Taking Notes

Giving Thanks

2011-11-25T22:38:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving - I feel happy and grateful.

The night before, Meg was preparing the turkey to brine. We had bought it at Trader Joe's - who only sell Kosher turkeys. Apparently, Kosher turkeys are pre-brined, killed humanely, not put in scalding water to remove the feathers, which is what led to our problem: there were ALOT of feather shafts and even some feathers still in the turkey. I googled what we should do, and it just said to pull them all out with needle nose pliers.

Meg posted on Facebook: Though I'm glad to know that my turkey lived in a grassy meadow, ate a vegetarian, hormone-free diet, and died a relatively painless kosher death, I'm not sure it is worth the two tedious hours it took to pluck all the feathers left in him! — with Tricia Taylor.

We did not need to brine after all, so Tony (we had to name him since we now know him so intimately) went into the fridge for the night. The next morning, he went into the oven with a rosemary/thyme rub, and soon the house smelled wonderful.

Jesse and I went and did the Alexandria Turkey Trot.

It was 5 miles and a fun race. They missed seeing me come over the finish line, and I wandered around to find them for about half an hour. I improved my time since the half marathon by more than a minute a mile, so I was pleased with that, even though this is a shorter race.

After, I cooked the sweet potatoes and corn pie for dinner. Joshua and his mother brought mashed potatoes, chili, green bean casserole, and lots of dessert! Jesse brought rolls and drinks.

We got everything finished up, I took a quick shower and we had the most lovely Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was DELICIOUS and Tony was the most moist, flavorful turkey that I have ever ever had. I must admit that my Thanksgiving turkeys in my former life were almost always too dry.

Jesse had to leave to do EMT work, and we cleaned up and watched a little football. I talked to Jordan and found out that Stephen has lost his phone.

We started playing Salad Bowl, with Josh/his mama and Meg/me as the teams. It was so much fun we played again and then played again! Very nice way to spend the afternoon. When it got late, they went home and Meg and I watched Lady Gaga special. She seems to be trying to broaden her audience by toning down her image. I think I prefer her authentic and crazy, and love her beautiful voice.

It was such a great day - in part because there was very little pressure on me to cook and hostess and also because all who were there are all such wonderful people in my life.

I am happy.

Match.com

2011-11-21T23:04:00.007-05:00

At the encouragement of my kids, I decided to post a profile on Match.com. I really need to meet some people my age range to hang out with.

This is what I put for my profile:
________________________________________________________________


The picture

I have recently relocated to the DC area and am looking for a fellow explorer to share adventures finding and trying things in the area or someone to show me around.

I'm looking for someone who wants to play and have fun together, but is also able to think about some of the more serious things in life. Some of the things that I enjoy are movies, trivia nights, almost all music, visiting museums & historical sites, and quiet times talking and just hanging out. Throughout west Texas, I am famous for my chocolate chip cookies. I like to cook and can whip up a dinner for two or a crowd. I love books and reading is one of my favorite ways to expand my perspective, learn, or just immerse myself in another world.

I like to hike, bike, and go for long walks. Running early mornings on the Mount Vernon trail or in Old Town has been fun training for me to recently complete my first half marathon in Virginia Beach. I'd like to try kayaking and sailing and want to travel and see more of the world.

I’m looking for someone to call and laugh with when something funny happens, make plans, and to share the pleasures, adventures and quirkiness of life. I’m curious, open-minded, non judgmental and accepting.

I can’t resist getting the large popcorn at the movies, and of course I usually end up eating too much in the exciting parts. Want to join me and help?

__________________________________________________________________

Oh. My. Goodness.

What an experience it has been. Scary. Outside my comfort zone. Good for me in many ways. Great for my ego. Hard in many ways, too, like being assertive and telling what I think and like and talking about myself, and trying not to hurt feelings, or risking getting hurt myself. Certainly a learning experience/adventure. I may post some of the funnier, interesting, growing experiences here sometime. If you know how I analyze and over-analyze everything, you can imagine how I have stressed over every detail of each conversation, email, text message and interaction.

The jury is still out on if it is overall good or not.
Time will tell, I suppose.

Yes, we did it

2011-09-07T23:14:00.003-04:00

We ran 13.1 miles.
Not a big deal for the marathon runners in the family, but very cool for me.

Picking up our packets.

At convention center expo, there were all kinds of vendors and sponsors. Megan, Stephen and I had our pace analyzed. We found out that they are both neutral; I am a bit of a pronator and need a more stablity shoe.

Race morning, we got up by 5:00 am and caught the shuttle to the race beginning. For a couple of days, I hadn't felt very good and had a bad headache. I was complaining more than I should have all morning....Advil helped.

We got in our places to start, listened to the National Anthem (I always love that part!) and off we went. There is much I need to learn about pacing myself, etc. but I think overall I did well for my first. About mile 7, a guy got an energy thing for me and started talking as we went along. He said he had been setting his pace with me, and since he hadn't trained much, I was helping him go faster. We ran together the rest of the time. It was fun to have a running buddy, and made the miles go by faster.

I did okay - not fantastic, but okay. Megan did better than I did, but not as well as she wanted to. She has been so busy with school and work and going to Israel that she hasn't trained like she did last year and didn't feel like she did as well as then.

Jesse, on the other hand, was awesome! Even faster than his goal...one of the top 1%! 6:46 minute miles.
Crazy. Wowow. He says he could have gone faster, but was holding back and sticking to his planned time. Now he wants to do another and go faster. The Marine Corp Marathon is in October, and he is signed up to run that.

It's been 3 days now and my soreness is about gone. I thought this would be a check in the box -
Half Marathon - I've done that.

But now I'm thinking I want to do it again. And, of course, train better and run a little faster.

Monuments

2011-09-02T18:20:00.000-04:00

On Friday, Stephen, Jordan and I wandered

through some of the national monuments -

We parked near the Jefferson and walked up to it.

Then took looked around outside by the Tidal Basin.

The Washington Monument coming out of Stephen's head (?)

We walked over to the FDR Monument, which is spread out and has waterfalls and benches and is quite nice - I had never seen it before.

Then by the brand new, not-even-officially-open, very crowded MLKing monument.

On to the Lincoln Memorial ...

Good day.

Jordan is here!

2011-09-01T16:48:00.004-04:00

Stephen and I drove to Baltimore to pick Jordan up this morning.

Let the good times begin!

Stephen is determined to mess up any photo taken -

even by a stranger!

I just keep trying.

We saw a car that may not be exactly Jordan's style,
but it definitely had the Monkey mark!

Stephen is here!

2011-08-30T22:36:00.004-04:00

Stephen came in Friday night.

It is so great to have him here and see him after all this time!

He has been feeling a bit sick, so mostly resting to feel better - so far.

Bonding times - We like computers :)

EARTHQUAKE

2011-08-25T21:44:00.011-04:00

Tuesday about 2:30 in the afternoon, Phylis said to me - Do you feel that? I said - The monitor is shaking, and so is the floor... A few seconds later all the glass walls started jiggling and bouncing until we thought they would start cracking and falling. She said - That is a strong wind! I said - Wind? Inside? It feels like an earthquake!

Soon people came running down the hall saying - Everyone out!

I grabbed my purse and and phone and we started down the now-crowded stairwell; down seven floors and out to the sidewalk. The streets were full of people.

Meg texted: Did u feel that? Earthquake?

They were all evacuated, too. When you work in the Capitol, you fear the worst when things start shaking, since 9/11.

She wrote: Was relieved to see The Capitol still standing!

Jordan texted us: I've called everyone and no one is answering. I just heard about an earthquake in that area. Please someone call me back so I know you three are alright.

I tried to call him, but the cell service was all blocked. No calls were going through for anyone.

When I texted him back to tell him all was fine, it went through. People with Blackberries couldn't get or send texts, so they were borrowing my phone to send texts out.

After about 20 minutes, people were allowed in to get their stuff and go home for the day. Phylis and I, of course, illegally stayed an hour or two to finish up some urgent stuff. But eventually I was headed home on the Metro, which went only 15 miles an hour and was packed like a can of sardines.

Phone and text service in and out. Classes canceled for both Jesse and Meg.

Texting:
Me: Drama haha
Meg: Drraaaaama. It wasn't THAT bad.

5.9 magnitude earthquake.

Not much damage overall - although the Washington Monument is still closed for now, and the beautiful National Cathedral sadly lost a few spires.

Just another exciting day in Washington, D.C.

My Oh My

2011-08-21T21:14:00.000-04:00

Saturday I ran twelve miles.

Yes, you read right - twelve miles.

There were some great views along the way, but I was going and going and couldn't even stop to snap a picture. Which I now regret. Next time, I will take some photos so I can share some of the gorgeous stuff I am seeing as I chug along.

Sooo sore right now, but proud of me. If I can do 12, I can do 13.1 in two weeks in Virginia Beach. I'm actually looking forward to it! Jesse will probably come in more than an hour before me and Meg not far after that, but I am going to FINISH!

Stephen is coming next Friday, and Jordan the next Thursday!
We are going to have a great time all together. Happy Happy Happy

Books = Movies ?

2011-08-15T20:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend I saw THREE movies based on books I've recently read.

They were all pretty good movies, but let's face it: we all know that the book is almost always better. Have you ever seen a movie you liked better than the book?

