Happy Dia de los Muertos

Those who know me know that I love Fall. I was born in the Fall, love the weather, the Santa Ana winds (the fires an unfortunate by-product!), the leaves falling, the colors, my allergies, Halloween, good fishing and ultimately Thanksgiving. This is Fall to me - the period from Labor Day until the day you get the itch to get your Christmas decorations out. I'm one of those people who likes to make Halloween scary, not cutesy. I know, I don't have little kids any more, but even when they were little, I'd dress in a black wig and be a witch. No Snow White costumes for this mom. What's wrong with a little celebration for the Dead? I actually do celebrate the dead. I have several people I think about each and every day who are no longer on this earth. So this Halloween, I created an altar instead of the usual happy faced pumpkin carvings. My intention is not to be macabre or morbid or even evil, it is simply to remember those no longer with us in the Mexican tradition. Mike insists that I turn the Madonna and Child photos on the altar candles (remnants of his Catholic upbringing gone bad) but for me it doesn't matter. Maybe my Dad, my grandma and Nana know that I'm raising a glass in their honor. I still have a bowl of candy, though. I couldn't get that crazy.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Where did it go? I swear it was Chloe's graduation only yesterday and now all of the stores have pumpkins and Halloween candy! Got some fishing and boat camping in, lounged by the pool, read a historical romance novel (Catherine Coulter rocks! :), caught up on life, conceded defeat to the mole in my garden (I'll get him next year!), made homemade pesto and actually found myself at the farmer's market a few times for some home-grown tomatoes. Summer would not be complete for me without a nice caprese salad or two.

It felt good to slow down after a year like I've had - such a whirlwind of changes. New house, moving, death, empty nesting, travel, job, and basically, just LIFE.

I think I'm getting my mojo back. Yeah Baby. Look out. I love Fall.

Lake Powell Fest 2007

Well, it was hot, tight quarters and fun as heck. This is THE group of 2007 survivors. Thanks for the food, laughs, games, stories and memories...

Is there a moral to this story?

The purple fountain appeared at the pinnacle of our stress, downright exhaustion and frustration over the never-ending pool saga. Our pool guy (hereinafter referred to as OPG), let's leave names out of it for the time being, is the creative-type. You know what I'm talking about. Our first sign that things would not go as anticipated should have been when OPG's referrals said, "OPG does great work but is a bit of a challenge to work with". Understatement. We signed our pool contract in January with the promise of swimming in 90 days. We filled the pool on June 27th. What happened? Well, there were County issues, new pool laws that cripple and have absolutely no common sense, and OPG had some personal issues. Well, he actually landed himself in the old gray bar hotel for a while. Needless to say, you only get one phone call a day from that resort and we weren't it. Ugh. OPG finally filled the pool on June 27th-yes, that is 3 full days before our party. The fountain was the only remaining fixture - it was specially designed, custom stained (yes, he thought we would like purple) and installed on June 28th. Have you ever had a moment that borders on shock, anger and hysteria? I speed dialed my husband (he HAD to do SOMETHING) to immediately alert him of the situation. At this point, Chloe voiced her disbelief - we both were teetering - to laugh or cry? Long story short, Mike put on his best diplomatic voice and suggested to OPG that "my wife hates it, it is out of scale, not what we asked for and PURPLE for God's sake?" Feelings schmeelings, I didn't give a rat's a** about OPG's aura that day (which he fiercely protects) and I'm sure I upset it a great deal - (he tattoos his young children - I don't think his kharma is very good anyways) . As you can see from the picture posts, the fountain was replaced by a nice little serene spray that will remain. I've been trying to find the moral to this story. If you see it, let me know.

We Did It

It came right down to the wire but WE Pulled it off. Literally, the last plant was planted as the first guest arrived - thanks to Mike, Dudley, Tim and Juan (who may get the trophy for best party guest ever). The house, backyard and pool are finished...And we got to howl with our friends and family. It has been intense, painful, rewarding and one of those things, that honestly, I can say I never want to do again. As I said to many well-wishers on Saturday, every single detail of our house was debated and agreed upon by Mike and I. Seriously, down to the toilet paper holders. The overwhelming consideration for Mike and I was always: "How will it be when we have our friends and family over". Thanks to everyone for your advice, support, and patience with Mike and I these past couple of years. You made this project meaningful and Our house and hearts welcome you at any time. We are now moving into the slow lane for a mile or so...and even went fishing on Wednesday...

