The Prodigal returns...just enough time for a farewell...for now

10 reasons why I stopped blogging...

10 - I was spending more time online at home than I should have.
9 - I freaked out when someone I knew in real life "found me out".
8 - It was starting to make me a bit depressed.
7 - I realized I could name more people I "knew" from blogging than real life friends.
6 - I began to feel guilty that I was keeping it a secret from my loved ones, husband especially.
5 - I enrolled in a few classes that REALLY took up a lot of my time.
4 - #6
3 - I figured I could work on my real life relationships if I spent less time online.
2 - I found myself dwelling on issues I was going through rather than fixing them and moving on.
1 - #6 again...

So there you have it - if anyone is still around. I noticed QUAZE stopped by at some point...sadly I cannot view his blog at my office anymore. But I just wanted to give a quick update...things are good in my life for the most part. I'm doing most of the same as I did last year...but running a little less since a pregnancy delightfully surprised me this summer (the little boy I've dreamt about is coming...)

I will most likely put together a new blog - one I can share with D. I'll let you know when that happens and I'll post a link and start checking everyone out again. My fear is that I might turn into a mommy blogger if I'm not careful!

I hope you are all well - best wishes to everyone for 2008.

Mexico Magnificence!

Trip to Mexico...part 1 (finally)

A few hours South of Tulum before you get to Chetumal, you find a beautiful little city on a large lake called Bacalar. Below is a picture of the Fortress of San Felipe, built in 1729 to protect the city of Bacalar from bloody pirates...arrrgh! Apparently the pirates would enter the Laguna Bacalar, often called the Lake of Seven Colors, from the Carribean and pillage the city time after time, but the people got smart and they also got a couple canons.

This is the Lake of Seven Colors...and this picture doesn't even do it justice. I think I'd be happy to retire here - it was so peaceful and the people of the town were so friendly.
My feet were so excited to get back into strappy, heeled sandals after a long winter that they didn't mind walking around on the cobblestone. Yay - toes!


The Yucatan Peninsula is home to over 2000 cenotes, which are naturally occuring lakes created by sink-holes in the limestone. They are considered by the Mayan people as "holy wells", passageways to the underworld. Below, a picture of my younger daughter peering into Cenote Azul, a 600ft deep cenote where virgins were sacrificed in ancient times. We just ate lunch at a local restaurant there...no virgins were sacrificed on this trip.


My older daughter, sampling the octopus as part of her seafood fajitahs. (She couldn't wait to tell her friends she ate octopus!) The restaurant was very authentic and quite delicious. My only problem was that there wasn't any soap in the very sketchy restrooms...but at least there was toilet paper.

From Bacalar, you drive about 3 hours East to get to the Calakmul Biosphere, an absolutely amazing place that very few people ever get to. I feel truly blessed to have experienced it as we did, but I could have done without the camping...oh yeah...we camped in the middle of the Mexican jungle! The name of our camp, owned by this wonderful Mayan family, was called Camp Yaax Che, which is the name of the tree that grows from the center of the earth in Mayan legend.



The tent wasn't bad, the food cooked in traditional Mayan fashion was actually amazing, but I just wanted to wash my hands and face. With the humidity and lack of running water, I felt so sticky and dirty. I wasn't informed enough about the accommodations to have brought handi-wipes. It would have been such a different, more pleasant experience for me if I had just had the handi-wipes. Somehow I survived...

Before it got too late, we visited a cave which was the home to over 3 million bats. We were there to see many of them leave for their daily supper of half of their body weight in moths and mosquitos. They swirled around us, through the evening sky, flying in what seemed like a distinct air-current highway. They had direction, it wasn't chaos; otherwise they would have wasted their time crashing into each other all night. All 3 million had to get out to eat and then back in each night. It's mind blowing to think about how it works...naturally. The bats just know.

We were awakened early in the morning by a family of endangered Howler Monkeys calling to each other. It was surreal. REAL jungle animals were living right where we were sleeping! Extremely cool!

