I grew up in Livermore, went to school at Stan State but I got my education in Stockton. What a difference I see in both Leaf and I since we moved here. We both learned so much about each other, life, and the world.
Stockton opened my eyes to the world and exposed me to things I would have never learned about if I stayed in Turlock or Livermore. I honestly think I am a better person for living here. One, I am much more appreciative of people. I have learned how important it is to have good friends. I would say the best friends I have ever had in my whole life live here in Stockton. It will be sad to say goodbye BUT we will only be 45 minutes away. The second reason Stockton has made me a better person is what I learned about myself....I will save that for me and my therapist. Just kidding. The third thing which seems really sad but true is I learned about people and things I would have never encountered anywhere else I have lived. I was a bit naive about the world I guess....the following are some prime examples.
To put this all in perspective I was afraid to stay home alone in Livermore....
My first Stockton memory was driving with Angela on Pacific before I moved here and she flashed her lights at a car to let them know their lights were off. Then we looked at each other and said a prayer. We both had just watched a news story where gangs were shooting people doing this same thing. Great intro.
Once I moved here I was terrified of downtown. First, everyone talked about how nasty it was and dangerous so I cannot be blamed completely. The first time I did was to go to Environmental Health for a work thing and when I got out of my car I held my purse so tight. Little did I know that I was in a safe place in a few weeks I would be talking to homeless people and laughing just blocks away....
When I decided to change careers I was over my fears and asked to work at the toughest school in town, Edison. I absolutely loved it but there were some scary moments and times when my lack of experience was evident. It was at Edison that I learned a "porch monkey" is not a cute little primate that hides on peoples front porches. Leaf almost fell out of his chair when I asked what it was....he then said "do you let the kids call each other that?" Well by the end of my time at Edison I was an expert on all sorts of slang and gangs. I loved the kids and they never gave me any trouble. It was a great place to work once you got past the idiosyncrasies of the neighborhood.
So at the end of my time here I am a little sad to leave my friends but I leave more confident, independent, and a better person for all that has gone on.
Life in Livermore is just hours away....so who knows when I will blog again. My parents internet connection is not so slow anymore it just sometimes is not there.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Some Pictures of Elana
Elana and Poppa after a big day of baby sitting. I do not know who survived who
Leaf and Elana after Leaf's first solo bath
This is for Grandma, we are trying to groom an A's fan!
Happy Bath Time
All the "kids" which was a feat in itself to make happen
Leaf and Elana after Leaf's first solo bath
This is for Grandma, we are trying to groom an A's fan!
Happy Bath Time
All the "kids" which was a feat in itself to make happen
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Moving
I am not a mover. I really hate it and in the last 10 years Leaf and I have moved together 4 times and this will be the 5th. In all those moves I was the packer and Leaf the lifter....this was not by choice but personal style. Leaf would literally not pack until the moving truck was at the door. This time is different....one, I am a little smarter and two, Leaf wants to get a fresh start.
At this point in our lives we know our strengths and weaknesses and we work well together. So I am the planner and Leaf listens...most of the time. Leaf likes to have a game plan...which takes about an hour for him to verbalized exactly what I said to do at the start but it makes him feel better and I have learned just to listen.
Sunday's game plan was to throw away stuff. We made 3 trips to Goodwill and 3 to the dumps. We have barely anything to move. We took the approach that if we were not going to use it or we were planning on replacing it to toss it. So if you come for a visit in the next year do not expect to have a place to sit, eat, or even eat with. We have a bed......for ourselves. I guess our style will be minimalist.
The idea is catching on. My mom came the last 2 days to help me out (thank goodness) and she was going home to do some purging of her own. This from the woman who saves everything.
On the house hunt. What a pain. Everyone who is not looking for a house thinks there are all these deals. There are if you want a piece of junk that was foreclosed on and trashed...we should know we are moving from a house that will be foreclosed; cat pee garage and all. After looking at least 30 houses in person we did find the perfect house BUT there was a sale pending. There is a chance that the deal will fall through. There is some issue but we do not know exactly what it is, just that there is an issue. We put in a back up offer and are crossing our fingers. If that deal falls through we have the house. We will know this Friday or next Monday.
