Winter Vacation Yuma 2009

Bobby and Sabra in front of the awesome float he made for the Treehouse! What an awesome job! The light parade was fun too. The weather was perfect and the kids were all terrific.

Just Joan and Miss Mallory having fun at Sunday night's family dinner. We were so lucky to have Joan fly in the day before I left and for all of us to gather together for a meal.

Gotta love him! Grandma Evelyn (great-grandma to this guy) brought cupcakes for the kids.

How Sweet! Tiny and Sydney snuggle up and have a laugh for the camera.

The girls after the parade. Mallory "cart-wheeled" the entire length of the parade with her gymnastics team, while Syd and her girlfriends kept the Treehouse float in check. I love these girls and am so lucky to be their aunt. Super cute!!

Zac, Adriana and Buddy in front of Bob's awesome float. Don't they make a cute couple? It was nice to get some time with Zac this visit. What a good kid.

My Sabbatical

I am very blessed to work for a company that gives a four week paid sabbatical to their employees every four years. My sabbatical happened upon me kinda quickly and I didn't get my act together fast enough to go on the trip I wanted to initially go on. But that's the beauty in procrastination. Instead of Europe, I was fortunate enough to do the Sister's Tour 2009! I started in Pittsburgh with Joanie and had the greatest time. It was leisurely and packed full all in one. We went to at least four museums, including Frick Park, where this cute little conservatory was, and even to Phipps Conservatory, which dwarfs this building much like the awesome dinosaur skeletons at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History dwarfed anyone standing near them. What an awesome experience! Somedays I was on my own and other days I had the sweet company of my little sister. What a treat for me. She is just so special to me and it is a privilege to call her my sister and friend. When I find the cord to my camera, I will post more pics and write more details...

My next stop was San Diego to visit Kelly. An hour layover in Vegas turned into a lucky stop; I won $100 on a poker slot machine even though I had been warned about playing the slots in the airport. Anyway, I ended up in San Diego having the most precious time with my newest niece, Maggie. I didn't know babies could be so happy. She smiles all the time and laughs her little heart out. And she loved me. I had the best time just hanging out watching her explore her new found world. (She started walking a few days before I got there). Kelly is such a good and thoughtful mother. It is both odd and magnificent watching your younger sister become a mother to another human being. This was the little girl you played with and taunted your whole life and now here she sits in front of you with a little girl of her own. Wow. After about a week, I decided it was time to move on and visit Sabra and the kids, so dad met me at Viejas and drove me home to Yuma.

And then the reality of Sabra's new life hit me. I had hardly anytime with her, but I couldn't complain because she has hardly anytime to breathe anymore. Two jobs, four kids, a master's degree at night. Uh, no. I couldn't do it. I didn't think I could admire Sabra anymore than I did, but she one upped herself again. I honestly don't know how she does it. I wish Sabra peace and a quiet place to read a good book. I was happy to get a long afternoon with her as she drove me home to Phoenix. Each visit to Sabra's home reminds me that I must make it a priority to visit her and my family in Yuma more than once a year. I need to stop making excuses.

So I thank you all for your hospitality; opening your homes and hearts to me. I am proud to call you my sisters and humbled to call you my friends. I love you!

Gone But Never Forgotten

In 1984, I had this poster hanging in my bedroom. I was 9 years old and couldn't get enough of Michael. Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller. He was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I remember running to Goldsboro Bakery with a few coins to buy MJ stickers from a small vending machine they had near the window. I even remember my sticker book...a photo album, sticky pages and all filled with MJ stickers. Hours spent choreographing "routines" to songs out in the grass. Loving Michael unconditionally. And it was all about the music. I never saw race or color. I never knew R&B didn't really cross over very often to the pop charts. Hell, I didn't realize there hadn't been a black artist on MTV before Michael. All I knew is that he spoke to me. The dancing...THE DANCING. I mean, who had ever seen such moves? And we couldn't get enough.

Of course, children age and move on from things they love. I enjoyed Michael's offerings as time passed on, but nothing ever felt quite like Thriller. Then around age 23, I picked up a copy of the Jackson 5's Greatest Hits. And the love affair began anew. And a totally different kind of love. Don't get me wrong, I was familiar with the Jackson 5. I hadn't been living under a rock. But the songs meant something more to me. Something different. Do me a favor and listen to "Maybe Tomorrow". You can find it on You Tube. Michael's probably 11 or 12 years old and my heart wells up EVERYtime I hear this song. And most people have never even heard of it.

