Life ~ a collection of beautiful moments......

With a heavy heart ~ letting go can be very tough.......I am beyond blessed to be able to share with you Grandma, how very much you mean to me and the impact you have on my heart ~ my life. To talk of heaven, fear, love and life. And with all that, I'm still not ready. Yet I know you are.........with that, we'll all do what's tough ~ all the while knowing that you're making your way home! 

"Knowing the parting that was soon to come did not diminish the beauty nor our delight in being together. No, it heightened it. It made us more alive to the moment. More aware. More present. And so it is with a heart awakened to it's sorrow. It is more present, more aware and more alive ~ to all the facets of life." - Captivating

Toddlers and Transitions......

Today was an emotional day at home....Ms. Cora Marie started her "career" at Montessori Preschool, where she is sure to teach all the children there all they need to know as they gleen off her brilliance :-)  I packed her lunch, blankie (luvie as we call it), sippy cup ~ and away she went!  I'm thrilled that I have found a warm and caring place for her to spend 3 days a week; growing, playing and exploring this new world of hers. Better yet, I'm impressed and on board with the methodology they follow and am glad to see it incorporated into her days there........and she's off ~ fly lil' girl fly!

                              (1st day of school ~ ready & dressed to impress!)

The sad part of this story is that in this transition, Cora is also losing her beloved Nanny, and family friend, Miss Rebecca.  She decided to do what other crazy women out there are doing, and is preparing for the arrival of her second child.  Rebecca came to us in March of last year and graciously stepped into the role of caring for Cora along side her own lil' girl, Evelyn. A former Teacher and Program Director at Invest in Youth, I think she was still somewhat nervous regardless. Yet of course she excelled at "keeping it all together" and led the girls through daily adventures to include playtime, books, trips to the zoo, swimming, and arts & crafts when the weather wasn't nice enough to cater their daily walks. Each afternoon I'd pick up a happy lil' girl and thank a tired Mommy :-)  Words cannot express how thankful I am for her heart, time and willingness to play a special part in Cora's life!  We love you and feel so blessed to have you now as a friend and wish you and your family (soon to be 4) all the best!!!

Punkins' & Pumpkins

To kick off the season, our first Fall "fun day" included taking our punkins' to pick their pumpkins!Just another thing I love about Motherhood.........the simple pleasures are that much sweeter when you're able to share them with little people who delight in them like crazy!

 

 

 

 

Tis' the Season........

Slandering campaign ads, delicious debates and social media smut.......that's right - it's Election Season!

This being said - let's talk politics.  That is......at a very high non invasive level :-)  So a month or so back, family approached me and posed the question "do you know who you're voting for?" To which my reply was "actually....no".  At that time I had yet to dig in and uncover the facts (or info relayed as facts).  I have since done so, and my response now would be ...."yes :-) & this is why........"

To do this "digging", I followed the national conventions, began pursuing issues of interest via political websites such as: RealClearPolitics, CNN & Fivethirtyeight (although I know these are skewed as well), continue to watch the ongoing debates,  and lastly - spending time doing the real thinking on my own. NOTE: this last part is the MOST important.....why? Because as candid and truthful we'd like to believe that media is (news, radio, print, etc) especially when it comes to politics - we should all know better than this.  I personally have been "burned" by the media, and I now look back and realize how "eye opening" it was. Regardless of this fact, I say this for one simple reason (and being burned is not it) the reason is - media is driven by profit NOT by serving public interest. It's all about $$$$ - so what this means is..... do your OWN leg work.

Oh yes, back to the "why".  This is my why.......
"I'll support you & give you my vote, because you believe in the essence of dream I'm living."

 Please vote.

Summer Days ..... we'll MISS you.....

October 1st  ~  I think we can officially "wrap" summer, as sad as that makes me.....sigh.  Yet high hopes for next year with sun and sand coming a lil' earlier!

I wanted to check in as everything winds down.....and Fall brings a whole new beautiful chaos!  I'm sure many are now caught up in work, a new school year, this damn cold bug going around, chasing bebe's or driving teens, traveling and whatever else may be going on in your worl.

Here's what went down in ours this summer.....

Kicked it off with a family trip to Lake Chelan and remembered how much fun it is!  Gorgeous drive, weather and a happy lil' girl! Must go back and hit the wineries.......SOON.  Shortly after, we partied "hard" for the 4th and Cora stayed up all the way until 8 o'clock! (ha).  I celebrated yet another birthday and am now settling into my 30's I guess.  I kept it low key, yet had the luxury of escaping to Palm Springs for a few days to enjoy the sun and spa with my Mother. Relaxing. All rested up, I then hit it hard planning baby girls' 1st birthday! Cora Marie turned 1 years old on July 29th, and we celebrated her life and laughter with a lil' ladybug themed birthday party.  Good friends and fam we're there......all her biggest fans of course.  Shortly thereafter we we're in Seaside for another  Italian side family reunion & while a ton of fun.....a lil' crazy :-)  Somewhat bittersweet as we enjoyed our last year in the comfy beach cottage and are on the hunt for a new spot. 

August brought news of a job transition, and I'm now shacked up everyday  in my cozy home office as a full time "remote" Project Manager.  Still traveling here & there, yet got the summer off which was a nice perk. We wrapped it all with a lil' Labor Day getaway in Ocean Shores, and are now settling in at home for the Fall.  While not looking forward to parting with the sun - I am looking forward to cozy nights, my annual "10" (lbs that is-lol) and my Strbx Fall faves :-)