Grace in Small Things: 39/365

1. Fish tacos (homemade, no less)
2. Washed down with Pacifico
3. Watermelon...sweet, juicy, cold, delicious!
4. Cooler temps
5. Camping at the beach in less than a week! Yeah!

Fabulous Talent!

Taylor's friend, Matthew (and part of the psuedo-family he lived with in SClarita during his senior year in high school, after I left him high and dry to take a job in Nor Cal), recently completed this short film that was highlighted on vimeo, after winning numerous awards! Matthew is a film major, and this is his first (of many to come, I'm sure) production. It was written, edited, produced and scored by none other than our very talented Matt. Enjoy!

Maestro from Matthew Fredrick on Vimeo.

Full House beats a Pair

As I was playing Texas Hold 'Em last night with Little Johnny Card Shark, Taylor, Flannery, and Ryan, a theme became apparent. I was clearly cleaning their clocks by frequently drawing a full house (three of a kind and a pair). As I sat smitten with my ever-growing, colorful stacks of poker chips, it occurred to me that this impromptu gin and tonic, card playing group was just that...a full house. Flannery and Ryan have been visiting since Tuesday, and Taylor has been here since Wednesday (his girlfriend, Racquel, is in So Cal, visiting her family).

It's been so fun having them all here! Endless loads of laundry (why would you visit your mom and arrive without every single dirty towel, sheet, and stitch of clothing?), food shopping, cooking, trips to Bev Mo! , more food shopping, late night and early morning chats, witty banter interjected by all (even during serious conversations about jobs, school, relocating, money, parenthood, adoption, choosing to not be a parent, politics, immigration, the economy), and just hanging out. We miss Meggie, terribly, but have had great fun thinking of names for the baby (serious and silly...so silly, in fact, I can't even put them in print).

It's been so very fun. I will miss them when they leave. I forgot how much pleasure I get out of seeing everyone around the table, enjoying a meal, waiting to see how long it will take for Flannery to get the giggles (I mean really get the giggles), and how long it will take before Taylor rears back in his chair, and waits for me to say the "mom" thing about cracking his head open if he loses his balance and falls backward, or ruining the chair by doing the whole "rearing back" thing that he loves to do and secretly, I think, loves to do just so he can see and hear me get steamed.

Yep. Full House beats a Pair, hands down.

Leaping before Looking

Oops. Here I go again. I may be just a wee bit in over my head. Maybe not. We'll see. While signing up my school for Bookshare, (I am on this committee at school with a very official sounding name, "Textbook Adoption Policy Committee") I had this thought. Maybe I should volunteer to be a reader, or a proofreader, or maybe even a scanner! Yes, I thought, I can do this! I can proof and read, or scan and proof, or scan and read, or...well, you get the idea. By signing up my school, I can help students with print disabilities get their books in an alternate format, since there is such a backlog in our department. By volunteering, I can give back to this organization. Sounds simple, right?

Except for the part where it's not. I read the instructions on how to actually do the volunteering, you know, the scanning, the proofreading, the reading, the checking, the checking again, and OMG, I think I am definitely in over my head. So technical! So detailed! It's a good thing I LOVE to read. A lot. A whole lot. A ton. Almost more than breathing. Almost. At least I get to choose whether to scan or proof, and I also get to choose which books to scan or proof.

I'll keep you posted when I can tear myself away from the instructions. That's as far as I've gotten. Oh, and by the way, you don't get the instructions until AFTER you've signed up as a volunteer. Naturally. Should be fabulous.

Grace in Small Things: 38/365

1. Shrimp on the barbie (literally)
2. News is good about my friend's eyes
3. The gorgeous weather (not too hot, not too cold, not too windy)
4. Last minute ad lib opportunity to present at conference (until the real presenter arrived, after sitting on Hwy 17 for 3 hours!)
5. Reading Annals of Dyslexia until my eyes crossed

Grace in Small Things: 37/365

1. Maeg's ability to see the humor in all things related to pregnancy, despite throwing up every single day for 15 weeks
2. Despite contracting dengue (pronounced deng-gay) fever, she and the baby are apparently healthy
3. Flannery and Ryan's visit next week to Nor Cal
4. Another day of learning at the Online Teaching Conference today in beautiful Aptos
5. A luxurious shower after camping at the beach (cold and windy) for 4 days earlier this week (photo above taken at Sunset Beach)

The Land of Love

It's official. My oldest daughter, Maeg, is pregnant! She's married to the man of her dreams, and seems deliriously happy. She's also very excited about becoming a parent, but did not expect to become pregnant so quickly. Isn't that just how life works! An unexpected, but delightful surprise. She worked for a long time as a part time nanny when she was in college in Seattle and loves children!

So, the family expands. The baby is due in late November, early December. Congratulations, my dear daughter. Welcome to the land of love.