[sharonpdx]

fathers & daughters

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself.  - John Gregory Brown

The relationship between a daughter and her father is such a remarkable one - so unlike any other she'll ever experience - so defining that it impacts all future relationships she'll enter into, from that first moment when her eyes meet his.  I am forever my father's baby, and I'm so incredibly lucky for it.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy.

{ready to go}

Alas, a week-long absence - have been in a funk for the past... well, for the past two weeks or so.  The newness of it all wore off quickly and I was left with a feeling of... blah.  The grey weather we had last week didn't help matters any - nor did my disaster of a hair consultation at Aveda, which never happened because somehow when they called me to reschedule because they'd originally over booked, they didn't record the new appointment.  grrr.  Between the weather, the hair, and the late hours and lack of sleep as several work projects came down at once, my mental state was starting to fray at the edges. 

However, I am happy to annouce: {the pity party is officially over. }

Went to dinner with an old friend from college last night; hadn't seen him in six years, wasn't sure what to expect... turns out, it was exactly what I needed.  Somehow, reminiscing about old times helped me see the new times ahead more clearly.  A much-needed kick in the pants - and I didn't even have to pay for dinner.  Thanks, man. 

At six o'clock tonight I left the piles on my desk and went for drinks with some gals from work; afterwards, I decided to pull out all the stops and go old school on this self pity crap:  slipped in some Republica, rolled the windows down and started driving.  A sure fire "get over a breakup" trick from college - then, I would drive around the streets of Fort Collins - tonight, I took a left on Pacific Coast Highway and drove to the beach.  And you know, kicking depression on its ass is so much more my style, anyway - decided just to leave it there and let high tide work its magic. 

As for the hair consult debacle - Mom to the rescue.  She called up her stylist and got me an appointment two days later.  Moms rule. 

Oh, and if you decide to try the Republica trick: tracks 1, 2 and 7.   Trust me. 

public enemy number one

a curly haired girl's worst enemy?   humidity

so, tonight, I have a hair consultation with a stylist at Aveda.

here's hoping!

{dirty little secret}

Nikki, this one's for you - here's my dirty little secret: I love Hanson.  That's right - Hanson.  Specifically, 1997's Middle of Nowhere.  It was a grey day here in SD - June gloom was in full force today - but when I slipped it into the CD player, I was instantly uplifted!  There's nothing like driving along to a peppy pop song, singing at the top of my lungs to bring a smile to my face - to heck with what the folks in the next car think! 

Even bigger, dirtier little secret? My favorite song of theirs is MMMBop.  That's right - MMMBop.  Seriously.  Love that song.  There are very few songs that can make me as happy.  I set it on repeat and drove the 15 minutes from my office to home... and in that time, the lyrics snuck up on me and made an impression of their own:

you have so many relationships in this life
only one or two will last
you go through all the pain and strife
then you turn your back, and they're gone so fast
....
so hold on to the ones who really care
in the end, they'll be the only ones there
when you get old and start losing your hair
can you tell me who will still care?
can you tell me who will still care?

can you?  I can.  And I am so, so blessed to have them.

******************

Captured some photos on our hike Sunday morning.  We left late, at 6:30 a.m., and were lucky to get a parking space at the beach lot!  (I know, I know, Mom, we should have left at 6:00!)   The Torrey Pines Beach at 6:30 a.m. is a really cool sight to behold.  All along the shore are fishermen, women and children baiting their lines and wading into the sea.  There are a few surfers, too, decked out in wetsuits, waxing their boards - but the vast majority of beachgoers at that early hour are fishermen. 

By the time we finish our hike, between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m., the fisher folk have been replaced by more surfers (the ones who slept in, ha ha) and a few brave children (brave as in, how are they not freezing their heinies off?) building castles near the tide.  So, as I pressed the shutter, I thought about how fortunate I was to experience this early-morning phenomenon: the shores of Torrey Pines, at 6:30 a.m.

The 2-mile hike up Torrey Pines Road into the reserve is amazing.  Incredibly steep for the first quarter mile, you move from sand and seaweed to pine needles and cacti in minutes.  Surrounded by brush and pine, it strikes me that this could be the foothills of Boulder, Colorado  - or perhaps Morrison - that is, until the road curves and the ocean comes back into view.  Breathtaking.

   

Erica was so patient, letting me snap away as we climbed down the trail.  She's directly responsible for two of my favorite shots, in fact - pointing out the scenes to me so I could capture them:

 

She has to work this Saturday - but, I'm sure Mom will still be knocking on my door come 5:30 a.m.  Looking forward to it. 

