New Explorations

Ahhh...Summer

2011-07-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

So after many weeks of travel, life is settling down and as I sift through the memories I realize that there have been many changes not over the last few weeks but over the last few years that have made it hard for me to sit here and share. With this realization I also am anticipating new changes in my life and am looking forward to all that may be waiting for me just around the bend. It has been almost seven years since I first posted here and life has changed for me in many ways...some good and some not so but what is important is that life in one way or another goes on and we grow through all we experience. I think it is when we are at those spots in life when change is inevitable that we take time to relive the past and hopefully receive guidance for how to move forward. I am happy to say that even with the sorrow an empty nest brought me it has been a growing experience and I have found that my relationship with both my son and daughter has blossomed. It is not the same and really, I wouldn't want it to be and with these new changes and experiences I have found happiness and peace. It has been nice that my son moved back in for a bit and also that by freeing time up I have been able to travel to Davis often to see my daughter. Change...it is not always welcomed but I guess what matters is that we face it and walk with it the best we are able. So...to the future and the changes it is bringing...I approach with caution and excitement!

Boston Trip

2010-06-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Click on the title of this post (Boston Trip) to see a fun slide show of my trip to Boston with 60 History teachers and professors from the Valley.

My path has brought me back...

2009-08-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

So...it's been awhile and this will be my rusty attempt at coming back...we shall see just how it goes...
Exploring my thoughts and experiences is something I have spent a lifetime at. I spend much of my day wondering why??? And then the rest of my day is spent jumping in and exploring just why. So, it was when we moved to CA and so emerged this blog. Perhaps by writing it down, I could better understand each step of the way.

So the journey began and life flowed while I sat back and examined it all. Wow! Amazing to see the new people we each became over the months and years...

The children have amazed me with all their new experiences and the way they grasped on to a new life in a new world...remember that just five short years ago they both hated me for not being able to put a stop to this unexpected change in their life. Things had been going so smoothly for them...growing up in a beautiful, small community in the midst of the Midwest, surrounded by family and friends...and then the announcement that we were moving 2000 miles away from all we knew to a place where they knew nobody. They have come a long way...

So, my blogging began that first winter as I began to explore my new world and the changes we were experiencing. Through this, I was able to share with family and friends we had left as well as let new friends and family we were making get a glimpse into our lives and ideas. And so it continued until the changes in my life became too much and I decided it was best to experience them quietly, by myself in a way that I could think them through and wander alone, sorting out how I felt about these new feelings, changes and paths that were ahead of me as well as those I was trying to avoid.

Well, I am happy to say I have found my way on the path and though I do not know yet where it leads me, I do know that I can walk it and am happy to be back to share in a way that gives me time and the energy to analyze the adventure I am on...

So let me update you just a bit on what changes we have experienced since I last wrote:

Bryant is about to enter his Senior year at UC Berkeley...that is once he returns from a summer in Europe. He has had an amazing adventure and I wait anxiously to sit at his table and listen to his tales as we share what I am sure will be a table filled with many of his friends and fabulous foods. Many of his friends in Berkeley have been traveling as well this summer and they are, I am sure excited to reunite and share all their experiences...

Brittany has had huge changes in her life as well! She has graduated from HS and has moved on to UC Davis where she rapidly connected with the school as well as the community. She is planning and organizing her move into her first apartment this Fall with three of her friends. They love their dorm life but are excited to experience life on their own. It has been amazing to see her as she has transitioned into this new chapter of her life...

So, as you see life as a homeschool mom has made a shift and as I walk this new path I am learning new things about myself. Some days seem unbearable and yet others are just so exciting and full that I feel as though I might burst! I have no idea what this new adventure in my life has in store for me but I am thankful for all those old and new friends who have walked with me and have carried me at times during this transition...I love you each more than you will ever know.

Yes We Can

2008-02-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

Turning 20...

2008-01-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

It seems just yesterday we were bringing this little bundle home...How do the years pass so quickly? Well it is true, Bry is turning 20 today. My boy has grown up and it is time for him to leave those teen years behind. Through the years he has been fortunate to have many wonderful people influence his life, ideas, education, etc. To all of you...I say thanks! Thanks for all the fun, for all the guidance, for all the love, and for all the laughs!

I am happy to say with you all by his side the small bundle that we brought home 20 years ago while living in MD has grown over the years through fun times in IL and then now in CA into an amazing young man. He has filled the years with much laughter, interesting thoughts, fabulous music, and amazing friendships which seem to continually fill the house. Here are just a few pics from over the years...

Mother Nature...In all her Glory

2008-01-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

The rainy season is upon us and oh is it ever! Rains, winds, snow...we have been hit. Having a moment of quiet in the house and procrastinating brushing up on my book before heading off to Book Club, I wandered the yard to check for damage. You see, we have a lull in the rain at least for a few hours before we get hit by what is the second of the three systems that are to hit us. We knew it was coming...they had been telling us for days! There were lines and lines waiting to receive our ten alloted sandbags all day Thursday. Everybody was talking about the storm and some were even stocking up on food. It slowly made its way down into the valley, after much damage elsewhere. We watched the news and answered calls of concerned friends and family in IL. The flooding comes so quick...almost out of nowhere! I sat cuddled up, finishing the last of the three books in the series His Dark Materials (The Golden Compass) after returning home from work, deciding I really did not want to be out when it hit. By the time Wayne arrived home through what sounded like a fun drive, the flooding was just two streets away from us...but as fast as the waters rise they subside and Bry went out a few hours later and called to say that we were able to leave our development safely and off he went with friends for the night. Roads have been closed, trees are falling, people are without electricity and snow has covered the mountains...and we all sit awaiting round two. Well, the damage was minimal to our plants I am happy to report and the air feels clean as I walked this morning. The rain will be with us for a few more days and between book clubs, parties and hearing Bry perform Sunday morning...I hope to have time to cuddle up with yet another book and listen to the...at times soft music of the rain hitting our wood shingles, warm within what I hope will continue to be a home with electricity. May you all find the quiet times amidst your storms.

Blessings-

Foggy Days...

2007-12-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

Coffee in hand...a foggy morning and a quiet house! Winter has come to the valley and with it is my time to go inward. Not only do I love the coziness of being wrapped in quilts by a fire with a book but this is my time to enjoy the coziness of my thoughts. I am a Pisces ya know...and as one, daydreams are a large part of what makes up my life. So with the winter months set in, along with the fog...comes my time to sit and drift...This is also the time these days when the ocean calls. Ocean, rocks and the color green...these are a few of my favorite things! I have rocks everywhere throughout my home and gardens, as many of you know. There is this connection I have with them and water. Add the color green and presto! One of my favorite past times when I am at the ocean is to walk the beach collecting green rocks. Once while walking...trying to hold on to my coffee in one hand and all my green treasures in the other I was stopped by this gentleman who realized we were both collecting green rocks! We spoke for a few minutes and he told me of some of his favorite spots to find them then we both turned and went our seperate ways...both in our own little worlds enjoying the ocean, our coffee and our green rocks. So you see I have this large bowl on my table filled with just those finds! They help take me back to the ocean and the fog and the hours of walking the beach filled with daydreams and rocks. Ahhhh...life is good!

I have had plenty of time to sit and enjoy...with the family being back together all is well. The boy is home and with him has come the giggles of his sister as they try to not get caught while being mischievous. I had called for them several times last night to help with dishes after we had sat around catching up at the table and of course noticed how quickly they disappeared when it was time to clean up. I went to find them and noticed one of our cats sitting outside the laundry closet mewing to nobody...or was she? Getting closer...there were the telltale signs of giggles coming from behind the doors. Upon flinging them open and finding them both perched up on what are a very tall washer and dryer, there was crazy laughter and the begging of not being made to do dishes! Really, how can you argue with that and so I closed the door and walked away with a smile as they laughed and laughed.

We have had fun catching up and sharing time together over the last week. They have had time to see friends and both the children and Wayne all shared in the service at church Christmas Eve. So as I am cuddled in with yet another cup of coffee I will share with you the goings on in our home since last I had the time to chat...

We spent a wonderful weekend in Berkeley in October with Bry. It was Homecoming and the game was so close...but did not end well. We had fun going out with friends for dinner and spent much time walking the city and enjoying being back in the city once again.

Bry has moved into an apartment with a couple of friends and there are always a few extras there as well so we are happy when meal time rolls around to see how many of his friends will join us for dinner out. Always fun to sit and listen to their stories! We also had time to see some of the projects he has spent hours on this semester.

There are times when he lives at the studio for days on end... catching an hour of sleep on the futon or under his desk if he has a chance.

They are all one big family there and make sure you wake up after not too long. A deadline is a deadline after all!

Then there was the upkeep of the gardens...

One of my favorite pastimes. Now that I have lived here a bit I am finally learning the plants that grow here and what they need. It was amazing to find just how different everything here is compared to what we grew before. With time and the killing of many beautiful plants...we have learned enough to make our gardens much more enjoyable. Something that is a must for me as being outside with barefeet (much to the horror of the Kristina, my pedicure technician) walking the gardens is where I have some of my best daydreams!

We had a wonderful visit with my parents in November! They have always come at busy times in the past and we have yet to have a chance to explore with them, showing them some of our favorite spots...This time was different.

Mother laughed when I told her I had the whole visit planned out! What is with that...I don't over organize things that much, right?

Anyway, we hit the road running and off to Berkeley I took them to see Bry and his life...

Once back home, we spent some time around town checking out the Farmers Market and getting a bit of Holiday shopping done.

On Sunday, we packed food and headed to Yosemite.

My parents had never been and I was excited to show them as well as anxious to see it in the Fall since it is one of the times I had yet to explore there...

Once again I was in awe and humbled beyond belief!!! How can there be so much beauty in one space? Oh yeah...maybe it is my love of rocks...no it is more! It is a magical space and a place where no words can do it justice!!!

Bry came home the following week for Thanksgiving and with him came old friends from school. Jacob was also home from college and the house was full of teens and fun...

We went searching for just the perfect Christmas Tree...

Our search became a day long adventure and there was much more than just tree searching going on...

But alas...we found the perfect tree.

Stockings were hung, UC applications completed, Finals taken and cookies baked...

All that was left were our houses to make...

Looking at these creations there is not a huge surprise that Bry is studying achitecture...Jacob is a Red Sox fan and Brit...well she is our girl who loves traditions...

Christmas Eve was filled with dinner with friends then off to the church to enjoy a night filled with music and laughter...

We woke on Christmas later in the morning than years ago when the children were young and up at 5AM...and spent the day with each other, eating and reading and laughing over stories. Chatting with friends and family throughout the day, we nestled in and enjoyed a perfect Holiday...

So, for each of you, down the block or across the many miles, I wish for you this Holiday Season... a quiet time to cuddle in and daydream of oceans and coffee and green rocks...or whatever it is that makes your heart sing...

Blessings-

On Hundred and Ninety Plants Later

2007-10-07T15:59:00.000-07:00

Fall has come to the valley and with it comes the time to plant for Winter! We are fortunate here as I was recently reminded to have a year round growing season. I was waiting at one of my favorite farmers markets as my order was being filled (spicy greens, red lettuce and a nice head of curly green lettuce) to be later turned to a beautiful salad for dinner with friends as a customer asked about the produce and the growing season. She was amazed with the produce and in a bit of shock as the farmer and I both explained to her that it is a year round market. The shock on her face was quite evident and so I asked where she was from. She was here visiting from New York and was happy to say she was here for the next three weeks and would be back each following Saturday. OK...so this is exactly what I was NOT going to do! I had sworn I would not take this place and all it had to offer for granted and yet I find myself at times (just 3 years in) doing just that! Of course year round markets are amazing and of course it does not happen everywhere!!! I must remember this so that I can be grateful and appreciative of the bounty we are offered each week. I have been reading a lot this year about food production, etc. and have been working at supporting our local farmers. I make an effort at eating as a "locavore" as much as a vegetarian these days. This means I try and eat and drink things that are produced within 100 miles of our home. Now this does not always work as there are things that I love that are not grown in our beautiful valley such as coffee which I must have and then there is always the chocolate that I cannot live without but I have found that I can buy those from fair trade sources and am at least helping those families even if I am making a bigger carbon footprint by having them travel all those miles to our valley. Having gone way off course now...the thing I spent my weekend planting was not food, a bit of herbs but not really anything more that we would consume but something that brings a smile to my face each time I walk the gardens which has been multiple times since yesterday... is my Fall planting of winter annuals! Saturday was an early rise day this weekend as Brit had SAT testing and so we set our alarms and rose to make coffee, a high protein breakfast for our daughter so that the brain was awake and functioning and then waved good-bye as she and a friend headed off to sit and test for the next five hours! We were up and energized and it was a beautiful Fall day and so I headed out to beat the crowds. I did not beat them all as other gardeners had the same idea...get there early and get out in good time to beat the crowds and get back to the gardens to plant before the heat of the day hit. October is our time to plant winter annuals and it is one of my favorite times to garden! I have to say I love the plants we are able to grow here and we have worked hard at learning the plants that thrive in our zone and have transformed our space in the last three years! But if truth be told, I love the winter gardens!!! They are bright! Bright to take our minds off the gloom once the fog sets in and bright to make us forget the rainy season once it begins! Bright for me I imagine so I will not complain quite so much about the cold...ok, so not even the beauty of the gardens helps me to stop complaining about the cold. Who was I trying to fool. So it was, as I filled my flatbed cart with flats of poppies, pansies, snapdragons, cyclamens, and primrose flowers! All bright and varied in color. No matching for these gardens!!! The more colors, the better is how I see it for Winter. One hundred and ninety plants and two trips later, I had successfully planted a myriad of color throughout our space! Poppies were chosen for me and Wayne as they are one of our favorites!!! They are the Iceland variety and different from the ones we grew in IL but bright and fragile and breathtaking in just the right light! Snapdragons for my mother as I have never known her not to plant them and this was one of our favorites as children in that we would carefully pluck the blossoms and place them on the tips of our fingers...these sweet flowers were ones I had begun mixing in just last year when anticipating her visit in November. Dad and her had to cancel that trip because of health issues and so my snapdragons, planted just for her thrived but without her having a chance to see them and so this year, once again they are planted, waiting for their arrival in November. Pansies for one of my best friends...Uncle John, who is an amazing man who helped me through the teens years and has been a constant friend throughout my adult years, a good listener and just a constant support! I first planted these for him last year as he was struggling with cancer and continue to plant them with their sweet smiles as a constant reminder of how far he has come over this last year! He will always be one of my most cherished role models. The cyclamen is planted for a dear friend, Petra who would each spring during our homeschool years deliver a potted one to me for my birthday. The Primrose is just because and slightly because it reminds me of all the beautiful African Violets my maternal grandmother had growing...a woman I hope to be as strong as some day and one I will always feel connected to when in the gardens or in the kitchen...the reason I still insist my daughter snap beans with me as I did with her grandmother and mine all perched together in the summer heat of Illinois. And so it is that after one hundred and ninety plants...flowers, basil, and rosemary I can sit back and smile as winter creeps closer and the warmth of our summer falls away. These are the plants and with them the memories that will warm my heart and hopefully shed on me a bit of physical warmth as Fall fades and Winter encompasses us over the next few months!