A preview to next weeks blog is our "new home" with my parents.
At this point in our lives we know our strengths and weaknesses and we work well together. So I am the planner and Leaf listens...most of the time. Leaf likes to have a game plan...which takes about an hour for him to verbalized exactly what I said to do at the start but it makes him feel better and I have learned just to listen.
Sunday's game plan was to throw away stuff. We made 3 trips to Goodwill and 3 to the dumps. We have barely anything to move. We took the approach that if we were not going to use it or we were planning on replacing it to toss it. So if you come for a visit in the next year do not expect to have a place to sit, eat, or even eat with. We have a bed......for ourselves. I guess our style will be minimalist.
Below is the little furniture we have and my suitcase of clothes.
The idea is catching on. My mom came the last 2 days to help me out (thank goodness) and she was going home to do some purging of her own. This from the woman who saves everything.On the house hunt. What a pain. Everyone who is not looking for a house thinks there are all these deals. There are if you want a piece of junk that was foreclosed on and trashed...we should know we are moving from a house that will be foreclosed; cat pee garage and all. After looking at least 30 houses in person we did find the perfect house BUT there was a sale pending. There is a chance that the deal will fall through. There is some issue but we do not know exactly what it is, just that there is an issue. We put in a back up offer and are crossing our fingers. If that deal falls through we have the house. We will know this Friday or next Monday.
A preview to next weeks blog is our "new home" with my parents.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Weekly musings
So it is only Wednesday but a lot has happened...at least for me to whine about. First and foremost is my newly found understanding on why overweight people stay heavy. It is a pain in the a#@ to get in shape. I sweat like a pig, can barely run a mile, and no air flows between my chubby little thighs.
At first I thought I was peeing myself then I realized that when your thighs get no air they sweat...totally gross. From this realization I decided enough is enough and started trying to run. Since I can only run for about a mile, I walk another mile and do some other stuff on top of that. At the end of one week of this crap I lost one pound! One freaking, measly pound! A smarter person would just except their fate but me, I am going to keep going and fighting. Besides I like it.
The second whine of the week is bout Leaf. You think you have a guy figured out then something like this happens. For the last 14 years we have been together Leaf has had an issue with falling asleep while reading. Honestly right now it is because he is worn out from commuting, working, and having a new born. He has led a frantic life for years. As an undergrad his books were so gross because he would fall asleep on them and drool on the pages. His face would stick to the pages. At that time his lack of sleep was due to working long hours and trying to pay for school himself. Anyhow, after 14 years of trying to keep him awake and nagging him to sit up when he reads I found a solution. Cappuccino. Leaf had to read a book for his residency and the night before it was due had 350 or so pages to read. He started to fall asleep and I decided I would fix him up good. I made a little concoction and he read for hours and was shocked....to bad he is now done with his education. This would have saved me countless hours of trying to wake him up. Needless to say Leaf is looking forward to no school and some well deserved sleep.
The third gripe I have is jury duty. I got the summons back in January and I was to serve when I was on bed rest. I postponed it and figured I could do it once the baby came....well today was the day I had to go in. I got up early, showered, packed up Elana's stuff, and was out the door by 8:45. This is a full half hour early. When I got to the jury room....without being mugged in the parking structure....the "nice" lady told me to write that I am a stay at home mom with no childcare, sign my card, and leave. I was not getting credit for serving! I called all week. I walked through downtown Stockton to find the darn courthouse and I do not get credit. She would not even validate my parking!
I went home a took a nap.
At first I thought I was peeing myself then I realized that when your thighs get no air they sweat...totally gross. From this realization I decided enough is enough and started trying to run. Since I can only run for about a mile, I walk another mile and do some other stuff on top of that. At the end of one week of this crap I lost one pound! One freaking, measly pound! A smarter person would just except their fate but me, I am going to keep going and fighting. Besides I like it.
