Solar or Lunar?

I actually thought the movie opened sometime last week. Wrong. Last night at midnight.

I'm not much of a movie watcher, but I am a HUGE reader. I love books. Lot's of them. Reading is in my top 5 favorite things to do. If I could manage to read while hanging with Keyo & Juliet, eating pie, and sitting in the sun, that would be my idea of a perfect afternoon.

That said, yes, I've read all four books. Just once, though I am considering reading them again.

I sent Rani a text last night to see if she had plans to see Eclipse any time soon. Her response... 

"Yes, going tonight :)"

Damn.

Then her next text came through... "I have an extra ticket, do you want to come?"

Yes! Midnight? No! So late! Work tomorrow! Could be fun?! Sleep! Grumpy mom! Maybe?

I mentioned it to Keyo. He said I should go, enjoy a night with the girls.

Rani got impatient waiting for my answer. "What do you think?"

Oh, I'm going to regret this... "I'm in! Where should I meet you?"

I'm going to need a couple Red Bull.

So, at 10:30 on a Tuesday night I found myself on the road. In the dark. Realizing that my life is so tame I don't actually remember the last time I drove in the dark. Maybe on a weekend? Certainly not during the week in a LONG time. Party!

We got to the theater an hour in advance, found seats, only ones left were in the third row. Turns out some people had been waiting in line since 9pm just to get a good seat! Who are these vampire loving crazies? Apparently every woman under 60 in the greater Seattle area.

I bought popcorn and pink lemonade. I love lemonade.

We waited. And waited. And waited. My neck hurt from being so close to the screen.

The movie started. Girls, women, and possibly a few men giggled and screeched.

The movie was excellent. I like the way the relationship between Edward and Jacob was portrayed.

The action scenes were pretty awesome. Overall is was pretty damn entertaining.

Which is good, since this is the 3rd (non-animated) movie I've seen in the theater since 2002.

1.) 8 Mile in 2002

2.) New Moon, November 2009

3.) Eclipse last night

Told you I'm not a movie watcher.

Next Friday I'll set a record for most movie theater visits in a short period of time. 

Next Friday is Rani's 26th birthday. She, Chris, Keyo and I are going out to dinner to celebrate. And as the ending credits from Eclipse were rolling around 2:15am, Rani & I decided we'll drag the men to see it with us after her birthday dinner.

Keyo's only response... "Only because it's Rani's birthday"

Thanks honey.

Twin Falls

Last week, Keyo's dad Burt and step-mom Sherry were here from Florida. They were lucky enough to visit during a slight bright spot in our so far dismal Seattle Summer. The weather was good on Wednesday, Juliet's last day of school, so we all packed up and headed up to Twin Falls in North Bend.

Juliet and I have done this hike before, with my mom (Nani), back in February-ish. It's beautiful and the 3 of us had a blast together!

Mom, Juliet & I in "The Tree" - February 2010

Nani & Juliet - Twin Falls, February 2010

This time around was a bit different - there was much more water running down low, so some spots that Juliet and I had made it to before, were impossible now - unless we wanted to get soaked by the freezing water. No thanks!

I think the hike to the falls is about a mile and a half, perfect distance for Juliet's little legs, with plenty of beautiful scenery to keep her interested. Of course, on this trip we had Burt along to keep her busy. She loves to banter back and forth with him. I predict those two will develop a very fun bond, it's hilarious to watch them together.

I managed to remember to bring my camera... but not the fully charged battery, thus losing the opportunity to take pictures. Burt & Sherry took all of these - thanks for sharing!

Burt & Juliet

Sherry & Juliet playing in the water

Keyo, Sherry, Burt, Juliet & I in the same tree

Keyo & I

Colin, Juliet, Sherry, Keyo & I (and random dude at the bottom)

I think everyone had a good time. Beautiful weather, no major injuries, great family time, and Burt only made Juliet cry once. :)

Looking forward to more fun summer memories like this!

The Kowalski's

I've decided to, at random, do brief profiles on the important people in my life. Last week I sent a blanket email to all that I will eventually post about, requesting that they tell me if they don't want to be publicly outed... no one said no, so game on!

The Kowalski's.

They're family people. Halloween party people. Wine making people. She's one of my most favorite people to be around. He kinda treats me like a little sister. She's Italian, he's Polish. They make pretty babies.

