Eco-Challenge, a success!

My boys did it - the First Annual Eco-Challenge has been completed, and just in the nick of time. They went the morning of December 31, 2006 and hiked their way to the top of Iron Mountain. Although this challenge was supposed to have happened several other times during 2006, weather and other factors got in the way. I'm so proud that they finally did it.

Josh and his crew are already in the throws of planning the Eco for '07. Looks to be the Grand Canyon at this point. You go, boys. Can't wait to hear all about it!

a simple life

So we've just finished probably our lowest-key holiday ever. I got sick right before Christmas and it pretty much put us out of commission. I feel like I'm only now just coming out of it. But it leads me to ask...what did we miss?

We spent the last two weeks home as a family. The kids played together. There were card games, checkers, movies, and video-game tournaments. There was pizza and soup. There were M&Ms and leftover cookies. We didn't have a fancy Christmas feast. We didn't go out to dinner on New Year's Eve. And I'm somewhat surprised to say that I didn't miss it. It was nice to not feel pressure to get out more. I enjoyed just cozying up in my pj's with a magazine and watching my kids play.

Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy going out - it's actually one of my favorite things. I think when Josh traveled so much, it was for my mental sanity that we got out as much as we did. We used to spend a fortune on babysitters when he traveled all the time, going out at least once a weekend. Now that he's home more, I don't feel that need. It's ironic, isn't it? Now that we're always home, that's where we want to stay. There's something to be said for just hanging around, taking it slow, and not rushing around all the time. A simple life is a good thing. I know that soon enough there will be fencing classes, school, homework, cubscouts, preschool, and baseball dragging us around. I am really liking having these few weeks to ourselves. I am liking that we're not expected anywhere. Simplicity - maybe that should be our new year's resolution. Bring a little bit of this week into all year...

cinnamon bears

How much do these little fellows begged to be used? It makes me just crave some cinnamon toast looking at them. Think of a really thick slice of fresh white bread, dripping with butter (real, what else?), and topped off with a spritzle of cinnamon and sugar from these beary cute friends. Must, must have. Hats off, container store, these little babies are just what I need (that I never knew I needed!)

My Annie

There is just something about friends. They know you. They get you. They know just what you need, when you need it. I got a very timely package in the mail today from my friend Annie. Annie is the kind of friend that needs little, and gives a lot. She is wise, clever, witty, silly, and just plain fun. She knew just what I needed this week, and sent it in droves. Ever since our move to Cali, I keep saying to Josh, "There just isn't another Annie....I haven't found my Annie yet." And I don't think I'll ever find another one just like her. I'm not sure I want to...I just want access to "my" Annie on a regular basis. Something that 3,055 miles has made very difficult.

So cherish the friends you have, the ones you've lost touch with, and the ones you've yet to find. Friends are like family, only better because you get to pick 'em.

paper + glue + pictures = love

So I find myself with a new hobby...scouring blogs of fellow scrapbookers - professional and amateur alike. I could spend hours a day in pursuit of a new layout - I'm always looking for new ideas and pages to scraplift. I feel like a fly on the wall, peeking into the lives and creative minds of people who love this hobby as much as me.

Sometimes I find myself envying the professionals - women who I idolize like Cathy Zielski and Ali Edwards. These girls are my long lost best friends, and they don't even know it. They have taken their passion and found a way to get paid for it. It's the american dream, really.

There is something about the colors, paper, ribbons, embellishments, pictures, and journaling that inspire my inner artist. I can't decide if it's the self-satisfaction of completed pages or the actual creation of the pages that brings me the most joy. I find myself craving creation. If it's been a while since I've worked on anything, it calls to me. Paper waiting to be paired with colorful ribbon; buttons and chipboard begging to be used; pictures needing a home. Sometimes a picture will hit me in such a way that I know immediately what I will do to bring it to life. Other times, I will scour magazines, books, and blogs in search of inspiration. What I end up with is a little slice of me in paper form - preserving the artist buried inside for my posterity to someday love, treasure, or file away. I don't do it for them, but I hope that by my doing it, they get a sense of who I am and who I long to be. It's my version of art. It's me. Creating, loving, doing. It needs me; and I need it.

politically incorrect

My son, McKay, cracks me up sometimes. He was having a play date this afternoon at our new friends house. They just moved here from Boston, but are originally from India. They're so great - they get the whole "Boston" thing, from the 'god love yas' to the Red Sox, plus - just like us - they're trying to navigate their way through the idiosyncrasies that are California. Santosh (the mom) had a big container of those Danish butter cookies for the kids to snack on. McKay gets so excited, he says, "Are you Danish? We're Danish, too!" Santosh laughed and said that, no, they were not Danish, they were Indian. He then got excited and said, "Like the pilgrim Indians?" Um, not quite. She then gave him a crash course in Hindu, most of which was lost on him. So glad I'm raising such a racially sensitive son.