alrighty, I'm off to go dress shopping at Macy's for my company holiday party coming up in a couple weeks. 

Trick-or-Treat

                                                                    Halloween 2012



Leaving on a jet plane

Tomorrow Todd and I head out to Cabo for a weeks vacation sans kids. My mom is arriving today to stay with them all next week.  Todd is texting me now saying the suitcase is already at maximum capacity with the booze we're taking so I guess I don't get to bring any clothes. Heh.  I'm sure he'd love THAT. 

We're going to Playa Grande Resort where we have a timeshare. Last year we had to skip the vacation due to my new job and all.  No vacation time plus I was covering for someone on maternity leave.

I'm looking forward to getting away.  Wishing the temps weren't going to be 91 though.  I'd prefer 80's.  It's not as fun laying out in 91 degrees for a weeks time. 

We'll hopefully get some free activities by listening to more timeshare spiels.  They have an entire system down in Cabo where you get free activities or resort credit just for spending a couple hours of your time with them.  Even your own resort will give you activities for NOT listening to some other resort spiel. The game of timeshares down there is crazy but Todd and I have almost fully mastered the plays. 

Obviously since we have a timeshare or two the spiels sometimes work.  Luckily for us we're too poor to buy anymore.  Heh.  This time around I want someone to offer us a swim with the dolphins again.  Todd and I did that many years ago and it was the BEST feeling ever. If you ever get the chance to swim with dolphins take it.  You won't regret it once. 

Kid wise volleyball just started up again. There is drama though which sucks. There are two teams this year for Paula's grade.  Actually, there are 5th and 6th grade combined becasue not enough 5th graders for their own team and too many 6th grade girls to fit on one team.  The powers that be didn't divide the teams equally off the start, which has caused parents and the players to be quite upset.  Paula especially is sad because she didn't get her favorite coach and most of her classmates/friends are on the other team.  We were told last night the diocese has required the board to divided the teams up again.  This is the result of parent complains I'm sure.  We're hoping for the best.

Volleyball is Paula's favorite sport and she literally wanted to quit when all this happened. I want her to be happy.  I'm not opposed to her making new friends and there is nothing wrong with different coaching syles.  What irks me are the parents who could have prevented this issue from happening in the first place.  I think that's what bothers me the most.   My family didn't make the "cut".  We're not part of the "click" that was chosen to stay together. 

There are league guidelines to follow for a two team split but they didn't follow those guidelines.  On purpose.  Even with the caveat "these teams are not set in stone" is not enough to make me, and some other parents, feel better. 

Shawna's team has zero drama.  Thank God.  This is her first year playing and she's sooo excited.   I watched practice last night and she had fun bumping the ball.  She bumped too hard a few times causing the ball to flyyyy over the court.    

Both girls have colds right now.  Paula's seems to be the worst of the two.  We all received flu shots last week.  They probably got sick from the doctors office who administered the flu shot.  I swear, as youngsters, any time we went for a well-check visit the child would be sick a few days later.  Never failed.  Germs germs germs. 

Todd and I hoped we wouldn't get sick before the trip.  I'm still hoping.  Thankfully Mexico has pharmacy's where you can get everything under the son without a doctors Rx. You can buy Viagra right over the counter. We don't and won't but you can.  Penicillans too.  My nurse friend warned me though that their products might not all be kosher.

Looking forward to hopefully releasing some baby tortoises into the ocean.  This resort has nests on their beach protected by fencing. The resort patrons get to release the babies after hatching.  I did it 2 years ago.  So awesome.






 

9/11 Remembered

My first child was 6 months and 3 days old when Good Morning America showed the planes crashing through the world trade centers. I didn’t really know what any of it meant at the time.


Terrorists were people who lived far away. Once in awhile they held a plane at gunpoint hoping to free one of their people from prison. I truly never gave them a second thought until that day.



I didn’t know if I should go to work or not. For one thing, I’d just came back to work from maternity leave. I didn’t have any vacation days left.

I didn’t know if I should risk taking my baby to daycare. Would she be safe? Would bombs start falling from the sky? How out of control could this terrorist problem become? I live in the Bay Area.

San Francisco is only 45 minutes from my house. By way the crow flies that’s not very far. Still, I felt I had enough distance between a major city and my home to not panic. I was scared. I was uncertain.

