Ikea bookcases

I love my Billy bookcases. We've had them for over a year and they are holding up really well under the weight of all these books. We are enjoying them very much.

So long, farewell...

Tonight will be my last night in Dana Point, California. We have been here since July and I've been absolutely seduced by the beauty and climate here. My husband has been to many places in the world and he feels the same as I.

My emotions are in a turmoil as we pack up to leave a month sooner than expected and under unexpected circumstances. Just days ago I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer so heading back to our home in Texas seemed the wisest thing to do. Sean will fly back to California to finish his work here, though he will fly into Houston when I have my surgery. It was a decision made by both of us. Although I want him to finish his job...and although I do not feel in the least abandoned by him ...I usually suffer from separation anxiety when forced to be away from him even in the best of times. But I will survive. And he will always be just a phone call away.

I am really trying to be strong and upbeat about all this. And I for the most part feel exactly that. I've already had cancer once before..Renal Cell Carcinoma, a much more serious cancer, which was, thank God, caught before it had spread. But this time...though the cancer is not near as serious I'll loose something far more dear to me than just a kidney. Yes, I'll be ok. I'll be just perfectly fine. But nothing will ever be the same. So, yes, there have been lots of tears and times when I just want to run away.

Fact is though...there is nowhere to run. I actually thought I'd already done that. Left all my problems in Houston by coming to California. I guess you can never run far enough away after all.

So...while feeling so sad and down yesterday evening I happened to look out my window saw the beginning of a sunset. We grabbed cameras and headed across the street.

The sea looked like glass. Like softly glowing liquid silver. Luminous and alive. The sky above was awash with pink clouds and Catalina Island was silhouetted in the distance. As we neared we could hear the surf crashing, see the boys holding their surfing boards running in the sand below. The entire image was magical and I was so glad I had the chance to see such a lovely scene before leaving Southern California, the beautiful Pacific, a place I'd be honored to one day call my home.

Sorta pretty...for a spider!

Sabrina, Fable, Starlie and Bucket

I really miss these guys.

Name This Flower

Name This Tree

I'm seeing these trees everywhere in Southern California. The bark is very pale and smooth looking. Someone said they are Banyan Trees. I'd like to know for sure.

2008-2009 School Year: Ready or Not...Here it Comes...

I'm finally getting a little excited about the new school year. I enrolled my oldest in Hewitt Homeschool so that he could still school at home, pick out what he wanted to study and get grades from someone other than mom. He decided to work through: Beautiful Feet Books: US and World History for history. He will be working through the 2nd portion of this 2 year program, focusing on the 20th century. Some of the books he will be reading with this program are To Kill a Mockingbird, Anne Frank, the Diary of a YOung Girl, and The Hiding Place, just to name a few. For Literature he decided to go with Literature Lessons from Lord of the Rings. He will not only read through the Lord of the Rings series, but also two works of Shakespeare; The Tempest and Macbeth, as well as Beowulf, an old English epic. Hewitt is going to expect a lot of writing, essays and reports and projects from all of the above. Thankfully we will be using IEW, which is working wonderfully for him. And of course algebra and science and computers programming and health and all the rest. The books are going to be great, but it is going to be a long hard year. And that is just with the oldest. My 2nd grader is going to be much, much easier. Now to go figure out what my 7th grader will be reading for the year. I better hurry, school starts the day after Labor Day!