Ay, Ay, Ay - Growing Pains Are Here Again

Lately, I'm feeling a lot of pain. So much so, I feel like I'm giving birth. And in some odd way, I am. I can feel the new me, the new life a-coming and boy, is it ever uncomfortable! Still, I much rather grow than die slowly, quietly, desperately so onward I go.

All I can say for now is that, in retrospect, it was HIGH time for this freefall and that I am glad to see that I did learn from the last time I went through a major change in my life (my divorce in 1994), that it is not the end of the world as we know it when monster change is happening.

On the other side of all this discomfort is a freer, even happier, more loving me which affirms the fact that change is good indeed and that I'll patiently endure what I must to take possession of that newborn/reborn me. I'm looking forward to it. :-)

Seconds

Yesterday was a day of Firsts, today is a day of Seconds.

* Today is the second chilly day in Miami this year - and in a row, too. Love it!

* Seconds is a beautiful way to measure time. It really is that precious; every second really does count!!

* The second time around with my hubby rocks. You may know the story - we married young - I was 18, he was 23 - we divorced almost 4 years later, we got back together 7 years after that and remarried on the same day and date - Wednesday, August 29 - with the same rings to boot! (I'd kept them in a bank safe deposit box not because I thought we'd get back together but because every time I took them to the pawn shop, I just couldn't part with them)

Now, today is obviously not August 29 but it is October 29 and that's the day we met in 1988! Craziness, 20 years. It's just unbelieveable!

So, yeah, seconds in life are a good thing ... having your second child (my wonderful Dylan!), seconds on yummy food, a second glass of wine, second chances. They're all so good!

But, don't worry, I won't be doing thirds tomorrow. :-) ha ha ha Promise!! Have a great day, everyone!!

Firsts

Today is the first chilly day in Miami this year. It is also Steven's first full day at home (he went home from the hospital yesterday afternoon! YAY!!!!) and tonight he meets his daughter for the first time. How wonderful is that? Thank you all who posted well-wishes for him! He's truly, truly grateful!!

Life On The Run

I just posted the following as a response on a friend's blog where she posted this quote she loves:

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. – KAHLIL GIBRAN

I LOVE Khalil Gibran - The Prophet. Slow down, slow down, slow down ... I constantly remind myself of that, of not getting caught up in the go-go-go world and living a harried, hurried life. Life's too short for that, really, and too beautiful to miss by being on the run.

I am not as good at this as I'd like to be but I am definitely better. I believe it's part a matter of the time it is in my life (being Mom to 2 little ones), part a matter of action (simply making being peaceful a constant habit without excuses). As I've done with every other important area in my life, I will not give up until I master this! I'll keep you all posted on my progress.

Lovely Weekend

Tod and I took off on our 2nd getaway this past weekend as planned. We went to The Keys without the boys once again for a couple of days of R&R and got to watch a couple of movies (An American Carol - it had some really hilarious scenes but was kind of slow - and City of Ember - loved it because it was a whole other world and I love that sort of creativity), lay out by the pool (me), play Nintendo DS (Tod), and sleep without having to get up to take care of our little ones. I also got to read and write e-mails and do some planning and scheduling of things I'm working on (SO exciting! and I will share more in the next couple of months) and since we came back Sunday morning and had a full day with the boys and today the boys don't have school and I'm enjoying another full day with them, it doesn't feel like I missed my weekend with them which I would've not gone for. In other words, it was all around great and everything worked out just perfect.

A million thanks, of course, go to the people who make this possible: my Tod, always, my sister, Naty, who takes such great care of my kids, and my mother's helper/nanny, Tita, whom Dyllie is almost as fine with as with me. I'm so beyond blessed, it's not even funny. Hope you had just as great a weekend!

Limited Access

It has been 10 days now since our computers went haywire due to a lightning storm. Yes, we have surge protecting battery back-ups but when you get hit directly, that doesn't count for much especially when you have ancient computers (6 years old or so). The good thing about it all is that it gave us the final push to finally go ahead and order the new ones we've been waiting on for quite some time.

Now, the wait. To receive the server, to have it programmed, to get all the other computers, to set up the network again, blah, blah, blah. It's complicated when you have all that going on but it'll be all good soon enough. In the meantime, I have VERY limited access and only when the laptop decides to cooperate. A bit frustrating at times, a whole lot at others depending on what I just have to get done. You all know how that goes. I'll keep you posted and I sure hope you're doing great. Hugs to all!! XOXO

Not True

"http://www.narahvalenska.blogspot.com to go directly to the blog or http://www.narahvalenska.com to see the main page first and then click to the blog from there" has changed

I get this message every day and I know some of you do as well. Sorry it isn't so. Soon. The kiddos start school Sept. 2nd and that will give me 5 hours a day I currently do not have. I will be missing them something awful but it'll be good for me to have some daily peace and quiet in which to just be me. It's been a long time I've had that much daily time just for myself. My sister, Naty, says I'll be throwing a freedom party of sorts on Day 1. Not really although it's not a bad idea. ha ha ha I do have all sorts of plans. Stay tuned! :-)

Nearly A Month!

It has been nearly a month since I last wrote and the question is Where Have I Been?! of course. Busy living!!!! :-)

Enthusiastic

If there's one word that describes me, that would probably be it. Come to find out enthusiasm means "in God." Yep, I'd say I have the whole world, life, and God in me. It all just makes me so happy from the inside. Even through the rough periods of my life, I felt that light inside of me. I wrote about it once ... I'll have to find it in my boxes of writings.

I remember becoming aware of that flicker inside vividly. I was in Jacksonville after my divorce and a failed relationship but one night I just woke up and knew I'd be alright in life, no matter what happened. That was the beginning of me now. That was the beginning of my return home, literally to Miami and figuratively to where I came from when I was born. (More on the latter later.)

Bottom line: life is a joy! And, enthusiasm is where's it's at for me.

Try Seven!

Seven! That's how many weeks it was I was away from the gym. As I write that, I think IMPOSSIBLE! But alas, there it was in black and white on my trainer's clipboard. Yikes!! Between illness (ours and people who work with us), work, and work-issues, time flew me right by. I think I ran once or twice in that time and that's it. CRAZY!!!! I gained 2 pounds too ... not bad at all although I honestly don't care about the numbers. For me it's always about how I feel and how my clothes fit and although I didn't feel as light as I usually do, the clothes fit fine so I couldn't even really tell I'd gained.

Anyway, that's the past. Done and done. What I'm up to now is getting myself fully back on track with my training because I want to run another marathon and do a triathlon with my brother perhaps so I have to be back in tip top and I'm already working on that having returned to the gym 3 weeks ago.

That was my first order of business. The second I already took care of a few days ago as well by counting 16 weeks out not from this coming Monday but next (June 2nd) since that's how long I train for a race so that I can find a race right around that time - which will be September 21 - to participate in. And then it's on to my third order of business, getting all my stuff taken care of in the next week before Ian finishes school so I can have the best summer of my life with my boys and their papa and be back to writing here all the time and doing more personal stuff.

For now, it sure is nice to be back. :-) Hope you're all well! MUAH!!