How to Manage Stress!

Quite the catchy title, but what does it really mean? How can I possibly do this...

It started with me handing the kid's Christmas lists over to Joe. I said "here, buy this and wrap it". He said "ok". Easy enough.

Then it was me telling him to stop at Old Navy on the way to his mom's house and buy 7 gift cards for our nieces. Easy enough.

Finally, it was me telling him "No tree. I don't have time to put one up, and I don't want to have to deal with it when I come back from Alaska". Not quite as easy. So, instead of the real tree we usually get (from Andrew's Boy Scout troop), a fake tree from Lowe's made its way into our garage. When I voiced my doubts about my time commitment, Joe said "you have nothing to do with the tree this year". Ok, easy enough. Still, lingering guilt resides.

Why say no tree, one might ask...

Normally, the idea of the Christmas tree is the pinnacle of the Holiday season. However, the reality is that as soon as the tree is up, and the lights are on, everyone magically disappears and mom finishes all the work.
Enough! I say, Enough!

I'm taking two classes in December. STRESS. Andrew just brought home a wrestling schedule with meets three times a week, plus some Saturday tournaments. STRESS. Jessica has soccer tournaments the next two weekends. STRESS. The weekend before I leave for Alaska I have a 10 page paper due (I do not have a topic yet) plus a friend's 40 all-day birthday party in Amador County (yes, wine tasting). STRESS.

I have become adept at self-preservation. Saying no is okay, as is scaling back decorations, commitments, and shopping.

As I get older things seem to be getting simpler. Or maybe it's that I am raising my standards as to what I expect out of the Holiday season, which is peace, quiet, and a really good book.

Anyways.

We had a great time at Disneyland for Thanksgiving. It was crowded on Wednesday, but not on Thursday and Friday. It was very warm, good thing we took shorts. Our great friends Trish and Scott went with us, making the trip much more memorable.

It's worth mentioning...I have to resize my jpeg files to upload onto Blogger, otherwise it takes forever to upload one picture. Sorry if some of the pictures seem blurry.

Walking with Bailey

There are miles of paths around South Sacramento and Elk Grove.

Stuff...

Stress has overwhelmed me lately. Exercise has helped, as well as immersing myself in schoolwork. Those of you in bloggerland might not know my dad is facing numerous health challenges. Living 3,000 miles away is not ideal in stressful times as these. I will be visiting my mom and dad from Dec. 17-Dec. 27th.

Another worry has been Andrew's friend Rhett. Rhett is going blind at the young age of 15, and until recently there was no diagnosis. At first it was thought to be MS, which is a death sentence. However, it appears to be a genetic disorder that has no cure. Meaning he is not eligible for surgery or transplantation. The next step is probably blind school. Rhett is keeping a good attitude, even though this means no sports, driving, or being a cop.

After Greg died I used to wonder why bad things happen to good people, and the bad people continue on. I still don't have an answer. Sometimes, life just sucks. I really hate the saying "I did the best I could with what I had". However, parts of it actually make sense. It is not an excuse for bad behavior or poor choices, but it can be applied to feelings we carry with us.

On a upbeat note (how can I possibly follow this depressing news with upbeat news??). Jessica and I have our tickets for the 4:50 pm showing of New Moon on Friday afternoon.

The new month begins...

Halloween: an opportunity for mayhem, choas, and candy!

Who knew fog machine liquid had a chemical that turned sticky when blowing through the air? Our front porch steps were stickified last night, and the gunk was tracked into the house by rambunctious teenagers. It wasn't noticed until this morning, otherwise I could have prevented the majority of the mess. However, the hardwood floors were sticky, as well as the kitchen floor and stairwell. Basically the whole upstairs of the house, with the exception of the master bedroom.

Of course the fog machine worked wonders, all the kids were scared! Andrew and his friend Rhett provided the monster factor, and spooky sounds emanated from the ground beneath the porch. Overall it was a successful haunting of the front porch and will be continued next year. We already have a plan to avoid the sticky floor thing.

Jessica got her hair cut today, it is so cute! It's a bit shorter overall with much shorter bangs. She's going to post some pic's on fb later so if you're her friend look for them.

The class this month, Introduction to Linguistics, is already kicking my butt! I worked for 5+ hours today and still have so much more to go this week. The chapter I left off at is particularly tricky and will require additional reading. At least next week we have a day off school (Veterans Day).

I just noticed how dark it is, then looked at the clock, and then had to take a double-look at the clock. Daylight savings time. Yeah! Of course you would never know it is Nov. 1st here. I have been wearing shorts all day.

Off to make sure the kids have finished any homework hey had this weekend, and to get some things ready for the week ahead.

Life is Random...

I'm wondering why the dog is scratching herself so much. She just went to the doggie spa to take care of it. No fleas or dry skin detected. Perhaps it's just the dry weather we are having.

Halloween is today and the pumpkins are almost finished. The scary music is not in place, but the scary witch is. As an added bonus, there will be no rushing to the store at the last minute for candy because we have not eaten a single piece! Last year Andrew went trick-or-treating and Jessica stayed home. This year they are both staying home. Let's face it, they are both too old to be gallivanting around the neighborhood.

