A Girl Named Eve

I have found that blogging is a good way for me to feel my own pulse. I read through my past posts, and it puts me at a time and place in my life. There are so many moments I find blog-worthy. Ironically, I find it hardest to write about things I enjoyed the most. I wanted to write a great review to a play that I saw, or a trip that I took, but I was paralyzed on how to begin. I remember the advice from writing books I’ve read tell me to begin, and I do. I’m currently sitting on a collection of drafts that I’m waiting for a wave of inspiration to roll through me so I can finish them off one evening with a glass of red wine. Actually, it’s more like I’m waiting for this fatigue to finish wearing off so that when I do write, it can be pretty and clever, instead of tired and spent like I’ve been feeling. I was having one of those weeks were if I was a smoker in remission, I would have picked up a cigarette and had a long drawn out puff that would have shattered my months or even years o...

I wrote the first of a series of short stories about my life this morning. I did it freestyle by hand lying on my bed, while the kids were asleep, and my husband was out running. In this relaxed state, I can hear the words flow out of me and I capture them on paper. The next round is to type it up and edit it. And then share it with others to undergo a series of revisions, revisions, revisions. I'll decide what to do with them once I have them all or mostly completed. I'm leaning towards self publishing to a book which I could design myself, or posting them on my blog if I get desperate. I'm writing my life in different chapters the way I see it, or saw it at the time, and my reconciliation of the events that happened. I've been haunted by these stories for years if not most of my adult life. It's like they want to be written  and they show up all the time clouding my head while I'm cooking, driving, breathing. So far, I've written these stories mostly in ...

I like listen to Ted.com (Ideas Worth Spreading)  presentations while doing laundry. It has inspiring presentations on just about any subject. It's a great way to learn something new everyday. This talk by Ken Robinson stresses the importance of creativity . I like to have unscheduled time during the weekends because I get to see my boys come up with all sorts of interesting ways to have fun and entertain themselves. They know already that when they tell me they are bored my usual response will be "Oh good! You're so lucky! That means we haven't over-scheduled ourselves. Now you get to decide what you want to do with your time." And, if they keep moping around the house, I tell them I could find ways to keep them busy by giving them some work to do. So I have seen them jump on boogie boards and slide down the stairs, I've seen spontaneous out burst of battles with swords, and all sorts of running around the house in costumes or n...

Sometimes when we hurt it leaves layers of scars much like an onion. When we decide to forgive and really feel it in our hearts, it's as refreshing as a new haircut. Then one day, we come across a part of the scar that is still there. We wonder why it's still there-then we realize this time we have to forgive ourselves for being so stupid or naive. In really deep scars, there's the incident itself. The layer of being angry about why things have to happen in the first place and a longing for a justification of some sort. That layer too must go, if we are to heal. I do a visualization technique which helps me peel back the layers. I just find that sometimes when I get too busy for an extended period of time, things start to build up-the annoyances, disappointments, and frustrations. When I'm relaxed and centered, I can let things go pretty easily. But, when I've been running on near empty for too long, depleting my own natural resourcefulness, I need to refuel. I ...

I received my first blog award from fellow blogger and new friend, Catherine Winn of The Writing Room . It comes with the following five rules. 1. Thank those who loved me enough to bestow this gift. --Done 2. Share seven things about myself. --See below  3. Bestow this honour onto 15 newly discovered or followed bloggers – in no particular order – who are fantastic in some way. --I'll do 5 4. Drop by and let my fifteen new friends know I love them. 5. Any rule may be modified by any recipient for any reason. --I reduced it to 5 2. Seven things about myself: * I'm the middle child (well of 6) * My favorite mixed alcoholic drink is Midori Sour (It's a green lemony/sour drink)   * I work part time to spend more time with my kids * Favorite wine is Lambrusco (sweet well-priced red wine) * I have a phobia of fire  * Favorite fruit: Watermelon (It's always good, refreshing and I don't get tired of it) * Would I rather be a photographer or model? Th...

We just ended our fourth season of soccer for our boys. This time it ended in victory with our three boys winning the Championship games in their age divisions. Did I mention my husband was the headcoach for two of the teams, and assisted for the other? We've spent the last few months running in and out of the house as early as 7am on Saturdays to enjoy a full day of three soccer games. Our three boys have natural sweeper defense instincts. They hang in the back and then boot the ball back to the other side of the field when the opposing offenders try to score. They play for a small new community league where we know the other boys in the league because they've played in our son's team seasons ago. We can't help to feel happy for some of those boys who score against our team. We know their story and what it means to them. For the Championship games I made cupcakes to celebrate. Homemade cupcakes and there were no warnings from a National Headquarter office warning us ...

