Hey You Grumpy-Face!
To you people at the store, the bank, on the road or wherever who feel they are better then me, or don't have to be polite. We are ALL people and we are all trying to get our shopping done, get home to our families or go on with our day to day lives, wouldn't it be better if we were all just a bit more nice to each other?
I can't tell you how often when I am at the store, bank, driving down the road, I smile at someone, or make a polite comment, and they either ignore me, or give me a dirty look. REALLY PEOPLE? I am just trying to be friendly, be one less grumpy face in the crowd, and what do I get for my effort, negativity?! Why, please explain it to me!
I get it, you are busy, you don't want to be where you are, your husband is cheating on you or whatever, and my happiness annoys you or something, but even still, isn't a little positive energy always good regardless of how irritated you are? Isn't it nicer to have at least ONE person smile at you when you are angry, sad or just plain tired?
I am calling for EVERYONE to make an effort to be polite, friendly and appreciative of small gestures strangers may make, take the higher road and just embrace the happiness and forget about your miserable selves for 2 seconds, you might find that the happiness is contagious and before you know it, we are all smiling, making funny comments while waiting in line, or taking turns properly at the intersection.
Please I am begging you! In our world today full of so much sadness, injustice, and anger, please just try and be polite to your fellow humans in public, it's for all our own good, really!
That is all,
Kela
Friday, February 3, 2012
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Parent Fun
Hey Everyone,
So my daughter is 9 months now, and just on the verge of walking/talking and wanting to borrow my car keys. Being a stay at home mom might make for a tight bond between the two of us, but it's not really conducive for either of us to get out and socialize. The problem is that most parents I meet are just weird, or have too busy of schedules. It's a rarity in the US these days to find many stay at home moms, so that in itself makes socializing fairly hard.
The weird factor comes in with the fact that each parent has their own philosophy on parenting. I'm all for having your own way of doing things, but for some reason most (not all) parents feel that their way is the best and try and push that onto you. I'm a pretty laid back mom, and while I do want to challenge my girl, and get her brain working, I also want her to have fun and enjoy our time together.
Take this moment, my mom, daughter and I have been walking at a local park most mornings (trying to loose the baby weight - what can I say - food is my friend and enemy) and there was this mom and young girl (just a little older then mine) in the play area... so we stopped to chat and let my girl watch her play (she was walking, and climbing and whatnot) the mom quickly began to get her daughter to show off all the words she knew, almost like how you'd get your dog to do all her best tricks while in a show, it was cute but sort of awkward and the mom seemed very uptight. Then she asked me "Are you teaching your daughter sign language?" to which I replied, "Not a lot, but some key words" and she looked horrified "You really SHOULD teach her all that you can, it will really improve their vocabulary early on." She went on for a while about the benefits and what methods she used, and I nodded, and smiled and then of course we moved on everyone slightly uncomfortable. I know the success with baby sign, and I do teach my girl some of the key words, but she's 9 months old, and honestly thinks that "Mama" means food at this point, no matter how many times I tell her it's food, and how many time she says MAMA I respond... her little brain just doesn't quite get it yet... but it's working... and sometimes too much information isn't helpful either... plus - life's too short to drill my baby every minute of the day, I know she'll figure it out.
Why is it that people feel the need to tell you how to raise your children?
An even better question - Why do people feel the need to come up and touch your children???
I swear every single time I am out in public at least 2-3 people will come up and talk to us, and my baby being the fun loving, sweet girl she is, reaches out and waves and smiles at them, so of course to weird strangers that means "Oh please touch my hand, and my cute little baby cheeks" which of course is so wrong and gross.
TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, IT IS NEVER OK TO TOUCH A STRANGERS BABY!
This goes especially to the cute old ladies of the world, because it's really hard to yell at them... "Ooooo I'm a grandmother of 6 grand-babies and I just think yours is the cutest thing in the whole world..." as she reaches out her withered old lady hand and touches my daughter - my brain flashes to "God I wonder what she's touched, wonder if she's sick, when was the last time she washed her hands...ew ew ew... " but how do you tell a great grandmother to please not touch your baby!?
I guess there are some sites where you can meet similar mom's and set up play dates, but the whole thing seems like a crap-shoot and weird, like internet dating, I know people who swear it works but I'm still skeptical. Something will have to give, or my other friends with babies and I will really need to get focused on dates... or my girl can just be a mama's girl (aka hermit) until I send her off to school (and she'll have total culture shock)! LOL.
Ok fine... I'll set up some play dates... but you are gonna hear about the shenanigans that ensues!
Hope you enjoyed my ramblings!
Thanks For Listening,
Kela
So my daughter is 9 months now, and just on the verge of walking/talking and wanting to borrow my car keys. Being a stay at home mom might make for a tight bond between the two of us, but it's not really conducive for either of us to get out and socialize. The problem is that most parents I meet are just weird, or have too busy of schedules. It's a rarity in the US these days to find many stay at home moms, so that in itself makes socializing fairly hard.
The weird factor comes in with the fact that each parent has their own philosophy on parenting. I'm all for having your own way of doing things, but for some reason most (not all) parents feel that their way is the best and try and push that onto you. I'm a pretty laid back mom, and while I do want to challenge my girl, and get her brain working, I also want her to have fun and enjoy our time together.
Take this moment, my mom, daughter and I have been walking at a local park most mornings (trying to loose the baby weight - what can I say - food is my friend and enemy) and there was this mom and young girl (just a little older then mine) in the play area... so we stopped to chat and let my girl watch her play (she was walking, and climbing and whatnot) the mom quickly began to get her daughter to show off all the words she knew, almost like how you'd get your dog to do all her best tricks while in a show, it was cute but sort of awkward and the mom seemed very uptight. Then she asked me "Are you teaching your daughter sign language?" to which I replied, "Not a lot, but some key words" and she looked horrified "You really SHOULD teach her all that you can, it will really improve their vocabulary early on." She went on for a while about the benefits and what methods she used, and I nodded, and smiled and then of course we moved on everyone slightly uncomfortable. I know the success with baby sign, and I do teach my girl some of the key words, but she's 9 months old, and honestly thinks that "Mama" means food at this point, no matter how many times I tell her it's food, and how many time she says MAMA I respond... her little brain just doesn't quite get it yet... but it's working... and sometimes too much information isn't helpful either... plus - life's too short to drill my baby every minute of the day, I know she'll figure it out.
Why is it that people feel the need to tell you how to raise your children?
An even better question - Why do people feel the need to come up and touch your children???
I swear every single time I am out in public at least 2-3 people will come up and talk to us, and my baby being the fun loving, sweet girl she is, reaches out and waves and smiles at them, so of course to weird strangers that means "Oh please touch my hand, and my cute little baby cheeks" which of course is so wrong and gross.
TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, IT IS NEVER OK TO TOUCH A STRANGERS BABY!
This goes especially to the cute old ladies of the world, because it's really hard to yell at them... "Ooooo I'm a grandmother of 6 grand-babies and I just think yours is the cutest thing in the whole world..." as she reaches out her withered old lady hand and touches my daughter - my brain flashes to "God I wonder what she's touched, wonder if she's sick, when was the last time she washed her hands...ew ew ew... " but how do you tell a great grandmother to please not touch your baby!?
I guess there are some sites where you can meet similar mom's and set up play dates, but the whole thing seems like a crap-shoot and weird, like internet dating, I know people who swear it works but I'm still skeptical. Something will have to give, or my other friends with babies and I will really need to get focused on dates... or my girl can just be a mama's girl (aka hermit) until I send her off to school (and she'll have total culture shock)! LOL.
Ok fine... I'll set up some play dates... but you are gonna hear about the shenanigans that ensues!
Hope you enjoyed my ramblings!
Thanks For Listening,
Kela
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Long Time No See
Hey Everyone,
So last time I wrote I was in my 2nd trimester of my pregnancy - now my darling daughter is 6-7 months. I write all the time for myself, but for some reason haven't made it onto my blog in a while. Not that I have a lot of followers but - still it's nice to get out there and write now and again.
Not doing a lot outside mommy-dom right now, but to my surprise I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I was never sure I wanted to have kids, thought they were weird and that I'd never relate to them. Living so much in my head most of my life, how could I be a good mom. As it turns out, she's making me one. Each and every day I feel myself letting go more and more of my over analytical side, and just enjoying rolling with the baby chaos! I am fortunate in that I get to stay home with her each and every day - although that does come with a unfortunate side effect - I'm poor. However in this job market - it's not like there are jobs anyway, so I might as well enjoy it.
Pretty cool actually because my husband and I used to always live paycheck to paycheck... when we were both working... and now we are still living pretty much PC to PC but it's just his income... so in our 10 years together we've actually learned a thing or two about living frugally, without only eating top romen and spaghetti. I make a ton of great foods, and our baby girl gets all she needs. I know this set-up will not last forever, but it's working ok for now... and that's comforting.
My family has been so supportive and great, although I'm finding myself wanting to pull away from them a bit - just to prove that I can be a great mom without a ton of help. I like being able to do everything myself. Find myself carrying baby, groceries and still wanting to open doors for strangers - of course they think I'm a totally whack-job - but whatever. :) It's just empowering to accomplish many things in a day without assistance.
I am hoping someday I'll find a job or some way to make some money where I can work from home, or continue to do what I love... something in the world of writing, crafting, cooking or furniture repair/refinishing would be great. Probably about as likely as winning the lottery - but hey I can dream!
I'll try and post again much sooner,
Just wanted to touch base real quick - but there is work to be done!
Thanks for Listening,
Kela
So last time I wrote I was in my 2nd trimester of my pregnancy - now my darling daughter is 6-7 months. I write all the time for myself, but for some reason haven't made it onto my blog in a while. Not that I have a lot of followers but - still it's nice to get out there and write now and again.
Not doing a lot outside mommy-dom right now, but to my surprise I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I was never sure I wanted to have kids, thought they were weird and that I'd never relate to them. Living so much in my head most of my life, how could I be a good mom. As it turns out, she's making me one. Each and every day I feel myself letting go more and more of my over analytical side, and just enjoying rolling with the baby chaos! I am fortunate in that I get to stay home with her each and every day - although that does come with a unfortunate side effect - I'm poor. However in this job market - it's not like there are jobs anyway, so I might as well enjoy it.
Pretty cool actually because my husband and I used to always live paycheck to paycheck... when we were both working... and now we are still living pretty much PC to PC but it's just his income... so in our 10 years together we've actually learned a thing or two about living frugally, without only eating top romen and spaghetti. I make a ton of great foods, and our baby girl gets all she needs. I know this set-up will not last forever, but it's working ok for now... and that's comforting.
