Day One

We had a great time out on the bunny hill today! I was telling S in the car ride back home that I didn't expect snowboarding to be so fun unless it was easier - which it really, really was not. We spent a lot of time falling, but with falling came laughter and getting tips from other people on the mountain, who were all really nice. Even though we'll have aches, bumps and bruises, we want to go back really soon to get better and better. S wants to be able to do jumps, and I just want to stay upright. :) More reports to come, but until then, stay warm, snow bunnies!

Next up on the slopes...

Carol Jean!

Open Season on *Brrrrr*!

S and I are super excited and super chilly thinking about the opening weekend of snowboard season this year! It was my Christmas gift to get us season passes and rentals, despite the fact that neither of us has ever so much as actually stood on a snowboard before in our lives.

We're going this weekend on "Santa Day," when you ski free for coming to the slopes dressed as Santa (we will NOT be doing this, as falling on our butts will make us look ridiculous enough).

Get ready for some competition, Shaun White!

Everglades

Work takes me all over, which is a thing I am very grateful for, because I adore traveling and at this stage of my life, I do not have the means to save up for more than a day trip or a long weekend crashing at a friend's place. One day, after lots of frugality and dreaming, I will actually take, gasp!, vacation time to launch off to far lands and pretty locations.

One place I got to travel sans vacation time this year was the Everglades, Florida. We went down to the very tip of the glades, past Alligator Alley, to work with 3 communities there made up of no more than 400 people combined. Despite it being record-breaking chilly, it was still warmer than home, and so sunshiny it made me smile.

Though I love where I live and would not welcome the humidity that Florida usually has, I think if I lived in this place year round, I would definitely become an expert kayaker and certainly accomplish my goal of learning to sail a lot earlier. I'd even be tempted to crab, vegetarian that I am!

The Everglades marks my last trip for work in the 2010 year, which took me to Black Moutain, North Carolina, Caracas, Venezuela, Monterrey, Mexico, Baltimore, Maryland and now Florida. I am glad to have been, but even happier to be back and counting down the days until Christmas!

Deckin' the Halls

Christmas time for S and I was once a time when we went back to visit our respective families in opposite states. It then became a time to visit Hampden for the holidays, and to pick out the best fake Christmas tree ever, Dustin, from the Walmart in Towson.

These days we've eased into traditions, and it's our third Christmas with Sir Dustin. O the Cat helped us "decorate" the tree by wrestling with all the ornaments and otherwise making it a festive chore. S and I cheerfully added a brand new ornament, a sailboat from our Cape Cod adventure this October, to the branches.

There's something really special about a holiday when you can look out your window, all aglow with the tree bulbs and the candles you've put out, and see the shiny lights of your neighbors all up too. It's these things I will take away from decorating for the holidays this year.

Here are just a few pictures from S's and my fourth Christmas season together and our first in our new home in New England!

The overall look - reindeer, table setting, and of course, Dustin, our Christmas tree.

The tiny hidden touches, like a poinsettia embellishment mixed in with everyday decor.

Our tree, with ornaments full of memories, handmade touches, and the perfect star on top!

Happy Holidays!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

This Thanksgiving S and I got the distinct pleasure of sharing a meal together, along with my wonderful parents in the great state of Maryland.

We were a bit sad to leave our little home in Mass, but we did our best to deck it out anyway, with pumpkins and fall leaf decor inside and out.

Our table setting - candles, porcelain bird, real pumpkin, and fake gourd.

Our porch setting - seasonal flowers and green candle.

O the Cat was a big fan of "hiding" the leaves under a piece of furniture and then neurotically trying to bat them back out into the open.

In Maryland we got a really tasty meal (Thanks, Mom!) and S found a brand new, very manly leather coat on sale on a Black Friday shopping raid (Thank you, Consumer America!).

S at the Thanksgiving table, the deliciousness evident on his face.

We had a lot of fun with K too, going out to eat at a new Chinese restaurant in the area and playing Apples to Apples, our favorite downtime card game.

The craze that is Apples to Apples.

It was an awesome break to relax and enjoy family.

The Chubby Chasers

In the midst of busting my butt for work this fall, I've forgotten to write about a few of our family's grand adventures, like the forming of our rock band, The Chubby Chasers.S thought of this name, and christened me BBV - Big Boot Vasquez, and O the Cat "Chubs" Yang.

