Category: general

Hey! We have a house! Well, a home really. And it feels GREAT! I haven’t seen all my stuff in the same place for about 3 years. And oh, have I got stuff. Soon on the agenda: big yard sale and a huge deposit at Goodwill.

I’m so tired and my body aches. Joe is feeling pretty much the same as I am. I guess that’s par for the course, though. And about a week from now, everything will be in its place and there will be a place for every thing. Even if its in someone else’s house….

Miss my kids enormously. I can’t even express how much. I hope to have them over this coming up weekend.

I love Joe.

to San Diego Blog. You can read it here: http://www.sandiegoblog.com/ .

This has practically turned into a weekly thing. It will get easier to keep you all up to date when I get my own pc back after we move in the next few weeks.

So.

All my stuff is in storage.
I’m camping out at Joe’s apartment until our house is ready for us to invade.
I DO NOT see my kids enough right now.
That is very hard and I’ve been having sudden crying outbursts.
It has been HOT here.
Margot gave me tons of art stuff. It felt like Christmas.
I switched my email over to my Lamphost hosted web site. They are the best ever.

A few weeks/months ago, Adam Gnade from Fahrenheit contacted me about writing a column for them. I pitched him one. He said it was great. Then he asked me if I would wait on that and do reviews for him for now. I said sure. Unfortunately, there is some kind of drama going on over there and I have to put on my patient hat. The problem is, I have this great idea for the column and I want to do it NOW! Good luck, Adam, and hurry up!

I also have a new story idea.

My full time gig starts next Monday.
I love my job.

quick recap for the kids:
have a great time on vaca, guys. i’m so glad i got to see you last weekend for a bit. when you get back, you can come and see the new place.
hastalabistro, baby.
XOXOXOX
mom

A few weeks ago Joe got me a present: Autobiography of a Fat Bride by Laurie Notaro. I loved her first book Idiot Girls and this one is just as funny. I’ve been stressed the past few weeks and this book was a great break from all of it. Take the Test!

My brother-in-law, Rick Gate has his own journal. He’s an artist that shows in LA among other places. His family runs a resort in Canada called Buena Vista Resort. Been there once. When I was 12, I think. It was great. The blueberries were bigger than any I’d seen in my entire life. So were the mosquitos.

quick recap for the kids:
I LOVE YOU.
‘Nuff said.

Training at work to figure out what I’m supposed to be doing there starting August 15th.
Packing boxes, renting trucks and finding storage.
Making up with friends after disagreements.
Doing various photo shoots.
Missing my kids.
A lot.

That’s pretty much it.
Except it feels a lot busier that it looks here.

Look at houses to rent.
check
Take photos of garbage.
check
Go to beach and burn like toast but redder.
check
Buy a ridiculously great shock pen at Comic-con.
check
Attend WM Anti-Social.
check
Do laundry.
…….oops.
Have a nice dinner with Joe’s family.
check
Have as much fun as kids under 12 watching people get zapped with afore mentioned pen.
check check check

And I forgot to mention that the artist profile interview Writers Monthly did on me is up this month.

quick recap for the kids:
since i’m on the same maturity level when it comes to gags, i know you’re going to love this stupid pen, i miss you SO much, it stinks to run out of clean underwear and have to go to the 24 hour drugstore to pick some up late at night….keep up on the laundry skills.
much love, mom

who is possibly the god of guitar but not the evil lord of the underworld, although if you drop one vowel from his name, it does resemble just such a person.

His music is inspiring. His concert was fantastic. I don’t know how his fingers stay attached to his hand, they fly so fast. And he mixes in some personal messages of Peace and Hope that I found quite nice.

I met Joe’s parents. They are very nice people. They took us to the concert. We had dinner first at a Mexican food place not too far from the Alcohol Funded Amphitheater. I talked to his dad about religion and snowboarding, (Utah has the best snow) and his mom and I talked about books and a little about Virginia, (I almost know where it is on the map.) I had a great time last night and the first meeting pressure is finally over. *phew*

Also yesterday, a meeting with the Starving Artists Group. Wardell Brown has found us a regular meeting place and hooked me up with a day pass for the Comic-Con.

quick recap for the kids:
you need to go to a santana concert with me sometime…it’s even better than his cd’s. miss you and hopefully see you soon.
much love,
mom

I guess I should say I’m officially rested and ready to get back to work but I’m not. I mean, I already got back to work Thursday and Friday, but I still feel kinda….blah. Maybe it’s the temperature change. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep while driving back at night. Although, since I slept most of Thursday and all of Wednesday I can’t really use that one.

