Art & Photography

Being home sick is just sickening.

Tue, 27 May 2008 11:21:08 -0500

Oh snap.

Fri, 2 May 2008 14:39:37 -0500

The body speaks. Indeed. Pain, stiffness, tingles, shivers, hairs that stand up on the back of your neck, fevers...and funny faces? The body is an interesting vehicle for the soul. In times of shear frustration, I ponder whether my soul is falling apart therefore so is my body. I would have to be in some DEEP denial to miss that one. I feel like a whole person. I do not feel like I am in a state of spiritual malaise. I feel desperate though to find a cause to my unfortunate health. Even if it

Lillis Photos

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 10:12:07 -0500

Click the Photo or title to see more of Lilli. She has been captured being cute, having fun and silly. Take me to Lillis Photos now!

Peace, Religion, and War

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:41:24 -0500

I hate to be a downer, but there is so much fighting, hatred and suffering going on the world today that I have began feeling so frustrated. It isn’t that I feel it’s impossible for us to be at peace with the world, ourselves and each other; it’s that I feel desperate for things to change, but I don’t know how, individually, we can all make a big enough difference. I cannot believe what I have read in the news, about Tibet, about Darfur, Iraq. China...I know what is happening there is just the

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:56:46 -0600

SNOW DAY! Woohoo! We have been waiting for this, and it could not have come on a better day. Mikel is home from work today, so all 4 of my brood are running around like crazy outside in the white fluffy snow. I see large sparkling snow flakes falling by the billions outside. Being born and raised in Southern CA, you know I am in heaven right now! See All Snow Photos HERE. Click the word SNOW! SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW

NSA

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:07:43 -0600

Most of you already know that Khy was accepted into Nashville School Of The Arts 2 weeks ago. It is just the boost he needs right now, to get through till summer. I know his audition had to go well. He has such creativity, and it shows even in his guitar playing. Even though I knew he deserved to go there, I was still nervous up until the day we got his acceptance letter in the mail. Needless to say, we were all relieved to get that letter, especially Khy. He is so excited and we are so joyful f

First Snow

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 09:56:58 -0600

Click on this photo to see more pictures of Lilli in the snow! We woke up yesterday to a thunderstorm...again. This morning we went out to the car to take the boys to school but couldn’t even get in the car because the doors were iced and frozen shut! The ice on the windows looked like rain drops, but after looking closer, then touching them, I quickly realized they were frozen rain drops. It looked very cool but I could not scrape them off. I put on the defrost and waited for the windshield to

Where have all the good moles gone?

Thu, 7 Feb 2008 13:17:38 -0600

Well, my toe is healing. Slowly but surely it is getting better. The biopsies on my back still hurt though. I did get a call from the Dermatologists office and was informed that they got out all the abnormal cells from my toe, however, the 4 moles on my back came back as dysplastic as well. They will punch biopsy them on the 11th, in an effort to remove all the abnormal cells. Hopefully the next pathology report will come back good. I am a little frustrated about all of this. I fear they are g

See this?

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 13:16:44 -0600

Look closely... now smile! Can you see the look on this trees face? I know, silly as it may be, I love it! The tree is smiling! This tree has sat outside my house all this time and I had never noticed it had a smile until after the terrible weather the other day. Maybe it was all the water it got? Got Smiles?

Addiction

Wed, 6 Feb 2008 13:16:32 -0600

I got a call from my brother last week with some bad news. My sisters long time ex boyfriend, brothers good friend, and gentle soul passed away in hotel room alone due to a drug overdose. After Khy was first born, I lived in the home I had grown up in, with my mom, Will and Khy. We got through the northridge earthquake together, driving down to Huntington Beach (where Mikel was living) after the first round of shaking was over. He was also a witness to our very small wedding on Newport Beach.

Raindrops Falling

Mon, 4 Feb 2008 13:14:54 -0600

Raindrops fall so young After it all their song is sung Weeping sky life fades O’ spirit fly new life is made Spirits free the wind Ashes to breeze broken hearts mend Dedicated to Robin and Will

Counting Blessings

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:56:33 -0600

I am feeling so thankful today, in general, my cup runneth over inspite of the challenges I have been given. Feeling the sun’s warm rays on my face with my giggling daughter in my lap, brought my life into focus. It is so easy to get lost in my head, thinking about all of the noise in my life. Responsibilities, chores, errands, dramas, health scares...there are so many things that can distract me from just being, well, quiet & in the moment, in the now, right where my feet are. My mom alway

Mr BOOM ba stik, meet Mr DYS pla stik

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:29:52 -0600

The Dermo’s office called and informed me that the mole they had painfully removed on the bottom of the second toe on my left foot, came back from the pathologist as dysplastic. It means that the cells are abnormal, but not yet Melanoma (which is a deadly skin cancer). What will happen now, is that I have to go in this Monday (even though I had an appointment for Feb. 6th, she did not want me to wait) and they will perform a punch biopsy this time on the area, removing a margin (suspected health

Me & the Mole, Mr. Nevus

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:23:05 -0600

Melanoma what? That’s what I said after watching an Oprah show with Dr. Oz. They went over the warning signs of melanoma which are: A -- Asymmetry One half doesn't match the other half. B -- Border The edges are ragged, blotched, or blurred. C -- Color The pigmentation is not uniform. Shades of tan, brown, and black are present. Dashes of red, white, and blue add to the mottled appearance. D -- Diameter The width is greater than six millimeters (about the size of a pencil eraser). Any growth of

Medical Schmedical, Dr Scmochter

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:21:30 -0600

The past few years have been such schmitt. But seriously this month and a half has really tested my patience. Lupus? Mono? Melanoma? High ANA? High Cholesterol? Anemia? B12 Deficiency? Biopsies? Protein in the urine and oh so much more. Khy and I have had our fair share of medical scares the past 3 months. So, as medical riddles go, I am still in the process, and have several different medical specialties that I now will be evaluated by. More MRI’s and various other tests will be in my near fut

Losing Gleti

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 21:18:17 -0600

It was not more than a day after family arrived from CA, that we discovered our little adventurer passed away in his cage. I was going to put in a movie which was close to his cage when I had a sinking feeling in my chest. I decided to peek in on him and my heart sank even further as he was curled up in his pine shavings, peaceful, and breathless. I could not see any movement. I did not wait to announce the sad news. Kaine and Lilli were very upset, as they should be. Later in the day Mikel w

Why NOT to be a beer drinking couch potato.