But I wouldn’t panic.



I took a chance. I took Paula to daycare and drove into work. The roads weren’t as busy as they’d normally be.

I turned on the AM radio to listen to news coverage on the event while I drove. How could this happen? Planes hijacked, crashing into buildings. On purpose.



All my coworkers were talking about the event. People were in a daze. Shocked. The lunch room TV was on while people huddled in the room watching the news. By this time the buildings had not collapsed yet. That would come later.

One coworker had tears in her eyes as she said. “All those people. All those people.” That stayed with me.



Not much work was being done. To be productive was impossible. All you could do was watch the news, talk to your work friends, call your family members.

They let us go home early.


I drove to my child, gave her a huge hug. I took her home and watched the rest of the day unfold on the TV. Buildings collapsed, dust/ash everywhere. People running. People missing.

What would all this mean for my future. For my child’s future?



Did we lose freedom that day?

Rollins tubing

What my family did in June 2012

What my family did in June 2012

 

Went to my cousin's wedding in Sparks, NV.  The weather was hot but windy. Visiting with my mom's side of the family is one of my favorite things to do always. 

Went to Southern California to Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament. Super fun!! Highly recommened.

Visited Disneyland and California Adventure

Visited with my mom who came down to stay with us for a week.

Visited my friend Jill's house. The girls held one of her pigeon's which is always fun. 



Wow, my calendar is less packed but the days don’t seem to be less busy.



School gets out on June 7th then we immediately (as in same day!) head to Disneyland.

I’m less excited this time than when the girls were younger. They seem less excited too. Not talking about it as much as when they were smaller. This will likely be our last visit in a long time.

I’m splurging on hot lunch for the remainder of the school year. My kids do not get hot lunch normally. Private school hot lunch is very pricey. None of this subsidized or volume discount given to public schools. We pay a minimum of $4.70 for a regular (there is also large which is more) size lunch, which includes drink, entrée, fruit, and dessert. All organic, no preservatives type food too which adds to the high cost. It’s better than the Lunchables I was sending for awhile though.


We are going to a family wedding this weekend in Sparks, Nevada. My cousin’s son (so cousin once removed?) is marrying his sweetheart of 3 years. We’re all looking forward to the big event and spending time with family. My usual dilemma for these types of events is what to wear? I have waited till the last possible minute to decide on the clothing for my family. Todd will say “what am I wearing?” and the kids too.

This is an outdoor wedding (backyard backs up against a golf course) so I need to check weather.com for updates on that. Last weekend it snowed in Tahoe which isn’t totally far from Sparks. Ugh.


My dad is giving us his car. It’s a 1996 Buick Regal. Don’t be jealous now. It doesn’t even have A/C. Well it does, but the A/C doesn’t work. My dad bought a newer car and rather than donate it my mom suggested he offer it to us. Todd is going to drive the car home from their house this weekend (after the wedding) and try to fix the A/C. My BIL is “in” refrigeration. Todd will also use the Buick as a commute car instead of his diesel truck. I don’t do no A/C or windows down so that’s why he gets the car. Both my Odyssey and the truck get the same gas mileage. Plus, I’m carpooling with a coworker. See below for this update.

I’m carpooling to and from work with my manager. To some this may seem awkward, but we’re making it work. It was also his idea. He lives 15 minutes from my house and on the way to work. I drop off my girls to school then swing by his house. I text him as I leave school so he has an idea of my timing. We trade off on driving different days. We act very “business-y” at work but our car commute talk goes everywhere. Today we were talking about work bathroom stories. Swear. People of all cultures live in the Bay Area. Different cultures have strange bathroom habits.

He told me how an East Indian man literally removed his pants and hung them on the hook while he sat down to do his business. The gap in the doors were large enough where my manager could see the pants I guess. And this happened on more than one occasion. I told him at my past job people would stand on the toilet seat and squat, like they do in their own country. Facilities had to make a sign telling people to stop standing on the seats since it left shoe marks. I know right?! People complained about the shoe marks. It didn’t stop so security then checked this particular bathroom when people left. I have more stories but I’ll spare you today. One was so bad it made me gag.