Jessica has a soccer game across town at noon. Joe will be driving her since I have a haircut/color appointment at noon as well. It takes about 3 hours to do this so I have plenty of time to read my textbook.

Setting the clocks back....

Daylight savings time begins tonight...I love daylight savings time. While the rest of the country is already feeling a bit of winter, those of us residing in Sacramento are just noticing the leaves changing color. Setting the clocks back makes the season change a reality.

Andrew just came upstairs asking for pancakes...of course, how can I resist?

I'm the worst...

blogger that is. Brenda blogs every day, sometimes twice a day. Gail blogs at least once a week. Why can't I get it together? It feels like I have nothing interesting to say, and anyway, who wants to hear about my boring day-to-day activities?

Having said that...

Had an early day (as always, it seems). An uneventful day at work. I actually felt like I connected with a few kids so that was good. Did a little bit of homework (ok, actually a lot of homework) and then went to Andrew's last home soccer game of the season. Good thing because the wind is blowing like crazy and I was freezing my butt off.

Wednesday's are my late day (don't go in until 9ish) which gives me plenty of time to get a few miles on the treadmill in. This time of year is so nice I prefer to go after work outside with Bailey (dog) but sometimes homework gets the best of me. I suppose I can actually do that this Wed and get my flu shot instead.

Here it is, almost 8pm and I still have dishes to do. Whoever created the rule "if you make dinner you don't have to do dishes"? I hate that rule because I don't like to make dinner OR do the dishes. The kids would do them but Andrew didn't get his homework done before the game and Jessica is still working on her physics. bummer.

Early in the morning...

It's early. I've been up since 4:30. It's not that I planned it, my body just could not sleep. And it's not like I'm not tired right now, at 6:45 am.

Since I couldn't sleep I did some treadmill time. I was going to do that anyway...and the funny thing is, I wasn't on as long as I normally would be.

The kids are asleep still. They have late start today and school doesn't start until 9:30. Although, I'll make sure they are awake before I leave.

Today is a mini day for the high school I work at. There are some errands to be run, and a paper to be finished. Andrew has a game tonight and I signed up to work the Varsity snack bar.

Saturday is our pumpkin patch time. He has a 5 hour shift starting at 9 am. I'm pretty sure the pumpkin patch doesn't get wi-fi. It would be nice, then I could work.

I gotta grab some breakfast, straighten a few things, then head out. Should be a wonderful day.

No Title Post

There is no possible way I can think of any creative title for this post! It's not like I have been SO busy all weekend that my body should be giving out...but I am bone weary. Things are probably just catching up with me.

It's dark when I wake up, and dark when I go to bed. Sometimes I feel like I live in a cave all winter. We rarely see friends because the kids school activities take up so much time, and sometimes on a Saturday I just want to curl up in my sweats and relax. Although, just this evening, Joe said to me "we should have a happy hour". Of course we should. I want to. But, I'm working thirty hours a week and going to school full time. I'm too busy to plan it and too tired to care. Before I commit I have to think about how I'm going to get everything done! Certainly tasks will be assigned, however, experience tells me that the way to get it done, the way I want it done, is to do it myself. And if I rely on others I hate the fact that I will probably not like how everything has turned out..so why bother? Then I feel guilty for not giving the benefit of the doubt. Well, maybe we'll turn happy hour into a Christmas party...like we were planning on having anyway.

School is going good. I have decided that even though I like the format of choosing my own area of study for the Independent Study class I am taking, I do not like having no structure to follow. The class for Nov. is Fundamentals of Linguistics. I took a class like this several years ago and know what to expect. Should be fairly easy (yeah, like that's ever the case). I'm scheduled to take two classes in December. If everything plays out right (again, like that's ever the case) I will have one class each month, with the exceptions of Dec. and Feb (two classes those months) and graduate in May. Yeah! Now, to start thinking about my graduate degree. I'll probably start that in July. I really want June off so I can visit my folks without worrying about school.

Andrew had a Boy Scout merit badge class on Saturday morning across town. We drove out there only to discover a *snafu* with the scheduling process, and after some debate, decided he didn't want to wait for 3 hours so we came back home. He has the last two Eagle requirements he is working on right now. Once he finishes those he can start planning his Eagle project. He could start planning now, but Joe and I feel he needs to give the planning process %100 percent of his time without worrying about any other loose ends. Andrew's goal is to have his project completed by his 16th birthday, in 14 months. He wants to get a job (have to be 16 in the state of CA) and we decided it would be in his best interest to have his Eagle completed first. He will gain more in his life as an Eagle Scout than he will by having a job right at the age of 16. I have to say though, he seems pretty motivated.

Jessica played in a soccer tournament this weekend and had four games over two days. Their team placed 2nd. Not bad, considering they were just bumped down a bracket. She probably won't make practice again this rec. season because she starts her hard term tomorrow. Honors Pre-Cal, AP English 11, Physics, and her foreign language. I cannot even comprehend physics and pre-cal. The math I took was never that hard...I'm in awe of anyone whose brain functions in this manner.

