bluebacon

2012 was... it wasn't a year full of greatly high achievements for me so it's hard to look back and find very little of the things I would normally be proud of. Although it did have some redeeming moments, overall I don't think I would be looking back at this year that fondly. But not to be completely negative, here are some of the highlights that kind of sums up this year: 1. Started the first of the year with UTI and was actively job hunting, not that these two necessarily go together but that is how I distinctly remember the first week of 2012. That right there should have been the sign of troubled times ahead. Note to myself, if ever I start job hunting again, don't do it at the start of the new year in case it turns out badly then you'll end up spending the rest of the year feeling miserable. Besides why start the new year inflicting stress on your self by attending ridiculously hard job interviews? Lesson learned. 2. Got a new job, left the...

... of Pacific Opera. There are very few things in this world that would make me give up a rare and precious Friday night alone time, and apparently an invitation from our board president to accompany him to a choral concert is one of them. We had our Christmas lunch today, hosted by our board president. At the beginning when he did his opening remarks, he also did a plug on Capriccio's Christmas concert tonight and how he had an extra ticket. Everybody else had plans, including me who was going to enjoy some peace and quiet at home with my first night off in a long, long time. But I had to think about that offer twice before deciding not to say anything. A few weeks ago I was looking at Victoria's Christmas event listing and Capriccio's concert was one of the top 5 events I kind of highlighted that if I had the time and energy to go see, I would. The concert was called 'Twas Not the Night Before Christmas.' I had never been to any of Capriccio's concerts be...

I never thought this would happen to me but now I know that all those stories you hear from other parents about forgetting their kid and thought it was ridiculous? Well not so ridiculous after all. Today I completely forgot Bell! We went about our usual routine, Bell and I would both get out of the car and walk Raine to his classroom the way we always do. This time though, Bell went straight inside the kindergarten classroom to hang out with some of Raine's classmates while I stayed behind right by the cubbies, to wait for Raine to change into his indoor shoes. As soon as he put them on, we hugged each other goodbye and I left and headed straight to the parking lot. Since the van was still getting fixed, Eduardo drove with us this morning so he was in the car waiting for us to come out. As I walked closer to the car, I glanced at the backseat and paused for a second and thought... hmm that's funny, I could have sworn we left the house with Bell this morning... And then my e...

I wanted to share this note that my soprano section leader in the choir sent after our last performance of Messiah on Sunday. Hello again, During the intermission some of the sopranos were talking about the couple in the front row this afternoon who appeared to be so enthralled with the performance - the soloists, the chorus, everything.  Their delight in the music and in their chance to share it with another were very compelling. I had the chance to speak with them after the performance in the lobby and thought you might want to know a bit about them. Their names are Lauri Jo and Tony and they came all the way from Port Angeles just to hear us. Tony told me that they had prayed as they were coming over that the members of the choir would feel their hearts open to the music. I also spoke to Michelle Mourre and shared with her that several singers - both men and women - had told me that they had been moved to tears at d...

I didn't read about the Newtown, CT shooting until midnight last night. I had glanced at some of the Facebook statuses earlier in the day but did not have time to really look into what everyone was so upset about. It wasn't until I got home and had a chance to settle down around midnight that I finally got a chance to update myself with the news from the day. From the moment I read the first few lines of the news article, my immediate reaction was pure anguish. Eyes brimming with tears. Whether you have children of your own or not, who wouldn't feel the pain from this recent tragic event? I  had been so busy on this day and too occupied about our van getting fixed, juggling schedules to make one-car family arrangement work, getting as much done at work so I could leave early and cover childcare while Eduardo runs off and referees, making sure I get the kids ready so we could all go to Bell's Christmas concert, then running off to my own Messiah concert afterwards. I...

Ok so it's been over a month since I said I was going to start writing more. Actually I now have a more compelling reason to update this blog more often. There was a period of a couple of weeks when several people actually called me, messaged me, and emailed me specifically to ask me if I was alright because none of them have heard from me. It was very sweet and flattering to be missed but I didn't even realize that I had been THAT uncommunicative that it got people worried if I had fallen off the planet! It's been a very stressful couple of months, jammed with events and activities, and that's really all the reason why I had been quiet. For the first, of hopefully a series of more regular updates, I want to write about something a little more happy, warm, and fuzzy. There are plenty of things to whine about, believe me, but in the current state of our busy chaotic world these days, I choose to highlight this one really simple event that happened that just made me sto...