My family has been so supportive and great, although I'm finding myself wanting to pull away from them a bit - just to prove that I can be a great mom without a ton of help. I like being able to do everything myself. Find myself carrying baby, groceries and still wanting to open doors for strangers - of course they think I'm a totally whack-job - but whatever. :) It's just empowering to accomplish many things in a day without assistance.
I am hoping someday I'll find a job or some way to make some money where I can work from home, or continue to do what I love... something in the world of writing, crafting, cooking or furniture repair/refinishing would be great. Probably about as likely as winning the lottery - but hey I can dream!
I'll try and post again much sooner,
Just wanted to touch base real quick - but there is work to be done!
Thanks for Listening,
Kela
Friday, April 30, 2010
2nd Trimester - Feeling Great!
Hey Everyone,
Sorry its been so long since I've blogged, but I've been in pregnancy land trying to focus on that. I realized today that I've been making a lot of changes that are super awesome and healthy for me and my growin' baby so I thought I'd do a little blog to catch y'all up!
For a while I was just so sick all the time that I had to find simple, easy to make foods for myself that didn't make me want to run to the bathroom... but lately since I've been feeling so much better, I've found a lot of better foods to eat and am having to keep myself from over eating cause I am just loving everything. I am normally a 3 big meals a day kind of gal... but after re-reading all the pregnancy stuff - they drill it in your head to graze throughout the day... so I've really been trying to eat smaller meals, more often and make sure they are packed with goodies. A lot of veggies, fruit, wheat, and low fat whatever else I can find... and I'm feeling really good! I do splurge on occasion but I think as long as you are trying to make healthy choices throughout the day, a little treat now and then is just fine!
Also I've really picked up my workouts... in fact I think I'm working out more then I ever did before I got pregnant. Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. Because I always do my yoga on my wii fit - there is a very straight forward way to look at how often I am working out. Usually its very sparse, but lately its been a great deal better. For example in December 2009 (so before I was pregnant) I worked out 2 TIMES all month! January 2010 (very very beginning of my pregnancy) only worked out 1 TIME all month! (eek - first month was rough!)
February 2010 - started feeling a tiny bit better so I worked out 5 times all month! Twice in one week on 2 separate occasions! March 2010 I tried to do a little bit better and I reached 7 times that month! (again managing to work out 2 times a week). Now for April! I managed to work out 11 times this month and averaged 3-4 times a week!!! YAY FOR ME! :D I think I could have done better but I did take a whole week off when I had that cold in the early part of the month. Even still I'm quite proud of this improvement.
Not only am I working out more often, but I've stepped up the workouts. In the beginning I was just doing my Wii Fit yoga (15 min)... and then about a month ago I started with the "Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout" DVD I got... starting with the express workout (along with the yoga) which is another 9 minutes... getting my grand total of minutes to 24 minutes. Then this week I started doing the full length workout on the DVD and twice this week I did a total of 50 minutes! Feeling great! If any pregnant women stumble across this blog - I HIGHLY recommend the Summer Sanders DVD. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VC995S/ref=ox_ya_os_product
Also starting designing the baby quilt for our baby - which btw the Doctors believe is a girl. My life is pretty simple right now - just trying to eat well, drink lots of water and take care of myself. Just for fun - here is a pic of the baby!
Thanks for reading! LOVE YOU ALL!
-Kela
Sorry its been so long since I've blogged, but I've been in pregnancy land trying to focus on that. I realized today that I've been making a lot of changes that are super awesome and healthy for me and my growin' baby so I thought I'd do a little blog to catch y'all up!
For a while I was just so sick all the time that I had to find simple, easy to make foods for myself that didn't make me want to run to the bathroom... but lately since I've been feeling so much better, I've found a lot of better foods to eat and am having to keep myself from over eating cause I am just loving everything. I am normally a 3 big meals a day kind of gal... but after re-reading all the pregnancy stuff - they drill it in your head to graze throughout the day... so I've really been trying to eat smaller meals, more often and make sure they are packed with goodies. A lot of veggies, fruit, wheat, and low fat whatever else I can find... and I'm feeling really good! I do splurge on occasion but I think as long as you are trying to make healthy choices throughout the day, a little treat now and then is just fine!
Also I've really picked up my workouts... in fact I think I'm working out more then I ever did before I got pregnant. Here's a good example of what I'm talking about. Because I always do my yoga on my wii fit - there is a very straight forward way to look at how often I am working out. Usually its very sparse, but lately its been a great deal better. For example in December 2009 (so before I was pregnant) I worked out 2 TIMES all month! January 2010 (very very beginning of my pregnancy) only worked out 1 TIME all month! (eek - first month was rough!)
February 2010 - started feeling a tiny bit better so I worked out 5 times all month! Twice in one week on 2 separate occasions! March 2010 I tried to do a little bit better and I reached 7 times that month! (again managing to work out 2 times a week). Now for April! I managed to work out 11 times this month and averaged 3-4 times a week!!! YAY FOR ME! :D I think I could have done better but I did take a whole week off when I had that cold in the early part of the month. Even still I'm quite proud of this improvement.
Not only am I working out more often, but I've stepped up the workouts. In the beginning I was just doing my Wii Fit yoga (15 min)... and then about a month ago I started with the "Summer Sanders Prenatal Workout" DVD I got... starting with the express workout (along with the yoga) which is another 9 minutes... getting my grand total of minutes to 24 minutes. Then this week I started doing the full length workout on the DVD and twice this week I did a total of 50 minutes! Feeling great! If any pregnant women stumble across this blog - I HIGHLY recommend the Summer Sanders DVD. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VC995S/ref=ox_ya_os_product
Also starting designing the baby quilt for our baby - which btw the Doctors believe is a girl. My life is pretty simple right now - just trying to eat well, drink lots of water and take care of myself. Just for fun - here is a pic of the baby!
Thanks for reading! LOVE YOU ALL!
-Kela
Thursday, February 18, 2010
I'm Pregnant ... therefore eating is my friend...
Hey Everyone,
As you all probably know by now - I am Pregnant (just about 9 weeks right now - due September 24th, 2010 - and for those of you keeping track, yes that is THE DAY after Ryan's and I's 3rd wedding anniversary! Couldn't have done that on purpose if we tried, although we are hoping it will come early so our anniversary can remain "our" day.)
With all that in mind, I've been really trying to eat healthy, small portions as I've been told is best. It gets hard since I'm sick to my tummy a lot and not feeling any energy to put into feeding myself, but I've made some valiant efforts and I thought you all might be slightly curious what I'm eating!
I started off eating pretty bland food, cause I was so sick to my stomach, here is the very un-elegant half of a Peanut Butter & Jelly and half a Banana. Not much to look at, but full of good things, whole wheat, protein, and fruit goodness! Sometimes I just can't handle even things this complicated so I'd go for a little:
Raisin bread and little Pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (No extra sugars, just good juice). Easy and still not too bad for me! As I started feeling better, or rather maybe the cause of feeling better - I started to branch out of the comfort bread and fruit routine and found that since I've gotten pregnant I suddenly like Cereal and Milk (2 things I never much cared for before... so I guess the rule is... don't be set in your ways... you never know what you might like... this should go for pregnant people and non-preggers alike!)
This is backed full of healthy goodness and sooo tasty - I used "Total" cereal, so it's got like practically all my prenatal vitamins in there! I love this breakfast, its easy, tasty and soo good for me and da-baby. :D
Then this morning I was craving something a bit more cozy so I went out on a limb and made this:
A nice 1/2 of an Everything bagel, 1/3 the fat cream cheese, a few little slices of tomato and a soft poached egg... with a nice side of super fresh crispy strawberries! OMG so indulgent yet not really that bad for me cause it has protein, dairy, veggies, grains, and fruit! Also made it for my step dad AL and he was totally into it. Next time I'm gonna add some steamed spinach... then it will be even better!
Dinner's are different every night mostly, sometimes we eat out cause I'm tired, but I've really tried to make an effort to make something. Sometimes its Turkey Tacos, or Turkey Spaghetti - both super crazy good if you haven't tried them. Sometimes its just a big salad. Last night I made this:
Some grilled herb chicken tenders, long grain wild rice and a nice little pile of fresh steamed spinach. This was a big hit as well, and really not hard to make. Also think of how good it is for you?
I eat other things of course too, but these are the items I thought would be accessible to most people and that I actually remembered to photograph.
I hope you enjoyed... and if any other pregnant mom's stumbled across this, I hope it gave you some ideas! Let me know if you have any questions or interested in any recipes (turkey goodness).
Thanks for reading!
xoxox,
Kela
As you all probably know by now - I am Pregnant (just about 9 weeks right now - due September 24th, 2010 - and for those of you keeping track, yes that is THE DAY after Ryan's and I's 3rd wedding anniversary! Couldn't have done that on purpose if we tried, although we are hoping it will come early so our anniversary can remain "our" day.)
With all that in mind, I've been really trying to eat healthy, small portions as I've been told is best. It gets hard since I'm sick to my tummy a lot and not feeling any energy to put into feeding myself, but I've made some valiant efforts and I thought you all might be slightly curious what I'm eating!
I started off eating pretty bland food, cause I was so sick to my stomach, here is the very un-elegant half of a Peanut Butter & Jelly and half a Banana. Not much to look at, but full of good things, whole wheat, protein, and fruit goodness! Sometimes I just can't handle even things this complicated so I'd go for a little:
Raisin bread and little Pineapple chunks in pineapple juice (No extra sugars, just good juice). Easy and still not too bad for me! As I started feeling better, or rather maybe the cause of feeling better - I started to branch out of the comfort bread and fruit routine and found that since I've gotten pregnant I suddenly like Cereal and Milk (2 things I never much cared for before... so I guess the rule is... don't be set in your ways... you never know what you might like... this should go for pregnant people and non-preggers alike!)
This is backed full of healthy goodness and sooo tasty - I used "Total" cereal, so it's got like practically all my prenatal vitamins in there! I love this breakfast, its easy, tasty and soo good for me and da-baby. :DThen this morning I was craving something a bit more cozy so I went out on a limb and made this:
A nice 1/2 of an Everything bagel, 1/3 the fat cream cheese, a few little slices of tomato and a soft poached egg... with a nice side of super fresh crispy strawberries! OMG so indulgent yet not really that bad for me cause it has protein, dairy, veggies, grains, and fruit! Also made it for my step dad AL and he was totally into it. Next time I'm gonna add some steamed spinach... then it will be even better!Dinner's are different every night mostly, sometimes we eat out cause I'm tired, but I've really tried to make an effort to make something. Sometimes its Turkey Tacos, or Turkey Spaghetti - both super crazy good if you haven't tried them. Sometimes its just a big salad. Last night I made this:
Some grilled herb chicken tenders, long grain wild rice and a nice little pile of fresh steamed spinach. This was a big hit as well, and really not hard to make. Also think of how good it is for you?I eat other things of course too, but these are the items I thought would be accessible to most people and that I actually remembered to photograph.
