Today is Motorcycle Man’s birthday

It’s hard to think of exactly where to begin?  I mean he means the world to me and is one of my most favorite people on the planet.  He is Rich, my motorcycle man.  It’s his birthday today and I have known him for 28 of his 44 years.  But legend has it; we locked eyes as tiny babes and didn’t even know it!  My mom lived in the apartment just next door to Rich’s Nana. The window from our apartment complex looked right down on that trailer park where Nana had a spot.  My mom thinks she may have held me to that window a few times and what if?  What if my baby eyes saw him?  What if?  Anyways it’s a crazy thought we were so close when we were tiny without even realizing it! This world can feel so small sometimes.

There we are when we were teens, he’s cute right?

When I was just 16 I thought that boy looked so cute with his surfer bleached hair and his confidence. He was the boy I thought I could never end up with.  He was way too cute for me and I wasn’t even his type, or so I thought.  We of course were good friends at first but all along I had other motives.  I just had to get my foot in the door.  I was such a great friend I would set him up with the pretty blond, blue-eyed girl…you know the kind that looked like she went perfect with the California boy.  I was the weird red-headed girl who liked art, poetry and old books.  Turns out beginning with a friendship can be a pretty solid thing.  Here we are a few decades later still in love. Now I’m not going to act like it has been all smooth sailing.  We have had our storms, our ups and downs but it has only strengthened our relationship.

He was always up for the photo booth experience.  It’s always been about pictures for me.

I couldn’t ask for a better partner, a better daddy for our children.  He just doesn’t get comfortable and complacent.  He always looks for ways to improve what we have.   He spends time with his kids, he spends time with me.  He makes me laugh so hard I cry sometimes.

see so hard I cry!

I wonder sometimes how did this happen to me.  How did I get this ginormous blessing in my life?  I don’t understand.  Maybe I’m not supposed to understand.  Maybe I’m just supposed to be thankful.  The best part is, we like each other not just love.  We couldn’t be more different and I think that’s why it works so well.  I learn new things from him and he learns from me too.  We love each other so much we do things we wouldn’t normally do.  Like for instance he isn’t a fan of art or museums or photography but he will go with me, I’m terrified of motorcycles but I ride on the back of his.  You know things like that.  We just make a good team.  I want to wish him a happy birthday and share some photos.  As our children are growing far too quick, it’s nice to know he and I will still like each other and will be able to enjoy each other’s company as the kids grow up and move on.  I feel blessed and I’m grateful for the boy who was born one Halloween night 44 years ago today.He loves his family so very much.  He even lets me take pictures in public on timer!

this is my most favorite photo ever of Rich and his other girl

he loves this other girl so much, that when she asks him to dance in public……

He will!!

the man and his bike!  He also let’s me take fun pictures of him

He helps me with my dream list

best romantic get away ever!  San Francisco (city of love in my opinion) and wine tasting in Sonoma

I just feel safe when he holds me close

If I were to pick just one song for “US” it would be this one, it seems a little conceited but I don’t want our love to ever be forgot.  So when he took me to see Regina so I could check off another dream on my list, she sang this song last…and yes I cried.

baking homemade pumpkin pie and counting my blessings

Yesterday I received in the amazing box of organic goodness some inspiration.  In the box of fresh organic produce, there was a small sweet pumpkin; there was a bundle of leeks, tender butter lettuce, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, carrots, persimmons and chard.  These deliveries have me trying new things.  I looked at the leeks and knew exactly what would be happening with those!  Potato leek soup of course and that sweet tiny pumpkin had to become homemade pumpkin pie.  Below I have posted a few images of my hours in the kitchen because I was in there for HOURS.  I think I used almost every bowl I owned, plus made a nice little mess in my kitchen as I chopped away.   The potato leek soup was very easy with little ingredients but a little time-consuming with all the peeling and chopping and it takes me even longer because I’m snapping pictures by my kitchen window trying to work fast so the light stays longer.  I will be frank,  I love cooking I find it completely satisfying however when I spend so many hours in the kitchen I leave feeling like I need a good long stretch.

I swear I see a tiny green heart in there. 

And about the pears.  I keep meaning to let Farm Fresh to You know that I don’t like pears but in the meantime since I have not done that this awesome blogger posted a recipe I will be trying with the pears from this week’s delivery, you may want to try it too, check it out. 