We were just invited today to join some friends in Yosemite. A large group goes every year and some of the group can’t go which opened up some pre-booked rooms. They stay in the Yosemite Lodge. We would normally camp, but we’ve never been to Yosemite yet. Todd and I have, but not with the kids. I was actually looking to go over Labor Day Weekend but this trip is in early July. The thing is, the lodge, which I’ve seen online isn’t much more than a Motel 6 because it’s outdated, musty, etc, is over $200/night. Also, I’m super low on vacation time. New job = not much time off.

The thing is the reason I was planning this trip already is because 2 fathers from our school died within a week of each other for totally separate reasons. Stroke and heart attack. I feel the need to do some of my bucket list items and Yosemite with my family is one of those items.


Over Memorial Day weekend we camped in Santa Cruz at the KOA. While there we visited an aquarium run by USCS. This place was great, inexpensive and entertaining. Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab. We touched a some sharks, looked at various water creatures, saw a swell shark egg case. I didn’t even know sharks gave birth to a “pod” with the baby inside first. Super cool. There was a creature with 15,000 legs. Yes, I’m serious. Afterwards we ate lunch on the Santa Cruz pier. The restaurant we choose, Dolphin’s, wasn’t that great so next time we’ll hit another place, but the overall experience was enjoyable.

                                                                 2 Swell Shark Egg Cases
 

                                   

Paula with sea creature, who has 15,000 tiny little legs

Shawna touched a shark

Shawna & Paula with Miss Blue (Blue Whale)

Paula & Shawna at Dolphin's Restaurant Santa Cruz pier

Me & Todd

Which came first? The chicken or the egg?

This weekend Paula, Shawna and I visited my girlfriend, Jill.  

Jill was my matron of honor in 1999 and has been a  long time good friend of mine.  She and her fiance' own an organic farm called Baia Nicchia.  They sell their tomatoes and other veggies to restaurants and at farmers markets.  Her fiance' creates hybrids for the bay area climate.  We have micro climates here in the bay area.  20 degree variances exist from San Francisco to San Jose which is only 45 minutes apart. 

This weekend I went to pick up some tomatoes from her to plant in my own yard.

Jill rescues greyhounds, pigeons and has a love of chickens. She used to keep her chickens at her home but  a fox or raccoon attacked and killed them so now she keeps them at her organic farm in a large caged area. 

My girls had fun petting and holding her chickens. 

I must warn you ahead of time, this is a long post. I talk about a few different topics which somehow in my head all relate to each other. (probably not). Aren’t you glad you aren’t in my head?




When I was a little girl I had a bank account with a bank pass book. For you youngster’s out there, a bank pass book is about the size of a passport. It listed your account number, name, debits and credits. Each time I made a deposit the bank stamped it with a date stamp.



Mostly my money consisted of birthday checks but, when I was in the 7th and 8th grade I babysat for a 2 year old named Alex. I was paid $13.00 a week to watch him for 2.5 hours. His mom worked swing shift and his dad worked day shift so there were a couple hours each day they needed a babysitter. I’d leave Jr. High each day and go to his house to watch him. We went to the park a lot and played in the house or backyard. He came to my softball practices with me on days his dad wasn’t home yet. I saved $250 in 2 years babysitting Alex. I bought myself a queen size waterbed in 8th grade with my “Alex” money. A waterbed I didn’t get rid of until I was 27 years old.



But, back to being a little girl. I actually thought the bank had a deposit box just for me. Like in Harry Potter, where the bank vault had a box just for him. I thought the money I gave them was the exact money I’d get back.



I had some silver dollar coins and Indian pennies that I was convinced I could keep safe in MY bank box. Thankfully I never did deposit those items into the bank, or they’d be long gone now. I still have the silver dollars but I have since lost the Indian pennies from my Grandpa.



I just think it’s funny how a child’s mind works and the fact I remember this fact about the bank box about myself.



Currently I have a quaint money collection. My first collectable item, in my opinion, came to me from my most favorite teacher I ever had. Her name was Miss Liu and I adored her. I stayed after class to help her clean the classroom. She always made me feel special and cared for. I sat nervously next to her during recess when I received my first pair of glasses, afraid the children would tease me. They didn’t. I truly had the best 4th grade year EVER because of Miss Liu. I’ve often said I was her “Pet” even though I can’t substantiate that fact.