I hope you enjoyed... and if any other pregnant mom's stumbled across this, I hope it gave you some ideas! Let me know if you have any questions or interested in any recipes (turkey goodness).
Thanks for reading!
xoxox,
Kela
Monday, January 11, 2010
The Joys Of Life
In this crazy world we live in, sometimes its the little things we must focus on... to realize just how wonderful the world is. I realize that I tend to focus on the negative, deciding to let them run my life. However today is not that kind of day. I've been watching Julie and Julia (Finally) and am stunned I didn't think to do what was done in this story. I've taken the last year off to do whatever I fancy... to find myself if you will... much like these women in the story... I know lots of people would view this as selfish or lazy... and of course it is... but it is also the most liberating, joyful experience of my life. I think that life is far too short not to follow your heart and do what feels right, as long as it doesn't negatively affect your life of course.
A few days ago I wrote down a list of things to accomplish for 2010... something I do every year... "New Years Resolutions" if you please. Most of the bullet points were generic - loose weight *and keep it off this time, try to be more patient and caring. Then I found myself writing down something I was surprised about - "keep a journal again". When I was younger... I wrote so much... I could barely take my eyes off the page... I'd right upwards to 10 pages a day and it never seemed like enough. Then... about 8-9 years ago... it just STOPPED. I could say it was Ryan's fault... but that's not really true. The reason I stopped is that I suddenly didn't feel I had anything of worth to write about - BECAUSE I didn't have any teen angst anymore... the constant inner conflict to deal with. So the writing stopped. Funny thing is... just because things aren't horrible doesn't mean I shouldn't write about them... in fact... as I said in the first paragraph... why only focus on the negative. This hit me like a ton of bricks this morning - as I realized I still had YET to start writing my journal. So I grabbed my purse and headed over to "Boarders" to find my new writing friend. The very first one I found was this beautiful spiral bound notebook... with the numbers 2010 on the front... and inside... one page for every day of the year. What a perfect motivation for me to stay focused and just write. This way if I miss a day... I'm killing trees for no reason... so I must write - FOR THE TREES! :D They died for me to be able to keep a promise to myself... so for them... I vow to do it. I wrote my first page today... I just hope I keep it up.
I know what your thinking.... "Kela -- Your writing on your blog right now... what's the difference?" For those of you who have not written in a journal... on a daily basis... I will tell you. The journal is for you... to look back and reflect on what your thinking and doing. The blog is to entertain all the folks who read online... I have been in this crazy limbo... deciding what to do with myself for the past year... experiencing new challenges and pushing myself to be a stronger more focused person. Yet... I've pulled away from what made me - me.
Back to food - cause you know that we all love to talk food. I picked up some of my favorite cheeses yesterday... and today... as my mom and I watched Julie and Julia we broke them out. From Raley's in Petaluma ... the ever elusive but highly sought after "Tuscan Pesto Brie" and the "Kerrygold - Reserve Cheddar (aged over 2 years - and imported from Ireland) - and as usual ... nothing can compare... it is really just THAT good. As amazing as the Reserve Cheddar is... if you have yet to try the Pesto brie... go... go get it now! You will not be disappointed. When I first found this cheese... not only did I not like Pesto ... but I wasn't huge on brie either. I know I'm Satan spawn or something, but its the truth... now... I just see its magic that much clearer. Also... I have noticed that my taste for food is ever evolving... things I never liked before suddenly are delicious and my tastebuds are yelling at me for not enjoying them earlier.
So with that said - I leave you with this. Life is too short to waste it on being good all the time. Indulge... enjoy... and savor life!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
A few days ago I wrote down a list of things to accomplish for 2010... something I do every year... "New Years Resolutions" if you please. Most of the bullet points were generic - loose weight *and keep it off this time, try to be more patient and caring. Then I found myself writing down something I was surprised about - "keep a journal again". When I was younger... I wrote so much... I could barely take my eyes off the page... I'd right upwards to 10 pages a day and it never seemed like enough. Then... about 8-9 years ago... it just STOPPED. I could say it was Ryan's fault... but that's not really true. The reason I stopped is that I suddenly didn't feel I had anything of worth to write about - BECAUSE I didn't have any teen angst anymore... the constant inner conflict to deal with. So the writing stopped. Funny thing is... just because things aren't horrible doesn't mean I shouldn't write about them... in fact... as I said in the first paragraph... why only focus on the negative. This hit me like a ton of bricks this morning - as I realized I still had YET to start writing my journal. So I grabbed my purse and headed over to "Boarders" to find my new writing friend. The very first one I found was this beautiful spiral bound notebook... with the numbers 2010 on the front... and inside... one page for every day of the year. What a perfect motivation for me to stay focused and just write. This way if I miss a day... I'm killing trees for no reason... so I must write - FOR THE TREES! :D They died for me to be able to keep a promise to myself... so for them... I vow to do it. I wrote my first page today... I just hope I keep it up.
I know what your thinking.... "Kela -- Your writing on your blog right now... what's the difference?" For those of you who have not written in a journal... on a daily basis... I will tell you. The journal is for you... to look back and reflect on what your thinking and doing. The blog is to entertain all the folks who read online... I have been in this crazy limbo... deciding what to do with myself for the past year... experiencing new challenges and pushing myself to be a stronger more focused person. Yet... I've pulled away from what made me - me.
Back to food - cause you know that we all love to talk food. I picked up some of my favorite cheeses yesterday... and today... as my mom and I watched Julie and Julia we broke them out. From Raley's in Petaluma ... the ever elusive but highly sought after "Tuscan Pesto Brie" and the "Kerrygold - Reserve Cheddar (aged over 2 years - and imported from Ireland) - and as usual ... nothing can compare... it is really just THAT good. As amazing as the Reserve Cheddar is... if you have yet to try the Pesto brie... go... go get it now! You will not be disappointed. When I first found this cheese... not only did I not like Pesto ... but I wasn't huge on brie either. I know I'm Satan spawn or something, but its the truth... now... I just see its magic that much clearer. Also... I have noticed that my taste for food is ever evolving... things I never liked before suddenly are delicious and my tastebuds are yelling at me for not enjoying them earlier.
So with that said - I leave you with this. Life is too short to waste it on being good all the time. Indulge... enjoy... and savor life!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
How I Make Pierogies
Hey All,
I decided to do this for Annie, but whomever gets benefit out of it... I'm happy to share my wisdom.
So growing up my mom encouraged us to try a huge variety of foods, as far back as I can remember I was eating, Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food and the list goes on and on... one of my very favorite foods is I guess Polish although various other cultures do very similar things so we can't give them all the credit and that is the Pierogie. What a pierogie is, is a dumping that is filled with various ingredients, most commonly potato... and usually onion and or cheese. More info can be found in Wikipedia.
I grew up on "Mrs. T's" brand pictured below, but I'm sure others are good, I have just haven't tried any yet.
The instructions tell you to EITHER boil them or fry them... my mom taught me how she did it, and after a few other attempts, I did find this to be the best way... and that is to do BOTH. First boil water, salt and oil just before dropping them in.
Then when they are al-dente put them into a med-hot pan with lots of butter (onion, pepper and whatever else sounds good can be added at this point... serving them with sausage is very popular as well.)
I like to put a tiny bit of butter (and pepper) on the top before I flip them just to really make sure you get a nice crispiness on the top too. Once they crispy up on the bottom... takes longer then you'd think but its well worth the wait, flip them over.
Once they are all crispy and happy, then plate.
Top with sour cream! You'll think you died and went to heaven. :)
They can be served with just about anything as I mentioned before, I decided to do Peas and Corn this time since its similar to mashed potatoes (and its something I had just laying around the house), I thought it would go good together, as it turned out, it totally did! :)
I hope you enjoyed my little picture/instruction on the ever elusive pierogie... maybe I inspired you to try something new and maybe just a bit sinful. ;)
ENJOY!
P.s There is a "fat free" sour cream made by "Naturally Yours" that is amazing... I'd say its the best tasting sour cream on the market I've had and FAT FREE... so you don't feel too bad giving a nice big dollop on each pierogie. :)
I decided to do this for Annie, but whomever gets benefit out of it... I'm happy to share my wisdom.
So growing up my mom encouraged us to try a huge variety of foods, as far back as I can remember I was eating, Japanese food, Chinese food, Italian food and the list goes on and on... one of my very favorite foods is I guess Polish although various other cultures do very similar things so we can't give them all the credit and that is the Pierogie. What a pierogie is, is a dumping that is filled with various ingredients, most commonly potato... and usually onion and or cheese. More info can be found in Wikipedia.
I grew up on "Mrs. T's" brand pictured below, but I'm sure others are good, I have just haven't tried any yet.
The instructions tell you to EITHER boil them or fry them... my mom taught me how she did it, and after a few other attempts, I did find this to be the best way... and that is to do BOTH. First boil water, salt and oil just before dropping them in.
Then when they are al-dente put them into a med-hot pan with lots of butter (onion, pepper and whatever else sounds good can be added at this point... serving them with sausage is very popular as well.)
I like to put a tiny bit of butter (and pepper) on the top before I flip them just to really make sure you get a nice crispiness on the top too. Once they crispy up on the bottom... takes longer then you'd think but its well worth the wait, flip them over. 
Once they are all crispy and happy, then plate.
Top with sour cream! You'll think you died and went to heaven. :)They can be served with just about anything as I mentioned before, I decided to do Peas and Corn this time since its similar to mashed potatoes (and its something I had just laying around the house), I thought it would go good together, as it turned out, it totally did! :)
I hope you enjoyed my little picture/instruction on the ever elusive pierogie... maybe I inspired you to try something new and maybe just a bit sinful. ;)ENJOY!
P.s There is a "fat free" sour cream made by "Naturally Yours" that is amazing... I'd say its the best tasting sour cream on the market I've had and FAT FREE... so you don't feel too bad giving a nice big dollop on each pierogie. :)
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Unfinished Projects
I had this thought today that there are tons of unfinished projects around my house... I knew there were some, but it wasn't until I started to make a list I realized how much stuff I start but never finish... so I thought that if I owned up to them... actually wrote them down... perhaps I would be more motivated to finish them.
Started but Not Finished:
WISH ME LUCK!
