You never know what you’ll learn at the farm.
These baby goats remind us to stop and play and rest and it’s always more fun with a friend!
A little sunshine is good for the soul.
A beautiful path is right in front of us if we choose to see it.
I love the bright, orange, California poppies. What do you see that you love?
xo
Adriana
I was above the clouds today and this was my view. Pretty, isn’t it?
nAMaste
What is your night time ritual? Do you have one?
I’m looking to shake mine up a bit.
Do you sit on the couch? Eat? Read? Play on your computer? Workout? Shower? Have salty or sweet snacks? Maybe a bowl of cereal? Drink wine or a cocktail? Sleep?? There’s a concept.
Isn’t it funny to think that everyone does it a little differently? How many people have the same routine most nights? I’m curious.
Tonight I showered at night but usually I shower in the morning. The lighting in the shower was very different at night. I washed my face and moisturized it and it feels so clean and fresh. I love it and have time to enjoy just being clean and refreshed before rushing off someplace or doing something. I might like this new ritual.
I blow dried my hair and got out most of the moisture before climbing into bed. I hardly ever wash my hair at night, yet Juliana likes to go to bed with wet hair. Opposites. Very interesting. Hmm…
Typically I like to have a glass of wine with dinner, however I am changing this too. I actually am wide awake and have more energy than I usually do. I like this feeling and actually only miss the ritual of having a shared drink, more than I miss the actual drink. So curious.
What other things do we do out of habit and not really think about? What happens if we think about what we’re doing and actively choose and decide to shake things up? This is really fun!
Think about your routines and think about changing just one for a night or two and see what you think. You might be pleasantly surprised.
Good Night. Slaap Lekker. Sweet Dreams. Namaste.
I am thankful that our baby girl returned home safely from Japan today.
We were up until 2am our time, texting back and forth until her plane departed from Tokyo. I finally felt like I could rest but I was too anxious and kept waking up every couple of hours, wondering if she was okay and if her plane was still safe.
I was thankful when her texts returned this morning letting me know she was almost on the ground and when she finally landed. We were all at the airport waiting and anticipating her arrival, along with her friends and classmates. The feeling of homecoming was overwhelming and exciting. At the same time, I felt connected to my sister cousin and felt her pain knowing that her son was not coming home. It’s hard to feel complete joy now when I am aware of such pain. Yin and yang. We are all connected. As I was sharing her pain, she was sharing my joy. This is surreal to me. It’s our shared journey and reality. It’s real and makes me especially appreciate life and all that is good, despite all that is bad, every day.
I am thankful for this one life and plan to continue living it up each day, celebrating and feeling and connecting and sharing and loving, good times and bad.
nAMaste BeLoveRs and welcome home Juliana.
It’s the little things in life that bring me joy, yet sometimes I get stuck thinking we need to be doing bigger things, having shared experiences and seeing the world while we can. I want to do it all.
I want to flow and I want to create opportunities and sometimes the yin and yang of this is confusing.
I’m talking about spring break. I wanted to plan a family trip together but my family had other plans. They wanted to stay close to home for various reasons. I always want to go places, but I’m the one who is home the most so this makes sense. I want to go and they want to stay.
We were generously offered a week in Tahoe and we regretfully decided to decline. This was a hard decision for me, yet it was best for my family, and so it was.
I love spending time with my favorite people, yet sometimes what they want to do is just to do nothing. They are happy to be home and relaxing doing what they do. This is okay with me for a little while and then it drives me crazy. Except for today.
Today I was thankful that they just wanted to chill. I decided to chill along with them, which means I did the dishes, and cleaned up the clutter again. I went through the stack of papers on my desk and made an updated to do list, and filed and shredded papers. While we were sitting together, Juliana FaceTimed from Japan and we all sat on the couch and shared stories.
This made me incredibly happy and finally I could appreciate what Jeff likes to call the small infinities, those little things that mean everything. If we were busy running around, we may have missed the opportunity to all be together.
I was finally content to be at home and was happy that my paper stack dwindled.
I then began working on my photo backlog and Jeff helped me solve a problem, while we sat on the couch and watched Charlie play outside. This made me very happy! This was another small infinity, that I would not have experienced if we were driving in a car some place or on vacation some where.
