the ongoings of my life

i've never claimed to be a great blogger...

but enough people have mentioned it to me in the last 24 hours that i finally feel guilty and so i'm updating. where am i? omaha, nebraska my friends! i'm on my yearly journey to silver bella however this year i'm without my partner in crime, kim kwan. here are some photos from the events so far...

i know the images are poor quality. blame it on my iphone. i always seemed to be too busy to pull out the darn camera! this was command central. i forgot to take a photo when it was all decorated for registration, but it was really cute.

here are some busy bellas in teresa's class.

my view of omaha most of the time i was there. i would peek out the door as i walked from class to class. it looks gray and dreary, but coming from phoenix, sometimes it's nice to see actual weather. ;) if you look at the green awning right above the white van, that's barry-o's. it's a bar. however, i was out voted this year on barry-o's and we went to mister toad's.

the vendor fair is always the highlight of the trip. this year it had an apron theme...this is pam garrison and i sending kisses to kim at home.

this is some yummy goodness from the curious sofa booth. did some serious damage.

all in all i think it was a very inspiring, exciting and tiring weekend in omaha. i am so appreciative of the time i get to spend with some of the most talented women i know. the teachers were phenomenal, teresa did a superb job planning and organizing this event and i'm so happy to have the opportunity to help out. 

special thanks to jessi nagy, heather ales, cari craft, jill assman, valita baxley, julie baxley, holly biel, and my fantastic roommate denise sharp. she was an absolutely wonderful roomie and i enjoyed every minute i spent with her. good people always seem to find me.

now...enough rambling. i need to start my packing list for thailand while i still have downtime in the airport!!!

18 days...

I am home for 18 days. To me, that is soooo exciting. It's not that I don't have things to do, I'm just not going on an airplane or staying in a hotel for 18 days. I'm not complaining. I LOVE traveling. I CHERISH the memories. I VALUE the lessons I learn from different cultures. But now, I'm home for 18 days.

RECAP...

Labor Day Weekend...

No photos, but a great weekend. Stayed in town, but with a twist. We decided to do a little "staycation" with the kids to celebrate my birthday. We joined a few friends and stayed at the Arizona Grand Resort for a night. If you are a local, you should definitely make the trip down to South Mountain. The kids loved the water park and I definitely enjoyed the poolside cocktails.

September 11 - September 14....

La Jolla Rough Water Swim

If you read my blog at all, you may remember that I competed for the first time last year. I'm definitely not a swimmer. I mean, I know how to swim, but I don't have the correct form. As a matter of fact I swam last year's race 95% breaststroke. This year, my goal was to swim more freestyle and beat last year's time. Fast forward 365 days...I'm feeling confident. Wake up to see a 5-7 foot swell out our hotel balcony. Oh jeez...this will be fun. I was actually happy with the way I swam...I would say 75% freestyle...but I was 5 minutes slower. Oh well there's always next year.

It was still a great weekend. Our friends, the Watts, were kind enough to invite all of us on their family's boat...by which I felt compelled to have the kids dress appropriately...

This is Chase and his best friend, Tommy. (More on them later.) Here's the rest of the gang...

Next day...we swam...

Or at least these boys did. My Grayson is in the back and Chase is on the end (54). The other kids shown go to school with Chase.

This is what it looks like when we all take off. Looks fun, doesn't it?

This is a photo of all of the swimmers at Las Olas. All of the adults swam 1 mile, the kids 250 yards. Blondie in the red shirt placed first in his age group and big smiles in the gray placed 2nd in his! The old guy on the end standing next to me placed 15th OVERALL! (I know there were over 500 men alone competing.) This is definitely the best part of the day...celebrating and drinking margaritas after it's all done!

September 19...

Vegas Style "Rehab" Party at the Marcuzzo's

Let's just say I arrived at 2pm and left at 8:30 the next morning. I remember everything until it got dark. Or maybe just a little before it got dark. Hmmm... don't remember. I didn't have a bite to eat that day and that 1 cocktail went straight to my head!! (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!)

This is me and my friend Mandy...

and my friend Kate...

and this is about all I remember...

September 25 - 27...

