.... and justice for all........

There is this guy I know. He is a conman.... the lowest piece of vermin on gods green earth... and unfortunately he has been getting away with stuff for many many years... Without going into too many details, (to protect his child[ren]) just imagine the worst kind of man, in an unfortunate "good looking package".... and there you go... that is N*****

Well, for a long time now, he has hurt someone I love more than anything in the world, and there were those around who just wondered if the courts had gone mad... and were disgusted at the justice system... but finally a judge has ruled and stripped this man of all his rights in this case. And it is a glorious day... for all who fight for the best interest of children and good people, Justice has WON and a great "evil" have been avoided.....

The child in the middle of this, is safe, will have a wonderful upbringing, feel loved, respected and put first. There will be no more hurt on his precious soul from his dad messing up his life...
And for once, I go into the new year, with hope, faith, and a little stronger belief in Justice for ALL....

Jewish Missionaries?

Now before anyone gets their panties all twisted up in pretzels... let me just acknowledge, I am a white, naive girl who doesn't know many things, but in my defense I am not trying to offend... I am just saying it as I see it. I am sorry if I step on anyone's toes!! And please feel free to enlighten me, but do so nicely and respectfully! (as I also try to be!!)

I have come to think that being a Norwegian LDS chick in New York, is possibly comparable to a black catholic living in Salt Lake City.... By that I mean to say, it is a strange new world out here in NYC. Strange customs, strange holidays, (but LOVELY people!!!!), and a huge mish-mash of everything in between...

Now to my point... throughout these four months I've come to understand that NYC largely follows the Jewish Holidays... back in September/October the kids' school was out during the time of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and most businesses were closed or shut down early... Then during Sukkot there were little square "huts" all over the place... in the parks, etc. And this is when I saw the most peculiar thing.... One night as I was making my way home I passed through a park area to the Subway, when I was approached by a nice Jewish man who asked me if I was Jewish, I told him no and that I had to run to catch my subway... and that was the end of that... I forgot the episode until this past Sunday night...when as I was leaving Barnes and Noble, I was again approached by a nice looking young man. He asked me if I were Jewish, to which I replied no, he then asked if I knew that tonight [Sunday] was the last day of Hanukkah, I said I did know that... and he asked me if I had any Jewish friends and then encouraged me to tell them happy Hanukkah...

I was strangely brought back in time to a cold day in Norway, when I was the one, approaching strangers to share my church belief and customs.... Street Meetings... As I thanked the nice young man and wished him a happy Hanukkah, and ran for the bus, I looked back towards the square and the huge Menorah and saw others, walking around talking to people, I thought to myself, maybe we're not so different after all.....

The Power of Books

I know I've done postings about this before, but yesterday I had another fun experience at the bookstore! (Besides reading a pretty good book)

I'm sitting in the window at Barnes and Noble, and this very cute guy comes and sits down next to me on a huge, movable staircase.... We made eye contact, nodded at each other, smiled and then he said "the best seat in the house!" I smiled at him and said, "you might be right about that" then turned to look out the window... A few times over the next little while our eyes would meet again, we would smile at each other and then turn back to our books or look out the window.

The square down below was beautiful. It bathed in the twiligh and people scurried to and fro'. The christmas lights wrapped around the trees along the street shone as if the very lives of those passing by depended on them... and the lights of the cars made it nice and colourful. There was a big Menorah down in the little park as well, made out of some kind of wood, but the lights from around it bounced off it and gave it a strange, but beautiful, glow...

It was magical!!
Until one of the Barnes and Noble workers came to yell at me for sitting in the window....
My newfound friend got upset on my behalf, because noone told him to get off the latter, and he didn't think that was fair. He also didn't see the danger of anyone sitting in the windows and made a thorough "search" for reasons it wouldn't be safe to sit there. It was sweet, and funny, and nice... to think someone cared enough about a stranger to do that, or get invested in that way.