The last little thing that made me happy just going with the flow, was when we decided to walk over to April’s house to pickup Charlie. It felt good to feel the sunshine on my face and the cool afternoon air, walking hand in hand.
Love wins. Small infinities are sometimes just as good as big infinities.
nAMaste – live it up – big or small and enjoy what is.
With love,
Adriana
Luckily my feelings of being anxious and lost went away today. That didn’t take long. I think it’s important to feel what we feel and to acknowledge the bad feelings too so that we can realize and process them and let them go as fast as possible because who wants to be anxious and lost? That is never my intention but sometimes life just is and that’s okay too.
I found my happiness at midnight and throughout the day, when I received a message from Juliana that she had landed safely. I could finally sleep but I kept waking up wondering if she had texted again and how she was doing.
I found happiness by volunteering with my PEO group and admiring the sunshine and natural beauty of the Redwood trees in Portola Valley. I enjoyed spending time with women and sharing lunch together.
Isn’t this the most beautiful and peaceful place? I want to come back here again.
I felt alive again and cleaned my house and got things organized for the weekend. It really makes me happy when clutter is gone and my space is neat. Seriously, it’s the simple things that make me happy.
Juliana FaceTimed with me when she woke up and SnapChatted throughout the afternoon. I was so giddy to see her face and to hear her voice!!
My sisters both called today and we had time to catch up and I got to talk with my mom too. Since they don’t live close by, I was thankful for our cell phones and time to connect because I love them and need them!
Jeff came home from work and the boys both had events, so we went out to dinner together, which was a great way to the end the day and crazy week with my best friend.
Found my happiness again.
Life is good. Thank you for sharing this life journey together. Have a wonderful weekend, filled with time for you, time to relax, time to exercise, and time to just be.
nAMaste BeLoveRs!
xoxo
So we took our baby girl to the airport today and did the whole group photos, lots of kisses and hugs and sharing thoughts and don’t forgets and call me or text and all that good stuff.
We wished her well and stood anxiously waiting behind the black wall, watching her go through security until we couldn’t see her anymore. And then we left. No tears, actually! I was proud of myself. Maybe I worked through the anxiety yesterday and was ready and prepared today. Maybe.
I am happy for her.
I am proud of her.
I am okay.
What made me sad and anxious was realizing that I’ve done my job and that she’s flying away. Not literally, as in flying to Japan, but she’s flying the nest. She’s got the hang of this life thing and she’s confident, strong, independent, courageous and curious and kind. She’s everything I’ve always wanted her to be. And she’s still young. I wasn’t expecting this to all come together like this, right here, right now. And so it is.
I came home from the airport and just sat still. I didn’t know what to do with myself. There was nothing I wanted to do and everything I could do and yet I did nothing. I ate some leftovers, not because I was really hungry, but because food is my anti-anxiety drug of choice. I looked at Facebook and created a FrameMagic collage and posted an update from the moments just passed. I practiced using SnapChat and chatted with Juliana while she waited another 2 hours before her plane departed.
I sat and waited with her yet in my living room. She asked me what I was doing and I told her I was waiting with her. She asked if I was going to sit still for 11 hours too, the same time she would be sitting for the duration of her flight. I told her no way, that wasn’t possible and she laughed. She also told me she was only going to be gone for 240 hours and asked if I was going to sit and wait for her too, and I said absolutely not. 240 hours sounds a lot shorter than 10 days. She made me laugh.
Kristin invited me over for a visit and I was thankful that she got me out of the house. I needed to do something and I enjoyed her company and conversation. I continued texting Juliana until her flight took off. It was fun to stay connected and I’m anxiously awaiting her next text around midnight tonight, letting me know she landed. All is well.
I called my mom this afternoon, and the first thing she said to me was, “So, do you feel lost?” And I said, “Yes!! That’s exactly how I feel. How did you know? I didn’t even know that was what I was feeling, but yes. I feel lost.” She said that’s how she felt when I left to go to Australia when I was 12 years old!! I so get her. She is one brilliant woman. I am so glad she was brave enough to let me go. She shaped my spirit for adventure and wanderlust and I have now shared this with my kids.