The second whine of the week is bout Leaf. You think you have a guy figured out then something like this happens. For the last 14 years we have been together Leaf has had an issue with falling asleep while reading. Honestly right now it is because he is worn out from commuting, working, and having a new born. He has led a frantic life for years. As an undergrad his books were so gross because he would fall asleep on them and drool on the pages. His face would stick to the pages. At that time his lack of sleep was due to working long hours and trying to pay for school himself. Anyhow, after 14 years of trying to keep him awake and nagging him to sit up when he reads I found a solution. Cappuccino. Leaf had to read a book for his residency and the night before it was due had 350 or so pages to read. He started to fall asleep and I decided I would fix him up good. I made a little concoction and he read for hours and was shocked....to bad he is now done with his education. This would have saved me countless hours of trying to wake him up. Needless to say Leaf is looking forward to no school and some well deserved sleep.
The third gripe I have is jury duty. I got the summons back in January and I was to serve when I was on bed rest. I postponed it and figured I could do it once the baby came....well today was the day I had to go in. I got up early, showered, packed up Elana's stuff, and was out the door by 8:45. This is a full half hour early. When I got to the jury room....without being mugged in the parking structure....the "nice" lady told me to write that I am a stay at home mom with no childcare, sign my card, and leave. I was not getting credit for serving! I called all week. I walked through downtown Stockton to find the darn courthouse and I do not get credit. She would not even validate my parking!
I went home a took a nap.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Happy Fathers Day!
Poor Leaf has to work on Father's Day BUT I can say with some certainty that he will never again work on Father's Day. Elana and I did wake him up to give him his present that we made. It was a picture frame and her foot print. The foot print was not an easy task to accomplish. Luckily the molding stuff can be redone. I was not happy with the results because I wanted a nice deep impression but if I pushed her little foot down any harder I would have felt bad. Anyhow it turned out cute.So again Father's Day is a bit anticlimactic. It is not like we have done that much yet. Leaf is a great dad, he is really good about helping and he loves Elana so much. He even tries to do things for me....except so far I have not cooperated. He arranged for a massage and tried to buy me tickets to a play....I guess since I am writing this is I can never complain about not getting a break or feeling unappreciated. The bottom line is Leaf is a great dad and has really been right there in the trenches with me through this whole experience. I would not expect him to do anything else that is just the type of guy he is.
On that note Happy Father's Day!
Friday, June 13, 2008
Elana's Big Roll...oh and Daddy too
Elana rolled over by herself today and then repeated it 2 more times. I did not have the heart to put her back on her stomach a third time. She was not happy about the fact that it took me 3 times to film it.
The other big news is Leaf "graduated" from his residency. We at least went to a dinner and he got a certificate. There are only 2 weeks left and then he is done. He cannot wait for it to be over....I can't blame him. He has worked so hard and done a great job. It will be nice for us to finally enjoy all our hard work. It will also be strange that no one is in school in our family. This is a first in our marriage. I do have to take some classes to clear my credential but that is more professional development than school...at least that is what we will tell ourselves.
So this has been a good week. Elana will be 12 weeks old on Saturday and Sunday is Father's Day!
The other big news is Leaf "graduated" from his residency. We at least went to a dinner and he got a certificate. There are only 2 weeks left and then he is done. He cannot wait for it to be over....I can't blame him. He has worked so hard and done a great job. It will be nice for us to finally enjoy all our hard work. It will also be strange that no one is in school in our family. This is a first in our marriage. I do have to take some classes to clear my credential but that is more professional development than school...at least that is what we will tell ourselves.
So this has been a good week. Elana will be 12 weeks old on Saturday and Sunday is Father's Day!Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Monterey
Leaf, Elana, and I went to Monterey this last weekend....our first family trip. We have stayed at my parents several times so we had the packing down pretty good. We managed to make it there with out stopping which is a big deal to avoid having to stop to feed.
