sunshine.

i adore jason mraz.  he is a doll baby {i'm pretty certain i would eat him alive}.  his music soothes my soul.  his lyrics speak to my heart.  so, watch, listen or even read.

this song is dedicated to the family member i'm praying for.  i also dedicate it to any one out there who gets down from time to time {no, i'm not talking about when you bust out with some fresh dance moves, y'all}.  i'm even dedicating this song to myself.

 the sunshine song by jason mraz

Well sometimes the sun shines on
Other people's houses and not mine.
Some days the clouds paint the sky all gray
And it takes away my summertime.
Somehow the sun keeps shining upon you,
While I struggle to get mine.
If there's a light in everybody,
Send out your ray of sunshine.

I want to walk the same roads as everybody else, Through the trees and past the gates.
Getting high on heavenly breezes,
Making new friends along the way.
I won't ask much of nobody,
I'm just here to sing along.
And make my mistakes looks gracious,
And learn some lessons from my wrongs.

Well sometimes the sun shines on
Other people's houses and not mine.
Some days the clouds paint the sky all gray
And it takes away my summertime.
Somehow the sun keeps shining upon you,
While I struggle to get mine.
A little light never hurt nobody,
Send out your ray of sunshine.

Oh, if this little light of mine
Combined with yours today,
How many watts could we luminate?
How many villages could we save?
And my umbrella's tired of the weather,
Wearing me down.
Well, look at me now.

You should look as good as your outlook,
Would you mind if I took some time,
to soak up your light, your beautiful light?
You've got a paradise inside.
I get hungry for love and thirsty for life,
And much too full on the pain,
When I look to the sky to help me
And sometimes it looks like rain.

As the sun shines on other people's houses
And not mine,
And the sky paints those clouds in a way
That it takes away the summertime,
Somehow the sun keeps shining upon you,
while I kindly stand by.
If theres a light in everybody,
Send out your ray of sunshine

You're undeniably warm, you're cerulean,
You're perfect in desire.
Won't you hang around
so the sun, it can shine on me,
And the clouds they can roll away,
And the sky can become a possibility?
If there's a light in everybody,
Send out your ray of sunshine.

been hangin' around.

not much going on in my life at the moment.  been too busy lazy to blog.  i get home from work & i'm just not in the mood to sit at the computer or boot up the lappytop.  i think my current obsession with the cooking channel has something to do with that.  i'm just sayin'...

it's been quiet.  the kids left with my parents on monday.  i'm very blessed that my parents do so much for our children, especially in the summertime {so adam & i don't have to keep them in daycare all. day. long. while we work}.  last night was the first night since they've been gone that i didn't get to speak to them.  they've been having fun & trying to stay cool {it's crazy hot in VA right now}.

work is work.  i'm going back to part-time.  well, it's more like an "i can work 39 hours & 59 minutes a week" part-time.  it's whatever.  i needed to get that full-time monkey off my back because if the work isn't there, i can't fulfill my 40 hour a week obligation & fudging your time card is a big no-no in the industry i work in.  fortunately, it's a situation that everyone at work is cool with.  what i'm still not cool with is my "on call-like" status.  i'm supposed to be at one office two days a week & another office two days a week.  i'm technically off on fridays; however, i could be asked to work at one of the two offices OR now my boss is talking about making fridays a half-day. ugh.  make up your mind.

i have been applying for other jobs.  i love the flexibility of my job, but traffic is killing me {during those days that i work in the other office...the office that is on the other side of the water from me}.  i don't make enough money to sit in two hours worth of traffic just to get home.  it's petty & i realize that, but if i can find a job that is closer to home i would jump ship in a heartbeat.

of course, switching jobs right now when i do have a really understanding boss & flexibility probably isn't exactly feasible because i am going back to school this fall.  classes start august 28th.  i haven't registered yet because the university has to process my re-activation form.  but, it's in the bag, baby.

as of yesterday, i am praying that adam keeps his job.  the company he works for did a layoff.  such is life in the construction industry {especially in recent years}.

we think the pup has dermatitis.  a friend of ours said that his pit bull is allergic to grass {of all things!} and his dog gets the same flaky, eczema-like spots on his belly, too.  i need to call the vet to get a good, concrete diagnosis.  for now, we've been using an antifungal/antibacterial cream on his spots and it's working well.

