Day 41: Summer

Posted in connection, Cooking, family, food, Gratitude, happily ever after, Happiness, simple living, work life balance, working mom by adrianahartley

I didn’t take any pictures today, although there were some beautiful sites along our journey.

Today I am thankful for my sisters who welcomed us home and made us a wonderful dinner with literally an hour’s notice of our arrival. Jeff just returned from Europe and is jet lagged and I’ve been a a working, solo parent for the past week plus. We were both too exhausted to think and they did the thinking, planning, shopping, prepping and cooking dinner for us and this gift was priceless and much enjoyed.

It’s great to be loved! Thanks, sisters!!

How was your day? Did anyone spoil you? Did you spoil anyone?

Life is good.

29Mar2015

My Birthday

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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.

10Mar2015

My New “Daughter”

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I feel like I have another child, in a good way.

Akie has become part of our family now. She is comfortable asking for what she wants and shares in our activities. She is loving and kind and polite and I adore her.

Today when I picked my girls up from school (I always wanted Juliana to have a sister!), they both wanted to go to a birthday party for their Japanese friend at the park.

We have a google group between the parents of host families and I had read about the party invitation from the host mom this morning. She was bringing chocolate cake and drinks and all were invited to attend. I was happy for our family to be part of the celebration and so we brought a gift and some food to share and off we went. I love kids of all ages. I especially loved walking up to the park and seeing small Japanese children under the age of 5, playing with and teasing our students. At first, I wondered if they were siblings of one of the host families. I quickly realized that there were young, Japanese moms playing with their little kids at the park, and the little kids made a connection with our “real” Japanese teenagers. There was a natural connection for them and the little kids and big kids were all playing and having fun together, chasing and tagging and running around together. I loved this moment and realized that there is a natural comfort in the familiar that we all share.

We sang “Happy Birthday” and the birthday girl blew out her candles. I hope she enjoyed celebrating with us today as much as we did celebrating with her.

After the birthday party, I dropped off Charlie at his practice and brought the girls to Daiso, so that Akie could compare the Daiso in Cupertino to the Daiso in Japan. They were both relatively the same, of course. We also drove by the Apple Headquarters campus that is being built and tried to use English words to describe headquarters. What words would you use? I think she understood.

Tonight I decided I didn’t want to cook and clean again, especially because we had a very busy day. I hosted a tea party for several friends this morning and had been busy all day, with no time to cook. We decided to go out for American fast food at Taco Bell, instead of eating left overs. She picked what looked good from the picture menu displayed and we ordered a couple other things for her to try. She really liked her steak burrito and the nachos. She tried the mild sauce and it was pretty spicy for her. This is why we chose Taco Bell over Chipotle, because she doesn’t care for spicy food. It was fun to see Taco Bell through the eyes of someone new. Even the girl working behind the counter was intrigued by our new “daughter.”

The girl behind the counter came over to my side of the counter to ask me a question. She wanted to know if she could give Akie a hug, because she had never met a Japanese girl before and she was so curious and happy to see her. I told her that in Japan, there isn’t a lot of hugging and kissing and that this would be uncomfortable for her. Having a stranger ask for a hug would be weird in any culture, but I could tell that she genuinely was wanting to see her and connect with her. As we ate, I told Akie about the strange request. As we left the establishment, I introduced Akie to the girl and they bowed to one another. This was a really cool moment. I wish you could have seen it. Love sees no color.

Today was busy and rewarding. I learned a lot again, even in Taco Bell.

How was your day?

24Feb2015

Take it In

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I slowed down today and went outside to eat my favorite homemade salad that contained arugula, beets, goat cheese, toasted pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. I love these flavors mixed together so much. It tastes like heaven! I noticed that the flowers in my yard are all starting to bloom and little buds are forming. What initially called me out there were the little birds singing. ML asked me if I noticed the birds singing recently, which I hadn’t but today, the sliding glass door was open letting in fresh air and I heard their songs. Instead of eating quickly inside, I slowed down and went outside and took it all in. It was good.

Afterwards, I continued on with my work and soon picked up kids from school. Later in the day, my sister called and the sunlight was calling my name again. Instead of sitting on the porch, I decided to chat and walk around the block for some exercise and uninterrupted time while I watched the sun begin to fall. I love this type of lighting and the feeling of it’s warmth on my body. I picked some snippets of my favorite fragrances along the way and made myself a little bouquet. The jasmine and lavender smell so good and are very calming. Lavender is my favorite scent, followed by vanilla. What are your favorites? What did you take in today? Did anything slow you down today to help you enjoy the little things? I know we all have our big things and worries, but don’t forget… we just need to open our eyes to enjoy the little moments like birds chirping or a hug from a child despite it all. It’s all good.

