Happy News

I am so excited, I just had to share. About 4 or 5 years ago, Bob took the girls to a reptile show at the Victorville fairgrounds. While there was plenty of herpetology going on there was another animal there that captured Bob and the girl's hearts. It was a young tiger named Mia. She is beautiful to say the least. She belongs to a place called Forever Wild Animal Sanctuary. Bob got the info and found out that they lived out by us in Oak Hills. We called them a few months later and arranged a surprise birthday gift for Riley who is in LOVE with tigers. We took her out to the sanctuary for her own private tour, tiger feeding and petting. She was in heaven. We took 25 pounds of raw chicken legs and thighs for Mia. Riley got to feed them to her and pet her. Mia chewed those chicken parts up like they were tortilla chips. When we got ready to move we called them and offered them a bunch of furniture, firewood, etc. that we could not take with us. They were happy to have it. They need all the help they can get. When we first got to WA I received an e mail from Chemaine, the wife and mom of the sanctuary. People in the high desert were writing to ABC's Extreme Home Makeover and requesting that they take a look at this family and would I write and tell them my feelings about them? I did it lickety split. The V.V. Daily Press reported last week that the Extreme Home Makeover team was indeed doing a house in the High Desert but wouldn't be announcing it til Saturday. I checked the paper online a bit ago and they had announced that the home was indeed in Phelan at the Forever Wild Sanctuary! We are sooo happy for them. I am adding the link to the Daily Press article because it shares more of the story and the link to their official website. Our family is so happy for their family!

http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/writer_10667___article.html/featured_beau.htmlr

http://www.4everwild.org/

Let the sun shine, let the sun shine in...

Awoke to that lovely glow of sunshine. A bit blustery at times. The wind here is so different than the desert. The wind in the desert is just a constant blowing, annoying continual assault. The trees are permanently bent to one side. In Seattle you get a "segment" of wind. One second it's blowing around all blustery like and then you notice that nothing is moving. I'll take it.
The teenager is still asleep, she had fun at the movies. They saw Mall Cop. She said it was funny but could have been better. I blame myself. We have a certain sense of humor, she and I, therefore our expectations are high. We tend to be the Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre, Juno types with a some Will Ferrell mixed in. Bob is more the in your face slap stick type but does appreciate some of our dark humor.
She was home by 10:00 and in her room with her laptop soon after. Bob said that she needed to tell all of the other friends that didn't go to the movie, how it all went. Talked to Riley twice on the phone and three times via text. She was doing great. Bet she is one tired bunny this morning and will be even more exhausted tomorrow. Sleep overs are hard on kids. I am not a fan of sleep overs. Don't like hosting them and don't like my kids going to them. Hosting them is a pain for so many reasons. Having your child come home from one is not so pretty either. They are always and I mean always crabby, tired, insolent, testy, cranky, well you get the picture. It takes them a whole day just to decompress. I guess all that really matters is that they have a great time with friends and will make memories for the rest of their lives.
I am following a blog of a friend who is in Sudan. After reading her posts I feel so insignificant. She is writing about such amazing things and I am tapping away about slumber parties. I know that what she is doing is something I could not or would not ever do and I admire her greatly so will be content to just read about her journey.

Nuttin' much

Girls are gone. Each off to their respective social events. Bob's been working on different projects all day. I went and got my hair cut, now it really looks like it needs color. Got an email from my friend/ex business partner down in Calif. she is going to the hair show this weekend. I am jealous. I will explain hair shows to those of you that have never had the joy and wonder that is a hair show. It is the largest people watching socialogical experience that one could ever participate in. You need several items to attend a hair show. The first is a big bag of patience. Second, a large tablet of fashion tickets handed out by the you, the fashion police. Third, lots of ready cash for all of the goodies you buy and don't need and for the bars placed strategically around the show room floor. Comfortable shoes are a must and you need to wear black ,if not entirely, somewhere on your person. Bob had been attending with me the last few years. He had to promise to not tell me what to buy and he is handy to have around. Carrying packages and buying me drinks while I shop. He likes the scenery. Tanning bed demos, body paint demos, it is a male testosterone heaven. I just like to think he is going to take care of me but I know it has nothing to do with me... We do always have fun, get a nice room and have a great dinner, hang out with my friends. I hope they have a great time.
Not a lot going on this weekend. We will go up north and pick Riley up on Sunday. Superbowl, and that is it. Will start getting things lined up for our trip to AZ!

