Eva  and I have  been corresponding on Facebook lately. I send her private messages and she writes back. (I would text her except she can’t find her phone. It turns out the other kids hid it from her for about a month and we just found it tucked in a model speedboat on our living room mantle. Boy are  they going to be in trouble.) Whenever I am away from my kids I like to find some way of connecting with them and texting and sending notes through Facebook are great ways to keep in touch. I love that my daughter friended me on Facebook and believe me, I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize that, which is why I never write on her wall or send messages to her friends. That would be bad. So the other night while I was in L.A. and she was home in Santa Cruz at her dad’s house, she and I wrote back and forth for about an hour. I learned a lot. She wants to start making money this summer so she is going to start a babysitting business, she wants to go to a concert in July and a baseball game. We talked the modern way. She just got home from her dad’s and came out to my office to say “hello” and give me a hug and a kiss. I think she liked that I took the time to reach out to her.

Paul and I just arrived home from our trip to L.A. It was a long, dusty ride up Highway 5 so we are both happy to be home. This is a photo I took from the pool yesterday. After spending most of the day in the hotel room doing homework, I decided to take a dip. Isn’t this a lovely scene?

No kids this weekend. I just poured myself a glass of wine and am settling in to finish up some homework. This is my final week of my third class in graduate school so I am now a quarter of the way through. Did I mention that I am going to Full Sail University? Perhaps I should give them a plug here. I absolutely love it. Could not be happier. I am learning so much and my mind is just BURSTING with creativity. I wake up excited every morning and I just love the added boost it is giving my career. Paul is thrilled with my added and continued contribution to our business. Yeah.

Eva had to make a memory box, also known as a “Cornell box” for her multi media art class in school. She chose as her theme our summer trip to the East coast. She included some sand, seashells, a beach pass and her ferry ticket to see the Statue of Liberty. I took this photo while it was on display at the community center downtown. She and I went together to view the exhibit and afterward stopped by Jamba Juice and got a smoothie. I try to make special time to spend alone with each of my children. They enjoy it and it gives me a chance to get to know them better individually.

Paul and I are on a business trip in L.A. It is the first time we have been away together for work since last June when we were actually in Beverly Hills the day Michael Jackson died. It is nice to get away again and we have several other trips planned in the coming weeks. One to VEGAS!!! and the other to Reno, NV. In Vegas we will be staying at The Bellagio and attending a business conference.

Our business model has changed considerably in the past few months and Paul and I are enjoying working together and planning our new marketing strategies. My current studies in Internet Marketing are helping immensely. Yesterday Paul presented a seminar and afterward I was in the mood for sushi. They have great sushi restaurants here in L.A. Instead we tried something different and very unusual to me: shabu shabu. It is so cool. You have to try it. You cook your own food in pots of boiling water at your table. I know. It sounds treacherous, but it’s not. The meat is sliced very thin and it only takes a few minutes to cook. You can add your own spices and garnishes and top with sauces like miso and soy. Boiling the water draws out the fat in the meat. Then it is served with vegetables and noodles. Very good and very satisfying.

Today was a momentous day in the history of our country. The Obama health care plan was signed into law. Today, 35 million Americans who do not have health care can no longer denied coverage. And I am here to tell you that I used to be one of them. Six years ago when I got divorced and was self employed, I could not get an individual plan because I had a previous existing condition. It wasn’t cancer or meth addiction or anything as dramatic as that. No. It was a simple case of heel spurs, medically known as plantar fasciitis. Three insurance companies turned me down including Blue Cross who had covered me under my ex-husband’s group plan. Ironically, they didn’t cover the orthotics I needed for treatment anyway so I never understood what the big deal was. The only insurance I could get was some bullshit catastrophic plan that didn’t cover anything anyway. No annual pap smear, no mammogram. Nothing. It wasn’t until I married Paul that I was able to get insurance. Good thing too because right after our wedding I had my gall bladder out.

I know a lot of you may not agree with me and I don’t understand the reasoning. Some say that health care should not be an entitlement. If you can’t afford  insurance, why should the government step in to help you? It’s not their problem. To that I say: Why is health care not an entitlement? Just as every citizen is entitled to a public education, every American should have the benefit of proper medical care. If that’s your logic then why not close down the libraries and public parks? Heck, let’s do away with social security. If you can’t put enough money aside for retirement too bad. Make your kids take care of you. And while we’re at it, who needs the police and fire department. Or the military? These are all government programs paid for with tax dollars and I don’t think anyone will think for a millisecond that we should do away with them. I am confident that once every American truly understands and gets used to the Obama health care plan they won’t want to do away with that either.

To hear another mom blogger’s similar experience, click here to to read Heather Armstrong of Dooce’s opinion.

A few weeks ago I posted a photo of the wisteria starting to bloom on the side of our house. I called it “The first sign of spring.” Here is an update on what I consider to be “The second sign of spring.” Look how much it’s grown.

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Paul, the kids and I were all heading downtown to the Catalyst to see our rock star tenant, Johnny Prynce’s band Dirty Penny. My friend Kathryn’s twin sons’ band, Rapid Fire was the opening act. This is a video from that night. Even through my ear plugs I thought they were great. Become a fan  on Facebook.

This is our cat Flip standing guard by the back door of our house. Noticed the claws slightly displayed. Our pets mean a lot to the kids, as they were always a source of comfort and security during tough times. Whenever the kids have had a rough day they usually find one of our three cats, or the dog and just curl up and snuggle.

These are photos Paul took of the walkway from our house to my studio, which is basically my commute to work. I couldn’t decide which one I liked better so I am posting both. Miraculously the path is cleared of clutter. Amazing.

Lover's Point in Pacific Grove

Our "rock" table picnic spot

Eight years ago, when I first became a single mom, I was in a wine shop and spotted a picnic backpack filled with all the essentials for a romantic picnic for two: plates, silverware, a cheese board, a wine opener (can’t forget that), wine glasses, cloth napkins and a tablecloth. I bought it and dreamed of a day when I would use it on the beach with a romantic partner. We’d ride our bikes along a path by the ocean, stop at a gourmet deli and pick up some local wine and exotic cheeses, find a cozy, sunny spot on the beach and enjoy the fine food and company. So romantic.

I never used that picnic backpack. I put it on a shelf and forgot about it. Until today. I spent most of the morning working on homework and when I was done I announced to Paul that is was time to HAVE SOME FUN!!! It was his idea to go for a bike ride and have a picnic on the beach. “Hey,” he reminded me, “Don’t you have a picnic backpack thing that we’ve never used?” He retrieved it from the laundry room shelf where it had been gathering dust. I cleaned it off and while Paul loaded the bikes into the car, I ran to the store to get some indulgent, decadent noshing foods like Humboldt Fog goat cheese, tapenades, crusty bread, wine and dark chocolate. Yum. We drove down to Pacific Grove to a park called Lover’s Point and rode our bikes to Monterey. The weather was gorgeous. It was so relaxing and romantic. We found the perfect spot, a “rock” table and while I set out the food, I thought about how far I’ve come since I first bought this backpack and how happy I was that I finally got to use it.

Then it  got kind of cold and windy. Paul spilled his wine all over the table and accidentally sat in it. He had this pee like stain on his butt. A homeless person wandered by and I felt kind of guilty that we were indulging and thought about offering her some food. We forgot the bike lock so I worried the bikes would get stolen. And then my lactose intolerance started to kick in. But it was very romantic. I swear. Not exactly as I pictured it, but then nothing ever is.