See what I mean about the mess!

I’m so thankful.  This week has been good.  It’s been busy as usual but so very good.  I have really kind friends.  I have supportive friends.  I feel blessed.  I’m used to being a person who will encourage a friend, I’m always happy for good fortune with my friends and family and I want to be right there by whoever’s side needs to have a little support.  It’s where I’m most comfortable.  However being that this Friday I will be in the “spot-light” so to speak, well it leaves me feeling a little uncomfortable.  I’m so much happier behind the camera, behind the shining star, I like to be in the background, the shadows…you know.  Taking it all in.  This is very much out of my comfort zone.  My friend Lilly drove me to El Segundo Monday night to meet my other buddy Sara who mounted my pictures to foam board.  My friend accidently forgot the prints at her office so we had fun anyway, had a yummy dinner on Main Street and laughed and enjoyed the impromptu girls night out. Lilly met a new friend and we had a nice time out and about on a Monday night.  But then because my friend Sara forgot those prints she then drove to my house yesterday to hand deliver them,  which meant I got to see her two times in one week, a very rare thing indeed!  And Sara has a lot going on yet she still made the time.  You see she has a big event tonight, she and her partner have a shared collaboration that is up for auction and I’m so proud of them and I just know, I know she will be famous one day.  They have a white dress series that is AMAZING, take a look at that for yourself!   

lessons big and small

This child of mine is a gift, all three of my children are gifts and ultimately they belong to God.  We can teach them in the ways they “should” go but ultimately, just as we have been created with free will, so have they.  I left Austin a note recently about our love for him and how we love him so much we have to let him make his own mistakes. It hasn’t been exactly easy so far and to be honest I see it getting more difficult before it gets better.  He learned a big lesson when he had his first car accident and his insurance will be higher for three years, but with that came the privilege to rebuild the damaged car along-side his Dad and grandpa.  It should be three full years of higher insurance rates but since his accident happened on the front end of our insurance renewal, it will be more like a 2-1/2 year increase for him.  I find a blessing in this.

Watching him find his nitch in this life also isn’t so easy.  I have to believe that God created things this way as lessons for us too.  God I’m sure is continually frustrated with our choices when he knows how easy it can be if we just trust in Him.  And with our children we know it could be so much easier if they just trusted us fully but that clearly is not happening with our first-born and I just keep praying that the day will arrive when his eyes are opened and he just comes back.  He comes back to his roots. It’s a lesson in patience, it’s a lesson in trust.  And lessons are hard, even for us adults.  With each lesson comes growth and that’s also something to be thankful for.  So as his mom, I can only hope he learns his lessons quick.

This video clip isn’t recent but since art is on my mind with the art walk just around the corner I wanted to share this piece with anyone interested in watching it.  Austin had a particularly rough junior year in high school and in this video he had a homework assignment for history.  I could see from the start to finish of the project his heart softened for the time being.  It was a great thing to fully record and witness.

Her name is Joy…..and she is her name

If you by chance stopped by yesterday, you may have seen the pile on my dining room table, you may have read about how I emptied my crafty cupboard so that I could re-organize it so it wasn’t so frustrating when looking for things.  Because I’m queen of procrastination, I didn’t start the project until around 7 last night.  Once I began.  I couldn’t stop.  I was up until 11:30 working on that thing.  Then I was way too wired to go directly to bed so I watched an episode and one-quarter of Mad Men.  While I was organizing I found a large envelope with greeting cards that my mom gave me.  I was curious and began to read who these cards where from?  I found a Christmas card from my fraternal grandma.  As I read her cursive note I found it sweet.  It just said things like, “We all love and miss you”  she wished me a nice Christmas and New Years,  wondering if I might make my Aunt Lori’s wedding that would be that summer and ended again with “all our love….love you”

She lost the privilege to see me as much as she would have liked when my parents divorced and my mom stayed in L.A. while my natural father went back up north to live.  The distance between us was about 210 miles and around three and a half to four hours away depending on traffic. So I didn’t see her very much.  This means I only have a handful of memories.  I suppose these are the sorts of things that happen when one is a child of divorce.