Originally, however, I was assigned to Mrs. Brazowski. We called her Mrs. BrazowsCOW. I didn’t like her AT ALL. After 3rd grade I didn’t tell my mom I didn’t want her as a teacher. I should have, but I just assumed I’d get Miss Liu as my teacher. I’d never had a bad teacher up to this point but I knew I didn’t want Mrs. BrazowsCOW. She scared me. My mom and I walked to the school on a sunny, summers day to look at the list of classroom assignments, and I almost died when I saw I was assigned to Mrs. BrazowsCOW’s class! She was so MEAN. I could NOT have her as a teacher or I’d die. I begged my mother to get me out of her class.



My mom, flustered and surprised to know this teacher was even an issue, and at this LATE date was understandably displeased she had to contact the office and request a transfer for me. But, contact the office she did and I was transferred from horrible Mrs. BrazowsCOW to wonderful Miss Liu’s class. Thank you mom! Moms rock.



But, the first week of school Mrs. BrazowsCOW sees me in the hallway, stares me down and says in a Hansel & Gretel witch voice (at least in my head) “So, I understand you didn’t want to be in my class”. I just looked at her, stunned she’d called me on it. I didn’t say anything. Eventually one of us kept walking. Horrible.



Back to Miss Liu.



After Christmas break Miss Liu returned from a visit to China. One day after class while I was helping her, we were talking about her trip to China. All of a sudden she goes into her purse and pulls out a red dollar bill. It was Chinese money. She said “here, I want you to have this.”



I was floored. My teacher gave ME money. And not just any money. RED money. Special money. Chinese money. I don’t know how much it’s worth but it has the number 10 on it. I remember asking her and she told me the worth. An Chinese man is in the center, just like we have our President in the center of our money.



I cherished this gift. I still have this gift.



Over the years I’ve also collected/acquired other kinds of money. As a late teenager and into my 20’s I worked in retail and handled the cash registers. When a customer would hand me a $2.00 bill, I’d save it, then on my break I’d get my wallet and pull out two 1’s and swap them out.



I have a couple Silver Certificates now worth approx $10-$25.00 in value thanks to my retail days.



I also have Canadian coins and dollars.



I have a Singapore $1 from an ex-boyfriend who visited there while we were broken up.



I have real SILVER quarters. Not quarters like they make today. These quarters used much more silver in them. They’re heavier than today’s quarters.



I have half-dollars and silver dollars.



Once in awhile I pull out my money collection and look thru it. I enjoy my quant collection.



My collection isn’t worth much. Not financially anyway. The worth is in the history, the story how I received an item. The fun in having something different than the day to day money/currency we use now. But it all started with Miss Lui and her generous gift to her student.



If you are a teacher don’t underestimate the value of your kindness. I’m in my 40’s now and will never forget Miss Liu. I wish I could find her now. I’ve often thought about finding her and telling her how much she meant to me.



Sort of related, here is a funny true event that happened to me in the 4th grade.

Even though I didn’t have Mrs. BrazowsCOW for 4th grade homeroom, I did have her for literature class. Our class was doing a play on Paul Bunyan. “Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue Ox.”

In this play I was the 3rd Logger. This was huge for me because I had LINES to memorize. I memorized my lines sooo well. I was prepared people.



On the day of the play where we presented to our ENTIRE school, someone’s mom thought it would be more authentic if the Loggers (there were 3 of us dressed in flannel shirts and jeans) sat around the fake campfire eating popcorn. Each of us received our own baggy of popcorn. In hindsight this might not have been a good idea. The play is moving along nicely and the other loggers and I are happily eating our popcorn when I take a HUGE mouthful. You know the kind. You shove a fist full of popcorn in your mouth. Envision a hamster who has just filled his cheeks with food.



It’s right at this moment when it’s my turn to speak. Crap. What do I do? Do I spit out the popcorn? Where would I spit it? Or do I say my lines? The show must go on right?



I stand up and walk to my position directly in front of the audience and with a mouth full of popcorn I begin to say my lines. Popcorn is flying out of my mouth. I can see the popped kernal’s going everywhere. The audience is laughing hysterically. You can’t really even understand what I’m saying because my voice is muffled by all the popcorn. I glance at Mrs. BrazowsCOW who is on my right, standing down with the audience. She is not laughing. I’m sure I turned bright red. I finish my lines and sit back down.

