Saturday Night Fever

So excited to see each other!

My little man has been gone for almost 2 weeks where he has been camping on the beach in So Cal with his Dad, enjoying the festivities in Lake Arrowhead for the 4th and having all kinds of fun. 2 weeks is a long time, I am so happy to have him home..We made the couple three hour drive to meet Dad, Dads girlfriend and pick him up today, I don't know what it is about car rides..the first half of the trip I am usually hopped up on caffeine and the second half I can barely keep my eyes open. It doesn't help much that my passengers seat may very well be the most uncomfortable passenger seat in the world..it has the twisted locked up seat syndrome most BMW's catch. It's kind of surreal seeing the father of your child like for five minutes every few months..this was a person who used to live with me for a long period of time, for whom I was engaged to, danced with laughed with,talked all day and night with, took trips with,loved with..and now it's like we are strangers as if he never knew me and I never knew him. It's strange how that happens..but people I guess they just come and go. I never gained my consciousness fully today after only getting maybe 4 1/2 hrs of sleep..hell I should be sleeping right now but for some strange reason I get a second wind around ten..getting back into the swing of things this coming up work week will be fun times. I was woken up probably 4 times last night to the sound of my neighbors arguing..they are a sweet couple and hope they can pull through whatever problems they are facing...nothing good to say about staying up all night fighting with someone.I did manage to do a half hour of yoga today..even if they were just mainly seated positions and make an awesome dinner bacon wrapped fillets, spicy pasta salad with smoked Gouda and tomatoes, corn casserole, and raspberry cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream...thanks Pioneer Woman. That was about all I was good for today..speaking of work next week can you say "pending doom"? Well tomorrow is Sunday thankfully and hopefully after a good night rest will have one more day to enjoy the these great boys and have a little downtime before the circus begins.. if there is any hope of that happening it may be a good idea to put down the coffee..like now.

5 Things On Friday

Class Ended Thurs.. and I was 4 pts Away From an A

This Weeks Guilty Pleasure

Weekly Hairdo

The wacky Wailana Yoga I do in the afternoons

 My new favorite TV show

Betty Ford Dies At Age 93

"She started dialogues that changed America".

Elizabeth Bloomer "Betty" Ford circa 1975. Most admired first lady, mother to 4 children, professional dancer, wife, model...changed the attitudes in America about addiction. Started the Betty Ford Center, a woman who would once be quoted as saying it was "time to bring abortion out of the backwoods and into the hospitals where it belonged". She was a den mother, a soccer mom, a breast cancer survivor, something that would motivate thousands of woman to have mammograms.While living in the White House she would tell McCalls magazine that her and her husband the late Gerald Ford would "have sex as often as possible." She acknowledged premarital sex as being normal, advocated for more governments money for the arts and supported equal rights and aid for sick and abused children. She and her family were residents of Palm Springs, one of my favorite places to be where she became quite the socialite devoting her time to raising money for causes for which she believed in.
She was addicted to pain killers and alcohol and after her families intervention on April Fools Day 1978 she admitted herself to rehab at the Naval Hospital.
She reinvented herself and brought the drug and alcohol rehabilitation she received to the people of California.
She realized alcohol was a bigger problem for many women because "expectations of virtue are higher for women." She shared her story and those of other brave and courageous women through a series of books.
She pioneered the idea that women can be treated for alcoholism as well as men.
She was a role model for women and should and will be an inspiration for us all.

Because This Album Cover Just Makes Me Smile...

My Fav Band Circa 1983

Vacation

I have been enjoying my down time..the first whole week off I have had in almost 5 years..somewhere in the midst of it I can't help but think..Hmmm I could get used to this. I have never had the privilege of being a stay at home mom, at least not for any significant period of time..with all three children I went back to work rather quickly and now with my youngest entering kindergarten in the Fall coupled with a full schedule of college classes yet again I am reevaluating my balance between work and home. Quitting my job and staying home is proving to be a hard decision to make and one that I have been pondering  for well over a month now. What I do know is that I have enjoyed the time I have spent at home with my boys this week so much..I start the days with doing an hr of Yoga..make breakfast..watch the today show & Regis & Kelly..do 2 to 3 hrs of schoolwork..make lunch..do another half hr of Yoga..have learning time with my boys which lately has involved watching documentaries as it is so blazing hot and humid outside ..nap time..maybe a cooking show or time to run errands then its time to make dinner and settle into the evening whether it involves movies, another yoga session or more schoolwork the schedule isn't rushed, it flows...Today we got out of the house and visited the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art or SMOCA as it is known. We set about to see "The Masters of Collective Reality" exhibit featuring some of the major comic book artists from around the world. Among the exhibit were stencils and sharp colored pencils and artists renderings where the kids could draw their own comic book strip. This proved to be the funnest part of the afternoon and I am continuously impressed by the artistic talent of my 10 yr old. One of the reasons we go to art museums is that I hope he sees other works of art and expands his knowledge which I hope will help motivate him to continue creating and drawing...SMOCA is a fairly small museum and in the summer time they tend to use less than the available space however it really is a neat museum in that they do things like family night and programs keyed for kids and adults that are based on creating and learning. Thursdays are always free and the museum is open from 10 to 8 and provides a cool space on a hot summer day. We stopped by the kitchy museum shop where we scored a cool projector key chain and for me an Andy Warhol matted print at 60% off. I am looking forward to the fall exhibits and getting the boys more involved with the upcoming education programs. Also on the menu for the month the ASU exhibit of Warhol's inspiring photographs and the Phoenix Art Museum... Needless to say I am enjoying being home...I want to be able to pick my boys up from school instead of having them go to an aftercare program..I want to be there to go on field trips..make breakfast in the mornings..devote the necessary time involved in graduating with my PhD instead of winging it..not be a tired zombie in the evenings..to be more involved with my church and living a life of service..there are a lot of positives...as you can tell it seems like I may be talking myself into this..I wanted to share a link to a documentary I watched the other day called The Human Experience, I was touched and very moved by the wisdom in this film, at times almost to the point of tears. If you haven't seen it please do, it really makes you open your eyes to the rest of the world.One more day of my weekday vacation left tomorrow..among the artists whose work  I saw today was Rory Hayes..I found him to be in your face...at times repulsive yet utterly brilliant at the same time ..It is true in a lot of ways that instead of fighting the crowds, spending a small fortune and doing a chaotic adventure some of the best vacations are the ones taken at home..

Rory Hayes

It is Officialy Monsoon Season

July 5 2k11

Looks Like the End of Days
The newspapers have nicknamed our dust storm
"Haboob" not even sure why...:)

Arizona Skies Over Phoenix

4th of July Happenings 2k11

Sparklers

Firecrackers

Good Eats

Munchies

Super Soaker Fights

Happy Children

Berry Cake


Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July celebration!
We spent the weekend with each other..good food..good friends..family and fireworks.
God Bless America