We are a rock band when playing our falltime gift to ourselves, Guitar Hero, Warriors of Rock. In addition improving S's hand eye coordination and my sense of pitch, the game has providing quite a few hours of family fun, whereby:

1) S and D rock out to some terrible heavy metal song, and

2) O the cat either freaks out and runs around in a panic while wailing like his momma on the mic, or completely freaks out, and bites his momma.

It's all good fun, and we are hoping that it will bring us through the freezing winter months which I have to admit, I am dreading.

Today, Tuesday, Everyday

Prayer for Lucas

Little Lucas, we love you.

You are a binding strength to us.

You remind us about the importance of love.

We want you to breathe in grace and breathe out peace.

Be safe, knowing that the darkness has not overcome the light.

Christmas Time

We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.

A Big Mess

It's typical that life is always changing, always giving me a chance to play "catch up."

Even being one of those people who isn't into the next thing, I find myself behind so many times.

I don't need the next generation of iPhone on my list to feel so tired of working on myself, where I'm at, and what I have, for instance.

All it takes for me is trying to get rote that crazy balance of life, emotions, work, play, God, growth, and occassionally feeling pretty.

My apartment is a mess, and I need to go to the gym. Or my apartment is clean, but I am SO TIRED. Or the bills are paid, but I didn't have enough for savings this month. I know this is being an adult - blah blah blah - but that doesn't mean I am okay with it. I mean, I can do one of two things, ignore my problems and pitfalls, or deal with them. I cannot erase them or make my life into something it isn't over night. Nor can I reach the end goal, until, well, the end. I am always in process, and in that way it's all a good thing. But boy, what a complicated process it is!

XOXO.

Try

All I know
Is everything is not as it's sold
but the more I grow the less I know
And I have lived so many lives
Though I'm not old
And the more I see, the less I grow
The fewer the seeds the more I sow

Then I see you standing there
Wanting more from me
And all I can do is try

- NF

Training's over. I'll be writing lyrics all weekend. I'll be digging in.

AA

I went to my second ever open AA meeting tonight, hosted by my awesome, incredible, ridiculously inspiring colleagues.

Today was one of their 24th birthdays, meaning that this beautiful woman stopped using the substances that were harming her and keeping her from her true potential 24 years ago. She now lives her potential.

I am blown away by the strength of every person I meet, once I actually "meet" them, you know? Look them in the eye and see them. Even more so for colleagues willing to relieve their pain for the benefit of the healing of a generation that will be healthier because of them.

It can be so hard for me to process work trainings, but it is so reaffirming to know we are in this for the right reasons.

To go to work and love your job is one thing, but to go to work and help others live out their destiny is another. I couldn't ask for a greater gift in a profession.

That God can take our brokenness and use it to restore is what makes God God and makes us us.

I'm so thankful for my life and the ways it's led me right here.

The Wild and Crazy Yangs

Saturday for S, D, and O:

- S goes to work at 9am. He is still at work at 9pm. Those proteins don't purify themselves (or whatever it is that my boyfriend actually does at work, doesn't do itself.)

- D sleeps in. Listens to Ingrid Michaelson and Mumford and Sons. Plays with O, her little lion man. Answers 13 work emails. Goes to Staples to buy training supplies. Goes to Borders and like a mad-woman, browses the young adult section, the Christmas CDs, and ultimately splurges on a book of chords, the Message, and a large (woo hoo!) white chocolate mocha and a sausage omelet sandwich for S.
- O sits on S's computer while D blogs.

That's pretty much it.

Jammin'...

...with this lady these days.

Any requests?!

Boo to da YOU!

Happy Halloween weekend from our family to yours!

Tiny Kitten Tuesday

Had to share!

Time on the Cape!

It was definitely an amazingly appreciated weekend after too much travel for D and shift work for S to have the gift of using a colleague's Cape Cod cottage for a getaway.

S and I got in on Friday night and caught up on all things important like Dateline exclusives as we munched on Doritos and slugged down soda.

We worked off the junk food on Saturday hiking around Marconi Beack and the Fort Hill trails. Read: Beautiful! except for this terrible sighting of a dismembered bird carcass. I am sorry, but I had to write it down, because this is one of those memories that we'll be able to laugh about for years. Picture the Red Maple Swamps on a beautiful day, side-by-side with the most picturesque New England marshlands in God's own country, and then, yeah, D almost steps on huge dead bird.