I know her name is Joy, I know her eyes are very blue, I know her skin is soft, I know she not only has the name Joy but she is also full of joy and laughter, I know she is generous, She smiles a lot, she has a twinkle in those blue eyes of hers, she smells good, I know she loves life, I know she loves me.  I don’t know her middle name, I don’t know how old she is, I think her birthday is sometime in December, I don’t know where she was born, I don’t know how she met my grandpa, I sadly just don’t know enough about her.

This picture was at least a decade old or older.  I sadly don’t have many pictures with her

Tomorrow we drive to Yuma AZ to attend my grandpa’s memorial.  I knew him even less than I know my grandma.  You see when I was little he was a very tall and and intimidating man. I was actually sort of afraid of him.  They owned a bar and restaurant most of their lives, or at least all of my life.  So I often saw my grandpa at the bar sitting  in dim lights with a class of hard liquor and almost always a cigar in his mouth, gold rings on his fingers, you get the picture?  Grandma would say “Now go give Papa J.E. a hug, he won’t hurt ya” So I would sheepishly walk over to him and hug him like I was supposed to.  So from a little girl point of view he was just a tall scary guy while grandma was just the opposite, warm, friendly cuddly and sweet.

I’m going to the memorial because I love my grandma and she loves me.  I think it’s unfortunate that I didn’t get to know them better as an adult even.  Distance and raising my own family kept me away.  However my brother especially was close to Papa J.E.  I like to believe he was a man’s’ man, he loved hunting, fishing and out-doors type stuff.  My brother experienced all those out-door things with him and this gave him an opportunity to actually know grandpa.  He was hit especially hard when he passed because of their well-developed relationship.

That’s Papa J.E. my brother Brandon and Grandma Joy

There was one time a few years back Grandma Joy and Papa J.E. were traveling through my city and stopped for a visit.  We sat in our backyard and I got to see a different side of Papa J.E.  He smiled a lot, he was kind and he told really great stories while laughing out loud as he spoke.  This one small visit in my life changed the way I felt about him.  He wasn’t mean after all.  But still I didn’t know him.  It’s funny how life is, the hands we are all dealt.  But still as blood lines go, this is part of mine and because I adore my grandma and I’m also not sure how much longer she will be with us, I will go.  I will also ask her, where she was born, how she met Papa, what her middle name is, you know things like that.  While I have this opportunity I should take it.

Before I close I just want to leave you with a few memories I have of this dear grandma of mine.

She always called me the morning of my birthday, most times before I even opened my eyes for the day.  My mom would carry the phone into me and I would hear her joyous voice, “Well happy birthday Tracie!” She starts most her sentences with “well”

I always love it when she says this one “well Tracie, you have put on a few pounds now haven’t you?”

She made sure that each time I came up for a visit she took me shopping for a new outfit.

She made sure to sit in the trailer with me while Papa was watching over the bar.  They would park a big motor home just outside the bar and she would sit with me and play games and talk.

She always seemed to have a poodle with her.

They once lived in a big log cabin and in it was a Jacuzzi tub that I had fun bathing in, they even had a rooster and from what I understand, she collects all things roosters.

She was a great cook and liked things like lamb, olives, green onions, salami and cheese and of course any kind of Mexican food.  After all it was an Mexican food restaurant they owned.  I tried my first chimichanga there.

She didn’t know how to swim but they always had a pool.  One of my best, best memories was the time she invited me for a midnight swim so we could watch the moon.  We didn’t wear any clothes and we used a raft to hold on to and float around in the pool.  We talked about UFO’s and took in the star filled sky.

She hung out with my great grandma who lived with them. Often when I would visit, it would be me grandma joy and great grandma Dory.  Great grandma crocheted and would make me little slippers and scarves.  The both of them drove down in grandma’s Mercedes when I graduated high school. I remember staying all night with them in the motel room they rented.

Check out Great Grandma Dory,  this is exactly how I remember her,  super tiny with lots and lots of wrinkles with a thick, thick accent, sounded Cajun to me.

That’s all for now.  I do have more memories but this has already gone on too long.  Although I didn’t get to see her much I feel as though somehow I got some of her qualities.  We for sure know I got her nice solid legs but also I like to think I hold a bit of her sense of adventure, her constant smile, her joy, her warm love.  She is a special lady.