They started out as this:

Sabrina and Brandon at Juliet's 4th birthday in 2007

Which brings us to evidence of said offspring prettiness, Exhibit #1:

Adriana Taylor

She's two. Her parents were kind enough to let me snuggle her when she was an hour old. They were even kinder when they continued to let her spend time with me after she once came home with a bruise on her cheekbone. She replies with "sure" and "okay" but hardly ever says the word yes. She cries when I tell her it's time to go home. :) If it's possible to love someone elses kids almost as much as you love your own, I love her that much.

Now, though she has stiff competition. Sabrina and Brandon went and did it again. Exhibit #2:

Gabriella Paige

She's new. Sabrina went and delivered her on a week day morning so I had to wait like 6 hours before I could snuggle her. She and Juliet share a middle name, Juliet thinks that's about the best thing to happen in her whole life. I haven't spent nearly as much time with Gabriella as I should, but I'm going to make up for it. (Sabri, can I come over tomorrow?)

An Office Assistant for the day

This year, we ended up with a couple days between the last day of school and the first day of summer camps. Luckily my parents took Juliet for the day yesterday, but today she's stuck with me at the office. I just took this picture... there is a very good chance that later in the day we'll look decidedly less content with each other.

At the moment she's happily trying to figure out a computer game on the computer next to me. We also have a jewelry making kit, scrapbook supplies, 4 puzzles, a movie, 3 Zhu Zhu pets, Math activity books, Littlest Pet Shop house/pets, 1 large water filled glitter ball, snacks and a large assortment of markers/crayons/stamps/stickers. These supplies should buy me about a solid hour of productive work time!

The BEST last day

Juliet's last day of 1st grade was today.

She said it was the "BEST last day of school I've ever had!"

The last day of Kindergarten must not have held a candle to today.

Today was a whopping 3 hours of school. Assembly, recess, and pizza party. Does it get better than that? Coincidentally, Keyo and I took her to pizza on the first day of the school year too. Look at all those teeth she still had 9 months ago!

We were talking about how excited she is for the summer. She has all sorts of camps to go to, and she gets to visit her dad in Texas for two weeks!

She got quite for a moment and then asked...

"Mama, when is your last day of work?"

OH, how I wish it were that way.

Happy Father's Day!

Yes, I had intended on posting every day for a week. That was prior to getting caught up in a weekend filled with Rani & Chris's wedding and Father's Day. I was a long but wonderful weekend!

My dad. Have you met him? You should. He's cool.

It's difficult for me to put into words what he means to Juliet & I. They say little girls grow up to marry men just like their fathers. I surely hope so.

He's warm, and strong. Patient (unless there's traffic), forgiving, and tirelessly loving. He is the person that holds our family together.

He met me when I was 10. I wouldn't give him the time of day. He hugged me and told me he loved me everyday for years before I returned the affection. 

I can't imagine what is was like learning to parent for the first time...  the child being an unappreciative pre-teen girl. I'm most certain it was hell. He stuck with me. Pretty amazing.

To Juliet, he's Papa. He fed her chocolate ice cream for the first time when she was only three weeks old, and always says yes when she wants him to color in princess coloring books. For these reasons, and a million more, she adores him.

Happy Father's Day to my dad, by far the most incredible man I know.

It's a darn good thing she didn't listen to me!

Today is a special day for someone very special to Juliet & I.

June 18th, 2010, Auntie Rani is getting married.

Some time soon I'll give you the full introduction to my best friend. To make a long story short, we're those kind of friends. We can and DO count on each other. We can be honest with out being offended/offending. Rani is one of the best people I know. She's super neat-o.

Rewind almost 5 years, Rani called me one evening and said:

"Chris Lewis asked me on a date, do you think I should go?"

"No, I don't think you should..."

"Okay, well, thanks for that, but I think I'm going to go anyway"

Humph.

Today, at 7pm, Rani will become Mrs. Rani Lewis. I'm SO happy she didn't follow my advice. :)

Rani, I'm so excited to celebrate this day with you. I'd love to write more, but we're off to begin a day full of hair, makeup, dresses, sparkles, flowers, friends, pictures and L.O.V.E.

Cheers to Chris & Rani ~ we love you both!

My not quite bucket list

When I was around 20 years old I started a list of things I wanted to accomplish before I turned 30. I am now 242 days shy of my 30th birthday. 

A few things to note here:

A.) I am 120% thrilled to turn 30, please don't cue the doom music! I think my 30's are going to be some of the best years of my life.

B.) I have not done one thing on my original list.

C.) I actually lost said list a couple years back, and while I remember a few things I'd added over the years, I'm sure I've forgotten most.

Now, things have definitely changed (as they should!) in the last 9 years. Most notably - I am a parent. And those of you who also are, know that our desires for ourselves are generally replaced with dreams for our children. And mildly neurotic worrying that we're making all the right choices for our precious charges.

