Dealing with change

Change can be good or bad.  It can be exciting or terrifying. It can lift you up or bring you down. Change is never neutral; it always gets your attention, always demands a response. It can get complicated and uncomfortable, especially if it involves people you care about.

I thought I liked change.  I’m finding that I do not like ALL changes.  It’s hard to accept some things in life…really hard, harder than I thought.

Sometimes it’s not so much the actual “thing” but the timing that is the problem.  Why now? Why not later, like in a few years?  I’m sure I could deal with it better then…..or maybe not.  I pray that God will help me to respond more positively to what He allows in my life.

Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving a bit early this year since we won’t all be in town on the actual holiday.  It was a blessing to have the whole family together.

“For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Psalm 100:5

Thrift store + Crackle paint = Crafty Fun!

Before

After

While browsing in the thrift store a while ago, an old brown-stained hutch caught my eye.  It seemed like a perfect piece for our patio, and was cheap, too.  Despite the “have you talked to dad about this?” comment from one of my skeptical (and funny) kids, I bought it. After enlisting some familial muscle –thank you!– to wrangle the two ton behemoth home, it sat for a long time untouched while I pondered it’s makeover.  Eventually I settled on crackle paint…and here is the result!

An eating extravaganza

So, you’ve heard about the food truck craze in southern California, right? This event featured over 60 food truck vendors in one place –the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.  It was a fundraiser; we paid a flat fee and then were free to nosh to our hearts’ (and stomachs’) content.  Great food!  Good time! Funny man in Boba costume!

memories

It’s been almost two months since my mom died, and she has been on my mind a lot lately.  Perhaps it has taken a while for her absence to sink in…I  don’t know.  I do know she was a wonderful mom and friend…and I miss her.  I’m so thankful for the rich  collection of memories I carry with me.  What a gift they are!  Memories allow you to instantly relive the moments that are most meaningful,  joyful, poignant or funny.  They are always with you,  a true comfort.

A Day in LA – Getty Villa and Central Market

Today we drove up to Malibu to see the renovated Getty Villa. It is an art museum styled like an ancient Roman villa. The grounds are beautiful; I think those Romans had a great idea with the central courtyard, bubbling fountains, and exquisite gardens.

Inside, the art of the ancient world is displayed. There are many statues, vases, and implements of daily life. Many have been restored from just a few fragments, but if I hadn’t peeked into the top of an urn, I wouldn’t have guessed that. The renovation to the villa has added a lot of light and open space making for a much more pleasing visit.

The villa sits up on a hill and you can see the ocean from some spots. It’s a lovely and peaceful place to visit.

Changing gears a bit, we headed over to the Los Angeles Central Market. It is in the downtown historic area. What a bustling place! We walked around taking in all the shops and food offerings and settled on some Mexican food. It was terrific! Great tacos and burritos. There were other ethnic foods, too, like Middle Eastern, Chinese, and Salvadorian. Lots of produce, meat, seafood, and other grocery items, too.

2008 Summer Recap

Another wonderful summer is coming to an end. I love summertime…..mostly because my life has been organized around the school year for so long. The freedom from a routine feels so liberating and refreshing! I usually have a long list of things I plan to accomplish in this short sweet time, and I never get the majority of them done! But I am comfortable with that; the list is entirely too long and unrealistic. The whole point of having a break is to allow room for impulsive, spur of the moment things that won’t show up on any list.

This has been a terrific summer. It started off a little rocky, though, with a crash course in sewing chiffon. Tricky stuff. My daughter was in her cousin’s wedding party and I was making a shrug as part of the bridesmaid outfit. The end result was fine, even beautiful, but there were some tense moments along the way. (Note to self: one of these days you might like to reconsider the procrastinator’s “I work best under pressure” philosophy.)

We traveled back east for my niece’s wedding. She was married in a lovely evening ceremony in the beautiful green countryside of Virginia. It was so nice to see all my family –and to see everyone all dressed up, too!

Other highlights of our time in Virginia included seeing old friends, being with my Mom, kayaking and sightseeing with my brother and his family, and just enjoying the conversations, fun, and silliness that naturally occur when you spend a lot of time with my brothers with people .

Back home again, work on our dismantled bathroom resumed. More about that in another post.

All of my children have embarked upon new projects this summer. Our eldest, #1 son, has begun work in the private investment arena; he is working hard, seeing results, and enjoying it. Second son participated in an internship in bioinformatics that was challenging, vision-expanding, and encouraging as he worked with others who were supportive and as excited about the work as he is. And our daughter stretched her teenage wings as a volunteer at the local rescue mission. She discovered a growing interest in serving the needs of others and is looking into shifting her focus in college to counseling.

Add in some leisurely backyard barbeques, visits with friends from near and far, an outing to the county fair, a few items checked off my to-do list, and I am rejuvenated and happy. Bring on the new school year. I am ready.