i think we're beaching it again this weekend.  it's our sunday thang.  did i mention that we saw a whale last week while we were at the beach??  a bunch of us went last sunday for father's day.  we were sitting under the shade tent, the kids were playing in the surf and we looked up and a whale breached it's body out of the water.  there were a couple whales out there, i think.  i wish i had my camera.  even if i did, i doubt i would have caught it.  it was surreal.  we see dolphins all. the. time. but i've never seen a whale {and i've lived in this area for over 20 years}.  adam said it was a right whale.  somebody else thought it was a humpback.  whatever.  we. saw. a. whale!

i lost an uncle just over two weeks ago.  another family member taken by cancer.  he's in heaven & he's reunited with his wife {my daddy's sister lost her battle with cancer a couple years ago}. 

i'm praying for a family member.  and, no, it's not THAT one {if you've been following my drama, then you know who THAT is referring to}.  i can't say much.  actually, i can't say anything at all.  i just hope that our help comes in time and that hope is not lost.

there's more, but this is long & pictureless.

i promise not to be gone so much.  but, i think it's safe to say that we've all hit a blogging low recently.  i'm going to blame the sunshine & hot weather on that.  get up, get out & enjoy the day God made.

who's your daddy?

{adam & malia, march 2001}

"he's very special.  he's funny.  i can cook with him.  he tickles me.  he's always laughing.  he makes me happy.  and he helps me feel better when i'm sad."
-as said by malia 

{adam & aidan, june 2003}

"my dad is funny.  he gives me kisses.  he plays with me.  my daddy watches t.v. with me.  he helps me learn how to cook.  he asks me questions.  he helps me with my homework."
-as said by aidan

unconditional love.  patience.  loyalty.  unwavering support.  flexibility.  gentle, yet firm. 

those are just a few words to describe the kind of father adam is. 

i am blessed, too.  because those very same words characterize my own father.

{my dad, adam & the kids, july 2008}

as a daughter, i couldn't have been blessed with a more wonderful father.
as a wife, i couldn't have been blessed with a more wonderful husband.
as a mother, i couldn't have been blessed with a more wonderful father for my children.

we're all lucky.  we're lucky to have each other.

happy father's day, dad & adam!

one year.

last saturday, aidan turned 7.

today, we're celebrating...

frisco's first birthday

he's lucky he's lived to see this day {not because he was from a bad breeder because he wasn't, but because of situations in his life thus far...oh, you'll see what i mean shortly}.  he had a shaky start due to that whole eye business.  then, just YESTERDAY he ate his first shoe.  and, it wasn't just any shoe.  it was a pair of my flip flops.  my favorite flip flops.  you would think that a new {memory foam} bed, new doggy toys AND a couple of doggy treats would have made him happy, but no...apparently the taste of rubber laced with foot funk {not that my feet are funky, but they are rubber flops...i'm just sayin'} was what he really wanted.

but, i digress.

he's certainly brought a lot of joy & companionship to our lives.  we were convinced that we would ONLY be a cat family {we have three of them}, but adam fell in love with a friend's boston terrier and now we cannot picture our lives without frisco in it. 

he is the sweetest dog.  he's a fierce protector.  he loves the kids.  he's my snuggle buddy.  he kisses adam more than i do when he comes home from work.  he's named after one of our favorite beach spots {did you know that?}.  he's frisco.  he's loyal.  he's our guy.  he's our love.

and, today, he's a year old.

sunday service.

this is where we go on sundays.

{well, at least adam & the kids.  last sunday i took advantage of the quiet time and napped at home.}

sandbridge is our sunday morning {or late afternoon} hangout spot.  we go with a friend & his kids. 
frolicking in the surf.  chasing sand fiddler crabs.  finding seashells & sand dollars.  catching a glimpse of a pod of dolphins.

there isn't a better way to end the week.  there isn't a better way to begin the week.

it's coming.

right now, it's slated to be the header for my blog sale site {which is still very much a work in progress because, quite frankly, i've been too lazy to photograph & list everything}.  

however...

this may wind up being the header for a site where i may or may not peddle my hand-made goods. 

we'll see.