Joe is still weathering the storm at AT&T. The strike threats are long over and things have quieted down. Apparently they are doing well, although layoff rumors persist. We have been down this road before...hence my desire to finish my degree quickly.

Now, I have to tell Andrew, again, to empty the dishwasher. If he is not careful he will end up with extra chores:-)

Beautiful Friday afternoon!

Looking outside one would never guess the tail of a typhoon hit us the other day. Well, with the exception of the fallen trees everywhere. I hear chainsaws humming away, something I normally do not hear in my suburban neighborhood.

Finals were today and yesterday, which means minimum days for school. Andrew had a dermatology appt yesterday so no free afternoon for us. Today he is working on a Merit Badge for a class tomorrow. I suppose I could go "do" something, but I have a paper to start...

Jessica met friends after school and is not home yet. She has no homework this weekend because they start new classes on Monday. The only thing she has to focus on is a soccer tournament and cleaning the black hole that is her bedroom.

I have not decided what to make for dinner. Although, It will probably be salmon because it's easy and has no need for defrosting. Last Saturday the local grocery store had all fresh and frozen seafood on sale for 1/2 price. Salmon ended up being $4 a pound, which is fantastic for this area! I bought as much as they would let me.

Football game tonight against the only other team in the school district that is any good. It will be a seriously great game. I'm not that much of a football fan, but it's a fun thing to do with friends on a Friday night.

Andrew's Boy Scout troop is having Christmas tree lot sign-ups in two weeks. Already? Time flies too fast for me!! Before I know it he will be planning his Eagle Project. I remember when he was a Tiger Scout.

Anyway, laundry is calling me (I'm trying to ignore it but the sound is too darn loud).

Making people mad...

I made someone mad at work today...I repeated something that someone else said, and a colleague said it was offensive (as in racially). Personally I did not think it was racial at all. I don't get it...as citizens we are expected to understand cultures we have never been exposed to. As I'm trying to understand all these cultures I rely on last names to give me clues to the person's background (since I'm trying to be sensitive). Yet, some names, like Gonzales for example, can originate in so many countries. No matter how hard I try I'm going to make a mistake. Especially since I'm from the most non-racially diverse state in the US. If I am expected to understand everyone else, shouldn't they try to understand me?


Off to Andrew's soccer game in a bit. Joe will be home soon and we'll go to the game together. Jessica has meetings after school (every single day). I'm thinking we're having left over Minestrone soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.

In case I forget...My dad's hip replacement surgery was successful. He'll be home on Friday. I talked to mom this morning and she said he was in pain last night, but is receiving morphine. With the new technology available he is should recover faster.

The new week approaches

I'm one of those people who think the week starts on Monday, not Sunday. Wonder why that is...

Andrew and Joe came back from the observatory with lots of tales to tell. It sounds like they had a great time. The weather cooperated and they were able to view planets, black holes, and asteroids. Very cool!

There was not much housecleaning going on this weekend, but there was a fair amount of scientific reading. Ecology is a great subject, but after a chapter or two my eyes start to glaze over and I end up having to re-read sections.

So dinner is in the oven (quiche) and I'm making baked apples as well. Pretty soon the house is going to smell fabulous!

As we were having our pre-dinner glass of wine, Joe and I were discussing our trip to Alaska next summer. So far the plan is all four of us spending approx. 10 days. Time is only permitting us to do one of three great side trips: Denali Park, Homer, or Seward. I'm partial to Homer, but I have been there the last 2 times I've been to Alaska. Seward sounds great, but Denali is the trip of a lifetime...and of course it will be the most expensive of the three. We might have to wait to make the decision until after we get the airline tickets. I'm hoping we have enough miles for a free ticket.

So, dinner needs checking and science questions need answering....

Ahhh...it's Thursday night!

Almost Friday! Yeah!!

Andrew skipped his soccer game tonight because he had a ton of homework for this weekend and will be gone all weekend. He needed to get it done. Finals are next week and it's a time crunch now! Besides, he would have had 3 games this week which is way too many for normal people.

Jessica had the usual meetings after school every day this week and skipped her practice tonight. I don't know what it is with my kids, but they would rather make sure their school work is done than go play soccer :)

Andrew and Joe are camping this weekend with the Boy Scouts. They leave Friday after school and don't return until Sunday afternoon. The troop rented out Robert Ferguson Observatory near Santa Rosa. It sounds like a great trip, I know the troop has been trying to plan new outings rather than stick with the samo-samo.


So, while the boys were gone I thought..."Girl's Night". I invited a few friends who have boys in the same troop as Andrew,and whose husbands will also be gone, then realized I have NO TIME to clean or shop. Another friend could tell I was stressed and offered up her house. Thanks Cathy! I even cheated and bought the super-duper yummy artichoke-jalapeno dip that Costco sells to bring with. Plus,there is a bottle of 7 Deadly Zins just waiting to be cracked open...

One of the reasons I have no time this weekend is because I am taking Jessica up to the mall on Friday night. I have a corduroy blazer I want to return to Ann Taylor Loft. It is super cute but I"m thinking I would like it better if it was anything other than corduroy. Besides, Jessica has a gift card to spend and this is a great way to leisurely work our way through our favorite stores.