A little while later his phone beeped, and he was off... with a lovely smile, a nodd and a "Happy New Year" to me, he disappeared from my life as quickly and quietly as he had come. Not knowing the enchantment he had left me with...
it was beautiful...

A, B, Z

For Christmas this year I got three new friends! One of the best gifts ever.... Barry, Annie and Zed blew in with the winds from California, and we've become fast friends. Bonded over Cats! Who knew?!?!?!
lol

Barry is a professional Juggler, and after having youtubed him I became a big fan and am thoroughly amazed at his skills.

Annie is a writer and a teacher, and a mom... Though I haven't read anything of hers as of yet, I am sure it will be great when I do... :)

Zed is fantastic! He is truly an artist and has amazing drawing skills. My feeling is he is going to do great things growing up... Loving, accepting, open and lovable, I could just hug and squeeze him all day long. he is 6 going on 36!

So welcome friends, and I look forward to hanging out lots more! :)

Christmas 2008

Arrrrgh... 

I just lost the fun and cute text that goes with this post...... 

GRRRRRRRRR

Unfortunately my moment of pure inspiration have passed and I can not recreate it, therefore you all will not read the totally amazing stuff I had written... 

(lol, I AM kidding about the amazement, of course!)

So, in short, here is the movies I watched this Christmas.... 

This is who I spent Christmas with I guess... not such a bad bunch I must say!

lol

Scrooge had a point.....

It is Christmas Eve 2008. I sit by myself, listening to Christmas music online, and feeling just a tad sentimental and Scrooge'ish. One thing I've come to accept is that Christmas is a time for family and loved ones, and if one can't have that, at least for me, it becomes a bit pointless... However, I repress my inner Scrooge, and go on, a little melancholy but not to the point of ruining it for others (I hope....)

A Life Lesson I am learning (over and over and over it seems) is that life is so many times better when it is shared. Life lived alone sucks, and no wonder Scrooge became the bitter nasty old bugger he was! However I am also taking lessons from another favorite "story", (thanks Jimmy Stewart!!) that of George Bailey. Before one sinks to deep in the woe of being alone, it is important to remember one is here for a reason and other peoples' lives would be dramatically changed if one wasn't around. AND it's important to help the angels get their wings! ; )

So for now, Happy Holidays!
Enjoy your loved ones while you can.
I know I will!

Christmas Card/Letter/Thingey

I am, for some unknown reason, having terrible problems with my christmas card/letter/thingey this year... and it's weird, because more things happened in 2008 than the previous three years, so I don't get it... I'm just not finding the "groove" and it's annoying.

So if anyone have suggestions, solutions or inspiration of any sorts, please feel free to advice me... If not, I will repost the one from last year without changes... ha ha ha

Well, I am off to do some more house cleaning (oh joy) and then I am heading out.... to see if I can take some more pictures of the beautiful christmasy city.

update'ish

oh my poor neglected little blog...

it's been so long since we've got together... and even now, it won't be long... but know that I am fine... I've had a bit of a rough time, and with that anxiety, and you know when that happens... I withdraw, and shut out the world at large... even you my little blog.

However, there is light at the end of the tunel, it comes in the shape of a christmas letter, pictures I've taken over the last month, and maybe even a funny tidbit. So don't fret. I will be back, and soon. So reassure those others who stumble across your pages and might in any way shape or form feel they'd like to come back, we will once again have stories to tell!

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said "I love you" and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (yes literally... and yes I am that kind of a person..)
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game (College football counts right?)

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable laughing fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight (still wishing and waiting for this one...)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb (not done that but I HAVE wrestled a sheep!!! and that was fun!!)
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and didn't care who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales
45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing (outdoors, but not with ropes and harnesses and I didn't get very far...)
49. Taken a midnight walk on the beach (alone, not as romantic as it sounds..)
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theatre
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted/Canoed the Snake River
82. Been on a television news program as an "expert"
83. Gotten flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark (no but I have eaten whale)
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for 30 hours in a 48 hour period
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. States
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one "important" author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

5 days left...

