Julia

Fashionably late like her Tia Ceci... today after a 10 day wait...Julia Grace joined the Kauffman-Slesnick clan.

Granted...mom was endused...Julia was not ready to come out yet. Dr. Perez (who is my "girl" doctor too) even had a hard time breaking her water this morning.

In the end...it was a fast delivery...3 hours from start to finish.

Mommy and baby are lovely.

As for Julia...honestly...she looks just like Olivia did.

She's beautiful.

I leave you with one of my favorite songs by the Beatles...

Julia

Half of what I say is meaningless

But I say it just to reach you, Julia

Julia, Julia, ocean child, calls me

So I sing a song of love, Julia

Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me

So I sing a song of love, Julia

Her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering,In the sun

Julia, Julia, morning moon, touch me

So I sing a song of love, Julia

When I cannot sing my heart I can only speak my mind, Julia

Julia, sleeping sand, silent cloud, touch me

So I sing a song of love, Julia

Hum hum hum...calls me

So I sing a song of love for Julia, Julia, Julia

Gables Grad...1996

In 1993 I started my sophomore year at Coral Gables Senior High. Over the course of three years, I made life long friends...friends I still talk to to this day...friends who are like family to me.

The class of 1996 is full of wonderful people, fond memories, and the teachers who instructed me are still a part of who I am.

Although today tragedy struck the halls of my lovely Alma Mater...I know that good memories over ride bad memories there...

Memories like sitting in the main courtyard for lunch under a tree with friends...going to Spanish lit class with Mrs. Verazain in the portables...or sitting in the science wing listening to Mr. Frick talk about his boat in AP Bio....

"Are you from Gables, I said from Gables where friendly halls meet up with our (something) You see our colors, I said our colors, Coral Gables Crimson and Grey. Are you from 103 or 301 or 409, anywhere inside the Coral Gables line, are you from Gables, I said from Gables, cause I'm from Gables too...."

Bloggers...have you heard?!

Today one of my tumblr friends (www.tumblr.com) spread the good word to me about this cool website called,

www.blurb.com where you can build books...photo books, business books, art books...BLOG BOOKS!

I've explored the site a little bit and it looks like a pretty rad tool to use.

I can imagine a lot of you out there have maybe even a few of these with the fantastic content found on your blogs.

So I thought I would spread the good word a little further.

The Last Baby Shower Brings New Onesies

So today I along with two friends hosted the last baby shower of my personal 4 shower marathon.

Per the request of the prego baby mama...I painted the shark from my painting onto the onesie for her little boy (did I mention that of the 4 showers...only ONE was for a boy?!).

This is the onesie for CAP, due next month.

CAP is going to be a big big boy...so only 5 of the 20 onesies were for 0-3 mos. We figured...he's big...and going to keep growing.

Cheers to all of my prego friends...those who has their bouncing babies...and those waiting for things to happen.

As for the onsie...I'm really enjoying making these...and will actually happily take orders!!

9/11 (8 years later)

It is hard to believe that it's been 8 years.

I know this will sound cliche today but...I'll never forget where I was when it happened.

That morning I left Miami for Daytona Beach, FL. In a car--we opted out of radio and instead were listening to Dave Matthews. We pulled over for gas and a break at about 9:15. The second tower had just been hit--- there was a crowd of people gathered around what seemed to be the only TV at this Turnpike rest area.

"What happened?" I asked...people kept giving versions of what the reports were saying... "There was a bomb on a plane and it hit the Twin Towers" was the first explanation...my traveling companion wasn't with me when I first learned the news...when she came out I told her...and the rest of the trip north consisted of second guessing whether we should go...calling friends and family in NYC to check on them...and finally arriving in Daytona Beach and going through the motions without really understanding the how and why...

The top picture on the right was taken the weekend of September 11, 2004 --my first semester of grad school at Bank Street College of Education in NYC.

The bottom picture was taken August 2001. I was in the city visiting a dear friend from SMU along with 3 other friends. The 5 of us took lots of pictures n our last day on the trip as we walked from City Hall over the bridge into Brooklyn.

As an ex-part time New Yorker...I really do stop and look at where I am today---how so much can happen in 8 years...and how thankful we have to be that we are alive, healthy and surrounded by loved ones.

...never forget how nice we were to each other in the weeks after that.

Come to Mama!!

Today is a "lucky day" the date is 09-09-09...I read read somewhere that it happens to be the 200-something-th day of the year and the single digits to that add up to 9...OOooOOOoooOOooo (ghostly oooo) Creepy!!'

But today also marks something else...something you would never hear me talk about. The release of a video game. But not just any video game...

I LOVE...I mean...LA-LA-LOVE, The Beatles.

I LOVE...I mean LA-LA-LOVE to sing.

I LOVE...I mean LA-LA-LOVE Rock Band.

Today...I am one of the happiest girls on Earth because The Beatles Rock Band was released!!!

Though I have not rushed out to Best Buy to buy it yet...I will this weekend...and my weekend (when not doing what I gotta do socially, work and volunteer wise) will be filled with the songs of the Fab Four.

I CAN'T WAIT!!! I know...I am a dork...but D says he has NEVER heard me talk about a Video Game with anticipation...and he's right. I usually am really bad at them...but I love Rock Band...and I love The Beatles...so this is basically the BEST video game known to man...in my most humblest of non-gamer opinion.

So as they say..."It won't be long (yeah, yeah, yeah) it won't be long (yeah, yeah, yeah)..."

"Fall" is officially here...

It all really started on Saturday when NCAA football season started (ok--I know it started earlier but SMU and UF did not play until Saturday...and Lee Corso did not put on a mascot until Saturday).
There are few things that I look forward to like I do the college football season. Oh...Hoorah!.... AND my schools WON!! YAY!!! GO PONIES!! GO GATORS!!! (don't hate...don't hate)

The other mark of fall...tonight was the first Junior League of Miami (JLM) General Membership Meeting (GMM). It was like the first day of school--seeing all my friends who have been away for the summer---or working really hard...the GMM's give me the opportunity to catch up with lots of great people.

Tonight at GMM was especially nice because I heard so many great things from my JLM friends who were able to make it on Friday and those who could not make it but have stopped by Books and Books ...and those who are going to make their way out.

This is what I am loving about the art being on display at Books and Books for the month...Books and Books is a wonderful local store and it is frequented by fantastic people...so I am glad that my pieces are bringing a smile...even a chuckle into the lives of those who walk past it.

So yet again...I thank you.

Fall is here...what better way to celebrate than with a fun piece of original art work, who's sale helps support a fine long lasting local institution as is, Books and Books.