A project of my very own

I am feeling more and more productive each day I work. But I also feel that I have less and less time for my own projects. How selfish! It's true. I think now that I am contributing financially to my family that I can create more. Now, where to find time and someone to sit on the kids? I mean babysit the kids.
My newest project is working towards a more toned shapely me. I am doing what I like to call the "Louisiana Hotel workout"All it requires is eating standard three meals a day, seperating the meals by at least 5hrs, working out everynight with just push ups and sit ups and tons of stairs. Sounds easy enough. See, there is no excuse not to do it, like "I can't get to the gym." You can be as lazy as you want. Heck! Watch T.V while you do it. No one is watching you. It seemed to have worked for me in Louisiana let's see if it translates to my lifestyle here in good old California.

I will check in to let you know my progress. Sweat on!

Steve's Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to Steve!!

A form of meditation and solitude for Steve is to go fishing alone in a remote spot. The scenery, fond memories and the quiet keep bringing him back to the waters.

His hopes for another year stem on how lucrative we become. His 48th year will start out being celebrated with his family making him chocolate pudding pie and a little gift and home made card to mark the occasion, a little relaxation, and some fishing.

We will save the grand celebration for his 50th!

Good day for acceptance.

Something good about today. Can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there and it's good. Of course the day can change course at the drop of a hat.

I guess it's that I am not feeling as repressed as I have been.

Physical ailments can be shrugged off but mental blockage has to be torn down. I feel a new freedom with both kids in school. I feel lighter with having another income coming in. More in control? Maybe I can lift my head up and think of things beyond.

I can paint again! I can worry about the world's current events, global warming and what's happening with my New Orleans and it's citizen's.

So many of you have listened to me when I have been in crisis, and as a reward for listening to me complain about life I would also like to share the triumphs with you. For some reason it is harder to find people to share your achievments with than your woes. It's like they scatter to the wind.

What is that about? Is it we don't like to see other people do well? Is that so hard for us to accept? Think about it for a minute. Maybe that's what holds us back. Maybe we waste too much energy in trying to keep up with the "Jones" or trying to belittle a friends achievment that we have none left to propel our own efforts in life.

There's a lot to say for practicing "acceptance".

So, this is what FREEDOM is like!

Dawn brings a new day!

Who is Dawn and why is she waking me up?!!!!

A little a.m. humor.

Children are successfully off to school and I am FREE!

I have painted a painting, watched one of my T.V shows, drank a coffee, and made myself some lunch all without little people inturrupting me five times a minute. Now what do I do? Take a nap. Oh, bliss!

Tranquility in the Himalayas

Relaxing. Spirtual.

Take a breath.

Aummm.

Chalk one up for Kathleen!

A resolution came shortly after my last post about Kathleen and her losing her seat in 1st grade. I had called the Superintendent of Schools because I was not satisfied with Mr. Principal Politician sitting across the desk from me telling me how the game was going to be played. Threatening me with bussing her out of the area if I chose to put her in 1st grade. That there was no spot for her at that school because I signed a paper!?

NO. I don't think so.

The Super(Superintendent) called me and said he spoke with Mr. Principal Politician, and that the two of them had gone over the policy of enrollment, and it seems that my daughter losing her place and him replacing it with a newer student had nothing to do with the paper work in which Mr. Principal Politician indicated to me did. In fact her enrollment there is based on when she was originally enrolled when begining Kindergarten in 2006. Her seat as a 1st grader I am told is secure. Whether her assessment will show enough academic growth for her to be in 1st grade is a different matter. Her assessment is on Friday and school starts the following Monday.

When it comes to my daughter, you better be ready to scrap with a Tiger Mama!

Another victory for Kathleen!

My Birthday!

Heather's Birthday




Celebration of Heather.
"Moors of Heather"



It's my birthday this Saturday. Don't ask. A lady never reveals her age.

Steve and the kids are taking me to my favorite hamburger restruant downtown, "Hamburger Mary's". Other than that I have no exciting plans. I might if we had a babysitter. No volunteers though.

Please enjoy the loveliness of the "Heather" flower.

Qualities of "Heather"- medicinally used as a tea to supress coughs, grows slowly and lives a long time, likes hot-humid climate. Protrays itself in many different colors mostly cool. Truly fascinating.

" I think it pisses God off when we walk by the color purple and don't notice it."Alice Walker

One should always have a hint of purple.

Heather

Don't I control the world?

Sometimes I wish I belonged to a big Italian Mafia "Godfather" like family. The loyalty you see between the members is something I wish I had in my own life between family and friends. The violence and death not so much. These punks that call themselves "Mafia" now a days have no class, no discipline and no honor. Most of all no brains.

Fear not. I am not looking for a gang to join. I am not much of a joiner anyway. I am not lost. If you think this, you have taken a wrong turn in the journey of my psyche.
I was told by "Madame Ruby", the resident psychic of Chico, California, that I like making things into a fantasy. Well, I suppose it's true and I agree I am a romantic. I love Hollywood endings and am very disappointed when life ends up being real.

Who I am and what I long to be is so far on extreme opposites it's unreal.

