Last day of the year...

It's almost time to ring in the new year, reflect on the past year and make resolutions for the year to come. Here goes...

When all is said and done, 2012 could have been worse. It wasn't my favorite year, but I did learn some very important lessons. I am going to try to be mindful about all the things I learned and work them into my resolutions. I have a wonderful, supportive and loving family and great friends - I will never take that for granted. I know that it's very important for me to take better care of myself since I didn't do such a great job of that in 2012. 2013 is a chance for a fresh start, though.

For 2013, I resolve to...
1. Exercise more regularly (I signed up for a yoga class - starts on Jan 10th!)
2. Eat more healthy meals. No, really, I will.
3. Do one thing every day that I SHOULD do.
4. Do one thing every day that I WANT to do.
5. Communicate with family & friends more frequently.
6. Read more.
7. Write more.
8. Find a job.
9. Get a dog.

Now #9 isn't a slam dunk because I have to convince Ron that I really need to have a dog. Not sure how I will accomplish that but I'm working on it. Any ideas?

Anyway, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share these resolutions with you. Like I said, 2012 could have been much worse!

Happy 2013!

Les Miserables

Before I tell you what I thought of this movie, I have to be upfront and tell you that this is one of my very favorite musicals of all time. Ron and I saw the Broadway production 3 different times. I am not a professional critic; I only have an opinion. So, please take my review for what it's worth - I am a fan. I woke up this morning with the soundtrack from the movie running through my head!

Having said that, I will have to say that I didn't think the movie was perfect. The director chose to shoot many of the solo scenes in extreme close ups. Ron liked it but it was distracting for me. It was like having my personal space encroached upon. There were also a couple of abrupt transitions between scenes that left us a bit perplexed, but we got over it pretty quickly.

Let's talk about the singing abilities of these mostly well-known actors. Hugh Jackman was superb as Jean Valjean. The fact that he was singing live rather than to playback made each scene more emotional and heartfelt. His transformation from the lowly, downtrodden prisoner 24601 into a respected businessman and loving father was no less than amazing. Anne Hathaway as Fantine broke my heart as she sang "I Dreamed a Dream." It's unfortunate that she didn't have more scenes.

I'm not sure why Russell Crowe has gotten a bad rap for his portrayal of Javert. He CAN sing. Truthfully, the Javert character is my least favorite in the show, but obviously necessary. Maybe his performance of Javert's final song didn't pack enough punch, but I thought he did respectably well. The real surprise for me was Eddie Redmayne as Marius. His renditions of "A Little Fall of Rain" with Eponine and "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" absolutely brought me to tears. His voice is beautiful. Samantha Barks as Eponine was wonderful and Ron was especially touched by her performance of "On  My Own."

Young Cosette is played by Isabelle Allen who very sweetly sings "Castle on a Cloud." Amanda Seyfried is Cosette all grown up. Although her voice did blend well with Marius, I found her to be a little shrill at times; those are difficult songs to sing. Sascha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were the Thenardiers. Ron was unhappy with the way Cohen didn't appear to inhabit the character in the spirit that it was written. Madame Thenardier was just fine.

There is a wonderful surprise in the beginning of the movie and lovers of the Broadway show will recognize Colm Wilkinson (who originated the role of Valjean) as the priest. His presence onscreen gave me the sense that he had given Hugh Jackman his blessing, but also demonstrated why he could not have reprised his original role for the film and why stage acting and film acting are two different art forms. Otherwise, each scene was meticulous in detail and texture.

It's an emotionally moving and sad story with beautiful memorable melodies. We loved it and haven't been able to stop talking about it since last night. If you are a fan of the musical, I think you will enjoy the movie. We just might go see it again this weekend.

Peace

Lying awake in bed early this morning and I haven't been able to stop thinking about the babies that were lost yesterday in the horrific shooting in Connecticut. I can't begin to imagine the pain and anguish those poor parents and families are experiencing. It's too much and too awful to comprehend.

What is the world coming to? There have been 16 mass shootings in the US this year leaving the loved ones of 88 people grieving. Why do these tragedies continue to occur, but more importantly, what can we do to make them stop? We can't let things like this continue to happen.