I am so nervous and giddy, excited, scared, just a bundle of emotions... what has caused this?

TWILIGHT

of course

I am going to see the movie Friday morning, and I can hardly wait.... I know it's not going to be the magic the book has been, but I hope it will be it's own magical "beeing"... And that it will be good... :)

Shoes

Over the past weekend I had a visit from one of my dearest and oldest friends. (She is not old, I've just known her for a long time now.) Emily came and hung out here in the city with some of her students, and it was great to see her again. One thing I discovered we have in common is problems with the feet. Though hers are much more serious than mine, it was a wakeup call for me. I am learning that if I don't take care of my feet, my whole body will suffer.

So, I am taking steps to make sure I can be better about "foot-health" and dreaming about cool shoes like the ones Emily have... the Z-Coil shoes.... sigh....

Election 2008

Wow... what a race, what a long process, and yet it seems like just last month we were looking towards the Primaries... And now it is over... for a little while anyway.
Congratulations to the United States of America.
Change has come to you. In record numbers and with an unprecedented result.

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

I am happy for the outcome, had I been able to vote I would have voted for Barack Obama. (Originally I was hoping for Hilary Clinton, but she didn't make it through the Primaries.) And I thought the speach he gave last night was AMAZING. To those of my friends who have a difference, I offer my empathy, and rejoice in the fact that we are able to live in a place where we are allowed to disagree!

"There is not a liberal America and a conservative America - there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and latino America and asian America - there's the United States of America."

This has been an important election for many reasons. And I believe the people have spoken. It makes me proud to be a human being. From my standpoint of someone who is not eligible to have my voice heard, I truly appreciate what being able to vote means. So use it if you can, VOTE!!!

"This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet.

Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands."

So, again, to my friends, my fellow residents of this amazing country, CONGRATULATIONS, may the future bring hope and this country a place where people again will seek "the [American] DREAM".

"The fact that my 15 minutes of fame has extended a little longer than 15 minutes is somewhat surprising to me and completely baffling to my wife."

PS! All quotes are by Barack Obama

Happy Halloween to one and all

I hope you all had a Bewitching Halloween.

I know I did!

Obama Add

I just have to put in a little thought... I watched the 30 min. Obama add yesterday... I'm already liking this man, so if I could vote this ad wouldn't have changed much for me. But one thing that struck me as I watched it was how similar I thought some parts were to the MormonAds that used to run a few years ago...

Not, dissing anyone, not making fun or anything... just voicing my opinion....

Fall Pictures

I love fall... here are two pictures from Morningside park... Isn't it just so beautiful... sigh...

An Wicked event

Last week I attended a fantastic event at my favorite place... (B&N). LIVE AT LINCOLN: Gregory Maguire (A Lion Among Men: Volume Three in the Wicked Years) in conversation with BILL GOLDSTEIN (WNBC-TV/Today in New York) featuring musical performances by "Glinda" and "Elphaba" of Broadway's WICKED.

It was awesome. I've never really gotten into the whole "Land of Oz" world nor the "Wicked Years" and as such, I didn't really have high expectations. I mean I've stumbled across some of the songs online, and liked them a lot... (got a little "addicted" to Defying Gravity for a while) but other than that, it wasn't enough to get my attention. Until now....

Bill Goldstein asked great questions, Gregory Maguire gave a fantastic background story to the books, musical and built a believable world. Kerry Ellis is a FABULOUS singer and made a fantastic Elphaba. It was a great evening. And I am counting my blessings, the fact that I am able to live in a city that gives me such oportunities, to stretch my mind and explore new things, I thank my lucky STARS.

And, in honor of the five-year anniversary of Wicked composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and current Elphaba, Kerry Ellis, flipped the switch to turn the iconic building green on Monday (October 27).

