2012 New Beginnings

Ah it's been so long my dear followers of my Birthday Blog! But I'm back and fired up for the New Year, new beginnings, new friendships, new adventures and anything new that will contribute to my health, wealth or happiness. Doesn't that sound magical?!

I have missed sharing my daily musings with you all and look forward to re-connecting. As I close the chapter on 2011 I must acknowledge some milestones that shaped this past year.

I ran a Marathon, yes that's 26.2 miles! I turned 50 years old as did my life partner, Brian. We also celebrated our 24th Wedding Anniversary. I ushered our three teenage boys into their Junior years of school, one in college, two in High School. I worked on several political campaigns for rockin' women, some who won, others who sadly lost their races (other than losing their bids for office, they are truly winners for just running!)

Pictured here are me and friend & athletic trainer Melody Roset crossing the finish line of the LA Marathon in pouring down rain.

I helped my niece Olivia navigate the college maze and welcomed home my other niece Zoe from Utah; I cheered as my friend Eka re-kindled and married an old flame from years past; I lost my voice countless times chanting GO PALI as my twin sons Harrison & Spencer rocked the baseball field and ended the season making All League Conference; I traveled to Salem, Oregon to rally my son Brandon as he pitched his way to All Conference as well; and surprisingly for the first time since I was a child we spent two weeks in our beloved Bass Lake vacation house with a rotating door of fabulous friends & family.

Pictured here is my son Brandon & niece Olivia at Brandon's baseball game.

Of all the beautiful memories created in 2011, there were also pains and losses along the way. Mimi Martin, beloved mom-in-law to my dear friend Lisa Martin, lost her battle with cancer and we all had to say good-bye. Never easy to lose a loved one...

But of all the sorrows this past year the one that weighs the heaviest and is the most painful for me to reconcile, is having to console a dear friend whose one month old baby passed away from SIDS. There are few words to be uttered when such a horrific tragedy occurs. All I can say is rest in peace sweet baby Ethan, we all miss you.

Each of these reflections hold a special place in my heart and as we enter 2012 I may circle back to each of them to add more detail to the stories that touched me this past year. In the meantime, today is an opportunity to look forward, move forward and implement my intentions for 2012. For now it's off to hike with Brian, our trusted companion-dog Bailey and dear friend Suzee Markowitz. Great way to start the morning!

Pictured here to the left is me & Brian celebrating our joint 50th Birthdays!

PS The photo above captures Brandon, 20, Harrison, 16, and Spencer, 16, jumping for joy to ring in the New Year. They are my life & pride and joy!

Day 18: More Birthday Fun

I was turning 50 and our fabulous family friends' son Tanner was turning 16 so we all decided to celebrate in style together!

Here's me with 16 year old Tanner... best pal of my son's Harrison & Spencer!

Jenny & Steve Savitsky and their children, Tanner & Nicole, Jenny's mom Pam, and Brian, me, Harrison & Spencer cruised in luxury in a limo to a delicious special dinner at Saddle Peak Lodge in the Malibu hills near Calabassas. We sipped champagne while cruising along the beautiful coastline and laughed the entire way!

It's so nice to spend your milestone celebrations with friends you love and doing something really different & fun.

Pictured here are all the lovely Mom's, Pam, Jenny, Me and lovely sister Nicole!

The boy's loved the Lodge and of course were adventuresome and tried game-type meats! We had a great evening celebrating birthday's and friendships!

Day 148: A Double Header

Ah, after a 6 week hiatus today we sprung back into High School baseball with a double header no less! So let's see ... I was at the baseball field for 7 and a half hours today ... wow, and I wonder where the time goes!

Given that the boys were off for these past few weeks I gotta say they played very well. Both Harrison & Spencer pitched beautifully, like real pros and Spencer had a a great hit which should have taken him just to first base, but because of errors on the opposing team he got all the way to third base. Granted it was Spencer running. That kid has wheels like nobodies business.

It was great to see all the parents after our brief break. There were mixed feelings and conversations among the parents about school starting tomorrow. Some parents were looking forward to getting their children back into a routine while others were dreading the grueling grind of up early, early bus drop offs, crazy studying & homework and of course high school sports which really do take over a family's home life.

I'm ambivalent. Part of me looks forward to the boys having a routine and learning, yet there is something great about not driving in traffic across town to get to class on time (we are NEVER late) and watching them labor over their school homework for hours. I never remember school being this difficult or challenging. Their classes are insane and now entering 10th grade they have AP classes (Advance Placement courses) which are college level courses. We never had this offered to us in 10th grade!

So my boys along with 600,000 plus students will return to school tomorrow. All their parents are laboring over the same logistical issues... LAUSD is the largest school district in the country and tomorrow these students return to school.

If you are wondering whether your morning commute to the office will be impacted, the answer is yes!

Happy Back to School Los Angeles students! May the year be productive and successful for you and your families!