Da-Kine's

The littles are spending the night with Papa.  So Pat, Mom and I went out for dinner at Da-Kine's in Orchards.  Hawaiian fare.  It is a tiny hole in the wall.  The waitress was great.  The food was good, especially the yakisoba.  A side of noodles is $1.79.  Wow.  Going to love stopping there sometimes and getting take out noodles.  Pat too.  Mom wasn't as satisfied as we were, but then she wasn't satisfied before we ever stepped into the place.

Again

Well Mike is back in jail.  This time in Chelan  County.  Guess he got pulled over and they found paraphernalia on him.  Funny how nothing is said about his driving without a driver's license.  Anyway he had just gotten kicked out of his place to stay so was homeless.  So here is Mom going well isn't that wonderful...he again has a roof, a bed, three squares and a shower.  Choices made....and I'm so relieved he isn't here.

Living Without Regrets

Love this.

• Take care of your health
• Make time to do the things you love, work less, laugh and play
• Say what you need to say
• Practice mindfulness
• Change your perspective
• Let go of the past
• Accept the things you cannot change
• Stop thinking happiness is a future event
• Stop chasing money and material wealth
• Live authentically
• Take off the mask
• Follow your instincts
• Practice gratitude
• Don’t make your decisions based on fear
• Love, love love!

Gratitude

Everyday I am;
grateful for the roof over our heads,
grateful for the food in our cupboards,
grateful for cuddles and snot kisses,
grateful for our community that supports us,
grateful for our safety nets that we keep building,
grateful for a job that I love,
grateful for my littles.
grateful for siblings and my mom.

Mexico

Dropping the kids off like normal at daycare.  A boy came in and Miss Cindy started asking him about his trip to Mexico.  This boy looked happy and healthy.  I didn't think too much of it at first.  Noticed that he was dropped off by his grandpa.  Got my kids settled and started back out and it struck me.  I knew that grandpa from some place.  Ah.  I would not recognize the boy as he has changed a lot since I was going to CPS for supervised visits with Connor.  Got to be a year and a half ago and they were planning a trip to Mexico.  I'm not sure if this was the trip or if this was another trip, but I watched that man and that boy and that boy's mom for over an hour one day in the lobby.  For whatever reason their time slot had gotten filled and they just had a visit in the lobby.
Here we are all this time later and both of these boys are still living in grandfamilies.  Made me smile to see him doing so well and grandpa looked relaxed also.  Can't say he was so relaxed in 2012, but maybe his situation is similar to mine and he now just has a boy to raise. And maybe it was a vacation in Mexico.

Shorter Days

At least for this week I am back to short days.  All five days, but short days.  At the end of the week and month I will be right at my 69 hour limit.  I love short days.  They go by so quick especially after a week of long days.  And I love reaching the limit.  It is definitely an advantage to fewer of us working.  Does mean we work hard when we have to.
Spring books are coming in and returns are going out.  We are working right through all of it and doing it in a pretty good timely fashion.  I just love my job.

Audrie's New Friend and My Small World

Oh how amusing.  Kind of like psychic shopping.  Last week Brenda and I got talking about languages.  And I commented about someday I am going to ask the security guard if he was from Canada or France.  One day last fall I was out doing cardboard and he was outside on his phone.  I swore he was talking in french.  Fast forward to the conversation with Brenda. She was not surprised that I intend to just ask this man this very nosy question. I then said I might introduce myself first, but maybe not.  I just happened to be curious about everything.
So today Audrie met Aubrie who lives two apartments down.  Turns out she has been here since Dec., but we just never knew.  I had seen her mother many times out smoking but never a kid.  It is just timing.  Bria, Aubrie's mom is taking a french class and we got talking about languages.  Well turns out she used to date and live with this security guard from Clark who is Italian.  Duh.  So I had my answer to my nosy question without ever asking it.  Small world connections all over the place.
An aside...I love that there is another girl in the complex about Audrie's age for her to play with.  Today they painted and played dress up.  Wow.  And Aubrie is going to teach Audrie so much and she is six months younger or so.  And I really like Bria.  Maybe we both got a new friend.