As I'm approaching the original deadline for The List, I am re-energized to actually do some of these things. Thus, I'm going to post what I remember on here, where I can't lose it, and tack on another 10 years. They do say 40 is the new 30, right? Who the heck are they, by the way?

Things to do before I turn 40...

1.) Learn to play an instrument

2.) Photography -learn to take GOOD pictures!

3.) Work at a summer camp for kids

4.) Get my nursing degree

5.) Garden - flowers, veggies & fruit

6.) Learn to surf

7.) Learn to sew - specifically pretty frilly aprons.

There it is, wish me luck!

~A

Wheelchair Parking

Juliet & I pulled into the church parking lot one weekday afternoon to register her for Vacation Bible School, she was 5 years old. The lot was pretty empty, and I parked in the spot next to a handicap space. As Juliet is climbing out of the backseat she points to the wheelchair symbol painted on the cement and says...

"Mama, is that parking spot for people who have a wheelchair?"

"Yes, honey, it's for people with disabilities. The mark those spots special so those people can be as close as possible to the front door"

Her VERY serious response to me was:

"Well, how come I've NEVER seen a wheelchair parked there?!"

As parents, sometimes we forget how literally our kids take things. This was a pretty funny reminder!

The best is yet to come.

I've decided that the easiest way to get the hang of this blogging thing is to jump in with both feet, shoes and socks on. And possibly dance around in the water a bit. I will attempt to post something each day for the next week. I have a few ideas for topics - hopefully they'll roll out of my brain in an orderly fashion.

So far I've run into a couple of hiccups. First - I can see (when I log in from a PC) that my photos are not centered correctly. Bah. When I log in on from the Mac - everything looks beautiful and perfectly aligned. Humph. Second - I can't seem to get rid of the yellow spell check highlight, and since Keyo is my boyfriend and I like using words like supa dupa - this could become a problem. I shall try to search out the solutions to these little head scratchers.

While I'm doing that, take a read through this, it's one of my very favorite collections of words. I keep it near so I can be reminded. Enjoy & have a blessed day ~ A

Health:

 Drink plenty of water.
 Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
 Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less
 food that is manufactured in plants.
 Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
 Make time to practice meditation and relaxation.
 Play more games.
 Read more books than you did last year.
 Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
 Sleep for 7 hours.
 Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile

Personality:

 Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
 Don't give in to negative thoughts. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
 Don't over do. Know your limits.
 Don't take your self so seriously, no one else does.
 Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
 Dream more while you are awake.
 Envy is a waste of time, you already have all you need.
 Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin  your present happiness.
 Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
 Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
 No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
 Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away
like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
 Smile and laugh more.
 You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
 Call your family often.
 Each day do something nice for someone else.
 Forgive everyone for everything. Life’s too short to waste energy being upset or mad.
 Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6
 Try to make at least three people smile each day.
 What other people think of you is none of your business. And why should you care anyway
 Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.

Life:

 Do the right thing!
 Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
 However good or bad a situation is right now, it will change.
 No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
 The best is yet to come.

This should be painless, right?

I created this blog account quite a while ago. It's my first, and it's been sitting here and in the back of my mind since then.

I like to write. This should be easy. Something fun to create. I've had the most difficult time coming up with a topic for the first post. So, here I go, flying my the seat of my much loved denim - lets hope the ride is enjoyable!

I'll start with my most favorite person, and the being you'll see most of on here. My darling, dangerous, lovely, creative, willful, comedic daughter Juliet Paige. She gets none of those traits from her mama... except the willful part. She's one of a kind. 7 years old, just lost her 8th tooth, of which only 3 have grown back in, putting her love of corn-on-the-cob on the back burner while we wait for those pearly whites to make appearance.

Another of my favorite people. Keyo. If you're reading this and know me, you know him. You know he's kind, incredibly hard working, and supa dupa HANDSOME. What many people don't know is he's also pretty darn funny, and by far the most loyal person I've met. The sprinkles on the sundae that is Keyo... he's patient, and he loves Juliet & I. How on earth did I end up so blessed?

And, then there's me. Crazy lady. I love my family fiercely. I will eat anything that's been baked with sugar. I adore walking barefoot in the grass, the smell of barbecue, taking naps on the couch, listening to Juliet sing in the shower, watching my parents be grand-parents, learning new things right along with our daughter, wrapping presents, and eating toasted tomato sandwiches. 

I dream of becoming a nurse. Having more babies. Putting a few stamps in my sparking new passport.

All in good time. Right now I'm definitely learning to enjoy the ride!

Be blessed,

A