Saturday, January 19, 2013

My Dear Friend Needs Your Help

Until now, what I knew about anorexia and bulimia was learned from After School Specials and biology classes. What I know now is that my very lovely friends daughter may be dying because of these eating disorders. What I know now is that mom and daughter and sisters are suffering. What I know now is that our community is suffering.

I am pleading for anyone who may read this post to follow this link to her fundraising page. If you can't donate money, please consider sending love and light to them. This mama and this child are our sisters and daughters, our wives and mothers, our friends and members of our community. Her story may be yours, her daughter may be yours, her mother may have been yours, struggling to save your life. No amount of support is too little.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Goodbye Facebook

Or at least I am really thinking about it. I mean what do I really use it for? I keep in touch with my really good friends via phone calls, text, and letters. The rest of the people on my Facebook are people I don't really know anymore. I do like seeing T's updates now that she is back on, but really that's about it.

During the elections, I had a hard time even getting on because so many of my "friends" were voting with their wallets and not their hearts or even their brains. I wasn't one of those people who said we couldn't be friends anymore, but I certainly was thinking it. I was also thinking that having a diverse group of "friends" could open my eyes and let me see things from their perspective. That being said, I never friended Mitt Romney, but I did write to him.

Seeing what everyone is up to fills up space in my day that I don't really have time to spare. I do love the networking aspect of Facebook, but in the interest of spending more quality time with our kids, frugality (with my time and energy), saving my eyesight, and saving my voice (from yelling at stupid posts), I am going to shut my Facebook, at least for a while after this weekend.

In return for not being on Facebook, if anyone wants to know what's going on in my life, I will post on here as often as I can. Starting now.

I just began my last semester at Northern Arizona University as an undergraduate. I will graduate with a Bachelors of Science in Environmental Science with an emphasis on Biology. I am looking forward to a river trip down the San Juan River after graduation, but still for a class. When I finish with this degree, I have two choices, get a real job or go to grad school and stay at my bookkeeping job, that I enjoy. If I do decide to get a job, I hope it will be with the US Geologic Survey here in town. If I go to grad school, I will let you know what I do when I think of something.

Tris is still working for Harley two hours west of here, so we are still doing the weekday long distance thing. Although saying goodbye on Monday morning will never be easy, the weeks slip by quickly and we are reunited faster than five days actually feels like. She and I just flew to northern Minnesota and picked up a truck that her Dad and Mom gave to us, sort of a long time loaner. We drove it back last weekend. I sure do love being on the road with her. Before she got the truck, she was still riding her motorcycle back and forth, even when the temp was below zero. Talk about being on edge until she arrived at work! Having the truck will ease a bit of anxiety for both of us. She has been applying for jobs in this area and I just know one will come up that will suit her perfectly.

The boys, oh my sweet babies, are growing up so quickly. A1 started the 9th grade in August. He likes to remind me that he will be driving sooner than not. He is loving his art class and hating jazz band. Although, I think he really does love it. He has a real passion for drawing anime. He's looking forward to learning French next year, in addition to Spanish. He is also rocking at the saxophone.

A2 moved from Waldorf school this year into an arts school, the same one as A1. He is playing the trumpet and looking good while doing it. He likes skinny jeans, alright, loves skinny jeans. I would love for him to rock a cardigan or two, but baby steps, Mommy, right? He is looking forward to taking choir, tap dance, and African dance next year, along with the rest of his classes. He is no longer the shy boy who hid behind his hair in the second grade. Ms. Jessalyn Hall would be so proud of the boy he has become.

K-Man is in the third grade at the local Waldorf school. This year, he started the shelters block that has him doing a five paragraph writing assignment, mostly working on it at home. He is terrified of missing the due date. All Christmas break he stressed about having to work on it. He's be chugging along ever since. His project is a gypsy wagon. Not only does he have to write about it, but he has to build a small replica of one. He's been painting and planning and building. I will post pictures when he completes it. It's been hard for me to let him do it on his own. Those times he feels overwhelmed and stressed, I just want to hold him and tell him what to write or how to build, but that won't teach him independence. So I help, but not as much as my heart is screaming for me to.

That's the quick wrap up. I will try and post some sort of status weekly, at least. Next week, Sunday to be exact, Tris and I are starting the Whole Living magazine 21 day detox diet. I'll have to change a few things to accommodate our vegan lifestyle, but it should be amazing. I'll post a few of my favorite recipes. Happy new year, ya'll! Say no to Facebook in 2013!