It's all just too horrible to bear - my heart is breaking for for the people in Connecticut, but for the rest of us as well. We live in a much scarier world than we used to - how sad to live in a time that schools now have drills and lock down procedures. Be sure to hug your kids a little tighter today. They will need your reassurance. As for me, I have decided to leave my peace sign lit continuously until someone tells me what else I can do. My wish for all of us is simple...peace...

Santa Baby

Mandi and Bryce showed up at the house last night with a bag full of red and white fabric and grand ideas about making Santa outfits for San Francisco SantaCon 2012. In case you've never heard of it - here is a link that will tell you all about SantaCon...

http://santacon.info/About.html

It didn't take long for me to figure out that I would be the one making the costumes - partly because I'm a little bit of a control freak and wouldn't allow them to touch my sewing machine! Besides that, they didn't have a pattern or a real idea of how to make what they wanted. I spent the better part of the day measuring, cutting and sewing. Here are a couple pictures of the finished products...

Aren't they just adorable?!

I had a lot of fun making their outfits. It took me back to when the kids were little and I made all their Halloween costumes. I'm very pleased with the way their outfits turned out - Mandi and Bryce seemed pretty excited about them as well. The best part of the day was when Mandi made tortilla soup for dinner while I was sewing - it was delicious! All in all, I think it was a pretty good trade!

Graffiti or Art?

The other day Ron and I found ourselves wandering around the Haight Ashbury area of San Francisco. I knew we were going to be seeing some street art so I went prepared with my camera. What follows are a very few photos of some paintings we ran across...

not sure if this is Poseidon or some other watery king but it's a cool painting

lots of attention to detail - the eyes are amazing

pretty scary!

yes - those are legs coming out of that window - above a costume shop

this artist even signed this piece. the picture doesn't do the colors justice.

I ran out of time and these were all I had time to photograph. I'm determined to keep my camera with me throughout the holidays and especially when I go back to San Fran.

So what do you think? Graffiti or art?

Christmas Crunch

19 days until Christmas --- YIKES!!! How did it get here so fast? The elves at Santa's workshop are putting in overtime to get things made in time for Christmas. Thank goodness I have a designated sewing room now!

This holiday is different for me this year. I am just so grateful to be around this Christmas. In the spirit of appreciating the holiday, I am going to do my best not to get stressed about things that don't really matter --- I am going to focus instead on my fantastic family. All 3 of my daughters will be here with their significant others. I can't wait! We will have some wonderful meals, have game nights and go to the movies...More than anything, though, I just want to look at them and put my arms around them!

FYI - I won't be sending out my annual Christmas letter until AFTER Christmas this year since jb and Causten won't  be here until the 24th and you know how I love to take pictures of the entire family together! Be on the lookout for a letter around New Year's...unless, of course, the world does end according to the Mayan calendar!

Rise of the Guardians

I actually saw this movie with my sister on Thanksgiving Day...I have been a little slow about letting you know how much I loved this movie. I have read all the books that are the basis of this story and have thoroughly enjoyed them. This story is a wonderful new twist on Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman and Jack Frost and how children's belief in them give them their strength and magical powers.

The vocal talents behind this animated film were Alec Baldwin as Santa, Hugh Jackman as Easter Bunny, Isla Fisher as Tooth Fairy, Chris Pine as Jack Frost and Jude Law as Pitch Black. They were all wonderful and gave the movie great energy. This is a Dreamworks film  and the animation is good but definitely not as crisp as a Pixar movie. I am very partial to Pixar (the Toy Story movies, in particular). However, this is a good animated movie - great for the holidays and a good adaptation from the books.

I had hoped to take Viliamu to see it this last weekend but he was not interested in any way...maybe next time...

Just for Fun

I am sharing this because it just makes me laugh and who doesn't need a good laugh?!

http://host-d.oddcast.com/elfyourself2012/?mId=44791688.2 

Isn't that hysterical?

Go ahead...ELF YOURSELF! Then send it to me!

