So long, farewell, good-bye

After a long afternoon of swimming at a friend's house, we had said our farewells and the girls had given multiple hugs and fist bumps.

As we pulled away, our host gave us one final wave and we all returned the gesture. I'm not sure what it is about one final wave after a lengthy goodbye, but it's kind of the best. 

34 Reasons The Last 365 Days Were Pretty Great

When I started this post on 11/1/13, I had intentions of making a list of 34 reasons. Cause, ya know, that's clever.  I was turning 34. But after 6 months, I would like to retitle this post:

14 Reasons The Last 365 Days Were Pretty Great

1. I actually started making a quilt.  Something I've been meaning to do for way too long.
2. Discovered what this whole CrossFit craze is.  
3. My brother and I got another pup.
4. At Christmas, we thought it was a good idea to adopt a new dog, foster a puppy and foster a kitten for a few days.
5. Ms. Rita Grindle and I spent 8 hours in a bar in NYC.  On purpose.
6. I spent another week in Monteagle, TN transcribing love letters from the turn of the century.
7. I took time to rest. Finally.
8. For the first time in 27 years, all my dad's children were in one room.
9. Turns out the pups don't like each other.  But I got to meet Cesar Milan.
10. I met a boy.  A really cute boy.
11. I did a real pull up. This is a big deal, people.
12. I flew in a super small plane.
13. I expanded my business.
14. I officiated a wedding. 

Happy Birthday to me.

Dragon Handicap

While playing with a 3-year-old friend of mine, he showed me how his toy dragon's mouth pops off.

"It's not broken. You can fix it. But it doesn't matter, he can fly without his mouth."

Got it.

As we continued to play, I was a knight the dragon kept attacking.  When I told him the dragon couldn't hurt me because he didn't have a mouth to blow fire, my little friend looked me in the eyes, processed what I said and then motioned his dragon toward the knight and whispered a quick "pfff" sound.

"Oh, I see. Is that just small fire because he doesn't have a mouth?"

"Uh, huh."

Good one.

After my post yesterday about shoes, a friend reminded me of this amazing clip from Me And You And Everyone We Know.

Online Giggles

Signing in to various websites is getting more and more involved.  They've changed "What's your mother's maiden name?" to all sorts of different questions.  And some sites require you attach an image, a word AND a password to your account in order to ensure it's you.

Thanks, I guess.  For protecting me from hackers.

On one particular site as I was scrolling through all my picture options, I knew EXACTLY which one to pick.  My friend Elaine had a crazy experience where she SWORE there was a baby rhinoceros in her room.  And every time I see one (ya know, all the time in Los Angeles), I think of her.

I hardly ever log in, but every time I do It's fun to have a giggle and a little reminder of someone special in my life.

Why are kids always right?

I was over at a friend's house tonight and as it became past bedtime and the ever popular...witching hour, my friend's kids were starting to get a little slap-happy and pushy.

The three year-old, after specifically being told not to, grabbed a full glass of water and started gulping away.  His dad grabbed the glass, put it on the table and looked at his son with those disciplinary, but smiling eyes and said, "Honey McChild!  You are, you arrre..."

McChild ducked under his dad's arms running towards his room saying, "Sweet.  I'm sweet.  Sweeeeet."

Coooookies!

As usual, I tried to cram too many things into one day and as I was franticly cleaning dishes/making rice krispy treats/trying to make Pandora work on my TV -- I was second guessing trying to have a party last night.  What was I thinking?

However, once the first guest showed up (with the most amazing gift!) I knew it would all be worth it.  I was having a Christmas cookie party and it couldn't have been a better night.

There was:
Christmas music
Faces I hadn't seen in a month
Footy pajamas on miniature little feet
Instant decorations from the cutest family ever
Sharing old Christmas stories and memories
A surprise visit
and
Warmth, just warmth.


I loved last night.  More than I ever thought I would.

Almost better than a sign with my name on it...

Even as much as Hong Kong loves Christmas decorations and synthesized covers of obscure Christmas music -- I was having a hard time feeling the Christmas Spirit overseas.  Who knew I'd miss too-early stocked Christmas isles in stores and radio stations that play nothing but old Sinatra holiday tunes?  But I did.  And my chauffeur from the airport couldn't have been more thoughtful.

My ride was equipped with:
One cheezy holiday sweater
Christmas music queued in the CD player
Yummy iced coffee
and Rice Krispy Treats!

Such a great homecoming.

The Drive By

I love when people just "stop by" your house.  I can definitely count on one hand how many times that's happened in 8 years in LA.

Unfortunate really.  But today a friend just showed up.  And he even came bearing gifts!

So thoughtful.

