Minnesota Skies

I am a native Californian. I don't mind that. I am even proud of it. . . sometimes. I love so many things about CA but the skies are NOT one of them. Most of you know what I am talking about, and if any of you have ever flown into Ontario Airport, you most especially know what I am talking about, smog, sm0ke and What? you have mountains? when they show up on a clear day. Yes, there are more clear days now then there were when I lived in Diamond Bar as a kid and we had what they call Smog Alerts. We couldn't play outside because the smog was sooooo bad and we would end up coughing like an asthmatic. Anyway this is not supposed to be a tirade against CA skies, but a celebration of mid-western skies. I moved to Chicago IL when I was 12 years old. My dad was transfered there. We were really excited about the change: we could play in the snow, and own a two story house(I know, I was young then and didn't know better) I absolutely loved IL, the people, the seasons and most especially the skies. Vast skies of blue with big, beefy clouds that were a presence that couldn't be ignored. I would never tire of the skies and what they would express. They were WAY moody: sad, happy, tempestuous, angry, hopeful, menacing. If you don't know what I am talking about, you have never left CA and experienced skies like these.

Some day, if your lucky, you will get to visit MN and experience some real sky!

O boy!

Owen at Ca Adventure on his birthday

Owen contemplating his wishes!

My sweet big boy Owen just celebrated his 4th birthday! He wanted a Wall e birthday because the movie came out on his birthday. So for his birthday we went to Disneyland and then went to see Wall e. Little did we know that the movie would make human beings seem like weak, lazy, irresponsible dults. Luckily the message went right over his head!

Unlike the human characters in Wall e, our Owen is so proud of himself and thinks he is pretty AWESOME! Our Owen is such a joy and a ray of sunshine. He brightens our lives with his enthusiasm and his optimism. Once when reading a rhyming book that asked us to whisper our ages in each others ear, he whispered his age with his little hot breath in my ear "I free years old", and I in turn whispered in his ear, "I'm forty-one years old" to which he grabbed my face in his little hands and said "Oh man, that's AWESOME," He instantly made me feel great about being over forty. Now that's a miracle worker. He is a little love bug, always giving kissses and hugs. When ever he wants to give me some lovin' he says, "Two kisses and two hugs!" Of course two is better than one, Right? So he grabs my face in his hands and plants two big kisses on my lips and gives me two big hugs. My little Owen knows what girls like: to be complimented. He will say, OH mom you look pretty!or "Oh mom, what a pretty shirt," always smiling and looking directly into my eyes. Thank you my O!

Owen is a very cautious boy and needs to take his time doing things, but when he gets up the courage, there is no stopping him. Here he rode the tube for the first time. He loved it. He is flexing his power after the ride.

Happy Birthday my little O, my Oboe, my Owie, my Big Boy! We love you.

The Graduate!

Mama's proud of her boy

Grandpa came to celebrate Mitchell's graduation

Mitchell and his Buddies

Mitchell graduated from high school on June 11th 2008. New adventures ahead--college, mission, a career. Congratulations Mitchell for getting the job done. He graduated with great friends and has many wonderful memories to take with him to college.

Mitchell brings us great joy. He has a great sense of humor and can make any situation more fun. He can really tune in to your feelings. There have been times that I have been concerned about something and I think that I am doing a pretty good job hiding it and he reads me like a book and will ask, What's wrong mom? I used to say nothing but then I learned that he needs to understand that he has this ability and so I will say I have a lot on my mind. . . And then he gives me a big hug and tells me he loves me. That always make someone feel better right?

When Mitch was a wee one, Mitchy the Kid, he was great at story telling and pretend play. He loved stories and would love to be read to all the time. He could make a friend where ever he went.

He has many friends and has always been a good listener. When he was boy he had friends who felt safe sharing their feelings and concerns with him. It made him feel good so at that time, I think he was in the sixth grade, he said he wanted to be psychologist. He feels things very deeply. He is a deep thinker and I love it when he shares his ideas about life and love with me. He is my philosopher.

He is a great communicator. I am so grateful for that. Mitchell has no problem telling me what he needs or if he has been slighted. It makes it easy to say sorry and to mend things. Mitchell loves to read, write and listen to music. He is a lover of the classics. He loves art and appreciates creativity.

Shine On Mitchell. You have a lot to share. We love you.

What's In A Name

Most of us reading this have had the opportunity to name something; a bike, an animal, a car, a boat, a child, and we know from this experience that it can be a very serious task. This pressure seems to increase depending upon what you are naming. For example, Cochita might be a perfectly fine name for a car, in fact the sillier the better, boats, on the other hand, seem to have more serious names and demand more respectability, maybe it is because they walk on water. Of course the naming of living things creates even greater pressure--when naming a family pet you want something catchy, something everyone likes, something that won't offend the neighbors. My neighbors weren't thinking of my feelings when they named their dog Stacy! Needless to say we spent less and less time together, I wasn't sure if they were talking to me or the dog. It became very confusing. Finally, the naming a child--all the questions and concerns, what does the name mean? how shall we spell it? How can it be twisted into some freakish name by a third grader? This whole naming process can be daunting, until I experienced the naming of my blog and all the pressure that surrounds that. It represents me: my hopes, dreams, beautiful moments, reflections, friends, and family. It is a record and one that I want to keep and share with my loved ones. How do you name that? Well after much deliberation I came up with this title which is from a U2 album and I feel represents all that is important to me. All that you can't leave behind are all the things that you can take with you. The most important things. The thing that we should cherish while here on the earth, but what we can take with us once we leave. Hopefully those things will be family, friends, memories and the truth. I want to share all of these things with you, as I see them.