Clouds, Rainbows, Sunshine, and Green Hills

I'm in love with today.

Let me back up so you can peek at my thoughts...

I did most of my growing up in the same town that I currently call home. As a child, I lived in white-collar suburbia and had great experiences attending amazing schools within walking distance of my family's home. Now, we live in blue-collar suburbia on the other side of the tracks. All of the schools around here are very good, but we live within walking distance of the two lowest scoring schools in the district. When the time came to enroll my kid in kindergarten, I had a decision to make: Should I send her across town, to a better school that requires me to drive each and every time, or should I stick to our own neighborhood?

.....

We walk to school almost every morning. I chose the school nearest home. Yes, it has low test scores. Yes, all of the women and children's shelters in town feed into the school so it has a bit of a transient population. Yes, we walk through two blocks of "the gang" area of town during our daily half-mile commute.
But you know what? I love it.

I love that my children really experience our neighborhood. I love that these streets, sidewalks, trees, and power poles are familiar daily sights. I adore her school, the teachers there are devoted to giving their students the fighting chance they will need in this life. I love the school community and the opportunity to help make a difference where there is a greater need than at those "better" schools across town. I love the diversity. My children are going to grow up bilingual and bi-literate, at a school where they learn in two languages every day. My kids will know and love cultural traditions different from their own, and they will be better for it. It is beautiful and I am grateful that I can give them this opportunity.

This morning, we walked to school under big clouds and blue sky. The sun was bright, and the rainbow in the distance was a wonderful treat. I held my babies' hands and explained the wonder of water refracting white light. We decided that rainbows are like pennies on the sidewalk: they are omens of good luck.

I am certainly feeling lucky.
I am in love with today. 

Book Worm

I have blogged in the past about the books I've read each year. I'm ashamed to admit that in 2015 I only read eleven books and listened to one audio book.

I started keeping track of my reading in 2010, the year Emma was born. That year I read eight books, which isn't so bad for having a newborn. In 2011 I read THIRTY books! I'm not sure how I accomplished such a feat, but I've never been able to read that many again. Each year I read less and less, and I it makes me sad. 

My lack of reading is probably due to the increased number of children I care for on a daily basis. I have also lost the luxury time that used to come when my kids napped. Now, I have no alone time. Ever. I also have very little free time in general. I think I have more friends and social interactions, so that's a plus, but I miss being alone (or with a pet or two) on the couch in a quiet room, sucked into a good book. 

Here are the books I read in 2015. I enjoyed them all. 

• The Tao of Pooh - Hoff (Fun book. I'd like to read more about Taoism.)
• Chances Are - Abramson 
• Hatchet - Paulson 
• The Hundred Foot Journey - Morais 
• The Mistress's Daughter - Homes 
• Still Alice - Genova 
• Ticker - Mantchev (My first ever steam punk novel. That was fun!) 
• Between Shades of Gray - Septys 
•  The Princess Bride - Goldman 
• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk - Faber & Mazlish
• Cinder - Meyer (This was my first Audio Book, and it's the first in a series. I need to listen to the next two...) 
• Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith - Newel & Avery (I only read about half of this one before it was due back to the library!)

Sadly, I'm STILL in the middle of a great book that I borrowed from a friend a few months ago. It is called Spindle's End by Robin McKinley. I need to finish it!!!!! 

This year, in addition to blogging more, I'm hoping to read more books. I'm in a book group, so I have one book a month already planned, but I'd like to read even more. 

What books have you read lately that you really loved?

Back In The Saddle?

It has been an obscenely long time since I last posted. I'm not sure why that is exactly, but it happened. I miss writing. I miss creating. I have found that more and more of my free time is spent sucked into the content of the Internet through the screen of my phone. I love my smart, smart phone, but I miss writing. We'll see if I can change my ways.

As 2015 comes to an end, maybe I should fill you in on life here in my world this year...

My last post was written nearly a year and a half ago. We weaned Emma off of her meds. The process was slow and annoying as I said it would be. Finally, on November 18, 2014, she got her last Enbrel injection. The girl stayed off meds for nearly SIX MONTHS before the evil beast arthritis resurfaced in her left ankle and right knee as usual, with some finger involvement as the weeks passed. We restarted weekly Enbrel injections on June 1, 2015. She received near immediate relief and is still getting her weekly shot with no active arthritis at present. She started Kindergarten at the end of August, which she loves. She is not only growing, but flourishing, and it is beautiful.

Sir Liam is nearly three and a half years old and he has perfected the art of trying my patience. He is also skilled at selective listening, accidentally banging his head into everything, and eating most non-dessert foods incredibly slowly. His blue eyes still light up my world, and his budding sense of humor is quite entertaining. He is healthy, happy, ridiculous, and quite pleased to be sleeping on the top bunk in a twin-size bed.

Me?
I've spent a lot of time in the past year figuring out more about me. It's been really wonderful. I've allowed myself to question everything, to look at the wide world around me, to evaluate the depths of my own spirit, and to break free of a paradigm that I have outgrown. For several years, I attempted to confine my mind, heart, and feisty spirit into a box that doesn't come in my size. Many of those years were wonderful and uplifting, but I have found greater truth and beauty here, where fewer chains bind me. It has been a difficult, yet freeing journey.

My incredible husband and I have grown closer together in the past year. We don't know why, we can't really put words to explain what has changed, but our love is stronger than it used to be, our communication is improved, and our life is happy.

As we move past the holiday madness and enter 2016 full of expectations and the thrill of starting fresh, I hope you are happy too. I hope you take time to do something you love, to kiss someone you love, to sing songs that you love. Take a moment to smile for me, because that is what this beautiful life is all about.

Here's to a New Year!