I've been Tagged!

LeaAnne tagged me, and here is my post. A little changed from the original, mostly one or two items omitted, but all in all it is there.. though not as fancy as LeaAnnes' she's just s'dang good at making her page cute.... ;)

Four Movies I would watch more than once:

(and frequently do!)

• Pride and Prejudice (1996 A&E/BBC version)
• Persuasion (1996)
• Lord of the Rings Triology
• Sweet Home Alabama

Four TV Shows I watch:

• Grey's Anatomy
• Ugly Betty
• Dog the Bounty Hunter
• Extreme Makeover Home Edition

Four Places I've Been:

• Stockholm, Sweden
• London, England
• Aberdeen, Scottland
• San Jose, California

Four Places I'd like to go:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Ireland
• any nice Pacific Island

Four people who email me regularly:

• The Oprah Show
• The Pope'ster
• Amazon.com
• My Craft Group leader, Diane

Four things I would like to Eat:

• Grilled Chicken Salad from Costa Vida
• Kjøttkake dinner from Sjømannskirken
• Any Bagel from Einstein Bagels
• My own pannekaker :)

That my friends is it....

I tag no one, but should anyone read this and feel so inspired, I invite you to go for it!

Enjoy!

Early Halloween??

I had a bloody, messy "helloweenish" experience a week ago. And would like to share with you all what $300 and a trip to the ER will get you...

It all started when my beautiful, wonderful D' offered to help me make dinner. I am of a firm belief that letting kids help cook is not only helpful for the adults, but it does all sorts of good things for the young'uns (building self esteem, better attitudes abt. food/eating, etc.), so with that in mind I thought "sure, why not" and I had the perfect job. D took to "stripping" the corn with delight, and after removing all the "hair" we were left with corn-on-the-cob with a stick on the end.

Well, we couldn't very well have that in the stoup, so the stubb had to come off... I pulled down the knife, but found the stubb was hard, and I needed both my hands to hold the corn still on the cutting board. D, eager to help, and me in a rush needing help, took over the cutting... it was GREAT! The stubb was coming off, D was happy because he was helping, and I took my eyes off this whole project, to quickly glance at the clock on the microwave, and as I turned my head back I felt a warm fluid"y" feeling on my left index finger....

I had been cut, there was an L shaped laceration, it was bleeding fast, and I was mostly worried about D's reaction. So I quickly pulled away my bleeding hand, wrapped some papertowel around and treated it as just a little cut. Later as I was rushing to pick up Abs from swimming, I pulled the papertowel off to do some self examination... I will spare you all and myself the gory details, it still makes me queasy just thinking about it, needless to say, it was deep, and pretty serious.

But I had band-aids in my purse, so I dried off as much blood as I could and put two on.

The rest of the evening passed by uneventful. But the next morning I didn't feel so good, my index finger looked brused and was hurting pretty bad. When I talked to one of the other moms at school she told me to go to the ER, they had to help me regardless of insurance (which I do not have by the way). So off I went... and, 300 dollars later, a long wait, (my finger was dipped in some fizzing liquid to be cleansed,), some glue and this is what my hand looked like:

yeah... I was a little distubed on the way home, it looked bad. AND I had to have antibiotics. However careful I'd been I guess it'd still gotten infected... Fortunately, the kids were at their dads' this weekend. I must say, I thought it wasn't this big of a deal. But I was worried how D would take it all, and hoped it wouldn't be too traumatic. (He was a little anxious when he saw my hand Monday night, but I assured him that it looked a lot worse than what it was). So below is the cut. See the L shape? And the flash is reflected on the glue the Dr. put on. But there you have it. My own Halloween story... fortunately with a happy ending.. Now, a week later i only have one little band-aid on it. It's itching but that is good, and the best of all, I am done with the Antibiotic cure.... YAY!!!!

Just thought I'd post the pictures from the event I mentioned in my last post.... my meeting with Detective John Munch aka. Richard Belzer.