99

Oh my word!! One reader away from make over.  My stomach is nervous.  When I finally get that last reader it will take a while.  Be patient.  I have a busy few weeks.  I have a memorial to attend this weekend and the very next Friday is the art walk.  The other thing giving me nerves.  I’m a nervous wreck if you want to know the whole truth.  So I pulled out all the things in my black crafty cupboard because each time the kids opened it to find “something” a small avalanche would happen.  I figured I had better do something about it.  So while I type this nonsense, the pile remains, which honestly gives me even more anxiety.   This is how I feel  You know that song….I’m shakin!  But if you ask any of my family members, especially motorcycle man, he will tell you I’m easily FREAKED out and love to use that exact phrase “I’m freaked out”

This is what I can see if I lean back in my chair.  That basket if filled with socks, all mismatched that need to be matched and all that stuff on the table needs to be organized and put back in the black crafty cupboard.

When all else fails and you don’t really want to conquer the mountain ahead.  Just snap a picture of Pablo because as my new friend Jhanis says, Pablo after all is the cutest family member.  And I will always think it’s the cutest when I see my oldest completely focused and has the exact same look of concentration as he had as a little.  Like exactly.

I can’t get my scanner to work or else I would show you.  Alright.  I’ll go clean that cupboard now.  Almost Friday people.  Well for my friend Whose home is Australia not to be confused with Austria, Miss Cathie with an IE.  Happy Friday to you, lucky duck!!

 

 

then and now

In looking for motorcycle pictures from back in the day I ran across a few really sweet images.  I want to share just a few today.  You see my kids they were small once too and they grow far too quick as you have been warned.  My hope is that although there may be times of separation as they grow, for instance the 18-year-old who just wants to move out.   The same kid who wants to move out of this state.  That even if we have distance between us that ultimately they will remain close, loving and have a bond that is not breakable, that they will not let petty words, or silly things break up their love for one another, that they won’t just be family but remain friends. This is my hope and this is my constant prayer.

So this will never happen again, I hope.

Dylan is in the middle, he can either be what we like to call the antagonist  or……. see below

The loving doting brother, just depends:)

The oldest is however mostly just loving

But the youngest well she…..(see below)

she is always in control!

this works out pretty nice, we have a somewhat current picture to place with the flashback picture.

When they were all in school at the same time Abbie 1st, Dylan 4th and Austin 8th and I have no idea why the littlest and only girl is holding a cell phone, I can only guess it’s mine because she for sure didn’t have her own!

This is the last first day of school picture I will have since they will not ever be starting on the same first day again.  Austin Sr. Dylan 8th and Abbie 5th

Sunday LOVE Ride

 

We had a busy fun-filled weekend over here and Sunday we got up and decided to skip church to try to find the LOVE ride.  We didn’t register; we just wanted to check out the scene.  Maybe next year we will officially sign up and actually be a part of the sea of bikers.

You see, I’m married to someone I like to lovingly refer to as the motorcycle man. Since a boy he has had a love of motorcycles.  His cool parents used to take him out dirt bike riding as a kid and the love just kept growing.  Since we dated in high school I even had the pleasure of going out on one of these desert trips with his family.  Back then helmets were not a big deal and dressing in gear, not so much!  So he asked me to get on the back of his bike, of course I mean why not? He screamed off like lightning and even did a few wheelies with me on the back and we did have helmets on this particular first trip btw but when parents were not around, he preferred the wind in his hair.  I thought I may just DIE!  I’m a grounded kind of girl and for sure not a thrill seeker.  I married my opposite as many of us do right?  That was my first exposure.  The guy scares me, I’m not lying…he still does.  He is very skilled and confident in his riding ability but me; I still get all freaked out every time I get on that bike.  He likes to ride without hands!  Hello!  Both hands on your handle bars please.  He likes to knuckle punch other motorcycle riders (the ones he knows) so he will drive real close and extend his hand.  I close my eyes when he does this.  I hold my breath even.

See what I mean? Well I guess he is wearing boots, that’s good.

later when we had our kids, he wore full gear:)

When he was a young crazy adult he got himself a really fast rocket type motorcycle, all I can say is “thank goodness it was stolen within a few days of him getting it”  It was so new  and it happened that his insurance agent was out of town so he didn’t even have time to get it insured.  His mom and I still think it was a blessing but for him it was horrible.