My New Favorite Running Song

2011-08-10T22:02:00.005-04:00

Rolling in the Deep - Adele

Perfect for running and running...

I am going to do my first 10 mile run early Saturday morning before it gets too hot. I don't know why it sounds intimidating - I've done a couple of 8's and lots of 5's... I can do this. Right?

Sunday Rain

2011-08-07T20:22:00.010-04:00

Rain here cools things down a little and makes everything green. It comes in sheets and then suddenly stops. Like the faucet is turned off.

The air feels thick with the moisture, but you don't get that 'desert rain' smell here that rain brings in Texas.

Nice relaxing day. . . This morning, Jesse brought food and we made brunch for us three plus a friend - french toast and eggs and lots of bacon. And orange juice and Mimosas. No pictures - you will just have to take my word for it.

A nap, laundry, some errands, popcorn and Netflix. ahhh, Sunday.

Kick Ball Tournament

2011-08-06T22:05:00.007-04:00

Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless Kickball Tournament --- 2nd place!

All day today Jesse and Meg played in a kick ball tournament. I went to watch and got there about the end of the 2nd game. Their team, the Manatees, just kept winning and winning! It was fun to be a spectator in the dugout with the team. They had never practiced together or anything - it was just raw talent. Megan played every single inning of every single game, because there had to be 3 girls on the field at all times. Her stamina was amazing. There was some great Taylor/Smith teamwork, as well as some pretty cool catches and runs. I was back to being the proud mom at my kid's games, haha.Jesse had to leave before the end of the last game to go play in a soccer game.

My brother Maurice was in town, and we went to meet him for a quick visit and get some icecream. They were in town for a wedding on her side of the family, and I felt a little guilty showing up to steal them away from the festivities, especially since I was sweaty and probably stinky after being in the heat all day, but they were gracious and seemed to really want to get together. It was nice as always to see him and Rosanne. Meg was a very good sport to come with me in her kickball clothes after playing from 9 to 4 in the hot sun. She is awesome that way.

Back again

2011-08-03T20:51:00.005-04:00

Meg is home from Turkey and Israel. Her experiences sound so fascinating! She ate all kinds of interesting stuff, and got food poisoning just once. Her flight back was delayed about 5 hours and luggage lost both on the way and the way back, but I guess those are small inconveniences that come with international travel.

They stood quickly for a picture - Jesse is not patient with my desire to take pictures of everything

The delay meant that Jesse could come to the airport, too, which was a good thing because Dulles is kind of far away and I have been known to get lost on all these confusing freeways. We had plenty of time to go to ChikfilA and get some food - we pretended we were doing it just to get something for Megan.

Her luggage still hasn't arrived, but she brought me some Baklava from Istanbul in her carry-on. I had always associated it with Greece, but now I know that Turkey is actually the Baklava place! Very rich and soooo good!

Day off

2011-08-01T09:54:00.015-04:00

Haven't posted for a while. I guess I've become ambivalent about the whole blogging thing- I like having a record of some of the stuff I do, but I'm not sure about this forum. I'll think about it a bit more and we'll see. But in the meantime..

Today I took the day off; my first day off since I started this job. I'm picking Meg up at Dulles this afternoon. I finally did my long run this morning - 8 miles and I will admit the last one and a half I thought I wasn't going to make it. Only one month to get up to speed. awwk!

It's very hot and very humid and I was dripping. My face gets all red when I run - Meg says she must have got that from me.

This weekend was a happy one for me - I had a good time all by myself :) I ran, walked down to the farmer's market down the street, did some shopping and errands, finished a book, watched episodes of old shows I loved on Netflix, ate a bowl of popcorn and had good talks on the phone with people far away.

Jesse invited me to go over to his place Saturday to play cards with him and some of his friends which is one of my favorite things to do. I made some cookies to take - which I haven't done for so long I almost could not remember the recipe! I found that bluffing is something I could work on - even if I think I am acting very low-key, every one knows if I get something good haha. Yesterday evening we walked down the street to Dairy Godmothers - yum.

Another 10 Miler for Megan

2011-04-10T10:25:00.000-04:00

The GW Parkway Classic today!

Pictures from last year

2011-04-08T21:00:00.005-04:00

Megan found these pictures on her Blackberry that we took in the Capitol
from my visit last year in October, before I moved here.

I like them - so they are going on the blog.

Some Toddler Pictures

2011-04-07T21:15:00.003-04:00

My big brother and me - I love this picture! It is my current desktop.

I wasn't sure I liked that doggie - although apparently my Mom thought I would.
My Oma in the background was watching my reaction

Visiting Mexico! Sadly, to this day my legs have kept this original shape ha ha

The BookMark

2011-04-03T23:39:00.004-04:00

From my email inbox:

Dear Bookmark Members and Friends,

Spring blow-out sale!

Everything in the store is on sale this week for 50% off.

Sale dates are April 6 thru 9.

The Bookmark

7348 Remcon Circle El Paso, Texas 79912

Hours: Wed 3-6pm; Thurs; Sat 9-3pm; Fri 3-8pm

I miss the Bookmark in El Paso... It seems used bookstores have been a theme through my life, and this was my favorite so far.

The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler

2011-04-03T23:02:00.030-04:00

The Cherry Blossom 10 Miler was today! Megan and I got up early and drove in to cheer Joshua on. We admired the beautiful cherry blossoms...they are everywhere!

Our cheering must have been very effective -

He did, like, 8 minute miles!

The Jefferson Memorial in the background

After the race, we had a BIG breakfast in Alexandria at the Royal Diner - yummy!

Already all set up
with a gazillion wires here and there.

With full tummys, we picked up my very-needed Craigslist desk for my bedroom in Jesse's truck.

Later, I tagged along and we went to the huge outlet mall in Leesburg about an hour away. I didn't buy anything, but it was fun to look at stuff.

Tonight, I video chatted with Stephen

and then Jordan video called in

and then Jesse called on the phone!

I got to spend some time talking with all of my kids tonight.

That makes me happy.

Cherry Blossoms

2011-03-26T13:22:00.009-04:00

This is what I see when I'm walking the two blocks from the metro to work -
Cherry Blossoms! ....and the U.S. Capitol - really cool.

Lots and lots of cherry blossoms.

People come from all over the country to see these - and I get to just walk to work and enjoy them on the way.

Right outside my window I look down at a small triangular park which is the National Japanese American Memorial To Patriotism During World War II. It is lined with trees that are blossoming.

It is still awesome to me that I am seeing this kind of stuff everyday -

it kinda feels like I'm living a permanent vacation.

Movie Premier

2011-03-10T23:34:00.016-05:00

Megan and I attended a special screening of the new movie "Jane Eyre" which is coming out in theaters tomorrow. I was invited through work. I think I have mentioned that the non-profit I work for is affiliated with NBC, and our offices are with the Government Relations offices.

"The Government Relations office of NBC Universal cordially invites you and a guest to attend a reception, educational presentation and screening of Focus Features' JANE EYRE on Thursday, March 10 at 6:30pm at MPAA. The educational presentation will focus on the economic contributions of the movie industry and the job-killing impact of digital theft. NBC Universal invests a great deal of resources to produce quality television programming and films, so we hope this presentation will give you a better understanding of how important these issues are to the ongoing health and growth of the motion picture industry".

I loved the book and re-read it many times growing up. The movie was excellent and as close to the book as I had hoped it would be! The presentation was very interesting as well, addressing some of the issues that arise as technology expands so quickly.

Weekend

2011-03-06T17:38:00.007-05:00

Saturday was a Beautiful Day!
Fresh and bright and sunshine-y.

Around noon, I went to King Street to watch the Alexandria St. Patrick's Day parade with a little girl that I sometimes babysit. The parade was fun - lots of bagpipes and jumpy-type dancing and of course, lot's o' green. It was a delight to watch A. and see her joy and wonder and reaction to everything that came along! She danced and clapped and laughed and petted every dog who had an owner that would give permission. We got headbands with shamrocks on springs and bounced our heads back and forth.. . A couple of boys her age had come along, too, and were not nearly as thrilled and complained; but that didn't dampen our fun.

After the parade, the kids and I went to Ben and Jerry's around the corner and got cones. There was a bubble machine in the window and the kids were busy the whole time I was in line catching bubbles and coloring with chalk on the cows. Then we walked down to the park and played in the sand and explored the tunnel. It was nice to have an excuse to be outside on such a lovely day.

When I got home, I was still feeling a little tired, so I took a nap while Meg ran some errands. She came home and asked if I wanted to go to the late movie of The Adjustment Bureau with Josh and her. Of course! (We were on time and everything). Meg got a big popcorn bucket - which is my favorite thing, and I did my share and more. I liked the movie - it was interesting and made me think.

Today, I woke to drizzly rain, so all day I've just been puttering. I cleaned a bit around the house and now I am finishing up laundry and listening to Pandora and writing blogstuff (obviously). It feels good just to get all those little things caught up. I walked down the street in the rain to get some quarters with boots and an umbrella. I don't remember ever using an umbrella in rain before! It was a novelty. When you live most of your life in the Southwest, I guess some things like that are just not really part of the experience.

I have a movie from Netflix in the living room that I've had for more than a week, so I'm think maybe I'll pop a little popcorn bag and make a cup of hot chocolate and go in and watch it.

