Not-So-Normal Mom

To celebrate my 33rd Birthday, my mom, my sister, some friends, and I went to the 20th anniversary showing of Dirty Dancing in the theater. It was so fantastic seeing it on the big screen again. It brought back so many memories of when I was thirteen!! My sister said, "I don't think I ever saw this in the theater!" I had to tell her that indeed, she had, because I took her when I was dating my first boyfriend so that I had an excuse to go to the movies. I would plant her firmly five rows ahead of us and Darren and I would kiss and grope our way through Baby's deflowering.
I'm sure that last night, our recital of half of the movie's lines did not annoy the movie goers around us at all! And when Johnny said, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," the audience cheered! It was just so great! So, happy birthday to me and happy anniversary to Dirty Dancing!
Peace Out,
Mom

I can't help it. I'm addicted. I've got a problem. I know many others have been sucked in by its alluring lights and flashy lifestyle. Now it has me, too. I'm neglecting my schoolwork; I can't turn away. I love it. I love the way it makes me feel. I'm hooked. It's all about the Guitar Hero. I Rock!!
Peace Out,
Mom

I know that I posted not too long ago that I like change, but it seems that it is now biting me in the butt!! My husband has decided to separate from his business partner (He is a real big a-hole), and we are now faced with what this is going to do to our family. He hasn't decided what he's going to do yet. It may be a new business, or it may be that he goes back to working 9 to 5. The thing about the business is that it has always allowed for flexibility in our schedules. We don't have our kids in daycare, and we are both able to work productively while I continue my education. So I am facing the decision of whether or not to put my little man in daycare. I know millions of parents do it, and kids all over the world are just fine with it, but I really like being the source of my child's formative education and moral values. It's all so up in the air now, and I know it will work out...but for now, it's causing me to feel a bit nervous. We'll see!

On a different note, my sister in law is coming to stay with my husband and children while I am away in Houston. I have mixed feelings about this. She is obviously coming specifically at that time so that she doesn't have to see me (her plane gets in an hour after mine leaves) and leaving before I get back to stay with cousins, before she goes back to NJ. She doesn't have any kids and is pretty set in her ways. Okay...she's pretty mean. I'm the nice fun momma who balances everything out around here, so I'm concerned about my kids being subjected to a drill sergeant for four days. Argh!!! Not to mention, I don't like the fact that another woman is coming into my house and touching my stuff. Plus, she'll probably have a whole lot of opinions about how our house is set up. I'm still trying to think of something that I could leave laying around that will annoy her. If you have any ideas, let me know!
Peace Out,
Mom

This was our day at Mount Laguna. We had to drive quite a bit to find a patch of snow to play in! I feel bad when I watch the news because I know there are many places across the country that are having bad weather, and we are complaining about a little rain every once in a while. If you'll notice in the picture, my husband was wearing shorts!!! Anyway, we had a great time sledding. The little man giggled the whole time he was sledding down the hill. It was great! After we were done, we went to the local mountain town that is famous for its apples and had caramel apples with candied walnuts. Delicious! Anyway...I don't miss the snow. i like our sunny San Diego weather!!!!
Peace Out,
Mom

Emmy got hurt going down the stairs over the weekend. I took her to the vet and 225 dollars later, they told me she had hurt her ACL. Just like a football player! So now, she's a three-legged dog until her injury heals. They told me to keep her still, but she's a four month old pup for God's sake! She's actually learning to maneuver with three legs, and I'm anxious for her to be well. We are not allowed to walk her and I haven't been taking her on car rides, either. She's not a happy pup. She is also very smart and doesn't eat her pill when I mix it with food. I think I've tried everything! My sister suggested peanut butter, but she ate all the PB and left the pill. Smart girl!!! I am convinced that mutts are very smart cookies!

On another note...Since I updated, I am having issues getting my Flickr up. I can't figure the darn thing out! I would also like to figure out how to put little badges on my blog. One day, I'll have time to sit down and learn this stuff.
Peace Out,
Mom

I upgraded to the new blogger, and I changed the look a bit. I think I was tired of the pink. Whatever. Here it is.