I came out to the balcony to write. I felt like being a little creative and working on a project. Outside I can feel the breeze and hear the waterfall and birds chirping. The wind rustles the tall palm tree branches and they make a nice soothing symphony. I've debated what to do with these small pockets of time I come across. They come more often now. I'm not working on a book or movie. I blog, I read, I post slideshows of my pictures. I have time for small projects like that. I like writing feature pieces on places or events that inspire me as a way of sharing with the world something I found and would recommend. I'm kind of working on moving towards that next step of actually being published in a magazine or as part of a collection of poems or short stories. [There I said it.] I'm just putting it out there in the universe. I thought I would have had to ramble another paragraph or so before I finally came out to say it. You hear all these wonderful stories of thing...

I've been drawing more Manga Characters since I bought my first art book, Draw Manga by Christopher Hart, back in April. Since then, I have put together a slideshow on Associated Content  where I'm building a small community of fans. It's encouraging to receive their feedback. I can tell it's time for me to draw, write, or blog again because I start getting a little cranky or irritable if I haven't been creative in more than a week. I don't know why I didn't realize this sooner. I always blamed my edginess on my busyness but never on my lack of practicing and honoring my creative spirit. I am a creative type. I'm also gifted analytically. I went the analytical route in my most of my career and life. Returning to my art is always a treat, like a fresh piece of fruit after eating a heavy marbled steak. I need my artistic veggies to help me digest what life throws at me sometimes.  I liked this Magna character the best because it most accurately captures m...

I'm so excited about my up coming trip to NYC, I can barely sit still. I hope it will be a wonderfully  unforgettable experience for us. I'm going with my husband, sisters, and a friend. I'm most excited about visiting Central Park. I plan to jog with my husband to and around Central Park from our hotel. The trip is still weeks away but I'm planning and buying tour tickets now. I'm hoping to dive into the NYC culture and just soak it all up. The street performers, hurried crowds, surrounding sky scrappers, the food, the fashion, the architecture. If NYC is the city that never sleeps, then I'd say I come from the city that takes afternoon naps. Nappy and relaxed just like the lion in the picture. Theme Song: Sound of Kauai

I've recently witnessed some random acts of kindness while out driving around my area. I thought I should mention because they were nice examples of how we can be kind to one another. I was stopped at a light and witnessed a lady run out of her car towards the car in front of her. I was about to lock my car door when I saw that she screwed on the gas cap and closed the gas door since the owner had been absent-minded enough to drive away like that. An older couple raced across a street holding hands as they tired to make it before the light turns red. The gentleman looked very chivalrous extending his arm to his partner. There's a couple of married homeless couples in my city that I'm familiar with. I've seen one of the couples sit on a bench outside a grocery store. They carry a makeshift cart and their dog on it. They don't ask for change. They make their way through the city collecting bottles. I've seen them both poke their fingers into the coin-despens...

Sunday Night Family Art Circle  I discovered I still have a long lost talent that I thought I probably no longer had. I went to the art store yesterday and bought paper, watercolor pencils, markers, and art instruction books to do art as a family and also to give my kids something to do on their downtime. I keep hearing how schools are not pushing out the arts and other essential skill and instead teaching for the test so it's more important than ever for kids to get art at home. I brought this Draw Manga Drawing Kit book was able to draw the images rather easily. My boys each picked a character from the book for me to draw for them. It was cute seeing the personality of each one is reflected in the character they selected. I forgot how relaxing it is. I guess my journey right now is a journey back to me... getting back to doing the things I once loved doing and doing them often enough to keep it up and get better at it.

Ebbed on by my sister to get a blog... I find myself on my bed in my room registering for a blog faced with my most challenging decision of day. What should I call it? This A Girl Name Eve idea came to my mind earlier in the day when I was reading through my sister's and her friend's blog. They're the artsy creative type of writers whose words spill like poetry. I'm still trying to break out of my analytical side. Anyways, this blog is dedicated to our first lady... Eve. Whether you believe in the Big Bang or Garden of Eden idea.... it really doesn't matter. At some point there must have been a female human species that started it all. That did it all her own without a sister to call, or a group of female friends to take a girls night out with. She had no other female to vent with. She was our first mother. First wife, our first lady. This one's for you Eve. I feel that in a way we are all just like Eve venturing on our own in maybe just that one way where ...