Los Tios!

2011-03-04T23:58:00.017-05:00

Tonight I was working late, and Joshua and Megan drove clear into DC and picked me up! and then they took me to Los Tios - just down the street from our home.

There was a guitarista, and yummy salsa and queso and drinks and food. It was crowded in a good way. While we were waiting for our table, we colored some kitties and they were SO beautiful, the restaurant people hung them up! Okay, maybe we asked them if they had some tape, because we should probably hang up such great art.

l.to r. Joshua's with red sweater, Patrick's (a random guy we convinced to display) with wings and fangs, Mine delicately shaded, and Megan's Patriotic Red, White and Blue Tabby.

Joshua also colored a car, which is now hanging in the place of honor
on the refrigerator at home.

A good night.

Flowers at work

2011-03-04T23:23:00.012-05:00

My boss-lady is pretty wonderful.

Every Monday,
she puts flowers
on my desk.

It makes me remember what a wonderful place this world really is.

How bad can a day get, really, when everytime you turn around, you see such beauty?

New Office

2011-03-04T22:57:00.008-05:00

Just as I start getting used to the new job, we move to new offices.

In DC, our non-profit office space is hosted by NBC.

So since GE owned NBC (think 30Rock!), our offices were with GE's Government Relations area in a beautiful, huge, old, historic office building downtown (near the Metro Center). Then Comcast bought NBC, so we all moved our offices this week to the the brand new Comcast building -just down the street from the Capitol!
My commute is a little different - I have to switch from the Yellow to Red line, but it goes smoothly most days.

The new offices are VERY sleek and modern and up-to-date and cool.

Floor to ceiling windows for the entire building

Moving is grueling and we have gone home pretty exhausted most evenings. We are getting settled in now, and things will be getting better and better as we get busier and busier preparing for the huge June conference in New York.

Valentine's Day

2011-03-04T22:48:00.002-05:00

Time for catching up!

Feeling a wee bit better - still coughing incessantly (I went around and apologized to all at work who can hear me hacking away all day long - it must be very annoying).

But finally feeling up to downloading some photos for the last few weeks that I have been so sickie.

Valentines Day was lovely, thanks to my awesome roomie.

She brought home Valentines surprises.

Just LOVE-ly.

(She also brought me Vicks Vaporub, Theraflu Severe Cold and Flu Liquid, Immune Shots and Vitamins). She is amazing. I love her.

The Flu

2011-02-23T18:38:00.005-05:00

The Sunday before I started work, I woke up feeling AWFUL.

Of course, I HAD to go to work the next day - my first day. I went - coughing and stuffy and feeling achy all over. Not great for focusing and learning the new stuff. I did constant handwashing and some isolation - trying not to infect anyone else with these dreaded symptoms.

TEN days later, I am feeling only slightly better. Still coughing. Still headache. Still aching body.

Ugh. I think I have the flu.

Yellow Tulips

2011-02-13T23:36:00.000-05:00

Joshua brought some New Job flowers to me!

Yellow Tulips!

It may be my Half-Dutch-ness, but I think tulips are always so beautiful.

I especially like yellow ones right now :)

Blue Tyranosaurus Rex !

2011-02-13T21:52:00.010-05:00

We were grocery shopping for 'fresh' stuff
and since TJs was super packed,

we ended up in another store where
Megan brought my attention to this:

PERFECT for Jesse!
(who loves Tyrannosauruses and also Blue).

We had to get it.

Meg thought I looked pretty cute
walking around the store
with a TRex in my hands.

It is now peeping
into Megan's room
(in a cute-not-creepy way!)
through the window
from the back porch,
at least until
Jesse comes back.

The Navy Man

2011-02-13T00:24:00.012-05:00

Video chatting
with Stephen tonight.

He looks great
in his uniform!

Modeling his new "BCGs" - Military-issued glasses that the guys call Birth Control Glasses, because they are so ugly no girl will ever like you when you are wearing them.

Changes

2011-02-12T16:40:00.005-05:00

As my life and and the way I look at things change, I am wanting a little updating.

So I'm trying some minor changes of blog things; like the name and maybe the look.

Girls' Night

2011-02-12T09:33:00.020-05:00

Last night was Girls' Night Out
for Megan and me.

I picked her up from work and
we went to Georgetown.

(very crowded on Friday nights, fyi).

I had been in interviews most of the day
and was happy to go
do something fun and relax.

Megan treated me to
a celebration dinner because

....wait for it.....

I now have a job!

I'm starting work Monday
at a non-profit in DC.

It is such a relief to
once again be employed.

I am proud to have gotten a job
all on my own.

Home Cooking

2011-02-09T13:14:00.048-05:00

Because our pantry and freezer are pretty full, Megan and I decided to see if we could go the whole month of February without so much food shopping. We agreed to buy only fresh stuff (milk, eggs, veggies and fruit) as needed, and just use up (the considerable amount) stuff we have on hand. So far, it has not been very hard to do. There are so many options.

Joshua and Meg rolled out the dough and put on the toppings.

Last night we decided to make a homemade (whole-wheat) pizza and calzone.

Frozen spinach, peppers, onions, spaghetti sauce, some leftover chicken, garlic and some cheese.

Fruity-chocolate cake

I made a cake. Trying to make it as healthy as possible, I added a bag of frozen mixed berries to the mix - a good adjustment - it was very chocolatey and moist. I made the "frosting" with vanilla pudding and more berries.

Fun times.

Talking

2011-02-07T22:30:00.005-05:00

I finally got to talk to Stephen tonight!

It was great to see him with his short hair and shorn beard. He has MUSCLES!

It seems he is doing quite well in his new life / new environment. I'm proud.

Chinese New Year

2011-02-03T09:25:00.006-05:00

Today is the beginning of the Chinese New Year - Year of the Rabbit.

Apparently, (according to the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco,)
I am a Monkey:

Monkey

People born in the Year of the Monkey are the erratic geniuses of the cycle. Clever, skillful, and flexible, they are remarkably inventive and original and can solve the most difficult problems with ease. There are few fields in which Monkey people wouldn't be successful but they have a disconcerting habit of being too agreeable. They want to do things now, and if they cannot get started immediately, they become discouraged and sometimes leave their projects. Although good at making decisions, they tend to look down on others. Having common sense, Monkey people have a deep desire for knowledge and have excellent memories. Monkey people are strong willed but their anger cools quickly. They are most compatible with the Dragon and Rat.

Jesse and Jordan = Horses
Megan = Rat
Stephen = Rabbit

It is interesting that many cultures have a definition of who you may be based on your birthday/month/year. I'm also Sagittarius.

Gym Firsts

2011-01-31T20:37:00.003-05:00

My first time EVER going to a gym today.

I ran in the cinema room on a treadmill for awhile,
got bored with the movie (I'd seen it)
and then looked around the gym.

There were ALOT of people working out like crazy.

Inspiring and a little Intimidating.

I liked it.

Drowsy Chaperone

2011-01-30T23:14:00.005-05:00

Last night, Megan, Joshua, Jesse and I went to a production in Mclean of

the Broadway play "The Drowsy Chaperone."

It was amazing! Very funny and entertaining with lots of musical numbers.

We weren't allowed to take pictures of the production, but here is an official image

of the Broadway version of what we saw.

Awesome. So glad Megan had this idea and invited us.

Shenanigans

2011-01-29T19:21:00.008-05:00

Snowball fights on Saturday afternoon
- outside Jesse's place.

Ready to throw as soon as Meg comes around the corner of the truck....

Megan frolicking (dodging snow balls) in such a cute Moosey way

So glad Mommas are exempt from Snowball Fight involvement. (whew!)

I just get to take pictures.

WAFLE Shop

2011-01-29T12:08:00.008-05:00

Jesse and Meg have a cute nearby place
that they sometimes go for weekend breakfasts -

the Wafle Shop.

Note: Not Waffle Shop, this one is special with one "F"
(see sign in photo) so we say WAfle (with a long A).

(I just figured out that what Jesse and Meg are saying is WAY FULL -
which is what we are when we walk out after eating there!)

This morning, Max cooked for us:

waffles and eggs and toast and potatoes and bacon.

We ate and ate and ate - yummy!

My First Big Snow

2011-01-28T23:32:00.019-05:00

On Wednesday afternoon, snow started falling with wet splatty drops which became increasingly floatier and puffier in the ensuing hours. By nightfall, I just wanted to sit and stare out the window and watch the world transform.

A man came along and began shoveling the sidewalks even as the snow continued to fall.

Part of the fun of storms outside is staying warm and dry together inside.

We watched interesting things on Roku/Netflix, before Jesse decided it was time to head home.

I walked out with him so I could see the people (and their doggie- see his bright eyes in the picture) building a midnight snowman across the street. "Look at this snowman's great abs!" they called as I snapped some pics.

The next morning I got a better look.

Orange Slices for eyes,
a carrot nose (of course!) and
I'm not sure if the mouth was raisins or coffee beans (?).
Quite a hat//fancy hairdo. Very cute!
.. and definitely - a six pack! haha

...And for much of the area: school and work canceled the next day!

Unless, like Megan, you work on Capitol Hill.