Nostalgia - for Ginger, Stef and Tim

Although I have a laundry list of things to do to get ready for the arrival of my sister and her family today and for Thanksgiving in general, I thought I'd share some pictures that I stumbled upon recently. They made me smile.

This was the summer of 1970 - I was 9 and Ginger was 6. I believe this was a beach in
San Clemente, California. It was my first time to be on a beach and to see the ocean.

Here I am feeding and falling in love with my brand new baby sister, Stef. This might have
 been the moment that I decided that I wanted nothing more than to be a mama.

And here is the moment that I realized that my little brother wasn't so little anymore, Tim was about 13 here - as you can see, he is taller than me in this picture - I was wearing 3 inch heels! I also like this picture because we were young and beautiful! 

So these photos don't directly relate to Thanksgiving...except to say that I am very thankful for all three of my siblings. The four of us couldn't be more different from each other, but each one of them in their own way has taught me valuable life lessons. I am proud to be their big sister. Ginger, Stef and Tim - I don't say it often enough, but I hope you know that I love you all!

Christmas Tree Therapy

The quality of these photos is not great. Most of these pictures were taken with my phone...however, in the interest of letting you know what I've been up to since last weekend, I thought I'd go ahead and post these.  Better photos promised soon.

The calm before the storm! Despite thinning out my decorations earlier this year, I still have 10 storage containers
dedicated to Christmas decorations. I promise not to buy ANY new decorations this year...really...I promise...

8 ft. tall - decorated with burgundy roses, poinsettias, berry branches, sugared apples, pears & pomegranates. This is a
new tree and is in the living room. It is much better than it looks in this photo - I will definitely get a better photo of this tree.

This 2 ft. tree sits on the piano. It has a special place in my heart because Ron bought it at a
Duane Read for me on Christmas Eve when we spent the holiday in New York City in 2003.     

4 ft. tree decorated with cream colored roses and golden glittery fruit.
Living room.

3 ft. - this is the only tree in my house with multi-colored lights this year. It's the only whimsical tree - decorated with  candy cane  bows, elves and reindeer peeking through the branches. It plays a variety of Christmas carols, too. This tree is in the family room.

4 ft. - decorated in rust colors with glittery balls, roses  and ribbons.
This tree is in #1 guestroom. I will try to  get a better picture of this tree.

6 ft. white tree decorated with silver & white snowflakes, balls, and butterflies. This tree is in the dining room.

There are two more trees to photograph, but they need a little tweaking before they are ready to be made public. Decorating Christmas trees is one of my true joys - too bad I can't make a year 'round career of it! Who needs therapy when I can decorate trees?!

Cloud Atlas

About 2 years ago, I tried to read this book. Couldn't do it. Just wasn't able to get into it. It was disappointing to me because it was a book that Beckie had chosen for her book club. I found out later that she didn't finish reading the book either.

Flash forward 2 years and the trailers for the movie Cloud Atlas were released making the movie look very interesting. Then factor in Tom Hanks (my favorite actor) and I had to see it. We knew going in that it was going to be a long movie (2 hours and 52 minutes) so we settled in to watch it last Friday.

It's very hard to describe this movie. Let me start by telling you that Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Grant, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Doona Bae, and Susan Sarandon each portray more than one character in this movie. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry each play at least 6 different characters in different time periods. Their versatility is amazing. The movie bounces around to these different time periods so it's important to pay close attention throughout the entire film. The acting is amazing here. Each story line is compelling and serious, but there is some comic relief as well.

The tag line for this film is "Everything is connected." The film demonstrates that the same souls find each together in one lifetime after another. It is an interesting take on karma and reincarnation. So, if you are up to watching a long movie, go see Cloud Atlas. Just be sure to make a pit stop before you sit down in the theater.

Busy Hands

I have been a little blue lately. Physically I am doing better every day. My strength and stamina continue to improve and I am actively exercising and going to physical therapy. Even so, I feel pretty isolated during the week. I am still prohibited from driving until the end of the year, so it really limits me.

