Leenie!!!

(Photo taken by her awesome photographer husband while in Greece.)

Happy belated birthday to the queen of my heart. Her name is Kathleen, but we prefer to call her Kitty, Kitty Cat, Princess, Queen Sassleen, or Leenie.

Here is my birthday message to you:

Meow meow meow

Meeeowww meow

Meow meow meoooow

Meow meow

Much love to you, my beautiful princess. I miss you!

Jerks

A few months ago I drove to Borders to pick up a book. On the way, I passed a homeless man standing on the side of the road. I don't remember what his sign said, but I remember he looked old and his hair was white and his face looked soft. The driver in front of me rolled down his window and tossed something at the man. Trash. Not money, not food, but his own old fast food wrappers. I became angry, and decided that if the driver was going to Borders too then I would say something to him. Turn after turn, his truck remained in front of me.

I grew increasingly nervous as we got closer to Borders, and when he parked right in front of the building I panicked. He stepped out of his truck, and he was huge. I didn't say anything. I looked at him, and I couldn't speak. I let him get away with it. For weeks later I thought about that incident, about how he couldn't have done anything to a girl in a public parking lot in the middle of the day, about how I didn't want to be someone who let people get away with treating others like crap.

Today I was sitting in a coffee shop reading a book. This particular coffee shop employs young adults with disabilities, and it seemed that the young man at the front counter had just begun working there. A man sitting across the way kept glancing at me over his computer screen, and I tried to ignore him as I read. He answered a phone call, talked for a few minutes inside, then went outside for the majority of the conversation. When he came back in he sat in his seat and asked the young man, "Did you turn the music up because I was on the phone?" His voice grew louder as he spoke, and soon he was yelling. "I saw you turn the music up because I was on the phone. Why did you turn it up??? I saw you!!!" There were only 3 others of us in the cafe, and we all turned to see what was happening. The young man kept washing dishes and shaking his head back and forth. "But I saw you do it! Why? That was rude!!!"

A few minutes passed, then the man walked over to the counter. With renewed anger, he said, "Why did you turn the music up while I was on the phone? Did you not want me talking?? You shouldn't have turned it up!" As he sat back down, I turned to him and said across the room, "Why are you yelling at him?" He looked up, flustered, and sighed, "It was upsetting."

More time passed, and the man walked over near my table. He said, "I am sorry to bother you, it's just that he turned up the music while I was on the phone and it was very rude." I said, "Uh huh. I didn't hear the music get louder at all." "It went up at least three times. I don't know why, some people are just crazy." "Well, still, I don't think you should have yelled at him." "Yeah, probably not. Maybe I'm upset about other things too and it just came out here." "Okay," I said, and turned back to my book.

David walked in during this conversation, and after the man left David asked, "Um...did I miss something?" When I told him the story, he said, "You're a fireball. I'm proud of you."

I've made a decision. I'm going to stand up against the jerks. I will not be silent! Who's with me?

Jay-Mo

I miss this little guy! While my sis and her family visited last week, Jay kept forgetting my name. Instead of asking over and over, he chose to call me "the one I love." When he woke up in the morning, he'd asked his mom, "Where's the one I love?" A part of me hopes he never remembers and I keep this name forever.

Oh, and Jay said something not so sweet to David: "You're a girl because your tummy's fat." Huh?

Sura the water dog

A few days ago we went to the creek with my sis, twin, nephews, and Sura. It was Sura's first time in a body of water, and after a few minutes of shyness she was swimming around like a real water dog! We were so proud. My favorite part was that the water made her look even more like Ed, the crazy hyena from the Lion King.

Michael the mountain lion

This is Michael, a mountain lion. He lives at the Kirshner Wildlife Foundation in Chico, which is a place that cares for neglected, injured, and needy animals. Michael was inbred, and as a result he acts a little goofier than most mountain lions. He plays by hiding in the back corner of his cage and then pouncing on the fence when you aren't looking. It's terrifying, but a little endearing at the same time.

To Kristin

(Kristin and Kim)

I miss you, Krissie. It has been just 4 years, and I think about you all the time.

Death is not the end

Death can never be the end
Death is the road

Life is the traveller

The Soul is the Guide
Our mind thinks of death

Our heart thinks of life

Our soul thinks of Immortality
Sri Chinmoy

Here's to 2 years!

Happy anniversary, Husband. I love you and I'm glad to be your wife.

The rehearsal

Just 2 years ago we were rehearsing for our wedding on the beach. The wind was strong and the sand pounded our bodies as we stood where we were to take our vows. I was nervous that the ceremony would be so windy that the flowers would blow away and the youngest guests would become little kites and fly up into the air. Our eyes would sting and the arch would topple and my dress would be tossed about my body.

The wedding day was perfect. No wind, just sunshine and joy and even the youngest ones sitting happily in their seats. Had it been windy, or had it rained during the ceremony or the guests been covered in fog, I don't think I would have noticed. I was marrying the best person I've ever known.

A conversation from yesterday

Lindsay: "Avery, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
Avery: "A vegetarian."
Lindsay: "Oh, really? What do you want to do as a vegetarian?"
Avery: "Take care of animals. Mostly dogs."
Lindsay: "What will you have at your office?"
Avery: "Mostly lots of cages and yummy things to put in the food of sick dogs. People will bring me their old dogs that they think are going to die and then I'll make them all better."
Lindsay: "So you can make old dogs younger?"
Avery: "Uh huh."

Summer so far

Summer vacation has kept me a little out of touch. Most of my days look like this: wake up, eat breakfast, lay by pool, swim in pool, eat lunch, nap, watch Blue Planet, eat dinner, bedtime. It may not sound exciting, but I'm loving the calm.

There have been a few lovely exceptions, including a visit with some old friends from high school. We hiked, shopped, BBQed on July 4, went out for delicious meals and frozen yogurt, told stories, and exchanged back massages. That sounds just about perfect to me.

My friends are pretty cosmopolitan. On our hike they brought Starbucks, digital cameras, and their iPhones. Apparently Razr cell phones aren't cool anymore. I refuse to believe it.

Our last dinner at our first apartment

Oh, Villa Acacia, you hold a special place in my heart. You were our first apartment as a married couple. Sure, you were a little old, sometimes loud, located in the "ghetto" of SLO, and gave us some, ahem, interesting neighbors, but we loved you just the same.