Love,
Kela
Started but Not Finished:
- Desk For My Sister
- Ryan's New Space Painting
- Latch-hook Quilt
- Winding Road Puzzle
- Dragonfly Painting
- Knitted Quilt
- Bench/Sunset Painting
- Milksted the Novel
- New Horror Novel (not named yet)
- Bills
- Rocking Chair Refinish
- Jeannette & Bob's Table Refinish (actually getting $ for this)
- Birthday Gift/Wrap
- Organize Photographs
- Fish Tank Clean
- File Papers
- Fix Ryan's Pants (Button fell off)
WISH ME LUCK!
Love,
Kela
Thursday, July 9, 2009
2 Steps Forward, 1 Step Back...
Hey All,
So I get to my apprenticing job today and I'm a few minutes late - something I hate to do, but I stroll in 5 minutes late hoping for the best, with a big smile on my face... and I'm immediately met by my boss lady there at the shop and her face is like the exact opposite of mine. She quickly escorts me into her office, saying "we need to talk." Expecting the worse, I sit down nervously and she promptly tells me that one of her guys will be leaving soon and she would like to offer me the position, but I need to take the time before he leaves to really prove that I can do it. She says my skills are there, but my need for perfection is definitely slowing me down too much for how busy she is. She asked me to step it up by about 3 times!
Seemed a little daunting but I'm pretty tough, and I really like a challenge, so I just go for it. First she throws me right into yet another thing I've never done before... using some pretty intense chemicals to strip the big pieces of wood from a piano. This stripper is incredibly mean to the skin, just burns like crazy. So basically it's hard work physically, plus the added fun of the burning flesh where it's splashed back. Boy does it get the job done though, very impressive. I find out after a few hours of that, at what I'm feeling like is a pretty good speed, for a newbie... that I'm actually doing a fair job and at a good speed! SCORE!
So I'm feeling pretty awesome by now... like things are really moving forward in this plan of mine. The guys go to lunch and the boss and I are left alone again. So I take this time to inquire about the pay and hours... if everything should work out as we're hoping. Turns out it's only 16 hours a week and the pay would have to be pretty incredible for that to work... the money is ok... but it's far from incredible. So of course I ask about room for advancement $ wise and about the possibilities for more hours... their business has been really picking up and they have a ton of work. As it turns out they are indeed hoping to expand in the near future... however there is still a limit on how much she can afford to pay us and still make a profit... so that's why the hours are cut back. So while it could definitely improve... maybe not enough.
So I go back to work and continue to learn and enjoy every second of this creative freedom. I worked almost an extra hour just trying to help the guys when I could and other times just watch their techniques; just trying to absorb everything I can. I can't tell you how much this experience (so far) has helped me... it's given me the confidence to try all these new and tricky things, ask questions, be heard, and even just the idea of working in a predominately male career, and be fairly successful at it.
Plus the people I work with are great. OMG - I can't tell you how much I just adore them, they are real people who laugh and joke and have fun, but have a serious side and are professionals too.. they are just so refreshing to work side by side with! Even their jokes are hardly at the expense of others and are tasteful and fun. They all sing to the radio and it doesn't even matter what's on. They don't hesitate to help me if I don't know how to do something, or if they think they are doing something I might find interesting they make sure to call me over. Also they are great about encouraging me to try things hands on, and I just love that!
Plus working with all these diverse pieces of furniture, some really amazing antiques as well as some regular Joe Schmo furniture, which I've learned even that can be cleaned up remarkably well. I can't tell you how often my preconceived thoughts on anything in that shop can be changed in just a split second. Love the active learning, just love it.... I think especially since it's about something I'm really passionate about.
Anyway... so basically I realize that while it's likely that this particular experience may not end in the career of my life... I have gotten soooo much out of it, and to me that's really key. I'm hopeful that everything happens for a reason and maybe if I keep plugging forward wisely - I'll find myself in some good job in the next few months, that works for me and that I can thrive at. I'm not cutting anything out yet!
Keep in mind that I have really POSITIVE DAYS and then some days when I forget about all these things I know to be true. Luckily the positive days are still out weighing the negative ones. :) So if I come back next time feeling a little bummed... remember... the positive Kela is just a day away. HA HA HA!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
P.s Send happy job thoughts my way! :)
So I get to my apprenticing job today and I'm a few minutes late - something I hate to do, but I stroll in 5 minutes late hoping for the best, with a big smile on my face... and I'm immediately met by my boss lady there at the shop and her face is like the exact opposite of mine. She quickly escorts me into her office, saying "we need to talk." Expecting the worse, I sit down nervously and she promptly tells me that one of her guys will be leaving soon and she would like to offer me the position, but I need to take the time before he leaves to really prove that I can do it. She says my skills are there, but my need for perfection is definitely slowing me down too much for how busy she is. She asked me to step it up by about 3 times!
Seemed a little daunting but I'm pretty tough, and I really like a challenge, so I just go for it. First she throws me right into yet another thing I've never done before... using some pretty intense chemicals to strip the big pieces of wood from a piano. This stripper is incredibly mean to the skin, just burns like crazy. So basically it's hard work physically, plus the added fun of the burning flesh where it's splashed back. Boy does it get the job done though, very impressive. I find out after a few hours of that, at what I'm feeling like is a pretty good speed, for a newbie... that I'm actually doing a fair job and at a good speed! SCORE!
So I'm feeling pretty awesome by now... like things are really moving forward in this plan of mine. The guys go to lunch and the boss and I are left alone again. So I take this time to inquire about the pay and hours... if everything should work out as we're hoping. Turns out it's only 16 hours a week and the pay would have to be pretty incredible for that to work... the money is ok... but it's far from incredible. So of course I ask about room for advancement $ wise and about the possibilities for more hours... their business has been really picking up and they have a ton of work. As it turns out they are indeed hoping to expand in the near future... however there is still a limit on how much she can afford to pay us and still make a profit... so that's why the hours are cut back. So while it could definitely improve... maybe not enough.
So I go back to work and continue to learn and enjoy every second of this creative freedom. I worked almost an extra hour just trying to help the guys when I could and other times just watch their techniques; just trying to absorb everything I can. I can't tell you how much this experience (so far) has helped me... it's given me the confidence to try all these new and tricky things, ask questions, be heard, and even just the idea of working in a predominately male career, and be fairly successful at it.
Plus the people I work with are great. OMG - I can't tell you how much I just adore them, they are real people who laugh and joke and have fun, but have a serious side and are professionals too.. they are just so refreshing to work side by side with! Even their jokes are hardly at the expense of others and are tasteful and fun. They all sing to the radio and it doesn't even matter what's on. They don't hesitate to help me if I don't know how to do something, or if they think they are doing something I might find interesting they make sure to call me over. Also they are great about encouraging me to try things hands on, and I just love that!
Plus working with all these diverse pieces of furniture, some really amazing antiques as well as some regular Joe Schmo furniture, which I've learned even that can be cleaned up remarkably well. I can't tell you how often my preconceived thoughts on anything in that shop can be changed in just a split second. Love the active learning, just love it.... I think especially since it's about something I'm really passionate about.
Anyway... so basically I realize that while it's likely that this particular experience may not end in the career of my life... I have gotten soooo much out of it, and to me that's really key. I'm hopeful that everything happens for a reason and maybe if I keep plugging forward wisely - I'll find myself in some good job in the next few months, that works for me and that I can thrive at. I'm not cutting anything out yet!
Keep in mind that I have really POSITIVE DAYS and then some days when I forget about all these things I know to be true. Luckily the positive days are still out weighing the negative ones. :) So if I come back next time feeling a little bummed... remember... the positive Kela is just a day away. HA HA HA!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
P.s Send happy job thoughts my way! :)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Obsession 50's Style
I'm on this kick right now to try and find the perfect dress for me... I'm not sure what really started it.... but I'm leaning towards a classic 50's dress with a low waistline... so much of today's clothing has the empire waist, which accents just under your breasts... however, this is definitely not my my slenderest area... so why accent that? I'm 38"b, 30" w and 36"h. So here are a few examples of ones I think would work, and are still very sleek in today's fashion world...fabrics I might change...its more the cut I'm looking for...although these examples aren't bad.
Then today I started to sketch some of my own... thought you might like to see: The first one is probably my favorite... especially since that's sorta what I want to do with my hair:
And then just for fun I drew this.... I don't actually hope to wear it, I just thought it looked cool:
Not really much today, just thought I'd share a little in my obsession this week. ;)
Thanks for listening,
Kela
Then today I started to sketch some of my own... thought you might like to see: The first one is probably my favorite... especially since that's sorta what I want to do with my hair:
And then just for fun I drew this.... I don't actually hope to wear it, I just thought it looked cool:
Not really much today, just thought I'd share a little in my obsession this week. ;)Thanks for listening,
Kela
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Update: Light On The Horizen!
Hey All,
So just a quick little update for you: I am currently working as a part time apprentice for a local furniture restoration company, getting to work side by side with professionals, learning the trade I love so passionately. I've gone the last 2 Thursday's and again last Friday... 4th day tomorrow and I can't wait! Nothing concrete yet, but I definitely feel like I'm heading in the right direction! Wish me luck! I'll try and keep you posted!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
So just a quick little update for you: I am currently working as a part time apprentice for a local furniture restoration company, getting to work side by side with professionals, learning the trade I love so passionately. I've gone the last 2 Thursday's and again last Friday... 4th day tomorrow and I can't wait! Nothing concrete yet, but I definitely feel like I'm heading in the right direction! Wish me luck! I'll try and keep you posted!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
Friday, May 8, 2009
My Whole Life Is Crossroads...
Hey All,
That title may sound bleak but in truth, I think its sort of an uplifting idea. So many times in my short 25.5 years on this world I've found myself at a crossroads, or at a point where I just don't know what I'm doing or where I'm going, and most of the time it weighs so heavy on me that I can't seem to move forward, until I get smacked back to reality and just do what is needed. Since I am an over analytical person I tend to obsess over every detail until its so fogged with confusion that I find myself worse off then I was before. I've been thinking about this trend a lot in particular, and I think I've found a solution, for now... :)
Just go with it! Take for example, my weight - I've been struggling with a negative body image for some time now (I'd say... my whole life...lol) and have gone up and down the scale several times, but without consistency, its sort of a moot point. I'm back on my calorie counting diet, and seem to be loosing weight, today however when I weighed in, I had GAINED 1.5 lbs, after loosing about 8-9 in the last 2 weeks... now the OLD ME would have been just beyond discouraged with this moment, but not the me today. I wrote down the weight in my food journal and went in and made my normal breakfast, so what I gained 1.5 - I still lost 7-8, and today is a brand new day, who's to say I wont have lost some tomorrow. Stressing and obsessing over the set backs only further delays your progress. I think the best thing to do is accept the set backs, without judgment, and try to do better next time. Its a stupidly simple concept that for some reason I have a hard time putting into action, but hopefully I'll keep going with the great progress I've made the last two weeks, and quit trying to ruin my chances of succeeding.