Saturday morning is reserved for swapping out t-shirts for sweaters in the closet, plus tons of reading I have to do for my ecology class. It never seems to end! My good friend Eva is lending me her new Dan Brown book and I'm picking it up right after work on Friday. Although, not sure when time to read will present itself.

I'm starting to think about Christmas a bit, and have a few ideas. We usually don't go overboard because that ruins the spirit of Christmas. I'm generally happy hanging with friends and family. I have noticed that as I have started to shed my materialistic drives I've been more content with my life. That's not to say that I don't like nice things, because I do, and I do love to shop, but it's not who I am and doesn't define me as a person. I'm lucky to be self-aware and have a clear vision of what I want in the future.

It's quiet now. Heading on towards 9pm. We skipped survivor (not that great lately) but Glee is DVR'd. I might get to it this weekend, but I doubt it. The only show I really like to watch the night of is the Amazing Race.

Most of you know that my dad's hip replacement surgery has been postponed until next Tuesday. This is one of those times I wish I lived closer to my parents.

Glorious Saturday!

The weekend has come and it brought with it cooler temperatures. Today's high is only supposed to be in the low 70's, which is much better than last Saturday's high of 101. Even after living here for 22 years it is still hard to adjust to the loss of 4 seasons. Although, I did see a couple of trees with leaves that were starting to change...so there is hope!

The Football game was fun. Monterey Trail beat Vally in a crushing victory of 51-0. That puts the team at 3-1 for the season. It was homecoming as well...although floats are not allowed on the new all weather fields/tracks, which is disappointing.

I just got the book for my Ecology class. I'm the only one in the class, which is weird, but the professor is allowing me to create my own course of study. I"m going to focus on the San Joaquin Delta. Water rights are enveloped in historic controversy on the west coast. This is one of the most fascinating topics to study..especially since I live at the eastern most edge of the delta, and the natural phenomena of the delta breezes provide the southern part of Sacramento with cooler temperatures.

I'm wondering what I did with all my time before I went back to work and school...I'm thinking I must have wasted it. This ticks me off...people will say that time flies, but until it is actually gone there is no concept of the reality. It is obvious that a lot of my time is taken up with kid activities, but it still seems like forever before I'll get to choose more of what I want to do, versus what I have to do.

So now I'm going to think about working with weights...and if that doesn't happen then I will make Andrew a large pancake breakfast!

Sunday night

Up from my nap and checking the blogs/FB. We went camping, for one night, with Andrew's Boy Scout troop at Morning Star Lake up near Foresthill. The weather was wonderful...probably in the low 80's, and the lake water was warm. We swam, canoed, and kayaked. Plus had a major campfire at night, including tons of jokes and antics. The best thing, though, was the night sky and the big dipper so low in the northern part. That is one of the worst things about living in the city...no star viewing.

Friday night football is here! MTHS obliterated EGHS this last Friday night. It was an exciting game and a great way to kick off the home opener. The new synthetic field is fantastic!

I'm tired from the weekend and have not started laundry yet. At least it was only one day's worth of clean-up. Plus, we actually did not cook at all. Love it!

Time flies...

I cannot seem to FB and blog at the same time. Blogging requires signing in every day. Besides, I don't have any good pictures to post.

We are going family camping this weekend with Andrew's Boy Scout Troop. Jessica will be staying home, possibly spending the night at a friends. It depends on her homework amount and the time finish of her soccer game. Either way it will be weird to be without her...Although all of you in blogging land know that I was without kids most of the summer, so why is it weird now?

I'm taking Friday off work to do some grocery shopping for the camping trip, plus to catch up on the homework I would have done had I been around this weekend.

Survivor starts tonight...I love the show but don't know if I want to invest so much energy into watching it. We are pros at DVRing and watching when we have time, but then we end up with hours and hours to watch.

The first home football game is Friday night, which is why we are not camping until Saturday. Andrew doesn't play and Jessica doesn't cheer (thank God to both! Those are time commitments and expenses I can do without) but they like to attend to hang out with their friends...so we all go.

Thursday...and the weekend cometh...

So, we had a good time at the last Friday night concert. We'll be back again, I'm sure, next summer. It has turned into tradition for this group. We have tons of fun, and sometimes we continue the party at someone's house.


Joe and Dan


Julie and Tricia


Richard and Chrissy


Linda, Pedro, Henry...and Tricia as the ornament.


Tricia



Chrissy and Cathy

It's been a while...

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've blogged. This past week was super busy! I'd forgotten how much time a job actually takes :) Plus, my current class is winding up and there always seems to be a lot of work the last week of any class. Still, it's been interesting so far. I would much rather have an interesting class with a lot of work than a boring class with no work.

The school year started smooth with no major hiccups. Andrew is swamped this term with Honors English 9, Honors Biology, World Geography and French 1. Jessica has only one core class this term, AP World History, plus two electives and ASB.

