Mucho

There's always so much going on. And that's a good thing.... I'm sure.
The weekend was good. Real good. I'm a bit tired of one of my jobs, and every night before I have to go to it, I get cranky, complain, then say I'm gonna quit. Then I go, have fun, remember I'm not too bad at what I do, and go on from there. So whatever with that.

Celia had a day off Friday, and we stayed busy, took a late walk, and did a long music class that lasted over an hour. Saturday we made it to the beach. It had been over a year (I think, if I'm not over-exaggerating which I can tend to do) since we'd gone. And it was so so so wonderful. Effie was in a constant state of euphoria the entire time, and I had a perty good time myself.

Every time we go to the beach, I remember my parents' complaints about sand. Well... yeah, sand can be gross and get in your butt, all over your car, all over our stuff, in your hair, and is messy, but it is definitely worth the hassle to see your kids have fun. Right? Maybe my folks didn't think so, cuz they didn't take us to the beach much - they left it to my brother to take me (thank you Freddy, and don't worry mom and dad, I don't hold it against you). But that's ok, cuz now I can go whenever I want, and deal with the sand however I like right?

But something funny happens at the beach. It doesn't happen to me a lot, or in many places, but it seems that when you're at the ocean, things kind of slow down, and moments kind of just... well... they almost stop. (One other place this happens to me at is when I walk over a freeway over-pass) Maybe it happens by the sea cuz the beach is so far away from my kitchen sink and dirty dishes, or maybe cuz the beach is so immense that it makes you feel so teeny tiny. I don't know, but I like that feeling, and even though it made me sad that I kept my kids away from such a great place for so long, I was still so happy I was there.

Effie was a madwoman when it came to the waves. She wanted to literally sit underneath them. When she saw all the bubbles she'd freak out and scream screams of joy, and she could care less that it was cold. In fact, she'll only let me rinse her in the bathtub if I put on cold water. While Celia was shivering, Effie was perfectly fine. She's a cold blooded Virgo that little Effie. And hot headed too. Is that a Virgo trait? Ha. Alex scooped out a little lagoon for them, and Effie would run down the slope of sand and just jump right into it. When we got there, Celia was terrified of the waves, but as soon as we got into the water, she held my hand, and was almost as happy as Effie. It really was so much fun, and even worth the 90 minutes of traffic we had to deal with on the way home. Whatever to that too.

And today we did the carousel, and a 60 minute wait for the medium paced pony rides at Griffith Park. (not at all worth the wait) We had to listen to parents yell at their kids the entire time, who don't know how to stand still for an hour. Parents are lame. I can't even stand still for an hour. I kept telling Celia we could just come back during the week when no one was around, and she kept saying to me: "NBD mom. NBD" (No Big Deal) It's our new thing around here. Any time someone starts to complain about something, someone ends up saying NBD. It works. Really it does. Just try it. When you get pissed, or tired, or stressed out, just think to yourself "NBD. NBD". There is always something worse than what you're going through.

After we did the park stuff, we got to enjoy Tony's birthday, and an evening of story telling by the Q sisters. I was just happy to listen for a change, and not have to be the one telling Effie the never ending stories for once. Thank you ladies.

And it's late. 12:50am to be exact. And I better go. At least the beans and the carnita are cookin, so I don't have to starve for too long tomorrow. And... (too much and... I know) tomorrow is my last day as a Spanish teacher for awhile. Yeahoo!
See you kids around. Again, if you have any costume suggestions for me - or costumes to give me... holler.

Adios amiguitos y amiguitas.