Believe

I have a Christmas card that I keep on my desk all year round. The front of the card has one adult size angel holding a string of letters that spell B-E-L-I-E-V-E and in front of her (I'm assuming its a HER because she has rosy cheeks and long eyelashes) is a smaller angel holding a single star. I don't know why but this card touched me. To me it means believe in yourself and your future. Believe that you can do anything. Believe in other people. Believe in truth. Believe in love.

I'm not sure if my kids look up to me or are just looking at me like what the heck are you doing? "Mom, are you going to do that [work] forever???" It doesn't much matter as long as I can keep looking at them day after day after day.

I BELIEVE.

Too bad the Giants couldn't Cache in

We went to the Giants game in San Francisco on Sunday with the Cunningham's (John, Deb, Jack and Megan). They lost the game but the best part was Geocaching before and after the game. I had heard about it before but never done it. It's very geeky but sooo fun! It's sort of like a scavanger hunt and the Amazing Race combined. You use a GPS device to find things that have been hidden in places all over the world. The GPS gives you the coordinates and hints about the objects in your area. So its something you can do anywhere you go. We found a couple in San Francisco and then one more in Pleasanton 2 blocks from our house!

The GPS device costs about $200 bucks so I'll be adding this to our Christmas list (hint hint) unless we can't wait. The thing I like about it is that it gets the whole family out of the house and you can explore things and places that you wouldn't normally see. For example, you can image what would happen if I asked Geoff and the girls "How would you like to go for a 5 mile hike today???" I imagine that would go over like a fart in church. However, if your off to find a treasure in the mountains that happens to be roughly 5 miles, well so be it. Anyway, I don't have any pictures unforunately but just imagine the Fuller Four with big huge smiles on our faces. :-)

Jonas Brothers Concert with Camryn

Well I took Camryn to her first concert at the ripe old age of 9 (almost 10). She had a blast! And other than the way too expensive food, screaming girls piercing my ear drums and waiting over an hour for the little buggers to come out on stage I had fun too. Although some of the band members were young enough to be my sons! All in all I accomplished my mission of "not embarrasing" her. Little does she know how REALLY cool I am.

1st Annual Cope Court Softball Game - June 2008

Adults vs. the Kids. Ages ranging from 5 to 65. And I'm pretty sure the kids beat us. Not just in score, but I bet none of them were sore, injured or limping the next day. It was a lot of fun. And one thing is for sure, we are very lucky to live in this neighborhood. They aren't just neighbors - they're family.

Groovy Baby

I guess I'm having what you would call a writers block. But not really. I just don't have any freakin spare time to sit at my computer (more than the 80 hours a week I already spend on this damn thing) and think up witty stuff to entertain you people. I wish I did -- but I don't. You know I'm kidding right? So here's the deal. I'm gonna post one picture everyday with a little, and I repeat little, blurb explaining it. That's all. And at some point when I come up for air again, I'll start blogging my butt off. But for now, that's all she wrote.

Well not really. Cause I haven't explained the Groovy Baby headline. Geoff and I went to a 40th birthday for Mike Friedel on Saturday and since he was born in the 60's - that was the theme. Check out the cool hippies. Peace Out.

Is it possible to give or do 110%?

I say yes. Geoff says no. And of course I'm right, because that's just how it works at our house. I'm right and he's wrong (at least 110% of the time ;-)

Ok, enough funny business. I haven't blogged for a while because I've busy studying for school, working, and of course playing hard (psst -- I live on Cope Court. Duh). But mainly the school thing has been kicking my butt. Each week I've had to write a paper including one team paper, read, research, etc etc. I think one week I studied a total of 20 hours. So I guess you could say there was a little learning curve for me. Creative writing is sooo much easier than writing academically. Citing sources and making sure your not plagerizing is serious business. But it was worth it because a few things have happened.

1) I stopped saying "this is hard" or "how am I going to do this?" or "this is impossible" because its not. It's totally possible and although it is challenging at times I keep telling myself that most things that are worth doing are (challenging).

2) And when the girls are complaining that I don't have time for them (guilt), I stopped saying "Mommy HAS to work" and "Mommy HAS to go to school" and thinking to myself "no body understands!" But the truth is I don't have to work. We could survive on Geoff's salary, we just wouldn't be able to do and have all of the things we enjoy. And I don't have to go to school. But I want to because I think that later down the road I'm going to need it. Plus it tells my kids with action that education is important. So I guess what I'm saying is I'm making choices.

3) No more guilt. The time I spend with my kids is good, quality time. They know I love them becuase I say it and show it. I'm a good mom and they are ok (more than ok).

4) I have any amazing support system. I am soooo lucky and so are Geoff and the girls. I started to blog about all of the people in our lives that give us their never ending support and love, but I got too choked up so I stopped. Maybe someday I'll put it all into words. For now I'll just thanks to you all. You know who you are.

5) And finally I realized last night that my hard work paid off because I got 100% on my paper on Team Diversity and 97% (darn that spell checker) on my Values and Mission paper. I had to hang the 100% paper on the frig last night with the magnet that says "Look what I did at School!" This week I really felt like I turned the corner. And I'm actually learning something. One of my goals for going back to school was self-confidence and self-respect. All I can say is that I already feel smarter. And for me being in class with other working adults has been an eye opener as well. We all compare ourselves to others and I usually tend to see how they are better than me (that's just how my brain works). But in this class I am seeing that I'm a very competent, intelligent person. I'm a good communicator, writer, organizer, problem solver/critical thinker, and master multi-tasker. And although I try not to get that "I'm better than you" thing going on in my head, I have seen first hand how determination, hard work and a positive attitude can make all the difference. And maybe next week I'll be overwhelmed again and down in the dumps but for now I'm just basking in the sun.

So I think when someone says "I gave 110%" what they are saying is I did more than was asked of me. I went beyond the expectations given me. And as Claire put it, "Dad, its like doing the extra credit on the test even if you don't have to."

Poor Geoff. He doesn't have a chance.

VaVa, I did it!

My favorite flower (besides the tulip) are hydrangeas. My VaVa (grandma in Portuguese) had a huge hydrangea plant in the front of her home on Alpha Street in Turlock. I'm pretty sure it was there long before I was. It was the most beautiful plant. And it lived in a perfect spot right next to the porch in the front of the house. For me it was like a big welcome home sign who's big green leaves and beautiful blue and pink flowers seemed to say "Everything is going to be alright."

My VaVa was quite the gardener (among other things: cooking, listening, kissing..). And her yard was always filled with Roses and many many other flowers I cannot name. She took care of them like they were her own children. Picking up each leaf one by one. I'm not sure if there were leaf blowers back then, but even if there were she probably wouldn't have used one. Preferring to take the quiet and slow approach.

I don't know if I like hydrangeas so much because they remind me of her, or if she reminds me of hydrangeas. But one thing I do know is I have never, and I mean NEVER, been able to grow them. I have tried at every house we've lived at. I've tried in pots and in shade, in part-sun, fertilizing and praying to no avail. Until now. Although I can't take all the credit because I didn't actually put them in the ground (thanks Fritz!), but I did choose the location and have been feeding and looking after them ever since. I think the other plants in the yard are a little jealous. But they just need to get over it, because VaVa's in the house! Yeah!