******************

A few more Boston photos for you tonight, too...

After we left the Public Garden, we headed down Newbury Street en route to the pickup point for our Duck Tour.  Newbury Street is known for it's fabulous shopping - eight miles of it in fact - and though we didn't have a lot of time, we did manage to stop into a few shops! 

   

As we neared our destination, w were captivated by the beautiful  window boxes outside of the Fairmont Copley Plaza.  Even more intriguing was the surprise inside the lobby - her name is Catie, and she's Copley Plaza's Canine Ambassador - too cool! 

Still more to come ... I haven't even taken you on the Duck Tour yet! 

{arrived}

I'm here!  I'm here! 

Hello from San Diego, California! 

This may be the longest hiatus I've spent from my blog - and I've missed it so much!  I worked for about an hour on a post of my Boston pics a few weeks ago, and my computer decided to restart before I could post it - was so bummed!  Was supposed to be packing, anyway. 

The entire month of May was a whirlwind of goodbye visits and packing, all while traveling every week for business, big projects at work and dealing with the emotions of this divorce and my move.  No one is happier than me, I think, to welcome the month of June!

Jerod started the 1100 mile drive around noon on Thursday the 25th - the height of irony, as it would have been our 4th wedding anniversary ... the next morning, I arrived in San Diego - and a few hours later, so did Jerod!  By the early evening, the truck & trailer was unloaded, the storage unit and my parents' third garage were both filled, and the elliptical machine had found a new home in my parents' bonus room!

That night, Jerod started on the road back toward Vegas... I was pretty strong during the day and at our goodbye, though at dinner I did I get drunk on two glasses of Ponte Family Estates' Fume Blanc {which, incidentally, I highly recommend...}.

Regardless of the fact that I'd been averaging 3 hours of sleep a night for the past week, my mom knocked on my door at 5:30 a.m. on Saturday for a beach walk and a hike up Torrey Pines State Reserve - gorgeous, and just what I needed! 

Spent the rest of the weekend settling in - even indulged in a nap on Saturday afternoon! - went to a Memorial Day bbq with a girlfriend from high school on Sunday - another hike with Mom and my sister Monday morning - probably one of the most relaxing weekends I've spent since the divorce announcement... 

I'm almost set up at my new office in Carmel Mountain Ranch - super pleased with that, considering I spent Weds-Fri morning in San Francisco - my desk arrives Monday and I have {gasp} an entire week in the office next week - one of the few I've had since late November, I'm looking forward to it!

Living with my family has been such a gift.  Their dog, Rusty, is hysterically funny - tireless, he loves to play and loves to snuggle, too - incredibly healing to spend time with such a loving animal!  My sister & I have been spending a lot of time together, too, which I love - today we saw XMen 3 and visited Jimbo's...Naturally! store - such a good find.  I was bummed about relocating away from my favorite spot for organic produce and natural foods, Wild Oats, but Jimbo's offers the same products and more, for great prices.  Erica's a vegetarian, so she's always on the lookout for natural, healthy foods and good protien sources - we had a blast together!

Actually, one of the harder parts of moving has been losing all of my "places" - my aesthetician, Kristin, whom I visited for brow waxes every three weeks, and the Dermalogica products she sells at Halo Salon & Spa... my hair stylist Valerie at Ulta... the three SuperTargets in my area.  Scheduled a brow wax, hair consultation and hair cut at Aveda Ecotique salon at the Del Mar Highlands, right down the street from the house - seems like a good place to find a new style, plus it's close to home, which is super important to me considering I paid $3.31 for gas last week - yikes! 

Speaking of finding stuff I love - and saving! - Jess, thanks for the tip about www.SpaLook.com - I checked it out, and took advantage of that 20% off Dermalogica promotion you told me about - fantastic!  You rock! 

All in all, I'm settling in quickly here and enjoying the sunny weather - high of 84 today, highs in the seventies forecast for the entire upcoming week!  Tomorrow, Erica & I will head out to Torrey Pines for another 6 a.m. hike - which means I have time for only a few Boston photos before I fall asleep.

These photos are from the Boston Public Garden, where Jess, MF and I saw the bronze statues of Robert McClosky's famous children's book, Make Way for Ducklings; rode the Swan Boats; and admired the tulips before heading down Newbury Street for some shopping. 

      

      

      

More from Boston, and San Diego, tomorrow.