Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Adventures in Rosarito
I spent the day in Rosarito for an upcoming article I wrote. Today was one of those days where I felt extremely blessed to get paid to do what I love.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
MMA fighting in San Diego
My latest article
I have to admit that I wasn't excited about this article. One of the dad's from my kid's school suggested that I write it. A friend of his owns Epic, a company I talk about in the article. I got the distinct feeling that he and his buddy believed I would be writing a promo piece for them. I don't write promotional pieces. In the beginning I was really stressed out over this article. I put off writing it.
Once I started meeting the people involved in San Diego MMA I feel in love with this project. I got really into it. All of the fighters I featured had unique and interesting stories. It was a joy to write about them. It is by far my favorite article I have ever written. Wait, I lied, the farmer Bill article was my favorite. This one comes in at a very close second.
Monday, September 3, 2012
Bela Boo
Tomorrow it will fall on me to take Bela, our nearly 14-year-old dog, to the vet to have her put to sleep. On Sunday, I found her sitting in our entry way with an anxious look on her face. Turns out she couldn’t move. Aaron and I carried her outside and gave her some fresh food and water. She didn't eat or move all day.
Last night, Aaron and Jacob set their sleeping bags outside and slept next to her. Aaron was certain that she would die that night. In the morning she seemed a tiny bit better. Bela was able to make it to our back door. She let out a little bark to be let in and ate a tiny bit of food but refused water.
All day Bela has been taking labored breathes and is unable to lift herself up. I sat with her for a long time tonight, rubbing her back and belly. It's obvious she is in a great deal of pain. I knew this day was coming but I still don’t feel prepared.
I have had Bela since I was a teenager. I can’t imagine life without her. She has been my silent companion through motherhood. She has been there for every big moment of my adult life. I am not ready to let her go. I don't know if I can go through with it. I don’t think I am strong enough.
Last night, Aaron and Jacob set their sleeping bags outside and slept next to her. Aaron was certain that she would die that night. In the morning she seemed a tiny bit better. Bela was able to make it to our back door. She let out a little bark to be let in and ate a tiny bit of food but refused water.
All day Bela has been taking labored breathes and is unable to lift herself up. I sat with her for a long time tonight, rubbing her back and belly. It's obvious she is in a great deal of pain. I knew this day was coming but I still don’t feel prepared.
I have had Bela since I was a teenager. I can’t imagine life without her. She has been my silent companion through motherhood. She has been there for every big moment of my adult life. I am not ready to let her go. I don't know if I can go through with it. I don’t think I am strong enough.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
San Diego Street Style
In case you were interested, here is the link to easily access my fashion blog posts: Fashion Blogs
My latest nasty comment is from a woman who is still upset over an article I wrote on the Lakeside Rodeo. Angry comments are better than no comments.
My latest nasty comment is from a woman who is still upset over an article I wrote on the Lakeside Rodeo. Angry comments are better than no comments.
The End of Summer
Tomorrow will be the kid’s last day of summer. I have mixed emotions about this. We had many fun adventures over the last three months. However, it will be nice to have a schedule and quieter days.
Andrew will be in 8th grade this year. I am apprehensive about high school. He has gone to a very small private school since the 2nd grade. This year there will be only 4 students in his class. I’m worried that he will not fit into a large public school. I had the opposite problem as a kid. Freshmen year I attended a small catholic high school from a public school. I didn’t know a single person other than my sister. All the other kids went to the same elementary schools. I remember feeling incredibly lonely and out of place. I don’t want that for Andrew. My solution is swim team. On Tuesday he will start swimming at the high school he is attending. My hope is that he makes friends. We shall see.
Jake will be a 6th grader. He will have the same teacher again this year. There are five boys and five girls in his class. Things will be evenly matched. For two whole years he was the lone boy in his classroom. I am happy that he has other boys to hang with. He and Andrew will be in the same math class because Jake is a math whiz kid. I was worried they would be competitive and bicker but over the summer they worked together on the same math packet. They got along so well that it was border line annoying.
Amelia is going into the second grade. She told me today that she absolutely cannot wait until her first day of school because, “I love my teacher and learning and all my friends,” She is such a mini Aaron in every way possible. Friday night I took her to get new shoes. She picked out pink Nikes. I am a bit of a control freak about what they wear. It took all my self-control to allow this choice. I had hoped for something a little bit more unique. She is a practical girl and insisted that they
would help her run faster.
While the kids are at school I will write. I am looking forward to days of writing. Nothing makes me happier. The only drawback to this writing gig is that it can be so lonely. It’s not like I have an office to go to where I interact with people on a daily basis. I am usually alone. Part of me loves it. There have been many recent nights where I have gone out alone to take photos and have thoroughly enjoyed myself. However, there is another part of me that aches for human interaction. I think that is why I have fallen so completely in love with the interview process. Recently I have found myself over interviewing because I love the process so much. As a result my articles have become longer and longer. My next cover story is 6,300 words compared to my usual 3,800.
Andrew will be in 8th grade this year. I am apprehensive about high school. He has gone to a very small private school since the 2nd grade. This year there will be only 4 students in his class. I’m worried that he will not fit into a large public school. I had the opposite problem as a kid. Freshmen year I attended a small catholic high school from a public school. I didn’t know a single person other than my sister. All the other kids went to the same elementary schools. I remember feeling incredibly lonely and out of place. I don’t want that for Andrew. My solution is swim team. On Tuesday he will start swimming at the high school he is attending. My hope is that he makes friends. We shall see.
Jake will be a 6th grader. He will have the same teacher again this year. There are five boys and five girls in his class. Things will be evenly matched. For two whole years he was the lone boy in his classroom. I am happy that he has other boys to hang with. He and Andrew will be in the same math class because Jake is a math whiz kid. I was worried they would be competitive and bicker but over the summer they worked together on the same math packet. They got along so well that it was border line annoying.
Amelia is going into the second grade. She told me today that she absolutely cannot wait until her first day of school because, “I love my teacher and learning and all my friends,” She is such a mini Aaron in every way possible. Friday night I took her to get new shoes. She picked out pink Nikes. I am a bit of a control freak about what they wear. It took all my self-control to allow this choice. I had hoped for something a little bit more unique. She is a practical girl and insisted that they
would help her run faster.
While the kids are at school I will write. I am looking forward to days of writing. Nothing makes me happier. The only drawback to this writing gig is that it can be so lonely. It’s not like I have an office to go to where I interact with people on a daily basis. I am usually alone. Part of me loves it. There have been many recent nights where I have gone out alone to take photos and have thoroughly enjoyed myself. However, there is another part of me that aches for human interaction. I think that is why I have fallen so completely in love with the interview process. Recently I have found myself over interviewing because I love the process so much. As a result my articles have become longer and longer. My next cover story is 6,300 words compared to my usual 3,800.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Blogging
Ever since the Reader debuted their fancy web layout with shiny new blogs I have been wanting to be invited to become a regular blogger. I kept hoping for a request from my editor. That never happened.
Going against the grain of my very being, I went ahead and pitched a street style blog. They went for it.
For a month I have been taking random photos of interesting strangers and posting them in the Out and About section at the Reader. I’m in love with this new gig and cannot believe I am getting paid to do something that makes me so incredibly happy. Here are my favorite photos:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)