Schools, Lunch and the Super Bowl

Today Riley's parents took her on a tour of a prospective middle school. It is a "choice" school. That means the students are there by choice rather than because of where they live. Many of the choice schools have a theme. The theme for this one is outdoors, adventures, environmental, etc. Riley is liking the whole thing and the tour cemented her feelings. She and I had gone to the parent/student meeting a couple of weeks ago and so this tour was good for Bob. He loved it and wants to be a student there. Riley told him that the students would complain if he were a student there. She is so good for his ego. There is a lottery system and we wont know for a couple of weeks. I hope she gets in for many reasons but I am really trying to NOT get my hopes up and know that if it is meant to be, it will happen. We have always been lucky that way... Who knows maybe our luck will hold out.
I am ashamed to admit that Sid and I are watching American Idol tonight. It is such a freak show during the auditions. It really is like a train wreck, you can't help but watch.
Tomorrow I am getting what will probably be my last haircut as a regular person. I am hoping to start looking for salons soon.
Riley is spending her weekend in a town north of here, it is a slumber party for Saturday night but she and her friend talked us into letting her go tomorrow night too. We will go and pick her up on Sunday. Sid is trying to gather a group of friends to go to the movies to see "Mall Cop". Busy children... Sid finished her paper on whaling. I helped her near the end. It is such a depressing subject. I am proud of her and her power point is good too. She has to do a written, oral and power point presentation. She knows more about Japanese whaling practices than most people. If you want to know anything about that subject, give her a jingle.
Bob will most likely work for the Railroad again in February. He got word today that it will be in Seattle. The thing about the railroad is that is could change 17 times before his start date. One day at a time!!!!
After the tour today, we took Riley back to school and then went to lunch. Downtown Kirkland. Fun. We need for Bob to work, we kind of rely on money to survive but having him around for important stuff and to go to lunch with is pretty nice.
Tomorrow is Friday and for many of you that means the end to another work week. Enjoy your weekend and perhaps you are going to watch the Superbowl. My sister asked me today if we were going to watch it. I told her we were and we will for her. One of her clients is the AZ Cardinals so of course we will watch and support. It's hard for her in that she loves the Steelers and the Cardinals are her client. She is also seeing it as a win/win situation, either way a team she loves will win. She said she is just hoping that it is an exciting game and not a lopsided scoring disaster like the Superbowl can be. Have a great weekend and watch your intake of beer and buffalo wings.

Productive Today

Got a lot done today. Our family room has been somewhat of a disaster since we moved in. It is downstairs so it easy to ignore. As long as the path from the television to the recliner couch and love seat are clear, we pretty much accept it's clutter. I also had made the guest bedroom(which is down there too) into a hurricane, typhoon, tornado zone during the holidays. I gift wrapped in there, threw crap in there and just kind of ignored it til today. Bob said he had another name for the guest room but declined to let me in on it. It may have included some not so nice words I am betting. He uses the closet in there for his work clothes and had to deal with the nightmare daily. Bob is still home. He will go to Costco this week for some painting and has turned in his request to work on a "gang" for the railroad. Working on a gang means that he will leave Seattle. That could mean three hours away or 30 hours away. It could be Oregon or Nebraska or even Cajon Pass(wouldn't that be hilarious). We are preparing for the likelihood of this, not our first choice but we gotta do what we gotta do in order to pay the light bill.
Snowed this morning but not too much. It is windy, dark and cloudy. It is supposed to rain more than snow tonite and more this week.
Doing well with watching what I eat, but Bob brought home Costco pizza for dinner and that is hard for me. I can have one or two pieces but I want 3 or 4. Oh well, if I go get on the stationary bike downstairs(I can find it again) I wont have to worry so much.
I don't normally watch Dr. Phil but he said that every parent needed to watch today's show. It is about kids texting up to 14,000 texts a month, "sexting" which is texting explicit pictures and texts and then some kind of slugging or punching that they like to video and put on the internet. They punch and get punched on purpose. Okay, who is the retard here? The kid or the parent? If this texting is a problem I have an idea... TAKE AWAY THE CELL PHONE. Hmmm... sounds so simple... but then there wouldn't be a need for today's show I guess.
Bob went to pick up the chicks from school and they should be home at anytime. I am curious to find out the latest news on Riley's missing library book. It could be a Nancy Drew mystery of it's own. "The Case of the Missing Library Book" by Riley H. ghost written by me.

