It’s a historical day in America.
Love wins.
One love.
No H8.
Love is love.
Love one another.
Celebrate family.
Celebrate families.
Equality and justice and love for all.
Celebrate each other and the love we bring to this world, every day.
Life is good. Live it up BeLoveRs!! And spread the joy.
nAMaste
I grew up camping and I am so thankful my parents decided to come up to visit us again as they begin their summer vacation.
I was able to find a last-minute glamping spot with all the perks, close to the coast and we quickly packed up and got on the road. Charlie is so in love with his grandpa, whom we call, Opa. He decided he would drive with Opa and I drove with Oma in my car and with the other two kids.
We have a beautiful, relaxing spot to do nothing and anything for the next two days. I am beyond content.
I love seeing the kids play and ride bikes and do puzzles and hang out together with my parents with no agenda. I am loving on my parents too and enjoying their company.
Life is so good. Live it up, friends. Now is the time to BE. Here I am.
lichen on the bridge
Today was a beautiful day. The weather was warm and we explored parts of Alameda, particularly the Pinball Museum with friends.
All of us had a great time playing old fashioned pinball machines for three hours! This was a cool way to spend the day. I was happy that the boys were entertained and weren’t longing for Ps4s or xBox games.
Favorite game!
Sticking with the old fashioned theme, we stopped in at Foster Freeze for a hand dipped ice cream cone. This brought back so many memories from my childhood and begging my parents and aunts and uncles to take us to FF for summer comes.
Yum!
Alameda is a quaint little town. We loved driving down the streets and admiring the old Victorian homes. We also loved watching all the people outside enjoying the day playing soccer, splashing in the water, fishing, walking dogs, climbing trees and running.
East Bay
Exploring the rocks
Climbing trees
Soccer in the park
This was another day where we had one idea and it expanded and became so much more. We weren’t on a schedule and were open to explore whatever came our way. I enjoyed FaceTiming Juliana again and including each other in our day. All is well.
Volcano in Japan
Life is good and I’m loving this break.
Tree lined streets in Alameda
We ended the day in Downtown San Jose for dinner at the Loft. It was absolutely delicious and a great way to end the day.
American bistro
Juliana mentioned that she liked seeing the American flags in my pictures and that flags are not as visibly noticeable in Japan.
Today was fun and I recommend visiting the Pinball Museum at least once.
nAMaste
We said goodbye to Akie today, with tears in my eyes. Juliana called me a sap. I just loved having her with me and sharing this experience together and I miss her already.
It was such a joy to have her stay with our family. We all loved sharing stories and laughter and bonding together. She was absolutely delightful and we all enjoyed her company in different ways.
Our family bonded through this shared experience too. I admired how Juliana was a little mother to Akie, making sure she was happy and entertained and understood. She was patient and kind and loving and unselfish and I loved watching her be the best hostess, even giving up her room for her.
Charlie made welcome signs and presented her with a handmade goodbye card that he translated into Japanese and English, all on his own. He played kendamas and war with her and loved having her with us.
Christian always stopped by her room when he came home, greeting her and asking about her day. He joined us when he could and was warm and welcoming when he was busy.
Jeff had fun translating words into English, Dutch, German and Japanese, seeing the patterns and making connections. He was there to greet her when she arrived, took her to see San Francisco, the Redwoods and Santa Cruz, and was there to say goodbye at the end too.
We all had a special connection with her and for this I am grateful. I loved how she enjoyed small bowls of soup, rice with sprinkled toppings, and long bath rituals. She was polite, kind, friendly, curious, warm and genuinely happy. When she left, I asked if I could hug her and she reached out to give me a hug with a smile. I loved her!
Our family shared an awesome experience and shared our life with a stranger who became like a daughter and sister.
I highly recommend hosting a foreign exchange student. There are so many benefits to both the hosts and the student and it makes the world a little smaller, after all.
Life is good.
I love my family so much. I also love my friends, as if they were my family especially since my extended family does not live close to me and this makes me very sad. I love to share this life journey together and they are so far away, which makes it hard to have a cup of coffee together or show up for dinner unexpectedly or hike or do whatever. I love to go to my nieces’ soccer games and plays and school functions and want to be there for the major events too. Instead I have to text them, call or Facetime, or send pictures and just miss out. This is how it is. I get it. And since they can’t be with me as much as I would like, I have chosen to adopt friends, as my local, bonus family. This makes me really happy and makes life good right where I am. Do you do this or are you lucky enough to have family close by? This would be a bonus dream come true. Does anyone in my family want to move close to me?? Pretty please?
While I wait to see my family, I am enjoying and loving my friends and especially my adopted daughter, Akie. We have 2 more nights left with her before she goes back home. The one thing she asked to see in California was the Cheesecake Factory, while she was here. Tonight was her lucky night. She enjoyed the experience very much, and we enjoyed sharing this with her. She picked the pasta carbonara with shrimp for dinner, and the 30th anniversary chocolate cheesecake for dessert. She was amazed by the portion sizes, compared to Japan. Some of her Japanese friends were also there tonight and it was nice for them to be able to speak in their native language and share stories. I am so happy that she is having a good time and enjoying all that is here for her to experience.
She fits in so well with our family. This morning when I was alone in the car with her before dropping her off at school, she said to me that she wished she could stay in California. I smiled (and cried) and said, “Me too.” Me too.
Namaste.
I was at the grocery store tonight and the clerk asked me if I was working a half week this week. I laughed and actually told him I was working full time this week, because my kids were home from school and this was NOT my vacation!! He laughed and the lady behind me smiled too, pointing to all the food she was buying for her kids and told me that they just won’t stop eating.