-Blessed Be

Changes are Good

2007-08-14T07:41:00.000-07:00

I walk the gardens each morning that I am home, coffee in hand to see what is in bloom. Today, I added a camera so that I could catch the endings of my summertime gardens. The colors and plants that are growing and performing here change throughout the year. There is never a time when the garden does not have something in bloom. Continual bloom and change...kinda how life seems to go.

As my summer gardens prepare to end and the next set of plants prepare to take center stage, my year prepares to begin it's next phase. Summer is closing and with it comes the closing of many things I have enjoyed this season. I am preparing to head back to work this next week with the start up of school and with that will bring changes in schedules, meals, social time, and reading time as well as the leisurely time we have shared together as a family.

We will see the change in our home as Bryant packs and prepares to head back to his apartment and begin classes again. He has had a long summer break and has spent much time with friends and family. He has had the time to sleep all day and time to be up way into the nights hanging with friends. He has had the time to eat, sleep and restore his energy after arriving home exhausted from his first year at school. Now is the time for him to prepare for the next year as well as time to reunite with friends at school. A time for him to begin apartment life and all that comes with that new experience. It is also a time for us to end that daily contact with him and the family meals shared with him over the summer.

This is a time for Brit to prepare for her Senior year and all the fun and excitement that comes with it. ashe has had a full summer of traveling and meeting up with friends for coffee, movies, and lunches. Now will be the time to wake early and study late. For us it will mean seeing her less as her schedule is shaping up to be quite busy. We will have our morning rides together again where we try to schedule the last minute details as I drop her off at school and then head to work. This will be the year of last times..her last registration, last Homecomming...It will be the year she plans for new beginnings as we visit schools and she makes decisions as to where to start her next course of life.

This is the beginning of the busy season for Wayne. Already the almonds are being harvested and he has begun visiting growers to see just how the crop looks for this new year. Soon will be the end of the long days of sunlight where he heads to the patio, book in hand to enjoy just a bit more reading out with the plants. The days where he waits to see the new baby birds learn to fly from the rafters of our patio are coming to an end. Excitedly, he reminds me it is almost the season for football to begin and with it Fantasy Football.

As these summer plants end there time to bloom, the plants of winter...poppies, snap dragons, and pansies as well as many other bright blossoms will start to fill the nurseries. Winter means for our gardens, bright colors everywere! Color to make us forget the rainy season and the fog. Color that makes us smile each time we take the time to notice all the bright gardens surrounding our neighborhood. With these plants come the end of summer and the beginning of Fall and winter. The smell of woodburning throughout the community as the fireplaces are warming our homes, the bundling up as we head off to football games, and the changes in food at the farmers market as we head from summer into winter. Time to put away the grill and bring out the slowcooker. Time to peruse the books to find new soup recipes that will simmer all day and fill our senses as we walk in the house at the end of our work day. This is the end of summer but the beginning of times to cuddle inside in front of the fire with books and boardgames to fill the time. The time to smell the warm spices of winter foods and the time to play cards with friends way into the night.

So, as I say goodbye to summer and all it has held, I welcome the new changes and warm foods that are about to come upon us. I will soon head off to the nurseries to find just the right colors to brighten our gardens for yet another winter season. I will begin the process of soaking beans and lentils to add to all the winter veggies I hope to find at the Farmers Markets. Coffee walks through bright gardens and then off to work...Changes are good!

Home again...

2007-08-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

Home again! I have spent much of my summer traveling. What fun to have the chance to wander...time to watch, listen, smell, taste, and live outside my usual space!!!Now I am back and ready to catch up and relive all the days that have passed so quickly.

So..I sit here ready to dreamily recount my summer as I sip on a blueberry, strawberry, pluot, soy smoothie made moments ago with all the beautiful fruit cascading from our kitchen!!! How could I ever take for granted the fact that we live in a place where such amazing food is grown. As many of you know, one of my favorite things in life while living in CA besides sand falling from our pockets as I do the laundry is the Farmers Markets. I try to hit them even while traveling so that we can eat fresh and local as well as support the farmers of the areas we are travelling through. We try to eat locally grown food in order to financially support all those beautiful families out there that have taken the time and energy to grow such wonderfully bright and healthy food for our tables. It is very important that no matter where we live, we support our local farmers by buying locally. It is financially helpful for them as well as good for your own health to eat from our own area. Tempting as it is to buy from places across the seas, it is better to concentrate on filling your baskets with food grown right at home. It is also a selfish pleasure for me to wander the aisles at the market touching, smelling and tasting the many fruits and veggies. I also love talking with the farmers and hearing their stories and when I am lucky, I get new ideas shared with me for ways of preparing these beautiful foods!

So as I sip my smoothie, I realize there are less than two weeks before I start back at work! How can this be? It seems just yesterday. I was finishing up last minute things in the office so I could head home, pack and hit the road to Monterey with Wayne and the kids! Bryant had just spent the last several weeks sleeping and recovering from his first year at UC Berkeley. What a change for a young man who homeschooled in a small town of 900 in rural IL to then move on to CA and campus life and project deadlines at CAL!!! He deserved a few weeks of continual sleep. Brit was deserving her own down time and sleep as she had just finished her Junior year at a HS of 3000 plus students having taken hard courses and walking away with amazing grades as well as awesome scores on all her school and college testing and on her ACT and SAT tests!!! It was time these two had a rest and what better place than at the ocean. If you have followed us through this blog over the last several years, you will have found that our place to energize and prepare ourselves for the world is the ocean. It is a place the four of us can just not get enough of! So, off we went to spend some time together in Monterey before summer life began and with it the craziness of travel, friends, etc.

As we were driving, Wayno suggested that one thing we do while in Monterey was join in on a whale watching expedition! How cool could that be? We all decided this must be part of our adventure but what if we saw nothing? Well, it would be cool anyway just to be out on the ocean, right?! We arrived early in the evening and wandered a bit before deciding to catch a bite to eat at a sushi place on the water. What fun we had sitting together as a family at the ocean talking and laughing over a wonderful meal of sushi which the four of us can never get enough of!!! The children ended this meal with a new dessert for them...tempura ice cream...Brit liked it but Bry devoured it!!!

Back to our room to sleep and prepare for our next day and our first time ever to board a whale watching boat. We rose the next morning and dressed in several layers...not quite enough and so I had to purchase yet another layer on the way to the boat and am I glad I did!!! Can we say freezing! Who would have known it could be that cold out at sea!!!

We were excited and a bit nervous as we boarded. We were prepped by our own marine biologist that would talk us through the whole three hours as we searched for whale. How do you spot them? What do they eat? Why are the here? You name it...we learned it during this trip. We were also warned that it is possible that we would not see any. So we waited and we shivered and we made friends with others hoping to get a peek of possibly just a burst of spray coming from a blow hole of in the distance...would they ever show themselves to us?

OK...so nobody prepares you for what happens if they show up, the whales that is!!! They showed up and then more showed up and even more showed up!!! I cannot tell you how exciting it was. You know if you are lucky enough when you are young to have a chance to go to Sea World or a place where you get to see Shamu or another whale just as cool, you are amazed and in awe because they are so cool! OK...so I would say this was like that and then times it by probably a million!!! I have told others there are no words for what I and I believe the rest of my family experienced that day. Church in a boat might be a good description but only if it was one of those really cool services that gave you goosebumps, tears, and that humbling sensation all wrapped into one! Nah...even that cannot come close to the God I experienced that day on a whale watching boat eight miles out to sea. They just don't prepare you for this when they give you directions on dock and really... how could they? Our marine biologist could not stopping telling us that we were fortunate enough to be on one of the best expeditions she had been on in the seven years that she had been doing this.

So, let me begin...the first several whales we saw were cool, and I mean heart racing cool. Look, you are in a boat in the ocean and these 40 ton whales are surfacing near you and you can't speak. How could we be so lucky! Little did we know just how lucky we were about to be...two whale, one about 40 tons and the other approximately 60 tons surfaced close by. They stayed up and played for a while and then gave us that fun tail slap and headed back down for a deep dive and then usually this is where the others would head off and we would see them in the distance again. Not so this time!!! These two became attached to our boat in that they did not want to leave. They would surface and play and then dive back down and then surface again, right by us. It came to be that they would dive under the boat and come back up on the other side...close and personal! This continued on for at least 20-30 minutes and there is just no way to explain in words what it felt like to be that close to these huge, beautiful creatures. Yes, whale breath is not quite pleasant that close up. Also, a group at the back of the boat had the unpleasant experience, or was it a really cool experience, to be covered in whale snot! At one moment the children and I were standing at the rail and the next moment I screamed as the blowhole of one of the whale was maybe 1-2 feet from my hand. Tears, goosebumps, etc. engulf you at this point and you know the universe really is huge and we are quite small in the whole scheme of things! Our marine biologist could not believe this experience! She at one point during these 20-30 minutes explained to us that these two whales had not just attached to the boat. Because of their behavior, she wanted us to understand that it was somebody on this boat that the whales were making contact with. They could feel or sense somebody on the boat that they liked and wanted to make contact with! Really! How much more amazing can life be at a moment like this? She was thrilled, we were all amazed and speechless other than the screams of pure shock and joy every few moments! How could we leave and go back to land after this? But all good things must come to an end and as wonderfully as they entered our lives, they lifted their tails one last time and slid back into the water and out to sea. And with them went many blessings from those of us that were graced by their energy.

We spent the rest of our trip listening to great music while eating wonderful foods in the park at a Blues Festival and seeing amazing sights at the aquarium. We of course walked the beach forever because well...that's just what our family does when we are at the ocean!

Needless to say, this was an amazing start to our summer!

An amazing way to spend some time together as a family before we all started what was to be a very fun yet very busy summer.

NOW IS THE TIME...

2007-08-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Upon our arrival home from Monterey, Brit and I had two days to do our laundry, pack and prepare for our next adventure. And what an adventure it would be! We had been preparing for this one for months and yet we had no idea really what to expect.
As a young girl and as I grew to be a teen and then even once marrying and having young children, I had often times spent a week in the summer with thousands of like minded people at a church conference. These conferences would change location each year which gave us the opportunity not just to reconnect with friends and thousands of others from our church congregations but also the chance to see new places across the nation. I grew up in The Church of the Brethren. I spent many great times at conferences learning about our beliefs and spending time with people from all over the world. It was an amazing place to learn to live simply, to love each other, and the basis for my strong belief of living in peace.

As life's changes came our way, with it came the need for Wayne and I to move our family to a new denomination. We have over the years made many great friends within the Unitarian Universalist Church and have spent much time studying the church's ideas and positions on religion, politics, and life in general. We are happy to have found a nice home within this group once we chose to move to a small UU congregation of like minded people in rural IL. We were also lucky that when we made the huge decision to leave our home in IL and travel 2000 miles to CA, there was a UU congregation waiting. Our children have taken to the ideas and principles of the church and it has been a nice place for them to find wonderful mentors. However, after all these years of being a UU, I had yet to experience a conference or, General Assembly as UUs call their annual gathering.

This was to be the year and I was to have the privilege of going with my daughter and several other youth from our home church along with a few other adults to what would be an amazing experience. We made the trek to Portland, OR in two vans and arrived late in the middle of the night. We settled in and actually got a few hours of sleep before the next day arrived and we were up preparing to grab coffee(a must) and the train and head to the conference center to see just what UUs do at a gathering this size.

What a wonderful experience it was! We spent time at worship and in sessions! We met amazing people with awesome ideas. We heard interesting speakers that would challenge our lifestyles and beliefs! It was an amazing city filled with beautiful people from a small religion with a large heart!
Portland was an amazing city as well that I had never been to and was thrilled to have our time there rain free! The city was in full bloom and beautiful. We had wonderful food and fabulous coffee! I went to a great little place for lunch one day with my brother and his family who were kind enough to make the drive from their home a couple of hours away just to see Brit and I for a few hours! His son and I spent our time at the restaurant playing with dinosaurs while we talked and ate under a large tree in the back patio of the restaurant. Then off to a park where we all spent time letting off a little energy. We headed back to the conference so they could spend some time with Brit and Jacob after they were finished with their afternoon session. Cousins reunited and Jade spent time seeing just how good a climbing device Brit has grown into. It was fun to have them together and amazing how quickly he took to her!
I spent one afternoon listening to a speaker that has very much made an impression on me and my thoughts about how I eat and live. Will Tuttle, Ph.D. has spent a lot of his life thinking about the impact we have on the world around us and the creatures living amongst us. It was moving to sit and listen to him. He has written the book World Peace Diet which is next on my reading list for this summer. We had three of our teens participate in the Bridging Ceremony which was a wonderful experience for them as well as those of us observing.