Clarify

I re read my last post. I didn't want anyone to think I needed a doctor for any type of problems. I am just trying to get our family started with a good family doctor, the girls will need vaccinations, etc. Dermatology is an important part of our lives as well. So that's what the doctor thing was about.
Everyone is off to bed, Sid finished the whale project and is relieved. She got a whole new schedule today and her new elective is Art. She has to pay 20 bucks and has a list a mile long of supplies she will need. When I had art, we drew on paper with a pencil provided by the school. I sound like an old person telling stories about growing up in pioneer days. But really, 20 dollars and a list of supplies that will be about 50 more dollars??? Good lord, I better have a freakin' Picasso on my wall when she is done in June. Sid's snake needs mousesicles so I guess that we will be shopping for supplies and frozen mice tomorrow.
I am watching "Intervention" while I type. I can't say I love this show but I have been watching it for several years now. It is heartbreaking more often than not. I feel for the families of these addicts, they live day to day with the addiction. It infiltrates all areas of their lives and the addict has no idea what they are doing to everyone around them. They think it is just about them. Addiction is just about the most selfish thing. Intervention is on A & E and is not for the weak at heart. It is also hard to watch the outcome because the odds of the addict actually recovering and living sober are so fragile. I will finish my show and go to sleep... Got fabulous news last week, my sweet friend in Cal. is buying her own home. It is so meaningful and symbolic, this new home for her and her family. I can't wait to fly down there and see it. I will boss her around and tell her how to decorate it. I am bossy that way and the cool thing is, she lets me tell her how to decorate. She is also lucky that she has me and two other friends that are really good at decorating. She won't know what to do with all of that advice.

The Day Goes By

I have sent my paper work in for my license. It shouldn't take too long. I am kind of waiting for that and also waiting to see if Bob will indeed leave the area for work, it will kind of be a factor in my job finding as far as hours, etc.
He was home with me today, we got lots of boring, paperwork kind of stuff done. I also found a doctor and hoping that pans out. We have had our medical benefits for a while and have not used any of them. I hate looking for doctors. I found a couple that had good credentials and high marks but they are now no longer accepting new patients. Yikes, heard that more than once today. It was frustrating to say the least.
Girls are busy with homework tonight, Sid has a big project due very soon. It is on illegal whaling in Japan. Bob has a video from work that he wants us to come downstairs and watch. It is of some familiar scenery in Calif. and will show us what he does at work. So, gotta run for now. More later....

Just Say No to Snow

The snow is not nearly like it was in December. It is on the plants and ground, deck, etc. but not on the streets. Yeah, that is what kind of frozen water I can handle. Show up, stick around for a day and leave. Oh and don't even think about sticking to the roads. Bob is at the Costco job today. He will be home later this afternoon. He will find out more tomorrow about having to leave home for his RR job. I am not going to think about it too much today, would good that would do, I do not know... I made breakfast for my girls, whole grain blueberry waffles, berries, sausage. It was fairly freakin' divine I must say. Girls enjoyed it. I bet they were just glad I actually cooked them some breakfast instead of them foraging around the fridge for cold leftover pizza.
Still trying to work my way out of some heavy things going on around me, it is not easy to just shed yourself of thoughts and emotions even though you had to make choices. I am staying busy and will either walk or ride the exercise bike today. Sid went on Craigslist looking for a treadmill but didn't find one. I told her to wait about 2 more months and there will be a load of them listed. Everyone that bought one in January to aid in their New Year's resolutions will be putting them up for sale in March or April. If we can ride our stationary bike or walk on the treadmill in front of the television, that would be helpful. I also like to take a book along for the ride or walk.
Snow is still coming down in big white puffy flakes. Riley is down the street at a friends. Sid cleaning up her room and bathroom while whitening her teeth. She has to wear her trays for 40 minutes a day for a week. I must admit they look really good. She is such the teenager.
A friend here in Washington is leaving today for a trip to Sudan. She will be gone for a few weeks, going with a group of people. I wish her safe travels and admire her so much for making the sacfrices necessary to take a trip like this. Godspeed, Jennifer!
I am off to put on warm clothes, as it is a brisk, chilly 35 degrees and feels like it inside the house too. We have not been allowed to have a fire in the wood burning stove for a week now. Our air quality is such that there has been a burn ban in three or four counties. Burr..... I guess I will turn the heater up a bit, just trying to avoid paying a 8,000.00 heating bill. Dang....

