6 going on 7

Spent some time at my sister's tonight looking through our old family photo albums.

Me at the beach in 1965. It was a very good year.

A Polaroid.  Age 15.  1974.  I just finished painting my room light blue.  Wearing my favorite hand-me-down Levis from my best friend's brother, Don Turner.

Point Loma

Pacific Ocean at Point Loma, California

Our son went to the zoo with his grama and he was excited to go.  We had the afternoon to ourselves so we took a ride to Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma.  Temperature was about 71 degrees with a soft breeze making a short hike delightful.  There were a few people on the beach too.  I always enjoy the smell of the salt air.  Tons of yellow daisies growing everywhere. It was a perfect spring day.

This is where we walked from. We walked down that big crevice and looked at the water.

Next time we want to take the stairs down. I put it on our list of things to do.  The kids would love it.

The month

My dad's wife rented a super whoop-dee-doo rug cleaner machine. It looks like some kind of industrial strength Hoover upright vacuum. While we were at my dad's house, she told my sis that if she'd like to borrow it she's welcomed to it. My sister, a hardcore Mrs. CleanFreak, froze in her tracks. She looked at me. She looked at the rug cleaner. Again, me. Again the rug cleaner. I knew she was torn.

And then she turned down the offer. And she declared, "This is the month of Liliana! I cannot do any carpet cleaning this month." I was duly impressed because I know my sister would luuurve to super clean the carpet of her abode. She would probably do the backyard and front yard rugs too, and the garage rugs! They have rugs in the garage - to walk on when you're in the garage.

Anyway, I thought that was pretty nice that she set me above the carpet cleaning. Woohoo!

It is well

At a restaurant where I ate last week. Aztec warrior holding dead princess who loved him.

It is well with my heart.

My sister's on her way over. We're going shopping. I found a western jacket with long fringe on the sleeves that I like, but I need my sister's input before I buy it today if I buy it. I've been looking for one I like for two whole years. Husband seemed nonplussed by it and said get it if I want. Well! What is the matter with him.

Most of the western jackets I've found in-store and online are too gee-gawed out - too much embroidery, studs, big ugly buttons, or decoration of some sort all over them. I want a plain one.

I need new tweezers and checked makeupalley.com and Tweezerman is the best brand. I'm still on the hunt for a fragrance. The four I brought samples home of for my husband to smell, he disliked them all. Says I don't need perfume. He says I smell fine like I am. I told him he's so 2009. He insists I don't need a fragrance. We had words. No shots were fired though.

I have a new hairstyle that I have to get photos of.

It's been all good days all month.

Toothbrush, joy, and On Golden Pond

Today my husband bought us a four pack of toothbrushes and I got a purple one. A purple toothbrush. What a good day! I could end my post right here.

Yet I was happy through much of the day and not just on account of the excellent toothbrush. It wasn't excitement. It wasn't "Oh boy, oh boy!" kind of happiness. It was joy? Yes. The day was filled with joy. Anticipating seeing my sister gave me joy. Seeing my sister gave me joy. Being in San Diego in a nice campground, yet in the midst of major urban mania gave me joy (I bought lip gloss and a new cotton plaid skirt today). And dancing. I went to a Stretch and Strengthen class tonight and it was very good. The instructor has a master's in dance from New York. The hip-hop teacher has performed with Culture Shock Dance Center and I haven't been there but I know they have a massive reputation. The hip-hop class kicked my you-know-what. In a good way! Such a good work-out. I was sweating a lot. The teacher gave about six counts of eight and ol' Lil can remember two counts of eight, tops, in one day. I watched and followed a dancer in front of me who was very talented and fast. Unfortunately, in the first count of eight there was a step that goes real, real fast. Say 1,2,3,4, out loud, fast as you can and that's how fast those four steps were, and it was a strain for me to keep up. I've never been able to dance lightning fast. So I had to catch up quick. I faked it on a few steps. But I know I looked good in wide second where we all flipped our heads up and down twice. That, I can rock. We broke up into two groups and danced for each other a few times and then he turned down the lights and told us to get our attitudes and dance. Now that was fun. I sat down and the girl beside me gave me a two-handed high five. She was sure sweet. I was the worst dancer there. But you know, dance being such as it is, if you're too full of yourself to look imperfect then you'll never learn it. I picked up some great combinations that I can use. When and where I can use 'em, not sure. But anyway. . .

I have joy. And I have freedom. Husband bought me a Garmin, one of those GPS thingies. Man, I can go anywhere now. The Garmin got me to dance classes all by myself. Usually I am so afraid to drive so I only go where my husband will take me. I love him so. He's taken me a lot of places, but now I can go places by myself. And I haven't dented the truck either. Hahahaha!

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I can't stand Jane Fonda, but I do like her in Barbarella (she was so pretty).  And I watched On Golden Pond in 1981. I admit it.