We had time away from the conference as well, touring the city, meeting up with other adults from our home congregation to have breakfast and dance a bit in a diner, and trying out fun places to eat. We were happy to have an hour or so to spend at a huge crafters market where there was a little bit of everything you could imagine for sale.

I was able to walk away with amazing smelling organic soaps made by a lovely young lady and I was happy to spend much of my time there listening to a great band. One night I even got to take a few teens to a baseball game which was fun and I actually learned a few more things about the game of baseball!

But as all good things do, our time in Portland soon came to an end and we packed up our vans and headed back to the heat of the valley. We brought home with us memories and inspiration as well as many stories to share with others that we hope will inspire them to venture out to a General Assembly some summer and gather with thousands of UUs from around the world, lifting up their voices and hearts together to bring change to this small planet.
Blessed Be-

A New Stage in Life

2007-08-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Being a homeschool mom has been one of my favorite parts of life thus far! To spend endless days with my children, both learning as much as I hope I was teaching. This was to be a blessing I could not have imagined. Years ago, as our son begged to be homeschooled, we debated for months and yes years, whether this is what was best for our children as well as for our family. How would the children do? How well would we get along? Would we drive each other crazy? Would I able to teach them all they needed to learn or even more...all they would wanted to explore? How could Wayne and I take on a task that seemed all absorbing and still be Wayne and Sharon? And then there was the question, "How could we not?" When your children are begging for more, how do you say, "No...you are getting all you need?" We chose to follow our instinct and our children's wishes and began the life of a homeschool family. Yes, it was all absorbing and yes it was just what our family needed! We all learned and thrived from it.

Wayno was working for TeeLee Popcorn at the time and traveling internationally as well as domestically. How would we deal with the responsibility with him off on trips? We calmed our fears and life became exciting and challenging as we settled into our homeschool routine. I spent all my days working with the children, not just helping them with lessons but beginning the slow process of teaching them how to teach themselves and giving them the wings to seek out and find those things they wanted to learn and explore! We spent much time in the van as well, traveling to lessons, soccer, and dance! Wayne was often the one left in the kitchen at the end of the days making sure there was a meal ready to be served as we would arrive home late at night. This was the beginning of our eating dinner most nights between 7 and 9 at night. Something that has continued even after the homeschool years and something that we enjoy as the day is mostly done and we all are then able to join around the table to talk and eat and catch each other up on the daily events! Yes...there were trying times. But all in all, we would not have done it any other way. This was also the same time when our family began a new way of looking at food. We began growing and eating organic produce as well as whole grains. We spent much of our day chopping fruit and veggies and preparing grains as well as baking breads. The children grew a large part of our garden as part of the curriculum and worked hard at companion planting so to lessen the amount of weeding time, etc. We lived, ate, learned, and played as a family and life was fun!

Then came the teen years and high school...should we homeschool or maybe we should experiment with public. The children wondered if they would enjoy having the social life that comes with the public high school agenda. Bry, being the oldest, decided to try it out and Brit followed his lead two years later. Both loved the experience and excelled in all their studies.

Not much later came our decision to move to CA and the children became a part of a larger school with even more demands and a larger social outlet. Slowly, Wayne and I saw less and less of our children. Meal time stayed constant as it was late in the evening and we were often joined by other teens. We would spend endless nights around the table catching up on the day's events, discussing politics, religion, etc.

Then came the time for Bry to move on, and that he did as he headed off to UC Berkeley. What a change! One less person around our table, one empty room in our home. This transition was rocky for all of us. We had hoped to make it through gracefully but this was not to be. We had been together for so long, how could it be a smooth transition? Everybody told me it would get easier. It didn't! I love my family and my time spent with my family. This was not easy and this was not fun! Now, there were fun times. Times when he would call in the middle of the night to have me go over a project with him. The time he came home for his sister at Easter so that she would acknowledge Easter. Brit had become an upper classman and her schedule was busier and her responsibilities were greater. Now, we were losing time with her as well! How would we survive? I had started to work outside the house which helped fill my days and this was a blessing in many ways.

As the year progressed, life calmed. Wayne began to travel a bit more and that has always been good for him. I began to realize I could spend time with girlfriends and still be home in time to have family dinners with Wayne and Brit. I started back at yoga classes which I had not taken in years! We also joined the gym and I went almost daily with my girlfriend. I began taking yoga classes there as well as Pilate's classes and found it was OK to spend time giving to me and not just to my children. This was an odd feeling in the beginning as it had never been this way since we had married. We had always been parents it seemed and this was a whole new look on married life for Wayne and I. I had never left my children as they were growing up and was not sure how it would feel to do such a thing. Also, I had not left Wayne for an extended amount of time. He had always done the traveling, not me. What would it be like to go somewhere without him and leave him at home with the children? I was about to find out...

After Brit and I had a wonderful trip to Portland, I then had a day to do my laundry, pack and be ready for such an adventure. I left for the beach with two girlfriends and the son of one of them.(He is just a munchkin and cannot yet leave mama.) We had decided to all read the Barbara Kingsolver book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and then spend the week discussing it. We read, we ate, we laughed, we walked the beach and of course we shopped! We stayed in a wonderful home of some friends of ours. We rose without alarms and sipped coffee and discussed life. We ate wonderful foods made by several amazing local restaurants. We had local wine and chocolate in the evenings. We spent hours talking, laughing and discussing our designated book. Each day we spent a bit of our time at the water. Sometimes walking among rocks and tidal pools and other times we spent leisurely time walking beaches and building sandcastles. We became infatuated with some of the local shops and spent hours wandering in and out of them! Life was good and life was filled with pampering and re-energizing ourselves in order to go back to reality and be even better wives and moms than we were before.

I am finding the upside of taking yoga classes and going to the gym. I am finding that spending time with my girlfriends makes me a better mom and wife. I have entered a new stage in life and even though it is different and maybe not one I was truly prepared for, I hope that some day I will be able to look back on these changes and find that even though during the change it did not feel as though I made it with grace, that in the big picture I did succeed to transition with a bit of style. Would I ever choose to not have homeschooled and not have put my all into raising, teaching and learning from my children? No...I am glad we made the choice to homeschool and I am proud of the people my children have become because they pushed their parents to move to the edge and take the risk! I am thankful I have children that have taught me so very much about life!!! I am also thankful to all my girlfriends, nationwide that have been there for me throughout the transitions in life.

A little Down Time...Or So I Had Hoped

2007-08-07T08:25:00.000-07:00

Home for a few days with nowhere to go and nothing to do until I catch a plane at the end of the week with Wayne and the children and head for IL to visit family and friends! Maybe I will read as the laundry is running. I could spend time in my gardens since I had had no time in them yet this summer...one look there and I begin to fume as once again I find the gardener has not understood my continued request that he Not Cut my plants! I have begun to wonder if there really is a communication barrier or if he just likes to see how angry he can make me. So...I won't walk the gardens because I am home for four days and I am going to enjoy time with the kids and sit with Wayno in the evenings and just catch up, right? Peace and Quiet...
Really, who was I fooling? Brit, after my asking and begging for months, has finally decided on a color to paint her room. Yes! "But, Mom" she says sweetly "Could we do it tomorrow because I am having all my girlfriends over this week and I would really like to have it finished before they get here." How do I say no since I have just returned from a trip with girlfriends and now I am refreshed and ready to be a better Mom and wife, right?
Off we head to the paint store and then to the next place and back home to check colors and then back out to find new colors until we have found just the right paint we think...until that night when the room gets darker and the lights do something funky to those little swatches we have hanging on all over her walls! I tell her she must decide by the time I am finished at the gym in the morning so that I can buy the paint on my way home and we can begin then. She does and I do and now we can paint! Actually, it all goes very smoothly. Jacob has agreed to help and the three of us spend the entire day painting. I send them off to the movies late in the afternoon and finish up the last minute details and touchups as I pull of the tape. I decide then that it would be nice if her room were totally back together by the time they get back from the movies and Wayno's arrival home from work is perfect timing! He helps me put the bed frame together and wishes me luck as he heads out the door to the gym. The children all arrive home soon so I work quickly and they arrive home just as the room has been put back together and the squeals from Brit have made the long day all worthwhile. Tomorrow I will rest and read that book and maybe even catch up on e-mail. Today was worth all the rush!!!
I rise and realize the house will soon be filled with teenage girls and I have had no time to prepare food since I had been painting the day before and now I rush to the grocer to find things they will eat. Let's just say that from that moment on, there really was no time to open a book or even casually sip coffee. But it was fun and the house was filled with giggles and continual conversation coming from my daughters room. Enough that Bry and Jordan decide to relocate and go off to hang out somepalce else, any place, as long as there are not a huge gathering of teenage girls close by.
The next day we rise and shine and are happy to be heading as a family off to the Interfaith Celebration. This has been an annual event for 10 years and was started by some good friends of ours. A gathering of many different denominations to celebrate the diversity in our community. What better way to start off July 4th!!! Bry will be joining our group from church to perform as well. We spend the morning enjoying amazing food and music with friends. Then it is off to Wayne and Shari's for lunch around the pool and time to catch up a bit. We leave there later just in time to head to Paul and Patty's home for dinner and fireworks then back home to climb into bed and smile as I realize what a fun day we had and to think back over the friendships we have made in just the couple of years we have lived here. Time to sleep, the next day will be filled with packing and then we catch our flight out early to go see more friends and family in IL. Wow! I didn't have time to sit and read or wander the gardens or even really catch up on any e-mail but summers really are great!!!

AHHH...Illinois Time

2007-08-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

4AM and off we head to the airport.

Really, why do planes fly this early and why are we crazy enough to catch them? We arrive to what should be a slow, calm airport...what with the time and all but no! People are everywhere, bustling around, checking in bags, grabbing coffee, and catching flights.

We make it through quickly and head to wait for our call to board...this is the beginning of what hopes to be a very fun 10 days for the children and us. You see, this has become an annual event for us. Always a bit different mind you, some years the children and I go back for a few weeks and then Wayne joins us later and we may even have a few extra teens flying with us at times and then there was last year where sissy and I head back for a month and Bry and Wayne followed just for the last week, but we have still tried to make this trip each year since our move. As the the plane takes us through the clouds, we sleep and rest for what will be a very full visit.

Having always had more time, I wonder just how we will fit so much in!

The calendar filled weeks ago as I sent out an e-mail announcing our dates to be in IL.

The planning is all finished and now we sleep as we fly back to IL.

Illinois...the place I moved to when I was still in grade school. A small rural community where Wayne and I were both raised. This is place that Wayno has way too many stories that the children have heard which have given them way too many ideas!

A place where life is quiet and green. Can I tell you just how green it is? A place we chose to move to while we were living in DC and decided that we wanted to move Bry, who was just a baby back to the green fields and small community that we grew up in.

This is where our children were raised among corn fields and acres of soybeans.

They grew up playing in the streets of a small community tucked away between all the rolling hills with a population of 900 and really we always knew that was only when all the college kids were home. It was a town with big Grandma trees with roots that made for a perfect lap to sit and rest on when you had been working so hard to get that tricycle all the way up the block.

It was a town where you really did go next door for a cup of sugar or flour even when the neighbor wasn't there.

This was a town where the children had many adopted grandparents looking out for them and a place where they could spend hours taking "penny walks". This is where we were headed. We were leaving the hurry of the city and all it has for us to settle in for a few days and connect with family and friends to remember when and to realize just how much all the children have grown. Ten days to catch up on a year of events! AHHH...Illinois Time! As I did last year on this blog, I give you a brief glimpse of that fun gathering with those we were able to catch for a just a moment's hug and a refill to hold us over until we are back again. A tiny glimpse of our time while we were back...through pictures.

Until next time...

Back Home and Playing

2007-08-07T06:54:00.000-07:00

We are home again and have had a bit of time to play. Summer has been full and good! I have traveled a bit and shared time with family and friends. I have had a chance to catch up with old friends through long phone calls and e-mails as well. Work is approaching quickly which means Bryant leaves us soon to travel back to school and begin yet another semester of studies. Brit is ready to start what will be a very full Senior year. What better time to spend playing as a family in our own backyard!

So...off we went with a picnic packed and hiking shoes loaded in the back. A day in the mountains had been calling me for some time now. I know! I Know! Getting up to those mountains is not my favorite thing in life. I am still thinking about a way to just be lowered into them each time I have the craving to hike them.

But having them so close makes them call to me often and with the schedule we have had lately there had been no time to enjoy their beauty other than as I would drive about the city and run errands. Looking up at the and enjoying their beauty from down here is just not quite the same as being amongst them, so my desire to walk in the mountains over rode my fear of driving up them and off we went.

It still amazes Wayne and I just how many different things we live near. Not just things,but activities and sights we love to enjoy! Making our move was a huge leap and leaving all our family and friends was horrible but thanks to technology and the visits back, we are able to keep in touch with everybody we left and still enjoy all that our new space has to offer. We swore we would never take for the granted this new space and all there is to do and see once we moved here and we are trying to fulfill that. There is just sooo much for us to see and so today we take off up the mountains to enjoy Kings Canyon as we know at least Brit has not seen this area yet and the rest of us are ready to enjoy it again. Not only is it a beautiful place to hike but it is cooler in the mountains and that makes for a nice change from our usual temps.