Good times bad times you know I've had my share...

It is getting late, it is Saturday night. Have been home for a while. Went to my cousin's house in Bellevue for our long overdue family Christmas, birthday extravaganza. Lots of birthdays between T-giving and Valentines Day. It was very nice to be with everyone finally. I was welcoming a happy, chatty, glass of wine fun filled evening with loved ones and was not disappointed. My uncle had made a book online with pictures from this past summer. It is a nice gift and so thoughtful. This past summer was fun indeed and much of the credit goes to my family up here in Washington and time spent at their lake house. We look forward to this summer and making the most of the sunny, warm, summer days that are all to fleeting.
Earlier today was not the best of hours spent. Bob has some difficult decisions to make with the railroad. Lucky in that he even has a job, it is still hard when the main option is being away from home for a long time. We knew it may come to this and have been fortunate that he has had a 15-20 minute commute so far. Our home in Cal. still has tenants but they are late in paying the rent again and now have not paid the water bill since October. Call me telepathic but I don't see a bright future for them. That is one for me to give up to God, I have no way of controlling that one right now and feel to overwhelmed to deal with it at this point. That is what we pay a property management firm for. The girls are having some sibling issues and that is such a heartwarming thing for a parent. I am wondering if knocking their lovely little heads together would do any good at this point.
I in no way want to take away from the great diversion that tonight was, but when we left my cousin's house it was snowing. It is still snowing 2 hours later. It is starting to stick. After the day I had this is really the icing on the cake. If you did not already know by my past Christmas time posts, I just don't take well to being snowed in. It tends to make my already fragile mental state a bit more unstable. Cranky would be a good word.
I better get my sinful self back to church, my attitude is getting bad again and I don't like being negative, really I don't. Sarcasm is one thing but true negative behavior is not healthy. Speaking of healthy, I am keeping a food journal and walking every day now. My walk today was bliss. I could have walked all day and walked (or ran) away from home. I am telling you this, even if you are not watching what you eat or don't need to watch what you eat, write down everything you eat for two or three days and I mean everything. From the biggest feast to the smallest crumb and then add up the calories. It wasn't just shocking, it was mind blowing. SOOOO that is at least a good thing that is on track. Getting more anxious to get to Arizona. Weather, family, fun, relaxation, warmth, margarita or two, mexican food, In N Out burger, my niece, warmth, weather, oh.... I am starting to repeat myself...
The ol' eyelids are starting to get really heavy, many, many thanks to Drew & Nik for a wonderful, relaxing evening.