Once we began to have kids and they were of age we got back into the riding, picked up a few dirt bikes and started creating a few memories for our kids.  I never rode though, I only stayed a passenger.  Like I said earlier, I’m not a dare-devil and I consider myself borderline boring if you want to know the whole truth.  However I fully enjoyed watching the kids, climbing on the bike of Rich’s bike to where I would squeeze him extra tight plus I got to photograph all the memories.

I just had so much fun reminiscing!!

Throughout the course of our marriage he would say, “I’m gunna get a street bike” I would just look at him and shake my head “no way, not such a good idea” We have young kids, besides we for sure didn’t have extra money to be buying a street bike.  I also let him know that no street bikes unless we purchased life insurance.  Then my dad who had sort of retired in regards to his Harley days was getting ready to sell his bike.  I figured a Harley wouldn’t be so bad, I mean how fast can you go on a Harley and wheelies, I don’t think it’s possible.  I think a Harley would be acceptable, I think I can handle that.  So we got our life insurance, and Rich bought (still paying actually) my Dad’s Harley for a pretty decent deal.  Thus the motorcycle man.  That’s the short version and a little back history.

Now for my traditions.  That’s what I will call them….traditions.  When I’m going to join him on a ride I first paint my finger nails.  I just have to.  It’s my thing.  I did it the first ride we went on and every ride after that.

The next tradition would be my socks.  I make sure and wear my lucky socks.   So I have a few little quirks/traditions.

 Someone really should invest in a new pair of Chucks

Our ride this weekend was fun regardless of never finding the sea of bikes.  We drove through a quaint neighborhood in Glendale and even saw streets blocked off with the bomb squad speeding past.  It was insane.  We decided after tootling around Glendale for a while to take our own route.  We jumped on the 5 for a while then cut over to the 210 where we eventually landed in Pasadena and had lunch at the “original” Tops.  I ordered their world-famous pastrami (I rarely, rarely ever order this btw)  I just had a taste for the pickles and mustard and sort of sour meat.  The meat was piled so high I could really only eat one half of the sandwich.  Rich ordered a yummy cheeseburger and onion rings.  I mean eating like this isn’t something we do on a normal basis, looking at the photographs, I was like “geesh, we really packed away some calories now didn’t we??”  Then we just drove on home.  It was a nice kind of day.  A nice day for a Sunday drive with my guy.  He even stayed relatively calm most the way.

This are some of the stragglers who didn’t leave with the big pack

Pasadena is always nice

The original tops!

Our shadows

Us, he keeps telling to stop taking his head up close because he looks like Mr. Big Head

 

Breakfast at Amy’s and Day at the Races

Saturday morning we were treated to a really great breakfast at a local ma and pa type breakfast spot.  Our town is small, we can drive from one end to another in about five minutes. Lot’s of people have never even heard of our little town even though it’s wedged in-between the O.C. and the City of Angels.  But we love our little town and Mimi and Papa found a great place for all you local readers called Amy’s Cafe and they serve a really great breakfast and also are open for lunch.   I ate something called the valley view special with biscuits and gravy off to the side. It was really delicious.  We all thought it was pretty darling when the waitress drug over the special’s sign straight to our table so we could read it.  Since it’s fall they had a real yummy pumpkin butter and cinnamon type spread for anyone who ordered toast.  I would highly, highly recommend it.  Yelp reviews has it at five stars.  Check it out you locals!

Our day wasn’t over though, we still had a drive out to Fontana where Dad treated us to the Indy 500.  Not just the race, my dad has a reputation for going all out, we had pit pass’ and tickets for an all you could eat buffet and drinks.  We got there really, really, really early.  We didn’t realize the race actually started at 6:00 so we arrived at 12:30 and were wondering why the seats were so empty!  We got to show the kids the garages where they were working on the cars and we got to go see the pits and there were a few cars doing practice runs and Abbie fell in love with the blue and white HP car, who we later found out was driven by a French driver called Simon.  So our French/American niece, Amelie and our very own Abbie were cheering big time for Simon and he held in there until near the end when his car must have given out.  Dylan picked the National Guard car but that one fell out of the race about halfway through when there was a six car pile up.  He then started to track the Verizon car which ended up winning the race that night.  It was just so exciting, I never thought it would be such fun.  I’m so thankful I have parents who treat us to really neat things like this.  There are lots of things we have been able to experience because of them.  I have included lots of pictures of our day, maybe even too many but it was hard to dwindle down.