Poetry Thursday - RED

(my apoligies for not posting on Thursday...I think I was occupied with Neil)

I saw him again,

the little boy

with hair as red as yours;

he smiled at me

impishly,

then ran away.

My heart aches a little,

the silent sobs keeping time

with that ticking

that gets louder

day

by

day

reminding me how

another

year

has

passed

without the red-headed

little boy in my dreams

holding my hand.

Double Digits

picture courtesy of http://www.geocities.com/childcare_links/number-ten.gif

My oldest daughter will turn 10 on Monday. Last night we had her birthday party, a dozen giggling girls took over my house for 3 hours. Four out of the 12 slept over (more talking and laughing than sleeping, though.) It's 1:45pm the day after and I think I've finally recovered.

Ten is really an odd age (maybe I should say strange because 10 is an even number.) As her mother, I'm not quite ready for her to grow up into the terrible teen I fear, but I recognize she is not a little girl either. My husband and I couldn't even decide what to get her for her birthday...she's too old for dolls and dress ups, but we're not ready to purchase a cellphone or iPod for her. Without a television in our home, she's not inundated with all the things she "must have" so even she doesn't know what she wants. In actuality, it's really cool of her.

We finally settled on a new pair of purple and black in-line skates plus all the safety gear. She loved borrowing my Rollerblades last summer and has mentioned how she'd like a pair of her own. She's also getting a new tennis outfit to get her psyched for spring/summer tennis season and a box set of Nancy Drew mysteries. I hope she's not disappointed that she's not getting an iPod. No matter how many times we've explained she's not getting one, I think she's still holding out hope that we'll surprise her.

Back to the birthday party though...funny things that budding pre-teens say.

Me to Girl 1: Hi! I'm Abby's mom.

Girl 1: Sweet..(with a sense of "cool"ness that made me take a step back. This girl was cooler than me!)

While eating pizza:

Girl 1 to rest of the group: You know Josh, he is sooooo hot.

Me to Girl 1: How can a 10 year old boy be hot?

Girl 1: Oh...he's definitely hot!

Me to Girl 1 and the rest: Hmmm. Really? I didn't think boys became hot until they were at least 18 and had a square jaw and the need for a razor.

Girl 1: Boys with square jaws are ugly.

There were so many more funny things said, but my brain has turned to mush for lack of sleep and the havoc that hours of 10 year old silliness can wreak on your brain.

Ode to Neil

Neil...

Posts about depression and prozac,
relationships with Mom and his estranged wife,
a talking penis telling him what to do;
these kinds of topics drew me into the "Citizen's" life.

But the posts about Dad, the headstone selection
Sophia's cancer, and his summer alone
I found there was more to this guy from NY
than a quick wit and that Sprint cell phone on loan.

So to Neil, on your birthday (I won't ask how old)...
May your blog bring you great wealth
May your digital camera take flattering pictures
May you, Mom and Sophia enjoy good health

May your relationships bring you peace
May your penis be satisfied all year
May the comedy flow freely
May you always Be of Good Cheer!

Happy Birthday!

I Love the Holidays - part 3 (yes this might go on all month!)

Above image from NicholsonCartoons.com

The Office Holiday Party!

Most people think of office parties as lame, but Friday night was D's annual holiday party in Las Vegas and it is never dull! It's a combination of a partner appreciation/holiday party, so the company goes very big. This is the third one I've attended - missed the 2004 party since I decided to stay in Seattle that year. The unnamed company rents out the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and hires usually great entertainment. The 2003 party was opened up by The Village People and the main act was The Pointer Sisters. It is always 'open bar' and there are usually around 2200 people there. This year Earth Wind and Fire performed and they were kind of disappointing.

