October updates

Our field trip out to Julian was a fun-filled family day- G really enjoyed herself, and Joy was very content the whole time. "Miss Gina" and "Rowdy Ryan" added a theatrical flair to the hands on activities the kids participated in- sluicing, sifting, panning for gold and stones; candle dipping, farm animal feeding and care, game playing, cider pressing and hay riding. Pictures to come as soon as I find the cord...

We were all covered in dust and so was our lunch!! I wore Joy in the sling for the first half of the day and nursed her freely amongst the happy homeschooling group we were with. Grace re-connected with a few friends but mostly enjoyed the experience with her daddy, sister and me.

My district manager called Friday, saying that I sufficiently impressed the DM I interviewed with and that they would be promoting me to ASM in 2 weeks- 2 months, depending on the needs of the stores in the district. I am so eager to find out where I will be and start settling into a bit of a regular routine. Although I do hope to get through the RMT training program as quickly as possible and get my own store in 6-8 months. We'll see what the universe has in store for me.

Shawn is still waiting to hear from WebVisible... he is very interested in this job. We pretty much ignored his birthday, poor guy. Things have just been rough and just like on my birthday it seemed better to just sorta get through it... sad, I know.

Joy is 9 months old today- boy is she getting big! Eating like a lumberjack and crawling all over the place. She loves her mama so much, and I wince every time she reaches for me as I crawl from the bed at 3:30 in the morning to go to work. I am just grateful that she has had this time with her daddy.

Grace's homeschool enrichment academy is having an open house on Sunday- I am excited to see what they have been learning, she had been enjoying it quite a bit and I am impressed with what I see her doing so far. She is in Spanish, guitar, wind ensemble, hip hop and tap- quite the little Rennaisance girl!!

This moment

"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?"

Today was a good day. I worked a full shift and boy was it FULL! For a moment in the afternoon it slowed down and I glanced out at the people who were in my Starbucks store. I watched as a woman about my age walked out clutching her beverages, hurrying past the elderly couple who come in most afternoons taking a table for two against the window, paper napkins spread out on the table under the sandwiches she makes at home, their Venti 1- tea bag Tazo Awake Hot Black Teas towering between them as they watch the world go by; a 10 year old-ish boy circled the display near them, his father perused the retail merchandise on a nearby shelf, and a young couple stood snuggling in the corner behind him waiting for their beverages to be crafted and called out by our fiery red-headed barista (the real red-head, not the "out of a box" one).

I felt empathetic - sensing a bit of what their visit to the little corner of the world I like to call work was for them. I remembered how much I enjoyed stopping into the SJC Starbucks on an almost daily basis for my favorite boss of all time, Leslie. I felt the importance of my "silly little job"- I felt a desire to provide an "experience" for them.

The man and his son reached the counter and set an orange traveller mug down on the counter. I asked if it was a gift for Mothers Day to which dad answered yes a little sheepishly, I could tell he would have liked to do more. as I poured his Tall Coffee I mentioned our pretty pink flowery gift cards and the new rewards program that went with them and asked if he'd like to get her one so she could fill up her new cup. He asked about registering it and I knowledgeably explained the process to him (having just done one for Grace so she can buy her own Frappucinos!) as we were talking I asked if he wanted it bagged with some tissue paper and managed to quickly whip out a presentable looking present and lent him my pen so he and his son could sign the gift sleeve of the lucky mom's new Starbucks Card. I felt like I was in a training video as he said goodbye and my next customer (a regular) stepped up and I greeted her by name, writing out a cup from memory as she commented on my haircut and how becoming it was (I have once again embraced the curl!)

Just moments later, as I transitioned onto "the bar" to "steam milk", "pull shots", and "blend Frappucinos", a darling little face popped up at the handoff counter. Grace and Shawn stopped in to pick up the milk that I had pumped on my break- a quick 30 minutes which I divided between the aforementioned labor of love and sitting on the patio with my MP3 player eating Daphne's pita & fire feta appetizer. After I finished making the lattes, a caramel macchiato and iced mocha that had lined up along the shiny stainless steel strip that runs in front of the Verismo 801- I grabbed the bottle from my purse, handed it to hubby and kissed my family before "sliding" back to my originally "deployed" position at the register. (Don't you love the lingo that goes with any large company?)

I survived the drama filled afternoon- the politics that go with the personalities that my paycheck provider attracts- and connected with a partner who was recently promoted, admiring his ability to be pleasant and professional under pressure.