I want people to be smart and be able to have conversations with me without asking me things like "What do you mean, "gathering"?" Seriously, I was talking with a neighbor and she asked me "What does gathering mean?" and this lady claims to be a daycare attendant.

Educated, my neighbors are not.

Put the crack pipes down and step away from the can of Budwiser and pick up a frick'n book!

Pictures of Katrina and Rita 2005

Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, 8/2005

Saw this on every house. Explains the result of the search of the house.

On my morning drive to work.

The levee break that flooded my Aunties home.

Hackberry, LA Disaster Recovery Center where I worked for 4 months.
Or as I liked to call "The bottom of the world."
I flew out over Hackberry and it literally looked like a strip through a mud puddle.





The before and after Rita pictures of Holly Beach 15 miles south of Hackberry, LA.


Me working hard for SBA/FEMA mobile unit in remote Sulfur, LA.

Manny working hard even on his last day.

Team Hackberry Dennis, Me, Justin and Rob workin hard.

and then there's Chris!

Gotta love him. LOL

Anniversaries, Adventures in Love.

My husband and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this year. It had not been an easy year, but I wouldn't say it was the toughest. We reflect on our relationship and talk about things we want out of the next year. The 7th anniversary celebration was stolen moments after putting the kids to bed I froze two goblets(we bought the year before in Memphis), dipped the edges in chocolate and filled them with a fruity Champagne with some strawberries to accompany the drink.

On our 6th wedding anniversary I was working in Missouri and I flew him out to meet me in Memphis Tennessee. A quiet anniversary without kids in a town that needed exploration. No, I didn't drag him to Graceland. We did go down Beal St. and drove around the area quite a bit. For our anniversary dinner we had Carribean Cuisine. It was like a date that lasted a weekend!

Maybe a sorry comparison of events, but the day means the same.

Love, partnership and marriage.

I wonder what our 8th anniversary and that year will bring?

Still after seven years of marriage, he still gets to me.

Lioness roars"You will listen now."

You may ask "Why would you bring up New Orleans and Katrina again?" Well, because it was one of the most wonderful adventures I had been on in years. I met great people explored many new things, from locations to Hookah Bars. I met very interesting people. For the first two months I had awesome eye candy!That's right. I'm talk'n about all the Federal Agents that I dinned with two to three times a day. The men in blue, camo and what ever else they were wearing. Yum. I was forced out of my shell.

I am proud of my participation in the relief efforts for Katrina and Rita even if I suffered some PTSD after wards. I am told people ignore or change the subject when I bring up Katrina and Rita because it makes them uncomfortable. When they do this they do not realize that this was my life for 7 months. I lived in the disaster ridden cities. Everytime I walked outside my hotel it was there. This was not the news. You couldn't just turn it off when it got too much for you. I listened to New Orleans citizens everyday tell me of the horror that happened, the injustice and the crime of humanities that happened. Neighbor against neighbor. What was I supposed to do with that information? Stay quiet. I guess I assumed that because I listened, that other's would listen to me when I shared my experience. I guess my deeds didn't warrant this courtesy. However I am the one behind the keyboard now and the Lioness in me roars, "You will listen now."

The picture is of the street Tchoupitoulas exit(we called it "Snuffleupagas") one of the first things that greeted me when I drove to my hotel the first day in New Orleans. Remember I knew nothing about the layout of the city and cars were parked every which way. My first thought was normal back then "Who the hell is playing tricks on me?" "That's just mean." My whole stay in New Orleans and even when I came back on New Years the sign was not fixed.

The other picture is of the guys Manny, Brad, Chris, I worked/lived with in New Orleans as we partied above Bourbon St. in September 2005.

And now, the news.

Now that introductions are out of the way, let's get down to the news.

Currently our whim to move to Oregon has come to light again.

Nothing committed yet but thoughts are free.

Jake is potty training and I bost as a proud mama that I am, he came and told me last night "Um. mama. I have to go potty." He went and sat on the potty and peed! YES! Not yet repeated. We are getting there.

Okay on to less biological functioning subjects.

I am working for Philips Lifeline(medical alert monitoring service for elderly)as an installer. Absoulutely no sales. Sites are given to me and I schedule them. I have been doing the Placerville area up 50. Now the second and last batch of people are as far away as Chico up 99, Georgetown up 80 and Pollack Pines/Grizzly Flats up 50. My poor car has had it. Too many hills for the old Volvo she is resting in the shop to see if she'll make it. As a result I have been off for this last week.

I have roughly a week and a half of work left. Then that's it. I think they activate you when they have further installations to do. The money would be great if the car worked and I won't have to finish with a rental and daycare wasn't $300 a week.

Too much of the complaining. Or is it just life?

Welcome to "Heather Unlimited"

You knew it would happen one day. One day there would be a blog all about Heather that everyone could access without excuses.

I have so many people spread out in the world that this is the only way they can keep up with me.

I see this as a private news cast about Heather. That is why I call it "Heather Unlimited".

I will try and include a picture when I post a blog. I'm not sure I am that savvy yet. Bare with me.

Look for news on your favorite "Heather" in the world. Coming soon to a computer in front of you.