Back to San Diego! But with Natalee this time. Our friend, Joanna, is having her FIRST baby! So, having been friends with her for years....and years.....I threw a baby shower for her along with her sister-in-law, Jean. We hosted it at Urban Solace and it was FANTASTIC. It you live or are visiting the San Diego area, this is a restaurant you must go to. It has won many, many, many awards and the chef/owner is a personal friend. Photos from the shower....flowers were the decor as well as favor for the guests...

That's us...Joanna is in the middle, Jean in the pink.

So now I'm home. I've been organizing what used to be referred to as my craft room and is now more of a room that everything gets piled up in. Trying to reclaim my space. Next up...Sonoma, Tubac, Omaha, Thailand and Cabo. Phew...and that's just through December!

more on the ocd...

just finished my mile swim. the last 700 yards or so, I contemplated aspics. Is it really necessary to make one? who would ever decide this is a good thing? it's a good thing i don't have anything important to think about like, what we are going to do while hanifa is attending his book club meeting in las vegas this weekend. or, how i'm going to get grayson all caught up in his homework after missing three days of school due to his getting the flu. or, whether or not my brother in law is suffering from a horrible illness that caused him to lose over 10 lbs in one week. (he's dieting too...we kind of have a bet...and unless he's recently been to africa or is eating bacteria by the spoonful, 14 lbs in one week is just unheard of.) this is me..rambling.

maybe a little ocd?

why is it when you aren't doing something you obsess about it? for example, if my husband says tighten the purse strings, i always find stuff i want to buy.

currently, i have stopped eating. no, not completely, but i am on a medically supervised diet, which means that i eat 1 meal a day in addition to the "meals" prescribed to me. it's not hard, i'm not hungry and i'm very excited about the results. i've even kicked up my physical activity from swimming a mile 2-3 times per week to additional days running a few miles with the dog. i've almost completely cut out alcohol...and if you know me at all, that's a big thing. i truly enjoy a nice full bodied cab!

so, why, when i'm on this journey to what used to be me, did i find it necessary to run and out see

i'll be the first to admit. i ordered the cookbook on my iPhone while driving home from the theater. i was obsessed. then, i decided, if i'm going to start perfecting my culinary talents, i would need all new pots, pans, utensils, towels, etc. i'm telling you obsessed. luckily, i have a birthday in the next few weeks and friends and relatives have been inquiring as to my wishes. this year, i have a list! unfortunately, in addition to being obsessive, i'm not very patient. so, after perusing the williams sonoma website, i finally decided on what i want. all-clad stainless steel.

 it's so pretty. don't you think? i was nervous about not having non-stick for eggs, etc. so i asked for this one too.

it's sitting in my house all nicely wrapped for my birthday. i'm being so good and not opening it.

in addition to my new cookware, i decided i needed new knives after visiting my sister and cutting myself repeatedly on her heavenly cutlery. so, this is the collection of knives now in my thoughts as i swim lap after lap.

shun classic. japanese. delightful. lindsey will not be helping me cut veggies with these!

so now, when i do start eating again, i'm ready. my cookbook is perched on the counter, my pans will be washed and ready, my knives will be sharp and dangerous, my family will be anxiously waiting for my first julia meal. i can promise you now that i will not be starting by de-boning a duck, but i didn't say never!

and then, i'll probably have to go back on the medically supervised diet. it's a vicious circle i live in.

summer update.

i've got 2 more nights. 2 more nights of summer in mission beach. you would think 3 weeks would be enough. other than my family, friends, bed and dog, there isn't much i'm missing about phoenix right now. we've fished.

we've boogey boarded with friends.

we've surfed, been to sea world, hung at the beach, eaten at urban solace, played many games of poker, had some frothy beverages, visited with friends from both near and far, celebrated 40 years of marriage (Mark Leber's parents), supported the local surf shop economy, purchased 2 surfboards, bought 2 bikes, eaten some more,  and tonight we're off on a booze cruise. 2 more nights.

did i mention my baby is going into middle school? and he's been texting girls left and right since we arrived? maybe it's time for that talk we were supposed to have a while ago....ugh.

