I'm reading "Living Buddha, Living Christ" by Thich Nhat Hanh. (Sorry Mom) I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm really loving it so far. It resonates with my spirit and I love anything that can do that.
It's so easy in this fast pace living to get away from ourselves and to not live in the moment. It feels good to have a reminder to slow down and enjoy now. In the second chapter Thich Nhat Hanh talks about breathing being the first lesson. Breath in slowly being mindful of the breath and breath out with a smile. How easy is that? And it's so powerful as far as centering yourself and bringing your head out of the future or the past and into the present.


I'm only typing the following because I know A will get a kick out of it. I just had to stop in the middle of typing to save David from ants! Remember when we stayed in the cabin and he freaked about the bugs. Yep, he's a city boy!

Shoot The Moon

For weeks Erin has been asking me to pull out the telescope so she can look at the moon. Tonight I found the energy to dig through the closet, find it, and set it up so we could all get up close and personal with the full moon. It was worth the effort. There is something magic about the moon. I decided to take some photos while we were out. It's suprising how bright the moon is. I was expecting to have to use a slow shutter, but it wasn't so. I wish my lens had just a bit more zoom to it, but I'm happy with the images I got considering it was my first time shooting the moon.

Earlier today David and I went to the mall so he could order a tux for a wedding he's in next month. I was in a shopping mood so I didn't complain. I stopped by Lane Bryant and tried out their new Right Fit selection of jeans. I LOVE them! I'm a yellow 4 petite. The jeans fit perfectly! I bought two pair along with this
top. I love the bold jewel tone, the belt, and the tie at the sleve. Watching "What Not To Wear" really has helped me in chosing clothes that will look good on my body as opposed to clothes that I wish would look good on my body. I spent a small chunk of change on the two pair of pants and one shirt, but it's worth it to have jeans that have an all-over comfortable feel but aren't bagy in any area. I've decided that it's really okay to invest in what I wear within reason. It makes me feel good when I look good and feeling good is priceless. I'm not one to go crazy on clothes or anything, usually I buy the cheapest thing if it fits right or not. That is not a good shopping method at all!

Having TWO days off in a row is bliss! For the past few weeks my schedule has been a little crazy. I've been working on days that I am normally off and going longer than normal stretches without a day off. I am in the middle of training someone now. Hopefully I will have normal days off soon. My boss has given me Friday/Saturday off which will be wonderful! It means I can visit the local farmer's market, something I've been wanting to do for a while now, but have never able to do because I work on Saturday.
Erin and I visited a very cool and very expensive bead shop yesterday. The vibe of the store is very bohemian which fits it well. The beads range from basic glass beads to crazy beads made out of peacock feathers that are $16 each! I fell in love with a strand of fall colored beads, but it was $48. A little too pricey for what I sell. I purchased some lovely turquoise and brown beads that came close to what I was hoping to find.
We've been watching season one of Joan of Arcadia. I watched the show while it was on t.v. and have watched the dvd set once, but it's a show I could watch again and again, especially with Erin. It brings up so many really good questions for us to chew on.
Is anyone else watching Eco-Tech on the Science channel? I love it! It's great to see the creative ways people are taking care of the environment. Last night's episode showed a city in India that is powered by cow poop! How amazing is that? It also featured land fills in the U.S. that are using the methane gas they create as a form of free/clean energy. It's really exciting to hear about ways we are saving our planet instead of all the doom and gloom they bombard us with on tv.

Did any of you read the story on Yahoo! about Kiva? I'm seriously considering participating. I'm searching for a business now.

Feeling guilty

I was harsh with a group of elderly women today. They banged on my door several times because they couldn't get in the gate to a storage space where a friend was waiting. It's difficult for me to draw a line between work and home because we live here. Several times a week customers knock on our door during non-business hours expecting me to jump into action. Most of the time I help out with a warning to the customer to never knock on my door in a non-emergency situation and some grumbling. Today the women were so pushing that it sent me over the edge. I was harsh when I shouldn't have been.

I was browsing around Etsy last night and came across this amazing artist. I really love this piece.

Isn't it beautiful! I'm waiting anxiously for her to add more items!
I ordered a new yoga video from Netflix. It had a really high user rating. I don't think going to the gym is going to fit into our schedule once homeschooling starts. It's tough to know until we get there. So, I will wait until I see what our rhythm will be. Until then, I'll try this video and see what happens. I have another one on order I'll tell you all about once I've tried. It should be interesting. :)

Our bike ride today tunred into an adventure. The cool breeze was our incintive to peddel hard up the hills so we could coast down the other side. Hearts thumping, barely able to catch our breath we took a break near a park bench close the kids play area. I had planned on enjoying a brief rest while the kids played. It wasn't long before they had convinced me to join in the fun. (It doesn't take all that much convincing.) We each became secret agents on super dooper undercover misions. We climbed rope walls and moved stealth-like across balance beams. We raced from one piece of cover to the next shouting out rediculous orders to one another. "Mission Feed The Turtles" was one of my personal favorites, and "Mission Take a Break" came at just the right time.
I want to gobble up all of these moments until I am stuffed and bloated with them. Soon enough the only secret mission she'll be interested in is "Mission Keep Everything From Mom".