It was a fantastic event, I am quickly becoming a die-hard fan of Barnes and Nobles' Events. Why? Well let me just tell you... in a city where even looking around (almost) cost you half of your future children's futures, this is FREE!!!!! And there are great authors, performers etc. that participate. It is a most agreeable way to spend ones' evenings, and I feel so cultured and learned afterwards!

So on this cold tuesday night I ventured down to my favorite store. In great anticipation for a fun evening. In the add from B&N it says: "Welcome to a Discussion/Signing with Richard Belzer: I am Not a Cop! In his captivating, often humorous debut mystery, one of the great comedic talents blends fact with fiction to solve the mysterious disappearance of a close friend.

And that is exactly what we got. Mr. Belzer/Det. Munch read from his new book and took questions from the audience.

I must say, despite some colourful language, it was VERY enjoyable. Richard Belzer is very funny. He has a great sense of humor and is very much in touch with what is going on in the world, and his own role in it. He brought his wife and two kiddies with tails. He is very passionate about rescuing animals and treating them well. And I must say the dogs were very well behaved. Having his family there made it an event that felt very intimate despite being somewhat crowded. The tone was light, warm and open.

It was a very pleasurable way to spend an evening!

Bragging

Yup, this is going to be a bragging blog... why? 'cause I CAN!!! lol

Usually I take the kids to school in the morning. We are almost always in a hurry, but I haven't had them late one day yet!!! "(a fact I am not just a little proud about) So then after the teacher comes and gets them, I sigh a big sigh and then I take some time to look around, chat with the other parents etc.

Then, in the afternoon, the mayhem starts all over again. The parents line up outside the school yard waiting for the guard to come open the gates, we all push to get in (although I am not sure why, we usually have 5 min. before the teachers lead the kids out, for us to get them.) On days where the weather is nice, I take the kids to hang out in the adjourning playground for a few minutes. They play, I chat... Well, here comes the point of today's blog ;) Yesterday, I was looking around for D. and I saw this man sitting by the flag pole chatting with another mom and her kid. I thought to myself "wow, that guy looks exactly like that one guy, from that one show with Michael J. Fox" (not very original, I know, but that is sometimes how my brain works. Lately I can't remember names to save my life... but I degress..) So I turn to another mom next to me and asks if that man really is who I think it is... AND IT WAS!!!! I thought, wow that is so cool... here is this seasoned actor, must make pretty good money, he's typecast, but also funny and his latest show is a hit, so I don't think he's running out of stuff to do anytime soon.. and here he is at his kids' school, waiting for them to play with their friends... he could probably have hired nannies up the whazzou, but there he sits, talking to the other parents/nannies, kissing boo-boo's, taking time to be a "normal" parent. (whatever that is! lol)

Well I couldn't just pull out my camera (that now has permanent recidence in my bag) and snap away at the guy... but thank heavens for the internet... here's my famous dad....

He is Richard Kind. I am sure you know him from Spin City (that's where I remembered him from), Mad About You or Curb your Enthusiasm. Anyways... my claim to fame... our kids go to the same school... (well... mine aren't... you know... mine) Also, I found out, Cynthia Nixon's kids go to the same school, but I haven't seen her yet...

Then last night I went to an event at Barnes and Noble, with Det. Munch!!!! More on that tomorrow!

I see stars all around... lol

Craft-a-licious pt. 2

I am sooooo excited, I just found a new craft... it's called "free form" knitting and crocheting. Free form has been around since the "hippie days" and is now experiencing a comeback. It is a mish-mash of random stitches, colours, shapes and patterns, and it forms a delightful mix of textures. AND you can make whatever you want with it.... purses, ponchos, shawls, hats, sweaters... you name it! Use any kinds of yarn, ribbons, fabric strips.... and knit or sew or crochet away... it looks a little scary at first, but I have found it's amazing when it comes together in the end. Creatively it is satisfying. Scary, but awesome!!!