Now this concept can work with my career too. As you all know I'm not working right now, as I try and build my portfolio of refinishing furniture, so maybe someday I can do something I really love, for a living, instead of working for some company that will just lay me off in the end anyway. I've spent many of days thinking that I'm just wasting my time, and that I should just go and work where-ever and be a responsible adult, but with this new concept, I realize that while that is still a distinct possibility, its also very possible that I could be really good at this, and if I stay focused and quit sweating the small stuff or over analyzing my options to death, then maybe - JUST MAYBE I could actually reach my dreams. If not, then at least I tried, and I can always try again later in life, hell I'M ONLY 25!
So here is my words of wisdom today: Let everyday bring new possibilities and may you never feel you cannot reach your dreams!
Just a little ramblings from your friend Kela - hope you enjoyed!
Thanks for Listening,
Kela
That title may sound bleak but in truth, I think its sort of an uplifting idea. So many times in my short 25.5 years on this world I've found myself at a crossroads, or at a point where I just don't know what I'm doing or where I'm going, and most of the time it weighs so heavy on me that I can't seem to move forward, until I get smacked back to reality and just do what is needed. Since I am an over analytical person I tend to obsess over every detail until its so fogged with confusion that I find myself worse off then I was before. I've been thinking about this trend a lot in particular, and I think I've found a solution, for now... :)
Just go with it! Take for example, my weight - I've been struggling with a negative body image for some time now (I'd say... my whole life...lol) and have gone up and down the scale several times, but without consistency, its sort of a moot point. I'm back on my calorie counting diet, and seem to be loosing weight, today however when I weighed in, I had GAINED 1.5 lbs, after loosing about 8-9 in the last 2 weeks... now the OLD ME would have been just beyond discouraged with this moment, but not the me today. I wrote down the weight in my food journal and went in and made my normal breakfast, so what I gained 1.5 - I still lost 7-8, and today is a brand new day, who's to say I wont have lost some tomorrow. Stressing and obsessing over the set backs only further delays your progress. I think the best thing to do is accept the set backs, without judgment, and try to do better next time. Its a stupidly simple concept that for some reason I have a hard time putting into action, but hopefully I'll keep going with the great progress I've made the last two weeks, and quit trying to ruin my chances of succeeding.
Now this concept can work with my career too. As you all know I'm not working right now, as I try and build my portfolio of refinishing furniture, so maybe someday I can do something I really love, for a living, instead of working for some company that will just lay me off in the end anyway. I've spent many of days thinking that I'm just wasting my time, and that I should just go and work where-ever and be a responsible adult, but with this new concept, I realize that while that is still a distinct possibility, its also very possible that I could be really good at this, and if I stay focused and quit sweating the small stuff or over analyzing my options to death, then maybe - JUST MAYBE I could actually reach my dreams. If not, then at least I tried, and I can always try again later in life, hell I'M ONLY 25!
So here is my words of wisdom today: Let everyday bring new possibilities and may you never feel you cannot reach your dreams!
Just a little ramblings from your friend Kela - hope you enjoyed!
Thanks for Listening,
Kela
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
To Ryan, To Life, To Wood! Cheers!
As you probably know - November 19th, 2008 I was let go from my most resent job. Also as you may or may not know - I hated said job, but I did work very hard, and learned a lot of valuable information, as well as met some really amazing people. So I appreciate it for that, but as for how the work and day-to-day life of working there made me feel, it was miserable.
I've always been able to find joy in whatever I was doing, but a lot of the time it was very shallow. When I was let go, of course I was upset, it was right before the holidays and and I had just moved into a new place, which was a huge cost increase for Ryan and I. I decided to set my concerns aside and just enjoy the holidays and figure out this mess when that was over. The holidays FLEW by and then I was faced with a scary realization. I was happier not working, I'd always known this would likely be true, I've always wanted to have time to work on my own stuff, to focus on my goals and dreams. I think most people would appreciate some time to reflect of their goals and past and futures, but for me it was always more then that.
I've had this dream of being a stay at home wife/mother/artist for my whole life. To be able to just be content in life, doing things I love and becoming a better person a long the way for my struggles. So the holidays are over and then I'm faced with an even scarier situation. Ryan gives me his ok to focus on myself for a while, and not look for a job. To be able to work on refinishing furniture and honing my crafts. I was ecstatic at first of course - "what a prospect, how is this possible... omg... its really time to do this... omg ... I'm getting to do what I've always wanted!" I would think to myself. It was all very exciting, yet I soon found myself sitting on the couch watching bad daytime tv and getting just the bare minimum done around the house to try and keep Ryan from yelling at me. See the problem I was having was working on these projects before was - I was scared. I didn't know if anything would come of it, or if I was just wasting time, so I pushed it all away - even though its what I wanted, I pushed it away out of fear. After I exhausted known contacts in the field to see about a job, I felt deflated, so I just did the bare essentials.
Finally he said something, and gave me "tasks of the day" to get done, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning the house - normal house wife stuff. So I start day-by-day doing what is my new job. I don't get paid of course, but I do get the satisfaction of knowing that when I come home, or when Ryan comes home, our house will be clean and our laundry will be done... plus we wont starve. :P
That went on for a while, I began to go hiking with my girlfriend Jeannette and her dogs TT and Herk, our new puppy Tawny-Roo is full of energy and I needed the excersize as well. That was going really well for a long time too, Tawny and I really looked forward to seeing The Jeannette Clan and they always shared their excitement as well. Last week Jeannette was busy with out of town guests and I took some time off. Worked on some furniture for the first time in a while, spending close attention to the wood what it needed to be refinished. Focusing a bit more on individual tasks I lay out for myself, rather then depending on Ryan to provide them.
Then something amazing happend this week... on Monday - I woke up with a new sense of understanding of what I needed as a person. I litterally jumped out of bed and was just raring to go. I know what your thinking - "So how long did that last - 2 hours, a day?" - strangely enough - I'm still there. I've been kicking serious ass accomplishing things that I really want to do. I know Ryan is taking a great sacrafice to let me explore this side of myself, and if I don't do anything then it will be all for nothing... but if I try and if I really push myself - it could be the greatest sacrafice we've ever made.
Ryan - I want to thank you so much for letting me take time for me, and for understanding the importance, even when I forgot. I love you so much, and you are truely a great man.
In the past 3 days I've come to a place of comfort, of true self and I hope I never forget it.
Thanks for listening,
Love Always,
Kela
I've always been able to find joy in whatever I was doing, but a lot of the time it was very shallow. When I was let go, of course I was upset, it was right before the holidays and and I had just moved into a new place, which was a huge cost increase for Ryan and I. I decided to set my concerns aside and just enjoy the holidays and figure out this mess when that was over. The holidays FLEW by and then I was faced with a scary realization. I was happier not working, I'd always known this would likely be true, I've always wanted to have time to work on my own stuff, to focus on my goals and dreams. I think most people would appreciate some time to reflect of their goals and past and futures, but for me it was always more then that.
I've had this dream of being a stay at home wife/mother/artist for my whole life. To be able to just be content in life, doing things I love and becoming a better person a long the way for my struggles. So the holidays are over and then I'm faced with an even scarier situation. Ryan gives me his ok to focus on myself for a while, and not look for a job. To be able to work on refinishing furniture and honing my crafts. I was ecstatic at first of course - "what a prospect, how is this possible... omg... its really time to do this... omg ... I'm getting to do what I've always wanted!" I would think to myself. It was all very exciting, yet I soon found myself sitting on the couch watching bad daytime tv and getting just the bare minimum done around the house to try and keep Ryan from yelling at me. See the problem I was having was working on these projects before was - I was scared. I didn't know if anything would come of it, or if I was just wasting time, so I pushed it all away - even though its what I wanted, I pushed it away out of fear. After I exhausted known contacts in the field to see about a job, I felt deflated, so I just did the bare essentials.
Finally he said something, and gave me "tasks of the day" to get done, laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning the house - normal house wife stuff. So I start day-by-day doing what is my new job. I don't get paid of course, but I do get the satisfaction of knowing that when I come home, or when Ryan comes home, our house will be clean and our laundry will be done... plus we wont starve. :P
That went on for a while, I began to go hiking with my girlfriend Jeannette and her dogs TT and Herk, our new puppy Tawny-Roo is full of energy and I needed the excersize as well. That was going really well for a long time too, Tawny and I really looked forward to seeing The Jeannette Clan and they always shared their excitement as well. Last week Jeannette was busy with out of town guests and I took some time off. Worked on some furniture for the first time in a while, spending close attention to the wood what it needed to be refinished. Focusing a bit more on individual tasks I lay out for myself, rather then depending on Ryan to provide them.
Then something amazing happend this week... on Monday - I woke up with a new sense of understanding of what I needed as a person. I litterally jumped out of bed and was just raring to go. I know what your thinking - "So how long did that last - 2 hours, a day?" - strangely enough - I'm still there. I've been kicking serious ass accomplishing things that I really want to do. I know Ryan is taking a great sacrafice to let me explore this side of myself, and if I don't do anything then it will be all for nothing... but if I try and if I really push myself - it could be the greatest sacrafice we've ever made.
Ryan - I want to thank you so much for letting me take time for me, and for understanding the importance, even when I forgot. I love you so much, and you are truely a great man.
In the past 3 days I've come to a place of comfort, of true self and I hope I never forget it.
Thanks for listening,
Love Always,
Kela
Monday, March 23, 2009
Ode To Friends That Have Passed
I wrote this small Ode to Sparky after we lost her a few months ago but was unsure if I'd post it for the world, with the passing of my mom's dog Winston, it seemed like a good time to share the thoughts...
Sparky "Sparkplug" - The Plugg Dogger:
Sparky was a dog who could explain life to you in one glance. Who could make you laugh with one silly act of mischief or ungracefulness. She was the kind of dog who you forgot was a dog, instead you felt she was an old friend. When I first met Sparky, I was sitting next to her master, my future husband - and she let me know just who was there first. Over time she let me in and we grew to not only love - but understand each other. To depend on each other for comfort when we were sad or just having a lazy day. Her heart and soul will be with mine forever. Sparky, I will miss you, I hope you are finally pain-free and able to do all you wanted.
Love you...
