Thanks to Sarah, I have a way for my girls to count down the days till I return from my vacation. Sarah suggested I buy marbles or stones to put into a jar and the girls can take one out each day. So I obviously jumped at the chance to help them get through. I just put together 26 mini stars with notes on them and each day they will take one out and get a message from me. In addition, I made up a really big calendar with every day of January divided into two squares. One square tells them my whereabouts and one tells them who will pick them up at school and take them when Daddy has to work. My heart hurts that I have to be away from them for so long but at least they have little reminders of how much I love them, even when I'm not with them.
I would take a photo but my camera is packed. In fact, it's the only thing that's actually packed;-)
Who is ringing in the New Year with you? Who do you wish could be with you, but isn't there?
I'll be going to Kristen's house with my girls as it is our last day together before I am on vacation for 3 weeks in south east Asia. We will probably ring in the new year eastern time, (9pm) watching the ball drop in New York City on tv and then head home for a good sleep. I am off on the 3pm ferry tomorrow to Vancouver and will stay with a friend there for the night. Wednesday at 12:45, I'll be on a 16hr flight to Hong Kong and then a 4hr flight onward to Singapore.
I can wait, I'll have him all to myself for the next 3 weeks:) Happy New Year sweet. It happened 20 minutes ago for you and you are sleeping:)
Who do you want to be caught under the mistletoe with this holiday season?
Submitted by An Ebony Epicurean.
Nicholas. My biggest wish would be for a New Years' kiss, but I'll take the long-awaited kiss at the airport 2 days later;-)
Is there such thing as virtual mistletoe?
I had a terrible time getting to sleep last night. With our trip together approaching, I have so much to think about. The moment my head hits the pillow is when my over-whelming guilt about being away from my girls takes over. Lists start to mulitply in my head, (yes, I should write those thoughts down just then,) and then there is just life happening. Saying I have a busy life is most definitely an understatement. Fun? What's that? Oh right, what I'll allow myself to experience once I get December over with. I have such a strong focus right now, I think of nothing else but what needs to happen and how I'm going to make it work. I'm not unhappy, in the slightest...just somewhat burned out but not burned out enough to let go of my focus.
So I get up at 12:30am or so to IM Nick. "I'm not sleeping. I am still awake and have to be up at 6am:( ) Of course he's empathetic, speaks a few words to me, though he's on the phone at the time but still sweet:) By 1:30, I'm up again...IM'ing him. Here is his response. I love this man:
Nico Wang says:
when I can't sleep I pretend I'm a cat
Nico Wang says:
cats don't worry
Nico Wang says:
they just curl up
Nico Wang says:
and purr
Nico Wang says:
and think of simple things
Nico Wang says:
and then just smile
Nico Wang says:
and pretend to nuzzle you
Yayagirl says:
i love you so much for saying that
Nico Wang says:
it works though!
So I did try this btw...and I admit, I think it works a little. I was able to sleep eventually. Regardless of whether the tactic cured my insomnia or not, I felt good inside because of what he said and I'll remember this forever:)
"You'll Be In My Heart"
Come stop your crying
It will be all right
Just take my hand Hold it tight
I will protect you
from all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
For one so small,
you seem so strong
My arms will hold you,
keep you safe and warm
This bond between us
Can't be broken
I will be here
Don't you cry
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart, always
Why can't they understand
the way we feel
They just don't trust
what they can't explain
I know we're different but,
deep inside us
We're not that different at all
And you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on
Now and forever more
Don't listen to them
'Cause what do they know
We need each other,
to have, to hold
They'll see in time
I know
When destiny calls you
You must be strong
I may not be with you
But you've got to hold on
They'll see in time
I know
We'll show them together
'Cause you'll be in my heart
Yes, you'll be in my heart
From this day on,
Now and forever more
Oh, you'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be in my heart, always
Always
Show us something you believe in.
Show us what you're thankful for.
This is my new camera. Ok, so THIS one right here in fact is not. But since I can't take a picture of my camera with my camera, this will have to do! ;-)
Though I have sent out some personal emails, I'll also take this opportunity to thank everyone who reads here and contributed to my brand new camera which replaced my Sony that was stolen the night prior to Halloween. My beautiful friend Lisa, decided she could not accept and live with the fact that I might not have a camera to take pictures of my sweet girls for quite some time so she put together a fund for people to come together and help buy me a new one. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when she told me. I instantly tried to change her mind, thinking I didn't deserve something like this and of course did not want anyone to feel an obligation to contribute. She insisted and people from all over Flickr came together and helped make this happen.
I can't even begin to express my gratitude for something like this. This camera if I had bought it myself would have been special to me already...but because it came from a group of people who care so much for me, it means so much more. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart for this. I will never forget what you have done for me. I will use it to take photos of my girls as they grow and to satisfy other requests such as more self portraits for some reason I'll never understand:-P In all seriousness, this gift to me means the world to me. I would love to be able to return this kindness one day to someone who needs me and I promise you all that I will:)
Thank you Flickr, Brittney Bush-Bollay, Kyle Flood and thank you Lisa!!! I love you.
Andrea:)
Do you tend to like music in particular genres, or are your tastes all over the place? What are your most and least favorite musical genres?
I do. I am really drawn to electronic music right now. It's fairly a new thing for me, however I've always liked it. In the past, it just wasn't something that was right in front of me so much and getting info on what was good came from very few sources. Nick has rekindled my appreciation for it and I admit, I can't go a day without getting my 'fix.' 'Psy-trance' is my preferred genre, however 'Ambient' is always a good way to chill-out for me after the kids go to bed. Here's a link to 'Chromonova'...I listen to this daily:
'Indie' is right up there. 'Punk'-ROCKS and 'Matt Good' just stands on his own in my world:)
