Good-night Miss Moto...

Miss Moto was a good friend. She was with me for over 2 years and she did her job well as my trusted cell phone. It was hard for me to believe that she was coming to the end of her time here on earth. But once the screen went blank and I couldn't see my address book or caller id window, I knew it was imminent. It was just a matter of time.

Here she is at her final memorial today:


Notice the signs of her illness on her CID window? :::sigh:::

And here she is in open position... {{ blank screen, sniff }}


She is such a goner. I was bummed so bad...

But alas, a FedEx package arrived at my door today...


... hmmmmm ...

Could it be? A NEW COMPANION FOR ME?


Heeeelllllo, Miss Sami!

I'm hoping that this relationship will be as long and trusted as with Miss Moto.

What a beauty!

(now I'm off to fill up my address book!)

YOU CAN DO IT! (the merit badge handbook for grown-up girls)

This is my newest-found reading material and I'm completely taken by this book! It follows the Girl Scouts "recipe" for earning badges as you learn new things and try something you've always wanted to do. Except it's for "grown-up" girls like me who need a little support and guidance to get us to do new things! After all, don't most of us forget about all the things we used to dream of doing once we have families to take care of?

From the very beginning, it's so inspiring:

"Anytime you want you can leave behind the world as you know it and enter the world as you dream it..."

"The universe moves in mysterious ways when you truly commit to finding and following your bliss..."

This book is really making me think of things I haven't thought about in YEARS. It's gently pushing me to go there again, to dream for myself. I'm loving it. My first assignment is to write down all my dreams. The dream-jogging questions I have to ask myself are something like this:

1. What childhood pursuits or pastimes would you like to pick up again? {hmmm...}

2. What would you do if you won the lottery, and money were no object? {oooooh, I'm gonna like this one...}

3. What would your perfect day contain from sunup to sundown? {I'm thinking sandy beaches, children staying at home with the Nana, margaritas, shopping, massage, etc...}

and so on...

I'm thinking this would also make one heck of a journal/scrapbook... Yeah...

Belated Birthday Photos

What... not a single blog entry for October yet? That's a shame, as this may be my favorite month of the year. {{ Note to self: I must make a point of documenting how I spend this month... }}

Unfortunately, I have to back-track back into September. I don't know how it happened or why, but I totally forgot to post a picture of my daughter, Kimberley, on her 15th birthday! I know, BAD MOM! I think it just slipped my mind. I've been meaning to do it, so here she is:




She's a little cutie, isn't she? She's a good kid, too. She's got a temper, that's for sure, but a very good heart. I can't really believe she's 15 now because she was our baby for so long. She was 12 years old by the time the triplets came bursting into our lives. Poor kid, she had it made back then... Sometimes I wonder if this all has been too much for her because since the little ones arrived, she's kinda detached herself from her dad and I. I don't know, it could be the age, or the circumstances. I guess it's hard to go to being the middle child after being the baby for so long...

I look forward to when I can devote a lot of my time and attention to Kim. This year it's nuts with my husband being deployed and also being my oldest, Julia's, senior year in high school. I think Kim is just going to have to work with us this year. But once her sister is in college, I really want to focus my energy on Kim. Hey, I've only got a limited time with these kids, I've got to make the time count. Before I know it, they'll be grown adults and it will be too late!

Here are a couple more shots of the day, which by the way, was September 15:



Kaia with the plastic cake cover on her head...


... and Kim's mini-birthday cake and flowers from a friend ...

triplets + church = STRESS!

Truth be told, I haven't been to church much since my triplets were born... Everyone who knows me knows how much I love my Catholic faith, how much it means to me to keep God first in my life, but circumstances have really changed since the triplets were born over 2 years ago. Let's just say that my parish priest and I are not on a first-name basis; and that's just WRONG.

I guess the move to Southern California from Hawaii has something to do with it as well... I mean, moving to a new town, starting over with a new parish, etc... And then there are the TRIPLETS. Honestly, we have tried a few times to take them to mass with us since they've been born, and most times it has been almost disastrous. I mean, it's amazing how quiet and content they can be when they are at home; but step into a church for prayer and reflection... I believe that they think it's the perfect time to scream and fight and cry and run, etc... And so it went at mass yesterday morning...

{{{ sigh }}}

But, I will try again next Sunday. And for a few more Sundays after that. I'm determined to help them learn how to behave in church. God please give me strength.

Fall is Here!

Have I ever mentioned how very much I love the autumn season? Well, in a nutshell, it is my very favorite season! I love how the oranges and deep yellows and browns appear everywhere, I love the cooler and crisp air that surrounds us, I love the clothes that we are able to wear on account of the milder weather (although I have been known to wear my rubbah slippahs year-round), I love the apple season, and of course, my two favorite holidays are Halloween and Thanksgiving!

This morning's news report says that Fall will arrive at appoximately 3:30 here on the West Coast! I feel like I should celebrate! It's been a terribly hot summer here in Southern California, so I welcome the beautiful Fall weather with open arms! WELCOME! WELCOME!

I found some cute wallpaper to change my desktop on my computer... Don't these images make you feel like fall is really here?






HAPPY FALL!

I'm Back!

Man, oh man... September has been the month of illnesses within our household. First terribly bad colds, then the stomach flu... ACK! But alas, we are all better now. Thank goodness!

Today was a good day. First off, I heard from my husband. He's currently in Greece and he called us on the phone today. It was such a relief. I just miss him so much. And I have 4 more months to go before he gets back. How am I going to do this?

Well, the good thing is he is safe and sound. That's what's most important. I don't know when I'll hear from him again and that really bums me out. There's a good chance that it will be a significant amount of time before he's close to a phone again. ::: ugh :::

On another note, I'm feeling really good today. I'm so happy to have beat the various illnesses that were really getting me down. I'm ready for some fun. As luck would have it, tomorrow (Tuesday) night is Bunko night for the Mothers of Multiples group I belong to. Perfect. I need to have some fun and get some time out of the house by myself. I anticipate that tomorrow will be another good day...

SICK

OMG, has it been TWO FULL WEEKS that I've been sick? Unbelieveable. This cold (which I am just now getting over) thoroughly kicked my a*s. Whoa. And don'tcha just hate being sick with a terrible cold when the weather is warm and sunny outside? That's the worst!

Well, to recap where I've been and a little of what I've done while I've been MIA here in blogland, here are some tidbits. On the last weekend of August, my little sis drove all the way down to Southern CA to see me and hang out with my family! It was kewl. We made cards, spent some time at David's Bridal (she's getting married in early 2006), stayed up late, etc... I really enjoyed having her here. Here are some shots of our fun at the bridal shop...


Kim trying on a gown...


Julia & Kaia in the shoe dept...


Trying to keep busy...


Marisa isn't having much fun...

I have more stuff to share, but I'm short on time since this is the triplets' naptime, and my once chance to do all the important stuff I've been putting off until they fell asleep! I'll be back soon!