Rec soccer has begun practicing and Jessica has been driving herself (yes!). Andrew is trying out for the high school JV men's soccer team. I think he finds out this week if he makes it (he should, there are only about 15 boys trying out).

We had a very mild day today. Kind of odd for Sacramento at the end of August to have a day that is only in the low 80's. Not complaining though!

Joe moved some stuff around in his office and then spent the afternoon re-organizing a bunch of stuff. This might be a two weekend project. The garbage and recycle cans are full, good thing they are picked up tomorrow.

These are our good friends Scott, Karena, and Eva at a Friday night concert with us.




Joe at a concert on Friday, August 14th.

Friday night concert at Laguna Town Hall. It was hot!


Jessica and Andrew Friday night at Laguna Town Hall. They lasted one hour and went home bored. What you don't see is dueling texting happening.


These are our good friends Scott and Tricia...



and their kids Justin and Madeline...



and Joe and I at a concert on Friday, August 14th.


Ok, going to check my Facebook page and get lunch stuff ready for school tomorrow.

And early it is...

The first number on the clock this morning was a 4. I hate those kind of mornings. The wind was blowing a blind around in the living room and it woke me up. Now, at 6am, I'm on my second cup of coffee, already done some school work, and am gearing up for some reading.

I never did make it to Staples or to get Andrew's hair cut yesterday. Why is it that when I have less time I get more done? Andrew has an orthodontist appt. today, plus I have to go the grocery store. I guess I could stop at Target for the legal pads I need, it's in the same parking lot as Supercuts (where Andrew gets his haircut).

Friday morning me an Andrew are doing some volunteer work for Project Ride. We missed July since we were both busy. I love that I get to do this with him. Jessica is busy with Link Crew training and Academic Decathlon meetings.

The bell schedule at the high school has changed. It used to be that every Thursday school was out one hour early for staff development. This year school starts 1 1/2 hour later on on Thursdays. Of course the kids are excited, I would be too. Except, Thursdays were good days for local appts. because all the schools had different schedules and ours was the only one out early that day, which meant we didn't have to wait.

It's going to be windy today, only in the high 70's. Quite a bit cooler than normal. Plus, there is a chance for thunderstorms and rain. Love it!!

Our old fridge is leaving us today. We bought a new one two weeks ago when ours died one day. The funny thing is, when we came back from buying the new one, the old one was working again, but we've had problems with it so we decided to still get rid of it. Joe listed it on Craig's List and it sold right away. The lady already gave us a deposit and was waiting for escrow on her house to close before she picked it up. The new one is ok. It's a french door style which is not my favorite, but they are supposed to be super energy efficient.

Ok day, here I come!

Last two weeks of summer...

School starts on August 17th, which is also the day I go back to work. This summer has gone by so fast. Jessica and Andrew are now both home from camp. Yeah! Jessica has an ASB meeting today and Link Crew training for two days after that. Then on Monday is the actual 1st Link meeting with the freshmen (Andrew is hoping Jessica is his Link Leader, I don't know why).

Soccer practice started last night. I was so excited because Jessica was taking herself. Since she had just gotten home from camp (20 min previously), she was just going too talk to the coach. She calls us from the parking lot...they had closed and locked the gates and she was stuck in the lot. Another parent with four wheel drive just drove over the curb, but Jessica is driving the little car and can't do that. So, dad is off to the rescue. He gets the car out of the lot and they both head home! So much for her "first" driving trip to the school.

Joe and I picked Andrew up from camp on Sunday, then drove approx. 1 hour into the city to the de Young museum. The King Tut exhibit is making its rounds and is currently on the west coast through March. It was a great exhibit. No photography of any kind allowed so I don't have any pictures, but I did take some of this wonderful Dale Chihuly glass.




This next piece was very interesting. It was not titled, but should have one of "Irony". It was a church made out of gun sights, ammo, pistols, and one tooth. You can see the one tooth if you look closely. I think it was the most popular piece in the permanent exhibit, even more so than the O'Keefe or the Cassette.


If you plan on going to the de Young, buy your tickets online ahead of time.

I'm off to the treadmill and then some homework. Andrew needs his haircut today, plus I need legal pads from Staples (love that store!). Easy day.

Don't forget...scroll down to see the National Geographic picture of the day. Also, I added music to the blog at the bottom (don't know how to add it to the side) and if you scroll down it starts playing, plus you can choose the song you want to listen to.

And such is life...

Sacramento's natural air conditioning kicked in last night! The breezes from the delta cool the region so our air conditioners don't have to work so much. It's only going to be in the very low nineties today. That sounds toasty to some of you, but it only gets uncomfortably warm for an hour or two in the afternoon.

Jessica and I might go to Old Navy and TJ Maxx today after class. First we have to stop at Costco to put gas in the car. How does she not know how to put gas in the car, especially since she will be driving her and Andrew to school everyday in two and a half weeks???

