Botanically Beautiful

My mom and step-dad came to visit last weekend, and after my children decided to give me a turn with Grandma, I suggested a trip to the Rio Grande Botanic Gardens. I had previously been there, but only saw a couple of exhibits. After this trip, I have decided it's one of my favorite places in Albuquerque. It's amazingly peaceful and somewhat green!

The Sky Is Falling

Not too long ago, we had a stormy day here in Albuquerque. It rained a bit, which was no big deal. Then the weather "deteriorated" and it began to hail. And there was wind that seemed like it would bust the windows. And it rained a lot more. This all happened in the span of about fifteen minutes, but it was a crazy fifteen minutes. I kept thinking about how frightening it must be to live through a hurricane or tornado.

After our crazy storm, there were a few uprooted trees and big rocks and sand in the roads. The sun came out pretty quickly afterwards and so I ran to the store for milk and o.j. I don't think I really have any idea of what it would be like to live through a hurricane or tornado. I'm kind of okay with not knowing.

Holy Hot Air, Batman!

The Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta was an awesome experience! It completely exceeded my expectations and made me long to float away in a "little wicker basket" (as R describes it) tied to a balloon full of hot air. We went with R's father and the J family (R's sister & co). Thanks, again to K for sharing a few photos and to B for inadvertently giving me the idea for my post title!

If...

If I had my own hot air balloon, this is what it would look like. A girl can dream :)

Too Sexy For Iowa

Supercool...

A couple weekends ago, we went down to Carlsbad Caverns with some extended family. R's sister, her family and my father-in-law drove down to Albuquerque for a long weekend. We hit the Balloon Fiesta first, then went and camped out a couple of nights just north of Carlsbad. We had a lot of fun and saw so many AMAZING sights! My camera ran out of battery about two minutes into the caverns, so my brother-in-law was nice enough to share his pictures with us. Thanks, K!

Carlsbad...

Caverns

Use your imagination here...

The Carlsbad Caverns has what they call a "Bat Program", which is basically watching the cave's 500,000 plus resident (and migrating) bats leaving the cave for nocturnal activities at dusk. For over one hour, bats POUR out of the cave opening, fly in circles, and eventually break off into groups and fly away. You can see, hear and smell the bats close up - it's really incredible! The rangers ask you to turn off any electrical device because it messes with their echo-location stuff, and so we couldn't take pictures.

All My Bugs

I figured we would see a lot of nature living so close to a "natural area". It has been interesting... sometimes a little bit unnerving. Despite the scorpion in the bathtub, six inch centipede (that L crushed with her trike wheel - she's such a brave conqueror of beasts), huge black widows and a bird that flew into our window and died, it has been a pleasure to get to know our new, desert neighbors.

We sometimes hear coyotes howl at night. That's pretty darn cool. We've seen a lot of road runners... running on the road (it's true, they really do that). We also have cute little bunnies running around and R found a little horny toad the other day at the football field - Q tried to bring it home in the car, accidentally let it go in the car, then we searched for the horny toad in the car. Luckily, we found the horny toad and he now lives in our backyard.

I think my favorites are actually the stink bugs. We see several a day,and they are so cute when they're being defensive. As soon as they sense you're close, they stick their little back ends in the air and "threaten" you.

Our people neighbors aren't too bad either.

Where Can I Find Peace?

Right here... that's where, camping and hiking in New Mexico. A couple of weekends ago, we went with some friends from church to camp just northeast of Santa Fe. It was so relaxing and really helped me feel recharged. I haven't been camping much over the past few years, so it felt nice to get back out there.

Despite the very chilly temperatures at night, the weather was beautiful and the scenery was awe-inspiring. I am still feeling a Rocky Mountain High (I don't know if I was technically in the Rocky Mountains, but I just like to reference John Denver from time to time).

TOUCHDOWN... And the Crowd Goes Wild!

Q started playing flag football recently. He loves it. I'm a little nervous about this newborn adoration. This is because of flag football's raucous cousin, tackle football. I have always said that my children can play any sport they want, except for tackle football and hockey - too "dangerous". I'm wondering if I might eat my words one of these days.