Winston:
Last night my mom's dog Winston passed away. He was the kind of dog that made you want to be a better person. I have a few stories to share that I think will let you know what I mean. See Winston was born with some genetic abnormalities - I don't know the technical terms, but he was born with little lesions on his brain and either missing kneecaps, or having severely malformed knees on his back two legs - these two things combined meant that he had a had time walking at all, or even standing for that matter. The joke was that he was drunk all the time, cause that's how it looked. My mom found him on a website, he was all the way in Russia and because of his physical problems he was going to be euthanized at the young age of ... well I don't know the details, but he was definitely still a puppy. My mom argued and faught for him to have a chance, and eventually had to pay perhaps too much in some peoples eyes to have him shipped to the states so she could give him the life he deserved. The day he arrived I remember sitting in the front yard with him, my mom was unloading things from the car. He was a little parana! I was wearing a skirt that day and he was in my lap nibbling all over the place wiggling like a little worm. At this point, he seemed extra wiggly, but not really any different then a regular puppy... but as he started to grow up and need to move more on his own, his difficulties really began to show. Playing with him in the backyard when I'd go over to their house was always such a happy occation, and one time when he was about a year old I remember playing with him and he was having an especially hard time getting up, and moving around, he just kept falling down. This is the moment that signified who Winston was as a personality for me... so he's falling down over and over for like a good minute straight, so he takes a second, as he's laying on the ground, takes a deep sigh as if he's saying "OK... next time I'm gonna stay up!" and he looked proud and determind as he stood up and with a big ol' silly pup-grin comes barreling down the way towards me. He was a strong, happy, life-lovin dog who never let his disabilities weigh him down, something I think we could all learn from. As time went by my mom payed for various surgeries and options for him to have an easier time, and that along with lots of practice and hard work, and happiness on his end, towards his end he rarely fell over at all, he was just a happy go-lucky little guy, and his gorgeous spirit will surely be missed.
Thanks for listening,
Kela
Sparky "Sparkplug" - The Plugg Dogger:
Sparky was a dog who could explain life to you in one glance. Who could make you laugh with one silly act of mischief or ungracefulness. She was the kind of dog who you forgot was a dog, instead you felt she was an old friend. When I first met Sparky, I was sitting next to her master, my future husband - and she let me know just who was there first. Over time she let me in and we grew to not only love - but understand each other. To depend on each other for comfort when we were sad or just having a lazy day. Her heart and soul will be with mine forever. Sparky, I will miss you, I hope you are finally pain-free and able to do all you wanted.
Love you...
Winston:
Last night my mom's dog Winston passed away. He was the kind of dog that made you want to be a better person. I have a few stories to share that I think will let you know what I mean. See Winston was born with some genetic abnormalities - I don't know the technical terms, but he was born with little lesions on his brain and either missing kneecaps, or having severely malformed knees on his back two legs - these two things combined meant that he had a had time walking at all, or even standing for that matter. The joke was that he was drunk all the time, cause that's how it looked. My mom found him on a website, he was all the way in Russia and because of his physical problems he was going to be euthanized at the young age of ... well I don't know the details, but he was definitely still a puppy. My mom argued and faught for him to have a chance, and eventually had to pay perhaps too much in some peoples eyes to have him shipped to the states so she could give him the life he deserved. The day he arrived I remember sitting in the front yard with him, my mom was unloading things from the car. He was a little parana! I was wearing a skirt that day and he was in my lap nibbling all over the place wiggling like a little worm. At this point, he seemed extra wiggly, but not really any different then a regular puppy... but as he started to grow up and need to move more on his own, his difficulties really began to show. Playing with him in the backyard when I'd go over to their house was always such a happy occation, and one time when he was about a year old I remember playing with him and he was having an especially hard time getting up, and moving around, he just kept falling down. This is the moment that signified who Winston was as a personality for me... so he's falling down over and over for like a good minute straight, so he takes a second, as he's laying on the ground, takes a deep sigh as if he's saying "OK... next time I'm gonna stay up!" and he looked proud and determind as he stood up and with a big ol' silly pup-grin comes barreling down the way towards me. He was a strong, happy, life-lovin dog who never let his disabilities weigh him down, something I think we could all learn from. As time went by my mom payed for various surgeries and options for him to have an easier time, and that along with lots of practice and hard work, and happiness on his end, towards his end he rarely fell over at all, he was just a happy go-lucky little guy, and his gorgeous spirit will surely be missed.
Thanks for listening,
Kela
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Cross Roads... again...
Hey All,
I know its been a while, but I've been soul searching. The whole economic system is crashing down, and more then a few people I know are currently unemployed and hunting for anything and everything that they can. I have friends going to school to do something important and others who've found what they were looking for and are in a safe and encouraging jobs. Yet I sit at home, cleaning, pondering, watching Roseanne reruns and wishing that my future career would just happen already. Yes I realize that careers don't JUST happen... you have to make them happen... but how? How is it when it feels right to your head, its not right for the economy? Or the other way around.
I've always known I wanted to do something creative and freeing from a regular office job, to be able to create and dream a career and watch it take shape, to work hard and get myself dirty making my dreams happen. Now I feel like I'm ready for this, but there are no jobs, especially fun creative ones, everyone is scared and holding out for a better future... how can I wait and hold out for something better - when I'm ready now? The idea of settling terrifies me... I think "Well I'm young, I've got plenty of time, why not just go and get whatever nice office job you can find for now... and down the road you can tackle this dream of yours?" but then I flash forward in my head and I'm suddenly 45 and working at some stupid office job as a temp and wanting to jump of the golden gate bridge! That kind of job has been slowing breaking me down for years and I know that its in my soul and my hearts best interest to reach for the stars and try and get what I've always wanted.
I feel like I'd be settling, giving up on my dreams and it scares me to think what that might do to me over time, down the road. I guess I'm a wanna-be optimist, thinking that if you want something enough, or believe something better can happen - then it will. Yet everyone I talk to says that I'm being silly and should just get what I can job wise - everyone's unemployed - its not a time to be picky. I've been out of work without looking for just over 2 months now, haven't looked for a job at all and I know I'm losing what motivation I have left on the idea of going back to an office job. I guess there was a part of me that believed that everything would fall into place if I was sure it was what I wanted... but life is never that easy... why would I think it would be this time? Would I want it to be? Isn't the struggle what makes it all worth while?
I have always struggled with "what would I want to do if I could do anything?" I am afraid that I'll commit to something, and find that I hate it once I get there. Or I just think that those types of dreams are silly and I should just have a stable job and start my family and call it my life. Then I remember or rather shout at myself in my head that I wont ever be successful (in my mind) doing that kind of work, it isn't me. I am a super crazy passionate person who loves to do anything creative, but in the world of taxes, and supreme courts and war, is there room for a free spirited art freak?
So after contemplating on it for a while, I came up with furniture refinishing. It seemed like the ideal job for me, its something I have a nature talent for - having refinished a few pieces already with no instruction or guidance, I'm a trial by error kind of girl and so far so good. I know a few people interested in me doing pieces for them, and it seemed like the ideal thing. I have a friend who is a contractor and recently unemployed - I was going to ask him if he wanted to try and start this business with me, start small out of our garages and make peoples dreams come true on wood, just a little elbow grease and polyurethane! lol! I haven't been able to talk to that friend yet, but I have talked to a few other people I know in the business and the results were less then encouraging. Its a hard time to get into something as luxurious as that. People cant pay rent or buy their groceries and I want to ask them to pay me to fix up their grandmas antique dresser? It was a great idea... but again this damn economy screws everything up.
I still want to believe that anything is possible and if I reach for my dreams that things will happen eventually... but then my fear takes over and I start to doubt myself, what if I'm not good enough at anything to ever have a sucessful job? What if I'm never safe enough in my career to have my family? I had always wanted to have my first baby by 25... and my 25th birthday was in December... and as you may have guessed - I'm not pregnant. LOL. I've actually made my peace with that... later is fine... not MUCH later... but a bit later... what scares me is that I don't have a plan. There isn't anything set in stone yet, except I'm married to Ryan the love of my life and we have a nice home. I spend my days cleaning the house, planning dinners and over obsessing about my future and my options, or lack there of.
I'm not really sure the point of this blog except that I had a lot on my mind, and it had been a long time since I wrote - so I thought I'd fill y'all in. I just have to try and stay positive and remember that every step in life has its purpose, every moment leads to the next and everything happens for a reason...
One last thing, when I've spoken to my family about these problems of mine, they have all said the same thing - and its something I've thought of all the while myself. Just wanted that to be clear so I don't get 6 comments telling me the same thing. Ha ha ha! I know I can always get a regular office job, and continue to build my portfolio on furniture redesign on the side... but I just fear that I'll loose my sight on what I want to do, and end up settling - because its easier or because I get pregant or whatever, then I'll never do it. That freaks me out. I know that the fact that that freaks me out says that I'll probably stay focused on it and come back later, but what if I dont? Or worse yet, what if I can't find a regular office job??? Scariness.
Well lets end on a happy note, shall we? I know that aren't a lot of people out there who read my blog, but if you know of anyone in the furniture business here in Sonoma County, CA who might be interested in a hard working, insanely passionate, eager to learn furniture refinisher, you just give them my address or let me know! I'm even willing to work on something else, either office or whatever if the people are genuine, I feel like so many office people are fake and manipulating. I just want to be confortable and be myself, somewhere where I can work hard and continue to grow as a person... and as an artist... whatever form of art that takes.
Let me know and WISH ME LUCK!
Lots of Love,
Kela
I know its been a while, but I've been soul searching. The whole economic system is crashing down, and more then a few people I know are currently unemployed and hunting for anything and everything that they can. I have friends going to school to do something important and others who've found what they were looking for and are in a safe and encouraging jobs. Yet I sit at home, cleaning, pondering, watching Roseanne reruns and wishing that my future career would just happen already. Yes I realize that careers don't JUST happen... you have to make them happen... but how? How is it when it feels right to your head, its not right for the economy? Or the other way around.
I've always known I wanted to do something creative and freeing from a regular office job, to be able to create and dream a career and watch it take shape, to work hard and get myself dirty making my dreams happen. Now I feel like I'm ready for this, but there are no jobs, especially fun creative ones, everyone is scared and holding out for a better future... how can I wait and hold out for something better - when I'm ready now? The idea of settling terrifies me... I think "Well I'm young, I've got plenty of time, why not just go and get whatever nice office job you can find for now... and down the road you can tackle this dream of yours?" but then I flash forward in my head and I'm suddenly 45 and working at some stupid office job as a temp and wanting to jump of the golden gate bridge! That kind of job has been slowing breaking me down for years and I know that its in my soul and my hearts best interest to reach for the stars and try and get what I've always wanted.