Happy Birthday to My Husband

I have been to the grocery store and the party store already this morning. Today is my husband's 48th birthday. It has become a blog tradition of mine to post a little tribute to the birthday person. So here goes...
Almost 22 years of marriage makes you a fairly good expert on the behaviors of your spouse. We have had our usual marital ups and downs thru the years but who hasn't?
The point is, is that I did not kill him. Thus enabling him to celebrate yet another birthday.
He is not cool in the sense that he is hip or trendy. He is cool to me in that he gets me. Finally. I rely on him more than I ever care to admit and admire him more than he will ever know. He has so many skills and is so smart. He is a great husband in so many ways that I could not even go there without becoming a blubbering mess...
He is the BEST dad. That has made me love him even more. Of course his daughters roll their eyes at him many times a day but deep down they adore that man. He has let them pick on him mercilessly and they have him completley wrapped around their fingers. He would move heaven and earth for them. He is fair to them, listens to them and is genuine in his interest of their lives.
He has been a great son, even when he didn't need to be, he has been a great brother even when it was difficult. He is a true blue friend. Loyal. He is a patriot. He loves his country and would die for it. He is a military history buff like I have never seen. His knowledge impresses me and annoys me. He is not like many men in that he LOVES to talk to me. Talk about our feelings, talk about our plans, talk about politics, talk about strategic forces with allied countries during WWII. I have been told by MANY women that I am lucky. They wish their husbands were good communicators. I will let him live with them for a while and get back to me on the results... I personally think he is in love with the sound of his own voice... he should have been a pastor or politician... give the guy a podium and look out.
If that is the worst complaint I can come up with, then I am pretty damn lucky. I hope that I have many more years to listen to the chatter and many more seasons of learning more about Hitler than any one person ought to know. Seriously, I am eager to continue to live and learn from this man. I will watch him as he gives his daughters away in marriage, he will cry like a baby when his girls leave home, he will tell them how proud he is of them and not take any of the credit for helping to shape them into the great people they will be. He will not take credit for standing by someone who treats him less than kind because he felt it was the right thing to do. He will not accept praise for loving his country, he expects that is everyone's duty. He wont let me brag about his many talents, he doesn't see himself that way. He is humble that way. He will let me tell him that I love him, I tell him everyday and he reminds me every day that I am his "favorite". I am glad to know that, because he is my "favorite" too.
Happy Birthday my love, you may be 48 and old in your eyes but you are still that 25 year old I fell in love with, blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes... Your girls will tease you about being old but they don't really mean it... ummm... well... yeah they do kind of mean it. But they will always love you no matter what and I am sure they will take turns pushing your wheelchair around some day. They will gladly hire someone to change your diaper if you need it. You wonder, where am I in all of those future scenarios??? Oh, I will be in my condo in La Jolla...
But will only be a phone call away.
Tonight we will have a little b-day celebration. Cake, candles, ice cream and your favorite dinner, my homemade tacos. We will sing to you and look at you with love in our eyes and in our hearts.

Just an Observation that Makes me Nervous

In an earlier post, I mentioned some things about our new president. My Republican heart is going to try to be supportive. But the media and some other outlets are making that really difficult. I have watched the evening news. Charlie Gibson showed little children from ALL over the world talking about President Obama. How he is going to make the WORLD a better place, change the WORLD. That worried me, that is a BIG task for one man and one cabinet and one congress, one senate, you get my drift. I also made the mistake of watching Oprah's post inaugural show. I was okay with it because she had a panel. I like Forrest Whitaker and also she had an author and commentator that I have always liked. She is also a great presidential historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin. Well, a few minutes into the show and it became obvious I was at the wrong dinner party. Everyone on that show GUSHED and hung on every word and action made by the President. Even dear Doris! My thought is this... He is OUR PRESIDENT not our SAVIOR. I really feel sorry for Mr. Obama, he has so much to live up to and they are not even realistic expectations. But he kind of has himself to blame, his campaign platform was all about "change" and "yes we can" ... I cannot help but wonder if he really knows what he has gotten himself into. I guess we are still in the honeymoon phase, and time really will tell.

The Job of your Blog

I have been kind of pondering this for a while so let me get it out there and hopefully as I post it will emerge and clarify. I have suspected that having a blog is bad in one way. While it allows everyone a window into my life, it also allows them info without correspondence. Let me be clear and break it down. You read my blog, you don't need to contact me. This is my fault as well. I am a terrible e mailer. I will email if I need something, pass on a joke, pass on important info, or for any other selfish reason. I should be more diligent in emailing my friends to see how they are. It is also quite possible that the blog is not to blame and the old saying "out of sight-out of mind" could hold true. When speaking to friends and family I usually get "oh I read that in your blog". This is not a rant nor do I feel like a whiner, it is SOOOO great that I have found blogging and I am SOOOOO HAPPY that everyone reads it. Truly, I am, I swear. But be a better friend than me and email me and tell me how you are and what is going on in your life. I would love to hear from you.