School clothes shopping is upon us. Usually I take one kid at a time up to the mall to hit American Eagle, Aeropostale, Express, Vanns, Macy's, any all the other stores they love. This time I have to take both at the same time. At least they are not at the age where they bicker (too much). Jessica loves to give her brother fashion advice. I'm contemplating letting them get what they need while I stop in Ann Taylor and New York Styles. They are fantastic shoppers and know how to look for the deals. They always have a budget to stick to, I can trust them to make the best decisions. One of the hardest things to shop for is jeans for Jessica. For the longest time she was a zero short. Not many stores carry small sizes (due to the fattening of America). And to help our shopping experience, the stores that do carry short sizes always seem to put them on the very top shelf (I wonder if they understand that short jeans means short people will be buying them?).

The paper for my communications class is done and just needs editing. yeah! My final for Biology is Thursday....I'm in the homestretch here. My next class (some kind of History class) starts Monday. I get a two day break!!!

Empty nest syndrome-is it all it's cracked up to be?

It's been just over a week since we've had no children in the house. Here are a few observations about life with an empty nest (those of you who have already reached this phase can identify with what I'm talking about).

1) never has the house stayed so clean
2) the grocery store has only been graced by my presence once this past week
3) the animals have become a source of enjoyment and entertainment
4) suppers are so much simpler. who wants to cook for only 2?
5) the laundry pile is almost non-existent
6) did I mention how clean the house is?
7) the house is quiet
8) radio and tv stations are tuned to what I like
9) the kid's bathroom is so...fresh!
10) the kids are missed so much, it almost breaks my heart to have them gone

I suppose empty nest is something you get used to. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder. Someday this will be my reality :(

Wow! It's been a busy week.

Elk Grove's Strauss Festival has been a local favorite for over 20 years. An orchestra performs traditional pieces while dancers tell a story. It is a wonderful event. A friend and I went last night and had a fabulous time! There are even fireworks at the end. It is a free event with a $10 parking admission, however, we hit the parking lottery when I went in the VIP entrance and realized I knew one of the girls working :) We brought snacks and wine. I know I've blogged before about Michael David winery in Lodi and how much I love their 7 Deadly Zins. Well, I bought their 7 Heavenly Chards for last night. It was the perfect choice.




Sacramento is the land of the hot, hot sun! However, there are certain advantages to living with the heat. One is the flowers! This beautiful bougainvillea graces our back porch. I put the pot here a few months ago and it is really taking off. I love the bright pink flowers against the backdrop of our pool. We also have 3 crepe myrtles in the backyard and they just started blooming. I love flowers, especially in the summer.


I was thinking this might be a quiet week with the kids gone, but it really hasn't. Having no kids this week gives us the opportunity to live a slice of empty-nest life. I must admit I have been wondering what we would do when the kids are gone, since we spend so much time with their various activities.

We might run up into Placerville wine tasting. A friend of Joe's pours at a winery up there. Plus it's a beautiful town, full of quaint little shops.

One of my favorite books!

Frank McCourt, the author of Angela's Ashes, died this past weekend from cancer. Angela's Ashes is one of my favorite books. It is funny, poignant, sad, and just so full of life. Many of you may have seen the movie, but I would urge you to read the book too. The movie is a poor substitution for this glimpse into the daily struggles of a poor Irish boy.

Friday!!

So I'm looking all over for Jessica's flat iron. It's not in the bathroom where it should be. I have a sneaking suspicion it is at Camp Menzies with Jessica. A flat iron at camp? Oh well, I think I took a curling iron to camp when I was sixteen.

Super hot today! That is not preventing me from wearing my new Ann Taylor 3/4 length sleeve white cardigan (I bought for my birthday). The A/C is always cranked at the grocery store...which is where I am headed in a few minutes.

Off to the store we go. I love to take one of the kids (only one, not two) with me, that way I can tell them what to get while I just push the cart :) We are having fish tacos tonight with corn and black bean salad. Of course I have none of the ingredients on hand but it sounds so good it's worth a special trip.

Comedy night at Laguna Town Hall, starts at 8pm. Tickets are available at the door for anyone who did not pre-order. The Stolzman's will be there will a crisp white pino on a HOT July evening. Anyone want to join us??

Back from camp!

Jessica has made it back. And not as dirty as I thought she'd be. Oh well, she's sixteen and a girl, what do I expect? Anyway, she had a great time and can't wait to return on Thursday. This next trip is a bit shorter, only 4 days.

The four of us will only be home, at the same time, for 4 days this July. Jessica and Andrew are taking turns flip-flopping the camp schedule. I don't know if this is good, or bad....I do know it is preparation for when she goes to college.

Decisions

I took this picture of Bailey and Sisko yesterday, aren't they cute?

What to do today? I have homework for both classes, but that won't take too long. It looks like some light housekeeping is in order. We'll have to make a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot to pick out tile for the laundry room. The week of the 19th both kids will be gone, which means it is a good time to pull the washer and dryer out of the laundry room to tile and paint it. The counter is old, but it's too much effort to change. Normally we would have gone some where fun (can you say California coast?), but I have to be here for my Bio class, so instead Joe has decided to re-do the laundry room. Yeah!

It is going to be 90 degrees with cloud cover today which means humidity. I've been reading the Anchorage weather and it looks beautiful. Wish I was there.

