The Odyssey

So for those of us who are experiencing the joys of motherhood, one of the fun, yet sometimes embarrassing, times is toddlerhood. Is that even a word? Anyway, kids really do say the darndest things. The weekend before last, we were at church and one of the deacons was walking down the aisle toward us. Why did my precious little one say "mommy do you see the monkey?" Yep, she was talking about HIM...the deacon. Nope, he didn't hear her...whew. But, I guess he did slightly resemble one. He had his hair in two strand twists which hung on both sides of his face...he had long arms...I don't know. But, she was serious. I said "baby that's a man not a monkey". She said "noooo mommy, that's a monnnkey". Whatever...conversation over. In the car, she decided to have a conversation with herself. Yep, she played two characters in the drama that was unfolding in her own mind. Hopefully, this isn't a precursor to some sort of mental disorder but rath...

There have been very interesting news stories out here. Some are very sad. On Sunday , a lady was trying to go to church and her ex-husband (she already had a restraining order against him) shot her execution style as she made her way into the door. Angel Raich , an Oakland resident, was denied the right to use medicinal marijuana to treat her pain from an inoperable brain tumor and other illnesses. The funny thing is seeing her on the news smoking weed...only in California. There was a drive by shooting on March 5th and the intended targets were little children. A 4 year old girl died and her 4 year old cousin is in critical condition. The police believe it's gang related. A 3 year old boy was also grazed by a bullet. There's a $16,000 reward for details. Is that all those babies lives are worth??? Sen. Obama will hold a campaign rally in Oakland this Saturday. I would love to see him but... Until later...

Okay, I'm back on my blog... I am now somewhat settled in to life in Cali. Here are the things I like so far: The weather is really nice and there is no humidity. We've been in the 70's during the day and maybe the 50's at night. No heater or a/c necessary for now. I've been told that the summers get a lot warmer here. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous. I see hills right outside my window. We live in the mountains so there are hills and valleys everywhere. I love driving down the street. My husband's job is less than 10 minutes away and it's less stressful than his last position which means we see him more and he's in a better mood when he gets home. My husband has a few cousins here that we'll get to know better, including a 2 day old baby boy. What I don't like: The cost of living. Gas is about $3.35/gallon. Food is more expensive, housing is more expensive, parking is more expensive. The only thing they don't have around here are toll roa...