Jo's First Haircut

I took Josalyn for her first haircut yesterday, the 28th. She did great! I took her to a place called Kool Kuts in Rancho Cucamonga (the drive took longer than the haircut!)
It was worth it, because I didn't know if she would sit still or try climbing out of the chair. The salon has little cars for chairs, and a tv monitor with videos for the children to watch.
Jo watched Elmo, and looked down and sat still when she was asked. She even got a gal haircutter whose name began with a J! (Juliana).

It all clicked.

Aaronisms

Definition: clever sayings, adorable phrases or unique words that my seven year old first grader has uttered in the last few days.

Aaron: "Why is there a PET show if this place is called SEA world??!"

Aaron: (as Nolan hands his cousin Kayah a jellybean) "Is that fruity-tutti?"

Aaron: (as he climbs in the van and is surprised to see his cousins Kush and Kayah inside) "Whoa, I knew you were in here,
my Kush sense was tingling..."

Happy Birthday Gayle!!!

Also, a cyberspace belated wish to my Mom (4/15) and Chris (4/16). Things were hectic last week and we had a quick celebration.

Today was an extraordinary day in Santa Monica! Gayle, Stacy, Kush, Kayah and I attended the Gregory Colbert photography and film exhibition entitled, "Ashes and Snow" in the Nomadic Museum at the Santa Monica Pier.

Colbert shot film footage and photographs of humans and animals together, in ways that are simply unimaginable- precise split second imagery of falcons, eagles, whales, cheetahs, elephants and primates alongside of men, women and children in seeming harmony.

The exhibition was literally breathtaking- it was a totally sensory experience- with music, exquisite lighting, and natural materials surrounding the showcasing of the photography. The photography was superb- not only was the subject matter
brilliantly portrayed, but the overall color, tones and material the pictures were printed on (rice paper) all contributed to the
effect.

Some photographs moved me to misty eyes- my favorite being a portrait of two children sitting on the ground with the roots of a tree enveloping them. Their eyes are closed, and on either side of the tree roots are a single elephant, posed as if they too are protectors. One elephant's trunk follows the contour of the tree root perfectly, and the other elephant's trunk is raised regally in the air. Spectacular! My description doesn't even do it justice.

Afterwards, we had lunch on the beach and watched the kids play in the surf. The air was warm and filled with the sounds of the boardwalk rides in full swing on the pier.

Ashes and Snow

Pictures

There are still generous people in the world-

Proof- meet Mr. Quinn, Geology teacher at Glendora High School. Tonight he led Pack 490 in an interesting,hands on lab cutting their own geode rocks. He answered their questions patiently, and at the end of the presentation, the boys were able to keep the rocks they cut, plus he raffled off some of his own rocks. Nolan and Aaron both won beautiful Onyx, Jasper and Sandstone rocks that they are thrilled with. When it was time to leave, he presented Josalyn with an 1884 Morgan Silver Dollar!
I have never seen one before, and the boys were ecstatic.
They are now collecting rocks and coins with a newfound zeal.

Thanks for sparking their imaginations Mr. Quinn!

(Karen, Dan...) Teachers Rock!!!!

Jo the Artist

Jo created some beautiful designs on my sliding glass door, as well as some hand tattoos.

She is very serious about her art...

Thank goodness for cameras and windex!

Conversations with Aaron

Me: What is your favorite food, Aaron? Is it pasta?
Aaron: No, that is my second favorite- my first favorite is shrimp.
Me: So then shrimp and pasta is the best, right?
Aaron: YES!!! that would be my new first.


Aaron: I think we should take a trip, um maybe to New York.
Me: Oh, that's a great idea! What would we do there?
Aaron: Oh, I don't know, maybe go to the Statue of Liberty, walk around the streets and the hotel. See things.
Or we could go to Florida.
Me: That's where Disneyland is!
Aaron: No, that's where Disney WORLD is, not Disneyland...

Aaron: I like my shoes, they are like my dad's...

We have the best talks.

Happy Day after Easter!

See, I try to be different- instead of a Happy Easter wish, it's the day after.... ok, so I missed posting yesterday.

Easter is my favorite holiday, and Spring is my favorite season. I think it is because of my faith, and the sense of renewal
and new life. I love the bulb flowers like tulips and daffodils, the church music and especially the clear skies and warmer weather.

My Dad and Pat came out and spent the weekend with us, and we had a blast. We went to dinner, spent time together
playing outside when the day warmed up, and later we had a delicious meal. I miss them already.

Keeping you in my thoughts ever so much this week Mom!