The Happiest Place On Earth will be experiencing a visit from the Stolzman's this year. That's right, we're blowing of Thanksgiving again and going to Disneyland. We leave Wed. morning and get to the hotel about oneish in the afternoon, and we're at the park by 2pm. The park stays open late each day that week. We'll go Thursday and Friday...come home Saturday morning. Saturday is when the real crowds begin. We have experience when it comes to avoiding the crowds, and we always have a game plan. The only thing we are doing different this year is having a house-sitter instead of putting Bailey in the kennel.

The King Tut exhibit is at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park until March of 2010. If it works out we'll go when we pick Andrew up from Camp on August 2. His camp is just north of Santa Rosa, not too far from SF. If it doesn't work out then we will definitely make it some other time. The last time the exhibit was on the west coast was in LA about 6 years ago.

I guess I should mention, although I feel like I whine about it a lot...my conversation with my college counselor....
I have a choice between a half dozen math classes, two of which I'm already scheduled for, and three science classes, one of which I've already taken. I need to put one more of either on my schedule. The two science classes are onsite classes, one in LA and one in La Mesa, which are not options for me. Two of the easier math classes are not being offered before next June and the other two are HARD. So, where does that leave me? Well...I pleaded to have an independent study class for one of the sciences. I would have one month to do all the coursework, like I do now, but it would only be me. Apparently it is more difficult to get permission for this kind of program when there is already a class schedule for the month. I asked to have it in October. If they deny my request then it's back to the drawing board. I know it's not such a big thing...but I do not want to have classes in June of next year. It's the last summer before Jessica goes to college and will be our last "family" vacation opportunity. That means a lot to me.

Almost time to do the 5 miler with Joe and Bailey. Got to run.

Back to the Land of the Living!

The flu bug has come and gone. I still have some residual achiness, but the nasty stuff is just an unpleasant memory.

Lots to do today. Andrew needs new soccer cleats. He missed club practice on Monday and Tuesday because I was too sick to take him to get new cleats (I don't know why Joe didn't, I think Andrew was just too busy playing video games he forgot to mention it to his dad).

I have to call my college counselor today. The call was postponed because I was ill. When making a call that unpleasant it helps to be able to focus 100%. Most likely I will have to double up another month. The thing is...I didn't want to double on a month when I was working too. It might be the only way. I'm committed to not taking classes in June, at least classes that are on site.

Speaking of next June...the four of us will probably be heading to the northern state I call home. I would love to go into Denali park and then maybe to Seward. We'll have to see how it all plays out.

This weekend is shaping up to be a nice one. Low to mid 80's today with gradual warming in the beginning of next week. Wednesday is the Boy Scout Summer Court of Honor (which I am organizing). Our troop is very large, over 100 active boys. Of course they won't all come to the Court of Honor, but I have to plan like they might. Everyone is so helpful that it really is not that hard, I just have to delegate appropriately. I have class in the morning (I might skip) because the frozen foods have to be bought that day, and somehow we HAVE to see Harry Potter too. It is opening day here and the four of us are at home at the same time (that only happens a few days this month) so off to the movies we go.

Ok, off to take Bailey for a walk. Usually I run it, but I don't want to push it today. And I think we'll go the shorter 3 mile route.

4th of July

Julie and Joe

Jessica and Madeline

Janie, Julie, Cathy, and Trisha

Andrew and Joe

Joe, Keith Brase, and Andrew

Trisha's husband Scott

My good friend, Princess Trisha!

My blogging time has re-invented itself as Facebook time. Marie, this is your fault. She pressured me for months to join FB, but my resistance was futile and I joined. My membership began one month ago and I must admit I am loving it! It's a lot like blogging, but not as brief as twittering. It is a medium that extends to more people and is interactive in nature. Having said that, the reason I'm blogging tonight is because I have more to say than can be typed into one short paragraph.

No vacation plans were made for this summer because I committed myself to finishing my degree, and college classes were what I needed to concentrate on. This month, July, both kids will be in and out of the house for their camp commitments, and their absence gives me the opportunity to focus on schoolwork and not them. My biology class continues (it is 8 weeks) and my grad level COM class started today (4 weeks). The science class I had scheduled for this month was canceled today. No reason was given (not that it matters) and I am very upset. I bent over backward to get into that class. I rearranged my whole schedule, PAID extra, had to fill out accelerated study paperwork, and basically had to motivate my psyche into accepting the amount of work that was facing me in July.

It is too late to add another class for the month and I don't have enough time to fill out another accelerated study program form for August. Basically, I'm up the creek. So much for trying to plan the next year out. When the counseling office opens tomorrow I will be on the phone trying to add another class (NOT trigonometry, which is what I was trying to avoid) sometime next spring. Whatever I do will be based on finishing my degree in May. I have plans for June and WILL NOT take classes.

So, thanks for letting me rant and rave about this! Often I wonder if it's the right decision I made. I only plan on "working" for about 10 years once I finish, at least no longer than Joe does. This truly is for me this time which is why I'm so motivated.