I’m okay feeling a little lost.
This is real and it’s normal and she’s fine and I’m fine. I am vulnerable and just a little lost – like I don’t know what to do with her not here and not having to pick her up or make her lunch or make her gluten-free dinners or take her here nor there. She’s okay and I’m okay – it’s just different and we’re growing up. Both of us.
Laurie called today to check on me and several friends and family texted to see how I was feeling and to wish Juliana well. I am grateful, especially to Laurie who could see me and my anxiety and reached out, despite her own feelings of loss. How did she do that? I am in awe of her, always. She’s one strong woman who I admire so much.
The sisterhood of motherhood is strong in my village.
I don’t feel so lost anymore. I can’t wait to hear all the stories about adventures in Japan! Have fun, baby girl and live it up!!
Carry on, BeLoveRs!!
nAMaste sisters!
It’s not my birthday. But I felt like it was. My favorites are in town. I got to just hang out with them all day and night and I felt like it was my birthday celebration weekend. This is my dream come true.
The kids. The moms. The sisters. The Husband. All mixed together, playing and enjoying each other. That’s it. This is what makes me glow from the inside, so thankful, so filled with joy.
The littles were running around the house with trucks and small toys, making noise, chasing each other, banging on the drums and dancing.
The middle one made pancakes.
The big one slept in.
My loves enjoyed coffee together in the breakfast nook.
We didn’t have a plan and then one just came together.
We enjoyed the day unfolding, meeting everyones’ needs and just flowing. I love days like today.
We were at the soccer field, watching Charlie’s first match of the season, all of us sitting together on blankets and chairs in the sunshine and cheering and enjoying the journey.
We made raclette party food for dinner, everyone pitching in and loving the shared experience.
The middle girls baked meringue cookies and we stayed up way past our bed times again.
THIS is the life. Pinch me. I love it. I love them.
I am so happy they are here to celebrate my “birthday.’
Life is good. 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.
Today was filled with love.
I started the day with a special breakfast at Charlie’s school, called Moments with Moms. It was my last one as Charlie is graduating this year, so it was extra special. I loved sitting with him and his friends and mine, soaking it all in and enjoying every minute and all the kids and moms and teachers and principal.
I love our school and our international community and my baby boy. I was filled with joy.
After breakfast and doing a few chores, I went to meet my volleyball girls out on the grass for some outdoor volleyball fun. I hadn’t been out for over a month, since I’ve been fighting pain in my neck and back. I received an “internal memo” from our team captain, who always makes us laugh with her spirit and creativity. She pretends that we are an official team and sends out weekly reminders of upcoming events and helps to coordinate our schedules and encourages us to get outside and play. I adore her! Here is what her memo stated:
It was soooo good to be out on the field again with my friends, playing in the sunshine, sharing stories and catching up while working out with my girls. I was nervous at first to play again, and was on the injured list, which gave me a few privileges, such as extra serves. After about an hour or so, I warmed up and the pain was less. I was so happy that N encouraged me to come out and play again, as this made me very happy.
The rest of the day was filled with catching up with laundry and work, before getting ready for the potluck dinner with our Japanese students and host families back at school. Every family brought something to share, which made for a fabulous dinner. We made bagel pizza bites and the girls made gluten free chocolate frosted cupcakes.
The Japanese students provided entertainment that made me very happy.
My favorite part of the night was watching. The kids perform. The Japanese kids practiced their English, acting as the MCs and directing the agenda for the evening. I loved the boys group dancing, the drama scene, the group song, and most especially watching Akie perform a solo ballet performance to my favorite Frozen tune, “Let it Go.”
She was absolutely stunning and beautiful and graceful. I was so proud of her (as my daughter!) I left from filming, saying to my friends, “that’s my girl!!.” They giggled.
Seeing and feeling the appreciation and gratitude and love between the students, the schools, and the families made my day.
This is truly a remarkable experience and I recommend hosting a foreign exchange student in your house, if you have the means. We are all loving her and sharing in this journey, creating connections and friendships that we would never have had otherwise.
I am thankful!!
here i am 