The picture is not mine, and the project isn't either, but when mine is finished, or at least a little bit farther along, I will "show and tell"! :)

Craft-a-licious

My arms and fingers are tingling... my brain is whizzing, images are flashing before me.... my craft-bone is itching.... I have an urge to create.....

Unfortunately all my craft stuff is in a storage unit in Utah... The sadness and longing is unexplainable and truthfully a little scary... I should not be this attached to things... but I am... So to savor my creativity and maybe ease my longing... I give myself pictures of some of my previous projects...

NEW TWILIGHT PREVIEW!!

Oh my gosh... I thought I'd just pop by youtube for a sec. before going to bed... and someone had posted the last and final movie trailer to Twilight. I consequently watched it, had a heart attach and am trying to recover... and now I am thinking how the heck am I going to be able to sleep tonight?? Sigh... Well, hope you all enjoy it too... *squeal*

Science thoughts...

Thursday October 2nd the kids and I went to the Museum of Natural History here in New York. The majority of the time was spent in the Space and Science part of the museum (Dylan's choice). As we were walking around looking at diverse meteorites, space maps, planets etc. I couldn't help feeling a deep satisfaction.

The happiness lies in feeling greatful for my testimony of God the Father, His Son, the creator of the world, and the knowledge that I don't have to rely on faulty or uncertain science. I have knowledge that I trust and believe in 100%. The more time I spent in there, the stronger I felt the Spirit whispering to me, acknowledging what I was feeling. I loved being there, loved feeling the testifying power of the beauty around me. Science is great, it's important, and I know it can be a tool in indicating and recognizing eternal truths. As we walked around I heard "If you could hie to Kolob" in my mind.. it was a great experience. And again. Proof to me that there is definately a greater being in charge of all this wonder and amazement. That I am his daughter is still a little unfathomable, but we're working on it. In the meantime, I love being reminded about my creator and how great He truly is!

My own Project Runway/Top Model

Abbie is my style-guru.
She has her own definite style, that she is NOT afraid to show off. Some days I want to tell her to go change before she goes to school... but so far I've just let her do her own thing.... She is certainly aware of her impression on other kids, but she doesn't care. She has a lot of confidence in her 8year old body. Something I wished I had at her age..... :)
And she also has the personality to go with some of the quirky outfits' she's worn, so I guess in the interest of her inner future artist, I keep my mouth closed.. (and secretly take notes...)

I love my Abbs!

Ex Libris

Of late this has become my favorite hang-out place... And I am not afraid to confess to the world, I am a proud bookworm through and through. There is a Barnes & Noble store 3-4 blocks from the twins' school, and I go here often to hang out before I have to pick them up.

I bring my knitting, find a book, more often than not I end up in a windowsill or a quiet corner behind a large pile of books, and then, as if by magic, the world disappears.
I am engulfed in the world of Jane Austen and the Brontës'
Mr. Darcy, Captain Wentworth and Mr. Rochester are my dreamy heroes.
Lizzie, Jane Eyre, and Molly Gibson are my admirable companions.
To my great delight, D also loves books, and so after we drop his sister off at her swim practice, we go hang out here too... D hangs out in the fabulous kids' section. And I... well... lately the History and Arts department has called out to me.
Add to the greatness of books, restrooms, a cafe and a cozy atmosphere. Speakers, Authors, Special Readings and Storytime for the younger crowd.... It's heaven on earth, and thank heavens I have found a companion bookworm in D.
I foresee a fall and winter spent in warm coziness. The smell of books, paper in the air.
Children giggling, people talking in hushed tones.
Tummy filled with hot chocolate....
AND to top it off, they serve cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory...
As if all this isn't enough.... they have wireless!!!
I might not come back up until spring... dusty to be sure, but happy and well read.
Signing off, to go plan a list of books to read... (feel free to give your inputs!)
Happiness is ... Barnes & Noble....