In the movie, Jane does a backwards dive for her dad. She was never able to do it as a kid. I guess it was a big deal to her. She and her dad always had a troubled relationship. Story line was that he was mean toward her and he didn't like her. I dunno, it was a long time ago I saw the movie.

So my On Golden Pond is this: My dad phoned me yesterday and invited me up to help him get the '53 Buick he restored ready for a car show. I polished the chrome. Love to polish chrome. And I cleaned the windows - I'm not so fond of windows, but I did 'em. I picked up the hood for him because it was too heavy for him. When I was ready to go home he thanked me, man, about five times. I was kind of embarrassed he said so many thanks because I didn't do all that much.

One time my dad and I were at a show where he was showing his Corvette that he restored. There was some guy we were talking to. You always chat with car guys at a car show when you're with my dad. The other guy was all proud and bragging on his daughter around my age who had helped him clean his engine. That's why it was so shiny he said. She had small hands and was good at it. Liked to help him, he said. I felt a stab of jealously. I wished it were my dad talking about me instead. I would have liked to help my dad and have him talk about me like that. I worried about making my dad yell at me though. And if you yell at ol' Lil, well, she plum shuts down. God made me this way. I don't deal with the yelling well.

So I told my dad how working on the car with him reminded me of On Golden Pond. How I'd always had a secret desire to help him and I lived it out yesterday. And his response was not one I expected. He said he's tried to work on that. (I wondered what he meant.) He said he yelled too much and has tried to change. It was a moment. A snapshot in time. Of life. Of realization. Of concession. Not to sound all Valley Girl, but, wow, cool. Actually, I don't remember a lot of yelling, but when he raised his voice I couldn't deal with it. I don't remember him yelling a lot. It was more like, he was sharp. All he needed to do was raise his voice and I crumbled.

He did yell at me as I pulled out of the driveway to go home. Bwa-hahahaha! No kidding, he did. I still love him though. Life is a kick, eh.

Joy. Joy of the Lord. Once I read, "Show me how God has transformed your life, and maybe I'll believe in your God." It's getting me through better than ever before. "Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

Hip-hop tonight

Tonight I'm going to an open level hip-hop class at a dance studio. Ooooooh. Hope it's good. Hope I can do it. I got new dance shoes, new dance pants, ooooooh, and a new top at Discount Dance Supply today. Had to. :)

In the past, I wanted to take hip-hop, but I was always afraid the jerky stop/start style would ruin my smooth belly dance moves. I'm not belly dancing much anymore. By myself I do, to keep my moves, yeah; but it's not like it's a huge amount of fun dancing alone.

Easter

Easter service was good. We went to a Calvary Chapel nearby, my husband's pick. It's very small and the people so friendly. A lady behind me asked a dozen questions about my hair.

I went to Zumba instead of Shabbat on Saturday. Next Saturday I'll go to Shabbat. I like the Messianic Temple very much. Zumba was okay. It was a 9:00am class and I don't like things that early. I was hoping since it was at a dance studio the class would be more dancey, but to me it's aerobics to Latin music. I've tried and tried but I just can't get into aerobics. I had one dance teacher in college who taught aerobics and his class was extremely popular. It was very dancey is why. I want to go to a hip hop class, but I don't have the right shoes.

It's raining a lot today.

My husband misses Bella. He made me send him of photo of her and set it as his desktop.

Leah was the Easter Bunny at the park in NM for the egg hunt. I saw a Facebook picture of her with a child sitting on her lap. The kid was red faced and his little eyes all scrunched up with crying. It is a cute photo. Poor Leah. I know she was a great bunny and that suit had to be stifling. She volunteered for it because no one else did. Bless her heart. One year they had a bunny for the Luminaria for education and I saw the bunny (who shall remain unnamed) smoking a cig (that's slang for cigarette) on break. It was all wrong!

There was a big earthquake Sunday afternoon. As the crow flies it was a couple hundred miles away in Mexico. It was the longest quake I've ever been in. Thirty seconds. It came on small and built up, and went on and on. We all sat in the living room and kitchen area with big eyes and listened while the house rocked and asked each other, "Should we go outside now." Well, if you have to ask then you don't need to. You won't ask when you need to! Afterward our hearts were pumping mildly. I said it was a big one somewhere and sure enough it was. It was 7.2 at the epicenter. The strongest we've been in was a 5.9 - the Whittier Narrows quake, October 1, 1986. Quakes can be a thrill all right, but that one was all scary. Entertainment center, television, pictures, everything in the living room fell over. Water splashed out of the pool in six foot waves. We could hardly get our footing. Son and I made it into the bathroom, the worst room you can be in for a shaker, duh, and I was holding him and praying out loud and that's when I didn't even go to church. Fear will set even an unbeliever to believin', but James says that's no surprise. He said even the devils believe and tremble at His name. James 2:19

My husband said he doesn't want any more quakes while we're here.

San Diego

We're in San Diego. Got here on March 30th. The food is good, weather pretty, company sweet. I have to decide whether to go to Shabbat or Zumba tomorrow morning. Decisions, decisions.