11:52 a.m.

seven years ago we welcomed another beautiful soul into our lives.

malia, who was only 27 months old, was no longer an only child.  she became a big sister.

seven years have come & gone.  quickly.  

our happy-go-lucky baby is now a happy-go-lucky little boy.

happy 7th birthday to aidan.

hair today, gone tomorrow.

well, that was yesterday's saying.

my last haircut was in january.  i never, EVER go that long without so much as a trim.  as for color, i won't lie.  i use box color to stretch out the time between salon quality dye jobs.  my stylist knows this {and she's okay with this}.  highlights, on the other hand, are something i haven't had in a long while.  a long, long while.

on wednesday, i did it all - all over color, a fun cut & highlights {or as my stylist says, "some perky around the face."}.

before {hair fresh from the shower}:

after {just a bit wind-blown}:

if i was smart, i would have taken a picture of the back {i'll do that this weekend}.  it's short.  it's fun.  i've had a short, choppy bob cut before.  i love it.  and, best part of all?  i got to share my fun day at the salon with this wonderful gal {she got her hair cut, colored & highlighted, too}!

mid-week.

i'm chopping off my hair today.  i'll post pics - before & after - promise.  i'm fairly certain my favorite beach bum & i will be providing twitter updates, so add me & add her.

we're also meeting up with this fun gal.  hmm...i wonder if we can convince this gal to join us?  and, i really wish this gal could come, too, but she's working.  nuts.

obviously, i took today off from work.  i love having a day off midway through the week.  it's like a mental health day.  i should do this more often.  or, at least convince my boss to let me work just four days a week {of course, there is a good possibility that i may ask for my part-time schedule back}.

speaking of work, there is a job opening for the same company i work for, in the same group i work for, but in the office that's 15 minutes from home.  people - friends, family & co-workers - have been telling me to go for it.  that no so confident girl in me is saying, "no way. i don't have what it takes."  i'm going to talk to someone about it tomorrow.  the idea of working 15 minutes from home as opposed to nearly an hour from home excites me.

and, speaking of tomorrow, i'm meeting with yet another person at odu about school.  this time, it's not the education department, but the geography department.  the professor i'm meeting with actually graduated from the same college as i did and, duh, we both majored in the same thing.  this meeting could potentially change my destiny {you know, what i posted the other day}.

you look like a teacher.

{source, fool!}

my first experience with grad school took place in 2005.  i enrolled in a "fast track" graduate program to become a teacher.  by the time student teaching rolled around, i chickened out, applied to a different school & transferred.  something about taking a 16-week long class in just four weekends didn't set well with me and i suddenly felt overwhelmed & inadequate even though i was one 14-week long student teaching session & one thesis away from a masters degree and license to teach pre-k through third grade.

my second experience with grad school took place in the summer of 2006.  i transferred out of that "fast track" program and into a university program that offered me a more thorough chance at becoming a teacher {in other words, i was shelling out more money for what i already learned just to learn it all over again, but this time at a much slower pace}.  silly, i know.

then, my mother got sick. 

i was working full time.  going to grad school full time.  being a wife & mother full time.  my kids were little...malia was barely in kindergarten.  and my mother had breast cancer.   

something had to give.  

i know it may seem like a cop out to some, but i dropped out of school.  i didn't withdraw.  i dropped out.  {it was like deja vu...i dropped out back in 1997 as an undergrad my sophomore year of college.}

so here i am, roughly five years after i started the journey, and i am heading back to school to finally finish that masters degree i started so long ago.  i have some pre-requisite classes i need to take {undergraduate level stuff that my bachelors degree doesn't completely cover}.  i may also have to beg, grovel & plead with the university to take me back.  but, i met with the program advisor today and things are very, very, VERY hopeful.  i mean, can someone really deny a person of their education?  i sure as hell don't think so {and i sure as hell hope they don't deny me}.

i'm going back.

i'm going to {finally} become a teacher.

versatile?

that's me.  at least that's what mrs. molly lou thinks!  {seriously, go check out her blog & her store.  she is a doll.  you'll love her personalized plates & platters.  trust me, i own three.}

i've been awarded this:

and, because i've been dubbed "the versatile blogger" i must now share with you s-e-v-e-n things about myself.  why seven?  i don't know.  this could be very easy to do or very difficult to do.  and, knowing me, i'm certain it will be the latter {because i'm stubborn like that}.

anyways...

no sense in beating around the bush...here are seven things about me that you may or may not want to know or need to know...but now you know.  ha!