We spend time hiking among the sequoias, a tree that is just amazing!!! Not only are the huge, like in really really huge, but they have this appearance of being very furry and they are really furry! I absolutely love them and for the second time this summer I am reminded just how small we are in this huge universe and am in awe by it all! maybe we all really should having our churches meet outside of buildings. I think we might be missing the big picture by closing our congregations up within four walls. How can we not live in love and peace with each other when we are walking through the sequoias or riding on a whale boat or wandering the streets of Spain, or climbing through the beauty of Peru, or, or, or...
We hiked. We sat for a picnic under the trees. We toured a cave. We enjoyed life and time together as a family! It was a beautiful day to spend with three of my most favorite people in the world. We have come a long way over the last three years...and we have made it through a very tough year of separating. We have done well!

Blessed Be-

Back Where We Started

2007-08-07T05:56:00.000-07:00

What better way for the four of us to end our summer than the same way we started it! So, bags packed and a couple friends thrown in for the ride and we are headed back to the ocean! The boys are ready to skimboard and the girls are ready to hunt for shells and sand dollars.

It is like going home each time we make this drive to the water. being a Pisces, it is hard for me to stay away for long and so the excitement fills me each time I head back out to the beach. We have rented a house in our favorite little fishing community. A place our children love as much as Wayne and I do.

It is a break from the heat in the summer and a quiet place for us to relax and re-energize before we begin our next school year which is shaping up to be huge for both the children.

We arrive early and head straight to the beach, unpack a picnic lunch and sit back and breathe in the smell! Nowhere else can we get this!!! The sand is warm yet the water is cold. A perfect combination.

The fog is settled all about, making for that cozy feeling I find myself longing for throughout the months when life is too busy to escape from.

We soon pack up and head to the house so we can check it out, unpack and head off on our adventures. We usually stay out of town in a house on the ocean but this time we will be staying in the small, quaint town of Morro Bay. http://www.morrobay.org/cm/Home.html Bags unpack, house scoped out and off we go exploring!

The boys head out on a bike, laughing as they get the hang of it!

The girls are headed off to the shops and Wayne and I are going to walk to the Farmers Market in order to find some local produce and a loaf or two of bread.

Snagged by a vendor, a wonderful couple with great tops, we spend time talking and getting ideas of places to stop by. We don't head off with out buying a couple of items from them as well as getting their website in order to help support them. http://www.liveinpeace.ws/

Then it is down the market to check out all the sites and smell all the wonderful food! The girls catch up to us, tamales in hand and tell us of a beautiful used bookstore they have found with a garden in the back. Off they go and on we wander. The boys call to say they have made their way down to the Embarcadero and are shopping.

We all gather back at the house soon to dress warmly and head to the beach so the boys can skimboard a bit before dinner. Life is good!!!

Once dinner is over and we are all warmed, we break out the board games, movies, etc. Wayne and I stay up as long as we can and the children remain up most the night as to not miss a moment of fun!

Morning comes and everybody is too tired to head to the beach to collect sand dollars as is our tradition so Wayne and I have a leisurely morning of coffee and book time as the day begins and the sun breaks through. The children slowly get up and start their day and off we go in our own directions. The plan is to meet up for lunch at our favorite spot, Rose's, for garlic fries and whatever other cravings we have by then.

After lunch we head out in kayaks to explore. What fun we have as meet up with an otter having lunch. Then on to an island of pelicans. After which we head to the dunes! A must for our family. We spend time climbing and playing until it is time to make the long trek back to the town and return our kayaks.

What fun and what pain we will feel tomorrow! We head back to our place to make dinner on the grill and play more games and then off to bed in order to rise in the morning and do it all over again.

We are pleasantly surprised by groupings of dolphins every direction we look while we are searching for shells the next morning. We finally decide it is not a good shell morning but it is a wonderful dolphin viewing morning and we sit upon some high rocks and watch as they play and play all around us! we have never had this pleasure before and are thrilled to sit and watch.

Back to the house to have a bit of breakfast, shower and pack up the cars. Time to head to the beach one last time and Jordan has a great project for us while we are there.

We build the most beautiful sea turtle together, then off to town to grab last minute purchases as well as a bit to eat. The teens all head off to get clam chowder in bread bowls and Wayne and I head off to a nice little cafe on the water to sit in the sun and relax a bit over lunch before our drive back home. It is always hard for us to leave but the boys remind us that it is not so bad for them this time as they are headed back to the ocean later this week to go camping.

Life is good-

Waiting & Reminiscing

2007-05-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

I find myself with time on my hands. Something that is quite unusual at this point in my life. I am waiting, you see. Waiting for a blossom to open that waits until night when most people have settled in. This same plant, a cactus to be exact bloomed last year and we missed it! After waiting days, as the bud grew and grew, we woke one day to find that it had bloomed but it all had happened as we were tucked away inside for the night and we never had the chance to experience it's unveiling. This year we sit...waiting. A bit like waiting for the birthing hour. How we waited and waited so many years ago. Now to find that in months we will be the parents of not just one, but two adults.

Where has all the time gone and how do we sort through it all and decipher one year from the next? It all seems to have gone so fast and yet there were times in the middle of the night when we sat next to that child waiting for the homeopathy to kick in and relieve the fever and we wondered if the time would ever pass? Or the times we sat up all night waiting for the same children to arrive home safely from Prom. Where does the time go? Tonight I sit typing as I wait the beauty of a blossom. I sit with a smile across my heart as I have both my children home and as I recall the last several nights as we have sat around the table as a family, adding a few extra teens here and there as we discussed the world issues and explained how we would each change the world. As we sat enjoying the slowly prepared food from our kitchen and the hours of conversation as the sun sets and the moon shines brightly over us and I believe that as these nights have passed, that even the moon has smiled as it shone down upon us as we debated politics, life and books as our family always has and is able to once again in it's "whole".

So I sit and I am thankful that this blossom has given me the time to remember when. I am happy to have the time to peruse through pictures that have been taken and filed away as life has been too busy and if I am to be totally honest, I have set to the side so that I would not have to deal with life moving so fast. So, here it is in all it's raw beauty. The last several months...for those of you who have asked. No reason to get nervous over the silence. I always reappear when time helps me sort and I am able to deal with the next phase.

Blessings to you all-

Wayne-Fun at Work

2007-05-22T15:12:00.000-07:00

Wayno has had quite the Spring! He is able to not just spend time in the office but out and about with growers as well as spending a bit of time traveling. He has seen much and learned even more. In February, he had the thrill of visiting hives. This is something I would kill for and he was given the opportunity. Lucky him!!! He was quite kind in his sharing of this amazing experience, as to not allow me too much jealousy. What a wonderful day he spent in the orchards...

He was fortunate also to be able to spend a day in Mexico. He learned much and enjoyed the visit as well as those he met during his trip. What a wonderful time he had exploring this new space. if only he had had just a bit more time. The people were kind, the food was amazing, and his location was beautiful. What beauty to see their orchards! Many types of plants and fruit as well as nuts and coffee all growing together. So unlike the way we are used to in the Valley. We have perfectly manicured orchards with only one type of plant or tree growing alongside each other. His eyes were open to a whole new way of growing where space is valuable and different types of plants share the same soil and work together giving and taking in a perfect union.

Then off to Spain he flew in May! What an amazing trip! He continues to relive moments as we sit and share over dinner. This was possibly one of his favorite spots he has ever visited. The people were beautiful. The land was amazing and the food was beyond! He worked hard on this trip and loved every moment of it. The lifestyle in Spain was one to get used to and he worked hard to follow their schedules. Rising early was a bit of a problem as most there enjoy sleeping in. He would start his morning s early and work straight through the siestas and then continue on through the night until the wee morning hours. This is not the norm for these people as they have continued to find a way to enjoy life first and work is second to life!

Among all the travels and work, he has had time to work a bit in the gardens as well as time to get out and play Frisbee Golf with friends. He continues to find time to read through all of this and enjoys having time to sit out on the patio, book in hand and enjoy the weather as winter has passed and our meals and evenings are more and more spent out on the patio. We will enjoy this before the heat of the summer arrives and we are able to spend much less time outside.

2007-05-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

For Brit, the Spring has been full! Filled with studies and friends!!! She has spent the last two months studying for every test I believe is out there. She loves her school and is excited to be a part of an education system like ours. She however, is excited and looking forward to the future and what it might hold for her as far as education and so is studying hard and taking every test possible so that she is able to prepare for the next big step!!! How quickly life changes and these small ones grow and mature and head off into worlds of their own! How exciting for them to dream and plan and work towards the future. Among all the study time and the huge amount of homework she has had this year, she has still found time to be with friends.
Brit has always danced to her own beat and this is one of the many reasons we are very proud of her. She knows what she believes in and she takes the time to educate herself and be able to stand up for those beliefs. She has worked hard as a Link Crew Leader at school this year as well as is serving on a Liaison committee to bring the youth and the adults of our church closer together. She was excited to travel with a group of students this year to visit possible University choices. She loved her trip and the fun they all had together.
Brit loves to read and wishes she had more time to sink into a chair and lose herself in a book. She was quite excited this spring to be able to hook up with one of her favorite authors during one of our trips to Berkeley!
She was also quite pleased to have time with her Uncle after not having seen him for a couple of years. I'm not sure she believed all his stories but she quickly remembered just how funny Uncle Phil always was and spent most the time at his side. Sissy will always love being a "kid". Even at 93, I imagine Brit will pull out the sidewalk chalk and stickers and have a great afternoon laughing with friends! Coloring eggs with her Dad is always a must! Again, this year she was quite proud of just how beautiful they turned out! Even more so since her brother had decided to come home for the weekend and when she has him with her, all of life is good!

This Spring was filled with many dances and parties. Brit and Jacob seemed to always be headed out to

some new exciting event. They have had a fun Spring! As Brit is nearing the end of her Junior year and Jacob is preparing to graduate, they seem to have many more events showing up on the calendar with graduations, birthday parties, and church conference coming soon, the fun continues on into the summer.

2007-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

Bry has completed his first year of college!!! His Spring was filled with a major workload for Bry! He spent most of this semester in the Studio, working on projects that some weeks took up to 60 hours of work. He slept an hour here or there and was known to be able to be found under his desk sleeping just to get away from life for just a moment to catch a couple of Zzz before heading off to a class! It was all well worth it in that he ended his semester with good grades and his Final Project was chosen to place on display for the Graduation Ceremony. Bry had two roommates this year and was lucky to get along well with both of them. They all found a way to survive in a very small space without killing each other and as busy as their schedules were, that is surprising as one or all of them would be up many nights...all night with the desk light on studying. We were lucky to have Bry come home between projects a couple of times this semester. He was back to join the band at church in a performance which was amazing to hear them all together again! He also joined us for Easter weekend which was appreciated by his little buddy Ian. And of course there were the trips to play Frisbee Golf! One weekend, he even brought a project home to work on which was fun for us to see as it progressed over the weekend. As he would

arrive home, the house would once again fill with his friends and they would spend all nights up playing poker or watching movies and still find a way to function the next day. Caffeine is their friend as our recycling bin can attest to! He is quite happy to remind his Uncle that he won the fro contest when he came down to see Bry at school. He had fun showing off his campus to a member of his family between classes. Bry loved his professors this semester and would find time to sit and discuss projects and life with them. Brit was thrilled to have Bry home the weekend of Prom and Bry of course teased and had fun with her even during picture taking. We joined Bry a school a couple of times as well and had fun learning even more of the city. Thanks to a friend, we had an apartment to stay in most times we journeyed in. We had fun recently helping Bry and his new roommates move into their firs apartment! This gave Wayne and I many moments to pause and reflect. How would you ever know that this would come so fast? I know it was just moments ago he said his first word and lost his first tooth and took his first step... and now a first apartment! Wow...life goes so quickly!

2007-05-18T11:27:00.000-07:00

So...Spring has been full! Filled with fun, friends, work, cooking, exercise classes, and just life in general. I have had so many changes in my life over the last three years and it seems this will just continue. I cannot imagine what life would be like at this point without continual change. There has been much good as well as much sadness over the past few years. I sit back and I wonder at it all! I am most happy to have my Uncle with me these days as we spend time almost weekly on the phone chatting! It makes you realize what a gift you have when life almost takes one of your best friends away from you and I am happy to be reminded not to take my friends for granted any more. It may be days or months and sometimes longer before we see each other but friends should take the time to remind each other just how important they are. I hope you each know even if I have not mentioned it for some time, that you are all very important in my life and the lives of my children and for that I am happy and thankful!!! So...Spring has been good. With it has come new beginnings just as it should! I was able to reconnect with my brother during a brief visit in the city! It was sooo good to have some time with him. We had not seen each other in a couple of years and it so makes a difference when you can see somebody and sit with them and share with them as you eat, laugh and just catch up!!! The children kept me busy as usual which is one of my favorite parts of life!!! What would my life be like without them? Wayno and I are spending more and more time together without children as we are getting closer to being empty-nesters and with Bry living else where and Brit out and about, we have time to spend one on one. We have had fun with friends, enjoying live music at a small patio cafe and taking trips to the nearby parks. It has been fun meeting up with friends at local coffee shops as well as teaching euchre to some. My work has kept me busy and this too is good. It has been quite the adjustment to return to working outside the home for the last two years but I try to keep up with it as well as life at home. I spend more time learning to take care of me which is a change since I have spent so much time as a homeschool mom...cooking, teaching, driving, cleaning, etc. Now it has become important to give back to myself and I am learning to do this with the help of my girlfriends. My favorite Saturdays are spent rising early to have coffee and then head off to the Farmers Market to gather up beautiful produce of many colors! I was happy to find cactus, blackberries, stone fruit, radishes, etc. to fill my bag yesterday. I then love to head to the gym and return home later as the children are rising. I have begun to take yoga classes again after many years and love the challenges my teachers give me. I am spending more and more time in the gardens which always gives me pure joy! I have planted container veggies this Spring as well as herbs and am anxious to begin using them all! Over all, change has slid me nicely into a more balanced space then I have been in the past. I love spending quality time with my children when they are available and am enjoying having more one on one time with Wayno. I have more time with friends and time when I can just be me! Spring has brought for me the appreciation of life and for this I am thankful!

