Deuces

It is Sunday. The day started with a 7 a.m. run that was preceded by a run-in with another early-bird neighbor. I cheered to Dale my 6:45 "good morning!", to which he smiled widely. I knew then, as I watched the humorous grin widen across his face that I had yelled too loudly the greeting, unwittingly, over the sound of my iPod that was set to some dance shuffle. It was early.  There was a remnant cool air leftover from the desert's nightly rendezvous with grey clouds and a tease of a summer storm that was never realized. Despite the world sleeping in, leaving Dale and I alone on Blackberry Drive, I was enthusiastic. I felt the energy and inspiration that I usually reserve for a late night jog through the park envelop me as I warmed my muscles for an unchartered trek through our neighborhood. At one point I found myself quite far- in one of the distant reaches I knew my husband wouldn't approve of. It was the desolate area where blight had ta...

Does it count as blogging when you post pictures?  Jessica so cleverly made these collages (she's the collage-queen).  I thought they were sweet.  I've known these ladies for over 20 years...ooph!   Some photos of my beautiful daughter on one of my favorite days of the year (4th of July!)   And celebrating birthdays with my 3 Cancer girls, baseball and celebrating my 35th (again!) with (more!) dear friends These are some of my favorite summer days... so far...

"I am uncertain what sorcery that place bestowed upon me, but I can't think straight and my body is in pain..." -Me. Yesterday. It's summer. Pardon my Gaelic, but I am so, so f'r'k'g happy. Summer always brings out a much, much, much more fun and lighter side to me and I get to see people I care for more often.  I have some more time to try new things, find time to do the things it's been too long since I last done did, and I get to enjoy more precious time with my daughter who has really good taste in things to do, like painting,  and watching Monsters University. Again and again. It's time for baseball, swimming... Lots of swimming... Floating in an inner tube... Maybe falling asleep mid-floater... And yesterday I decided every day until mid-August I will do something new Every. Single. Day.   Maybe the new thing I'll do tomorrow is not lift a finger or clean one single thing in my house. (Just kidding...

Thank you: to all of you who treat me with such love and kindness and read my mundane blog and shared in the celebration of my life.

Here we sat. We were diligently working on the Minnie Mouse puzzle for the umpteenth time. The monotony of the pieces coming together and trying, once more, to teach my daughter what "the corner" meant.  And when it didn't resonate, I echoed in Spanish "... En la esquina, dulcita" to which she responded in kind "en la a'kina?" She still didnt understand as I lightly touched the edges of the chest-turned-coffee table centered on our family room floor. Mira.  Corner. Esquina. Corner. Esquina. She reached for the center and confidently touched the table while saying "a'kina"!? I smiled.  Too weary to continue with a lesson that could wait, the fatigue of a nightly run washed over me. The run was short.  6 miles trying to beat the sunset washing over the horizon of a warmly lit desert landscape.   I was in love. Do you remember what it was like to fall in love?  I fell in love with each step that raced ...

Be poignant. Be deliberate. Be calm. Be loved. Be pensive. Be provoked. Be a Voice. Be the One. Be revealed. Be kind. Be generous. Be a giver. Be the risk. Be the opportunity. Be forgiven. Be forgiving. Be the One.

These summer days we make messes: These summer days we choose from too many flooring samples and get our home in order... (model not included): These summer days we fit in all our dental, doctor, DMV and other appointments: These summer days we travel to Seattle  These summer days we visit with friends: These summer days we get to a Dodger game and create a winning streak: These summer days are spent at the Lavender fields: These summer days are for us to remember, forever:

Saturday was a perfect day. The kind you write home about... Or blog about. Saturday took us to Thai food en route to the famous Stanley Hotel, inspiration for the thriller "The Shining". It was time to finally try to figure out how to use the panoramic photo capacity for my iPhone- this is what I got: How apropos for such a haunted place. This is a less creepy photo: We carried on through the Rocky Mountain National Park. Pardon my language but Holy Shiite that drive was gorgeous. Or as us faux French say, tres gorgeaux.  Predictably, we wanted a photo by the rushing current.  One of us almost fell into the river, but I won't say who. Nothing completes a full day quite like coffee, and the drive-thru java hut on the side of a mountainous road did not disappoint. I opted for the "Campfire" concoction: We headed toward the Haines Cabin, a colleague's family cabin that had been built 90 years prior by h...

Day 3 was bliss, relaxation and fun. Our highlight was lunch at Jerry D's, the local biker bar with actual bikers dining beside us. With our tans and fast chatter and snapping of photos it was evident we were annoying the biker chick at the table next to us.  I was tempted to ask her to take a photo with us, but the silver studs on her black leather jacket told me she wouldn't be amused.  Some photos from Jerry D's (including a snap with Jer himself)