Next we watched some college football - an actually exciting game between Northwestern and Michigan State - at The Red Barn, where S had a buffalo chicken sub and I relished a Meditterrean style pizza. Next door at "The Gift Barn" we picked up a Christmas ornament and a 300 piece puzzle (we are puzzle enthusiasts, but can get over our heads a bit sometimes with those 1000 piecers...).

Then off to Provincetown, where we window shopped, took another stroll on a freeeezing cold beach (barefoot for me!) and of course got more munchies. Mocha lattes and caramels at a place called the Purple Feather (How could you not?!) and then pepperoni pizza for S and a greek salad for me at the more down-to-earth George's. We got to see crazy Halloween actors and a lounge singer in a window serenading tourists with show tunes from the Wizard of Oz. It was awesome.

Next, dag-nabbit!, we finished that puzzle while watching SNL, then we snuggled in at the cottage to watch Anchorman, which granted, was funnier the second time around. We both love Steve Carrell's impersonation of a severely mentally handicapped weatherman. C'mon.

The next day it was an intense round of Apples to Apples (we must remember to bring this game to Thanksgiving) and a lunch of ribs and eggplant for the veggie at the Marconi Grille.

It was an incredible mini-vacation that I think can get us through the next month. Though, its without a doubt clear that a Turkey Day Countdown is strictly imperative. 32 DAYS TO GO!

Final Monterrey Post - Written 1.5 weeks ago

I am writing from Monterrey Mexico a final time after the conference I attended here has officially wrapped. Now is the time for a fun post! A work-is-over-but-I-am-still-here-in-fantasy-location post. Finally!!!

Firstly, I did the coolest thing today. The hotel where the conference was held and where we stayed is clearly a beautiful and fortunate place to be for international travelers. It has the funkiest architecture and color scheme in the room and in the lobbies (purple and orange) and lovely little luxuries like a sectional loveseat (for putting one’s tired tootsies up after a long day schmoozing) and a porthole mirror between the bedroom and the bathroom. It is truly unique. It is also connected to a gorgeous mall, so even given a security concern, travelers can enjoy some fun shopping or shop for basics without ever really leaving the premises or going outside. I know of people attending the conference who live in other Latin American countries who are so excited to be here, because they get to shop for things they can’t get back where they are teaching. How relieving to find those essentials on a trip for back home!

So speaking of shopping, I was saying how I did the coolest thing today. I used my ATM card at a machine in the hotel today. My ATM card, from a Mid-Atlantic based bank, in Mexico. Not only did it work, but it gave me pesos until of dollars, so I never even had to worry about currency exchange! So I got here with nothing but plastic, and in less than a minute, I got paper pesos. I don’t know if that seems fantastic to you, but I am a big fan. I really dislike carrying cash, and love when I can track every single expense I have using my debit account leger online.

Anywho, I got the money out to buy the best gifts ever for some of the boys in my life. I got S and JJ, who is turning 2 this month (!!) Monterrey Tigres futbol jerseys. JJ’s actually came with matching shorts, which will be so cute! I figure since I am staying in Monterrey I might as well support it, and I know S is a big fan of “el tigre” the animal, so I figure he’d be keen to cheer on a soccer team by the same name. I of course have no idea how good they are. I also got myself one to remember the trip and for Halloween dress up purposes (S and I are fans of low key costumes with matching themes).

Once I got back to the hotel from shopping, I spent some quality time looking out my window. I am on the 29th floor and overlook a pretty cool highway scene, some intense mountains, and a bit of Nuevo Leon where we are. I am small enough and the window is big enough so that I can sit completely inside the pane and look out. So I painted my fingernails and toenails inside of the window and listened to some Spanish music for a bit, until…I got hungry, which is actually what inspired this post.

