My Ghoul

It's been a while. I guess LA fall season, chilly or boiling hot, is a season all the same. A busy one. After labor day, school starts, people "get back to work" and life starts whizzing by . For everyone. The electricity in the air I used to fear I would miss not being in NYC anymore, actually exists here too. Ok, maybe not as electric, especially when the weather is weird and hot and sultry and therefore, slow-making. But, fall is in effect all the same. When it was rainy a few weeks ago, I relished in it. Knee socks and hot baths! Tea all day and a scarf with boots, oh joy! The welcomed crispness held on kindly for Halloween. A first, in our 3 years here. Our pumpkins had a chance of standing strong, instead of melting down the steps. My makeup held rather gracefully and didn't feel as disgustingly greasy. And, the itch of wigs were bearable. (A black wig on a redhead btw is a super fun alter ego trip). Oh, happy cool fright night! Anything to make the transformation into a creepy character more comfortable is much appreciated. Despite the fact that I suffered from the most wretched food poisoning all weekend, I was able to rally for the ghoulish festivities just in time. As I was feeling like the living dead, my Morticia look was all the more enhanced and believable. I looked deadly. Brahahahaha! Isabel, my creepy little spawn looked similarly so. We were quite the pair. Finally, people actually saw a resemblance between us. And, much to her Daddy's pride, Isabel was thrilled to be the scary looking kid, rather than a cutie pie in a plush Disney costume. "That's for Easter, or something! Not for Halloween!". That's my Ghoul.

She Puts One Foot in front of the Other

The first week of kindergarten came, and went. Isabel woke up early, excited to get into one variation of her uniform, eat breakfast, brush her hair, throw on her new pink backpack and go to school! At the sound of the whistle, she lined up and waved goodbye, her face beaming with Big-girl pride. Meanwhile, I sniffled my way to the parking lot with "there goes-my-baby" pride. Really? It is that easy for her to walk away? Of course, I know this is a good thing- but it sure feels like a mixed blessing As I get older I am more aware, and seemingly more prepared for these tangible moments of time passing. Still, they sneak up on me and my emotions slightly knock the wind out of me. Lame. I'm not one to cry easily but, if my mother is any indication, I suppose I can expect these kind of tears for the rest of my life. Perhaps with increasing intensity. Oh well, the tears do pass, and I get busy and my focus gets re-directed. By the time I pick her up, I am all smiles thrilled to hear all about recess. Or about how she is the class calendar monitor! Or, about a nurse "tickling her hair looking for fleas". In just one week, there has been a sea-change in overall demeanor. Something has shifted in her expression. My little girl who came from the peace-love, dig in the dirt and sprinkle fairy dust pre-school is at a school-school now - One that has teenagers (!) who on occasion actually talk to her. She was ready to grow, and she has- leaped! Right into her own desk with fresh pencils and erasers and folders with occasional homework. She comes home tired to the bone, so happy to crawl into bed. We read a book, or two, "Please Mommy, just turn the light off". Out by 8:30pm. Whoa. We'll see how long that lasts.

Summer daze

As the summer comes to its official end, here is a loose summer round-up. You see, school started today, and I already miss my girl. I sat down to finally do some work I have been itching to do yet putting off until this day, and instead I decided to dig into the photos I have taken over the past couple of months. I'm sure I just need a few days to adjust to uninterrupted time again, but until I do, the house seems awfully quiet. What did we do this summer? Well, not much. A whole lot of not much- which was really fun! Sometimes, I fight this go-with- the- flow non-planning, but I have learned that it is actually a rare and important experience to grow up with some un-scheduled time. As there was work to juggle, our fun plans were close to home, and usually pretty last minute. We spent a fair amount of time at the beach, rode the roller coaster at the pier (LOVED!), swam under the desert stars, lost some teeth (2!), spent beloved QT time with my brother and family who were here from China, baked (Tate's chocolate chip cookies!) and bbq-ed (everything), bowled, danced, climbed some trees, and fed the stray cats too. Isabel got really good at reading by herself, drawing and coloring next to me at my computer, doing Highlight puzzles (yes!) and engineering cool Lego structures. Oh, and, almost every night was a "special occasion" with a movie. We heart Harry Potter now...all 6 of them. I am really proud of how good she is at adapting to situations. If given the chance, she loves to be a wild spazz, but when it's clearly a mellow, entertain-yourself time, she is great at doing that too. This morning she lined up and walked away with her new kindergarten class. Smiling and waving goodbye, she blew me a kiss. She is SO ready.

Not sure about me.