Are you wondering what you’re looking at in this photo and why I would post it? It’s our back patio freshly pressure washed by the hubs and a true thing of beauty in comparison to how it was looking! It had dirt and bird droppings, leaves, stains and, worst of all, moss starting to make it a slick walking surface anytime it rained. But now, well, it’s a safe and wonderful thing.  

Funny how some of the best things can be the simplest things. A clean patio, a great watermelon, a fun game of rummikubes with friends, a blooming bush of French Lace Lilac, a baby sleeping in your arms, a long walk with a good talk – I had all of those things happen this past weekend. They had competition for attention though from a few other great things.

First, it was my dad’s birthday and he had a great time with my mom and sis and bil on an adventure in Oregon. On Sunday, it was Father’s Day and that event was topped by my youngest nephew Spencer graduating from the University of Washington! Woo-Hoo Spence! Still, that wasn’t all. Our California kid and his really lovely girlfriend Stephanie that we like a bunch who was up visiting from her home in San Jose came to stay for a couple nights and last but not least, we had a family party to celebrate all of it and – this is very rare anymore with my busy family – EVERYONE was there! What a great thing. The only down side to that at all is that we all vie to hold the babies but now that we have two plus a three-year-old, it’s easier to get your share of kid time in.

Oh, and the one other great thing for me is that I get to start reading again. And you wanna know why? Because I finished the second draft of my second book and got it sent off to my editor with copies for my volunteer readers!  I am so jazzed about that. Almost as happy to have it done as I am to get to read other things now again – summertime reading, here I come!

Happy Birthday to my wonderful dad today! And Happy Fathers Day tomorrow!

He and my mom are on a mini adventure in Oregon this weekend seeing the Spruce Goose. Love you dad! I struck it big with my wonderful parents.

Happy Flag Day! I love this shot out our dining room window with the flag flying in honor of this special day and the blues of the sky and the water behind it. We live in a beautiful place in a still great country. Even on our worst days we are lucky, lucky, lucky.

We’ve had some great things going by that same window lately. I got home the other day just in time to see two hang gliders sailing by on the thermals. Looked scary and fun! And we’ve had some super cool boats too. I love that I never know what will be going by.

My mother made the very best cauliflower the other day and now I can’t get enough of it. Naturally that means I must share this very complicated recipe with all of you to try too. If you are a curry fan, this is a winner:

Yummy Curried Cauliflower
Take one head of cauliflower and trim it but leave it whole. Place it in a microwaveable container.
Mix a 1/2 cup of low fat mayo with two tablespoons of curry paste. Spread mixture on top of cauliflower.
Cover and zap it in microwave until tender. Serve it to raves!

Our friend’s Mike and Jackie gifted us with this yummy bottle of wine — from their own winery! Pretty dang cool. Even better, one of their wines received second place in a recent competition which is pretty darn impressive when you consider how many wines are out there these days. Way to go you two!

Glen’s at band practice tonight but I opted to stay home and catch up with you all and enjoy a glass of bubbly in our hot tub. Sometimes some down time away from the pace of go, go, go in this busy, busy, busy world is the best moment of the week.

I’m recovering this evening from a wild and woolly, full-on wonderful weekend that was packed full of fun but left me wanting oh, maybe, several days of sleep. But Monday morning comes fast and early. Somehow I got there today and got through a routine day without nodding off but the end of the day seemed far away even when it was close to finished! Ay caramba. I’ve got to watch my fun level.

 Well who am I kidding since I am plan on saying yes to fun my entire life. I subscribe to that saying where you go out of life “kicking, and screaming on the way ‘that was fun’!”  This weekend, surely added to those stories.

 We were a whirlwind of activity this weekend: visits, a pizza making class at Serious Pie (so fun!) in Seattle, a ride on the new Big Wheel at the waterfront (don’t look down!), a search for macaroons in Ballard, cocktails down under (or as close as we can get in Seattle at Kangaroo & Kiwi), a birthday party at Hard Rock Café, celebrating Tea’s new car, getting the gang together for a summertime kickoff barbeque and, of course a whole bunch of talking and laughing. It was all life at its best. Here’s the pics (cause I’m still too tired to write much more of anything!)

Wowza have we been having some fun!

Monday night we got dinner with Tea and heard all about her trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios. Naturally, they had a blast although it sounded to me like they existed on three hours of sleep for the whole weekend! Oh to be young. She and her friend Jenessa even got on the new Cars ride which she gave a strong thumbs up. It was so nice out that evening that the three of us dined on quiche and big salads out on the deck.

Tuesday evening I got to catch up with my good friend Amy. This was long overdue and we caught up on all sorts of things for more than three hours over dinner and wine down at the waterfront.  She shared such an interesting story with me that I am going to do a separate post to share it all with you.