Ocho Cosas

1. I don't know how to speak Spanish. (Not even a little.)
2. However, I can say three phrases in Greek.
3. David was my first and only boyfriend and I was his first and only girlfriend.
4. I'm an extremely nervous driver even though I've never had an accident or gotten a ticket.
5. I only eat cereal when it's that special time of the month.
6. I only like going to the movies when it isn't busy so I don't have to sit close to anyone I don't know.
7. I feel guilty if I don't stop at a yellow light.
8. I love wind chimes.

It's been one of those weeks where it feels like the world is pushing in. My days off at work are all screwed up because everyone wants to take vacation on the same day. It's made things around the house seem a little hectic especially with David's promotion. I never know if he is coming or going. Erin has been so good with all of this. She's been helping out around the house when I need her to. She's even volunteered to do things.
I got all of the paperwork for the CAVA sent off and Erin is in the middle of taking her placement tests. I'm really excited about this new adventure and a little nervous. I hope I'll be enough to handle this. I need to get our sleep schedule back to normal before I try to take homeschooling on!
I purchased tickets for the two of us to go to Oklahoma in September. We are both really excited! We haven't been back in four years. It's really sad to me that it's been that long. I don't know how time can get away from us so quickly. My goal is to visit every year, but something always seems to come up. I think the time away has been good for Erin. She needed to become grounded in our family, and I think she has done that. I know it will be hard for her to see her mom and then to have to leave her again, but I think she can appreciate where she is now and the opportunity she's been given. It has to be confusing for her. It's a confusing situation to me. We are very open and honest with her. If she has a question regarding anything that has happened, I tell her to the best of my ability. I try not to sugar coat things, but I'm not blunt about it either. I don't want to hurt her, but in the end I know she will be hurt. How could she not be? I'm trying to prepare Erin for this trip. I don't want everything to hit her at once. I know that it's going to be tough for her. Please send some light her way.

Settling back in

It's a crazy thing to be so close to leaving and end up staying. I'm settling back in now and it's made me more busy than ever! David's new promotion has made his work schedule a little confusing for all of us and we haven't found our rhythm yet, but I know we will soon. I've sold three items from my Etsy shop! It's so exciting. It's such a small thing, but it feels as if I've accomplished a little something and proven to myself that I can do it. This weekend I went shopping for the perfect packaging. A, you'll have to let me know what you think! I'm working on business cards and figuring out how to print postage. I've got to squeeze in time to make more jewelry as the store was bare to begin with and now I only have five items. I did purchase some beads at the flea market this weekend and I received some that I ordered from other Etsians. I'm very excited to see what I can create with them.
I've almost finished enrolling Erin for the California Virtual Academy. It may seem crazy, but since we first talked about the idea of homeschooling she has been a different child. I don't have to fight with her to get her to clean her room or help out around the house. She's taken more initiative when it comes to cooking. Last night she made cookies from scratch all by herself. Normally she wouldn't even attempt to do that without me standing right by her helping every step of the way. Once school work is introduced to the equation things may change, but I'm going to give it at least a month to get a routine going. We've agreed that if she can maintain her school work and help out around the house for a month we will buy her a guitar and sign her up for guitar lessons. This comes with the understanding that the guitar will technically belong to me and can be taken back at any time if she doesn't stick to our agreement.
I also picked up a copy of Bay Area Parent yesterday and am excited about some of the activities they have listed in their calender which lists activities for adults and parents across the bay area. There are several moonlit hikes that deal with Astronomy and a few other learning adventures that will be great for Erin. I'm going to try and commit to two activities a month so that I don't overwhelm myself.
I'm also looking into a membership at the Y, but really need to decide if I want to drive all the way to where it is or not.

If there truly is a time for everything, this is our time to stay. Through a series of events it has become clear to us that it isn't the right time to go despite our fierce desire to leave. David's boss offered him a promotion with an increase in pay that is significant to us. It would mean paying off bills in half the time it would have taken. While we were debating between accepting the offer and staying until June of next year or just saying "to hell with it!" and leaving, my dad called to say that the plans they had for moving out of their house fell through, which means if we were to move, there would be no place for us to move to.
I am sad that we have to put off our move, but relieved that David's promotion will allow us to move without any debt and with a little bit of a nest egg. I called my grandma to discuss it with her and of course she agrees that we should stay as does my dad. They are disappointed that we won't be there next month, but they want us to do what is best for our family. I am planning a trip out to visit them for Thanksgiving which should hold me over until we move in June, and so help me, we will move!
A big reason for wanting to move was Erin going to school here. We really don't want to send her to the local middle school here. I have been checking into home schooling options and found this. It seems like a reasonable option for our situation. It won't be easy because I still work even if my office is next to our apartment, but I think it will be worth it. Erin and I have been talking about it, and she is excited. In all honesty, I think she is looking forward to not having to wake up early and get dressed. :) We are going to give it a try and see what happens. It will mean a lot more cooperation on both our parts, but I think it will be good for both of us. Aola, if you have any homeschooling tips, please share them! I know I'm going to need all the help I can get!