To me, the bottom line, no matter what your feelings about MJ's appearance, legal woes, or life choices, is that this man was blessed with a gift. There is no denying it. I only hope that he now has the peace he seemed to be searching for his entire life. And he will live on, through the music, which will always have frequent rotation in my house and for the rest of my life.

How Cute Are These?

So I recently found this magazine at work. It has the most adorable "softies" in it. Apparently, that is the name for the sweet stuffed animals people are crafting these days out of felt and whatnot. So, I am definitely not a seamstress. Not at all. But I am totally inspired to try my hand at one of these. I would also like to get Scott's mom to teach me all about crocheting and sewing. She made me a beautiful throw for Christmas and I would love to learn how. Also, I keep seeing all these beautiful quilts and would like to try that too. Too ambitious? Perhaps, but maybe not. I think I will try one of these cute softies first and then go from there. Wish me luck and I will post a picture of my eventual creation.

Happy-Go-Lucky

So I had no idea what this movie was about. I knew Sally Hawkins, the lead actress, was nominated for a Golden Globe for this role and that it was directed by Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies, Vera Drake), which are both great movies, but overall, quite depressing. Interesting that this movie, Happy-Go-Lucky, would be a refreshing change of pace from these other films. Poppy is the main character, an elementary school teacher that approaches life like it's recess. She rides her bike, smiles at everyone, is up for anything fun. She is much like the children she teaches, happy-go-lucky; going "trampolining" after work, taking flamenco lessons with a co-worker, hiring a driving instructor to teach her to drive after her bicycle is stolen.

There are a couple of scenes in particular that I truly enjoyed, including the opening sequence when she is 'flying' free on her bike and stops in at a bookstore with a very sour clerk that is unwilling to give in to the joy of the moment, ignoring Poppy's attempts to make him laugh. When she leaves the bookstore, laughing to herself only to find her bicycle stolen, instead of getting angry, she only says she regrets not being able to say goodbye to her beloved bicycle. Is it possible for real people to have an attitude like this? I'd like to think so, but I have only encountered it in a couple of people. Making lemonade from lemons is not the easiest task for most folks. But I do think it is a quality that most of us wish we had more of.

So the story moves along, following Poppy on her day to day adventures, teaching her class, learning to drive, getting together with the girls for a night of drinking and dancing, but all the while you feel there is something missing in her life that she is unwilling to acknowledge. Poppy visits a homeless man at one point, speaking with him and offering him a bit of humanity, but I think this scene is out of place and really detracts from the rest of the movie. Perhaps Leigh is trying to give Poppy her scene of contemplation, to show her that life isn't perfect and to show the audience that Poppy's life, even though filled with happiness isn't all that it seems, but for me it was a dead scene that was out of context with the rest of the film.

There is a significant portion of the movie that deals with Poppy learning to drive and the interactions she has with her instructor, Scott. These scenes are funny and sweet to a point, but a bit contrived in the end. Poppy is patronizing to Scott, even thought she doesn't deserve the treatment she ultimately receives from him.

I did particularly like the relationship that begins to develop between Poppy and the social worker that will become her boyfriend and it reminded me a bit of Amelie, one of my favorite movies. I was left wanting to be a bit more spontaneous and free. To be happier with my life and to seek out new adventures. Or even just laugh more. Poppy may not have the ideal life, but she's happy with it. And that's something we could all learn from.

Continuing on the Vampire kick...sort of

5 days off. Not going anywhere special. What's a girl to do? Having missed a few movies over the past year, I decided to head into the video rental store and find something interesting and new. As I wandered the aisles, I realized that I had seen most of the current offerings. Funny, because it seems like I've spent less time at the movie theater these past six months, but typical, because I'm so used to being the person who's seen everything.

