Time To Slow Down

This past week had been insanely busy. Running around constantly at a moment's notice to get the girls somewhere or to get them something they needed for school. This was the week before finals. It seemed to me that the high school teachers were hurrying to get all the curriculum that they had yet to teach this term stuffed into this past week, before finals. Unfair to the students and parents as well.

I believe that next weeks finals will be an easier week than this one was. Minimum days for both the middle and high schools and then they have the next Monday off. Then in two weeks, it is ski week and they are off for a week! Seems like they just got back from Christmas break! I mean, I still have my Christmas lights up. (I am doing it for the anal creepy neighbor's sake. At least that is what I keep telling myself) I am pretty sure these kids have less school days than we had when I was in school. Although, I will admit, they do work harder and have much more homework than they had when I was their age.

It feels like we are running all the time. My wonderful friend who moved from Laguna about two years ago, I finally got to see on Friday. I gave her the Christmas gifts I had been holding onto for her and the family. We got ours too. That was fun to open more gifts yesterday. We finally had her birthday lunch and another friend's birthday lunch combined on Friday. The other friend's birthday was in December! We don't see each other nearly as often as we should. Then when we do, we both race home to pick up kids. Although, it was Jami who had to race home 60 miles south of us. This time she came up here. I only had to go up the hill.

When we are in Huahine and spending days and nights together for weeks, we promise we will see each other more. We don't. We need to slow down and make the time! Seems that when we do, something comes up. One crisis or another! I miss her so much. One of these days I am going to go down to her house in my pjs just to have coffee with her like old times here in town, after we dropped off the kids!

My other friend Jana, lives about 15 minutes from here. We exchange multiple emails through out the day and talk on the phone some nights. We may not see each other, but we are in constant contact. I met her at 8:00 this morning! Saturday morning. My family were not all up yet and her daughter was still asleep too. It was cold, at least to us here in sunny California, it was cold! It was 33 in the canyon this morning!

Jana and I were going to meet in Crystal Cove. There is a Starbucks and a Trader Joe's there and it would have been perfect except for the Ferrari show in the parking lot. We ended up at a bakery in town and leisurely had quiet time for just the two of us to talk. No interruptions from dogs, kids or phones. Then we went shopping and she bought a bunch of stuff. I bought nothing! There is a store here in town called Fresh Produce. It is their original store which turned twenty a couple of years ago. I have been such a good customer in the past that they call me to tell me when they have new shipments or a sale that I should know about. I got that call last week. Jana got a bunch of stuff at least 50% off. I already had most of what I wanted from what they currently have, but she told me a new shipment is coming in and showed me a green that I just love. I will get something in that color when she calls. She will put my size on hold for me too! Such fun to live in a small town and get that kind of service!

Jana and I went to another store. Beautiful stuff, tropical in nature, but way over priced. Jana is my Martha Stewart friend. She saw some mirrors with sea shells and said she could go home and do that. Then a very expensive bed had the head board that she loved and she decided she would go home and make one for her daughter. Hard to explain what it looked like, but it had bamboo frame in black and woven material across the face of the headboard. I was not sure if she was headed home or to Home Depot after we parted ways. She made her own headboard. It looks like a picket fence. Very cute and then she decorated her room with that piece in mind. I am in awe of her abilities and visions!

She also let me borrow a tape of the first night of the new season of 24! I was basically distraught that I missed the first two hour show, kind of important, I sucked it up and I figured I would just watch the second night. A coworker of Jana's taped it and so now I will be able to see the beginning. I am rather stoked about that. This is supposed to be the best season yet, though it is hard to imagine it can be any better.

Two hours with Jana this morning. About the same with Jami and Pat on Friday. Just to slow down and take the time for a visit or two is such a relaxing thing to do. We should all do it more!