A Golden Birthday

2007-02-24T07:32:00.000-08:00

We traveled to the city to celebrate Brit's birthday with her brother. Could SF have been more perfect? We arrived Friday night and for about 20 minutes before actually arriving, all I could smell was the scent of flowers. I actually turned to Brit at one point and asked if she had brought along her flowers she had received that week. What an amazing way to begin our weekend but to be wrapped in the scent of fresh flowers! We are fortunate to have friends who have a place in the city and so we spent our first night at their apartment, nestled into the beauty of old buildings with character flowing from the walls. Brit loves old buildings, having grown up in an old home most of her life, and so this was the perfect spot to start her b-day weekend. As we walked the few blocks to Bry's place we were amazed by the warmth and the continuing smell of flowers. The sun had set before we entered the city and so we were unable to distinguish just where this fragrance was coming from. We soon headed down to Telegraph Street and were surrounded with the sights and smells that we have come to love. Foods from all over the world surround you in this city and the smells are like no other! To choose! We were all hungry and all in the mood for something easy. I grabbed an outside table for us and we then all proceeded to scatter and meet back with food that suited each of our cravings. After our hunger had been satisfied, we set off to see the sights. We had always walked this city in the light of the day and exploring it now by the lights of night was beautiful! We walked over campus and traveled up the many flights of stairs to see Bry's studio and the space he was now spending so much of his life. He allowed us to go through his work. The progress he has made in such a short amount of time was amazing to each of us! He beamed as he showed us all about, even pointing out the couch he uses to try and catch a few minutes of sleep before classes. We were taken up many more stairs in order to arrive at a lookout that was magical. We were in awe as we stood and watched the city in all it's beauty! We could see the bridges across the Bay and all the lights of SF sparkled as we stood gazing. We wandered a bit more through campus exploring new sights and old ones. Amazing how magical these old buildings look at night.

Morning came and we packed up and headed to a tiny bakery to buy a beautiful Thank You for our friends. We then moved our belongings to our new residency and met up with Bry to make the trek into SF. First stop on our list of things to do was China Town. Brit was excited to see it in all it's glory! We had arrived at a time when the Chinese New Year is being celebrated and so were happy to see the beauty of this already amazing spot.

The smells of China Town are unique to themselves and we love to spend time surrounded by the scents and sights. We wandered through shops marveling at the beauty of the textiles and Brit was taken by the candles and incense as usual. Bry was excited to see that "Happy",in the pic to the left, was set up and talking to those that would listen! "Happy" is a regular on campus and one of the many activists Bry hears as he wanders from class to class. After leaving China Town Bry was set to give us a tour of the architecture in the business district, and that he did! I was not quite prepared for what was to come. Of course I assumed the buildings would be lovely but was taken by their feel and by the feeling that flooded me as I stood at the base of some of these amazing pieces of art! We walked and walked as Bry pointed out the sights. He then took us up some stairs and surprised us with a spot in the center of the city and perched on top of a building! A park!! A green spot filled with grass and gardens. Fountains and benches were all about. A lovely "green" space in the center of the city for people to spend their days or perhaps just their lunches. The only problem was that except for a couple of men eating lunch and another sleeping on a nearby bench, this lovely park on the top of this building was going unused. Bry says these places have not caught on and that most people do not even know that they exist. What a shame to have this space sitting empty. Here are just a few of the beautiful examples of architecture we were able to see on our walk.

Then off to the Embarcadero and down to Fisherman's Wharf we walked. The smells of the water are like none other! This is a sight and smell I hope to never quit longing for. The water is such a blessing for me as I gaze out across it. To be here with my family, celebrating the birth of my daughter! What a perfect way to celebrate her life. Brit's main request for this birthday was to spend it with her brother. And as it was not possible for him to head home because of studies, what a better way to fulfill her request than to hit the road and come to him and all that is in his world. Wayne and I love the city and are fortunate to have two children that love it just as much! The smells, the people, the energy of SF is something that we long for. We spent the rest of the day by the water. We walked and walked over areas that have become so familiar to us in just the two short years that we have lived here. We know what to find and what we will see. We know the sights and the smells of this part of the city so well. We walked to the end of a pier and sat forever soaking in the sight of the Bay and the warmth of the sun! We walked and walked and talked and laughed and spent the day as a family just as Sissy had requested! We were happy to have Jacob join us later in the day and went in search of one of our favorite restaurants. He had been traveling all day and had sat in traffic galore just to catch up with us and spend time with Brit on her golden b-day. How nice to share with him one of our favorite spots! Tarantinos sits on the water and as we leisurely sat and ate some of the best seafood you can get, we talked and laughed and watched as the fog rolled in over the Bay. We ended our day with a long walk back to the Bart to catch our train back to our place. We were happy to find that our place this evening was just as old and quaint as the pictures had alluded to. Brit and Jacob went off in search of hot chocolate and some quiet time to spend togethor as the evening came to an end. Bry wandered off in the direction of his place and we nestled into our beautiful little room.

We woke the next morning to sit and have coffee downstairs in a beautiful sitting room as we lazily read books and nibbled at goodies displayed in the solarium. Bry caught up with us as did Brit's friend, Jackie who wanted to wish Brit a happy b-day before she headed off to family to celebrate. We then hit the streets and were off to shops. Jacob and Emily caught up with us and we wandered in and out of shops until we were ready to sit and have a bite to eat. We all poured over menus and looked at tables around us as we tried to narrow down our choices. What a lovely way to share our lunch with friends and family, in an outdoor space filled with plants, sitting spots, and beautiful fountains. Our day came to end before I was ready for it but as always it was time to say our goodbyes and climb back into our car to head back over the mountains and on home. What a lovely weekend and what a grand way to celebrate with my daughter the day so many years ago, she had joined us. She has grown and changed so since she first arrived. It has been a joy just to sit back and watch as she has grown into this beautiful young lady.

Blessings

2007-01-23T21:34:00.000-08:00

As many of you have probably heard, the freeze that hit CA for over a week has destoyed many orchards. The orchard growers are sufferring greatly with this loss as are others. It is hard to realize how far the loss can reach. For those that do not live in the valley, it may be hard to imagine. Having grown up in the midwest where farms are mostly harvested by machines, it was amazing to find that here the produce is harvested by hand. A very romantic type of harvest that I have learned to love. To know that hands pick the produce that not just my family but people all over this country bring to their tables each night brings warmth and a familiarity to the veggies and fruits as I stand chopping and preparing them each night. These weathered hands are beautiful people that because of this freeze, can no longer feed their own families. They are now without work because there are no oranges to pick. The strawberries and avocadoes have been ruined as well as many other types of beautiful types of food that we so often taken for granted. I remember last summer stopping at a stand with my mother to buy strawberries that had just been picked. This is a stand that I go to often. A small wooden hut built on the edge of the field. Workers spend their days in the sun and the owners are some of the warmest people I have ever met. This day, as my mother and I walked to the hut, there was beautiful song shining from within. This dear weathered soul was singing as she sat waiting for customers. She stopped as we came close and I asked her not stop her singing because her voice was beautiful. Through tears this beautiful little woman explained how her husband was at church but that she had to be at the stand to keep it open to make money for their family. She had decided to make this her church and so was singing. She then continued to explain the horrors that her family had lived and told us to cherish our relationship as mother and daughter as she no longer had her mother. Her family had known such horrors in the "old country" and yet she could sing through tears. We took a moment to bless her and pray with her. At this time I think of her and all those beautiful hands that harvest the food that we so often take for granted as we run to the grocer to grab the food we need for dinner. Please take a moment if you have the time and finances and donate to the Orange Aid. Please help these brothers and sisters of ours to bring food to their tables and to feed their children through these cold months where work is no more. I thank you for your gifts and for the love we have to share. The following link takes you to Orange Aid through the Salvation Army site. They have pledged that all monies that come in for Orange Aid will be given 100% to the workers and that none of the donations will go towards adminstration fees.

https://secure4.salvationarmy.org/donations.nsf/donate?openform&projectid=USW_GS-Fresno-Freeze

Blessings-

Cold Times and Memories

2007-01-22T14:31:00.000-08:00

The Holidays have passed and life is slowly getting back to normal. Anticipation of the holidays and prepping has always been so exciting for our family. The children are used to the same traditions. Even as they grow and begin their own lives, we work hard at keeping the traditions from their childhood. Bry arived home early for his break which was nice. He had time to sleep and recover from Finals and the stress of having completed his first semester at school. As he arrived, the house again filled with all his old friends. His days started about 2PM and ended between 2-5AM. Not an easy schedule for the rest of us to try and continue work, etc. with. Having the house filled with his friends and Brit adding her friends to the cluster made for a full house of teens and lots of fun!! We were happy to find time to share with our friends here and still have plenty of family time. Bry has returned to school and Brit has just finished finals and winter formals. Our time is ready to slow down. The last weeks have been unbearably cold and the news continues to update us on just how much food is being destroyed in the orchards and in the fields. This has been the topic of discussion with most those living in the valley. It is quite a concern for many. We have lost many landscaping trees and plants with the freeze. We walked this weekend to oversee just all we have lost. What an unusual time for everybody. We have focused on warming ourselves with blankets, food and fire when the air allows. Living in the valley where clean air is a problem, we must only burn on days it is permitted. Being this cold had been something of the past for us upon leaving IL. I now remember how it can bring you inward. Not just physically but emotionally as well. I have found more time to read and am spending more time chopping veggies to place in to the slow cooker for yet another soup. Anything to warm the soul! The smells of soup in the air are enough to warm me as I enter the home after a long day. It has been good to be able to find the time to chop the vegetables and herbs to make our stews as Brit studies or sits at the computer. Life is slower which is good during this cold time. It is nice to snuggle in at the end of the day with a book or doing my favorite activity, Sudoku. Working puzzles and the smells of food cooking takes me back to my childhood. The smells of food has always been a sign of warmth and love for me as I was growing up. Add puzzles to that and I am taken back to time spent with my grandfather. My love of puzzles most surely came from this man who would spend time with mindteasers, etc. The smells of food was always wafting from grandma's kitchen as we played board games or dominoes for hours. My other grandparents' home was filled with the smells of food as well as they had a large family and grandma spent much of her time feeding us all. To listen as she took time in later years to teach me how to make her wonderful egg noodles was a time I will always cherish. We would then snuggle in to watch one of her favorite movies or musicals. My mother was an amazing cook and we were spoiled to have beautiful meals always at our table. I still spend hours calling her from miles away for yet another recipe or to ask just how to prep a certain ingredient. We have always been lucky to have had friends in IL and here who love food and plan activities around food. What a wonderful and nourishing way to spend life. The smells of food always were part of the main way we shared during Willow. Rather it was with baskets of food pouring out onto a blanket as the children were young and always hungry or later as we joined friends next door to share foods and stories. Bon and I spent many years raising our children together and having them help as we planted, harvested, put up the food and then magically turned it into meals that our families would share. All these memories come back to me as I cuddle in and stay out of the cold. Life has been filled which so much change this last year. There have been many adjustments. Our family has known great sadness with the loss of my cousin's husband. This has been a time of questions for me and knowing these questions will have to go unanswered is not easy. Some things just have no answers. For this, I am glad there has been a bit of cold so as to bring me back into the house and back to the simple task of chopping veggies and stirring warm soups to be served with warm bread and a simple salad tossed with oil and juice from our own lemons. To cuddle in with blankies and listen as my daughter returns from formal with stories. To listen as my son calls from school to update me on his studies and the activities he has been up to. A time to remember the past, put healing on the last year and dream of the future and all it holds for my children and Wayne and I. As this new year begins and the world seems a bit confused and anxious, may we all take the time to show those around us love and help to spread peace throughout our communities and out to the rest of the world.

Climbing to the Peak

2006-11-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

Wayne and friends recently decided to get a climb in before the snow began and the hiking season was over. Well, they cut it close! After planning for a few weeks, the date was set and the plans were made. The night before the hike, the weather changed and there was a question as to if there would be a climb the next morning. They awoke before the sun, packed and headed out to see which hike they would be able to do. There was of course a calmer hike not so high if the snow proved to be a challenge. Thankfully the snow did not seem to be a huge issue and the three were happy to get a great hike in that day. They were able to make it to the peak and as you can see in one of the shots, once they arrived, the snow was falling so hard they could not see far. But as we all know the destination is not always the only reason we make a trek like this and they were filled with stories for days of the entire hike up as well as what awaited them at the top. The journey was amazing for many reasons and to have time to explore and play as "big" boys love to do, made for a great day. Yes, it was the final hike of the season as the rainy season has begun for us and the mountains are beginning to be blanketed slowly with snow. Now the plans begin for next season and the stories continue of the fun they had that day. The bear they shared their trail with was just one of the many stories we heard about when they finally arrived back down in the valley. What fun to have these beautiful escapes in our backyard! To leave the city and drive to complete beauty within moments, may we never take for granted what gifts we have all about us.

Fall has Arrived!