Good news at GTI. I’m getting a promotion. It will just about double my income and comes with all medical benefits. God is really helping me out lately. I’m so thankful. And the loans are working out, too. I’ve got more business than I know what to do with. And it’s SO great.

Looking for a new place to hang my hats, plug in my pc and charge my digi cam. Mickele and I have been looking at places this weekend. So far we’ve found about 4 we really like. Keep your fingers crossed for us.

I’m packing and working and trying to work on myself from the inside out. That’s enough for one weekend.

Love the breeze and smell of southern Cali. I missed it while in Utah.

The kids and I had an amazing time. It was such a neat thing to have them for almost 2 whole weeks in a row. I got to even break up a few fights. I miss all the little things about being a full time mom.

My family was excited to see them. It had been about 2 years since the last time they were together. They have grown quite a bit in that time. We did fun things with every family. While visiting my parents who are on a mission for the LDS church, we got to see where they work at the Family History Center by Temple Square in SLC. It was fun to see my parents in the environment where they seem to flourish. I’m so happy for them.

quick recap for the kids:
i can’t wait for next summer so we can do this again! the scrapbook awaits all your last comments for this trip and once i get all the photos printed out, we can complete it. i need your help to do all that. thanx for helping me shut the back that one last time with your magic butt, dev. it has’t closed since then and i’m frankly a little tired of being ‘that car with the bungee cords keeping the trunk shut’ and i rate it a 10 for the difficulty of the stunts….

Joe is helping me add photos.
I’m not able to get into my gallery site but he’s uploading them for me.
Thanx Joe.

Look here to see my sister and her family, my friend Sarah that I haven’t seen for 7 years since I lived in Germany, the photo Celia took of me and the kidsright before the fireworks started on the 4th and the sunset I took on my long distance date with Joe the other night.

Tomorrow morning, off to see my parents in SLC and on Monday, my sister Laurel’s home in Hurricane.

lp

The person that took the dog returned him and collected the reward. The kids are walking around saying, ‘That lady gypped us! But at least we got Marky back.’ What lesson is supposed to be learned here? Or maybe it’s just one of those things that just are. Know what I mean? Sometimes you can’t find a cliche to fit the moment. Luke warm verbiage is still fresh on my mind from Masked the other night. I don’t think i’ve ever heard so many pat little sentences in one place.

Cut off your nose to spite your face. Success is a journey not a destination. He was on that like a pack of dogs on a three-legged cat. Running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off. Every cloud has a silver lining. Sour grapes. Poorer than a pickpocket in a nudist colony. Bank it. Tastes like chicken. There’s no free lunch. Put your foot down. Scarce as hen’s teeth. Not enough room to swing a cat. One french fry short of a happy meal. Yada, yada, yada.

Let it go, Leah. Let it go…..

This past weekend was filled with cold showers, too many used towels piled on the floor, squished people in the car, a little fighting and teasing(ok…a lot of that), some good food, some great times hanging out and an all around wonderful 2 days.

Lots going on. Too busy to breathe let alone blog effectively. But it’s 97% all good stuff. And I promise to catch you all up later.

Last night I saw Spellbound. I loved it. Really.
Have a job interview tomorrow for a steady part time job at Gordon Training. I need it. Really.
Have a lead on a place to live. I really need that, too.
Still riding around on the donut. Getting a new tire soon.
Planning the family vaca to Utah at the end of the month.
Read a really funny blog written by Matthew Baldwin called the Defective Yeti. I laughed and laughed and lau…..be sure to check out his favorite posts.
Took a photo of a bird in a stoplight.
Spending lots of time with Joe. I like him.
Working on an article for the Union Tribune.
Passed over an opportunity to try to be a full time Art Director at North.
Told them I would temp for them. We’ll see.
I’d rather be their photographer.
Reading a book called The Tipping Point recommended to me by Greg DeBerry.It’s fascinating to learn more about human behavior.

quick recap for the kids:
who loves you? yo’ mamma!