Now that the holidays are rolling in, I keep thinking about what I have done in years past...more times than not I think about the place I used to work and the people there. I guess I am still coming to terms with being unemployed. Recently, I talked to a friend about how I was feeling. She was very supportive and suggested that I get back to doing some sewing or other crafty things...so I did! The picture above is the table runner I made. This reminded me how much I enjoy making things and how satisfying it is to finish a project. Thanks for reminding me, Eileen!

I am also starting to slowly put up Christmas decorations. I admit it's a little early, but putting up my Christmas trees has always been very therapeutic for me. I won't have time to be blue....I'm gonna deck the halls!

What were we thinking?

Oh, the shame!

This past week I had the opportunity to reminisce with both Beckie and Mandi about their childhood. One of the issues that came up was all the terrible food I fed them while they were growing up. I am fairly certain that we visited McDonald's at least once a week for Chicken McNugget Happy Meals...yikes! In our defense, we didn't realize how unhealthy fast food was - people didn't talk about it back then. At the time I never thought about the nutritional value of a happy meal. I was just relieved that there was something the girls would eat because they were incredibly finicky eaters.

We also talked about how Ron would go out on Sunday morning to get a newspaper and a box of donuts - that was our Sunday morning ritual. When the girls were in school, I stocked the freezer with Hot Pockets (ham and cheese or pepperoni) and Totino's French Bread Pizzas. In the pantry there was an assortment of Chef Boyardee goodies like Beefaroni and Ravioli. Geez...no wonder Mandi is a vegetarian and Beckie is a vegan! I did keep a lot of fresh fruit in the house, but really, what was I thinking?

Fortunately, all three girls survived their childhood and learned how to eat healthy without any help from me. Now they are relentless about trying to get us to eat better. We really are trying. We are doing better with healthier food choices much of the time, but I'd be lying if I said we had sworn off pizza or burgers forever. It's all about moderation, right?

Oh, the shame!

We'll do better - I promise!

Book Three: Toothiana

I finished Toothiana: Queen of the Tooth Fairy Armies a couple weeks ago but just hadn't gotten around to writing about it until now. This is the third book in The Guardians series by William Joyce. This time around he gives us the origins of the tooth fairy, Queen Toothiana. She joins forces Nicholas St. North and E. Aster Bunnymund in their fight against Pitch, the Nightmare King.

I can't help but compare these books to the Harry Potter series. Of course, if forced to choose, I would have to say that I prefer the Harry Potter books because J. K. Rowling created a totally new fantastic world of witches, wizards and muggles. However, it is probably much more difficult to create stories around the well-loved and storied characters of  Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Joyce also introduces us to the Man in the Moon, Mother Nature and hints at the origins of Jack Frost and Mother Goose.

Right about the same time that Toothiana came out, The Sandman was also released. This a BEAUTIFUL picture book for a little younger audience. This is the story of Sanderson Mansnoozie and how he became "His Nocturnal Magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Sandman the First, Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams." His magical power is sending Dreamsand to sleeping children to give them lovely dreams to counteract the evil efforts of Pitch, the Nightmare King.

I am a very big fan of William Joyce and his books. He's a wonderful illustrator and storyteller. The movie Rise of the Guardians is due in theaters the day before Thanksgiving this year. I was relieved to find out that Mr. Joyce co-wrote the screenplay as well as co-produced this movie. When an author is involved with the making of a movie based on his book, I think the movie is more faithful to the story. I can't wait to see it!

Pitch Perfect

Last night we had the choice to see Cloud Atlas, Argo or Pitch Perfect. I was interested in all of them, but Cloud Atlas is a 3 hour movie (I was already yawning and never would have made it through a movie that long); Argo was listed at 2 hours and 15 minutes (still too long); Pitch Perfect was 1 hour and 52 minutes - the WINNER!

What a fun movie! It's about college acapella singing group competitions. The story revolves around a freshman girl who is reluctant to join the Barton Bellas, but eventually comes to love being in the group. She also has a bit of a love story with one of the male singers from the rival singing group - the Treble Makers. Truthfully, the plot is a little thin. For me it was all about the performances and the competitons. The filmmakers presented this movie in a tongue-in-cheek manner - it was nothing to be taken too seriously. If you like the TV show Glee, you will love this movie.

