New Year, New Life

Wow - so it has been almost 6 months since my last post. I don't even think anyone is following this anymore, but I will update just in case.

For those of you in the not privy to the secret, Felipe and I split up last December. Yep, the perfect life is not so perfect. Actually, it happened pretty fast and it was a bit of a surprise, but it gave me an opportunity to showcase my strength and independence. So far so good. 

I moved in February into a smaller place that is much more manageable for me and the girls. It is in Gilbert right next to the mall. You never know when you need an emergency pair of shoes. The grocery store is a little farther, so hopefully I won't ever need an emergency cup of sugar. I love the location, and the size and floor plan is perfect for me. It's sad to leave the old house behind, but the old house was designed for my old life. Moving forward is my motto.

Alisa was chosen to be the poster child for all the marketing materials for her school. You probably read in my older posts about the wonderful school the girls attend. Their media guy found a candid photo of Alisa in his arsenal and asked permission to use it in the promotional material for the school. Of course, I replied. For payment we get unlimited school brochures to hand out to family and friends. 

Jessica created a design logo for Salt River Project (our local water and electrical company which Felipe works for) and it was chosen as a winner among all other entries. She is quite the artistic one. She also came up with a phrase, "Saving our nation one drop at a time" in regards to water conservation. It sounded so good I thought she plagiarized it. 

I am still working at Boeing, but I transferred to a new position within a new department in January, and I really like it. I am still working part time while I attempt to finish my Master's. Emphasis on the word "attempt".

Those are the major updates. Will try to be much more interesting and fun for the next post...

Thanks for checking in.

~cc

The Hunt for Cool October

Sometimes I hate October. Rather, I hate the unpredictability of it. Many times we have gone from using the air conditioner to turning on the heater without ever opening up the windows. Other times we open the windows and freeze in the mornings and sweat in the afternoons. Today however, seems to be a wonderful breezy day with just the right temperature all around. Unfortunately it isn't supposed to last (says the weatherman). For the time being though, if I can just keep my allergies under control I can truly enjoy the outdoors.

Today I went to the girls' school and volunteered in Alisa's classroom (a combined 3rd and 4th grade class) for the morning. This was my first time observing the class up close. I was happily impressed. The class did a lot of small group work and although it got slightly noisy at times, it was always a controlled chaos, if you will. Their first exercise was to get into small groups of three, and each group was "given" $100 to spend. They had an ad from Walgreens that they were to use to pick out what they could buy. Additionally they had coupons they could use to maximize their spending. The group that got the most items for their $100 would win, with the exception that they couldn't cheat by buying 500 bags of candy corn. Wise, that teacher. Even wiser, those kids for asking about it.

This week Jessica's class is presenting a semester long project they are doing on natural disasters. They worked in groups of 4 and are presenting their work to the parents on Thursday night. I think it's great that the students are learning to present at such a young age (5/6 graders). Many people have public speaking anxiety and the only way to get over performance anxiety is to perform, perform, perform. Something I have yet to overcome.

Last Friday I saw Clinton Kelly from What Not to Wear at the Macy's in Scottsdale. It was great! He was off-the-cuff funny, down to earth, and had great fashion advice that one doesn't usually hear about on the show. What I liked best was his farewell speech about how us women need to stop beating ourselves up about our bodies. No one is perfect and we are all special in our own way. Media portrays females as perfect, something we all try to achieve, but those women are not real. Airbrushing, hair extensions, contacts, plastic surgery and constant hair and make-up people attending to you every 5 minutes is not real life. Now can he tell that same speech to the men out there?

I'm Baaack (insert scary music here)

I admit, I went on a very long hiatus. My desire to try and write small snippets here and there failed miserably, and now I am going to have to try and catch up on 4 months of happenings. To save you all from boredom, I promise not to try and put you to sleep with the conundrums of my life for the last 120 days.

The school year is off to a good start with the girls at a new school that has an amazing curriculum. It is called University Public Schools, and they attend Polytechnic Elementary. It is associated with ASU, and the teachers (who are NOT students, but rather "well qualified teachers") utilize resources at ASU (such as distinguished professors as mentors) to help shape their lessons. The goal is not to simply pass AIMS tests with flying colors, but to assist them in preparing for university type learning. I probably didn't describe that as eloquently as I should have, but the overall experience has been amazing so far. The girls absolutely love their new school, and I can already see a positive change in their approach to schoolwork.

Things at Boeing have been rather slow lately. We are in between projects and everyone is milling around looking for work. I have been able to stay at home (unpaid, of course) and tried and get some projects done around the house (along with a few naps thrown in). Thank goodness I sold several houses in the last couple months, or we would be on a strict diet of Ramen noodles. As far as the projects go...I guess you could say I am well rested.

Jessica started playing the flute this year, much to my chagrin. I would have much rather her taken up an obscure instrument with no competition. Secretly I am pleased because she seems to be doing well, and she really enjoys it. Their new school does not have a band or an orchestra yet, being that this is their first year in operation. Instead, Jessica is taking private lessons from an instructor who I put through a rigorous interview process. I tried to teach Jessica a little myself when we first brought the flute home from the music store. It went a little like this:

First lesson: Putting the instrument together without breaking off any keys. 