Alzheimer's

2011-01-22T08:58:00.010-05:00

....It runs in my genes. My Mom is showing signs, my Oma died in advanced stages, and her mother (Opu) also succumbed. Megan sent this tongue in cheek email to Jess and I yesterday:

Luckily! Alzheimer's research is progressing faster than Mom's Alzheimer's!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/health/21alzheimers.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2

I answered:

WHEW! I REALLY don't want to forget you guys!
....and where I parked the car.
....and how to drive.
....and how to read.
.....and what my name is.
....and how to talk.
.....and how to eat.
.....and how to swallow.
.....and how to breathe.

I'm counting on science to come through for me.

A Decade

2011-01-17T22:22:00.015-05:00

On a blog that I like to read, the writer listed the changes that have happened in her life in the last decade. I started to think about that in my own life, and I'm amazed at what a difference those ten years have made.

Ten years ago, in 2000: Jesse was 22, Megan 16, Stephen 13 and Jordan 10. Jesse had just joined the Marine Corp. Megan had started to date and drive. The boys were not yet in High School. Since then, we have had 3 graduations from Franklin High School, Megan from NMSU, Jesse graduated from UT Austin, and me from UTEP.

Jesse has been all around the world, including Australia, East Timor, the Persian Gulf and Kuwait, Pakistan/Afghanistan, a year and a half in Denmark and the same in the Congo. Megan toured Europe and spent some time in Costa Rica. Stephen lived 2 years in the Ukraine. In a couple of weeks, Jordan will be 21 and we will all officially be adults. No births or marriages in the decade, but sadly, one divorce (me) in 06.

Ten years ago, I was a stay at home mom. I went to work in 01 and have done many things since- started a business with a partner; been a national brand manager; worked my way up here and there. For me, it feels like it has been a decade of alot of work.

In 2000, we still lived at Kingswood. We all loved that home - that was the kids' childhood home - we moved there in January 1987. Since then, several moves: Dover, Desert Jewel, Bartlett, and now I'm in Virgina!

Technology has certainly changed - we went from VHS to DVD to digital streaming; from tapes to CDs to iPods. Back then, we were just getting cell phones, had dialup internet, and a couple of large desktop computers. Now, everyone has their own phone, laptop, and wireless, of course.

We've had happy, busy, stressful, and sad times. My brother suddenly passed away. The Taylor kids lost their grandmother on that side.

I'm happy with where I am in my life. Still sometimes stressy and scary, but looking down the road another ten years, I think it will all be good. I don't feel settled or know what is coming, but maybe that is just how life is. I'm not just focused on some future date or event. I'm just learning and finding the happiness of living and enjoying the journey.

Fireflies

2011-01-16T21:11:00.006-05:00

My son took me for a lovely dinner tonight at Fireflies.

Food sooo good, and delightful company :)

When we came back, Megan and Joshua were back from the movie,
so we decided to dust off "Puerto Rico" - a fun board game
requiring intricate strategy.

After finishing the first game about midnight, three of us
were gungho (is that the word??) to play another.

One person, not so much.

But we talked her into it and played another game (really fun)
until early morning hours.

When Meg got up this morning, I asked her how she felt,
and she said "Like I stayed up until 3 in the morning."
I guess we all did.

But what fun last night!

I love living here.

Beauty

2011-01-14T21:14:00.006-05:00

Megan brought these beautiful flowers home tonight.

She said that people on the metro were commenting and admiring them.

Although winter has its own beauties, when it is stark and bleak outside,
people seem to have a natural hunger to see the beauty of nature's springtime.

Snowflakes

2011-01-11T20:55:00.003-05:00

The first flakes of snow in my new home- lightly drifting down outside the window of my bedroom earlier today.

Ready for Winter in the East

2011-01-09T19:02:00.000-05:00

I was looking at some hats while shopping with Jesse and Meg this weekend, and Jesse asked me, "Do you have a beanie, Mom?" I told him I did not, and he said that everyone needs to have a beanie in the weather here. He let me pick out any color and style I wanted and bought it for me! (a really cool Northface one with fleece on the inside - so warm and cozy). Perfect!

I love my new beanie-hat.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:01:00.019-05:00

It is a fresh new year - as we finish up the duties of the last year and move on to a New Beginning.

New Year's Eve Day was very productive - we finished up the final moving-in projects.. I cleaned/organized the sun room/storage area, and a few other projects like that. So I felt ready and organized to greet the new year!

We went over to Jesse's and he cooked - salmon and pasta and veggies. SOOOO good! I told him he should open a restaurant, but he said it would have a limited menu. But still, I think I would want to eat there every day. Very yummy.

Then I had the great idea to go to Dairy Godmother's for dessert (it fills in the cracks), and we got waffle cones. Jesse and Megan put 'Auld Lang Syne' on the juke box and then 'Fill me up Buttercup' and they danced so he could show her how to waltz. So cute.

At Dairy Godmother's, we saw some Mexican Wedding Cookies/Russian Teacakes that looked yummy and I said - I have the stuff to make for those; I'll make some for New Years. They are quick and easy :) and were enjoyed a bunch. I think that is our new New Year tradition.

I also scrounged around for some dinner/snacks and made some oven sweet potato/regular potato fries and chicken and Joshua brought his famous barbeque/blue cheese spicy dip and crackers and cheese. He brought us a New Years/Housewarming gift, too - which looks PERFECT on the bookcase is the front room. We love it.

Lots of Dancing

The four of us ate until we were too full; Joshua did the dishes with Meg's help and they danced in the kitchen.


The Robot

Soon Jesse went on his way; the 3 of us watched a movie. Joshua and Megan went to Old Town Alexandria, which looked like a magical fairyland, with lights on all the trees. I got to go pick them up later (cabs were hard to come by).

Pretty lights and lots of people - New Years on King Street

A lovely evening to greet the coming year. Welcome 2011!

The Move

2010-12-30T19:47:00.023-05:00

One of the reasons I am so behind in my list, and haven't blogged much this last month - THE MOVE.

Quick recap:
Last days of works - Dec 11 and Dec 15th.
Packing, packing, packing. Goodwill visits. Boxing up. Craigslist sales.

Fly in: Jesse and Meg - Dec 15th.

Rent big truck - Dec 16th.

Pack and load truck - 16th-17th.

Night of 17th - Drive out of El Paso.

There were only 2 bucket seats and three of us - so Jesse got a lawn chair and it fit perfectly! Because there was no music system, Megan suggested duct-taping my Bose speakers to the dash - it worked awesome!

Drive across TEXAS, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia = ~ 39 hours, with eating and lots of gassing stops. Megan and I crocheted scarfs, which turned out beautifully.

Arrive in Alexandria Dec 20th , picked up the key. Unloaded all day; friends helping with the biggest stuff that evening.

Dec 21-24th Unpacking boxes, move stuff around; Comcast; Ikea trips = 2; Target trips = 3 (or more); Trader Joe's =1; Lowes = 1; Megan painting her room!

Dec 24th - Jordan arrives! Yay!
Christmas! Lovely dinner with friends.

Dec 26th - 29th. Fun with Jordan. Drive around and see the sights. Capitol Tour with awesome guide. Trivia night!

Hanging out at Starbucks by the fireplace after eating at Good Stuff.

Raptor Theme = Mom takes too many pictures :)

Dec 30th. Finally settled in.

A new year right around the corner.
Very happy to be here.

Day 9

2010-12-04T16:58:00.014-05:00

Day 9- Put your ipod on shuffle, First 10 (or 30?) songs

1. Mother and Child Reunion - Paul Simon
2. Where Do the Children Play? - Cat Stevens
3. The Luckiest - Ben Folds
4. On and On - Stephen Bishop
5. Song for You - Ray Charles
6. What a Wonderful World - Willie Nelson
7. There is a Tree - Carrie Newcomer
8. In My Life - Crosby, Stills & Nash
9. Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
10. I Don't Know Why - Shawn Colvin
11. A Song of You - Sara Hickman
12. Anytime - Kelly Clarkson
13. Someone Like You - Van Morrison
14. Probably Wouldn't Be This Way - Leann Rimes
15. She's Everything - Brad Paisley
16. River - Robert Downey, Jr.
17. Shadow On the Wall - Brandi Carlisle
18. I Drive Myself Crazy - 'Nsync
19. Belief - John Mayer
20. Land of the Living - Lucy Kaplansky
21. Highlight - Storyhill
22. It Doesn't Have To Be - Jim Croce
23. The Way That I Am - Ingrid Michelson
24. Telephone - Lady Gaga
25. Power of Two - Indigo Girls
26. For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield
27. Til the Sun Comes Up Again - America
28. Send Me a River - The Cottars
29. World Spins Madly On - The Weepies
50. One in a Million You - Larry Graham

Oh, my goodness, this was fun - I just kept going and going...... "Oh that's a good one; that's a good one; that's a good one...!" Okay, I'm an over-achiever - ha ha.

On my ipod is just the playlist that I have for listening at work...so it is all pretty mellow and calm. That is why no very different types or Classical or Christmas popped up - I have quite a bit of those.

Jesse has an Otis Reding Pandora station that he has been refining for quite some time that is pretty amazing.

I love music. It enriches life.

Day 8

2010-12-03T21:10:00.021-05:00

Day 8- A Place you've Traveled to

Back when the kids were little, we used to go to Ixtapa Zihuatenejo every year for Thanksgiving. Because Mexico doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. I have many great memories of being there.