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 20:33:29 -0600

I found my mind wandering a few minutes ago. I was thinking that I would love to avoid the tall pile of manilla folders in my bedroom that require my attention tonight. I wished I loved football and cold beer so I could escape life for a night. Just sit on the couch with a tall one, ignoring the spouse, the kids, the dog... but then I realized... that would be boring! What would I really be missing out on by sitting in front of the teletube every night, cold beer in hand? Duh, LIFE. LIFE is the

4:44pm

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:55:26 -0600

Yesterday we decided to take a drive, and we ended up driving west towards Memphis. After a little time on the road, we took a random exit and drove some more. At 4:44 pm it was 34 degrees outside. We stopped on the roadside to pick three gorgeously orange, fall leaves. A brightly lit full moon shone low in the sky, and we felt so thankful for the warmth of our van as we watched the temperature reading drop to ICE, and then 31 degrees. (The kids got upset when the temperature went back

Oreo, anyone?

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 17:41:26 -0600

Click here for some pics I took of our little guy. He is a smart, sweet puppy and has brought some excitement back into our lives.

How much can happen in one month?

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:27:43 -0600

So much it can make your head spin? Yes, but after all is said and done it’s only life. And my life can be so chock full of responsibility, Dr appointments, schlupping kids around town and rescuing animals that I either lack the time or energy to write. So I am forcing myself to spend some time today jotting down what I have been up to, and after I am done with my blog I am going to update some more areas on my site. Let’s see...first and foremost, we have a puppy that we rescued off the

Reading Behaviors How To Cope Part II

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 12:08:12 -0500

Due to my own anxiety, I admit that I have a strong emotional reaction to my son Kaines meltdowns, although I have struggled to keep it at bay. I feel like I am handling it right at that very moment however when I have time to reflect back on the situation, after it is over I can see that my emotional connection to his meltdown is usually the fuel for the brooding fire. I notice that when I stay neutral & stone faced (even emotionally void) it can diffuse the situation enough so he can b

Life in Nashville

Mon, 6 Aug 2007 00:23:40 -0500

I woke up this morning at 10:49 am. Greeted by Kaine who was surprisingly the first one awake today. We are all struggling with the change in time, we call it being stuck on California time. I spent the morning taking care of making all kinds of phone calls responsible adults need to make when they move. We ate brunch and Kaine & Lilli played while Khy helped me water the flowers in our front yard. It was quite hot today. Mikel said the temperature reading in the van was 107 degrees.

How To Cope

Thu, 4 Oct 2007 00:23:39 -0500

My family is under the grip of mental and developmental challenges. Finding effective coping strategies can often be one of the most frustrating issues. After all, each member of our family has a unique coping style, and it may not always mesh well with the coping styles of other family members. The coping style may be destructive, or proactive; empathetic or self-centered. It can be a minute by minute challenge, perhaps during a meltdown, for everyone in the family to find their own ways of

Innocu-latte...an excerpt from the diary of a Starbucks wife.

Tue, 25 Sep 2007 00:23:38 -0500

Starbucks coffee. I have so much to say. I admittedly could suckle on Caramel Machiatos 3 times a day. The strong espresso flavor, the sweetness of the caramel...ahhh. When Mikel brings home a tall one for me, I have to hug him. I do love them. Did I say that already? That is, in truth, the only redeeming factor I feel Starbucks has at least for my family at the moment. Mikel & I both, were entranced by all the PR Starbucks used to put out about how great an employer they are to work

Khy is Leaving McGavock High

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 00:23:38 -0500

So, it is official. We took Khy to his new school today for a few hours to meet with everyone and let him check it out. It was a positive experience and you can see on his face that he is feeling more at ease about it. I feel awful though. I really wish there was a reason to keep him at McGavock. When I compare the two schools, it is a no brainer. It has a third of the students, smaller school, less confusing schedule that stays the same everyday of the week. We met with the nurse as well, and

IEPs & Krispy Kremes

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 00:23:37 -0500

We had Kaines IEP today and it went really well. It was a couple hours and we had everyone who needed to be there, show up for the meeting. It was very well organized, right down to the Krispy Kreme Donuts. I have to giggle about that because I have brought those before to an IEP. I think it was a friendly gesture. Aside from a few unexpected tears when I spoke about where he was at this time last year, I was pleased with how the meeting went. The staff reported that he is not having ”meltdo

Kaine Makes Me Smile

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:23:37 -0500

Ohhh, he cracked us up last year dressing up like this crazed professor. Hah, I just had to post it!

Ballet, Karate, Starbucks, YMCA, etc...

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:23:37 -0500

So, this past week has been pretty good. We got a letter in the mail telling us that Khy can transfer to a Literature magnet High School, but it is more like a Fine Arts and College Preparatory Magnet. It will be a better situation for him, god willing. Lilli began Ballet Classes on Monday, where she had a very happy night. She has been sad ever since we had to stop going to Ballet last Spring. At the class I was talking to another parent, whos daughter is also in the class. I asked how