Now that I've got that off my chest!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

It's been a good birthday, although I missed my annual birthday nap. I was reading a textbook and time got away. We went to a newly opened Sushi buffet in Elk Grove and had birthday pie when we got home. Joe and the kids gave me a new digital camera (those of you at the 4th of July bbq already experienced my gift) which is fantastic! I was always borrowing Jessica's, and Joe's is too large to easily fit in a purse.

So, life goes on. Jessica heads off to camp in the morning for 8 days. Her total camp commitment is 5 weeks, with a few days at home here and there. Andrew is here for two weeks before he goes back...just enough time to finish one of his summer reading books. He already read "Ender's Game" and did the assignments for that, now he is reading "Slaughterhouse Five". I've never read it but I might pick it up when he's done.

I guess the only pressing commitment I have for this week is to buy my tickets for opening day of Harry Potter. Advance sales have already started.

Caveat to my last post.

Joe just brought the paper in. 114 degrees in Folsom and 110 degrees in Rancho Cordova yesterday. For those of you who don't live in this Area, those two "burbs" are only 20-30 miles away.

The lull before the storm!

Andrew is off to camp for a week. During a moment of inspiration at the orthodontist office he thought it would be "manly" to have pink bands on his braces. Of course it is...He looks great though. He's turned into a "man" these past few months. Everything he says and does is about being a man. He is now taller than both of us, has a six-pack that men Joe's age envy, and this voice that belongs to an adult. When did this happen? We should have had a clue...a year ago he told us he wanted a job like his dad's where he would be at home at night to eat dinner with his family, he wanted to do things with his kids, and he wanted a "hot" wife. This kid is cracking me up...

I'm off to class this morning and have a pretty light school schedule this week. I'm planning on doing my final project for the bio class this week since my other two classes don't start until Monday. The project isn't due for 3 weeks, but it's best to get it out of the way. I'm also going to to Costco tonight to shop for the Boy Scout of Honor (in two weeks). I'm just getting the paper goods and charcoal, the frozen and fresh food I'll get the day of. It only occurred to me yesterday that I have to go tonight. It's the first of the month on Wednesday and a holiday week to boot. There is no way I'm going near that store after tomorrow.

It's been hot! Too hot to go outside during the day, and the heat tires us out too much to go outside at night. Tomorrow is supposed to be cooler.

Got to go see if the paper made it to the porch!

Busy week!

The research/writing class I am taking ends this week. I have the paper written but not typed. I hate that I hand-write 20 pages, and when it's typed it comes out to 10 pages. Somehow I feel gypped. Anyway, my next 2 classes start on July 6th (I get a bit of a break) and the Biology class continues to the end of July. Needless to say I'm going to be swamped in July. But it's one fast way to get it done.

Andrew and I went to the barn last night. We only signed up or the one hour shift at Project Ride. The two lessons did not show so we ended up sweeping the barn and got to ride the horses. It was fun (and hot!). I came home and jumped in the pool just to cool off. The last volunteer shift we have scheduled is this Friday morning. We probably won't be able to go in July, and I'm hoping we can volunteer in August. We have had so much fun working with the kids. I can see the joy on Andrew's face and it makes me glad I signed us up. I truly believe that giving back reaps so much more for the giver.

I have a project to do for my Biology class. Thankfully it isn't a paper. It can be any creative thing I want, but it does have to do with something living, and I have to show a personal connection. The topic I chose is the life cycle of a salmon (personal connection?) and I'll probably do a child's book. The example she showed us looked easy to do. I am not ashamed to admit, that after 20+ years of taking college classes, I'm looking for the easy way out.

Jessica is almost done with her summer school class. At least she doesn't have any homework. She is taking A.P. Rhetoric skills to enhance her A.P. English 11 class next year. The braces come off a week from tomorrow, and the driver's license appt. is set for the middle of July. In true girl fashion, she insisted the license appt. be after the braces come off. That's my girl.

Joe told me today to not open any boxes that come. I never do that, unless they say L.L. Bean, or Land's End. It was a reminder to me that my birthday is coming up. June/July seems to be a busy time for birthday's. Stolzman tradition dictates I get to choose the restaurant we go to. Not sure what I'll do this year. We've been trying to branch out of Elk Grove and try restaurants in Sacramento instead.

Hungry Boys! When we picked up the boys they were starving. They had heard of this hole-in-the wall burger joint and wanted to try it. This is 10:30 in the morning. Andrew is in the orange jacket.




Andrew is back from his camping trip. A friend drove to pick up the boys and wanted me to go with. We left at 6:30 am and got to the campsite around 8:15. It was such a beautiful drive. The camp is located past Pioneer, Ca...around 6,000 elevation. Andrew camps many weekends, but this was the weekend he was inducted into the Order of the Arrow. It's a Boy Scout organization that promotes leadership. Really, the boys that are involved and have fun are the ones that don't look to alternatives for friends or entertainment.

Jessica had her last behind-the-wheel training and is now eligible to get her driver's license. The DMV schedules appt. 30 days out so it looks like in July she will be official. Scary for us to think of our baby behind the wheel in the big city (ok, so we live in a suburb and it's not that bad).