My son came home and it's Christmas tomorrow!

I have neglected my blog this week, I was on such a roll at first and the momentum has slowed I fear. I shall attempt a renewed interest. To be honest, and I have to be honest, because if we aren't honest we're fools, I have been fighting a lot of negative emotions. I felt better towards the end of the week but I didn't feel like posting about my being a downer! I had a great day on Friday hiking to the Tao house (Eugene O'Neil's) and touring, learning and doing something different. Ben (hubby) and I had a picnic overlooking the meadow amongst the cows grazing it was quite idyllic. Then our long lost son Alex came home from college with 6 friends and boy did my spirits lift! He's so full of life and his friends are all wonderfully polite and mature so it's a pleasure to have them. I made a HUGE (3 bags) pot of pasta and salad, bread, the works and they loved it, they are all sick of the cafeteria food (who can blame them?). Then today (sat) Ben made pancakes for them and they went to the city to run around and goof off. I went to some garage sales, and scored at the thrift shop in Dublin where sweet Robin works. I went for a run and I tagged all my stuff for the Christmas boutique tomorrow at Judy Maher's house. For any who wants to go it's at 242 Las Quebradas in Alamo from 12-5. Lotsa food and friends, fun and things to buy. I am selling Joy Jars, pet portraits and miscellaneous christmas stuff. I made my world famous sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles.....ummmmm. They really are good. I can just eat them all day long but they have 3 cubes of butter in the batch and that means they are uber fattening. That's why they are so darn good!! So that's all for this hip chick, hang in there with me and I promise I will be there for you!!!

What a Weekend!!

Ok, as down as I was is also as high as I was this weekend being in the bosom of my old homestead Carmel Valley. For those who don't know this I lived there for 8 years, raised the kids there, and truly made life long friendships within the community there. I got sober there, I saw my son go through preschool to 6th grade there and we bought and sold two homes there, it was a huge part of my life. So how grateful am I that I can go back and be welcomed with open arms, housed, fed, shown love and fun, and get nurtured on virtually every level all within a few days. I saw my friends Annie who housed me, Benson who bought me dinner and we watched a great movie at his AMAZING home, and Megan who fed and massaged me. These people are so dear to me. Ironically we don't all stay in touch, everyone has such busy lives, but the beauty is it doesn't matter. Years can go by and it"s as if it was yesterday that I saw them. The bond is so deep and the love is genuine and effortless. Annie and I went to Big Sur on Saturday and it was spectacular. Of course. The ocean was churning and waves were breaking across the cliffsides, we found a sweet spot on the side of the road just past Nepenthe and Annie painted her very first painting!! It was a Joy Jar day and later that day I went for a run on the old Carmel Valley airport, I remember when Santa used to fly in on a small Cessna and then there was a parade. Such special times. Sunday I went to Megan's and we hiked around the old familiar roads, catching up on each others lives and solving the problems of womanhood. Megan is an incredibly gifted massage therapist and I treated myself to a massage to top off my nurturing weekend. It was just what this hip chick needed. What I valued most about my weekend was the love from my friends. Sometimes we all need a little help and I am very fortunate to have people who not only care but show me they love me. It's interesting how in the everyday happenings this can be overlooked, taken for granted. I know that a change of scenery is vital for my artistic senses, my well being and appreciation for my own life. I sometimes forget how helpful it is, and this weekend gave me all that I was lacking and more.