I wish you well. xo

22Nov2014

Resilience and Amazing Women

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I want to talk about resilience tonight.

There are so many women that I admire for their resilience and ability to bounce back and rise up and to claim their second chance.

Life happens.

It doesn’t always go the way we plan. And when life changes, we get to choose how to accept and react to the circumstances we are presented. We are survivors and not victims and I celebrate all those who rise up.

T s graduating with her RN degree next month and I am so proud of her. She always wanted to be a stay at home mom, and when her situation changed, she redefined herself and chose a new dream to become a nurse. And next month, her dream is coming true. Way to go, sister!

K also planned to stay home with her kids until her plans changed. She needed to redefine herself and decided to become a teacher. She’s been working so hard to pursue her dream to become a teacher and next month she receives her credential. Her students adore her and are going to be so lucky if she chooses to teach in their school. I am so proud of your sweet soul.

A developed a program that has been recognized by Michelle Obama to help students fight obesity and to be ready to learn every day through physical fitness before school, as a parent volunteer. She’s developing her program to help other schools across America and hopefully one day across the world. She’s developing her platform to reach and support others and to build a business for herself. Your passion shines!

S is teaching her girls about resilience and love and starting over and I admire her strength and courage to support and love her family as she transitions through life’s changes. You are a great role model.

Some of my friends are in the middle of their struggles and they are walking through the pain and creating joy despite their challenges, and are surrounded by love. They too will rise up in time, when they are ready.

These women are some of my super heroes. They didn’t have to move to Italy or India to discover themselves or to discover their epic quests. They have risen above their challenges and struggles and have persevered and are strong warriors whom I admire. They are providing for their families and loving themselves on a new frontier.

Life isn’t easy. Life doesn’t go as planned. And that’s ok. It’s a new reality. It’s a new story and they are creating history. One woman at a time.

Resiliently.

I am proud of who they are.

We all can have a second chance, if we are willing and able to do the work and maintain our self confidence. Rock on sisters! You’ve got this!

3May2014

Sisterhood

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There’s nothing better than sisterhood and sharing time with those you love and those who love you. We are all sisters (and brothers) in this great big world and here are a few special women I got to spend the day with, laughing, loving, and living it up!

Thanks to my Aunt Louise and Uncle Dean for hosting all of us this afternoon, and for those who weren’t able to make it today, you were with us in spirit. Life is good!

13Jul2013

Being Loved

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Being loved is the best feeling. Period. There is nothing better. Nothing.

This post is a bit personal, but aren’t most? We’re still resettling and it’s the honeymoon stage, and I’m loving all the attention being showered on my family. Thank you for all your shared calls, emails, texts and love and visits.

My parents drove up to my house to prepare for our arrival this week, as I’ve already mentioned. Seeing my kids love on them and tell them how much they’ve missed them and love them, is so nice to see and hear. The love dance is swirling through my house in little moments and details and it fills my soul. For example, I loved just watching Charlie work with my dad on fix-it projects around the house.

My friend Julie had coffee and snacks waiting for us this morning at her house. The kids played while the women chatted and sat and enjoyed her beautifully remodeled house and sunshine out on her patio. I’ve missed days like today and am so happy to be back and in her kitchen again…the best part of the home!

Tracy came by with her kids on bikes and asked if Charlie wanted to go to her house and play. Of course, he gladly went off and had a great time with his friends, riding his bike with them. Thank you, Tracy!

Julie and her kids stopped by with my favorite artichoke dip and stayed to chat for awhile before we headed to the pool.

Our swim club has a Friday night potluck BBQ that we all enjoyed with April and her family. I learned to play Bocce ball with the little ones and made some new friends while playing. Mom and dad joined us too, and it was great to sit outside and NOT have to cook or clean!!

Marilynne stopped by and dropped off a dinner for us. She’s been making a new Japanese curry and told me about it and I had mentioned I wanted to try it sometime. There she was with a delivery on my porch! Thank you ML! You spoiled us and it was quite delicious!

And the best part of my day was when my sisters and nieces arrived from Thousand Oaks. They drove 6 hours to come and see us and met us at the swim club. We went out to the parking lot to greet them and couldn’t stop hugging! It’s been almost a year, you know! Way too long for me! I’m thankful they drove the distance to be with us.