Not as young as we used to be..

That was the theme for yesterday. I was having Kenyon try some yoga poses with me. He was grunting, I was sweating...half-way through an inverted pose he said, "we aren't as young as we used to be." Which caused me to laugh, loose all concentration, and I ended up in a ball on the floor. Not much later I convinced him to go roller skating with me. I've been sitting in front of a computer for at least 10 hours a day all week working on a conference paper and I wanted to get out and moooove. As we are rolling around the rink he comes up to me sweaty and says, "we aren't as young as we used to be, I just can't keep going like these young folks." On our roller skating excursion I took a nasty fall because there was a piece of some one's stopper left on the rink, that stopped me in my tracks. I've given myself a sore wrist and a bruised tailbone. What was Kenyon's response? You guessed it...say it together now...we're not as young as we used to be. He decided to participate in the speed skating competition at the roller rink. They had a 20 and older category. At the end, he came off the rink panting. The DJ actually stopped the competition because he said the contestants looked tired - and they did. They hadn't even finished one song. Kenyon only had one thing to say while shaking his head...we just aren't as young as we used to be. Have you ever had that feeling? At least we can laugh about it - it did make me appreciate that I can still do yoga and roller skate, because some day, I'm not going to be as young as I am now.

confusing policy?

I'm taking a trip to China next month. I've never been to China before. The country requires US Citizens to have a visa. That's not new to me, I've had to get a couple of those to travel to India. What is new is that they will not receive applications by mail...no way, no how, not by mail. I read that on the website and thought, "that can't possibly be right." So, I called the consulate office. Yup, it's not a typo. No applications by mail, must be in person. The consulate offices are in Chicago, Houston, D.C. and L.A. I suppose I could take an unplanned vacation and hope that all the paperwork is processed while I'm there. Or...get this...a perfect stranger can apply on my behalf, with my passport in hand. Tell me, does that make any sense? We won't accept applications by mail, but unaffiliated persons holding your passport are okay? I'm blaming communism for this confusing policy. Why? because I'm a student and fan of democracy and can't believe a democratic society would be so inefficient, unresponsive, or unrepresentative.

Anyway, I found a company on the Internet that does this for folks like me who don't have the time or resources to fly to a China consulate and stay for an undetermined amount of time. This entrepreneurial company even offers international cell phones for hire (rent) and will purchase tickets if needed. Now that is capitalism at its finest!

Surprise marriage proposal

Its official, he proposed. And I accepted. He actually asked me three times, once for every ring. It was awesome! I came in blindfolded, he had a whole set-up, including an audience. When the blindfold came off, I saw all the people who were there to celebrate with us. My mom, aunt Carmen and aunt Gloria flew in from New Mexico for the event. What a surprise that was! They were the first thing I saw when the blindfold was removed. When the proposal was complete, it was sealed with a prayer and blessing by the group and Pastor Jones (Kenyon calls him Dad). Everyone said it felt like a wedding (minus the actual license). I felt so loved by all of those in attendance, and especially by my man for all his hard work. I'm a lucky girl! I told you I'd let you know when it happened...well, it happened. Now on to the weddings (that's right, there will be more than one on two different continents) and receptions (that's right, there will be more than one of those, too). Let the celebrations begin!

one year later

Last April I attended the wedding of a good friend since high school, DeAnn. She is the only person I've kept in touch with since high school. Well, the update is that less than one year later, she's expecting a baby! I'm so happy for her and Alan. I'm excited to meet the new addition to their family (due in the fall).

Good things CAN happen at 3AM

I know your mom probably told you that nothing good happens after midnight. She said that because she wanted you home by curfew and she was trying to keep you out of trouble. Well...a few days ago I was up at 3AM. I wish that were unique for me, but it's not. I often get up between 3 and 5AM to begin my day. I don't set an alarm, it's just when I naturally rise - and, no, I don't go to bed at 8pm either. Anyway, enough about my sleeping (or non-sleeping) habits - I was up working on a paper for school at 3am...when unexpectedly, I receive a message online from my good friend in China. We talked for over an hour. Sure, I should have been working on my paper, but talking to my friend on the other side of the world was more important. It's amazing what technology can do! An international phone call that long would have cost us hundreds of dollars, but we can talk on the Internet for the price of our Internet access. Awesome! I share this to say, despite what your mom told you - sometimes good things can happen in the wee hours of the morning. In fact, it's my most productive time of the day. Have you ever looked at the time stamp of an email message from me? It's likely not a typo, yes, I am up at those times writing emails. Smile!