I feel like I'd be settling, giving up on my dreams and it scares me to think what that might do to me over time, down the road. I guess I'm a wanna-be optimist, thinking that if you want something enough, or believe something better can happen - then it will. Yet everyone I talk to says that I'm being silly and should just get what I can job wise - everyone's unemployed - its not a time to be picky. I've been out of work without looking for just over 2 months now, haven't looked for a job at all and I know I'm losing what motivation I have left on the idea of going back to an office job. I guess there was a part of me that believed that everything would fall into place if I was sure it was what I wanted... but life is never that easy... why would I think it would be this time? Would I want it to be? Isn't the struggle what makes it all worth while?
I have always struggled with "what would I want to do if I could do anything?" I am afraid that I'll commit to something, and find that I hate it once I get there. Or I just think that those types of dreams are silly and I should just have a stable job and start my family and call it my life. Then I remember or rather shout at myself in my head that I wont ever be successful (in my mind) doing that kind of work, it isn't me. I am a super crazy passionate person who loves to do anything creative, but in the world of taxes, and supreme courts and war, is there room for a free spirited art freak?
So after contemplating on it for a while, I came up with furniture refinishing. It seemed like the ideal job for me, its something I have a nature talent for - having refinished a few pieces already with no instruction or guidance, I'm a trial by error kind of girl and so far so good. I know a few people interested in me doing pieces for them, and it seemed like the ideal thing. I have a friend who is a contractor and recently unemployed - I was going to ask him if he wanted to try and start this business with me, start small out of our garages and make peoples dreams come true on wood, just a little elbow grease and polyurethane! lol! I haven't been able to talk to that friend yet, but I have talked to a few other people I know in the business and the results were less then encouraging. Its a hard time to get into something as luxurious as that. People cant pay rent or buy their groceries and I want to ask them to pay me to fix up their grandmas antique dresser? It was a great idea... but again this damn economy screws everything up.
I still want to believe that anything is possible and if I reach for my dreams that things will happen eventually... but then my fear takes over and I start to doubt myself, what if I'm not good enough at anything to ever have a sucessful job? What if I'm never safe enough in my career to have my family? I had always wanted to have my first baby by 25... and my 25th birthday was in December... and as you may have guessed - I'm not pregnant. LOL. I've actually made my peace with that... later is fine... not MUCH later... but a bit later... what scares me is that I don't have a plan. There isn't anything set in stone yet, except I'm married to Ryan the love of my life and we have a nice home. I spend my days cleaning the house, planning dinners and over obsessing about my future and my options, or lack there of.
I'm not really sure the point of this blog except that I had a lot on my mind, and it had been a long time since I wrote - so I thought I'd fill y'all in. I just have to try and stay positive and remember that every step in life has its purpose, every moment leads to the next and everything happens for a reason...
One last thing, when I've spoken to my family about these problems of mine, they have all said the same thing - and its something I've thought of all the while myself. Just wanted that to be clear so I don't get 6 comments telling me the same thing. Ha ha ha! I know I can always get a regular office job, and continue to build my portfolio on furniture redesign on the side... but I just fear that I'll loose my sight on what I want to do, and end up settling - because its easier or because I get pregant or whatever, then I'll never do it. That freaks me out. I know that the fact that that freaks me out says that I'll probably stay focused on it and come back later, but what if I dont? Or worse yet, what if I can't find a regular office job??? Scariness.
Well lets end on a happy note, shall we? I know that aren't a lot of people out there who read my blog, but if you know of anyone in the furniture business here in Sonoma County, CA who might be interested in a hard working, insanely passionate, eager to learn furniture refinisher, you just give them my address or let me know! I'm even willing to work on something else, either office or whatever if the people are genuine, I feel like so many office people are fake and manipulating. I just want to be confortable and be myself, somewhere where I can work hard and continue to grow as a person... and as an artist... whatever form of art that takes.
Let me know and WISH ME LUCK!
Lots of Love,
Kela
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Moving Tomorrow
I don't know why exactly but even though Ryan and I are finally moving into our house tomorrow, I woke up soooo stressed out today. No reason - everything is going sooooo smoothly - everything is set and nothing is going wrong - but for some reason I have this horrific feeling that something will. It's almost like its just going TOO smoothly or something and thats throwing me off. Thought if I wrote everything out it would put my mind at ease.
1.) Set all all the utilities to come on and go off at appropriate houses, on the right days. DONE.
2.) Pack - about 80% done - as good as we can get it until we move some stuff out - living in box land right now.
3.) Deposit - Paid.
4.) Rent due tomorrow - totally have the funds... no worries there.
5.) Anxious to get going... Get to move tomorrow night!
So why am I so anxious and tense... litterally all my muscles in my body are tense and hurty. Yesterday and the day before I've been so sick to my tummy - maybe thats all part of this new found stress too.
I had this dream last night that I had snuck into the new place to show my friend Kim the house... and even though in real life its empty right now - in my dream the landlords lived there with their non-existant daughter. We thought they were gone so we snuck in... then found the daughter asleep on the couch in the living room so we dashed out of there! Then the landlord came running out after us screaming at us "Your moving in tomorrow - why would you rob us?!?!" and I was standing there pleading to him about how it was all a misunderstanding and how much we wanted to live there! Finally he lets it go - but he doesn't think we can afford the place... so him and my mom are teaming up to figure out a payment plan "cause I obviously can't afford it" which is insane cause we can... but dream do weird things right. Finally I scream at them "No - you can put it on my card right now! I can afford to live here!!!" and he and my mom storm off to collect payment. I woke up devistated somehow even though the dream sorta worked out. Talk about stressful, eh?
I know where some of that came from... because the landlords name in my dream wasn't right - his name was the name of the owner of the Bridal Path - which explains some of my anxiety because we bounced a check to them over a year ago... but Ryan and I are completely different people now - much more safe and smart with our funds...
Also yesterday my sister Nicki was worried about Ryan and moving in so soon - deffinitly trying to be helpful and sisterly - but she stressed me out - spouting all these negitives at me, then she had my mom talk to me - although my mom seemed less concerned... she was just playing her part you understand. Then last night my brother tried to loan us money - all covertly - like we were afaid to ask... so I get it - my mind was racing with all these other peoples uncertainties and it got to me... but why don't I feel better knowing this?
I want more then anything for Ryan and I to move into this house... it means so many things for us, a better way of life... a more safe, less stressful way of life... the idea of losing this opportunity seriously makes my heart skip a beat and I loose my breath - I know its unfounded that anything should go wrong... everything has just been so perfect.
I'm sure by 10pm tomorrow - we'll be nessled nicely in our new - slightly chaotic, unpacked home and my fears will be but a fading memory... but right now... I'm anxious.
EVERYONE HOPE THAT TODAY SPEEDS BY UNEVENTFULLY, and SO DOES TOMORROW - I really need it to be 6pm tomorrow right now. LOL!
Wish Us Luck!
Love Always,
Kela
1.) Set all all the utilities to come on and go off at appropriate houses, on the right days. DONE.
2.) Pack - about 80% done - as good as we can get it until we move some stuff out - living in box land right now.
3.) Deposit - Paid.
4.) Rent due tomorrow - totally have the funds... no worries there.
5.) Anxious to get going... Get to move tomorrow night!
So why am I so anxious and tense... litterally all my muscles in my body are tense and hurty. Yesterday and the day before I've been so sick to my tummy - maybe thats all part of this new found stress too.
I had this dream last night that I had snuck into the new place to show my friend Kim the house... and even though in real life its empty right now - in my dream the landlords lived there with their non-existant daughter. We thought they were gone so we snuck in... then found the daughter asleep on the couch in the living room so we dashed out of there! Then the landlord came running out after us screaming at us "Your moving in tomorrow - why would you rob us?!?!" and I was standing there pleading to him about how it was all a misunderstanding and how much we wanted to live there! Finally he lets it go - but he doesn't think we can afford the place... so him and my mom are teaming up to figure out a payment plan "cause I obviously can't afford it" which is insane cause we can... but dream do weird things right. Finally I scream at them "No - you can put it on my card right now! I can afford to live here!!!" and he and my mom storm off to collect payment. I woke up devistated somehow even though the dream sorta worked out. Talk about stressful, eh?
I know where some of that came from... because the landlords name in my dream wasn't right - his name was the name of the owner of the Bridal Path - which explains some of my anxiety because we bounced a check to them over a year ago... but Ryan and I are completely different people now - much more safe and smart with our funds...
Also yesterday my sister Nicki was worried about Ryan and moving in so soon - deffinitly trying to be helpful and sisterly - but she stressed me out - spouting all these negitives at me, then she had my mom talk to me - although my mom seemed less concerned... she was just playing her part you understand. Then last night my brother tried to loan us money - all covertly - like we were afaid to ask... so I get it - my mind was racing with all these other peoples uncertainties and it got to me... but why don't I feel better knowing this?
I want more then anything for Ryan and I to move into this house... it means so many things for us, a better way of life... a more safe, less stressful way of life... the idea of losing this opportunity seriously makes my heart skip a beat and I loose my breath - I know its unfounded that anything should go wrong... everything has just been so perfect.
I'm sure by 10pm tomorrow - we'll be nessled nicely in our new - slightly chaotic, unpacked home and my fears will be but a fading memory... but right now... I'm anxious.
EVERYONE HOPE THAT TODAY SPEEDS BY UNEVENTFULLY, and SO DOES TOMORROW - I really need it to be 6pm tomorrow right now. LOL!
Wish Us Luck!
Love Always,
Kela
Thursday, September 4, 2008
So much to say!
It’s been a really, really, REALLY long time since I’ve blogged – and I feel it was well over due! So much has happened since my last post I am not even sure where to start!
First we have June:
I survived my company's annual convention - a week of fast pace on your feet for 12-15+ hours a day, being friendly, smiling, doing whatever is needed and eating what and when you are told all in a BRIGHT orange polo shirt and a name badge! I deserved a break after that! LOL!
It was an amazing trip!
First we have June:
I survived my company's annual convention - a week of fast pace on your feet for 12-15+ hours a day, being friendly, smiling, doing whatever is needed and eating what and when you are told all in a BRIGHT orange polo shirt and a name badge! I deserved a break after that! LOL!