Result: No broken keys. Excellent. 

Second lesson: Attempt to blow into the mouthpiece and make a sound. 

Result: A few weak sounds followed by a tearful protest, "You just don't understand how hard this is!! Life is so unfair!" 

Needless to say, I quickly started in on researching and interviewing local flute teachers.

Alisa resumed piano lessons after a 2 year sabbatical. She is doing amazingly well. For the entire two years off, she begged to resume lessons. My well intentioned, but highly failed, attempt to teach her myself resulted in finally locating a local piano instructor who could pass the aforementioned interview process. Alisa loves the piano so much, that when she finally added up all the minutes that she practices throughout the day, it totals to approximately 60 minutes each day. Keep in mind, this is a 9 year old, playing at a basic level. Whoo hoo! Maybe she'll be my gravy train. Oh wait, pianists don't make very much money. Shucks. Maybe I need to refocus her attention to her sewing skills and studying the anatomy of the heart.

On top of music lessons we have soccer, swimming, and girl scouts, so needless to say, we are poor and busy.

Until next time, thanks for checking in.

~cc

One's a Spender, One's a Saver

Do you find that in your marriage or in your relationship with your significant other that one's a saver and one's a spender? With Felipe and I, we seem to take turns. Sometimes it changes on a daily basis and sometimes it changes annually. Lately he's been the saver and I have been the spender. It's probably good that one of us balances out the other.


On Saturday I went to Costco. Felipe asked me how much I was going to spend before I left the house. He also asked me what I would be buying. I listed off some things, all of which he shook his head to. In case you were wondering, I did not tell him I was buying the Lexus that they have parked outside. I said I was buying laundry detergent, napkins and dental floss to name a few. He gave me a hard time about buying those things, being pretty clear that I was not to buy anything we don't "need." As I was at Costco throwing a 50-pack of dental floss into the cart I felt a minor twinge of guilt. I calmed myself by remembering that I would probably save about 12 cents for buying this in bulk.


When I got home, I was sure to unload the car by myself and put everything away so he didn't unpack the boxes making little comments about every purchase. "Oh, you think we need toilet paper? Why can't we use the leaves I have in the trash barrel outside instead?" Felipe arrived home shortly after I had put everything away and he had the girls tell me that I needed to come outside right away. As I stepped outside, I heard a noise like a lawn mower, thinking Felipe was mowing the lawn (again). Nope, no yard work going on, but rather Felipe and the girls hit a Sidewalk Sale at Autozone and bought this kids' motorcycle/scooter thingie. Huh?? Besides the fact that it wasn't in Felipe's budget, did he think that we suddenly were transported to a trailer park in West Virginia? I don't raise kids with motorcycles and Nascar. But back to the budget thing: I couldn't buy dental floss? Go figure. Anyway, that's a picture of Alisa with her biker game face.

As You Wish update

I finally took photos of our hand painted pottery from As You Wish. I did the brown and blue flower pot, Alisa did the mermaid, Felipe did the Gecko and Jessica did the red vase. I was surprisingly happy about how they turned out, with the exception of Alisa's. Hers sort of looks like a pre-op transexual. But she's only 8, so I guess I can cut her a break. Also, be sure to check out my countertops (I took the photos on my kitchen island). The counters are my absolute favorite feature of our house.

Sometimes Less is More

I am going to try to jot down short notes throughout the month instead of feeling the pressure to catch up on everything in one entry. You people would probably rather read the short entries anyway. Who has time to read a novel?

This week there is a pretty big event at Boeing. It is when our design has finally come to its culmination and we get to officially test it. I have always been the primary caretaker for the family by switching around my work schedule for the kids, which I never minded. But this week I can't afford to miss any part of this event. I told Felipe that for 3 days this week he would have to step up his game and get the kids off to school, which means he would have to go into work late. "No problem," he says. Whew.

Monday night he tells me that he can't stay home to help get the kids off to school on Tuesday. What?? Neither can I. I am *not* backing down on this one folks. His solution? Let the kiddos get themselves ready and off to school alone. Oh, but not alone; with a telephone call from him every 15 minutes to prompt them along. Yikes! I almost gave in and stayed home, but I decided to let him do it his way. Sure enough, they actually woke up, made breakfast, did their hair, brushed their teeth, packed their snack, fed the dogs, and locked up the house while leaving for school. Although I still think they are too young for this sort of regular routine, it is nice to know that they can handle it in a dire emergency (note: bad planning on Felipe's part should not constitute "dire emergency").

Today, still the same important week at Boeing, I get a call from an unknown number on my cell phone. I ignore it. 45 minutes go by before I can check my voicemail. It's the school calling to let me know that Alisa (the 8 year old) is sick in the nurse's office and can someone come and pick her up. Awww. Guess who I can't get a hold of (Felipe, if you couldn't guess). So naturally I have to leave work during this all important Review. Not that I minded, I really wanted to be with my baby (she'll always be a baby - even at 55). I felt horrible that I kept her waiting for as long as I did.