2006-11-06T18:45:00.000-08:00

Fall is all around us and I have begun my evening ritual which starts about this time every year. Fall evenings for me are a cozy time to sit and relax. Dinner is over and the children have begun their homework. Wayno and I then turn to books or the tv, depending on the mood. Last night, Brit had arrived home with many stories and we both sat snuggled in our blankets as she shared her adventures from this week's trip. Fall and then winter have always brought me back inside the house to snuggle and reflect. Boardgames come out more frequently as winter arrives and the smells of the house all change. The smells of fall and winter are one of my favorite parts of these two seasons. We went with friends to the park recently and enjoyed the beginning of Fall. The light was bright on the many colors of the trees. The sun was warm and the scent of the soil and fallen leaves was all about. I have always loved the fallen leaves and the smell it brings. Years ago when the children were quite young and Wayne was traveling in Germany, he phoned to check in on us and asked what we were all doing. I told him the children and I were playing in the leaves and having wonderful fun. He questioned why I would have the children out on such a cold day as he had recently checked the weather for back home and had noticed how cold it was. The children were very young and it would not be healthy for them to be out for long in such cold air. I told him not to worry, it was horribly cold and not the right weather for them to be outside for long and that is what had given us the wonderful idea of having Mommy go out and bag up the leaves and bring them all inside! We had cleared the dining room of furniture and were lucky to have wood floors that were easy to clean and so we spent hours that day building large piles of leaves and playing in them just as we would if it had been warm and we had been able to go outside and play. Not an idea my husband ever would have imagined but it filled our need for the day and we still talk about it years later and laugh as we remember the fun and the shock it gave Daddy when he called. The crisp air comes with the falling of the leaves and this brings me in quickly as the sun sets and the cold fills the night air. I love the excuse to pull out the blankies and the quilts along with the slippers and the candles. Fall and winter would not be the same without the smell of spices, candles, cider, and wood burning. What warming scents to fill the home and create the perfect coziness to snuggle in and read, play games, and sip cider or hot chocolate. For me, memories are often connected to smells! To walk into a room and smell the scent of coffee can often times take me back to my maternal grandparents home in Ohio. The Christmas tree with the train circling the base and grandpa leaving for work with his lunchpail in hand. Grandma and her pies and the backyard with their neighbor who always took the time to stand and talk over the fence to me when I was just a tiny thing. Then there is the smell of flour and the fresh noodles laying out to dry as my paternal grandmother would work to make her noodles to add later to chicken and broth and fill the house with the sweet scent of dinner. I will always remember spending a whole day with grandma as she worked hard to show me how to make these love filled noodles. One of the many recipes she took the time not to just write down on a card but to have me by her side and show me step by step just how to make. Memories that come with Fall and winter and bring us back into the house to a slower and calmer time of the year. A time when memories are made and dinners are shared more often around the table. A time when the nights are long and the candles glow brightly. My daughter and I are planning to slice the apples and prep some dough yet today in order to fill the house with the smells of fresh pie. Along with this will come the mug of hot chocolate and the scent of pumpkin spiced candles burning. An activity I am excited to be able to share with her and one we will do again and again through this season. We are anxious for Bry to be home next week and are already talking about the foods we will make and the traditions we will keep with friends and family as we enter this holiday season. May we all be blessed this coming Thanksgiving by our families and friends. May our hearts and love go out to all those who have had losses this last year and may we find ways to wrap them with warmth and love to help ease them through this season. Blessed Be-

The Bells Rang...

2006-11-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

The bells rang all about us as we gazed out from the tower and learned about many of the buildings on campus. Bry was anxious to share with us all kinds of fun spots he had found since moving to school. We traveled to see him last month for Homecoming and had fun exploring the campus. Brit was able to roll down 4.0 Hill and is crossing her fingers she will now pull straight A's this year. We also had a chance at good luck and got to see just how crazy the students get during a game. The weather was gorgeous and we spent the weekend hiking all over campus and the surrounding town. How long ago it was that I was able to share my campus with my parents...Years have passed and now I am the proud parent walking, talking, laughing and sharing every moment with my child before the weekend comes to an end and we head back home. We grabbed coffee from his favorite spot before heading off to walk the streets. He proudly shared the architect building with us as well as the library. We walked and walked that weekend trying to absorb all that he shared. It has been quite an adjustment in our home this fall to have him off at school. We are fortunate to be living during a time when technology helps us feel not so seperated by miles. Bry calls often, sometimes before checking the time as we rise in the middle of the night to yet another call. "Mom, will you walk down to the computer and check the pictures I am sending you of my house model? My presentation is due tomorrow and I would like you to go over it with me." This before he realized it was 1AM and I had been asleep for quite some time. The nights used to seem so cold when you would crawl out from under the blankets but not so when it is at the request of a child off at school who is anxious to go over a project with you one last time before it is due. I sat on the phone staring at the computer and sharing my thoughts and ideas with him as he shared why he chose what and how he had accomplished certain textures, etc. I finally suggested we end the call at 2AM since my alarm would be going off in three hours and work would be waiting. I went to work a little tired that next day but filled with the conversation of the night before and was happy to haved received a call in the middle of the night. A memory I will always keep close to me no matter how far he may wander over the years. So, as the bells rang and he pointed out yet another building, I tried to breath it all in so that the memories would always be with me. Blessed Be-

2006-11-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

2006-11-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

A Rainy Day in October!

2006-10-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

We spent the day yesterday traveling to Oakland to see the Raiders vs. the Browns. A fun filled day, spent watching people! The air was charged and the fans were ecstatic as the Raiders scored! As the second half rolled in and the game changed, so did the energy around us. And as we left the stadium and walked the stretch of pavement crossing over streets through a covered bridge with fans, it was as though we were marching in a funeral procession with the quiet all around us and the long drawn faces. So quickly can things change! As we looked up to the skies we noticed they had changed as well and what looked like rain was in the eastern skies. As we left the subway station later, we could smell rain in the air. Driving home through rain last night, it was easy to realize that our summer was coming to an end and Fall was heading in. I woke this morning to clouds. In October!!! Not something we see much of until November or December. Our rainy season does not begin until then and we live in warmth and summer filled days until that time. To smell and see rain and clouds has placed me in a day of calm memories. I have sat with my coffee at the computer this morning going through the pictures and memories of this summer and cherishing each moment one last time. No, the rainy season is not here and will not arrive for another month but this has been a reminder that it really is just around the corner. We will need to call to have the wood delivered and we will begin to watch to see just what days we can build a fire to stay cozy. Something we will see change over the next several years as we all switch to other means of staying warm as our air quality is not seeming to change for the better as we had hoped it would. But life continues on as we find ways to hopefully better our world after all the pollution we have covered her with. And the sun is slowly peeking out from behind the clouds as I sit typing. The rainy season will hold off and the almonds will have time to dry but as I head out to my gardens this morning, I will take with me all the memories of this summer and as I dig in the soil and cut back plants, I know I will find myself smiling as I think back and remember all the fun summer brought our family! May these memories keep me warm and cozy this rainy season until the smell of the blossoms return and spring peaks out to greet us! Thank you all for the fun and memories you have helped us create.
Blessed Be-

Goodtime Memories

2006-10-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Summertime Memories with Friends

2006-10-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Memories with Family

2006-10-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

AHHH...Beach Time Memories

2006-10-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

Water Memories

2006-10-02T12:19:00.000-07:00

Fun At The Beach Memories

2006-10-02T12:13:00.000-07:00

Summer Memories

2006-10-02T11:57:00.000-07:00

Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away

2006-10-02T11:53:00.000-07:00

The Boy came home!!!

2006-09-17T19:47:00.000-07:00

So...it was a weekwnd of constant teens coming and going. Bry came home and with him came the continual flow of friends. We spent Friday night catching up before the football game ended and the first of freinds arrived around 1AM. To lay in bed and hear once again the laughter flowing up from below as Bry and his friend tried to burn a pizza and watched movies. Just the beginning of a full weekend where he had a chance to touch base with HS friends. To know where he was and hear the voices...life is good! It was a blessing to see him and hear all the stories. The long hours of work on projects! The friends he is making. The upcoming events that he is excited about. He has changed so much and has such an amazing confidence about him! He is the same and yet not really. He has the same strong ideas and beliefs but he has found a voice that was not quite so loud and adament and he is helping to create a club and for him " a whole new world". How proud can a parent be before they may physically explode of pride? To hug him and never let go...What an amazing feeling even if only for a moment. To sit back and watch as he interacts with his sister and becomes a bit paternal even at times. To listen as he talks about ideals and all it involves! A weekend, and yet a lifetime! A moment to fill up with hugs enough to last until the next sighting! It is fun to be a parent even when they live far away and the time shared togethor is brief. Had I ever thought of how first timeshappen at all levels of life? I don't think I ever stopped to imagine how it would be to have a child come home for a visit, for the first time! Why would I? Yet it has happened, and what fun it is!!! The first moments were rough and I wanted to hold on to him and never let him go as I hugged him and through tears explained how much I had missed him. That all passed and the white knuckled fingers released him and I spent the remainder of the weekend truely enjoying the sound of him with friends. Much of that time was in our home and once again our home was filled with Bry and his friends. It really has been quiet with him gone! Brittany has filled the house with friends but they never seem to be quite as loud as Bry and his friends or is it that with the two children the sounds double as they bring home all their friends and with one child gone plus his many friends, it considerably cuts down on the noise level. That, and Brittany has never played her music as loud as her brother! Like father, like son!!! What a wonderful and satisfying weekend! May we all be blessed with the youthful ideas and experiences of our children.
Blessed Be-

Fun In Santa Monica

2006-09-05T17:44:00.000-07:00

A Blessing

2006-09-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

We were recently honored to share in the birthday celebration of sixty wonderful and at times hard years in the life of a dear friend and an amazing man! We traveled south through beautiful hills and golden colored mountains to arrive in Santa Monica where we spent a lovely evening with many recalling the last sixty years of Leon's life and toasting a man who has lived beautifully. It was a priviledge to be among his family and friends, to hear the stories and share in the laughter as the sun set over the ocean and the dancing filled the ballroom. As the sun rose the following day, we wandered to the beach and walked for hours to end our weekend with all the sights and smells of Santa Monica, Venice Boardwalk, and Muscle Beach. What a fun and unique experience the entire time was. We ended our time in the city at a place just off the beach called ChaCha Chicken to grab an amazing carribean style lunch before we journeyed back through breathtaking mountains! I have come to love the golden color of our coastal mountains and cannot get enough! Just one of the many Blessings we have received since we were asked by Leon to join him and his family in this beautiful area! May you have many more blessings bestowed upon you for all you have given those who have been touched by you and your life over the last sixty years.

The Halls are Empty

2006-09-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

It has been several weeks since I could bring myself to sit at this spot and add to this site. Many have said, when will we see any new pics? Are you ever going to tell us how it is? For me,when times are tough, I need to be by myself. This is how I heal. This is how I move on. This is how I have spent the last several weeks, learning to adjust with the new twist in the road called life. How do you prepare for change? This change more than any, you know is coming. You know even before you begin the journey. Even before they are conceived. If you are lucky and I do not necessarily consider this true at this moment and that too is changing but, if you are lucky and you have made it to the point in life where you have had a child and they have made it to the stage where they are ready to move out and begin their own life how do you move on? Why are we not told somewhere along the way, that this will be a huge change and will feel like a major loss? Wouldn't it be fair to sit new parents down and explain, now you have the next 18 years to raise them and enjoy them and then...But nobody ever told me or was I just not listening or perhaps I was tuning them out because then, maybe it would never come to be. Well, it has come to be and it was not a part of parenting I was prepared for. I loved the baby times and the toddler years when they wobbled. The food all over the face and through the hair...I loved the endless soccer practices and the games we sat in sleeping bags with snow falling all around. I was lucky enough to be able to homeschool my children and so those reports, books, tests, experiments were all things I got to share with them and enjoy. The year it was way too cold to go outside to play in the leaves, so we filled bags with leaves and brought them all into the dining room and played for hours! The endless trips to the doctor and the ER. The many gardens we planted and the hours and days we spent putting up all the veggies and fruit from those gardens. The band competitions and the fundraisers once they decided to join public school. The endless teens and the continual trips to get more groceries. The studying colleges and ideas for the future. The dances and award ceremonies. All of these and more. The years have passed and have been leading us to this moment. How did I not know? When you pack up that van and you make one last walk through the empty room...Remaking his bed three times in his dorm room to make it just right! Taking the final walk to the van to say goodbyes and driving away through tears. The drive home is bad, they all told me. But what about the next day and the following week? What about when my alarm goes off for school and I have one less child to rise from those dreams. Why didn't they teach you somewhere along the way how it would feel to see that empty room and close the door for days before entering to clean up the mess? This is the class I should have had. This is the guidance an elder should have given me. When they are gone, there will be pain. It will be real and it will seem to be endless. The calls come and the laughter rings through. The excitement about classes, friends, new adventures and the food fill our daily conversations. The new ideas and goals! The detailed stories. The dreams and the funny situations. The empty room is clean now and I plan to paint it soon. I spend time reading and watching tv in it. I remember when...and I smile. Life goes on. The empty halls that we saw on move-in day are now filled with classmates. Books are open. Parties are going. New frienndships are beginning and new beginnings are occurring for teens all over the world. My son has moved on and I am one of the lucky ones! I loved the time he lived with us and taught us so very much about the world and all it has to give and I am learning to deal with the pain and the loss that seems so permanent and enjoy our new relationship and all he continues to share with me and teach me daily! So...would I do it all again? You bet!!! And if I am lucky, I will be packing up the van and preparing to go through this pain and the loss of this stage of parenting all over in two years when my daughter moves on. And then, I will find my quiet space and take the time to heal that I have this time. And if I am so blessed, I will come out of it as I have this time with a beautiful new beginning and a whole new relationship with yet another amazing teen. May we all take the time to feel our losses so that we can truely love life and all the gifts we are given.
Blessed Be-

Leaving the Nest

2006-08-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

This pair has spent their entire summer helping to prepare me for this journey. I have watched in wonder as they have given birth, fed, cared for and then successfully sent not one, but six batches of babies out into the world this season. How did I know that their last babies would be ready to fly and leave the nest within days of my son's same journey. I have spent the last week packing, talking, and hugging this young man who is about to take his first steps out on his own. As I watch today, the young birds have been testing their wings. They keep venturing to the edge and peering over. The parents have been patient all day, trying to coax them out. It is the same within our home. Bry has been spending the summer off with friends and venturing out more than ever in the past. He has been testing his own limits and connecting with those who are headed off on similiar journeys. I have spent the summer remembering the past and dreaming of the future. Where will this take us all? I have known moments of pure joy and those quiet times of mourning the last few months as I have prepared for this upcoming event. In two days, we pack the car and head off to the dorms. My son's new home. I have been priviledged to have had the chance to homeschool my two children and because of this, we have spent many years at home togethor. The house was filled with projects, books, homeschool gatherings and lots of children. When our two decided to start public High School, it was a new beginning for us all. Less time was spent togethor and the evenings were filled catching up on day events around the table which was often times filled with more than just our own teens. Then there was the big move and a new school! Making new friends and refilling our home with a new batch of faces. The children both grew and blossomed with this new change. It became even more important for us to renew those bonds between us during those first few months in our new home. We grew as a family and enjoyed the time we had even though our schedules became quite busy with the kids social life, band, Wayno's new job and my returning to work outside the home. Through it all the wings were being tested and the children were peering out to see just what life was really going to be like once their independence grew. The first one is ready to make the flight out. He has been preparing for this since birth and so, I guess have his father and I. The hardest part of parenting to this point, may be the letting go so they can take that first flight. As I have watched all summer, being there on the fence just in case they need help is good but staying a distance so as not to hinder their progress is the best we can do. I am grateful for the lessons and blessing these two feathered friends have given me over the past several months. I will remember their patience and coaxing ways as we settle in to this new adventure. As for my son, I wish for him the strength and courage to fly and soar into a beautiful new journey. May you bless us all with your future Bryant!

