Rising Through the Ashes of Life

When I picked up a book about a group of women struggling to navigate the tragedy of becoming widows, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Obviously, this is one of the worst things that can happen to a young woman or mother. She has the rest of her life planned out, and all of sudden everything changes. Everything, because your husband is gone. This is not something I have experienced, at all. It’s hard for me to imagine what that must even be like.

But as I dove into the Saturday Night Widows, I realized that while becoming a widow may not be something I can relate to, the true story I found in this book was actually about finding a way to start over when life has pulled the rug out from underneath you and doing it with friends.

These are things I can relate too…

Something to Laugh About

So one of my new Year’s resolutions was to start back on my personal blog more, and one weekly thing I used to love to do on my blog was take part in Mama’s Kat’s Pretty Much World Famous Writing Prompts each week. Which of course I haven’t done once. This week I finally sat down and decided “I’m going to do it.” I looked at the writing prompts and saw this one, “Something that made you laugh this week.”

Now, I laugh a lot. I’m not going to pretend I don’t. But as I sat and stared at that writing prompt I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that, well, this week sucked. There were high points yea, but as a whole, it sucked. It sucked big, bad, and hard. And at this moment as I write this I’m having a hard time thinking of a particular laughable moment from the past week.

Well OK, except for this. Because when I am going through a rough patch I always turn to the boys in Monty Python to help me make light of it.

So yea, crappy week. But THIS. This made me laugh it out.

The World of Expats

I have to admit that I don’t know a whole lot of people who live abroad. Most friends I have who live in Europe are there because that’s where they’re from. I don’t know a lot of people who have just up and moved to another country. I don’t know a lot of Expats.

That right there is what makes reading such a wonderful thing. It’s one thing to read about things we love or relate to, but it’s in the books that give us a look into a life and world we know nothing about that forces our imaginations to work overtime.

That’s what kept going through my mind as I read Chris Pavone’s The Expats.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Shaky Tuesday

This was actually written on the 2008 Anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake, but I’m reposting it today.

They say sometimes animals can sense when something is about to happen. A storm, tornado, flood, or an earthquake. Well Mama Kitty had been missing since Monday, and it was now Tuesday afternoon. We decided to make some flyers and hang them up around the neighborhood. We sat at the kitchen table making up our lost pet posters, when suddenly the earth began to shake. Movies and books began falling of the shelves, and as all good California boys & girls do we got underneath the doorway.

Once the shaking finally stopped we all ran outside. All the neighbors had stepped out into the October evening and began joking and making guesses as to what size the quake was. Us kids were laughing and standing in the street watching the parked cars still gently rocking back & forth. When the cable finally came back on we all went inside to see the verdict. You see, earthquakes here aren’t really a big deal. They happen all the time, and though this one was obviously a doozy, it was still just an earthquake. Or so we thought.

Circus Vargas – Win Tickets!

It’s that time of year again. When Circus Vargas makes its way to the Bay Area!

That’s right, Circus Vargas is back! Their run kicks off today in Tracy at the West Valley Mall, where they’ll be through the 27^th.  Then they’ll set up the big tent in Milpitas at the Great Mall from August 30 through September 3 after they hit they hit Southland Mall in Hayward from September 6 – 10 and the Newark Mall in Newark from September 13 -17.

My Adventures at the Mall: Celebrating National Shoe Week

When you talk about “shoes” many different people automatically think many different things. I for one have never been a “shoe” person, though I admit I love a cute pair of shoes. When the folks at Stoneridge Mall asked me to write a post about “Celebrating National Shoe Week” I figured I could come up with something.

As a mom I have come to reassess my shoe buying standards to something more than just if they look good and I can squeeze my feet into them. I need shoes that are practical, comfortable and affordable. Even more that I need shoes that fit the season. I don’t mean that in a fashion forward kind of season, I mean winter, spring, and summer fall kind of season. I am also weary of shopping for my kids as well because as any mom knows, kids grow FAST. I am always looking for good sturdy shoes that do not cost and arm and a leg because I know that despite how great the shoes are, they will be out them in less than a year.

So what’s a mom to do? Go to the mall.

Words for Wednesday

“Music is the soundtrack of our lives.”  -Dick Clark

Words for Wednesday

It is the spirit and not the form of law that keeps justice alive.  ~Earl Warren