CA Girl

Right now in Southern CA there are wonderful and beautiful things happening. There is the migration of the Painted Ladies . I can't remember the last time I have ever seen so many butterflies in my lifetime. It is almost hypnotic! Thankfully, the entire area seems to be transfixed by the travelers and we all are driving(YES) slower as we watch them pass by in droves. I just wonder with so many of them flitting their wings, what will happen on the other side of the globe! These butterflies are stopping by or through our little spec of town due to our unusual and copious amounts of rains which have brought forth the poppies. They are in abundance. As result, countless people are turning out to come and see the blooms. So much so that parks in the surrounding areas had to close off access for the poppy gawkers. My Instagram has been overloaded with Poppy posts. I love them. They are beautiful. They are the state flower. (FYI: It is illegal to pick the poppies in CA because th

    I don't need a day to talk about women I admire. I need a month, a year, a lifetime. Whether they are fictional or real it would take me more than a single post to log in all the women I admire as there are countless women out there whom I admire for their strength, spirit, and ability to uplift one another at all times. First, I want to talk about all of the fictional women simply because they give a performance of what we aspire to be or something we wish could be real. Dorothy Gale I fell in love with The Wizard of Oz at a very young age, I mean who didn't? But mostly,  I loved Dorothy and her absolute determination to get back home. She was completely terrified of the witch, but she still fought back. She was afraid of the Wizard (at first) but she still spoke her mind. Remember she is supposed to be TEN not nineteen (as Judy was in the film). She was a little girl. I always saw it that way. She's a little girl, like me, lost, far from home and a witch wa

I have been looking for work for eight months now. In eight months time, I have been graced with two interviews. One interview, I completely tanked. I was fine with them telling me no, because I knew I tanked the interview. I was out of practice. I actually looked good on paper and was a good fit for them. It was a marketing company; a small one and since I majored in English with a minor in marketing it looked nice. I stumbled and fell flat on my face. Well when that happens we brush ourselves off and get back up, right? I even had coaching through my church, at no cost to me. This was an immense help. I applied for months before I got another interview. Then, when I finally got one, I was given a refresher course in how to interview so I would be sure to sell it. I did great! (In my mind.) I did a phone interview first, and then an in person interview the next day. I felt it went well. Sadly, I never heard back. I have applied many other places. I honestly have lost count, and

Four years ago, according to my daughter's FB memories she was listening to Christmas music at the end of September and I was praising her for it. Fast forward to present day and I am so bombarded by Christmas that I am ready to protest its very existence. I'm looking at you Hallmark Channel!  Don't let their website fool you with their autumn foliage! It changes to Christmas on a click! They are counting down to Christmas beginning October 26th! What!? I'm not just picking on Hallmark though. I am also calling out personal friends who keep reminding me how close it is to Christmas. Everyone needs to calm down about Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I'm no Scrooge. I actually love Christmas and all things Christmas. In fact, bring it on! Just not BEFORE Halloween or Thanksgiving, and for the love of all things creepy and turkey let's back off a little. Now I understand crafting, I do. However... I refuse to count down to Christmas three

My baby turned 21 yesterday.  I am not sure where the time went, but she is now 21. Her eyes are still crazy big just like her heart.  It's true what they say, blink and they are all grown up. There are times now and then when I long for the days of kiddie shows and barbies. However, as it was told me to recently, the trade off is quite nice. They are right. We share secrets--it's true. We laugh...a lot. I have spent years building this relationship and I would not change it; even if it meant I could have her little again. Nope. They are such a pure treasure when they are little, but who they become is an even greater one.  I have truly enjoyed the first 21 years, (and yes I have two others) I cannot wait to see what comes next not only for her, but for each of my kids as they forge their way.

I'm going to take you back about 16 years and all the way back east to VA, when a certain Barbershop Quartet was formed. It was known as: 66 West! The above picture isn't the original 4, but it is darn close. Not only is the picture close to the original group, they were also close and remain close to this day. Our families do as well. The lead left first (for work) and moved to CA. It was a sad day. But the remaining three insisted on staying together so they found another lead. 66 West carried on and our families celebrated together throughout the years. The quartet was annually invited to the Little League World Series to sing the National Anthem and was also regularly invited to sing it at the minors at our local team. I may or may not have downed two and half hot dogs while pregnant with my son at one of the games. After 5 years, my family was the next to go. It was a bittersweet day as we left VA. I had become so close to friends in the area, and leaving our quartet