Peace. Quiet. Solitude.

at least for a couple of hours. my kids are gone. in miami beach with hanifa's mom and aunt. the will not return until the 21st. it's strange. no one is yelling "mom!". i don't hear video games turned up to the max and automatic firing nerf guns are gathering dust. it's so quiet here. how have I spent the last 30 hours? hmmm...as soon as I dropped the little buggers off at the airport I joined my friend mandy jo for a day of leisurely fun by her in-laws pool. it was heaven. i took a nap. drank some champagne. napped. that lasted from approximately 11am-11pm. (hanifa joined us after work.) then, we woke up this morning, mandy was texting...she may have injured herself in the pool last night. er, urgent care? decided to wait and see. went to brunch with the lebers...mandy decided the er. she's ok, just banged up and bruised. not a very good ending to an otherwise perfect day! we met her at the hospital...where on her discharge notes, the dr said "no swimming with dr jones". then we went to see hangover. funny, funny movie. especially the end. cracks me up just thinking about it. tonight? hanifa works...i...not sure.

so we are a couple of trips in already this summer. first it was italy...a whirlwind tour really. 1 week is just not enough with the traveling to and from. my kids were absolutely perfect. couldn't have asked for a better bunch of troopers. the little village we stayed in, corfino, was picturesque. watching grayson attempt to speak italian, pay for his sodas in euros and try to be as independent as he can was fun. here are a few photos... this is the entire gang with the skyline of florence in the background. we were traveling with the marcuzzo family who had already been there for a couple of weeks.

a really cool door in a little town called castiglione...this was a shot of all of the kiddos.

it wouldn't be italy without our nightly limoncellos!

so, we got home from italy late on the 3rd, kids were in a swim meet on the 4th and then we woke up bright and early and started the trek to puerto penasco, mexico. 10 adults. 15 kids under 11. what were we thinking? we weren't. but, it ended up being the perfect way to end the hectic traveling week. sitting by the beach, drinking mexican beers and hanging with good friends.

these boys were the reason we went. both have may birthdays and wanted to spend them in mexico. it's a love/hate relationship.

just wait until these little rascals are dating. we're all gonna be in trouble.

tres amigos.

just the adults. and duke.

next up? hanifa and i leave for iowa for brangie's wedding on tuesday. yep. we're going to iowa. did i mention hanifa is performing the ceremony?

and so it goes.

my summer is about to begin. it should. the weather is already over 100 degrees. being the travelers that we are, i see no reason to stay here and sweat all summer long, so this year (having been declared an "off" year for traveling) our itinerary is as follows:

May 27 -- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
May 27 - June 3 -- Corfino, Italy

June 5-7 -- Puerto Penasco, Mexico
June 8-12 -- Camp for all 3 kids
June 13-21 -- Kids in Miami Beach with Hanifa's mom and aunt
June 16-20 -- Hanifa and I in Cedar Falls, Iowa for a wedding
June 22-26 -- Camp for all 3 kids

July 5-12 -- Kids and I in Seattle, WA to see my sister and brother in law
July 18- August 8 -- Whole family in San Diego, CA...woo hoo!
August 10 -- SCHOOL STARTS!!!

After seeing my itinerary written down, I'm getting a little nervous. I will be spending a total of 6 weeks out of town and 4 weeks in. I hope I didn't over do it.

What's making me nervous? A flight duration of 16 hours, 46 minutes. Granted, we stop for an hour in Minneapolis and then 2.5 hours in Amsterdam, but having to entertain my little kidlets for that long will be a stretch. Ideas? Suggestions? I'm thinking...movies on their iTouches, books, psp's, nintendo ds. Can we bring snacks on the plane? I know I have a week to pack and get ready -- but I'm still stressed. In the end, I'm sure it will all work out fine. Then I just have to worry about the turn around from 1 trip to the next! Maybe I'll pack for that one before I even leave!

Photos soon...I promise. Especially of our 80s prom we had at our house!

The last time you will ever see this smile.