1. my ten year college reunion is this weekend.  i considered going, but sadly i'm not.  word on the street is that a fifteen year high school reunion is planned for sometime this summer.  i went to our ten year.  i seriously doubt i'll go to our fifteen year.  it's a little too much, a little too soon if you ask me.
2. my husband & i have known each other since we were thirteen.  we've been together since we were sixteen.  i'll be thirty-three this year.  wow.
3. i'm not an overly confident person.  i really shouldn't doubt myself so much, but i do.  
4. people say i have an evil laugh. i don't think it's evil.  i think it's catchy.  and contagious.  and fun.  okay, okay, it can sound sinister at times, but only if need be.
5. for someone who isn't very confident {in herself}, i sure do like to talk.  a lot.  sit next to me sometime and i'll flap my yap.  your ear will get numb from listening.  on the flip side, i can be very quiet, too.  i'm a good listener.
6. i'm half-chinese and i really can't use chopsticks very well.
7. i don't always wash my hair on the weekends.  i almost never wear makeup on the weekends.  i don't always shower on the weekends.  i'm not gross or lazy.  i'm not stinky either.  i just give my skin & hair a break. {don't worry, i change my unnawears. ha!}

was that too much?  it was for me.  i think it took me over a half an hour just to come up with those seven silly things!  i suppose i should "gift" this award to other bloggy friends out there, but every last one of us is a versatile blogger.  so participate, please!

share seven things about you!! 

*psst...this was my 700th post! holy blogging, batman!

catch-up.

• we had a lovely weekend.  lovely, but exhausting.  the weather was perfect & we're already missing the beach on ocracoke island.  i'm actually looking into renting a small cottage so we can stay longer than one week and bring the dog {who is named after a village on hatteras island, frisco}.
• adam & malia scored major brownie points with me -- they both found me whole scotch bonnet shells!  we also came home with a whole sand dollar.
• aidan skinned his left leg up from thigh to ankle within hours of us arriving at the campground.  he was quite the drama king, but he's no worse for wear.
• we came home to a sparkling clean house which was really nice - thanks mom & dad!
• we also came home to wilted flowers, but that's to be expected when it suddenly becomes ridiculously hot & humid overnight.  our garden also grew quite a bit while we were gone - we've got green beans, snow peas & sugar snap peas to enjoy and quite a bit of cilantro & basil, too.
• frisco has some mysterious spots on his legs.  we're not sure if they are battle wounds from when he tried to scale our privacy fence while chasing one of our cats or if it's some sort of skin infection.  my guess is that frisco is allergic to something.  i'm going to call the vet.  hopefully it won't cost me an arm or a leg {ha ha ha...pun intended}. 
• i suck.  i have swap pressies that i still need to get in the mail.  i'm honestly not that bad of a swap partner.  life just seemed to take over lately & all the fun stuff got pushed aside.  at least this has given me more time to get things together which means my swap partners are gonna "hit the jackpot" so to speak.
• adam & i bought new patio furniture {we got it for an even lower price because the store had conflicting advertisements & they honored the lower one}.  we also bought a gazebo/canopy for the backyard.  now our brick pavers won't be too hot on our feet and we'll have a cool, shady place to sit outside.
• we also bought a new washer & dryer!  it's sad, but i'm very excited about that.  we're replacing our nearly 13 year old top loading washing machine & our "it's seen better days" dryer.  both still work well, but the drum in the dryer {where you put the clothes} is actually peeling.  yeah, not good.  so, we splurged on brand new kenmore front loaders.  nothing fancy, but we were able to take advantage of a great deal sears had for the holiday weekend.  adam picks them up on friday.
• the kids have 13 days of school left & they couldn't be more excited.
• aidan lost one of his front teeth yesterday while in school.  he came home with his tooth safe & sound in a wee little treasure chest.  the tooth fairy brought him $2.  he said he was going to save that money because he will get rich as he starts losing more teeth.  i have a feeling he'll be spending that money soon because...
• aidan turns seven in 10 days and he wants to go to toys r us to pick out a present.  we don't have anything extravagant planned.  probably a cookout & water slide fun for the kids.
• i have an appointment next week to cut & color my hair.  i'm excited.  it's been nearly six months since my last haircut.  if any of y'all know me well, you know that i never go that long in between appointments!  i'm not sure if i'll go short, short or just get a trim.  i am thrilled that i'll be spending my morning at the beauty shop with this fabulous lady.  i love her!
• i start working in an office closer to home this week.  granted, it is only for one day a week, but at least it's a change from my routine and it breaks up my killer commute during the week!