I'm not having a good day. Sometimes I just want to go back and do a big do-over. I want to travel and not care so much about money. I wanted to change the world. Big time. Not just little baby steps-changing the world around me kind of thing. I wanted to really change the world. It's not really working out that way. I'm working a lot, and I haven't gotten to where I want to be yet. I feel like I do a lot of things impulsively, and I'm willing to uproot and try something new, but my husband is always leery of making that jump. I believe that it will work out...My husband wants proof. It's time for a change; I'm just not sure what that change is going to be yet.
Peace Out,
Mom

This picture is for my sweetie. Our coffee business keeps us going, and the coffee keeps me moving through my days. When I ran into my husband (who was not my husband at the time) again after not seeing him for many years, he was working at the coffee shop that he now owns...So,I always associate coffee and love! I am a true romantic at heart, and I really do believe in happily ever after! Even though someone/something evil always gets in your way at some point, it all works out in the end! (Hey-it happens in fairy tales! Think Malificent here.) My husband is great. He may not be as much of a romantic as I wish he was, but he takes care of us. He loves me, and he shows it just about every day in our life together. I am happy. It may not be that "on fire" passion that once kept us going, but it has settled into a raging simmer. I like it that way. Sometimes it does fire up, and I like that, too! He's my love, and I adore him. I am so happy to be spending another Valentines day with him. So-I hope all of you had a great Valentines Day. I'm going to go and kiss my husband.
Peace Out,
Mom

Here she is!!! Since we have a rabbit named Ruby, we have added a new jewel to our family...Emerald. We call her Emmy. She's very cute, and very playful. The house training is making me a wee bit crazy, but I guess it's par for the course, ya know??? My husband called me and asked how it was with the two kids at home...I don't know if he realizes how right on he is!!!

I've recently returned to church. I thought it was time to give the kids somewhere to go...I thought it was a good idea that they have a good foundation, other than the one that we have already laid for them. I like going to church. It doesn't take much time out of your day, it makes you feel good, and every time I leave there, I feel like I've learned something that I can use in my life.

I've made some observations the last couple of weeks since I started going to church. Because I am surrounded by intellectuals, our conversations often turn to religion and other hot topics. I consider myself a liberal-Most, if not all, of the people I surround myself with are liberals. Most don't have any kind of belief system in place. Really. They think its foolish that I "waste my time" with it. These are the same people that don't believe in Marriage. SO, I've now made the correlation between not believing in God and not believing in marriage. I believe it's a lack of faith.

I feel like I'm surrounded by people that can't put their faith in another person or relationship, and definitely cannot put their faith in a higher power. I don't really know how to feel about it. I feel a little sorry for them. Not because I have that whole "My religion is better than yours" thing going on, but because I feel like you have to put your faith into someone else sometimes. You have to be able to believe that if you falter, someone else will be there to help you out. If you don't, I think it could be a heavy burden to do it all yourself. Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a fiercely independent person, but I know I don't have the strength to do it all alone. It's nice to know I have someone at home, and in my heart to help me out. I have faith that there's someone upstairs who has my best interests at heart. I have faith that He/She exists without ever having seen Him/Her. I also have faith that my husband will be with me throughout the rest of my life. I believe these things. And it gives me great joy and comfort.

Main Entry: 1faith
Pronunciation: 'fAth
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural faiths /'fAths, sometimes 'fA[th]z/
Etymology: Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust -- more at BIDE
1 a : allegiance to duty or a person : LOYALTY b (1) : fidelity to one's promises (2) : sincerity of intentions
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs
synonym see BELIEF
(the above was found on the Mirriam Webster online dictionary)

Peace Out,
Mom

My parents next-door neighbor that we have known for twelve years was arrested in Tijuana, Mexico yesterday for raping a 12 year old girl. Witnesses heard the girl screaming, and when police arrived, the girl was found duct-taped in the car. They also found drugs and a knife. We have known this man for 12 years, and he has never acted "weird" or given us cause to suspect him of anything unsavory. I feel like one of those neighbors you see on the news that says things like "He was such a nice guy". But dammit, he was! We have always had a good neighborly relationship with him, and I'm really in shock. This makes me feel unsafe and unsure of people around me. I thought that I was a good judge of character, but I'm starting to question that. Ugh. It just makes me sick.
Peace Out,
Mom

We had a great vacation and now we're just getting back into the groove. I went back to work at the college today and my first student was a little loopy and a lot of work. WOW! They could have at least eased me in, you know?

I learned something over the weekend. I ran into a girl that was in my Spanish class over a year ago. We were at about the same level in our education, so I was surprised when she told me that she is now teaching 2nd grade. WHAT?
ME- When did you get your credentials?
HER- Oh, I only have my AA. You don't need a degree to teach at a private school.

Really? Did everyone else know this except me? Do parents know this?? After telling people about this, I've learned that it's at the discretion of the institution. Who knew?

So, I'm looking into teaching at a private school. We'll see.

Another topic- Today is the anniversary of Roe V Wade. Women, we need to stay vigilant. And responsible. While I believe that every woman should be responsible for their bodies and use birth control when they don't want a baby-I realize that there are some circumstances when that doesn't happen, or when one of those little guys gets through. As a society, we are responsible for making sure that women retain control of their bodies.

Peace Out,
Mom