I was very grateful to have met some wonderful teachers from a school that have invited me to dinner for the night, but at 7pm/read 8pm to my stomach, because of the 1 hour time difference. Now I am a light eater all day until about 4pm, when I need a pretty large snack before a still sizeable dinner. That’s just how my metabolism works, for better or worse. So around 4:15, my body said food. Because I had just been shopping, and I am beginning to realize how notoriously cheap I am, I didn’t want to purchase more food prior to dinner, or nibble from the mini-bar, which costs a fortune. I did have some Mexican candy I was saving for S, but in light of his super-nice souvenir purchase just moments ago, I was less guilty about eating it myself. So I decided on a plan – I’d heard from other people that the candy bag we’d gotten with our conference goodies was well, a mixed bag, and so I thought I would do a review for you on the blog. Now, as a disclaimer, I fully admit to being a gringo (i.e. – Foreign White Person) and I also do not have any experience in critiquing food other than what my tongue and stomach end up thinking about something. I am not trying to be culturally insensitive. I love Mexico, and I have been so impressed with the people, the geography, and the culture. Just not the candy. And I am an honest person, so I am going to tell it like it is.








Here goes:

Tiliko Chamoy
Imagine expecting an Airhead and getting what feels like a congealed old packet of ketchup instead. At first it’s chewy and sweet and you think this might be some sort of appealing sour patch kids set up, because you see the packaging reads “pica” so you know it must be a little more “flavorful” soon. Then you get a hint of spice, which my gringo tongue is unable to label, and then you get old, dried ketchup taste. That is about it, except that it is also super gooey and sticky and therefore I would only give this to children if I wanted to make both them, and the parents who had to clean up after them, really sad.

Tamborindo
Okay, now that you have learned all about the Tiliko Chamoy, think of the same candy taste, only sharper and more spicy, not in the shape of an Airhead, but in a mound. It’s red all around it, but brown, mud brown in the middle, and super granular, like eating spicy/sweet sand. At least it’s not as sticky as the Tiliko Chamoy, but it’s close. Some English writing on the packaging says, “Hot and salted tamarind fruit candy,” so I guess that’s what it is. However, starving as I am, I can only eat about half of it.

La Vaquita
So I am super excited for this one after the first two duds. It describes itself as a milk caramel lollipop. Absolutely nothing wrong with that! Upon consumption attempt I find that it is much more edible than the other candies so far. The pros are that: it is edible, and the flavor is pretty pleasant and does taste a little like caramel. The cons are that it I it has no flavor it you just lick it, so you have to bite it, and when you do it gets all stuck in the cervices of my big old teeth. Then there’s the distinct cinnamon flavor, unadvertised and completely overpowering the caramel. Now I like cinnamon, but after two spicy treats from heck, I was really hoping for a soft, chewy caramel and did not get that.

Marzapan Azteca
Okay, so I have never before had marzipan, and so I don’t know what it is “supposed” to taste like. This tastes like flaky chalk with nuts. Maybe a hazelnut, so at least a yummy nut, but it is still a little disturbing, because as powdery as the thing is, I cannot make out any nut bits in it. So I am eating nut saw dust mixed with chalk, and if I am being honest, because it is so bland, it’s my favorite candy so far. I eat it all as a palette cleanser, but then just as I get the caramel out of my teeth, the marzipan forms a nice paste on the roof of my mouth. It’s time to try something else.

Bocadin
At first I am worried (and excited?) that this is a gum. Worried, because given the weird consistencies of the other candies, do I know if I will know whether or not it is a gum by consuming it? Maybe not. Excited because travelers can never have enough gum.

It is not gum. It is a chocolate covered wafer with absolutely no crunch. It’s like eating cardboard with a film of cheap chocolate on it. The Maxi I brought home for S from Venezuela was 10X better. And, honestly, I am just sad it’s not gum. But I move on.

Nutresa
Okay, so I am biased, but this is now my favorite by far. It is a chocolate coin, which we all know I have a weakness form. However the wrapper advertises “En Sabor de Dulce de Leche” and, en realidad, no es en el sabor de dulce de leche. It tastes like cheap chocolate, no different than what was scarcely covering the Bocadin. But a chocolate covered coin always win points with me.

Nucita Tri Sabor
So, this looks, before opening, like a small tub of Neapolitan ice cream. I am immediately fearful. Opening it, it smells very strongly like Neapolitan ice cream, which really scares me, because it has the consistency of a pat of butter and those things just don’t jive in my mind. Tasting it is like eating very, very thick frosting with a lot of artificial vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry flavor. I begin to worry about my impending sugar rush…and crash.

PS – Only after scooping the faux-frosting Nucita out of its tub with my finger and getting it even more sticky, I notice a little scoop especially made for the Nucita in my candy bag. It reminds me of the stick we American kids use to scoop out that chemical cheese paste to put on our crackers. I guess all countries have crazy gross out snacks and some love and other think are ick.