Wednesday was a lazy night at home. We managed a walk and a light dinner and I swear my husband was crashed by 7:30. Between physical work right now and getting up for Dandy at 4:15(!) each morning he is zapped.

 Last night we got to see baby Jackson! He just reached one month and the little guy is so dang cute! I don’t think I’ve ever seen longer arms on a baby and he is super alert and curious. He even smiled at me which made feel quite spoiled. Oh, and his parents, my parents and my sis and bil were there too but you know how incidental all that is when a new baby is around. Mom and dad made us dinner and mom fixed the best cauliflower! Total yum. I’m going to share that recipe with you too in an upcoming post. (I am such a teaser tonight. )

Tonight, we first got to have dinner with Diana and Poppy at our favorite pho place. They were just back from visiting their dad in Walla Walla and happier to be on the cooler side of the state again. Poppy lives in LA and works at Disney which I have learned sounds more glamorous than it is. But it sure sounds like fun! She actually starts a new job there on Monday. Way to go Poppy!

After dinner is the icing on the cake for the week – our Philly kid, Anita, and her husband and four-year-old son are in town for a long weekend. Woo-hoo! They are staying in Seattle with her dad but they’re heading our way tonight to kick off the visiting and we’ll get to see them for a bunch of the weekend too.

I’m telling you, is my life good or what?! On top of all that, my super smart nephew Spencer graduates from the University of Washington this week (Way to go Spence!!!) and one of my bestee’s (Mitzi) has a daughter , Talia, who graduates from Central this weekend. Woo-Hoo Talia! Fantastic!  They both made it look easy and did extraordinarily well.

I’ve been thinking about fitting in lately and whether it’s just me and a few others or it’s actually most people who deal with issues around feeling like you “fit”.

 My mom and I talk about this from time to time. I don’t think I’m sharing out of turn to say that my mom has rarely in her life felt like she “fit”. What surprises her I think is that I often feel I don’t either. And if you talked with my husband on the topic, he would surely say the same about himself.

 I know for me I haven’t fit at times — at work, at social events, at school, at parties, with friends — for plenty of reasons. Undoubtedly, my own self-consciousness about not being smart enough, talented enough, thin enough, pretty enough, capable enough, rich enough,  young enough, hip enough, worthy enough – the list is long – is surely a leading factor. Some of those things though have been developed through a society that “excludes” people through its adulation of only certain things and people; a society without safety nets for people outside of a defined “norm”; a society with systems that have historically judged and excluded. We live in times with a defined “band width” to fit within and life can be tough for those who find themselves “living outside the lines” so-to-speak.  You’re either “normal” and within that range or you are out.

 There’s plenty of “proof” out there that this might not be unique to me and some of mine:

• ·         A friend and I were talking on this the other day and how at least one member of her family frequently feels the same. I know the person. So talented and nice. He/she should feel comfortable anywhere.
• ·         I’m going to a conference later this month and I am TERRIBLE at networking. Just absolutely the worst. You put me in a giant room with tons of interesting people to talk with and I immediately feel like the least interesting amongst all of them. It turns out there’s a chance that I’m not the only one who feels that way though. The conference committee held a webinar this week on ways people can connect so they can be more confident at the event. In the promotion for the webinar one of the questions they asked was “Ever feel like you don’t fit?” kerpow! Maybe there is more of my kind.
• ·         The number of apparently very successful individuals who appear to “have it all” like stars particularly, who have melt downs, tragically commit suicide, die from drug overdoses or simply fade to the background. There’s a good chance many of those actions come from underlying feelings around not feeling internally “worthy” of the acclaim they have or not feeling like they actually fit.  Not to mention the many “regular” people we lose from the world everyday with those same feelings of inadequacy.
• ·         Heck, I even think that the growing number of people dropping out of the work world entirely is that they are just giving up on even trying to fit anymore. You knock on a door long enough that never opens, well, most of us are going to go on home.

 What occurs to me though from listening and considering all of this is how ironic it all is. I have never met a person that hasn’t been worthy of everything they want. I don’t know anyone who should second guess themselves. I don’t have a single family member or friend that doesn’t add to an event just by being there. I want the people in my life to feel they are worthy and that they do fit — comfortably even — in their own life. I’d like to feel that same way about my own life.

 It’s tough stuff though. A big part of the not fitting feeling is the talk from our own heads and we need to tell that voice to “SHUT UP!” I’m planning to practice that at the upcoming conference. I’m going to actively remind myself that there are surely others in that room that are feeling they don’t fit either. It’s not all about me for crying out loud.

 And that leads me to my other point: we all can help. Acceptance, tolerance, kindness, speaking up for others, connecting with others, cheering people on – are all part of what it takes to help every person flourish.  The truth is, it’s a tough world on a good day and we are all just trying to make our way. Let’s work to lift each other up.