I will try to post some pics of the weekend-the kids are on spring break this week so I am an events coordinator too.

Aaron's Favorite Animals

In order:

1)Turtles (no surprise here :) )
2)Tigers
3)Snakes

Just wanted to remember.

Jo's Body Art

It's a hot day so she has lots of canvas space!

I was at Trader Joe's earlier in the day and Jo proudly showed the art on one of her arms.
The sales clerk admired her handiwork and suggested that one of her future employment endeavors could possibly be a tattoo artist!

God Bless Satellite Radio!

Well, I know I sound excited, but where else can you hear
Olivia Newton John and Electric Light Orchestra performing
the hit "Xanadu" from 1980???!!!!

One of those "takes you back instantly" moments where the neurons fire and go straight to your memory database to give you a bright, vivid mental image of exactly where you are and what you are doing when you heard that song back in the day.

In my case, it is my stepsister Tammy and I (all of 13 and 14 years old) dancing around her room, singing and watching our moves in her fully mirrored closet doors.

We are invincible and we have the moves...

Another cool link

click here

Does Faith=Entitlement?

As Easter approaches, I tend to think about my faith and spirituality more in depth, and how it applies to everyday living.
There are always situations that arise where you put your beliefs in action. I believe,as an integral part of my faith, that we develop a working set of character traits and gifts through faith, and that we use them when we interact with others. As a result, we bear witness to our faith-sharing with each other, and showing them how we choose
to live life with the positive values that we hold dear.

Sometimes I find myself in conflict with other believers and how they view the world and the people in it.
Without going into too much detail, I feel confused when people call themselves Christians and feel they are better
than "the others." The others would pertain to unbelievers, the "poor" (big discussion on what that means in and of
itself) and anyone else who doesn't believe what they believe. It is like there is a sense of entitlement with the word.

Isn't a big part of our faith to accept and love others unconditionally, and to try and show to one another the love our Father
showed us on Easter Sunday? The word compassion is defined as: "the humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it." Usually, compassion is thought of as being applied to someone "less fortunate" than ourselves. I realized today that it doesn't have to be that way. Maybe I should apply it to the "fortunate" too.

Hey, I'm just trying to understand.

Happy Birthday Kathy!!!

My best friend of many, many years~

The lunches we share are awesome! Even if it just grabbing a sandwich and chasing kids.

NASA Picture of the Day

Out of this world pictures

A Good Book

I am reading a very interesting book entitled, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon.

It gives a rare look into the mind of a person with autism, and how they view the world. It is fascinating, because you can't help but compare it to your own viewpoint and compare/contrast how they see things and go about their day to day life.

One of my favorite quotes in the book comes from the main character, Christopher, a 15 year old boy.
He is asked by his teacher if he feels sad about a past event, and he says to her, "Mother is dead and Mr. Shears isn't around anymore. So I would be feeling sad about something that isn't real and doesn't exist and that would be stupid."

I thought that was so simple, yet so profound. Granted, autism is considered a disability, but that quote still reminded me how easy it is to complicate things and muddle them up with
"what if's" or "supposed to's" or "need to."


I love the straightforward, truth only outlook of this "special needs" boy.
I think this might serve to clarify my career decision...

Happy Birthday Kayah!

Happy 9th Birthday to my Niece, Kayah!
We had a fun evening and we loved your party.
Pics over at Flickr.

Also, Saturday night we had an excellent time with our friend Karen.
Thanks for coming out K!

I added a few more pics over at Flickr.

I added a link to the side here--->
and I also changed the viewing profile to friends and family.

You may have to register to view them now because they are not
designated public. It is free to register and they shouldn't spam you
or anything.

Let me know if it's a hassle or if it works out ok. In this day and age of WORLD wide web,
public just seems too big for me.

I will try to get some more up soon. I'm having a blast with my new camera!

It's Raining Again.

Yep, still raining. It is good for the earth and the snowpack, but it's freezing!
(yes, 42 is freezing to me!)

B got his sabbatical approved, so he has almost three months off over the summer.
That will be awesome for him and for the kids too.
I start school in June, so it will be nice to know they can stay with Dad.
Hopefully, we can go somewhere or do an outing or two.

I am getting a little nervous about school as it approaches.
I asked one of my professors for some words of advice to prepare for my first class-9 units of anatomy on a cadaver.

He said to go all out, make sure you are committed and to not come home until your studying is caught up.
I don't know if I can go for that last suggestion, but I am prepared for the ever familar "up until 2am studying" thing.

Our dear friend Karen is coming out for dinner this weekend. I can't wait!!!