Day 2 - Post something that inspires you...

To live content with small means;
To seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;
To study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;
To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.
In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common.

This is to be my symphony.
-William Henry Channing

A mini-journey

In an effort to blog a bit more often, I have taken on a 30-day blog project. My hope is for it to be introspective, inspiring, and fun. Feel free to join in the fun!


Day 1 - Describe your guilty pleasure...
This is a toughy because I feel like this list could become never-ending, but for the sake of the challenge, let me begin...

• Blog-reading--I love me some good blogs. I love finding new blogs. I love blogs about finance and about home decor and about the mom who believes you can still be sexy when you have kids and my friends Shan, Ju, and Kaeli (though I have to admit, I wish they blogged more because I love reading about their lives [=)...you get the picture; I love blogs.
• Craigslist surfing for whatever I'm desiring in any given day. As of late, it's been sectionals, antique tables, and quirky lamps. Obv I'm anxious to move into my house and start creating a "home."
• The candy bowl at work--there are some days where I can resist but other days, I'm 4 mini-bars deep by 9am. Not exactly diet-friendly, but such is life...
• Trashy TV and shows on A&E such as Hoarders, Intervention, etc. and along the same vein, trashy mags
• A glass of hearty red wine or an ice cold Fat Tire
• Chick lit--gotta love the Shopaholic Series, the Twilight series, Janet Evanovich and Jane Green books, and anything else to do with Hollywood, New York, or debutantes
• Taking way too many pictures of Gabriel. That child is so adorable and I can't help but record every single little memory
• Listening to Rock 105.3's The Show every morning
• Sushi dates with my husband
• Engaging in Lakers talk with anyone who will listen
• Target shopping, I could live there. Seriously.

That's my list and I'm sticking to it!

Don't let your whole life pass you by, weep not for the memories...

You are missed every day. 

May 19, 2004

Dreamin'

This morning, I decided that if my husband was able to make up the difference of my salary and benefits, I would LOVE to go back to staying at home,playing with Gabriel, cooking dinner for Adrian, blogging, washing,cooking, and cleaning. I think knowing that we'll be back in our house is making me miss all of that stuff and I'm crossing my fingers that by the time we decide to have a second child, we will be able to afford that again. Damn money, why is it so necessary? I wish we could all go back to the barter system, haha. I love my job, but sometimes I just want to stay home and cuddle with my little muffin baby toddler.

I'll admit, I haven't really wanted to blog. There are so many exciting things going on that I a) didn't want to jinx them, and b) have not had time!

First and foremost, we have a house. Not an overpriced condo or a tiny apartment, a house! We had pretty much given up on the idea of getting a house and were literally writing out a check for a condo in North Park when Adrian's boss offered his 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom place in Santee. We were really hoping to move a little more west but I have to say, I'm pretty happy that we decided to stay closer to family. And we'll have a yard. And a washer/dryer. And a neighborhood! To say I'm counting down the days would be an understatement. I'm looking forward to having a place to really start our lives in, to have our son and maybe future children grow up in...Oh, and it's lease-to-own! We won't just be renting, we'll be owning shortly!

Secondly, we just got back from an incredibly relaxing and sunny vacation in Mexico. It was much needed and we were able to spend some quality time together. Unfortunately, Adrian got sick halfway through our second day, but I was able to get through two and a half books, something I haven't had the focus to do at home. We laid on the beach, drank a few cervezas, leisurely ate lunches and dinners in the small town, and read through a few magazines. It was great--but, I missed Gabriel a lot. I came back to a wild, cranky, crazy little boy. I think he's trying to tell me never to leave him again, or else he'll continue to lash out at me through horribly embarrassing temper tantrums. Regardless, it was worth it. I got a tan and enjoyed my husband.

Lastly, and still related to Gabriel, he is WALKING! And climbing and playing and giggling and talking and becoming such a little boy. I love this new stage, but it definitely makes me a little nostalgic for the past. Last week I flipped through a few of the pictures from when he was just a newborn and I couldn't help but think of those first few tough, emotional, exciting days. Days when waking at all hours of the night was normal. Days where naps were mandatory in order to be functional. Days where he would lay in my arms for hours and I would just stare at him all day long. I miss those days, but I look forward to the future with my sweet little child.