Ron and I enjoyed the movie so much that we have been talking about seeing it a second time just to see the musical performances again. Yes, we are those music nerds, but that shouldn't keep you from going to see the movie. It really was FUN! I might have called it a guilty pleasure, but I'm not at all embarrassed or guilty about recommending this movie. Go see it!

the perks of being a wallflower

 

I wish I had read the book first, but I had only made it about 20 pages in when Ron asked me if I wanted to see a movie and what movie would I like to see? I had heard that this movie was "The Breakfast Club " of this generation and had seen the trailers for it. I even got a recommendation from jb to go see it. It looked like a movie that I would enjoy, so two weekends ago, we went to see it. I wanted to finish reading the book before I wrote about it, though. I just finished the book this afternoon.

The story is told by Charlie, a very sensitive and fragile 15 year old boy who dreads going to high school. It is a very touching story about a boy who doesn't understand himself or his family, but finally feels some sense of belonging and normalcy when he is befriended by the "Wallflowers." The young actors in this film are wonderful. Logan Lerman as Charlie, Emma Watson as Sam and Ezra Miller as Patrick acted their characters so convincingly that it made me grateful that I grew up back in the old days before being a teenager was too complicated. The story is set in 1992 and the movie was produced and directed by the author of the book. I'm sure it made a huge difference to have Stephen Chbosky write the screenplay as well.

This type of movie is not for everyone, but I loved it. It was sweet and sad, but did have a happy-ish ending. I found myself really hoping that Charlie would be okay during his next school year. The book is a quick read (it would have been quicker for me if I hadn't been so distracted), and I enjoyed it almost as much as the movie.

The bottom line - I give the book and the movie 2 thumbs up and 4 stars!

"Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack..."

Ron and I have settled in for the evening so that we can watch GAME 4 of the World Series. I have never really considered myself a baseball fan...until now! I have been glued to the TV since the playoffs began and have been watching nervously ever since. I used to tell people that I enjoyed going to baseball games but absolutely not watching them on TV. How could I be so silly?

Ron has had tickets to a couple of Giants games during this season, but  I didn't go with him. The first time I wasn't interested in going and the second time I had just gotten out of the hospital. So Mandi got to stand in for me. I wish now that I had gone, but they had a great time.

It's the bottom of the 2nd inning and I really need to focus my attention on the game now. Who would have thought I could get so caught up in the excitement of baseball and the World Series?! But before I sign off, I will leave you with a couple more pictures from another Giants' game a few years back...

 Oh and btw,

GO GIANTS!!!

HMB Pumpkin Festival 2012

Ron and I went to Half Moon Bay last weekend so I'm a little late with this entry. To hurry things along, I will tell this story mostly in pictures. Going to the Pumpkin Festival is an annual tradition for us. It was really great to be able to go and experience it again this year.

It was a beautiful sunny day.

Ron indulged me with 2 new glass pumpkins!

We both wore hats to keep the sun off of our baldness!

Not sure what this pumpkin was made of but I want one!

Exceptional carving by Farmer Mike

Ron had to do all the heavy lifting

My glass pumpkin collection 

I'm almost ready for Halloween now!

The Kindness of Strangers

Health Status Update:

I feel good! 

I am no longer using any assistive devices at home (although I did use a cane while we were at the pumpkin festival last weekend). I am now able to do household chores and other normal things. Strength and stamina are still an issue for me, but I am exercising and getting better all the time. Yesterday I had an appointment with one of the doctors that took care of me when I was at UCSF Medical Center. The last time she saw me I was flat on my back and now she got to see what I look like when vertical! She seemed genuinely happy to see how much progress I have made.

My family and friends have been so wonderfully supportive during this difficult time. It's because of them that I have had the strength to face the hard work of recovery. It's no surprise that they love and support me. What has surprised me is the kindness of absolute strangers. People have gone out of their way to hold doors open for me when they see me with my walker or cane. Once when shopping for a pair of dressy flat shoes, I became tired and had to sit down. While Ron was searching for options for me, another customer came over to me and asked if she could help me find some shoes. As I have started going back out into the world, I have really noticed how nice people can be. I promise to pay this kindness forward.