A Cheerful Heart... Hopefully

The sun is out. Hopefully warming up the icy ground. My car was Jack Frost and the temp was 27 degrees when I took the girls to school. Bob went to the Railroad job today. He may get bumped at any minute and not go to the railroad job tomorrow but Costco needs some painting done...
I am glad he went to work today. I need today to be normal. As you could probably tell by my last two posts I have been in a deep place. I had to make some very difficult decisions yesterday but I am emerging slowly this morning from that place. Blogs are so good for you... I am feeling better with each strike of the key. I am going to do normal things today. Clean up, laundry, groceries, etc. I am also going to gather all of my paper work up and start working on my license. Riley has two over due library books and that has me all steamed up. I will be looking for one today. The other is a lost cause as she loaned it to another classmate. I am not even going to go there in this post because it will become a rant from which I will not recover from. She is REALLY beginning to jeopardize her trip to Arizona in February. Her dad & I are getting pretty tired...

Sun is still out but everything is still looking pretty crunchy. Like if I grabbed a leaf it would just crack in my hands.
Bob and I watched the majority of the Inauguration yesterday. I know that most of you know that I am a Republican. I still watched and encouraged my children knowing that they would watch at school. No matter your political party affiliation, you should watch the ceremonies. You may not have voted for him but he is still your president and he is still in charge of your country. You can't just give up. I hope for a lot of people's sake that all of this "change" really can transform the real problems facing our nation. I do like that the president is young and that they have two young daughters, things I can relate to. I will be interested to see where this president takes us... The inauguration was solemn and full of tradition but damn, who can deny that Aretha had the best hat and sang like the queen she is... it was worth it just to see her.
After that, Bob and I went for a long walk to the same place at Juanita Bay Park where I took those pictures on Sunday. It was chilly at first but we got our blood running and it was really nice. We then went to lunch and had some delicous Mexican food. It was a great way to spend the afternoon before we began the task of picking up our children. My husband has been so freakin' awesome these last few days. So helpful and supportive and caring. Not that he isn't all of those things normally, but when I am really needy, it's comforting to know he is that guy that I can count on. When I got into my frosty the snowman car this morning the windshield had already been scraped. He is a good boy... I'm gonna keep him around a while longer...

Luck vs Hard Work

"Luck refers to that which happens to a person beyond that person's control"
It has been brought to my attention that I am lucky. That other friends and family are lucky. I feel lucky in certain areas of my life, lucky to live where I do, lucky to have health and my children are healthy. I generally feel lucky about the good fortune that I have and have done nothing to facilitate. On the other hand, luck has nothing to do with the majority of goodness I have in my life. Most things in my life have been in my control. I am not lucky to have a 22 year old marriage, I worked hard at it and work hard at it every day. I have well behaved, sweet daughters, luck? Maybe a little but I work hard on that too. A family support system that is there for me all of the time? Those are relationships you cultivate and work at too. Friends? Through work and the luck of having them fall into your life? Or did you get those friends by being who you are and putting that out there? That was kind of deep. I don't want to hear how lucky I am. For the most part that makes me feel gipped. Like all the good in my life was handed to me. IT WASN'T.
I have worked my tail off probably more than I should have sometimes, harder than some, to get the good items on my list. Through hard work and belief and graciousness of God, I have good in my life. I guess there is a certain amount of luck in that you wake up every morning and a brick doesn't fall on your head, but that is way beyond my control. I can't even go there...
Don't wish for someone else's life, you don't really know the struggles they face. You don't know what is really on their plate. Don't borrow that trouble. You have what is on your plate because you put it there yourself or it was dished out only for you. If you don't like what is on it, scrape it off into the trash and fill it up with something else. If it is stubborn and wont come off easily then pray for tenacity and strength and a really good dish detergent. Keep your hands on your own plate too, don't eat off of others. It's not meant for you. If you want to help someone with their full plate because you feel like yours is at managable portions, go for it but remember you are helping them to clean their plate, you can't and should not clean it for them.
So, in closing for today, just keep working to make it all good and as a friend told me yesterday be sure to "do the work".