Bite your tongue!

I don't particularly like to get on my soap box often, but I just feel like it today. I wouldn't say that I am extremely knowledgeable about the goings-on of the world. I read the newspaper and dabble around the internet a bit, but what I hear is generally from the news and The Show on Rock 105.3 (yes, I do get my news from a radio show, so sue me!). In terms of politics, my bra-burning, free-loving liberal self has seemed to die off a bit since college, although I will say I would never, and I mean never associate with the right wrong side of the party spectrum. Currently, I sit rather comfortably a little to the left of the fence, picking and choosing my battles as they come. I still think same-sex couples should get married and I ride the fence on the abortion issue, but some issues just plain and simply sit in the gray areas of my moral/ethical/practical compass. One issue that does not fall into that area for me is this immigration business we keep hearing about in the news. Below is a quote that has been circulating Facebook:

 "JUST SO I UNDERSTAND THIS. YOU PASS THE NORTH KOREAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET 12 YRS. HARD LABOR, YOU PASS THE AFGHAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET SHOT. YOU PASS THE AMERICAN BORDER ILLEGALLY YOU GET A JOB, DRIVER'S LICENSE, ALLOWANCE FOR A PLACE TO LIVE, HEALTH CARE, EDUCATION, BILLIONS OF DOLLARS SPENT SO YOU CAN READ A ......DOCUMENT. WE CARRY PASSPORTS IN OTHER COUNTRIES OR FACE JAIL TIME. REPOST THIS IF YOU AGREE!"

Now, can I just say I take real issue with this shiz. First of all, why the eff are we comparing the UNITED STATES to North Korea and Afghanistan?  Countries that have continually proven not only to produce acts of terrorism, but have been outspoken about their hatred and disgust with the United States? Countries that would take us out if given just one brief moment? Moving past that whole issue, it's a widely known fact that our immigration process has many faults. It's almost impossible to get through the system unscathed and in time to see your child graduate high school. It can take years and years and years, time that many people don't have. I understand that we should all follow the rules but if you have a family living in Mexico on next to nothing and the only hope for survival is for a family member to risk their lives sneaking into our country to send money back, those rules may not seem so necessary. The fact that Arizona has granted the law enforcement to pick and choose who they "search on reasonable suspicion" utters RACIAL PROFILING. Ask the darker-skinned, middle-eastern looking American citizen  trying to get on an airplane how that feels, I can imagine it stings a bit. Or ask my dad, a legal citizen and resident of a small town near the border of Mexico in San Diego how it feels to be stopped every day by Border Patrol on his way to work because he looks like he could possibly-maybe-most likely not be an illegal immigrant. Then magnify that by the egos and machismo new attitudes of the law enforcement who are now have this enormous amount of control and power. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 Many of these citizens, illegals, are hard-working men and women doing the work that our own Americans will not do. They are mothers and fathers, brother, sisters, daughters, cousins, friends...They are people and deserve a slice American pie just as much, if not more, than some of our own people. How about instead, we crack down on the men and women on welfare who we pay for out of our own pockets everyday so they can freeload off of our system. I'm not saying there shouldn't be a welfare system--we have to take care of our people when they're down and out (shit happens!)--but the law and requirements could be more stringent, or maybe include some follow up/house visits, etc. We have a family friend who is an illegal immigrant and has lived here for over 20 years. She has never been on welfare, never used food stamps, has worked two or more jobs at a time to provide for her little girls. She's resourceful, smart, and has never once been late on her rent. This is the type of person that I am willing to pay into a system, to overpay taxes for. As for that previous quote, please people--don't be ignorant. Stay informed. And have a little bone of decency!

A little bit of life

We just got back from a lovely weekend in Camarillo. There was a plethora of friends (great friends!), family, food, and fun! I miss having friends like them around...

That's all. Life is stressful, but great! 

Here's a little glimpse into our lives...