The movie I knew I was going to rent was Doubt. Of course, it was all checked out. All the Best Picture nods I'd seen in the theater, so nothing new there. The onslaught of horror and gore movies was prevalent in the aisles, and I was going nowhere near those. They stay with me, so I stay away from them. I pick up a documentary on Hunter S. Thompson (which I rented and still have yet to watch) and then out of the corner of my eye, I spy a spooky cover with the words, "Best vampire movie ever" splashed across the front. OK. What is this? The cover looks way too scary for my taste. But the synopsis sounds original. And interesting. A child vampire and the boy she moves next door to. A foreign film, Swedish, but with a sounding review from Guillermo del Torro. That seals the deal for me. Everyone loves Pan's Labyrinth, but I am partial to the Devil's Backbone and if he says it's worth the time, then I should make the time. Thankfully, I had 5 days worth. So Let the Right One In comes home with me.

If you know me, then you know I don't do most horror flicks. I just can't. I love suspense and creepy, but slasher gore and disturbing images haunt me like nothing else. So I called Scott, the biggest vampire fan I know, and tell him he's coming over to watch it with me. This movie is great. Of course, my dvd remote is broken, so I can't turn the dubbing off, which just kills me, but even with that handicap, the movie sucks you in and makes you part of its world. Oskar is a 12 year old boy who is bullied constantly at school. He has taken to fantasizing about revenge, collecting newspaper articles about violent attacks and carrying a knife in his jacket. One day a girl his age moves in next door. Eli only shows up at night, looking very pale and a bit odd. Although she should be the real threat, Oskar finds her appealing and begins to befriend her. As their friendship grows, Eli teaches Oskar to stand up for himself and fight back. Oskar teaches Eli about friendship. There is killing and blood (she is a vampire afterall) but this is more of a love story than anything else.

One of the things I believe is that people are brought into our lives for a reason. Oskar and Eli are not whole as individuals, yet as they grow and open themselves to each other, they find that they can become complete, or at least better versions of themselves. Disclosure to horror fans: This is NOT a horror movie. You will most likely think it is lame. There is nothing disgusting about this movie, except perhaps the bully's behavior; even the necessity of killing for survival does not shed a negative light on Eli (in my opinion). So give it a shot. I promise it won't disappoint.

Breaking Dawn...finally.

So I actually introduced Twilight to my sisters. Can you believe it? I know they are huge fans...bigger than me. I kept having customers ask about this book. New Moon had just been released. What was the big deal? Oh yeah, no more Harry Potter to read. Must have something new. Teen Fiction is not my thing. At all. Then I happened to read a profile of Stephenie Meyer in Time magazine. What??? She's a Mormon writing about vampires. Oh this was beautiful!! The only reason that I even picked up the book was because she was Mormon! This is funny in itself because I am not Mormon and one side of my family is. Needless to say, I loved the book. She is not a literary writer, per se, but she kept the story moving and interesting. Plus, the books take only a couple of days to read, so quick gratification.

So time goes by. I buy the I love Edward Cullen t-shirt. I read Eclipse. Text back and forth with my sisters about our love of Edward and how much we despise Jacob. Then Breaking Dawn. Too much time between books. I wait at midnight in a sea of people desperate for a taste. But it's past midnight and I have to work the next morning. So it sits on my nightstand. Twilight premieres as a movie. Super fun...true to the book. A surprise since they usually screw these things up. And all the while, Breaking Dawn collecting dust two inches from my pillow. Merchandise mania hits. DVD release imminent. Must buy. Day of release. Watch all the extras and the commentary. Too bad Rob Pattinson sounds kinda dumb in real life. Oh well. He's cute and that will take him far. And Breaking Dawn sits patiently waiting.

2 o'clock in the morning I wake. I have to know how it ends. Even though everyone has told me, I have to read it for myself. So I dive in; devouring page after page in this monstrous tome. A crick in my neck, restless and tired, I keep going. I'm not quite there yet, but almost. Am I fulfilled knowing Bella got her wish? Is Edward still as appealing now that he is not unattainable? The only thing I know for sure is that Jacob still annoys me and Stephenie Meyer has taken us on one helluva ride. For that I am thankful.

I know, I know...

So my wonderful sister set this blog up for me months ago. I have used it once. It's not that I don't want to keep in touch; that I'm not interested in what everyone else is up to. It's just that I have no motivation to include computers in my life away from work. I'm a paper and pen girl. Pretty stationery, the surprise of an unexpected envelope showing up in the mailbox, rich colors, the tactile sensation. But I do see its advantages. The short quips, easy glimpses into someone else's day, the anonymity if you choose.

So here I go. I'm gonna give it my best shot. I can't promise that days won't go by without a peep from me. But keep the faith. I'm gonna try.