A Thanksgiving dinner at the nearby Sheraton - (only Dad had turkey).

If I ever want to run far away from it all, Ixtapa is the first place on my list.

We always stayed at the Condominios Iguana. I loved the bright colors and sea breezes. You could walk down a few stairs from the pool to the beach.

Lots to do - para-sailing, deep sea fishing, painting pots, reading by the pool, making sand castles, walking on the beach, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, collecting sea shells, spending time together, making memories....

One of my favorite places on earth.

Jordan and His Truck

2010-12-02T22:59:00.011-05:00

Thanksgiving was eventful for Jordan - He finally got the truck he wanted and has been saving for. I keep saying it is a BIG truck, but he corrects me and says - It's normal size.

With new tires and detailing, it looks pretty spiffy.

He was happy to drive his own vehicle back to San Antonio.

Jordan is always fun to hang out with. I was so happy that he came for a few days.

It's My Birthday Again!

2010-12-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

They just keep coming. I'm happy.

A fable

2010-11-29T10:30:00.002-05:00

A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.

Not very long," answered the Mexican.

But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.

The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.

The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."

The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."

And after that?" asked the Mexican.

With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."

"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.

Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.

"And after that?"

"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.

"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."

And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there

I like this

2010-11-27T19:21:00.012-05:00

I was reading an old post linked in a blog I've read for many years and this jumped out at me:

"All lives involve choices, and while each choice opens some possibilities, it closes others. In some respects my choices have closed things off for me. But more than anything, they've opened more doors than I ever thought they would."

Guess I've been thinking of life-changing choices quite a bit lately, because of the choices I have made/am making and their good and bad consequences.

When my Oma was my age, she sold most of the family possessions, and immigrated from Holland to the US on borrowed boat fare with just a couple of crates of clothing and some treasured art. At the end of the day, things turned out fine for her, but I can only imagine the strength it took to make such a step.

Big changes are almost always scary because of the fear of what doors may be closing - and the unknown future - but like the line in Shawshank Redemption - 'You've either got to get busy living or get busy dying.'

Living sounds good.

Day 7 - Movies

2010-11-26T11:06:00.005-05:00

Day 7- Favorite Movies day

Not a comprehensive list, obviously. I like movies.

I just went to Netflix (love Netflix!) and picked out my all time favorites

plus some others that I liked.

Two weeks later: Oh no! I forgot Forrest Gump! Great movie.

Thankful

2010-11-25T21:04:00.005-05:00

Another 'different' Thanksgiving this year. I love having Jordan here - he is always a joy to be around.

No matter how we celebrate, it feels good to gratefully acknowledge the many people, events and comforts that bless my life.

On this lovely, crisp, beautiful fall Thanksgiving day, I feel fulfilled and peaceful.

How truly blessed I am.

To be content with what we possess

is the greatest and most secure of riches.

- Cicero

2010-11-24T12:29:00.006-05:00

Day 6- A song that makes you cry (or nearly and why)

Megan sent me "Best Day" by Taylor Swift

I get a little teary every time I listen.

It is magical.

I'm so happy I have a daughter and that we have that kind of bond.

and he's off!

2010-11-23T20:45:00.006-05:00

Stephen left early this morning to go off on his Navy adventure. He will be out of contact for the next couple of months at boot camp. When he gets through that, we'll get to see him for a few days before he heads off to Nuclear Engineering school.

It feels strange that he is gone and I can't even text or facebook him. His phone and his computer are sitting here on my desk. Really weird. I miss him. It will be interesting to see how this experience goes for him.

Day 5

2010-11-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

Day 5- Pictures of things that make you happy

My kids!....books & learning....running....trees and outside....baking and cooking...etc...and etc.

Hard to choose just a few.

Day 4

2010-11-21T04:49:00.002-05:00

Day 4- Something you're looking forward to

The big thing coming up for me......Moving!

I have a counter to count down the days on my home page at igoogle.

28 days right now.

Notices have been given, and most free time is spent sorting and minimizing and downsizing and deciding what to haul across the country.

I'm nervous because of the unknowns, but very excited to get on with it!

Day 3

2010-11-20T13:21:00.014-05:00

Day 3- Your Parents and Siblings

I grew up in a big family.

My Dad was born in Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico.

My Mom was born in Hilversum, Holland.

They have a sweet love story about how they met in Salt Lake City, fell in love, were engaged after 3 weeks and married in 3 months.

58 years and nine children later, they are still in love.

When my dad turned 80, we had a big reunion in Kanab, Utah.

One of my brothers lives there, and my Dad's father was born there. Almost everyone was there.

Here is the whole group shot taken on the front porch of

the 'Bowman-Chamberlain Historic Home':

Here is the picture of my family with parents, siblings, spouses.

I cropped the photos of each of my sibs, so I can put us in order and give a brief description of each person. They are all so unique and interesting, if I start going into much detail, I would not be writing a post - it would be a book! Here goes a short, off-the-top-of-my-head quickie description of each of my brothers and sisters:

First born is Maurice. He is an awesome person who is the best of all the siblings at keeping us connected and organized. Maurice lives in Bountiful and works in telecommunications. He was valedictorian in High School and graduated from BYU summa cum laude, feats even more amazing considering he lost his sight when he was 3 months old. He and his wife, Rosanne, have 2 grownup children and 2 darling grand kids.

Next born was me !

14 months after me, my sister Terry was born. She lives in Utah, is married, the mom of six and grandma of 3 1/2. She has a very busy life. She has always been very artistic and creative and has a great knack for decorating and making her home welcome and homey. Her kids call her 'Hot mama' and she is.

My sister Judy is the third of us girls born in a row. At one time or another, Judy has lived with all of us siblings - even me for a little while, when I was first married and living in Arizona. She is strong willed, warm and nurturing. Kids of all ages love her.

Gary is the oldest of the five younger boys. He is the cowboy of the family and helped my dad a great deal on the ranch when he was growing up. He had a military career and flew as crew chief in Blackhawk helicopters during Desert Storm - and was awarded all kinds of medals for valor. He and his wife are now living in Kuwait where he works for a defense contractor. They have 2 grown children.

My brother Steve was super-smart - valedictorian of his High School class and graduated from BYU law school. He was the story keeper of the family - he remembers all the funny details, and had quick wit and a great laugh. When he was general counsel for Latin America for Dole, he and his family lived in Costa Rica for several years. He's the dad of four great kids. A few months after this reunion, he died suddenly. We have all been deeply affected by his death. I miss him.

Jon is the next in line in our family. He lives in Kanab with his wife and family of nine children - including a set of triplets! He is one of the town's doctors and is perfect in that role, because he is so compassionate and caring. Not only does he work long Dr. hours, he is a great dad and has built a home for my parents if they want to live there someday. Now he is in the process of building an hacienda for his big family. Jon is very generous and kind and calm.

Bruce is the dad of seven talented kids and lives in Utah as well. He was the one who got the charm gene from my mom. Bruce is a people person and everyone loves being around him. He is genuine, easy going and fun. He got an MBA from U of U and works in SLC for a large financial institution headquartered there.

Troy is the baby. He had Mom and Dad all to himself when he was in high school. He is extremely computer intuitive and is the go to person when anyone has technology issues. He works as a systems analyst and with his wife, Anne, has four gorgeous kids.

So there we all are, folks. Quite the family.

The Utah contigent gets together for holidays and stuff.

I kinda wish we were a little closer.

Day 2

2010-11-19T21:09:00.011-05:00

Day 2 - Something that stresses you out.

In general, I get stressed out when there is too much to do and not enough time. Like if I'm supposed to be in two places at the same time.

Also, I have this perfectionism issue that makes me stress if I can't be and do everything, well, perfect.

Just lately, though, I've been stressing over just about everything. Sometimes I wake up in the night with my heart pounding. I don't know why. I tell myself logically and realistically that everything is okay, but still I get this feeling of impending doom, and obsess about things. Silly and unreasonable, I know.

I hope this crazy worryness goes away soon and I can get back to just enjoying life.

Day 1 - Fifteen Days Blogging

2010-11-19T00:21:00.034-05:00

I never know what to write about and so when I saw an idea for 15 days of writing subjects on my favorite blog, I decided to copy-cat.
This is what I'll be writing about each day:
day 1- self portrait picture and fifteen interesting facts about yourself
day 2- something that stresses you out
day 3- your parents and siblings
day 4- something you're looking forward to
day 5- pictures of things that make you happy
day 6- a song that makes you cry (or nearly and why)
day 7- favorite movies
day 8- a place you've traveled to
day 9- put your ipod on shuffle, first 10 songs
day 10- something you're afraid of
day 11- favorite tv shows
day 12- what you believe
day 13- goals
day 14- some pictures you love
day 15- pictures of your dream house

Here is the first of my 'fifteen days' blogging.

Day 1- Self Portrait Picture and Fifteen Interesting (?) Facts About Yourself

Web-cam self portrait tonight:

Fifteen facts:

1. I love popcorn and always eat way too much of it at the movies. (Just came back from a movie with Stephen and I'm stuffed).

2. My kids are my best friends.

3. I'm shy and when I see people out and about, I hardly ever go over and say hi because I just am not great at the small talk that comes after that. Therefore I have never been very good at making casual friends. (But once you are my friend, I am a very loyal, good friend).