Check it out...

Fathers Come in Many Forms

I learned to drive (a stick shift!) on a 1940 green pick up truck when I was 9 years old. I could throw a softball, shoot a B.B. gun, play 21 (basketball), and ride a motorcycle all thanks to My Dad, Bill, who died on Saturday of cancer. My Dad was an original. He had a temper, loved me unconditionally, thought salad was cool before it WAS cool, was an old-school S.O.B. and never apologized for anything. He was tough and taught me that life was tough - probably taught me much more than I want to admit about people, life and family. He was from the school of hard knocks - a life long Democrat, a little paranoid, and the government was ALWAYS bad. Ok, the reality was that he was difficult. The sad truth was that for many years, we haven't had a relationship. My choice (maybe his as well). Father relationships are much more complex than Mother relationships. Mothers are just there. Dads think they are people not just Dads, unlike Moms. Anyhow, I digress. I will always be grateful for the confidence, the stories, the sense of family, Irish pride (i.e., stubborn), and half siblings. Fubar, as my sister so eloquently says. (F'd up beyond all repair). Life goes on. It is what it is. I wish I had a picture. Sadly, I don't.

Moving Right Along

The old adage moving right along struck me as an appropriate blog post. That pretty much describes the current chapter in my life. The literal moving portion, the plugging away aspect, and the stepping into the next chapter of my life, gulp. The dreaded Empty Nest Syndrome. I believe that Mike and I actually earned our doctorate degrees in parenting this week, thanks to of course, the Chloemeister. After such a week (senioritis, prom, AP tests, no sleep, I'M 18, what curfew?) you'd think I'd be, not really excited, but at least looking forward to September when Chloe will move to UC San Diego. It is definitely bittersweet. On the one hand, I'm so grateful that I don't have kids who want to stay home and roost under their parents' roofs - knowing that their success is dependent upon them becoming independent adults. On the other, I have never had more joy, more sense of purpose, more fun, and more pleasure than being a parent. I even liked the hard stuff. I'm one of those crazy women that even liked being pregnant. I even liked breast feeding (sorry Allison!) despite the sagging aspect. I have always felt that my greatest achievement would be to raise successful, happy, healthy kids. I wanted my kids to have more opportunity, education and confidence than I had. As Jacqueline Kennedy said (or something like it), "No matter what else you do in your life, if you mess up raising your kids, nothing else will matter." With a very happy heart, and one sentence in to the next chapter, I am moving right along with a man who holds my hand every step of the way. When September rolls around I will be ready.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Going to the extreme...

Finding the balance - isn't that what its all about? Its been a crazy a** month - I'm not kidding. The move out of Bonmark is complete. Emotions in check. New house is beautiful but surrounded by a sort of dirt that I'd like to say could infiltrate the bubble boy room in intensive care...kind of a terra cotta talcum if you will. I'm adjusting and enjoying. This past week found us, Mike, Chloe and I, in various degrees of extremes. Four days in Manhattan, population 3 million to upstate Vermont, population 600. Weather from 86 degrees to 35 degrees. From fishing on a river with the local beavers (not the human kind) to treking through Times Square with the native New Yorker, an altogether different kind of animal. Finding the balance. I continue to enjoy the pursuit.

Happy Days.

Save the Date!!!

Our official Howl at the Moon Open House is scheduled for June 30th, 2007. Put it on your calendars, because if you are reading this blog, you are someone I really want to howl with that night.

You will be tested.

Awoooooooooo.

Smelling the Roses = Feeding The Geese

I honestly can't remember the last time I intentionally stopped to smell the roses. Its been a long time - too long and I was reminded of this last Friday night after talking to Katy. Katy, who has a REALLY full plate, working as nanny for 3 year old boy-girl twins, attending school full-time, a domestic violence hotline volunteer and all-around generous spirit, called me last Friday night from Santa Cruz. "What are you doing?" I ask. With a snicker she responds. "Beav and I are on our way to Pet Smart to pick up geese food. We're going to the Park to feed the geese". Or, did she say ducks? Anyhow, you get the point. The last time I went anywhere to feed fowl I had Katy on my hip and a 2-year old Thomas crying as the birds chased and bit him as he clutched onto the bag of Wonder Bread running for dear life. Those were some very aggressive darn birds. Needless to say, it was a long time ago. Fun times I had forgotten. Smile, laugh, enjoy. It was the perfect beginning to a really fun weekend that culminated in the celebration of Chloe's 18th birthday, the return of Thomas and Adri, the beginning of our move to our new house, and last, but not least, the meet and greet with my new honorary grand-daughter, Cadence Taylor Hester. Maybe I am smelling the roses, I'm just too busy to know it. Oh, and as I said to Katy earlier today, you made all of us smile - thank you.