A friend surprised me today and took me on a field trip for my birthday....to a factory in East Los Angeles.  Not just any factory...the Acapulco Tortilla Chips factory, which are THE BEST tortilla chips in LA.

Oh. My. Goodness.

I even got a special Member's Card to get discounts on all their products.  He also bought me an entire box (12 bags) of chips, so looks like a Mexican themed party is in my future.

Yay, birthday week!

Here's to following through with ideas...

A friend sent this to me because it reminded him of me.  Fun.
It's a great little watch.

Could be

A friend showed me this video and I can't seem to get it out of my head.  We had a pretty long conversation about it afterward and it makes me want to know everyone's opinion about this poignant, short film.

This isn't an in-your-face sunshine moment.  In fact, it might make you sad.  But watch it.  Perhaps with a friend so you can discuss.  Try to see the good...

Swingtown

I dare you to resist swinging your legs back and forth when your feet are dangling from a high seat.

It's nearly impossible to sit still when tempted by chair elevation.  Especially when you're gossiping with an old friend.

Smiling Faces & Flailing Arms

I was huffing and puffing through swim practice tonight trying to focus on ANYTHING other than my arms.  They seemed to be made of lead this evening.

During each breath, looking at the sideline of the pool, I remembered a trick I've used before to make it through a set.  I imagine people in my life running back and forth on the deck screaming and waving me forward -- just like high school swim meets.  My father, my coach, my brother, my friends.  It's fun to go through the list of people in my life and imagine their smiling faces and their flailing arms.  I even throw in perfect strangers, new crushes and unlikely characters.

Now, you can call me a total cheese-ball,  but I feel like this strategy could work for many difficult situations in life.  Imagining people you care about on the sideline, cheering you on...supporting you.

Right?
Cheese-ball indeed.

Interpret that.

I love when dreams feel like real life.  I woke up this morning and it was as if I'd visited an old friend.  For real.

Granted he was wearing this crazy army uniform and there was a human-size rabbit and a compass and I was perpetually lost in an airport.  Buuut, it still felt like I'd given him a real hug.

It also reminded me of a dream I had in 6th grade. My boyfriend had dumped me and it seemed so real that I avoided him for three days because I wasn't sure if it was true or not.  It's crazy what you remember.

Humans are cool.

Tonight, we had a team dinner after our water polo tournament in Vegas.  And after a frustrating weekend, two of my favorite ladies and I had some serious comic relief at our end of the table.

The jokes weren't that funny, but there were tears and cheeks hurting and moments where we couldn't breathe.  It was amazing.

I love that humans are capable and almost programmed for just letting it all go and quite simply, laughing their asses off.  There seems to be a breaking point just after reaching the highest level of anger where you dive directly into delirium.  It makes fighting through the frustration so worth it.

Lessons From Kids

Man,  it makes my day when someone reaches out to tell me their own sunshine!

This is from a friend on the Westside...

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We were at Miguel's dad's house for a little party.  Miguel's 9 year-old sister was quite the little hostess -- so polite, not too talkative, not too shy.  After dinner she was trying her best to listen to us talk, but I guess she needed some help, so she went to get her little stuffed hamster.  He has his hands sewn together, and she told us it was because he is praying.  

I asked her what he was praying for.  She thought for a few seconds and as we waited for what we thought would be, "I don't know..."she said, "To be real."

We all said that was the most perfect answer. 
And it made my day. 
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Barefoot and...dirty.

In my recent dinner trend of cheese & crackers, hummus, some random veggie and a bottle of wine...I seem to have forgotten how much I like to cook and to entertain.  Tonight, as I was getting ready for my guests of honor, I realized I had flour all over my shorts.

Aha!  Apron.  Duh.

I grabbed one my mom recently made out of old fabric from my grandmother's trunk and the pocket from one of her old aprons.

Dancing around the kitchen with glee proceeded.

That's What She Said.

"There was a lot of Wang going on in my inbox today."

Yup, she DID say that.

But get your mind out of the gutter.

Wang is a game (with many different names), not a body part.

And her inbox was not a euphemism, it is the place where she stores emails.

Roommates are funny.

I need more Sundays in the park.

Spent the day waiting for vendors to load out and passed the time with a friend playing Farkle (a dice game) and napping on the playground.

I had a little notebook to keep score and at some point the pages blew open to the back of the book. My best friend had left me secret notes throughout the book from last time I saw her. So fun.

The page had opened to her handwriting that said, "Rebecca is beautiful."

The wind was pretty consistent and every time it caught the pages of the book, it opened to that note. At some point, after noticing it a few times, my friend said, "Wouldn't it be great if our brains worked like that? Just flipped through pages to the good stuff to remind you everything will be okay."

Yes. That would be great.