I went down on Thursday evening, and being the company's 10th anniversary, many more employees than usual came down from Seattle to attend the festivities. I was able to catch up with many of the friends I used to work with, including Lisa and my favorite S. I spent some nice time with each of them. The three of us have been through some difficult times together - they've both been there for me in different ways. I love them and miss them horribly. (Side note: I consider myself lucky that although I've moved away from Seattle and a great job, I'm still able to keep in touch with and have the opportunity to often visit many of the people/friends I love.) Everyone is always so kind and welcoming, even though I don't work at the company anymore.

Upon my return home to reality, I read an article on MSN Careers, called Office Party Ettiquette and laughed since every tip the article suggested was completely disregarded at Friday's company party.

1- Don't wear anything too revealing at the office party. Let's just say, there was plenty of skin to be shown and no one was complaining.

2- Mingle with people outside of your immediate work group. This actually wasn't one people really had a problem with, unless you count the imaginary line the existed between the leadership team and the other "little people".

3- Respect people and think before using profanity. Hmmm...I can't necessarily repeat what was heard. Tons of profanity and plenty of sexual inuendo.

4- The office party is not a place to over drink. The writer of this article must not have heard the term "open-bar" in Vegas. Most everyone was trashed by the end of the night. Since I don't drink, I walked a few people to cabs and made sure one friend got to her hotel room safely. I was her DD last year too. But she is a cute drunk, always telling me, "I love you...I'm so glad you're here" in her drunken slurs.

5- Beware of excessive flirting, inappropriate soul-bearing, too-eager touching. I myself am slightly guilty of the 1st...I am a flirt, but I try to keep things in check. Throughout the night though, 5 different men grabbed my butt, one propositioned me, a few danced a little too close, and two members of the senior management caused quite a stir with their excessive friendliness towards each other. Sexual harrassment lawyers would have had a hayday there. I guess that's why Corporate Counsel was not in attendance.

Anyone else have an exciting office party story to share?

Love, Love, Love

I posted Dave Matthews' Christmas Song last night (which ended up being really early this morning) and said "Share your love today." I had just come home from a weekend of self-indulgent, worldly glut - a holiday party in Las Vegas where tons of money was spent on food, fun, new clothes, etc. on Thursday and Friday and the rest of the weekend spent at a spa resort in Phoenix to be pampered and attend the Seahawks vs. Cardinals game. I'm not going to say I didn't enjoy my four days of fun, but it's definitely not real.

This morning, I was reminded what is real in my life and why I am involved in the things I am. I went to a holiday breakfast for the Maliheh Free Clinic where I volunteer as a secretary of the Board of Directors and in any other capacity that I am able. We heard the annual report from the Director of the Clinic. He is a Muslim Iranian-American, as is the main benefactor of the clinic. Ironically, the clinic is based in Salt Lake City, where the predominate religion is LDS or Mormon and also the religion of the other main benefactor. We are able to provide excellent health care for people from all walks of life, all ethnicities, religions, age at NO CHARGE to them, including labs, medicine, surgery, ANYTHING! It is truly amazing. There are only 3 paid employees at the clinic and everything else is purely donated. 97% of all financial donations go directly to the patients. Other costs are covered through a private foundation and in-kind donations.

As I listened to the Director of the Clinic tell us that we served over 8,000 patients this year and that our care and respect for these patients knew no boundaries that were normally set by people, I was so inspired. He told the story of an Israeli man who came in off the streets needing critical diabetic care. As the Director was taking the man's vitals, he said to him, "Can you tell where I'm from by my accent?" The Director said, "Yes. You sound like you are from Israel." The patient took the Director's doctor tag and said, "You are right. I am from Israel. I see that your name is Persian. Are you Muslim?" The Director told him that he was. The patient got tears in his eyes and said, "The world would make us enemies and yet here I am being treated like a king in your office."

So much good can be done when we just see people as people and go beyond what obstacles are created by others. This Clinic was created by people who came from completely different places and religions to provide for those in need - anyone in need. We're making a small difference, spreading love and hope.

Love is real to me.
Hope is real to me.
The good I see in people is real to me - and there is good in everyone.