Summer

2006-06-23T08:13:00.000-07:00

Summer! What an amazing time. For years, I think I have taken this time of year for granted. Playing with the children. Walking my gardens. Sitting out on the porch talking with Wayno until late into the night. And the house filled with endless children. Nothing has changed over the years. Summer is just an extention of the rest of the year only warmer when you are a family who homeschools. We would still have some lessons, run to activities and spend much of life in the yard. Life goes on and summers continue. For me, however, summers have always been some of my favorite memories. I do not like the cold you see and so even though life continued, it was warm and I was happy to have sun! I love the sun and long summer nights! Music, smells of flowers and candles glowing on the porch! These are some of my favorite things!! As the children decided to return to public once they entered high school years, summers were cherished even more! I missed having them around every day. Yes, my days were filled with errends, pottery and running the children once they were out in the afternoons but it wasn't quite the same. Our lives have changed even more with our move to CA. One main way has been my choice to work within the education field. I have been lucky to find a job which I enjoy to the utmost. I love the students. My boss and supervisor are great! The biggest adjustment however, has been being gone all day! The house is not always clean, the laundry gets behind, and we order out chinese or stop for sushi more than in the past. But life goes on and change is fun. How is it then, that I can now cherish a season even more than ever before! Summer has always been my favorite! I move to an area where it is primarily warm year round. Ok, I do complain a bit during the rainy season because it is not near as warm as I want, but it is warm and sunny most the year! How could I ever cherish summers again like I did in the past? Ahhhh! And then LIFE steps in and gives us ways to not take for granted those things that are so very important to us. My new job has brought me many gifts, but the one that I did not notice, was the fact that summer is here and I am home! Coffee brewed and walks in the gardens. I have spent time working with my plants!!! The house is filled even more than usual with teens galore and it is even cleaner if that is possible with so much activity! Summer smells have changed with our move and now they include new plants and an occasinal trip to the ocean to smell the smells it holds! (This year of course, there is the World Cup as well!) Long talks on the patio with candles glowing and music coming through the speakers and sometimes, from the teens as they now strum the guitars and pound on the drums. The romantic summer nights where Wayno and John would play music on the porch as the children fall asleep has now been handed to the next generation and they do a beautiful job at it. Summer! May I never take you for granted again, and if I do, may a change come my way once again to remind me why you are one of my favorites!

2006-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

Grandparent time is always special and what better way then Bocce in the backyard! The children loved having both sets of grandparents with us for a week over graduation. Could they be more spoiled?
Time to play video games until the wee hours over the night or morning! Life is good as Bry says when there are no longer dress codes. Forever! He has ventured off to college for a weekend with Wayno and signed up for classes for the Fall as well as made some new friends.

2006-06-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

The ocean is our favorite and the children and I were lucky to venrure there once again right after classes ended. We and several other teens and a couple Moms from our church stayed at the ocean for a week and had an amazing time.
Skim boarding in the morning! Walks through little shops! Rock collecting, for me. And a campfire on the beach late one night! What could be better?

2006-06-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

Boys being boys! What fun they had crossing rocks and climbing to the top! Watch out for the wave guys!!
Summer! May we all be blessed by our summers and breath deep so the memories take us through until the next summer graces our paths!

2006-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

My morning coffee and walk through my gardens gives me the time to be quiet and see all the beauty we are surrounded by!
I am continually amazed by the shapes and colors all around us. I hope this summer will open my eyes to even more gifts that have been waiting for me in my backyard. Blessings-

Congratulations!!

2006-06-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

It came and went so fast but during the passing, there were friends, family, music, laughter and tears all mixed into one. Yet another passing has occured in our son's life and he has carried on in a way that makes us shine with pride being the parents of such an amazing young man. Thanks to many friends, teachers, coaches, mentors and family over the last eighteen years, this young man has grown to become an amazing asset to his community. Through tears, I prepped over the last month for this celebration. To say goodbye to what we have had togethor seemed crushing. How could he leave? To sit back and watch at each ceremony as he received awards and recognitions. To watch him with friends and family as he brought laughs. To listen as he tells of his plans for the future. To receive his phone calls and wave as he drives off with friends. To see that grin and to listen to his drumming. These are the things that let me sit back and know he is ready for this passage into a whole new life and these are the memories I will cherish. As time goes by, and we drop him off at school in just a couple months, we will see even more changes. It has been a priviledge to watch this young child grow and to learn so very much from his insights and sharings. I look forward to all the coming experiences and the phone calls and grins that we will receive from him over the coming years. Congratulations Bry and thanks for all you have given us over the years!

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The Flow of Life

2006-05-26T17:40:00.000-07:00

I spent a day this week with students walking the paths and seeing the Falls in Yosemite. A place we have traveled to many times since our move, yet a place that never looks quite the same. The Falls are flowing full force as the snowfall is melting and the show it makes as it flows in Yosemite is always spectacular but at this time of year it is beyond. A good time to travel up to stand and be filled with awe. This is a time to realize just how small we really are no matter how big it can all seem at times. The speed of life can get out of control it seems and it is hard to remember to breath. This is how it seems these last several weeks. Too many decisions, too many errands, changes in life, unable to slow it all down or even turn back the clock and watch as the children climb the apple trees. Having chosen to homeschool our children was probably one of the best choices Wayne and I made. For us, it was a time to allow our children to grow and learn and see it all right before our eyes. It was also a time to make sure if there were questions and ideas, they were explored. It was not something everybody we knew was thrilled with, yet we felt it was best not just for our children but for our family and eventually for our community and world. To allow these two beautiful children to learn how to teach themselves, gave them the chance to explore, build their confidences, question basically everything and realize that we did not know everything but we were just as excited to find the answers or theories that were already explored and those we created ourselves, or so we thought. I do not remember a time we ever questioned if they would not learn enough. I do remember wondering if we would all get along well, spending so much time togethor. What a shock to see how close we grew. As my son was lying on the couch today after his return from Grad nite at Disneyland and reliving all the fun, I turned and asked my daughter why she kept smiling. "Because he's my brother.", was her response. We spent so many years togethor learning, playing, traveling the roads to lessons and games and we became closer than I ever could have imagined. Life has flowed on and as I crawled out of bed this morning I realized that I did not have to wake my son for school and would not ever again do this simple task. For the next two years, I would have my daughter to wake and then there would be a morning like this when I would realize that now I would never have to call to her to wake and prepare for school. But life flows on and it is beautiful as were the Falls I experienced this week. There will be new surprises waiting for me as there was while driving the road into Yosemite and I began squealing with delight as a bear was walking among the trees beside me. This brought laughter and pure excitement from my Spec. Ed students as first they were excited to see Miss Sharon so excited and they were excited to see a bear for their first time outside of a zoo or a tv screen. There will be questions and theories to explore with my grown children and the new ideas they come across as they are off studying or with students as we work at bringing them yet one step closer to an independent lifestyle. Life will flow as the Falls I stood and watched, sometimes strong and powerful as they run now and sometimes life will run calmly as these same Falls will trickle late this summer. Among it all, I will breath and smile as I watch my son later this week recieve his diploma or as I did this week as I stood at the base of Yosemite Falls with a wheelchair bound student as he squealed with delight as this powerful and very cold sensation covered us with the spray of the Fall. I am thankful for the years we spent homeschooling and the times my daughter climbed the tree with yet another book to read among the branches, her favorite type of school desk. I am thankful for the drumming my son filled our home with as he learned from amazing teachers. I am hopeful that all these two young children took the time to teach me over the years will go with me as I work with new students and find ways to explore their questions. I hope to breath through the moments, the weeks, and the years to come and try to learn from all the teachers I pass, the trees, the children, friends, the clouds, my gardens, the continual music that fills our home. May the Falls each time I travel to Yosemite remind me of all the unanswered questions I have explored and those that are waiting to cross my path. May they remind me to breath as life flows and at times rushes by. Blessings-

2006-05-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

Garden Surprises

2006-05-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

As I walked the gardens one evening this week, I was quite surprsed to find this amazing bee enjoying our passion vine. Never have I seen a bee that was truly golden! This little creature is not so little as it is the size if not a bit larger than our black carpenter bees which measure in at 1.5". I spent much time watching it and snapping pictures of it and was amazed at how close it would allow me to get. At first, it was a bit shy but soon, it realized I was not going to harm it, and then it allowed me to get my lense within an inch or two of it to snap some shots. We spend so much of our home time walking the gardens, watering plants, and enjoying yet another batch of Morning Doves. It is always quite a surprise however when you run across something new and this was just that. I have spent quite a bit of time trying to find just what type of bee this little one is, and as of yet I cannot find any info on him. So, for now I will just enjoy his beauty.

Prom Night

2006-05-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

Asking is always the worst, isn't it? But once it is over and they have said "yes", the planning and excitement all begin! Having a daughter and a son going off to prom is quite an experience. Two seperate proms. Two different personalities. Opposite sexes. Could they be any more different in their approaches. What fun to be a teen and heading off to the biggest night of the year. Dresses and tuxes to find. Makeup, manicure, hair, shoes, and a clutch later, we realize that the guys have it easy with just one stop at a tux shop. Then of course the excitement of waiting for that day to arrive. Two seperate proms at seperate locations but of course they fell on the same night so we were twice as busy trying to prepare. Schedules, transportation, and plans for after prom had to be figured out and coordinated so parents knew where each child would be. But finally the day arrives with Bry heading off early for entrance exams for college courses and Brit off to have her manicure and pedicure done. Hours later they meet back at home to prepare with Brit doing hair, makeup, etc. while Bry prepared lying on his back sound asleep for a few hours. They both arrived dressed and gorgeous as it was announced that it was time for pictures before Brit's date arrived and Bry headed off to meet up with his. Yes, you guessed it, as happens so often these days, my tears began. They have grown and matured and have become such beautiful young people who not only clean up well but have worked hard to achive so much these last several years. With our huge move just over a year ago, I wondered if they would make it and once again be happy. Would they find friends? Would they fit in? All the fears of a mother and yet they have grown and blossomed beautifully. They have made wonderful friends and have become stronger in their beliefs and convictions. These two young people have accomplished so much and it has been a delight to be near by to watch them grow. The reports of Prom were wonderful! Each had fun and the nights seem to have been a success. Stories enough to fill my Mothers Day once they both awake and what better way could I spend Mothers Day but with these amazing two children, listening to all their stories! Happy Mothers Day to all you amazing mothers!

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2006-05-09T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is my sign and my reading for today. How can it be any more accurate?

PISCES (Feb. 19—March 20): For six and a half months in 1881, James Garfield was president of the United States. More impressive than his modest accomplishments during his short time in office was his multilingual ambidexterity. He could write a passage in Latin with one hand even as he wrote in Greek with the other hand. That kind of skill reminds me of the aptitudes you will have in the coming weeks, Pisces. If you so choose, you'll be able to take multitasking to profound new levels. Juggling will be your ruling metaphor. You may even be able to make a beautiful mess with one hand while creating a dynamic peace with the other.

So, life is about balance and at this point I just pray I can continue to breath through it all. A daughter headed off to prom amidst testing and prepping for finals. A son preparing to go to prom as he spends lunches with friends and enjoys Senior activities. Grad night is approaching as well as graduation and parties. Packing up his room and boxes will soon be labeled. Before this must come the addressing and labeling of invitations, the menu for the upcoming open house and preparations and planning for grandparents arriving for all the festivities. Our church celebrates through a “bridging ceremony” where we will celebrate the next path fifteen of our youth will be crossing over. How many tears will fall that day! Senior pictures today, and time yet to grab last minute accessories for prom for both Bry and Brit. Can it be that life has continued at such an amazing speed and seems to be no where closer to slowing down? Breath! Breath! Is it time and if so will I step up to the challenge and send them on their way with love and blessings?