I'm thinking that I could start by volunteering somewhere for a few hours a week. Any suggestions?

The Passage

I just finished reading this book on my Kindle. It was recommended to me by my cousin Danny and I am so grateful. I downloaded the book without knowing what it was about and just trusting Danny's judgement. It turned out to be just the kind of book I love to read. If you look on the internet to see what genre of literature it is, The Passage is listed as follows: Dystopia, Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Epic Science Fiction and Fantasy, Science Fiction, Utopian and dystopian fiction, Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, Vampire fiction, New York Times Best Seller list. In some ways you could compare this book to The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton or The Stand  (one of my all time favorites) by Stephen King. 

The Passage tells the story of the origin and outbreak of a deadly government engineered virus that changes the world forever. The book follows a colony of survivors 100 years A.V. (After Virus) in their determination and struggle to survive. The author explores how little society values the lives of homeless, disenfranchised people and the morality of drug testing on these "throw away" human test subjects. There is also an interesting spiritual aspect to the story.  

The characters that Justin Cronin created in this book are complex and the relationships between them had me hooked from the beginning. When I pick up a new book, it has to grab me in the first couple pages otherwise I lose interest. That was not a problem here. The only problem I see is that The Passage is listed as the first book of a trilogy...the second book, The Twelve, is scheduled to be released next week on October 16th. You can bet that I will be downloading it ASAP. The problem? There were 2 years between the publishing of the first two books...does this mean that I will have to wait until 2014 to see how it all turns out? I guess it will give me something to look forward to, huh?

I wonder how long it will take for this book to be made into a movie...

Solidarity

When I was a little girl growing up in El Paso, hardly a week went by that I didn't spend time with my Gonzalez cousins. Sometimes they would come over and spend the night at my house, but it was so much more fun when my sister Ginger and I spent the weekend at their house. The happiest and best times of my childhood were the weekends I spent with Leslie, Leah, Lisa, Lori and Lynne under the watchful and loving eyes of their mom, my Aunti Frankie.

The hardest thing about moving away from El Paso when I was 11 years old was leaving my cousins. The best summer I ever had was when Ginger, Stef and I flew by ourselves from Indiana back to Texas to spend 6 weeks with my cousins. These girls were more than cousins to me - they were best friends and sisters. We have remained close over the years and eventually I moved back to El Paso after Ron and I got married and graduated from college.

During the 10 years that I lived in El Paso as an adult, my cousins and I shared many important events in our lives including weddings and the births of our children. Once again, we went to Aunti Frankie and Uncle Roger's house on the weekends where everyone would gather for a big meal and family fun. A new job for Ron took us to Arizona in 1994, but we went to back to Texas often to visit. At the end of 2000, we moved to California. Even though the Beeson Family kept moving west, my cousins have remained very important to me and my family.

It shouldn't have been such a surprise to me to see what 3 of these Gonzalez Girls did to show me their love and support after my recent health crisis. Ron and I flew to Texas this past weekend to have our eyes checked and to visit with the family. On  Friday night, Leah, Lisa and Lynne showed up sporting SHORT haircuts and each of them had a different color in their hair...

My beautiful cousins R to L - Lynne, Leah and Lisa

I feel incredibly loved and supported and will never forget this amazing gesture of strength and solidarity. I love you, too, Cousins!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Big day ahead...Ron and I are flying to El Paso, Texas today for a quick visit! We are using the excuse that we need to see our favorite optometrist (we really do) but we also get to see and spend time with my cousins. I am a little concerned about all the walking I will need to do in the airport so I may ask to use a wheelchair.

This feels like another step towards getting back to normal. I am really looking forward to seeing my family. Of course, I'm taking a camera! Like I said, it's going to be a quick trip...we will be back on Saturday evening to be home in time to go to a wedding on Sunday. This is the kind of schedule Ron and I used to keep before I got sick. I hope I can keep up!

Now, it probably would be a good idea to start packing since we need to be at the airport at noon...