4. I was the UTEP banner-bearer at my graduation, and when Jesse sends me something in the mail, he addresses it to "Banner Bearer Taylor" and it makes me laugh.

5. My brother, who is 4 years older than I am, is blind, so I learned to read when I was in kindergarten by spelling out words I didn't recognize so I could read his school work for him. While we were growing up, we read everything we could find together. I've loved to read ever since.

6. My home is full of books, and I have been trying to pare them down by donating boxes and boxes of them to the Bookmark, the used bookstore around the corner. It is slow progress because I usually come home with a few new ones.

6. I am computer-intuitive. When Windows first came out, I said that there was no way I was going to give up DOS - windows was for novices. Though I'd rather not admit this - I waste way too much time on internet stuff like stalking Facebook and blogs and looking up random things. I love using the internet to find an answer to any question.

7. I'm not a math person. But I love anything to do with words and ideas, and I test very well. I prefer communicating in writing, so I can edit and make sure it is exactly what I want to say.

8. I worry that my kids don't want to get married because I got divorced twice. I always thought I would have one of those great forever-marriages and I am sad that it didn't work out that way. I do feel like there was nothing more that I could possibly have done to fix either. But still it is sad and hard.

9. In less than two weeks I will turn 54. It does sound old to me, but I feel the same inside as I always have.

10. I like to go for runs but I've never been all that good at it. My 2 older kiddos ran the Marine Corp Marathon October 31st! Some day I'm going to run a Half Marathon....or a maybe a 10K...or a 5K.

11. I went through a scrapbooking phase and each of my children has 4 thick volumes. Someday I am going to get a good camera again and start taking more pictures.

12. My beliefs and philosophies have changed quite a bit in the last few years, and I'm glad.

13. I love to cook and bake and try new recipes and perfect old ones. One of the best ways I like to show love is cooking yummy stuff and feeding people.

14. For more than a year, I've had 3 jobs: My regular weekday 8-5; weekend days 11pm - 7 am; and 2 or 3 afternoons babysitting from 5 - 10 pm. I'm ready for this to change and to finally get a life. and some sleep.

15. I love all the seasons for different reasons, but autumn is my favorite. My favorite times of day are daybreak and twilight.

Family Pictures

2010-11-05T23:56:00.010-04:00

It looks like we won't be all together again for quite awhile. Thanksgiving isn't going to happen for us, and Christmas is up in the air - but definitely Stephen will be in boot camp then. The last time we were all together was about a year ago - Christmas 09. I tried to get people to cooperate for a picture:

Hopefully, I will have better luck next time - whenever that may be...

No Problem

2010-11-02T08:27:00.003-04:00

Stephen did his job and finished off the extra Halloween candy.
It is weird to think he is leaving for boot camp in 20 days.

We Were Ready

2010-10-31T22:43:00.006-04:00

But not even ONE trick-or-treater came by.

Note: Just in case, we got mostly Crunches, because those are Stephen's favorites. I'm sure he will be able to take care of the candy bowl in no time.

I went to the Red Box and got some random scary movies, and we grilled some hamburgers and ate popcorn and told each other "Happy Halloween!"

Hope you all had a fun Halloween, too.

The random text

2010-10-26T23:16:00.012-04:00

Transformation.... At any moment, be willing to sacrifice who you are for what you can become.

A friend of mine got this accidental text on her phone...the person who sent it doesn't even know her - he was trying to send it to himself and dialed one number off.

I told her it was serendipity - she's my age and just started back to school.

It's a nice thought, don't you think? Change is almost always hard, even good change, but it can be so rewarding.

Getting lost in a book...

2010-10-21T23:38:00.013-04:00

...there is nothing quite like it. Since I first learned how to read, I have been a book worm. When I saw this statue 'The Reading Girl' by Pietro Magni in the National Museum of Art, I just had to take a picture.

Psychological research shows that an important part of a contented life is to spend some of your day thinking about ideas or purposes that are bigger than you are.

I love books.

I have always imagined that
Paradise will be a kind of library.
—Jorge Luis BORGES (1899-1986)

Plans

2010-10-19T13:13:00.001-04:00

Something about getting out of the "normal" daily routine of life - a different place, different people - seems to shift my perspective and help me see the bigger picture. I've been in survival mode for too long - I'm ready to start living.

With Jordan in San Antonio, and Stephen leaving the day before Thanksgiving (to go to boot camp), our family is getting spread out all over. I've decided that DC is a great place to live for awhile! After Stephen leaves, I'm going to pack up and move there in December. Hopefully, I will be able to find a job quickly. Megan and I will be roomies while she finishes up her Masters at Johns Hopkins. So exciting - I can hardly wait until December!

DC Visit # 4

2010-10-18T21:14:00.038-04:00

Visiting DC for my fourth time was awesome!!! Jesse sent me a ticket to go for his birthday, and it was one of the best vacations I've ever had. I can't remember when I have felt so happy - all the time!

There are not many pictures to post, because I didn't want to be one of those 'tourists' that all the 'locals' complain about. One of these days, I am going to get a NICE camera and take beautiful shots.

We did alot a really fun things - going apple picking, museum hopping, game playing, visiting, pizza eating, "Dairy Godmother" etc etc etc! I love hanging out with Jesse and Meg.

On Saturday, they both ran their prep long run (22 miles!) for the Marine Corp Marathon coming up on Halloween that they are going to run. Meg was not feeling well, but she did run the whole 22! and....drum roll..... JESSE CAME IN FIRST!!! Sadly, I have no pictures, because I was home at Jesse's - sound asleep.

Megan took Jesse and I on an amazing tour of the Capitol - We were able to go on the floor of both the Senate and the House. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

Both Megan and Jesse's
birthdays were celebrated...
(sort of).

They blew out candles!

Get it? 2 candles and 6 candles = 26!

and 3 candles and 2 candles....

We went to Ikea - my first time!!! and had breakfast and shopped to our heart's content :)

All in all, a heavenly time!

An Entire Year!

2010-10-14T20:41:00.005-04:00

I haven't posted for a while. More than a year.
But now - drum rrrolll - I'm back!

I was reading through some of the old posts and I kinda like just having the record of stuff that happened. And it is fun to have a place to post pictures.

So I'm going to start up again.

Hello, there!

I miss him already

2009-08-25T01:00:00.026-04:00

Yes, I made Jordan take pictures with me. Have to document our lives, right?

He texted that he arrived safe and sound. I know he really needed/wanted to get out of El Paso for the fall, and I don't blame him. I'd leave if I could, too.

But I've grown accustomed to his face (can you hear the song from My Fair Lady?) I like him alot. He is a great guy. I think he's had a fun summer - life guarding and going to parties - what's not to like? And he did get 12 hours of credit this spring from EPCC. and got his wisdom teeth out. and got his skin all cleared up. So it wasn't a bad thing for him to have been here. But as life goes, it is time for him to move on to something more.

I will miss having him around. He is good company. He's patient and nurturing and has a great sense of humor. Not to mentioned the fantastic kneading of my tense, knotted neck muscles. Now that he is 19, this time around, I treated him like an adult - didn't curfew him or make him ask permission to go places. It worked out okay, and few nights I texted him WHERE ARE YOU??? but mostly things were fine.

He packed up a suitcase and big wrestling duffle bag, but there was still so much to go. We did 2 boxes and mailed them today before we went to the airport. One more to be mailed tomorrow - with a quilt and some miscellaneous stuff that was still in the dryer.

I know this is what he wanted to do and he will have fun and some new experiences, but I have to say - I'll miss him.

Ouchy

2009-08-25T00:41:00.021-04:00

On my bike ride Saturday, I cut too close to the curb and
CRASH! Skid! Ouch!

It stung; but I bravely remounted the trusty bike and soldiered on home - uphill. And, of course, took a picture first thing - before I even cleaned it (to garner some sympathy from my kids-haha).

Another disappointment - I got an odometer/speedometer to track my feats of biking wonderfulness. I thought for sure that I had been going at LEAST 15 miles; probably much, much more on my adventurous rides down into the valley.

Nope - only 10.57 miles. Total.

That's just a short little run for Megan - I need to step up the game here.

Time for Positivity (Again)

2009-08-17T22:05:00.011-04:00

I am realizing that much of what I've been posting is plain ol' complaining. Time for a fresh start! Life is too short to worry so much and not enjoy all the great stuff. I have so much of that great stuff in my life. I'm so blessed to have what is the most important in life - good relationships with GREAT people.

I'm totally excited to go visit Megan (and maybe Jesse) the first weekend of October. She is running in the Army 10 miler - she is amazing! and I get to be there to cheer! I'm so proud of her. Yay for Megan!

Life is good! Coming up:
October: DC - yay! The most exciting fun thing of all!
November - PLMA in Chicago,
then the next week Thanksgiving (maybe I'll go to Utah).
December - my birthday and Christmas~!
Then speeding into the New Year - looking for a great job in Austin or San Antonio
February 14th - Half Marathon for me, Meg and Jesse in Austin.
Spring Break!
May - the Candy Show in Chicago.
Who even knows what other great things might come up?! All kinds of possibilities.

Lots to be happy about.

Fourteen hour workday

2009-06-30T00:35:00.003-04:00

Today. 8 am to 10 pm.