De la Rosa Malvaviscos Bianchi
Not soon enough, I start out on my final candy selection, marshmallows! They are in Vanilla, Strawberry, Lemon, Orange and Banana flavor, so I am not out of the woods yet. I also really shouldn’t eat these, since gelatin is made from horse hooves and as a Vegetarian, I do eat gelatin rarely, and always feel guilty, Like I am amputating the foot right from the horse myself. But for science, I decide to eat one mini-marshmallow of each flavor. I almost take my decision back when I break open the bag, and a smell not of any sort of fruit, but of “chemical” comes out. I can’t even place the chemical. It smells like hard plastic toys is perhaps the best analogy. But this is important, so I grab one of each of the 7 flavors and dig in sequentially. Vanilla tastes completely like regular marshmallow – hurray! Then I notice a trend. Strawberry tastes completely like regular marshmallow. Lemon tastes like that chemical smell at first, then completely like marshmallow. Then I realize there are 7 distinctly different colored marshmallow varieties and only 5 flavors. So I stick the purple one, the blue one, and the green one in my mouth at the same time and get an overdose of chemical taste, and a bit of an instant headache. It is time to put the yucky sugar down.

It actually feels just as exciting to stop eating the candy as it was when I was starving and first got the idea to try it out.

Herein lies another good lesson from my travels this time around – that no matter how much you love the experience of new places, there’s almost always a deeper appreciation and preference for home after a faraway trip.

I can’t wait for my Reese’s, and my “Mexican cuisine” Chipotle back home!

Hasta la vista, D

Done with crazy presentation

I know God has good plans for me, but today was *gasp* better than I expected. It was a bit horrific. I got into Mexico at 1:30pm yesterday, did a good 10 hours of work, went to bed around 12:30am, woke up around 4am, and worked another 12 hours. This is after my 4am flight to kick-off pre-presentation time in Mexico, which is prettier than I expected, by the way.

I kept on telling myself to have a good attitude, and if nothing else, time keeps on going, so at a certain point my presentation would be over with for better or worse.

Though I think both my boss and I felt very flustered by the build up to session-time, I also think we did pretty well! We got some interesting discussion going afterward with people and it seems like they appreciated the information and learned something, so that's all I can ask for. Looking back on the experience, which I have been dreading in some capacity for nearly a full year now, it's taught me a lot.

Like to go with the flow, to be silent instead of negative, to say something nice instead of being silent, to sleep when I can and wake up when I have to, and to never have coffee before a big presentation (my norepinephrine transmitter pathways, i.e., the neurotransmitters that stimulate the production of adrenaline) do all of that work for me.

Even went I was praying for an earthquake to strike before having to present today, I was thankful for the blessing in my life that it is to be here in this awesome place, to do what I love, to get the opportunity to grow and be challenged, and to meet new people who care about health and helping kids. That is what it is all about. That, and a really good night's sleep tonight.

Hasta Luego!

PS - In case you're a bit slow to the draw, the exhausted lady up top is me. The little praying girl is "A," the she-child S and I hope to maybe have one day. I think of her in times of stress, about how awesome and teeny tiny she'll be, and it calms me right down. :)

Under the sun

Sometimes when I get really busy, or supposedly so, in life (as in these past 2 months or so), I forget how amazing some of my roots are. By this I mean simple routines and habits that ground me in life, and help me to stay inspired to be the being I am supposed to be out there with other people and internally with myself and my God.

One of those things for me now is yoga. It's been a really pain that since the late summer, there have been fewer evening classes offered at my studio and more people taking them, and of course, I am too busy to get to any of them but the most popular. We're all there mat to mat and while I am trying to "zone in," I end up just going through the motions some of the time. One of my favorite recent classes, however, was one of these super busy kinds. What made it awesome was that after a really hum-drum class, we ended with up-the-wall relaxation (when you put your legs up the wall as you lay on the floor - this helps you to sleep well after an evening class) and then we meditated in silence for a few minutes.

I don't think I have ever meditated like this before. It was dark (literally), communal, and after a lengthy prep time of yoga asansa (posture-taking) and pranayama (appropriate breathing), I didn't feel forced to think. Instead, I kept intent on breathing past any thoughts that would come my way. I felt like a got into a new place in myself, that will be waiting there for the next time that I am ready for it.