“If you so choose, you'll be able to take multitasking to profound new levels. Juggling will be your ruling metaphor. You may even be able to make a beautiful mess with one hand while creating a dynamic peace with the other.”
Blessings-

2006-05-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

The house is quiet as the men have left and Brit lies catching up on reading. Something she has put to the side for months while studying for school. Summer is just around the corner and break is almost here, so she has spent time stocking up on poetry books, etc. to begin diving into during break. This leaves for me a quiet moment with coffee, birds singing, and my computer. I write in spurts as you all know by now and morning seems to be the best time for me to get any thinking, written down. Once again we have passed through winter and with this one, we spent many days wondering if the rain would ever cease. As they continued to report yet another week of rain, my mood sank and dreams of the market were squelched. This has all passed finally and is just a memory now as the fruit surrounds us and the smells of the orchards permeate the air! My trip to the market this week was a blessing and the gifts abounded as I stocked up on prickly cactus to add to our eggs, snap peas that are sweet as honey, plump, sweet tomatoes, green spinach, and cilantro as well as bunches of fresh asparagus. What I live for and love!!! The freshness of living in the valley and having produce abound! This also brings with it the scents of spring which I love and cherish. I usually cannot get enough of the smell of blossoms this time of year. Driving out of the mountains this week with students, however, I was taken back by the overpowering fragrance of the orange orchards on the edge of town. Something I love in small amounts but as you drive by this time of year it is as though you cannot wait for that fresh breath of clean air. You know how it is when you have seated yourself on the crowded subway or in a closed office right next to that one person who decided to bathe themselves in a bottle of sweet powdery fragrance before running out into the world? Well this is how it can be at moments when driving past the orange orchards in spring. Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore the orchards, the blossoms, the bees, and the scent of sweetness all around. However, as in all things, too much of a good thing is not always so good and this is how it is at times for me with the orange trees in full bloom. I am happy to say however, that they are but a mile from my home and so I can enjoy these blessings at all stages of the seasons and so I plan to wait a bit before I venture out that direction again. For now, I will keep it subtle and enjoy the orange blossoms gracing my backyard. The lemon tree is in full blossom as well and the jasmine just finished its parade of blossoms. Before that we were honored with the scent of freesias in all their glorious fragrance. So, you see as I walk my gardens, the smells change as do the many blossoms filling our gardens. I am happy to say among the current blossoms we have sporting their colors are the passion vine, the kangaroo paws, and the bird of paradise. These are some of my very favorites along with the bottle brush tree that joined us last season and is now three times the size it was when it arrived! Wayne and I spend much of our at home time among the flowers and trees that we have added to our home since arriving. We also spend an insane amount of time watching over each new batch of Morning Doves that arrive over our patio. Mama Dove is on batch three already this season and the other two nest fulls wander the gardens daily. These are the quiet moments I cherish in a life that is filled too full with end of school activities, children’s events, prom and graduation planning, social outings, business engagements, and the soon to be and greatly awaited arrival of grandparents. Perhaps this is the balance my life finds between the busy daily organizing and meeting of expectations of others and the quiet still giving my gardens provide. In this intense mixture, is the calmness I find to enjoy and cherish each moment from one extreme to the other.

New Chapters

2006-05-06T07:11:00.000-07:00

We spent the night before, traveling along the edge of the coastal mountain range. Once again amazed and in awe of the beauty of this area. There was excitement as we traveled! We were about to have a glimpse into the pages of the new chapters in Bryant's life. I, of course, shed a few quiet tears as we made that drive, knowing everything was about to change. When you are told as your child is a toddler that you must enjoy it all, because the years go fast, you nod and agree. Never, could I have imagined just how fast those years really travel. Bry has been so much fun over the years as he changed from this young child who had to spend time each night lining up every toy in a perfect row before he could go off to bed, to digging holes deeper than he could stand in, in the back yard. We cheered him through his short love of wrestling as he grinned and held high those trophies! The soccer years were some of the best times! We loved the years we spent cheering him on as he ran those fields and spent all his free time watching the games on tv. We spent years homeschooling, where we learned so much as a famly. It was wonderful to have the experience of learning with my children and our homeschool group. Music has been his love since he was born! He has spent so much of his life enjoying and playing it. Our children have been lucky to have many musical influences in their lives, beginning with their father. He began singing to the children before they were born and continues to gift them with music having to make quick stops by the store on his way home at night because yet again he has thought of a CD they must add to their collections. And there were so many others that helped to fill this love for Bry. On a trip we took to Springfield years ago with our homeschool group, Bry fell in love yet again. This time it would be with architecture and this would lead us to the very campus we traveled to in order to begin Bryant's next chapter. To enter this space was inspiring as we walked a campus that had been established in the 1800s and to hear those that would be the very persons to push Bry to learn and stretch his imagination over the next six years. Amazing people and beautiful buildings are what awaited us as we left the subway and walked the short path to the entrance of UC Berkeley. Clicking on the arrow at the title of this post will take you there as well. You can then experience a bit of the energy we felt as we walked the campus and listened to many beautiful people that day. As we sat and listened to the band and then the many speakers who graced us with their time, I again shed a few silent tears and was covered with joy and excitement for the possibilities waiting for Bryant as he enters his next chapter in life. To hear the dreams of the architecture school of developing a world that will be earth friendly and that will not contribute but lessen global warming. To listen as they described their dreams for urban development. These are the things that Bry knew would fill me with inspiration. As we walked out of this presentaion and entered the paths of beauty, Bry turned grinning and asked if I liked the place now that I had heard their ideas for our future. We toured the dorms and all they had. This is where our son would live and grow. He would make new friends and study through the nights. Bry is lucky to have several friends of his going off to Berkeley with him and they have spent a lot of time comparing notes and helping each other learn all there is to learn over the last few weeks. We walked the paths and breathed in as much as possible that day. Brit and I enjoyed a dance performance as the guys watched a baseball game. They were playing Stanford that day and the guys had to see how we look. There were of course a couple protests that day on campus because it would not be Berkeley if there weren't. We filled our bags with information galore! We left the campus and walked the short way back to catch the subway out of town. We crawled into the car and headed to the closest coffee shop to prepare for our trip back home along the edge of those majestic mountains. They will be what cradles my son as he rides from our home to school on the train with friends. These will be the sights we see over the next six years as we travel to and from the campus. As we drove along side these beautiful mountains, the cell phones were out and we listened as Bry called yet another relative or friend to relay all the fun he had had at his new home in Berkeley. May these next chapters bless himand may he bless this world with his creations!

2006-05-06T06:59:00.000-07:00

2006-05-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Balance

2006-03-23T20:01:00.000-08:00

Several years ago a friend gave me a rock. This was not the first rock I had been given or the first rock I had collected. Truth is, I am a rock person and I spend hours searching for just the right rock. I also find myself turning the corner at times to find just the right rock when I wasn't even looking. This rock however was amazing and captured my entire interest. There was something about this small, smooth object that took my breath away and that would stay with me forever. If only I knew at that time just how this rock would become such a major part of my life. Rocks. Either you get them or you don't. Either way is fine but for those of us who have a connection with rocks, there are some that have no match. This such rock was that type. This rock was smooth and dark gray. It's uniqueness came in that it had a perfect circular hole all the way through it. It was perfect! It could not be man made but how did it happen? I was told she had found it at a beach in CA but could not remember quite where it was. She just felt it would be important for me. Wow! How some know things about us long before we do, ourselves. Many years later I have come to find that my favorite place to spend any free time I may have is at a beach filled with rocks just like this gift handed to me so many years before. I have spent hours over the last year walking this beach and collecting those rocks that seem to want to join the many rocks we have in our home. It is amazing to me when two opposites join and the fact that my favorite things in life, rocks and the ocean, have become such an important factor in my life. It has become a joke in our home. We go to the ocean and most pictures of me show me walking the beaching with coffee in one hand and rocks in the other. I have had many fun talks with other rock collectors while walking the beach early in the morning while most people are still cuddled in their warm beds. These are the times, coffee in hand and rocks filling the other, when I know that I have arrived! May we all find time to find that balance in life when opposites make sense and life is just a breath of pure happiness! Blessings-

Birthday Blessings

2006-03-13T12:41:00.000-08:00

All I wanted for my birthday this year was to see the blossoms which are in full bloom. The almonds were at their peak blossom over my birthday and my wish came true. We traveled out to a nearby orchard to walk. As we left the car and entered the orchard the air was filled with the scent of blossoms! This was however joined by another sensation I was not expecting. Since I was quite young, I have dreamed of some day being a beekeeper. The air all around me brought back these dreams and my excitement grew! Not only was I to be blessed by the beauty and scent of the blossoms, but the air was filled with a sound and energy I had not expected. As we entered the trees, the hum of the bees was amazingly loud. The bees were everywhere! They hummed and hovered about the blossoms as well as about us. What has entered this space? Who are these intruders? They seemed to be content to just buzz a bit around us and go back to their work at the blossoms. With each new tree we explored, bees would come to swarm about. It was a thrill to reach out towards the blossoms and have the bees hovering all around, checking us out. It is amazing how they work. They are on a mission and they work so hard. To see those with pollen on their legs and watch as they worked, traveling back and forth from the hives was humbling. I sat for a bit at the base of a tree filled with the scent of the blossoms and the sound of the busy bees, knowing my birthday was complete. As I travel to the Farmers Market next to purchase yet more of our local honey, it will be nice to remember my time with the bees and how they blessed my birthday. May we all take the time to remember where our blessings come from and all the work that goes into bringing our food to our tables from the soil, rain, sun, bees, farmers, workers, and those who stock the shelves or drive the trucks. May they all be blessed for the gifts they give us. May we all stop to enjoy the blessings we receive each moment of our lives.

2006-03-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

Sweet Sixteen

2006-03-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

Could it possibly be here already? Brit could not wait and I was hesitant. It seemed just moments had passed since she was placed in my arms. Life has been full with this young energy. She is so excited to have fun at all times. This was true also as this birthday aproached. She could just not contain her giggles as she counted down the days! She planned her party and anxiously awaited. With ideas and help from many, the day came and her gathering was a success! A house full of teens!!! The was music, food, lights, a campfire with so'mores, etc. How fun to be a teen and so full of life! It was an honor to share this special moment with such anamazing young lady. To have watched her grow over the years through toddler years and on through the homeschooling years. Through hours of dance lessons and the enjoyment of listening to her practice various forms of music. She has been a breath of fresh air filling our house with constant energy. She has matured and become a young lady filled with love for all and concern for her community and those who need an extra hand. May her life be enriched for years to come. Happy Birthday Miss Brittany.

2006-03-13T12:27:00.000-08:00

2006-03-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ocean Blessings

2006-02-19T11:03:00.000-08:00

Our children have inherited the same love for the ocean that my husband and I have. This was made evident when Bry was recently asked what he wanted for his 18th birthday and he replied "A trip to the ocean with friends." We then loaded up the cars with skimboards, food and five teens and hit the road for Morro Bay. The guys had planned for this trip for weeks. They had purchased wetsuits and all the boarding supplies they would need to skim for a weekend. The guys spent many nights attaching tread and waxing their boards. They constantly had a website up to check wave heights and tide times. This was to be the best! The girls planned by filling bags with every last item they might need. Girls' bags are considerably larger than guys'! How much room do you need for a wetsuit and a towel though really? We arrived at night after a beautiful drive through the Paso Robles wine country and the coastal mountains. I had the girls in my car and the screams erupted as we pulled into Morro Bay. We had rented a home close to the beach that the children love. Choosing rooms, unpacking and heading up to the rooftop deck to see the ocean at night was first. Then we bundled up and headed down to the ocean for a night walk on the beach. Amazing how the shells glow on the beach in the night sky. The next morning came early as we set the alarms for 5AM, made coffee, packed the bag with pastries and headed to the beach to skimboard and hunt for treasures. Take a moment to click on the title Ocean Blessings and enjoy an overall website of our favorite place.

2006-02-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

The girls rose early with the boys and always made sure their was plenty of coffee packed as they headed to the beach. They filled their early mornings with coffee and hunting for treasures from the ocean. They walked miles that weekend as they searched for sanddollars, shells, sea glass and rocks all set before them on a glistening sand beach. They filled their cups with coffee to wake them and to warm their hands as they searched for yet another sanddollar to beat Brit's Papa's record of most sanddollars found in a day. Then off to the showers and down to the village where shops were waiting with yet more treasures. Clothes!!! Girls cannot forget this special shopping treat when off on Holiday! They filled their time in town shopping and drinking fruit smoothies as they strolled along the ocean docks hoping to spy the otters and seals. They then headed back out to the house and the ocean just in time for the tide to go out and the sand to be filled with even more treasures to fill their bags. The girls even found time to help retrieve a run away board for the guys as they searched. They then spent their evenings sitting on the roof top deck or in the house doing hair, watching the Olympics and giving backrubs to the guys who were in major pain after spending whole days on the waves. They each filled their cameras and have spent many hours since our return comparing pics and giggling as they remember their escape from life and their time spent at the edge of the ocean searching for treasures and building dreams.

2006-02-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

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2006-02-19T10:10:00.000-08:00

The ocean was amazing and showed her power as the waves continued to grow throughout the weekend. The girls found this out the hard way while trying to retrieve a board for Bry. Watch what is coming or you may end up tumbling and rolling over and over by the hand of the ocean. They were drenched as well as amazed that Wayne spent the entire time taking pics and laughing histerically while they rolled and rolled. It was fun of course after it all was over and they still laugh as they talk about the fact that every time they came back up from yet another wave, there was Wayno laughing his head off.

2006-02-19T10:05:00.000-08:00

The boys are already planning their next trip and so this one would be considered a success. The skim was perfect! The boys rose early and would head straight for the ocean. Out before the longboarders and while most the town slept the boys would begin their days riding the skim. Through horrible pain by the second morning and spills as the ocean won a few, the boys lived to catch each skim. They skimmed, the talked about skimming, the bought skimming products in the local shops and they skimmed some more. The smiles were contagious and their skills grew quickly in just the weekend they were there. They would stand at the edge and study. They would compare notes. They would ride and then critique each ride. Life was good! They stopped for food and caffeine and some time to rewax their boards. Other than that they lived in the water. They battled the power of the waves and came through it all with some scars to proudly show. The stories still fill the air and the time is now spent prepping the boards for the next time out.

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