To Infinity and Beyond

Today we took a trip to the California Science Center.  We got a chance to see the Space Shuttle Endeavour.  It was amazing!

Go take a Hike....

Saturday mornings are perfect for sleeping in, it's my favorite part of the day.  But i could hear the pile of laundry calling my name and so i was out of bed by 7:30am.  Everybody else was already downstairs...i don't understand why my children don't appreciate the gift of sleeping in.

The girl was off for music practice, and thankfully was getting picked up by a classmate's parent.  The hubs then invited me to a morning hike at Torrey Pines Reserve.  I accepted, since i am trying to be more active.  It was a gorgeous morning, the weather was clear and cool, and the view!!! wow... It was a great way to start the morning.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I picked up this book in the morning and read it all day. It was tough, really tough to read it.

I wanted to stop reading it, but found that i just couldn't do it. I could feel every page, every thought, every pain Charlie felt. The emotions were so real and so raw.

It hit too close to home. I wish i hadn't read it.

Unbelievable read....

I just finished reading Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden. It is the story of Shin Dong-hyuk, born in Camp 14 in North Korea, a prison camp for political prisoners. His birth came as a result of a "Reward Marriage" to 2 prisoners, and from birth was basically raised to be forced labor and a snitch for the ruthless guards who ran the Camp. It is a heartbreaking story of the cold and cruel world created by North Korean rulers Kim Il-sung, Kim Jong-il, and the continued by the current leader Kim Jonh-un. Shin, through luck and miracles, was able to escape from the camp. He traveled north to the border and crossed into China and eventually made it to South Korea and the United States. The story pulls the reader in and shows you what it was like to grow up in a place where a "teacher" could beat a child to death with a pointer simply because they had a few grains of rice or corn in their pockets. It also shows the difficulty that he experiences trying to adjust to living in a free country. His paranoia, lack of trust, and lack of knowledge of anything makes it difficult to make friends, or hold down a job. It makes me so angry that this is allowed to continue. Why don't other countries stop it? Why aren't more people as angry as I am?

Oh the things you can do, if you'd just get off the couch....January 8

Like 99% of people out there, losing weight is up there on my things to do list every year. I don't even bother calling it a resolution because let's be realistic, it just ai'nt happening. But i have been trying to be more active and walking more. Let's ignore the fact that since school let out in December i have been completely lazy, and just need that motivation to get out there again. I really enjoyed my morning walks, i just enjoy sitting on the couch more. I always have a handy excuse, i was volunteering at my kid's school, i had to go grocery shopping, i was too tired...blah blah blah. I should make it a resolution to come up with better excuses why i couldn't walk. Regardless, my hope is that by the end of this year i will have been more active, and once the boy moves up to Middle School and i don't have to bother with volunteering maybe i'll do something crazy and join a gym. I feel like it would be a total waste of money now when i go in 3 times a week to volunteer and if i don't get my walk/exercise in first thing in the morning, it just isn't going to happen. That much i know.

The End of Christmas - January 5th

Tonight is the 12th day of Christmas, we will end the season with a visit of the Three Wise Men, or as we say in Puerto Rico "Los Reyes Magos". I will be glad to finally start putting away our ornaments and decorations.

Welcome 2013!

New Years was a great evening. We stayed home and watched Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin ring in the New Year live on East Coast. Good thing because i was ready for bed by 10:30pm.