Better go to bed asap so I can do it again tomorrow.

Busy busy busy. I hope I'm doing a good job in this new position. If not, it is not because I'm not trying hard enough!

• Places I have been on vacation

2009-06-28T15:37:00.007-04:00

I have been on "practical" vacations (visiting family, etc.) and "for-fun" vacations (different places to explore and enjoy) and some "tag along on husband business trip" ones. Here is a listing of them, mixed up together. I'll add more as I remember...

- Piedra Volada, Red Rock - camping as a kid
- Colonia Dublan
- Disneyland, Sea World, California
- IXTAPA
- Mexico City
- DisneyWorld, Epcot, Florida
- Boston
- Washington, D.C.
- Austin, San Antonio, Texas
- Hilton Head, South Carolina
- St. Louis, MO
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- The Grand Canyon
- Kanab, Utah
- Zions & Bryce National Parks

I want to do more - vacation-wise. I get 10 days (2 weeks) a year. It seems that often I use those days for practical things...moving, organizing, Christmas. But I want to make plans and enjoy those days more from now on. Exciting possibilities.

A Good Day

2009-06-22T20:36:00.009-04:00

Today was a good day at work.
Yes, it is Monday.
Yes, it was good anyway.

I generally like my work - I'm strange that way. I have liked every job I've had. Some more than others, but there have always been things about work that make me like to go every day.

Like Jordan texted the other day - I am being paid to watch people swim and get a tan! (He likes his job, too, haha).

The last week or so, however, I've been increasingly anxious and tense. I just felt like I was in over my head. Too much stuff I didn't know and didn't know how to do. Huge reports in unfamiliar programs. Information I didn't know how to get. New processes that I hadn't done before.

But today was good! I was competent. I felt smart and in control.

WHEW! I was worried. Much better now.
Life is good, after all.

Gotta start somewhere

2009-06-21T22:52:00.005-04:00

I ordered these from Amazon today.
Am I delusional?

GRADUATION!

2009-05-16T16:29:00.011-04:00

Wow - it all seems surreal. I feel great!
I enjoyed every second of my Graduation day.

The boys all were able to come. Jesse drove all day from Austin yesterday. Stephen flew in from D.C. where he had been visiting Megan for the last 10 days. Jordan was here!

Megan wasn't able to come, and we missed her like crazy :( But she isn't actually allowed any time off from work AT ALL. Ever. Weird, huh? A job with no vacation days. But she send me some beautiful tulips and a lovely note. and called. and was here in spirit. and my cheerleader through it all.

Mom and Dad came, too, even though they had just returned from their Utah trip a couple of days ago. It was nice to have them here.

The University Banner Bearer! It was a really awesome honor.

All in all, a wonderful, happy day.

A Little Brag

2009-04-28T22:55:00.028-04:00

Last night, I checked my UTEP email and got the following message:

Ms. Taylor,

I am pleased to inform you that in honor of your academic excellence and the prestige that you have brought to University College specifically the Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies program, you have been chosen as the University College Banner Bearer during the spring 2009 Commencement Ceremony at 9 am on Saturday, May 16.

You will need to attend a mandatory rehearsal on Thursday, May 14 at the Don Haskins Center from 11-11:45 am. Congratulations on your academic success.

Erika Johnson, B.A., M.A.

Program Advisor/Lecturer, University College

The University of Texas at El Paso

and then a day or so later......

Ms. Taylor,

For clarification, you are selected as the University Banner Bearer, so you will be bearing the University of Texas at El Paso banner for the College of Liberal Arts and University College morning commencement.

Erika Johnson, B.A., M.A.

The UTEP Banner for the entire graduating class of Liberal Arts AND University College? Wow. I'm not sure what it means, but it made me feel good.

I wonder if they know I am a non-conventional student? I hope they aren't disappointed when it is ME that shows up. ha ha

Monday, Monday

2009-04-27T21:32:00.012-04:00

19 days - and it will all be over.
I can do anything for 19 days. I think. I hope.

Just lack:
Fourth segment MacroEconomics Test
Final Macro Economics Test.
10 page Chicana Oral History Report.
10 week English Lab Lesson Plans.
Final Comprehensive English Lab Exam.
Final Group Music History Project.
Baroque Period Listening Exam.
Final Music History Exam.
3 more weeks Discussion postings - MxAm History.
Mexican American History Final.

Wow. That's not as much as I thought.
Then I will be done! No more school! Yay!

It has been so heavy hanging over my head there for so long.

Big decision now. What is the next step after graduation....
Where to go, what to do(?)
I'm thinking I will move near Austin. All my kids have lived there at some time or another and there are lots of jobs available there, and it will be a fresh start. Yay!

Things are coming together - Yay!

A computer with a webcam ... hmmm ...

2009-04-12T22:07:00.002-04:00

Okay, what can I say? We had fun goofing around.

I told Jordan not to worry, I won't embarrass him -

- no one reads my blog, right? ...shhhhh

The Credit Crunch

2009-03-09T16:59:00.007-04:00

Okay, this isn't supposed to be a video blog, but I found another one that I like and wanted to post. It is very relevant in these scary economic times. This is GREAT advice that all American consumers need. If only we could/would all take it.

Posting Pause

2009-02-24T23:37:00.006-05:00

Sorry there have been no postings here for quite some time.

Just busy busy busy and not much to say about it all. Some time, (hopefully sooner rather than later), I am going to take some time just for me and read and run and sleep and blog and be a little more me - not this stressed, crazed, long-listed person you would see if you looked my way right now....

P.S. I got a 92 on my Econ test. Better than expected for me - whew!

Validation

2009-02-09T21:25:00.015-05:00

Megan and I were talking about "validation" today on g-chat, and I told her that I found the cutest video on someone's blog about that - "you've got to see it." So I downloaded it, and I am posting it here on my blog, because that might be the easiest way to share it. Fair warning: it is kind of long - 16 minutes, but the point of it is really good - especially the first few minutes.

One of the main reasons I am looking forward to teaching is the opportunity to help students see their potential and value. I think that a comment at the right time can make a huge difference in someone's life.

What we all need, and should give freely to others is validation. It can really make a difference. How hard is it to give some positive feedback when you see something that deserves it?
Say things like:

Yes, I understand how you feel.
I think you are making a good choice.
You look great today.
You are worth it.
Smart thinking.
What you did was amazing!
That makes perfect sense.
I like what you did.
Good job.

Remember this today:
You are great!

Five A's and the Dean's List

2009-01-07T20:19:00.001-05:00

Woohoo!

The new semester starts Monday.
I'm ready! Sort of.

Merry Taylor Christmas

2008-12-28T22:37:00.039-05:00

Christmas is one of the very best times of the year!

Some of the kids (Jesse, especially) wants to do away with the extreme consumerism that seems to go with the holiday. We agree in theory, but it is rather hard to implement after the years of tradition and habits.

Since being together is our favorite thing and the best gift of all, we decided that from now on, we will all go on a trip together for Christmas. That is actually an exciting prospect to look forward to for next year. But for this year, we had a WONDERFUL time being together with many of the traditional activities and fun.

Some Christmas morning pictures:

I tried to get a family picture, but circumstances beyond my control yielded only this kind of grainy, not-perfect shot. Oh well, there will be other chances sometime...

Our Christmas tree was a real one this year. The usual one that is in storage was much too large for the room; and for the house...so Stephen and I went shopping and chose a beautiful Noble fir. (Well, he was actually on the phone talking to Megan the whole time, but he was with me physically haha.) The tree smelled so great!

.....until the day before Christmas - there was a horrible odor permeating the room. We sniffed everywhere and finally determined that IT WAS THE CHRISTMAS TREE! It smelled like it had begun to rot. Whatcha gonna do??? Well, at least it looked pretty :)

There was much laughing, talking, playing, opening presents on Christmas morning, and then there is the computer stuff -

especially after Jordan and Stephen got their new laptops for Christmas.

It is a funny house with 5 people - 5 computers. Many all-night Warcraft battles were engaged.

We went to movies, and some shopping and stuff but my favorite activity (other than just hanging out and talking) was playing games like Masterpiece and Scrabble together. We had a great time and played again and again. Jesse and I are hoping to someday, somehow beat Megan in Scrabble. So far, that has not happened. She is a Scrabble whiz!

We had a nice Christmas dinner -

There was a "Raptor" theme going on - I'm not sure what started it, but it could have been that they thought I was taking a few too many pictures.

Good times.

HE'S HOME!

2008-12-10T21:31:00.022-05:00

We got to the airport to greet Stephen at about 9:30, and his plane came in at 10:04 a.m. That shows just how excited we were - for me to be on time and even early! haha
Here are Grandma and Grandpa Bowman waiting with the sign for him to come down the escalator. It says 'Welcome home.' A man came down the escalator while we were waiting, read the sign and said something in Russian. We don't know what - but he must have felt welcomed. :)

And . . . here he comes!
He looks great! and is very happy to be home and be in the United States again. Many hugs.

More pictures out in the parking lot -
Can we ever take enough?
On the way from the airport, we stopped at Douglas Street chapel for Stephen to be released. Then we asked him - where do you want to go eat? and he said - the place that I dreamt about when I was in the Ukraine was 'Malinche's' at Sunland Park/Doniphan.
Well, okay! And off we went. It was pretty yummy.