After I got off I sat in the sun with my "partner beverage" (aka free drink!) an "upside down" iced caramel macchiato and blared Jason Mraz's Mr A- Z straight to my brain while completing a crossword puzzle, sitting cross-legged in the sun waiting for Shawn to pick me up. My knight arrived in our shining vehicle- almost completely clean, with barely any bundles of baby baggage or lingering litter from a little girl. We came "home" (where the heart is) and I sat out front nursing little Joy-Joy as G & Shawn finished vacuuming and polishing the car.

This part of my life... this part right here? This is called "happyness."

This morning at my home...

Being a working girl again, (I know it's only 20 hours a week, but balancing it with Joy's nursing demands, homeschooling Grace and living in someone else's house is quite taxing!) I am neglecting my blog. Appeciating my "day off" as I am, I decided to capture this memory for posterity.

As I awoke in my newly arranged room this morning, I wanted to allow myself to slow down and be in a quite moment, amidst troubled waters, experience the contentedness of my heart. After enjoying my first cup of Komodo Dragon on the patio this morning, I worked out a eloquent and emotionally touching blog to post as I had a second cup of coffee and took the following photos.

As I sat down with a fresh third cup(!) the baby began stirring, so my pictures will have to speak their thousands of words directly to your unique perspective. Enjoy a slice of life on me! Then take a moment and capture - even if only in mental photos - a moment of your life now. Touch on the things that you treasure.

Home is where the heart is.



A contented heart is quite amidst troubled waters.

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

As I hit save it is 11:02, G has gotten up the other 2 remain as pictured!

NAK

Got a little more time to wear baby Joy in my new lovely Moby D today- I decided to buy it from new homeschool friend, Casey. I took pictures, now if only I could find the cord to upload photos to my "old and busted" laptop- since that is what I am on here at the Casa de la Mike.

Once again I find myself NAK (nursing at keyboad, for those of you not in the know) -Joy is kickin like crazy with her tiny toes!! G is out at the movies with her grandma Bernie and Shawn is calling on his resume submissions.

The past couple of days I have been reviewing our new curriculum from Oak Meadow- it looks to be perfect for our styles- her learning, my teaching... we'll start it on Monday. I planned it out and we will finish 1st grade right before the holidays. Who says school years have to begin in the fall and finish in Spring. I think we'll just go by the calendar year for our little private school.

I am loving our new homeschool group and G loves her new skating class...

G misses Ava, but enjoys seeing her cousins more ... tonight we are joining them for some astronomy thing at their school.

Oh and I started work at Starbucks on Tuesday. I train again tomorrow and Sunday.

Life is change.

Joy is fussy...

Babywearing, Coffee Loving, Homeschool Mom

This morning I went on an interview at the Starbucks down the street- my new ;do making me feel a little more put together than I have been, (thanks, Bernie!!). My SIL manages one a few blocks away and was telling me about what a great place it is to work. She used to manage a California Pizza Kitchen, but wanted to spend more time with my adorable niece. I start next week, part time.

Grandma Bernie watched the girls, then I took them to park day in Orange. The park is great and the moms were welcoming- Grace liked playing with the kids, Joy did her nurse, sleep, repeat routine- first in a borrowed beach chair, and again in the borrowed sling of Casey- a mom I met a couple years ago (remember the one I always told you about, Suzanne? With the little dog, Gypsy, and the beautiful free-spirited girls?) The group is a well established, diverse and casual- we also ran in to our old friends, Indy & Army **waves to Michelle!**)

I am excited to have found a great Yahoo Group as I search for the perfect garment to help Joy and I to share Grace's homeschool journey- sling, rebozo, carrier... I've been researching them all- even styled my own from the beautiful red/black sarong I got in Mexico. It's a bit small, so I really would love to get a Moby, and some sort of ring sling- a Maya, a Gypsy Mama or perhaps make my own? The women of the group are generous and knowledgeable, they also seem to be quite the crafty bunch, I look forward to meeting them in person...

Tomorrow we are off to a west OC parkday in Huntington Beach. We attended last week and Grace made a friend- named Casey, also, actually. This time our old friends who are back from Colorado **grins, Steph** will be coming also... Grace is excited to see Nick, because he makes her laugh. I sure wish I already had one of those baby carriers...

Yesterday I had dinner with my mom and dad- she got KFC, where I had my first job. It made me feel light hearted and youthful. It was great to see Grace sharing Webkinz World with her "Gaga", because my mom actually gets into it with her playing games and showing genuine excitement over the things Grace had done to elliot's room. **hugs, mom**

I finally unpacked Joy's baby blanket and it is calling me to get it finished it now, reminding me that I am eager to see the ladies of my Knit-Tea-ing circle for this month's gathering.

As I quickly read over my post, I realized that I am surrounded by women, who make me feel supported and confidant. It's very nice during this time of transition.