Last Saturday, Q's team played two games in one morning. The first game didn't go so well for his team. The second game went a little better for his team, and was an AMAZING game for me. Q made his first touchdown. It wasn't just any old touchdown, it was... AMAZING. I still get all choked up when I think about it. Q got the ball from the QB, weaved in and out of opposing players with finesse and proceeded to haul rear through several yards and into the end zone. It was one of my proudest moments as a mother.

I've been trying to figure out why I was so moved by Q's AMAZING touchdown. There's just something about watching your child run as fast as he can, straight into the arms of glory. I think I might know how Michael Phelps's mother felt at the Olympics :)

Where's Babe?

For some reason, the Vietnamese restaurant in Albuquerque on Central (part of Historic Route 66, for those of you who didn't realize Central Avenue's significance in the world) and Louisiana Avenue has a huge statue of Paul Bunyan on it's roof. I'm certain there is a very good explanation behind the statue's purpose and/or placement, but I'm just not sure how to find it.

It's Busted

As I have mentioned in a previous blog entry, I seek out any opportunity to use the word "busted". I have recently hit the mother load. My family has relocated to a new house in Albuquerque and in the one and a half weeks we've been here, there have been myriad appliances refusing to work the way we have paid them to. It's one thing when a free appliance quits performing, but when you pay good money for something and it's busted... it makes one feel hopeless. After all, if money won't make the world go 'round, what is the point of spending it?

I think I would have fallen to pieces over these busted items, had I not felt incredibly blessed to be where I am in the first place. My husband and I spent several years working towards this goal; home ownership in a place we want to call home. We loved New Jersey (the place we previously called home) because we had wonderful, beautiful human beings for friends there. We just didn't love the place enough to settle in for good. So, while we were waiting on our "final destination" we decidedly dug our heels in and made some serious sweat equity on a couple of fixer-uppers. All our toil and labor paid off in a big way, and allowed us to move into a home in which we are in love.

Our home is not everything our hearts may desire, but we weren't actually trying to have every desire fulfilled... what would we do with our weekends then? Our new home is in a place we love and has a big kitchen and that's enough for me. The fact that it's on a really quite street, has an extra room for guests and a garage you can actually fit a car into is pure bonus!

So, living in a house I love, in a place I love and I still having a huge chunk of my life left to enjoy it (we could assume, anyway) leaves me feeling blessed beyond expectation. So, so what if my dryer didn't work when it was delivered? And, so what if the glass plate for my microwave broke during installation rendering it almost unusable? Who cares that my cable guy screwed up my entertainment system when he hooked up the Hi-Def box? And, why should it really matter that our Internet is barely functional and our new computer spends most of it's time "thinking" instead of functioning? These are simply dips in the road. Oh, that reminds me that R had his bike stolen. Yeah, that one is a bummer.

Life cannot be all roses. Expecting all roses would make me far too optimistic, and I just can't stand for that. Lest we forget, my favorite word is "busted".

Leapin' Lizards!

I love Annie - the Musical. I also love that my kids love it, too. There is something pretty cool about watching your kids discover something you cherish from childhood. Modern technology provides my children with the opportunity to see the "classics" that I was able to see again and again growing up. My own personal classics would include, but are not limited to; The Three Amigos, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Gods Must Be Crazy (I and II), Footloose and, of course, Annie.

Lately, thanks to a temporary housing situation, we are watching a lot of movies. We are also swimming in the pool here at the apartments in which we're staying. Movies, swimming and the occasional meal. Swimming in the pool with my kids, reminds me of swimming when I was a kid. Some of my favorite memories are from hanging out at the pool my aunt took us to each summer when we visited her very fancy condo complex in California.

Yesterday at the pool, my two-year-old decided to remove his floaty and go "swimming". Despite the fact that his father was five feet from him and I was keeping an eye on things from across the pool, he made it down the stairs and was standing in three feet of water by the time we noticed him. The problem for D was that three feet of water hits him at about one inch from the top of his head. The top of D's head and his frantic waving hands caught R and my eyes before he got into too much trouble. D was just fine, but R and I were horrified that we would allow our two-year-old to get himself into such a precarious situation!

When I was young, I came pretty close to drowning - or at least I remember it that way. I got myself into water too deep before I could swim properly and was rescued by a kind stranger. My mother was busy swimming in kids (there were five of us) so we relied on the kindness of strangers from time to time. Thank goodness for kind strangers.