 So I’ll end my rant with a promise to you: I’m gonna love you. I don’t care what color you are, what language you speak, what your hang-ups are, what level of intelligence you have, what abilities you may or may not have, how gorgeous you are, that you’re having a bad hair day, that your kids are driving you crazy, what school you went to, that you dropped out of school, that you have piercings, that you have tattoos, that you have purple hair, that you love head banger music, that you hate rain, that you’re short, that you are a different political party then I am, that you are of different religious beliefs, that you used to be a man, that you used to be a woman, that you like different food, that you make mistakes, that you are currently immature, that you have always been immature , that you look at life differently than I do – even, in fact, if you choose to judge me and mine. I’m just gonna choose to love you anyways and you can know that, in my life, without any “conditions,” just because you are uniquely you, you fit. That’s how we start changing our world.

A kick and a punch for the second day of the month! Hello June! This is going to be a good month I know it already. On deck is a visit with very special kids of ours, my nephew graduates from the University of Washington in Infomatics (Go Spence!), my dad celebrates his birthday and I head for New York City for a work conference with Glen in tow to take in the town while I am work bound. He lives lucky! Great stuff and we kicked it off last night with Glen strumming his music magic down at a local winery. This was his fifth time to perform there and his best one yet. He did sooooo great! The sun was shining so the winery flung open its big doors and by halfway through his set, he was playing to a full house of enthusiastic wine drinkers — most of them people we didn’t know! He loved it. Thanks bunches to everyone who was able to come out. It was a perfect kick off to summer.

This was my favorite shot of the night by far. Port Gardner Bay Winery lets children in (and even dogs last night!) and this little boy loved listening and watching Glen. So. Dang. Cute!!!

You know there are only two of us that live at my home and yet, somehow, I feel unorganized a bunch of the time!

How is that even possible? It seems like there is always a drawer to organize, fridge that needs cleaned out, clothes to launder, and a pile of things to put away. This morning as I was getting ready and noting that my dresser drawers needed organized AGAIN, I had to wonder how all of you parents – especially all you working parents – do it. How do you keep your houses in order when you have not just one or two  but several people adding to the mess of living?

Now, granted, I am certain there has got to be some besides me out there that are thinking, “well Julee, we don’t stay organized” but in my life, I seem to have a whole bunch of people floating around who’s homes – who’s lives — are always in order.  Wow. Our good friends Tamy and Rick, for instance, not only have a gorgeous home they keep in perfect order but a huge, gorgeous garden as well! I’m always in awe. My sister Lor and bil, Darryl are similar. They have two large homes they use regularly with two huge yards and all of it always looks fabulous.

In fairness to Glen, most the “stuff” we have is from my interests. Dishes, things to entertain with, party goods, games, cosmetics, piles of magazines, huge piles of books – all me. But, he does his own share of contributing to the disorganization – we have loads of music equipment, guitars, piles of song lyrics and pets add to the mess way more than I like. My house looks a mess even when it is organized with throw rugs now everywhere to accommodate our dear, elderly dog who loses his footing quickly on the wood floor.

The answer to me seems clear – I need six lucky lotto numbers and more time for organizing. I’m so funny. Even you all know that’s likely not the answer since who’s gonna stick to home to clean up? Not this girl! Hello good times and big world! I’ll just turn down the lights and keep the junk drawer closed when company comes over.

I’ve been thinking this week how powerful silence can be. Rest, peace, calmness can all be found there. Some of my best “aha’s” come from some quiet time alone.

Glen and I often comment how “loud” our littlest cat can be – and she says nothing at all. But she still puts out exactly a mood, a feeling, a way she is being, and wants you to be in return. A powerful quiet. The largeness of the Alaska wilderness has a “thundering” quietness to it as well – an awe-inspiring way of saying so much without any noise happening anywhere.

Silence can be tough to understand though too — especially with human communications. Someone not participating in a team meeting can say as much or more to the room as everyone else who are speaking up. It says, “I’m in a bad mood” or “I don’t care” or it could simply be “I’m shy” or “I don’t have anything to add” – or an endless number of other things. It’s hard to know without explanation. At least though in a room you have the person to “read” and try to engage more.

For me, facebook, emails, blogging even can be the same way. It’s so much nicer to have a “like,” a comment, a thought, a posting from someone else, an update on how things are going, versus just silence. Silence on-line, for me, implies all of those same things as the meeting person who isn’t participating – “I don’t care” “It’s not interesting so I can’t be bothered to like it” “It doesn’t matter so I won’t comment.” Or it could simply be “I’m very busy.” Or, again, a whole plethora of other things.

I’m the first to say I don’t really know. I’m noisy. I’m a blogger – I obviously have loads to chat on. I lean toward always interested. I want to be supportive. I want to help lift up not tear down. I believe in connection.

It’s a busy world though. Sometimes I fit and sometimes I don’t. Maybe I’ll take a few more minutes of silence and give it all a little more thought.