Heh.

Bad Dreams

Photo

Paula came into my room today with tears in her eyes. She had a bad dream she said. I asked if she wanted to talk about it and she did.


I’m naked when she walks in since I had just taken a shower. I approach her for a hug but just do a quicky, then look for clothes.

I’m pulling on pants and a shirt while she tells me how she said she and Daddy were riding motorcycles when Daddy fell off. He hit his head pretty badly.

He immediately started talking like he had a speech problem.

Then as time went on he wasn’t the same person at all. In addition to his speech, he couldn’t do and fix things like he normally could. What really got her was

This. She prefaced it with “I know in real life this would never happen”, but Shawna and I didn’t like the new “Daddy” so we took off together. But Paula stayed with him. Lots of tears at this point.  I held her close and comforted her. My shoulder was wet from tears. 

She felt better after talking to me.  She came in later and asked if she could call Daddy at work when she went downstairs. I said of course she can, she can call him whenever she wants. 

She told me after she talked him that he too had a bad dream. He dreamt big clouds formed overhead causing a storm so bad it was taking RV's up into the sky. 

For him, we have a camping trip planned for this coming weekend.
For her, she loves her father like no other.

I'm a stalker

I’m warning you, this is really long but I want to document the events so I apologize in advance.
Earlier this month a woman I've been stalking on the internet for a few years now, came to visit San Francisco from her hometown of S. Calif. More specifically, The O.C. I don’t recall how I found Twenty Four At Heart but I was immediately hooked on her stories and tales of events. She’s funny, blunt, truthful, has the most crazy things happen to her. I read her blog daily at work as I drink my morning coffee. DAILY.

She started off as this anonymous blogger making fun of O.C. people and has since become quite the popular blogger and very well known in real life as well. So well known in fact, she’s spotted around her town, recognized by her readers. She’s an amazing photographer too.


So imagine my delight when she told readers how she was taking a trip up to San Francisco with a girlfriend and wanted to meet up with some of us. Squeee!


Now, she and I have emailed back and forth a few times. We're also Facebook "friends". I was pretty sure she'd want to meet me but you just never know. She may have some secret belief I’m a crazy person.

It’s been known to happen.

So, I mentioned in her comments section how I have a pretty busy weekend on those dates, but would love to meet up with her if possible. She sent me an email later saying that would be great. Phew! My stalking has just been amped up! I get to actually MEET her.


I did have a very schedule that day. I was snack parent for Shawna’s basketball game, both girls had track practice in the morning, Paula and I needed to sell her Girl Scout cookies at a booth sale that afternoon (picture below), then Paula had her own basketball game. To top off the night Paula was going on a sleepover.

I was pretty tired by the time the evening came around. But I REALLY wanted to meet Suzanne. So, when I came home from Paula’s BB game I threw on jammie pants, grabbed a glass of wine and texted her. I knew she was out~and~about taking pictures of the city so we hadn’t established a time/place to get together.


Now, before I continue I have to tell you, I was not thrilled with going into the city alone. Not because I was afraid of meeting her by myself, but because BART at night is creepy! Walking the streets of San Francisco alone is not my thing either.


I emailed my friend Kim and asked if she could go with me. She knows I’m a social media nut fan, but I wasn’t sure if she’d think my stalker status crossed the line of friendship.


Hey Kim, want to go to San Francisco on BART at NIGHT with me to meet someone I sort of STALK who I’ve NEVER met before but who I only know online??? Do yah huh, DO YAH?


Thankfully Kim was totally up for it BUT she had her boys that weekend and couldn’t go. Dang!


Next I emailed my friends Dina & Susanne. I turned both of them on to Twenty Four At Heart a year or so ago, but didn’t know if they’d want to go meet her like I did.

Thankfully they too were up for it BUT, had plans already that afternoon with one of their moms and wouldn’t be available to go.


My husband needed to stay home with Shawna. If I went I was going solo.


Suzanne texted me back that she’d be in her hotel around 6:30pm and we could meet in the Hyatt’s lobby area. Sweet!


I dolled myself up a bit since I was definitely nasty from a day of running around and I couldn’t meet her looking all hag-like.