Another root of mine is listening to people more wise than me encourage me to be my best self. This summer, and really since coming to New England, I have tuned into the lead pastor at NorthPoint Community Church near Atlanta, Georgia as he gives his community their weekly message. Now while I have lots of (perhaps self-righteous) reasons why I would never want to live in the southern region of the US, I think that if I ever moved to Georgia, I would be in good hands with this church and their leadership.

I'd gotten behind week by week, and now I have about 2-3 messages left to listen to before I am caught up with the church's regular schedule. I think a lot of my slacking has been self-indulgent - I feel that I am so busy that I sense my life must be full enough without this healthy rountine to fill in any missing pieces. In reality, I probably needed this piece of my life more than ever, as I have been meeting new people, traveling far away from home, and making some pretty big decisions these days that are relatively unique to me, like how to save and share my money and how to manage a department at work.

I really got excited this week when Andy (the pastor) wrapped up his sermon series on time speaking about Ecclesiastes. This is the "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die" book of the Bible, as quoted by the Dave Matthews Band. It reminds me that 3000 years ago for a king on the Sinai pennisula (Solomon), the same questions were swirling around human hearts as for me and my friends right here, right now. What do we do with ourselves after we have made mistakes or experienced achievements that leave us feeling only partially fulfilled? How can we improve that reflection of ourselves when we look in the mirror and do not see exactly our ideal self looking back? Solomon says there is no hope to look for fulfillment "under the sun," because there is plenty of hypocrisy, injustice, and plain mediocre here that cannot be corrected in a lifetime of human effort. Instead, Andy suggests, that young people like me, "Pour your extra time into something that has purpose beyond the bookends of your life."

Now, for me, I certainly don't know what that looks like quite yet. I am open to suggestions! But it's a steep challenge for someone who feigns busyness even in the luxury of time without children, medical problems, money problems, or and major life crises. I mean, I do feel busy, I do feel stress, but then again, I am in the process of living. It's natural to feel such things, if not in one part of life, than in another. Just because that stress comes from positive circumstances does not mean it isn't there. At the same time, wanting to fulfill a destiny means sometimes, and perhaps often, needing to exceed the general expectations of one's self and one's society, who might say that the absence of illness is health. It is sometimes more challenging to act with courage and greatness when one is well than when one feels weak, and I am learning that more and more.

As I go off to another big challenge in another foreign land this week, I am going to remember that my purposes are greater than myself, and my routines are precious reminders of who I am called to be.

LIG Fest

I am exhausted to have been, but elated to have gone, to the Life is Good Festival today.









Here's to life!

Coming Home

I'm back from training! Last year I was living out of my sleeping bag, back and forth to the Marriott with no clue, and this year I was running back and forth from a lodge in the woods, taking every chance just to walk around barefoot late at night and look up at the stars.

Luckily this year we were in NC, and so I was "at home" so to speak with the surroundings. Black Mountain's beautiful and reminds me of my uncle's on the marina enough to calm me and make me feel big, deep things from time to time. It made me think that there is never again a time in a person's life quite like the time when they are 5, 6, and 7, when one's faculties are essentially there but the social implications of living a life are not.

I remember being at J's and kicking around the gravel, sitting on the docks, surrounded by the pines and the water. Whenever I get back there, I listen to the masts clinking in the wind and all that water sloshing around, and everything inside of me just settles. This place was a little like that place. There's a peace in knowing I'll find my space again throughout life, but I'm disturbed that it's so rooted in geography and dislocation. Shouldn't that place be in my mind, set in my soul?

We got out to the Blue Hills today, which was a nice homecoming. The air back in New England is perfect right now, sunny and clean and getting cooler. I'm praying for a gorgeous foliage season despite the lack of summer rain, and I'm looking forward to the hikes ahead under a rainbow canopy of leaves.

I guess when you work with schools, this time of year really does feel like a new beginning. I am so excited for the work this year, and if anything, training helped me re-energize and refocus on what I want to devote my work to in the coming months. As long as my coordination efforts go smoothly, the innovation that is supposed to be coming from my department will be paramount in a way it couldn't be last year, the year of three jobs in one. I want parent involvement to really take off, and I want to look back and think about how this is where I want to be in my career come May 2011.