There is no way she will be able to go to school tomorrow. A temperature of 101, upset stomach and constant sleeping (which is unusual for her) convinces me that she is truly sick. I badgered Felipe into manipulating his work schedule to stay home with her tomorrow since I still have this big work thing going on. When I told Alisa that her dad was staying home, she got upset and cried that she wanted her Mommy the most. Well, that seals it. I am calling in sick and I don't care what happens to my job. I am a Mommy first, right? Right. Plus, she is a complete Daddy's girl so I saw this as my chance to possibly elbow my way to the #1 spot in her heart.

I hope that when she is 25, pursuing her PhD/law degree/MD, and she gets the stomach flu, she will still want to come home for 5 days to sleep and recoup on my sofa until she feels better. I'll cover her up with her favorite blankie, read her a bedtime story from a scientific journal/Supreme Court case law/medical journal and rock her to sleep.

Speaking of always being my baby - have you heard David Cook's (from American Idol) version of the song, "Always Be My Baby"? I downloaded it from iTunes. It is the studio version so it's full length and professionally recorded. I love it! I listen to it all the time. Go David Cook! Rock on (picture devil horn hand gestures here).

Until next time (so much for this being short).

~cc

May Flowers and Miserable Allergies

For some reason, the last several weeks have just wreaked havoc on my sinuses. I can't stop itching my eyes, blowing my nose, and sneezing. I suppose the constant yellow pollen blowing around the ASU campus from the Mesquite trees doesn't help my allergies at all. I take my Claritin daily, and even decided to try and switch to Zyrtec (it's over the counter now too). Neither one does me any good.

I am typing on my Mac today. Hurrah for Macs! I really love this keyboard. It is very easy to type on and I have limited typos. I love the tactile feedback and the low profile design. So far I am happy with my Mac but haven't really utilized it for more than web surfing. I just received Office for Mac in the mail and haven't yet installed it, so maybe my productivity will change things once it is installed. I love the screen and the fact that the computer doesn't ever freeze up on me. I hate the lack of a right click on the mouse, but once I find Mac's version of a right click I will probably be fine. The Jaguar OS has this awesome built in function of text-to-speech. In any program I can highlight text and hit command-S (I created this particular command combination) and this very nice voice reads aloud what I highlighted. His fluency and cadence is practically perfect. I don't know why I need that feature, but I do like it. In the latest Popular Mechanics they did a Mac vs. PC test and found that Mac out-performed PCs in every test. I wouldn't consider Popular Mechanics a great research magazine, but it was interesting none-the-less. Their tests looked mostly at speed and operating system reliability. They even went so far as to install Vista on a Mac and testing it against Vista on a PC. Of course the Mac won. So far I am happy with my Mac. The only downside is the portability. It is pretty easy to carry it from one room to another, but I want it to be even EASIER. I am ordering a laptop cart online and I will let you know how that goes. Although my Mac isn't a laptop it is pretty slim in design, so I believe the laptop cart will work for my needs.

We finally figured out our car situation. We decided that we needed to have one large passenger vehicle with towing capacity, since our Toyota Prius is our second car. From our research there is no doubt that the Japanese vehicles have great resale. We couldn't find a Toyota or Honda SUV that had more than 5 passenger capacity within our budget. Felipe's preferred budget was $6,000, but I was able to raise it slightly, arguing against the ridiculousness of a $6,000 SUV. I refused to drive a Suzuki Samarai or something of that sort. Anyhoo, we started looking at Ford Expeditions since that is what we had before our last vehicle. Low and behold, we found a 2000 model with only 60,000 miles in amazing condition. Strangely enough it was the exact same color and option package as what we had before (our other one was a 2001, but same body style). It feels like we stepped back in time. Plus, we got it under budget so you can't beat that. Our old Expedition was a total gas guzzler, but this one has a smaller engine so it isn't as bad. I feel sort of bad for buying such a gas guzzler in terms of environmental responsibility, but I guess our carbon footprint is offset somewhat by the Toyota Prius. That's how I justify it anyway.

I am so happy that school is almost over. I am ready for this statistics class to be over. I should be working on my take home final, but after a week of not working I still haven't even cracked it open. I am almost done with all my coursework after this semester. I have two electives and one more class. I recently found that my electives can be a 400 level, which is great. I wonder if they have a 400 level Beatles class online. More importantly, I wonder if there is some sort of restriction guideline to the electives I choose. Overall, the hardest part is determining and writing my thesis. That will be the brunt of my work for the next year or so. I have half a mind to quit and just beg Boeing to hire me with only a bachelor's, but I know that I will regret it if I quit now. I wish I had picked a Master's program that only required coursework. That seems so much easier than a thesis.

We have guests coming for dinner tonight (as usual for a weekend), so I better go and clean the house so it looks like I am the perfect wife and mother who strives to live in a sterile and pristine environment while juggling my two careers, school and family.

Thanks for checking in.
~cc