He ate HOT sauce on his chips. He isn't so used to that anymore.

Kisses for Mom. I am happy he is back home with me. I missed this boy. I think he is happy to be here, too. On his facebook status, he wrote "Stephen has achieved at-homeness." I like that.

This morning we went to the dentist - only 2 small cavities. Pretty good for no checkups for 2 years! Lots of catching up to be done. Sunday he will talk in church and Monday go over to Austin for a few days with his brothers. They 'll all drive back together for Christmas. What an eventful time this is! Happy, happy. Joy, joy.

Homecoming

2008-12-06T20:45:00.016-05:00

STEPHEN COMES HOME Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. woooohoooo! Pretty exciting stuff! I'm taking the day off and will be waiting there with bells on my toes, jumping up and down with excitement. Apparently these days the Stake President meets with the missionary on the way home from the airport and releases him right then and there! That is actually a great plan - then he can go home and RELAX and not have to worry about breaking any rules. We'll probably go grab some lunch, (Steve, Stephen and me) and then drop his stuff at home and get him settled in. Then Stephen will go do some "bonding" with his dad, and I guess I'll study and go take that final final.

Here are some random pics from his mission...

I will definitely take pictures of the homecoming!
.... and post them as soon as I can - these are happy, exciting times!

It's My Birthday! Woohoo!

2008-12-01T20:26:00.033-05:00

Look at this lovely plant that my wonderful children sent me! About 15 minutes after I got home, there was a knock and there was the delivery guy with this thoughtful gift. It's truly beautiful! It warmed it my heart to know they thought of me and planned and did this for me.

To tell the truth, in some ways, I actually like getting older.

I know so much more than I did way back when. Experience makes you appreciate things more, and makes you smarter and stronger and more capable and better and wiser and more interesting!

I'm taking stock of my life tonight. Although I have been extremely focused on the goals I set a couple of years ago, birthdays are a good time to evaluate my progress and make sure I am heading in the right direction. Where do I want to be in a year? In 5 years? What areas of my life do I need to re-vamp? What do I really want and how am I going to go about achieving it? hmmmm

This is going to be an interesting...errr, GREAT year.

Thankful

2008-11-28T20:59:00.010-05:00

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, there is so much in my life for me to be thankful for this year. In spite of challenges, I'm truly happy.

I'm thankful for my family and the great security and base they provide to me. I'm thankful that we all healthy and happy. Our connection with each other is one of the best things about our family. We are friends.

I'm thankful - and excited - that Stephen will be home in 9 days! and we will all be together at Christmas.

I'm thankful that although every single one of us is in a transitional time in our lives, we are all moving forward and trying to become excellent people.

I'm thankful that we don't have to worry about having a place to live and food to eat - like a big chunk of earth's population. We have options and can make choices.

How blessed we really are.

Random

2008-11-24T22:31:00.019-05:00

I was trying to help Meg know how to get text to scroll around an inserted picture...so I stuck one in.
I kinda like it :) This was when they were home for Jordan's graduation, I think. Thank goodness we have wireless, huh?

I'm glad we are a computer literate family. It makes life easier. As you see, some people like Macs better. Some people are little scared of them (me.) Since all the software I have is for pcs, at least for right now I'm stuck being a pc user.

I miss everything about him.

2008-11-15T00:23:00.021-05:00

There is a hole in the world where he should be.

To explain above post

2008-11-14T21:09:00.007-05:00

To explain - my brother died. He was an amazing person and I miss him every day. He was so intelligent, fun, witty, creative, a successful lawyer and a GREAT dad. Just about perfect.

His death has had a huge impact on my thinking. I resolved that I will resist being part of a group that judges people who are just trying to do the best that they can.
Like him. Like me.

We all deserve to be happy and live authentically. To me, his death was related to the fact that he was constrained by what was expected. He tried to be "that" person, and was miserable.

I'm really trying to be an excellent person, but I no longer want to compete in the perceived perfection race. Obviously, I'm not perfect. I've made choices that some don't agree with. But they are my choices, and I'm going to do what I need to do to survive. I deserve to be happy.

So did he.

I miss him.

Unconventional Thanksgivings

2008-11-13T20:29:00.030-05:00

Last Thanksgiving, we drove up to Albuquerque to spend Thanksgiving with Megan, because she had to be at work (Hollister Store Manager) at 4 am the next morning - everyone knows the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. It was an unconventional Thanksgiving in some ways, we weren't in the 'family home' with a bunch of guests, but we were together (except for Stephen far away in the Ukraine) and we still had turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and all the trimmings.
It even snowed!

This year, Megan is too far away to come clear to Texas for just a couple of days, and so I'm going over to Austin to spend the holiday with the boys.

Little by little, I'm adjusting my expectations of how things "should" be. Before, I always made a huge dinner and hosted a large formal gathering for Thanksgiving - I have had it in my mind that is how it HAS to be - and if not, I'm failing miserably at being the mom.

The last couple of years have been different, and to my surprise, it was OKAY. We were happy anyway.

I've felt such a huge responsibility to make a certain type of home base for my kids - I thought that is what you need to have to have a secure family. I don't know if it is because that is how I was raised, or why it is that I have such an emotional compulsion to believe there is only one valid way to do things.

I'm finally getting it into my head that the ties that bind us together as a family don't really have much to do with the traditional conventions that I've thought defined my role.

My kids assure me that they are still okay -maybe even better- without all the (sometimes stressful) hulabaloo. My head knows they are right - and little by little, my emotions are coming around.

We are a very close, happy, busy, loving, somewhat unconventional family. And we love it.

Cookies

2008-11-02T17:51:00.028-05:00

People seem to like the cookies I bake. They are just your standard chocolate chip cookies, but somehow they got a reputation for being extra yummy. Maybe people are hungry when they eat them... everything tastes great when you are hungry.

I admit I used to make cookies alot - and haven't for a while, so I thought I'd better write down the recipe that I use - what if I forget how to make them?? They are so quick and easy, I can have hot cookies out of the oven to eat in less than 20 minutes.

Truthfully, I'm not a good measurer and just kind of dump stuff in, but here is the basic recipe:
2 cubes butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar
Mix together until creamy.
Add 1 egg and some vanilla (I like to use alot! Mexican vanilla is the best.) Mix some more. Then add the dry stuff:
About 2 1/2 to 3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. baking soda
Mix until combined. Dump in a bunch of chocolate chips. You can add nuts, too, if you like them. Or you could add chopped macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips instead. Mix a little bit more.
Drop spoonfuls of dough on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes - until they start getting slightly brown around the edges and are cooked in the middle.

This is a picture from when Jordan had to write a "How To" paper in high school - not great, but you get the idea.

Simple, huh?

Hmmm... I'm getting hungry - Maybe I should make some right now. I wonder who I could take some cookies to for Sunday night snacks?

Just call me Dr. Taylor - or maybe not...

2008-10-30T01:47:00.039-04:00

I've had to stop running for a whole month. My right hip started aching. Not fun. Hurts. Even at night. Wakes me up, even.

First I went to a chiropractor. Twice a week. She said - You do not have a runner's body. You should be home baking cookies. hmmm. That's all I will say about that.

I decided that a second opinion was necessary. Mine.

Being the brilliant diagnostician that I am, I did my research and decided that I was developing trochanteric bursitis in my hip. I found out what needs to be done, and since I couldn't give myself a cortosteriod injection into the bursae, I made an appointment with Dr. Boone and went today. He was great! He understood just what I was saying and said he would be happy to inject me. With one caveat. There is the slightest teeniest possibility it could be something else. Sciatica. And actually, he makes some good points.

So, we are working together on this one. With the injection speeding it's anti-inflammatory magic into my hip, we will watch for a while. I'm probably right. But he is a very good Dr. and I will listen to his advice. And he told me that I do NOT look anywhere near 51. He said he thought I was kidding. Did I mention what a smart doctor he is?

SCHOOL ENERGIZES ME !

2008-10-30T01:41:00.007-04:00

I know I complain alot about how all my time is spent studying - but the flip side of that is that all that time is spent learning!

It is so interesting to learn the details behind all the stuff I "knew" as common knowledge. But to find out the whys, the histories, the motives, the nuances, the linguistics behind the words....there is always so much more to know. I feel more complete and more competent the more I learn.

I wish I could earn a doctorate in EVERYTHING!
(except maybe math.)

Once a ZTA Mommy...

2008-10-30T01:12:00.013-04:00

You might know that I have a daughter who was very actively involved in ZTAs in college. Tonight I sat next to a cool girl in Pol Sci. and found out that she is a ZTA at UTEP, no less. She's going to be Chapter Pres. next year, and knew all about the Beta Nu's. Her TLC is Jen B., one of Meg's sisters I'd met from NMSU, and so she was texting her in class about how she was sitting next to Megan's Mom. I felt special by affiliation. ZTA is it's own special circle - and I'm connected, sorta.

As we left she said - This is so cute - you are a ZTA Mommy. We're gonna call you to come to some of our stuff!

I'm a ZTA Mom. Cool me.

And the official date - December 10th 2008

2008-10-25T00:53:00.006-04:00

That is in 47 days - only 47 days -
Stephen will be back from the Ukraine! Woohoo!

Doesn't he have such dreamy, haunting eyes?