Trying to be all things to all people

You try to wear many hats. You should only wear those 50 or so hats if you can do the job. If you can't, take that hat off. It's a gray area sometimes as to whether you are doing a good job or not. Sometimes you can't take the hat off, you have a role or job that you have to do, like be a mom, daughter, sister, wife or even a friend. The friend hat can be glorious. Full of feathers and embellishments like a hat you would wear to Derby. That friendship hat can also become a ratty old unraveled cockeyed stocking cap that looks like it got ran over by the trash truck. I guess there are all kinds of friends too. Acquaintances, buddy, pal or sister like. They run the gamut. It's when you have a friend in crisis you tend to break that friendship down to the common denominator. You are forced to make decisions that you don't want to have to make. You are forced to deal with a friend's reality. You are forced to be honest about your friend's situation. When you love someone you want to help them. That someone may not see it as help right at that moment but you hope that someday they understand that what you did, you did out of love, concern, fear and for their own safety. You also learn along the way that you don't have to apologize for caring. It is unselfish to care and put them first, you hope that they would do it for you, they may not and that can't be why you do it.
Another hat that I currently wear is one of the landlord. We own a home, we don't live in it, we have renters. This equation may unravel soon, if it does, we will not be in good shape. I want to be a good landlord, but that hat may have to come off. It was good while it lasted.
So tomorrow I am going to go thru my closet and decide which hats to keep, throw out and which ones I have to wear and which ones are just accessories taking up space in my already small cluttered closet.

Relax... take a break...enjoy the sunshine...

Good morning, slept in a bit. Bob off to his other job early. Awoke to a strange atmosphere... My bedroom was actually kind of... well... bright. The sun emerged early today. What a blissful thing. We three girls decided to get outside right away. Long, good chat with my faraway frigid friend and then out the door. We went up to a park that has a creek and runs into Lake WA. We were hoping to catch some glimpses of wild life. We did see a few beaver dams(posted the pic), several varieties of water fowl like wood ducks and mallards and lots of swans. They were a bit far away but picked them up best I could with the zoom. Great walk and now home. Could do chores but nah... girls are off tomorrow so will get all that stuff done then. We are going to stay in relax mode today.
Celebrated my passing of the written test last night. Went to eat, drink and movies with my cousin Jill and some of her friends. Saw "Slumdog Millionaire" and really liked it. Disturbing but great. I can see why it did so well at the Golden Globes.
Really nice to get out with other adults/women and chat. Good times...
Well, I am going to close for now and enjoy my day. I have nothing actually pressing down on me that is making me worry or fret. I will take this as a gift and run with it today, it's so rare... enjoy the sunshine...

One Hurdle at a Time

Today was all about my jumping over one more hurdle. I have now officially passed both of my required cosmetology tests. The written and the practical. I had stuck my nose into my book(really it was online practice tests) and made a giant effort to study last week. It paid off, not just in that I passed the test, but it was really easy. I drove right to it (thank you GPS), found the facility (inside a AYSO building), checked in and we actually got started 10 minutes early. It's all done on the computer and in the same format as the practice tests that I took all week. That format and my diligence were the ticket. I finished with loads of time to spare, checked them all once and was done with all 110 questions in less than an hour. You leave the testing room, go back to the front reception area where the gentleman working the computer hands you your one page of results in about 10 seconds. I snatched that paper and got the hell outta there. I waited til I got to a quiet corner of the building to look. It just said "passed". No percentages, no factual info, no feedback. So what... I passed.
You are now allowed to ask yourself and me, what's next?
Ummm... well... I don't know... Just kidding... I guess I will go look different salons. I have a few that I think might be interesting. I gotta find my niche.
Ultimately, I want to find something that would be less time behind the chair and more time in other hair care areas, what that area is I don't know yet. I need to get out there first and see what is going on. I still like hair, people and socialization so that is good for behind the chair but is also good for other areas of the beauty industry. So, we will see. It's going to be an interesting journey and I welcome the challenge. I will be taking you all along for the ride.