I drove to BART and would be in San Francisco in about an hour. I’d be late but thankfully it didn’t ruin anything. Heading there was a no brainer. It was still day light and BART was packed with people. I got off to switch trains, got on the 2nd train. I arrived on schedule.

Walked down the street to the Hyatt and anxiously waited for her to appear. I took some pictures with my iphone while I waited. Check out this Atrium and the lights hanging from the ceiling.

Suzanne appeared and looked just like her pictures.  She was immediately warm and friendly like I knew she would be. Her voice was much softer than I expected. Not sure why, but I just expected her voice to be deeper. Louder.  She has a very soft voice.  We visited a bit then her friend Nike came down to join us.

Nike looks like Jamie Lee Curtis. Even one of the hotel personnel mentioned that to her.


All of us decided on some wine and dinner. Nike was in the mood for Chinese food so we went to the concierge who recommended Oriental Pearl in China Town. He said their Peking duck was infamous. Alrighty then. Lets go.


The three of us shared a cab to the restaurant. Suzanne immediately started a conversation with the man to get to know him better. Our chauffeur was a trained engineer who was now a taxi driver. He was pleasant to talk to and didn’t get us lost. Win win.


China Town’s lights weren’t all lit up yet so we ventured into the restaurant and immediately seated. It wasn’t packed, but it was crowded. We all agreed we should order the peking duck since it was famous. The waiter also helped us to pick other “popular” delicious menu items. We shared our food choices, Suzanne took pictures of the food, as did I, we chatted. It was a great night out with friends.

Our peking duck came with this center piece. It's a carving out of carrot.  Swear. 

We closed down the restaurant so we had to leave. Suzanne took some shots of the red oriental lights in the street before we walked back down to the hotel. During our walk to she took many more photos.


Nike and I discovered we both stay in the same resort in Cabo every year. What a coincidence.
Once back to the hotel we each ordered a cocktail and chatted more. I really enjoyed these ladies.

Sadly the last BART train at 11pm was coming soon so I had to take off. We did a few pictures, I gave them each hugs and I was off!


Suzanne kindly walked me to the BART entrance. She told me to text her when I made it safely home. I really appreciated her concern for my welfare.


Now is when my story gets creepy.


The first BART train was fine. We got off at the 19th St station where I had to change trains. Thankfully my guardian angel was watching out for me because two guys passed by talking about the lower level.

What lower level??

Shoot! If I wanted to catch my next train I had to go downstairs! If they hadn’t come by right then I’d have for sure missed my train. I followed them and stuck closely. I choose a seat which I thought was in a good open area.

I have to say BART was packed for 11pm at night.


Then some freaky guy got on.


He sat right in front of me and stared at me wayyyy too much. Started creeping me out! I had police issue pepper spray in my purse (thank you brother) just in case too.


He turns to me and says “Ma’am, are you going to Fremont station?

Yes

Do you know when the 403 arrives?

Uh….Is that a bus? Sorry. No.


I turn back to my phone and play solitaire but kept my peripheral eye on him. I wanted him to go away.


As we got closer to the station he stands up and continues to stare at me way too much.


Ma’am? I just want to tell you I like your lips. You have nice lips.


OMG! He’s a total weirdo!!!! I start to think how I can get my pepper spray into my pocket without him seeing. I don’t need to alarm him or get him all agitated. I’m not sure he’s going to kill and rape me at this point but the thought crosses my mind!


We arrive at the station and he moves out first. I immediately transfer the spray to my coat pocket. I’m hoping he’ll exit the right hand side doors instead of left which is where I need to go to reach my car.

Dang, he goes left.


I stay behind him at all times. I see a janitor by the exit and smile nicely and tell him to have a nice evening. I wanted him to SEE me in case I screamed or something! Ha!


I quickly walked to my car and got in, locking it behind me. Phew!! I’m alive!


I text Suzanne to let her know I arrived. I told her later about the weirdo!!!

Even though the end of my trip creeped me out I’m still sooo glad I traveled to meet her and Nike.

Being a blogger (and I use that term loosely when it comes to me!) and following blogs is a funny thing. I’ve met some amazing people thru online connections. I’m a more educated and enhanced person for the stories I read and the things I learn thru the personal experiences people share with me. To get to meet some of these amazing people in real life is an extra bonus.


Suzanne and I. Don't we look cute and like we could be sisters?  :)