The trip was a little different than our usual trip to Monterey. In the past we would go to dive or play golf. So we were going to have to find new things to do. We tried shopping in Carmel which was neat to see for about 10 minutes...all I wanted to do was go to the water and sit on the beach. Leaf did not think that was a good idea so we sat in the car and looked at the water. I guess we have to wait a little bit longer before we subject our daughter to the elements.
I have to say this first because what I will say next will get me in trouble. Leaf arranged for me to have a massage which was really thoughtful....of course I did not go because I was not spending that kind of money when he could rub my shoulders for free! Actually, I woke up early and wanted to get going instead and kinda ruined the surprise.
Leaf is a caveman (that I love despite his meat head ways). So Mr. Caveman thought that he would try to be romantic in the hotel. The baby was in her bed asleep and he thought it was the perfect opportunity...plus he just watched Sports Center. He turned to me and said "hey babe you wanna do it." At least he asked, normally he would club me over the head and drag me to the bedroom. Before I was overwhelmed by my husbands smooth moves I heard a huge, nasty poop being made by Elana. I looked at Leaf and we both laughed. I guess there will not be any romantic weekends for a while....poor Leaf.
The trip was a little different than our usual trip to Monterey. In the past we would go to dive or play golf. So we were going to have to find new things to do. We tried shopping in Carmel which was neat to see for about 10 minutes...all I wanted to do was go to the water and sit on the beach. Leaf did not think that was a good idea so we sat in the car and looked at the water. I guess we have to wait a little bit longer before we subject our daughter to the elements.
I have to say this first because what I will say next will get me in trouble. Leaf arranged for me to have a massage which was really thoughtful....of course I did not go because I was not spending that kind of money when he could rub my shoulders for free! Actually, I woke up early and wanted to get going instead and kinda ruined the surprise.
Leaf is a caveman (that I love despite his meat head ways). So Mr. Caveman thought that he would try to be romantic in the hotel. The baby was in her bed asleep and he thought it was the perfect opportunity...plus he just watched Sports Center. He turned to me and said "hey babe you wanna do it." At least he asked, normally he would club me over the head and drag me to the bedroom. Before I was overwhelmed by my husbands smooth moves I heard a huge, nasty poop being made by Elana. I looked at Leaf and we both laughed. I guess there will not be any romantic weekends for a while....poor Leaf.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Public Health Notice
Get the hepatitis A vaccine. Most of us got the Hep B in college and unless you are the town whore or still single don't worry about it. Hep C you get from blood so stop the intravenous drugs and you are fine.
Anyhow poor Nick is the town leper. Every child in his daughters class is being vaccinated tomorrow when the Health Department comes to give them shots. Imagine the rumors at the school! In addition everyone who ate cake at his daughters party...thank God he decided to have it at John's Incredible Pizza and did not cook for us.
Anyhow Nick is very very sick. I did not know this was such a bad illness. He is in terrible pain and cannot have much contact with anyone for like 2 months...good thing school is out for him. It is probably the most terrible thing I have seen someone get just by going out to dinner.
Anyhow poor Nick is the town leper. Every child in his daughters class is being vaccinated tomorrow when the Health Department comes to give them shots. Imagine the rumors at the school! In addition everyone who ate cake at his daughters party...thank God he decided to have it at John's Incredible Pizza and did not cook for us.
Anyhow Nick is very very sick. I did not know this was such a bad illness. He is in terrible pain and cannot have much contact with anyone for like 2 months...good thing school is out for him. It is probably the most terrible thing I have seen someone get just by going out to dinner.
The flu and hepatitis!!
Camryn looks so cute and innocent here but read on...
Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. We were exposed to a violent form of the stomach flu. It all happened over the weekend when we went to help move Gram's stuff into storage. Camryn had "food poisoning" the day before but we feeling fine on when we saw her. I left the girls in charge of the baby while I helped pack....sort of. Really I just kept trying on all my grandma's clothes and making Darlene laugh. They were totally to small and way 80 year old ladyish.