It is not about me in the least though. My feelings get concerned with this idea that I should be doing something more, but time must help mold us all. Maybe one day I will look back at this "place" and feel the vibe was I generating in these moments, and I'll be in yet another home, another stage, another opportunity.

Chuck Bass is Alive! And other reasons to be happy.

Imagine my joy when Perez Hilton posted new Gossip Girl stills from the upcoming season, and I saw Chuck there, and not on a stretcher. I called across the apartment to S, "Chuck Bass is alive! And he's wearing jeans!!"

We're about to enter the month of September, which means many things, like leaves changes, fall falling, and kids back to school. For S it means his work, which peaks in summer, becomes a little less hectic, and for me, the exact opposite.

I'm a little overwhelmed already, but not mortified, because there are the small pleasures in life like Chuck Bass in jeans, Mondo on Project Runway, our trip yesterday to the reservation, and this insanely beautiful weather we've been having, to keep a smile on my face. I'm sure all of this won't be enough sometimes, but life is good, God is good, and we'll all get through the fall just fine.

I may be blogging less or more these days, since I'll be away from home for at least half the of month traveling for work - I could be totally stressed out every minute or bored in a hotel room somewhere needing to blog, I have no clue.

I hope everyone out there enjoys whatever this month and this fall is bringing to them!

Life is good

On the 9th at 4:35am, one of my very best friends the in the whole world welcomed her second beautiful son into the world!

Welcome to the world, little LKG! In August, 2010.

Congratulations to her, her husband, the little big brother of the family, and of course their pug puppy, who K always refers to as "her first child."With her first (human) son in October 2008.

I am so proud of her as a mom, a volunteer in the community, and of course, as an amazing friend.

Enjoy your boys, and lots of love, KT!

Random Find

So I had already gone to a delicious Italian Ladies' Lunch Out with dah ladies from work, and S had already picked up a turkey bacon flat from Dunkin' for breakfast, but that doesn't mean it isn't Friday, and worth another food-related celebration!

S and I went to our favorite sports bar, a really chill place with the best, largest Greek salad ever served (and of course a bacon cheeseburger for S), and had a fun time catching up on what exactly it is that he does for a living, and what exactly I attempt to do (the long and short of it is that there are lots of acronyms involved).

At any rate, after lovely dinner conversation and full bellies, we were headed out the restaurant door when we spotted, for the first of the many times we'd visited this place, the oddest, coolest (in my opinion) thing. It was a bench, on a hill, overlooking the restaurant.Now this is or was, and you would agree if you could see it for yourself, a totally random looking set up for a bench. The restaurant is on a turnpike, so it's not too scenic, and the bench was just "there," kind of on a bolder, with no conceivable easy way to get up to it.So of course I begged S to climb up with me, and when he finally conceded, I convinced him to get a random pic taken with me in that random place.The reward for all of this was that the bench faced west, and we got to enjoy the first sunset we've watched together in ages. :)

Life requires cream and sugar

I often forget how much I love summer and the sunshine until it is gone and I am frozen, hoping my winter boots won't let in the snowy sleet and the windchill doesn't end me. So we've been trying, even on work days when it seems impossible, to go on tiny little outings while it's still daylight, just to get out of the proverbial cubicle for a little while and catch some rays/time to relax while it's warm and oh so nice out.Our mid-week adventure was to the Dairy Barn - not to be confused with the proliferated Dair Queen or even the S-D favorite ice cream shop in our town, Daddy's Dairy. The Dairy Barn specializes in soft serve yogurts and gelati, as well as a variety of cookies and fruits all dunked in chocolate and dazzled in sprinkles.S opted for the ever class hot fudge sundae while I indulged in a coffee/raspberry twist that both S and I agreed was "very fruity."After our mini-date out for ice cream, we headed to the library, where we rented Quarantine, a ridiculous but entertaining horror movie about a rabies-like virus threatening the lives of a D-list film crew, and I checked out The Productivity Handbook, which I admit I have only gotten through 4 pages of. Perhaps high-stress weeks at work aren't exactly the time for that kind of reading? But they are exactly the time for ice cream!

Summa time stroll

This weekend we took a hike up through the blue trail of the Blue Hills.

The weather was a perfect eighty-degrees with sunshine, breeze, and low humidity.

It was a great way to spend a Saturday when it's just too nice to sit inside!