Let the fog lift and I will emerge

That so called "sun" I mentioned in the last post? It's become a no show. Fog is the bell of the ball. She has taken over and thinks she is "Miss Popularity".
I don't mind the fog, it's kinda neat but some sunshine would be greatly welcome.
I am not going to enjoy the out of doors today anyway. I am studying all day. This is my official last day of studying, provided that I actually pass my written exam. Again, like with the practical, I just need a 75%. Nothing lofty like a 98% all I ask for is a 75%. I am looking forward to being done and ready to get out into the public arena again. I will be interviewing salons as much if not more than they will be interviewing me. I know that it will all work out fine.
So, my next post will be one of victory I am sure. I will celebrate and then hit the bricks. I promise to report back with humor and insight. It's been a while since I had to go out and find a job. I have always had the good fortune of having a salon to work at and big beefy clientele to dangle in front of a salon owner. That's what happens when you do hair for 100 years in the same town that you grew up in. I was so lucky and secure. Now I gotta get out there and prove myself. I am not worried about that, I have never had a problem with my stylist ego. I have always been proud of my talents in the hair area. It's just the people pleaser, social part that I stumble around in. I am older and even less tolerant of drama and trust me salons breed drama. If you don't get enough from clients you sure get it from co workers. I liked working drama free for the last few years, it was blissful... I was spoiled...
I am supposed to be studying. I am not. I will try now. I will post later. I need to study. I don't wanna. I gotta. ugh....

I'm not sure but I think it's called sunshine...

It was shy and hanging back at first. It seemed to stick one big toe into the water and pull back. It must have decided that it was okay to come out and when it felt confident enough it emerged in it's full glory. It didn't stop there, it got full of itself and began to show off. "Look at me, look at my splendid yellows and oranges and how I make everything glitter like a million jewels".
You are asking yourself "what in the world or who in the world is she talking about?"
Well, my friends, I am talking about the sun. It has been a stranger in these parts as of late. You don't realize how long it's been or how much you've missed it until it appears in full uniform. My entire living room is glowing. When you live in Seattle you notice things like this. You don't take one minute of brightness for granted.
I have taken the girls to school and when I got into the front door, I grabbed my camera, dusted it off and shot these pictures. I realize also that it has been a while since I took pictures of anything besides snow. I was a bit shaky at first but got my groove on fairly quickly.
I came into the house and turned on the coffeehouse music station on the satellite. I will study some but not much in this weather, that will have to wait til evening which starts here at about 3:45. You are usually ready for bed around 6:30 in the winter. It has already been dark for over two hours by then. Your mind plays tricks on you and it feels like 9:30.
I did stay up late last nite. Bob went to bed at about 7:30 and then at 8:00 the girls and I headed downstairs to watch the first night's episode of American Idol. It was on until 10:00 and I let the girls stay up. Sid stays up that late anyway but for Riley it was a treat on a school nite. I did notice that she was draggin' a bit this morning... It is a yearly treat for us and I don't make a habit of letting her stay up past her bedtime but at least she doesn't get her usual night time anxiety and does go right to sleep so what's the diff??? Back to Idol. It had it's usual nut jobs and sad stories and young hopefuls. Bob thinks it is all a big waste of time but the girls and I look at as our guilty pleasure. Half way through we tell each other "we are not watching this anymore if so and so gets voted off" but we always cave in and finish watching the whole season.
So all of you Californians, Arizonans, etc. I am basking in sunshine and I know you are thinking that I am pathetic but it's all good. All of my midwest friends, I am sorry that we have sun and over 50 degree weather, I don't mean to rub it in.
Enjoy MY photos for a change, I finally get to post my own!!!

Procrastination

I am the queen and ruler of the world when it comes to procrastination. You know what they say... "Why do today what you can put off til tomorrow?"
I am supposed to be studying right now and every time I think about it, I get a little panic attack because I am not and my test is in 4 days. Ugh...
Normal daily stuff today, girls in school, Bob at work. Listening to Fox News(Gaza, Hilary's appointment, Roger Clemens) and doing some chores. I am using the ham bone from what was to be our Christmas dinner and making a big pot of ham & beans and will bake some cornbread. Yummy winter dinner. It is not supposed to rain today, just kinda cloudy/overcast but there is the promise of the sun peeking out at times this week.
Enjoyed an egg white omelet and bowl of steel cut oatmeal w/blueberries for breakfast. If only I could be that disciplined all day... again, ugh......