It was an amazing trip!Then in July:
Shortly after the blues festival - I was at a family function 45 minutes north and suddenly I was very sick! After a pretty horrific drive back down 101 to the hospital, 2 hours and many tests later - I was diagnosed with Pancreatitus - the inflammation of the pancreas! Normal levels of what they call "Lypase" (basically the enzymes that the pancreas releases to digest food) is like 24-300 - mine was at 90,000! I spent 6 pretty miserable days in the hospital, IV fluids and ice chips as my only source of food and drink...Ryan and my family/friends were awesome - I had so many visitors and people supporting me - it was really so humbling. Soon my levels went down and I was allowed real food and eventually discharged! It was really all very exciting in a horrible sort of way! I am not on a special low-cholesterol diet and I've lost about 15+ lbs! Trying to stay active and looking forward to a long time away from the hospital!
Ryan's got this great new job now and we are so close to moving I can just taste it! I just want a home you know? A place we can be proud to call our own. We've lived in our unfortunate apartment for long enough! I just keep thinking about our future, Ryan and I in our cute first house (rented - we can't buy yet - but at lease it's a house and not connected to anyone!) with a cute front yard with a path up to the door - maybe even a real front porch! We'll have the space for all our possessions and room to grow... as a family. We have most of everything we need saved - just waiting for the perfect place to become available - wish us luck!!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
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Kela's Bargain Tip: If you are short on cash but need a suit for less then the average $400-600+ shops - try Burlington Coat Factory in Rohnert Park. It's a little scary "ghetto" on the inside but if you make your way to the suit area - you'll find tons of bargains!
Believe it or not - that pic above of Ryan and I - that whole outfit he's wearing was only $130! He looks good too! ;)
Shortly after the blues festival - I was at a family function 45 minutes north and suddenly I was very sick! After a pretty horrific drive back down 101 to the hospital, 2 hours and many tests later - I was diagnosed with Pancreatitus - the inflammation of the pancreas! Normal levels of what they call "Lypase" (basically the enzymes that the pancreas releases to digest food) is like 24-300 - mine was at 90,000! I spent 6 pretty miserable days in the hospital, IV fluids and ice chips as my only source of food and drink...Ryan and my family/friends were awesome - I had so many visitors and people supporting me - it was really so humbling. Soon my levels went down and I was allowed real food and eventually discharged! It was really all very exciting in a horrible sort of way! I am not on a special low-cholesterol diet and I've lost about 15+ lbs! Trying to stay active and looking forward to a long time away from the hospital!
Ryan's got this great new job now and we are so close to moving I can just taste it! I just want a home you know? A place we can be proud to call our own. We've lived in our unfortunate apartment for long enough! I just keep thinking about our future, Ryan and I in our cute first house (rented - we can't buy yet - but at lease it's a house and not connected to anyone!) with a cute front yard with a path up to the door - maybe even a real front porch! We'll have the space for all our possessions and room to grow... as a family. We have most of everything we need saved - just waiting for the perfect place to become available - wish us luck!!
Thanks for listening,
Kela
******************************************************************************
Kela's Bargain Tip: If you are short on cash but need a suit for less then the average $400-600+ shops - try Burlington Coat Factory in Rohnert Park. It's a little scary "ghetto" on the inside but if you make your way to the suit area - you'll find tons of bargains!
Believe it or not - that pic above of Ryan and I - that whole outfit he's wearing was only $130! He looks good too! ;)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Glorious Weekend
Hey!
So I just had a very productive and amazing weekend that I just have to share! So Saturday I woke up with my honey – after sleeping in a little – like 8am -9am – THAT’S LATE FOR ME! LOL! Anyhoo – so we got to the local Big 5 Sporting goods store to go find me either a glove or some tape to cover my old sticky handle of my freebie Tennis Racket I got from a friend with their grandparents pasted away – and ended up finding a really cool new Wilson tennis racket for only $24.99! Totally loved the way it looked and felt, couldn’t wait to try it out! Also got Ryan a backpack so he’d have something to put stuff in on our bike rides, got a great find there too! Like $15-25 and perfect for him!
Then we headed out on a bike ride, didn’t really plan on doing anything specific, just start going down the trails near our house and see where we end up! Well I live near Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa, and we ended up going almost all the way to Sebastopol, we went past Willowside Road and then found ourselves at a dead end… there were lots of ways to go we just wanted to see how far in that direction we could go.
So here are some pics… this was about 45-hour into our ride we were riding along this creek the whole time – but stumbled across this picturesque spot with bridges and vineyards down the side:
So I just had a very productive and amazing weekend that I just have to share! So Saturday I woke up with my honey – after sleeping in a little – like 8am -9am – THAT’S LATE FOR ME! LOL! Anyhoo – so we got to the local Big 5 Sporting goods store to go find me either a glove or some tape to cover my old sticky handle of my freebie Tennis Racket I got from a friend with their grandparents pasted away – and ended up finding a really cool new Wilson tennis racket for only $24.99! Totally loved the way it looked and felt, couldn’t wait to try it out! Also got Ryan a backpack so he’d have something to put stuff in on our bike rides, got a great find there too! Like $15-25 and perfect for him!
Then we headed out on a bike ride, didn’t really plan on doing anything specific, just start going down the trails near our house and see where we end up! Well I live near Coddingtown Mall in Santa Rosa, and we ended up going almost all the way to Sebastopol, we went past Willowside Road and then found ourselves at a dead end… there were lots of ways to go we just wanted to see how far in that direction we could go.
So here are some pics… this was about 45-hour into our ride we were riding along this creek the whole time – but stumbled across this picturesque spot with bridges and vineyards down the side:
As we walked around checking out the scene Ryan notices a Mama duck and a whole slew of babies stuck in this fenced area – almost ALL sun… just feet from the creek… she was trying everything she could to find a way out that didn’t involve her leaving her chicks behind… after some thinking we decided to unlatch the latch of the fence, leaving the chain lock – so she could squeeze out… don’t know if she did… but the opportunity was left for her!
Later about 15-20 minutes down the trail we stopped again and found this neat scene:
Here is Ryan posing with his sexy new backpack – GERRR! ;)
The we continued on – past Willowside and found this place… unfortunately the pics don’t do it justice, because it was beautiful, luckily for us that it was there because the trail after Willowside to the dead end – was nothing but giant loose rocks and it was a horrific ride… but that one location made the perilous journey worth it!
So we turn around and about 5 miles from home (we ended up going a total of 13 MILES!!) I really started feeling tired – it was a lot of bike riding for a rekindling biker but the sun was beating down on us pretty good! After a little while of tired biking I suddenly see a giant black and white snake – Ryan says it was a King Snake literally like a foot or two ahead of me, and I couldn’t stop in time- I had to run him over!!! I freaked out and threw my legs up so he wouldn’t get me if he tried, I didn’t know what kind of snake he was – he just looked dangerous – after I ran him over – I felt soooo bad. Ryan said he was alive but squished… the way he was laying – all sunbathing and happy I ran him over like 3+ times in a single swoop! Poor dude! We made it back to civilization and stopped by Safeway for a sandwich.
After we were fed and dressed for regular life again, cleaned up – we went to a pet store and picked up two placostomous’s (I’m sure that’s not proper grammar) and went and introduced them to the tank – they couldn’t believe all the food there was to eat in my tank… I decided a while back that cleaning my tank killed my fish… so I stopped cleaning it… it’s FULL of algae – but also very happy fish! The placostomi’s were totally gorging it was hysterical to watch!
Later we went and picked up Josh and had a nice evening of Burgers and Fries from Stony Point Grill and Dr. Who.
Sunday I woke up with a slightly twisted ankle and it was Tennis day! So I took some advil and went anyway… maybe not the best plan – but we had a lovely time and my racket rocks! By the end of the day Ryan had me on couch arrest and I wasn’t allowed to walk anymore – I am a bad patient when it comes to things like that – he all but had to tie me to the couch to keep me off my ankle… but it seemed to work… I’m much better today!
All in all – it was a glorious weekend!
Hope you enjoyed my story and pics!
Much Love,
Kela
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Magical Journey
So I've been having some personal problems these days, fears for the future mostly. Haven't been sleeping, been late to work... all this fun jazz.... then last night Ryan and I were doing our regular routine... and suddenly remembered that we both had good bicycles now... so we decide to go outside and test them out. After a few minutes I got the hang of it again - its been a while - and this bike is a bit big for me... even with the seat all the way to the bottom, I can just barely touch my tippy toes to the ground - its good times I tell you! LOL.
Anyhoo- so after about 20 minutes or so driving around in our car port area... we venture onto the street and soon find a path past the last house on the cul-de-sac leading to a trail we'd never noticed before! Ryan and I slipped past the last house, thru a little ravine and voila - we were in beautiful nature... the ghetto neighborhood millions of miles away! We've lived here for close to 4 years and never saw this path before... Ryan and I have vowed to go riding every night we can, keep us in shape and unwind after a long day. We rode around for a good hour, hour or two until it got too dark to be safe... close to 9pm LOL. I ended up sleeping better then I have in ... well a LONG TIME... and woke up on time feeling refreshed! Who would have thought!?
Course I'm eating up time sitting here telling you my story... so I gotta get off to work!
Have a great day EVERYONE!
Much Love,
Kela
P.s - Thanks for reading!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Ode To Red
So long dear friend, its been wonderful journey. I remember the day I first saw Red, he was sitting under a tin roof awning sparkling clean with a feather in his visor. It was love at first sight. I got my license late - at the tender age of 20 and this was to be my first car. The first day I drove him, was the day he first became legally mine, I had gone with my brother to my parents house to pick it up on my lunch break, I worked a town away, and never really practiced driving this fickle stick shift 86 Nissan. As i slowly made it through the gears, my brother watching me in confusion in his rear view mirror, I knew we'd be together a while. I did make it back to work that day, but I apparently locked the steering wheel when I got out, because I couldn't get it to start when I got out of work. First day with the new car - not going so good. Ryan arrived to the rescue gently crushing my ego as with a flick of the wrist, he unlocked the wheel... damn him. Lesson learned - I guess.
I will always remember that truck-style Nissan aroma he had, and the time I accidentally hit the poll blocking the gas pumps. Thank you Red for all the comfortable rides, listening to my favorite music, and for teaching me how to respect a giant machine such as yourself. Thank you for giving me my respect for the manual transmission - automatics are for suckers! ;)
I ideally wanted to send you off in style - being blown up by the gang at Mythbusters, but you my friend are traditional, and dependable - not some wild myth prone vehicle. So as my final so long to you - I say thank you for all you've taught me and for all the great memories. May you keep other vehicles running for many years to come, and live out your days useful, and not sitting in our drive way covered in dust, and Spanish sayings I have yet to translate. A special Thank you to my neighbors for that contribution.
For those of you who do not know - today Red is being Junked.
May He Rest In Peace.
Love Always and Forever,
Kela
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