My personal greeters

I pull up to the house after a long workday, get out of the car and make my way onto the sidewalk. My neighbor dogs, Lola & Okami, jump up on hind legs to get a look out their window and kindly bark a hello.  Nice to be greeted home!

A new mug can make your world brighter

This weekend I felt couped up and anxious to get out of the house. On my way to fill up the gas tank I found myself wandering the aisles of Tuesday Morning. For the most part I kept from touching anything because if I don't touch things I don't buy things.  I saw a coffee mug, though, I couldn't resist.  My shopping therapy was a true success and I only had to fork over $4.50 for this delightful mug.  Today I got to bring it into work and enjoy my coffee from a fresh cup!

Sneezy, Stuffed Up, and Coughing

I seldom suffer from colds or flus, I guess I'm just lucky that way. The problem is that when a cold does take over my head and face it's a doozy. What seemed on Tuesday to feel like a pollen induced allergy in my throat and nose had evolved  into a full-fledged head cold by Friday. Thankful to have had the weekend to take it easy, rest, & drink tons of water because it is Sunday night and things are looking up.  I have a bear of a week ahead so getting over this nasty whatever-it-is will assure I can make it through after all. 

Race, Education & Art

University of Puget Sound is hosting a conference this weekend entitled Race and Pedagogy.  Teachers from all over the U.S. are here to attend seminars on the issues of race and its impact on education. Dominik and 30 other kids from his school were asked by his music teacher to perform a few songs for the attendees of an auditorium panel discussion on the importance of art in education at the conference today.  The kids were fantastic, and Dom's first time on a real auditorium theater stage...he wasn't nervous at all.  We were in nosebleed seats so my photo wasn't great, but you can see Dom in the front row, second kid from the right.

Labor Blogger

Proud of my husband for working so hard to ensure the union contact is being respected and followed in the workplace among staff and management. He recently started a blog for his labor writing and updates on labor issues.

Check it when you have a chance...

www.brentwagar.com

52 years young

I love this guy, and today he turned 52 ! 

Brent is amazing in so many ways and of all the things I am grateful for, he is absolutely on the top of the list. 

Thankful to have spent 18 birthdays with him so far and looking forward to many more!

A good day

Today I was officially promoted from Payroll Administrator to Payroll and HRIS Manager.
It has been such a work in progress for so long...putting in tons of extra hours and taking on way too many projects, so it feels good to finally be official.  I am now overseeing Payroll and Benefits as well as being in charge of our HRIS(Human Resources Information System) to ensure data integrity between software modules.  It makes me happy, as this is something I have wanted for awhile and the day has come!  Of course, the first thing I did was go in and change my title on my email signature...

Fierce Compassion

At my job we have five values by which we base the work we do.  Integrity, Excellence, Courageous Innovation, Justice and lastly Fierce Compassion are the five. Recently I was asked to write a company blog piece about Fierce Compassion...something that would be posted affiliate wide.  To begin writing today I decided to google a few topics to get some inspiration.  As I did some research I came across this.  I liked it, and I wanted to share...

Not so Itsy Bitsy

Since tomorrow is the Fall Equinox it feels like we truly are moving into the next phase of this year.  I decided to go out looking for spiders in the back yard and I didn't have to go far.  Spiders and their webs are one of my favorite things about Fall.  Such amazing web-making can be found every where I look. The webs are so hard to capture in photos, but sometimes I can catch the spider. 

The four Hs

And here begins a new year of 4H...Dominik will join now that he is old enough.  I love the 4H Pledge they all say at the beginning of each meeting. 

Maritime Festival

Had a chance today to do some walking along Foss Waterway in Tacoma today. The annual Maritime Fest was happening and we especially wanted to checkout the newish Foss Waterway Seaport building and it's museum rich with artifacts from Tacoma's waterfront history.  We had fun, and with 75 degree weather it was a perfect day to explore the waterfront.

Back at it

School is back in session and that means I'm up and at school early 2 mornings a week to make sure kids and parents are starting their day by safely crossing the streets. Being a crossing guard before work gets me roaring to go so I am wide awake by the time I hit the office.  This year I have 2 boys from Alice's 5th grade class learning the ropes so I am there to teach and supervise.  I love how enthusiastic they are about being crossing guards...

Chow mein

Sometimes the best part of the day is coming home to a cute husband in the kitchen stir frying veggies and noodles. Dinner tonight made my stomach so happy.

Miss America

Beauty pageants have never been something I have ever supported. Heck, when I was in college I attended numerous protests outside the buildings where pageants were held. Having said that, I like to think that these pageants have come a long way... focusing more on academics and leadership than the swimsuit.  I read today that the newest Miss America proudly admits that she is pro-choice and completed a 3 mos internship as an educator with Planned Parenthood.  In fact, she is not the first contestant to be openly vocal about her views on women's reproductive rights, Miss America 1974 made it known that she was in support of Roe vs Wade.  In 1989, AP reported that 32 of the 51 Miss America contestants identified as pro- choice.  It just goes to show ya, huh.  I loved learning this...made my day!

It's the bee's knees

This time of year when Fall alergies and head colds are rampant I always keep my Burt's Bee's nearby...a life saver when you feel like you have the dryest lips on the planet. I love this stuff.