And here I sit. Braces are being adhered to my little almost 8 year old's teeth. And by the way, I'm in Tucson. Gotta love the Lebers!

and i interrupt this silence...

to bring you a short, but sweet post.

busy, busy. that's my motto. it just doesn't slow down. not that i expect it to, but jeez..sometimes the idea of having NOTHING to do seems sooo appealing. to be a kid again and be bored. that would be ideal. for about a day, on summer break.

what has mrs. jones been up to? that's us with the lebers in park city, ut. what a great trip. however, my knees do not appreciate skiing 4 days in a row. and...even though i absolutley LOVE skiing, i have decided i'm not into steep inclines, speed, terrain courses or anything other than a nice easy green run. see the little one in the blue helmet? that's lindsey..who has officially skied 6 days in her life. (that's 1 more than me.) she's a speed demon. she HATES it when i say "slow down, wait for me!" at the end of the trip, she did the blues and met me at the slow down signs. no fear. (notice we are all wearing helmets...except for nat, but she has one behind the scenes. she just wanted to look beautiful for the photo.)

the creative side of me has been screaming to get out. not that i want to get my fingers covered in glue or glitter (but i will soon), but the weather here has been so unbelievable that i have been spending hours working in my yard. my dad (superman) and brother (does superman have a sidekick?) have been helping me on occasion when i flutter my eyelashes and promise them unlimited beer from our tap. my courtyard is almost complete...flowers are planted, roses are in...now i'm just waiting for the trellises for the roses to climb. this photo is from before i put some furniture out there...tomorrow when it's sunny i'll take another photo...i'm obsessed with this little area..and luckily it's been overflowing to my back yard as well. planted 14 rose bushes out there and dozens of annuals...maybe i'll photograph that too.

on the inside, i've been changing things too. i've never had the interior of my house "done". i mean, i haven't hired anyone to do it and the furniture i have is a mixture from old houses, family and recent purchases. my style of house also gives me some problems. while it's very mid-century contemporary (think frank lloyd wright), i'm not. my taste has evolved...probably a lot differently than my husband's, but i'm trying to change my house a little at a time making it more "me"...with a little of "him" thrown in. :) My first two projects were 2 of my bathrooms. (I have 4.) When a lighting fixture became useless, i used that as the catapult to do a lot more. this bathroom has a shower, but it's never used. it's probably the most used bathroom being the closest to the kitchen, family room, bar. i wanted funky, shabby chic. here are some photos, just minus a print i'm having framed... ideas, suggestion on how i can improve it? i do love it...i just think it needs a little more.

tomorrow i'll try to post the other one. (towels were in the laundry when i was taking photos.)

oh yeah..and i should tell you what pta stands for.

and so i skied.

or at least my version of skiing. for the anniversary/valentines/presidents day weekend we decided to take the extended family on a little trip up to the mountains. attending were my clan as well as my parents, brother, nephew and 2 dogs. we left thursday (my fifteenth anniversary - which by the way my husband rewarded me with something very sparkly) around lunchtime and made the 3 1/2 drive up to the pinetop/lakeside area of the state. we found a very comfy cabin on vrbo that had all the amenities. most important was the snow. the kids (and dogs) had an absolute blast playing in this foreign substance! how they could stand to have their little hands (and paws) so cold, i have no idea!

on friday we drove up to sunrise so the kids and men could have some time on the slopes. lindsey, chase, dad and nathan were set up in lessons and hanifa, noah and grayson hit the chairlifts. while waiting for their lesson to begin, my dad (who last skied 25 years ago) showed my brother a few tricks. unfortunatetly, that meant by the time lessons were to begin, he really didn't need them any more. so after about 1/2 hour, they ditched their class and headed up the mountain. mom and i sat in the lodge, snapping photos and watching for our relatives to come flying by. eventually we called it a day and i realized  - hey, if it was that easy for nathan to learn skiing, i should really give it a try. (i had attempted snowboarding for the first time last year and thought i was going to die!)

saturday we spent the day sledding, dining in town, and watching movies. (happy valentine's day!)

sunday - woke up early - ready to bail out of the whole skiing plan. this can't be a good idea. but i did it. we all (minus mom) headed back to sunrise, put lindsey in lessons and dad started showing me the ropes. hey...i'm not falling! after about 6 runs down the bunny slope, it was determined i should try a green run. so off hanifa, my dad, chase and i go. (chase's first run down a green on his snowboard too!) I LOVED IT! it was so much fun. decided that the faster i go, the more control i have on my direction, etc. i'm totally hooked which is a good thing since we are going to park city in march! i only fell 3 times the whole day and once it was because my big loaf of a brother was out of control and ran into my dad who was right next to me.

i know it's not that impressive when you watch the video, but hey! i'm proud!