As I tired to fall asleep last night, I started to replay D's drama in my head and realized that I only have a limited amount of control over my children. This is a realization I come to over and over again... I am always able to eventually convince myself that I have complete control over my family's well being, then something happens that pushes reality into view. I must, like every parent, rely on the kindness of strangers, luck of the draw and God's will to keep my family afloat in the "pool of life".

As a parent, I get to witness my children's lives from such an excruciatingly close viewpoint. Each step and every fall is cataloged and inventoried ceaselessly. Am I a good mother? Are my children doing alright? Will my children resent my mistakes... repeat my mistakes... or overcome them?

I hope that my children will cherish the childhood experiences they remember in adulthood, and that they might want to share them with their children. Good or bad, experiences are what make up our perspectives on life. And while my children's experiences can't all be good, I hope that at least they will know that I was there, trying to help them stay afloat through the bad times - pushing them towards tomorrow... after all, the sun will come out tomorrow.

All Gone to Look for America

Last week, my family and I left New Jersey and took a five day journey across America. We landed in New Mexico a few days ago... it's great here, but I'm missing New Jersey. We have really wonderful friends in NJ, and I wish I could have brought them all with me (thanks to all whom helped our exit go smoothly).

We stayed our first night in Columbus, Ohio in a crappy little Motel 6 (never again, thank you). We then made it to Keokuk, Iowa; where we stayed for a couple of nights so we could see Nauvoo, Illinois. Next was Kansas City, Kansas (with a quick stop the next day in Independence, Missouri); Amarillo, Texas; and then Albuquerque, New Mexico. The journey was a memorable event - especially seeing all the flooding near the Mississippi River - and we are glad to have travelled it. We are also grateful to have arrived safely. Except for a few minor ailments (bug bites, sore parts and over-active bladders) the whole trip went very smoothly. My mother and our nephew came along and helped in a major way (big THANKS to them).

Our apartment here in New Mexico is small - 600 square feet small - and infested with cockroaches (true story). We are manically searching for a house, so we can feel good about our decision to move! In time, all will be good again.

All Gone to Look for America, part II

What Nana Taught Me

My grandmother used to say that getting old was “for the birds”. Nana (as we called her) died at eighty seven years old of a heart attack. Her exit was quick and relatively painless considering what many people go through. Nana took care of herself – she walked or golfed every day, drove her own car and cleaned her own house – as well as taking care of her younger sister and any neighbors in need. Her next door neighbor, Ed, left her his house when he died as a thank you – for years Nana would take him breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day of the week.

I have always considered my Nana to be a true example of what it means to age gracefully. Her example inspires me to stay active and reminds me of the importance of serving others in your community. Nana lived her long life with resolve to do things herself, so when her aging body began to set limitations on that resolve she felt frustrated. My heart would ache for her during the last few years as her treasured vitality began to wane.

One thing I never heard Nana complain about was wrinkles, though her appearance was always immaculately managed. She wanted to look her best, but she didn’t obsess over sagging skin or thinning hair.

Lately, it seems that growing older has become some kind of horrible epidemic that must be stopped. There are countless books, endless beauty products and various surgical procedures all promising to make us look younger… better.

I am only thirty yet, so I haven’t really experienced significant signs of aging myself. So on my thirtieth birthday, thinking that it was all down hill from here (physically speaking), I began to feel a little righteous anger… on behalf of Nana.

I’ve always believed in looking your best. What I don’t feel comfortable with, is the idea that a persons’ best is no longer good enough. Given that modern science has discovered a “cure” for just about every flaw a person may posses, there seems to be no reason we shouldn’t all look eternally twenty-five. It’s rare these days to see an actress over forty that doesn’t have unnaturally plump lips, especially taut facial skin or a strangely blank expression due to botox induced paralysis. Why must the standard of beauty be so unrealistic?

Perhaps I will change my tune in another twenty or thirty years, when the wrinkles and gray hair are staring back at me from the bathroom mirror. I really, really hope not. I don't want to feel ashamed of aging. I don't want anyone else to either. My Nana hated getting older because it set limits on what she could do - it took away a certain amount of freedom - but she never felt ashamed. Nana was proud of her years on this earth, and I am proud of them, too.