at the starting gate ...

ummm ... in case you didn't get the memo, summer is over. yep! shorstack is heading back to school tomorrow, panda begins her crazy fall rush tomorrow and i ... well, i am still in the midst of my summer-fall-where-was-the-vacation insanity.

the house is quite quiet right now. panda's resting and hoping her body will get rid of the sore-throat bug before her fall-semester-student-meetings, shortstack is chillin' and playing til mama is ready to hit the park, and here i am ... after a quick AM farmer's market jaunt ... ready for a nap.

summer wasn't slow for us this year. i had hopes ... but, well, it just didn't happen. i had dreams of cleaning and scrubbing out the fridge, reorganizing closets, replanting an herb garden, lazy picnics on long afternoons ... it just didn't happen. but it was a GOOD summer. knee surgeries and healing, wedding planning, visits with ohana, and progress on my thesis. i guess we can't complain. but that doesn't mean i'm ready for the fall craziness!

anyhow ... here's to hoping that all of you are enjoying your sunday AM rituals ... have a spectacular day!!

these guys got it right ... find your bliss on this beautiful sunday AM! =)

finding my zen place

sometimes, when you are having one of THOSE days, you need to be able to find a place of peace ...

... and here it is ... 

... peace in my family and to all of yours ...

An APLS Wedding in Paradise

hey all ... i know ... it's been awhile ... story of my life! anyhow ... i finally got our website up for the wedding:
apls-weddinginparadise.blogspot.com

enjoy!

am i just fizzing out??

over the past two years, i've had this bossy, pushy, demanding internal voice nudging (sometimes shoving) me to figure out what my purpose(s) and passion(s) in life are. i mean, beyond the obvious (my cozy ohana and our home, coffee, chocolate, tons of books, browsing blogs, collecting stuff ...) i guess, what is it that i am on this planet of ours for??

i spend time every morning browsing through the blogs of other people who are inspiration to me because they seem to have it all figured out! they somehow have found out what their calling is - so they can shut up the pushy, demanding voices that are shoving them through self-excavation and they can focus on DOING. i want to be there!! but i'm not ... at least not yet. so, every time that bossy internal voice starts getting on my nerves (it happens quite often!) i dig a little more ... or i retreat into my internal mind bed cave ... and look for help, inspiration, revelations, anything that will help me figure it out. but, if i'm too tired, stressed, lazy, bored or intimidated ... well, then i just take a look at my family and realize that although i don't necessarily know what my calling is quite yet, i am a lucky, LUCKY woman to have been charged with loving and caring for my family ... do i really need to know more than that at this very moment ... nope. not really. the adventure of self-excavation will probably always continue, but for now, i'm looking forward to heading home during my lunch to care for my wife and put together another little care package for our shortstack.

my number one purpose: to love and be loved by my family!

here's to wishing you purpose and passion in your lives!!