1) my sweet goddaughter, peyton, turned 15 today! i am still in disbelief that she is indeed 15. the last time i saw her, i was pleasantly surprised with how open she was in sharing what's been going on her life at school and with her dance team. she posted this pic which is adorable with the handwritten notes from her mum and dad.
2) since starting the science assistant position at hacienda, i don't think i've ever had so many donuts in the workplace! on my way back from the front office, arul from the hi-5 program came with a cart full of donuts, coffee and handed me a $50 amazon gift card as a thank you! it was completely unexpected and an absolutely generous and thoughtful gesture. i love this job so much!
3) i'm repeating week 1 of my mindfulness program, and have been much more dedicated this time around. one of the areas of focus is "habit releaser". i am much more mindful of my routes during my walks. a street that i normally wouldn't continue walking south on, i did partially because this dome shaped building caught my eye. i am also being more conscious about keeping my head and eyes up when i walk past strangers and will occasionally make eye contact, smile and even say hello. definitely things that aren't habitual during my walks!
4) towards the end of my walk, i had been reminded about acquaintances of mine who are currently dealing with an ailing parent, or one who had recently passed away. i immediately knew i needed to call home. i was able to catch up with mom who hasn't been feeling well since returning from the philippines during the new year. i will also be grateful for the fact that i can pick up the phone and call either of them - a blessing that i need to cherish for as long as i have it.
5) shortly before pickup, dana texted me and leanna saying she was stuck in traffic and would be late picking up the kiddos. with coop skipping out on golf due to the rain, it was my absolute pleasure to help out. i love that our hawk tribe can all rely on each other. our children and our mama souls are in good hands!
6) at drop off today, i was pleased to see the class put together a poster to celebrate dr. martin luther king jr. on the way to school, i was going to ask coop what they had learned about him, and reminding him of why it is important to honor his legacy with the upcoming holiday this weekend.
7) on the way home, the cure's "it's friday i'm in love" came on and i blasted it and sang my lungs out. sooooo good!
8) my nephew jacob moved to central california last spring. he landed a job with ksby news has excelled in his career rapidly! it has been incredible watching his news reports, anchoring the sports edition on the evening news and most recently his news report in santa barbara covering the recent weather events was televised on nbc san diego news! how rad is that?!?! this evening he covered governor gavin newsom's visit to santa barbara county addressing the montecito floods. his delivery is so pro - calm, collected and informative.
9) around 5pm, i got a call from cindy. usually if i'm doing an activity with coop, i'll let it go to voicemail but for some reason i said "i gotta take this call". and i'm thankful that i did. she did not sound well at all, and it absolutely terrified me. my sister gives like no one. she thinks highly of the ones she loves, and has neglected to project that same care to herself. we talked for 2 uninterrupted hours and it was so good for the both of us. we all have things we're working on and during dark times, it may seem like we're the only ones who struggle with things. but that isn't true. some are simply better at hiding it than others which does not benefit anyone. next weekend, i will be flying home on my own and cindy had invited me to sleep over at her place which i am eagerly looking forward to.
10) i went for a jog around lunch time today expecting just a drizzle and the light rain to stop within the first few minutes. boy was i wrong! it was a mixture of a downpour, drizzle, wind, and patches of sunlight. it was cleansing, invigorating and fun! i took a ton of selfies to capture the moment of playing in the rain for an hour!