The Only Thing Constant in Life is Change

Yep, it is imminent. Good byes are generally hard. This one is going to take the cake. Births, broken bones, Gizmo, Laddie, ketchup blood, no training wheels, lizards, first kisses, celebrations, boogie boards on Lake Bonmark, proms, neighborhood rumbles, jump or dive, and best friends. Bonmark is where I have LIVED for nearly 19 years.

Memories.

A friend of mine, Adele a breast cancer survivor, always says: "the only thing constant in life is change." Change is good. One of MY favorite sayings is: "when one door closes another opens". It's true.

I am ready for this next chapter in my life. Shedding some of the heaviness I've been carrying for far too long. Purging some of the bad memories and storing the good ones for dinner discussions and story telling when I'm old (o.k. older). Looking towards tomorrow and savoring yesterday. It's all good.

la joie de vivre

The Joy of Life can be found everywhere and nowhere. In people, animals, a feeling, a smell (one of my favorites) or even a sound. I sense Spring in the air all of a sudden and it makes me energized and happy. I'm not a Winter person - I really hate darkness and cold weather. Baby hawks squawking as they learn to hunt and fly, that first blossom on the Liquid Amber tree and well, just a sensation of early Spring - it is definitely in the air. Spring is Mother Nature's Joy of Life. Certain people have their own joie de vivre. We all know them. They are the ones with the positive attitudes, a zest and hunger for new experiences and a love of people - all types. I've also noticed that these people accept and love unconditionally and they only look into the future. They are the ones talking about current events, and the latest technology - yesterday a distant memory. They take classes and are lifelong learners. They keep all of the negatives in the past and they truly know how to live in the present. I am fortunate enough to have Hugh in my life. He is a gift and an inspiration. I am also fortunate to have known Nana, a soul-mate gone for many years now, but who I think about almost every day. She still comes to me in my dreams. In simple terms, I think the trick is to always put one foot in front of the other. There is a possibility in every tomorrow. That is the Joy of Life.

A Season for Everything

Remember that email? The one that comes around every year or so about why different people come into your lives? I got to thinking about it the other day and realized that I'm a little different. Without exception, all of my friends, the ones I respect, truly care about and would do anything for, are people I have known for the better part of 20 years, or my entire life. Co-workers, the contractor building our house, mom of your kid's best friend, are people you know but not really friends. Friends are different and long term. They will tell you that are wrong and still put their arms around you in support. I believe that I am a long-term friend -at least I aspire to be one. This week I was humbled by 4 exceptional friends in my life. My Mom, my husband, my sister Lindy and my friend, Lana. It was a rough week, I needed 4 friends.

Never Say Never!

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be a blogger.

I love it. I am so amused and secretly voyeuristic about what others want to share with their friends, family and basically (potentially) the World on a narcissitic website. I have decided to make the big jump and create a blog about my own crazy life - hopefully for the enjoyment of others despite the advice of my "perfect for me husband" who says 'blog, 'blog, 'blog.

My life is crazy and I'm hoping that this blog will help me lighten up and appreciate the humor and ecstasy of life. As my friend Lana says, "one must live life intentionally". I think I'm doing a pretty good job of it as I can't imagine fitting anything else into my life (oh, except Grandkids!)

My biggest lesson thus far in 2007 is that I have learned the true definition of "fun", what "fun" isn't, and why one must always have "fun".

Fun is fishing and catching a big Lincod!
Fun is having your husband sing to you first thing in the morning!
Fun is playing Texas Hold'em with your kids and their significant others!
Fun is reading a book by a quiet river in Big Sur!
Fun brings a smile to your face and a lightness into your soul.
Health is fun.
Love is Fun.
Life is meant for fun.

Blogs. Never say never...