Notice all the empty seats? We were early.  Dad’s explaning stuff to the kids.

We took a tour through the garages

Dylan spotted some pretty girls and asked Dad to take his picture with them;)

Just some tires

This guy did really great but right near the very end his car broke down:(

We got close to the pits and I spotted a happy face for my niece Livi

I think his shirt is sort of cute so this is all about the shirt

And here is Dad

This is Sebby and I can’t get enough of his sweet face

The race is about to begin and I have to take a picture of our flag

My pretty sister and her darling Sebby

The girls cheering on Simon from France

Hey that’s motorcycle man and me

I was trying to take a picture of the boys and their walkie talkie’s when a photo bomber jumped in

I couldn’t leave without getting a picture of grandpa with his grandkids.  Thank you Dad.

She made the team!!!!

I have so much to share I don’t even know where to begin.  I will start with the biggest news first.  Our littlest and only girl made the 6th grade cheer team!!! Technically called Pep Squad.  We got the email at around 6:30 Friday night.  It was killing little her and well to be honest, it was killing big me too!

She woke up Friday morning at 6:30 a.m.  and the first question she asked was “Did Mr. J email you yet?” NOPE.

She got in the car after school Friday with a huge smile, “Did Mr. J email you yet?”  NOPE.

It seemed every 30 minutes after she got home from school, she would run in “Did Mr. J email you yet?”  NOPE.

I was getting to the point where I was beginning to think No news may mean she didn’t make the team.  I even got all crazy mom and emailed our vice principal Mr. J to ask him “Should we celebrate or should we start talking about how God has other plans for her?” It worked out perfect though because I got the email while Motorcycle man and I were out and about so we were able to stop and buy some Charleston Chews (her favorite candy) to spell out “YOU MADE IT” and we even found a cute little Hello Kitty stuffed animal with a cheer outfit on!   And when she came in from playing soccer barefoot on the asphalt with our neighborhood kids she saw the candy on the countertop and it took her a minute to make it out but when she did…..SHE CRIED.  And it was so sweet.  She was so happy that she cried. The littlest and only girl has enough emotion in that little body for both her and her 2 older brothers btw.

This is such great news and we are so happy for her because I’m not even joking when I say almost her entire little life, all she has ever wanted to be is a cheerleader.  So much so that when Dylan was playing Pop Warner, grandma bought her a personalized cheer outfit with orange and white pom poms so she could cheer on her brother from the stands.  SEE.

I want to pinch those cheeks!!  And look at those little red shoes!

Since I have so much to share I’m going to break it up.  Tomorrow I will post about  Saturday breakfast at Amy’s and the Indy 500.  We went to the car races for the first time ever.  Well, not for motorcycle man but for me and the kids and it was really, really exciting!

Then on Sunday we got up early and tried to find the LOVE ride, we missed the big group…I think? We just never could find the sea of bikes.  So we will try again next year.  We had fun anyway though….of course.

So what do you do with a radish?

this is my compost bowl.  I cheated and made that radish into a heart, but that leaf is for REAL!

I put the question out to the universe, well actually more like the world-wide web, which is really just narrowed down to my readers which is under 100, but still I put it out there and one awesome person gave me an idea.  Her name is Connie and she is another fellow blogger who takes pretty pictures of things she sees and quilts!!  Yes QUILTS.   I admire the  quilters out there so much.  You should visit her quilt gallery on her page.  So pretty!   Anyway she told me I could make radish chips.  She even briefly described how to do it.   So I did it!  And those radishes did not go to waste, I ate every last bit of them.  Even the burnt ones…that’s another story.  I left to go get the littlest and only girl and left the boys in charge of taking them out.  Let’s just say the photo speaks for itself.  They tasted far better than the end result appeared.  I also got to thinking, these radishes have to have some good quality to them right?  So I googled it and found THIS, and it’s pretty cool.  These red root plants are really good for you!

And what would my blog be if I didn’t take pictures of every last thing I do.

I had these already for 3 days and accidentally left them in my fruit bowl so the leaves got really wilty but I just rinsed them off and the red part was good to go

I got really crazy and sprayed these with coconut oil, sprinkled sea salt then cracked pepper

See what I mean about the burnt ones.  They tasted good to me, like really way better than I expected