Moments of Awwwww

Lately the "Awwwww" moments in my life with my kids are generally in reaction to how much they are growing, learning and evolving into  conversationalists.

Tonight, though, it was an "Awwwww" of nostalgia when I saw my 8 yr old Dominik laying on the ground playing with his plastic figurine guys like he has done since he was a baby.  Glad he still acts like a little boy sometimes. What a relief!

They call her mellow cello

At school last year Alice had a chance to learn the basics of how to play a violin.  Then when we took the kids to see live bluegrass concert last Winter, Alice fell in love with the cello played that night.  

We weren't surprised when Alice came home with a letter from school about 5th grade orchestra starting up and she begged us to rent a cello.  We did just that.  I hope the excitement lasts, as I really like the sound of a cello. The best part?  The cello sounds good even when you don't have any idea how to play it!

While the gettin' is good

Mid September is when I feel like I resign to the idea that it is Fall...I want to start dressing for Fall and I expect rain and cooler temps.  Almost every year I am surprised how sunny and warm the whole month of Sept can be. Today was beautiful, sunny, and 80 degrees or so. I couldn"t bear the kids hanging out inside all day, so we went on an adventure. A picnic at one of our favorite parks was a good start, then spent some time in the dahlia garden there.  We also wandered around at the pagoda and Japanese gardens.  I felt so lucky to live in a town with this much beauty at arms- reach.

Pilsbury does it right

Had a hankering for biscuits-n-gravy, so tonight we invited the Pilsbury Dough Boy over for dinner along with some bacon and eggs. Who said Thursday night dinners had to be boring?

A little blood and guts before bed

Lately I began watching Grey's Anatomy for the first time...and now I'm on episode 6 of Season 1.  I often wind down at bedtime with a little on the kindle  and earbuds. The blood and guts, organs, and surgical cutting is a bit much, but I am digging some of the cast members( have always loved Sandra Oh) and the drama the hospital staff are all involved in. Thankful for this get-away from reality each evening.

A hearty thanks

Last month, while in for a routine visit to my doctor she noticed I have a heart murmur. This was new...and she referred me to a specialist. The cardiac center did an echocardiagram and an EKG, then today I got to talk to Dr. Lee, a cardiologist, about the results.  What did he say? I have a strong, healthy heart and many times a murmur is absolutely nothing to worry about.  This was good news!   I realized  while walking out of the office that the appt could have gone very differently.  I take my heart and other organs for granted, and am so lucky to be healthy. Very grateful today.

Fisher Scones

You might think that the best thing about the Puyallup Fair (now called The Washington State Fair) is the pig wrestling, the huge draft horses strutting around the ring, the gut wrenching amusement rides, cotton candy, or larger than life stuffed animals you can win by throwing coins into a glass bottle. 

No, the best thing is clearly the Fisher Scones. A dozen provides breakfast for two or three days! 

Pie

My beautiful daughter spent the afternoon at our new neighbor's house learning how to make a Dutch Apple Pie. I don't have much patience for baking these days and I am avoiding sugar the best I can...so I was glad that she had someone to bake with.  The pie was a masterpiece!

Good Neighbors

We have new next door neighbors as of last month and so far we love them. A young (because anyone in their 30's seems young anymore) couple with 2 nice dogs moved here from Texas.  Alice and Dominik are enamored with the dogs, Okami and Lola. Yes, the dog and I share a name.  Today Alice and Dom went over and asked if they could take the dogs for a walk...the dogs and kids were thrilled! 

Happy to have nice neighbors next door!

When you need it most

Between the start of a new school year and long stressful workdays from a mound of extra work on my desk I was feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and a little distraught today.  I sat at my desk, took some deep breaths and forged on because I knew these tasks were not going to complete themselves.

Moments later I received an email from my boss written to the entire affiliate.  It made my heart smile and the load of responsibility I was carrying on my shoulders didn't seem quite as heavy.

I must have received 25 or so Thank You messages throughout the rest of the day...and they were heart-felt. 

As this blog has helped me to recognize daily the things I am thankful for, it is also so important once in awhile to be thanked.

Glass Beach

One of the things I tend to search for when beach combing is sea glass, especially pieces of different colors.

I saw this photo today of a beach near Fort Bragg, California. The glass beach formed after the trash dumped there for years by local residents was pounded into sand by the surf. So beautiful!

These kids

On this first day of school, I am so grateful for the chance to witness these two grow in confidence, independence and inches. How far they have come in only one year!  Life is good.

Simply, my pillow

After working 11 straight hours today on a tight deadline and knowing that tomorrow will likely be much the same, I am simply grateful to lay my head down on my lumpy, tie-died covered pillow tonight.

Sink therapy

I found myself in a bad mood early today and try as I might I couldn't shake it. I even tried slipping away alone to look around Fred Meyer pretending that I was going to buy a new handbag, yet that didn't do any good at all.

Finally, I walked Into my kitchen and took a look at the old crusty sink. I got out my cleansers and scrubbed like crazy. Suddenly it was shining and my mood had lifted...wow, what a difference!  I knew then I could conquer the world.