This was my third trip to the grocery store today. I took Juliana with me the first two times, and by the third trip, I just had to go alone. Charlie asked if he could come with me, and I thought how sweet it was that he wanted to be with me and then thought more wisely. I needed a moment to myself, even if it was just pushing the cart mindlessly through the store without interruption.
Jen Hatmaker made my day when she posted this on her Facebook Status today: “This afternoon, I snuck out of my house and drove around in my quiet car by myself and ate crackers. It has come to this.” I could TOTALLY relate.
I struggled today between wanting to be in the moment and present, enjoying my kids and wanting to pull my hair out. Juliana noticed my angst and asked me what was wrong. I told her nothing, but I was fibbing and she knew it. I thought about what was bugging me and it was EVERYTHING!! I haven’t been alone in 2 weeks and this feels weird.
I didn’t want anyone else asking my opinion, or asking me to look at something or ask me to buy something. I wanted to be selfish and alone AND be with her at the same time and I was totally conflicted!! Every time I went to move the cart, she was there. She wasn’t doing anything wrong but trying to be with me and shopping with me and I just wanted to be alone with no one asking questions and no one blocking my path.
And then I was frustrated by myself for not enjoying my sweet daughter who wanted to be with me and shop with me and bake with me.
After all, isn’t this my dream come true?? Sometimes our dreams need space. Because this was my dream come true and I felt stuck and trapped and I needed to snap out of it. Quickly.
So I did.
I told her what I was feeling and apologized for being short and explained my challenge in raising teen kids who have their own wonderful ideas and know everything. She wasn’t doing anything wrong. I was just agitated by her presence and questioning that interrupted my thoughts and planning and then I felt badly for being irritated.
I apologized and asked for a little break and she granted my wish and understood. I started decluttering my house and getting rid of the chaos that surrounded us, and I felt order returning to our “vacation house.” Then I suddenly felt better. She gave me some space. I got to work without interruption and she was still with me, baking with her friend. And I felt peace again and told her thank you.
She gets me. She loves me. She understands and validates me and forgives me when I am short-tempered.
This is the best vacation. I am thankful. Just keepin’ it real. Namaste.
This piece of artwork caught my eye tonight, hanging in a shop in my favorite SLO town.
“Remember
we have this moment
and these people
and this love.”
This represents mindfulness to me and what it means to be present.
We have this moment. That’s it. Let’s enjoy what we’ve got, right now. Whether we want to or not. This is it.
We have these people that we love and love us and we choose to share our moments together.
We get to celebrate. And not just at Christmas or Hanukkah or another holi-day that is meaningful to you. Remember.
Happy day after Christmas, BeLoveRs.
xoxo
Our tradition is to not celebrate traditionally. This frees us from many of the expectations that usually are associated with a major holiday.
Some things we carry from year to year but we are not expecting things to be done the same way and at the same time and with the same people.
This morning Santa did arrive and the littlest one was filled with excitement and was the first one up before 7 am! The older two acted like teenagers and were quiet and still sleepy.
My sister and I snuck away together to see a movie. This felt like such a great gift to share some quiet time, a coke and popcorn. We were truly happy to sit side by side and to share an experience together, all by ourselves.
I felt badly for the kids that were working though.
We came home to hang with the rest of the family and everyone had different ideas about how to spend the day. I am very idealistic and the thought of everyone sitting and looking at screens, even though enjoyable, rattled my idealism. I wanted us to be together, doing something but it was hard to sway everyone in the same direction at the same time.
Luckily the sun setting was a forcing function and we decided to make the trek over the hill to Malibu, all together to watch the magnificent sun set again yet another day. The beach is my happy place. Once I get out of the car and step in the sand and hear the ocean, I am like a child on Christmas morning. Hmm…or Christmas Eve.
We saw the sun set and played on the beach before heading back home for dinner. Jeff grilled out the food my mom prepared for us and my extended family joined us for another spontaneous, fun great evening together.
Life is good.
I hope your day was merry and bright.
Merry Christmas!!
This sign was hanging in the women’s restroom in San Luis Obispo.
In the men’s room, Jeff says the sign said, “Some call it chaos. we call it family.”
I think we have it all.
We spent a lot of time with extended family this weekend and I feel sad leaving them, even though I am happy to be going home again.
I love being together and embracing the chaos and love that swirl around us, tying us together through shared experiences and laughter.
There were several highlights from our time together, however my favorite was when friends and family gathered outside and held hands, all 26 of us, and shared a Thanksgiving prayer before dinner acknowledging our gifts and our heartbreaking loss of Chase this year. We were able to smile and cry together and it was a beautiful moment of being safe and authentic, vulnerable and real. We were happy to be together and sad to be missing a loved one. Yin and yang.
I love the unique gifts that each person brings to our family, quirks and all.
Homemade bacon.
I kept reminding myself that we all bring love to share in our own way.
Baking together.
I am especially thankful to my parents for opening their home to everyone and making us welcome and embracing everyone with unconditional love.
We left their home this afternoon and headed home ourselves. My favorite place to be, besides home, is at the beach. My BFF ML also loves the beach and was at Pismo today. We were so lucky to be able to find each other on the beach and watched the sunset together with our families.
This was such a great way to wrap up the day and I was so happy to see her and to be together on the beach!! Simple joys, I’m telling you!!
Life is good!
I hope you enjoyed your own family and friends this giving thanks weekend, and always.
Wishing you peace and love! xo
Happy Thanksgiving BeLoveRs! I am happy that we have each other.
I hope you enjoyed your family and friends, ate good food, and found some time to relax and play.
I am thankful for the time spent just being together today with my loved ones. We went on a hike together before the big family meal and survived the 80+ degree heat this morning.
Life is good.
here i am 