Anyway Kasey and Lindsey were holding the baby and entertaining her. After we moved most of the stuff we did the usual dinner and my parents. Right after dinner Lindsey disappeared and then Darlene and then I heard someone yelling. When I found them Darlene, the loving mother, was laughing and Lindsey was vomiting. Luckily my mom was there! In Darlene's defense she was laughing because Lindsey would scream she did not want to throw up and try to stop it form happening and then it would...I guess you had to be there.
This lead to Kasey, who has an unnatural fear of vomit, going into hysterics. I tried to reason with her and explain that no one likes to vomit. I even said I should be the one freaking out I have a baby who could get really sick. So Kasey went home with her Dad and Darlene tried to get Lindsey to a point they could leave. Darlene arrived home to find that Kasey too had began to vomit. The strangest thing about Kasey's fear of vomit is that the last time she had the flu she was an infant and does not remember it. So in a sense, she has never experienced being sick. All I can say is poor Darlene because Kasey did not "know" how to vomit. She did not go to the bathroom and use a toilet or use a trashcan...she just got sick. Somehow Darlene has yet to develop any symptoms.
To top it all off my mom was up all night with it as well. As for Leaf and I it has been 3 days and we have not gotten sick. The baby is fine too. So we survived.
To top off the weekend of exposure Leaf's friend Nick came down with hepatitis A. The doctors say he contracted it a month ago....about the time we all went out to dinner! Luckily we did not eat the homemade cake Nick made last weekend for a party or we would be getting tested along with everyone else. The worst part of that story is Nick teaches elementary school and he also make cupcakes for his daughters class...which means all those people will be notified by the health department and told to be tested. Personally, I would never show my face again. Poor guy....his new girl friend from the earlier post is still with him and stayed with him while he was in the hospital. She is a better woman than me.
Well it was bound to happen sooner or later. We were exposed to a violent form of the stomach flu. It all happened over the weekend when we went to help move Gram's stuff into storage. Camryn had "food poisoning" the day before but we feeling fine on when we saw her. I left the girls in charge of the baby while I helped pack....sort of. Really I just kept trying on all my grandma's clothes and making Darlene laugh. They were totally to small and way 80 year old ladyish.
Anyway Kasey and Lindsey were holding the baby and entertaining her. After we moved most of the stuff we did the usual dinner and my parents. Right after dinner Lindsey disappeared and then Darlene and then I heard someone yelling. When I found them Darlene, the loving mother, was laughing and Lindsey was vomiting. Luckily my mom was there! In Darlene's defense she was laughing because Lindsey would scream she did not want to throw up and try to stop it form happening and then it would...I guess you had to be there.
This lead to Kasey, who has an unnatural fear of vomit, going into hysterics. I tried to reason with her and explain that no one likes to vomit. I even said I should be the one freaking out I have a baby who could get really sick. So Kasey went home with her Dad and Darlene tried to get Lindsey to a point they could leave. Darlene arrived home to find that Kasey too had began to vomit. The strangest thing about Kasey's fear of vomit is that the last time she had the flu she was an infant and does not remember it. So in a sense, she has never experienced being sick. All I can say is poor Darlene because Kasey did not "know" how to vomit. She did not go to the bathroom and use a toilet or use a trashcan...she just got sick. Somehow Darlene has yet to develop any symptoms.
To top it all off my mom was up all night with it as well. As for Leaf and I it has been 3 days and we have not gotten sick. The baby is fine too. So we survived.
To top off the weekend of exposure Leaf's friend Nick came down with hepatitis A. The doctors say he contracted it a month ago....about the time we all went out to dinner! Luckily we did not eat the homemade cake Nick made last weekend for a party or we would be getting tested along with everyone else. The worst part of that story is Nick teaches elementary school and he also make cupcakes for his daughters class...which means all those people will be notified by the health department and told to be tested. Personally, I would never show my face again. Poor guy....his new girl friend from the earlier post is still with him and stayed with him while he was in the hospital. She is a better woman than me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)