I finally got a break! but not the kind I was hoping for...

This was the day it happened. It was a typical, beautiful Saturday in AZ. Nathan and I went to a friends birthday party. There was food, party favors and balloons. I'm sitting at a picnic table watching Nathan run with a balloon. I have a bad feeling about this so I continue to watch cautiously. And what I fear, happens. He trips, falls and begins to cry, looking back at me as if to say, "Did you see that? Did you see how I fell and hurt myself?" Of course, I saw it.

Quick as lightening, I jump up from the table and bound over the picnic bench to come to the aid of my hurt child...except my foot gets caught and now I'm laid out on the concrete - dazed and in pain. I ignore the pain to come to his rescue but by now he's fine and running around again. Typical!

That night my arm swells and it's pretty painful for several days. On day 10, I go to QC Primary Care, who requests x-rays. On day 12, the results are in. I broke a bone.

As I waited for the Doctor today, I took a self portrait as my Picture of the Day.


Later, as Dr. T prepared the splint for my arm, I thought that would make a much better Picture of the Day! So I asked and he agreed. He was great and even made a fun face but my camera didn't catch it in time. Doh!


So as I leave and walk into the waiting area with this awkward and bulky splint on my arm, I hear someone say "Julia?" I look up and see my friend Traci. Surprised to see her, I ask "Traci, what are you doing here?" And she looks at my arm and asks me "What are YOU doing here?" hahaha!

A Trip Down Memory Lane to 1993!

I recently reconnected with a former boss of mine whom I worked for 18 years ago! I can't believe it, seems like yesterday to me. I was 18 years old when I started working for his company and I can still remember our offices and...some other things. hahaha! (only a few will get that joke) Today he sent me an email with the subject line reading "Good Old Times", I had no idea what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw Pictures! :o)

The picture above is my boss and I at his home during a Christmas Party he hosted in 1993. I was 21 and apparently big hair was IN, hahaha! My Boss was also a 'deep pockets' kinda guy and rubbed shoulders with the upper class and there happened to be a celebrity at his party. Which I now have a picture with, thanks to my "Good Old Times" email today!



This is my boss and I with "Too Tall" Jones. A former member of Dallas Cowboys "Doomsday Defense". "Too Tall" Jones is 6ft 9in and he played with the Cowboys from 1974-1978 and again from 1980-1989. He was also a Professional Boxer for a brief period from Nov 1979-Jan 1980, winning all his fights except for one.

So I'll admit that I didn't know who he was. Someone at the party actually elbowed me and said "That's Too Tall Jones!" in that kind of hushed whisper reserved for the elite social class as they quickly diverted their eyes to avoid staring. I casually stared at a really tall black man and asked "Who is Too Tall Jones?" I thought he might be one of the singers from Earth, Wind & Fire. hahaha!!!

Good times. Thanks for sharing Boss!!

For My Friend, Donna

Whenever Donna and I talk it's encouraging, refreshing and inspiring. We have laughed and we have cried. And whenever we talk she ALWAYS speaks wisdom into my life. It's just a shame that on one to many occasions, I didn't heed her advice only to find out later that she was sooo right! Lesson learned. Really. I've learned my lesson. :O)

Do you have someone like that in your life? If you do, is there something you could do to honor that person and relationship in your life? If so, seize the day and do it!

In honor of my dear friend, Donna, I'm going to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this year. I've never participated until now. If you've ever seen a Race for the Cure commercial, the person on camera usually says something like "I'm walking for my mom" or "I'm walking for my sister"....

Well, on October 11th, I'm walking for Donna, a Breast Cancer Survivor.
So here's to YOU Donna! :)

If you would like to contribute to the cause, support my participation or find out more details, please click here: Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

Work Update...

I haven't provided a work update since March, so to summarize:

• April - Oracle offers to buy Sun for $7.4 billion, Sun accepts, process begins.
• August - U.S. Department of Justice approves and deal moves forward.
  
• September - The European Commission delays their approval, they have until January, just a delay, deal is still moving forward.
  
• TBD - The dates for CIC=Change in Control and LEC=Legal Entity Change will take place after EC (European Commission) approves.
  

The Oracle acquisition is moving forward, it's just a complex and lengthy process. However, Oracle has already started advertising the win. The ad, picture above was on the front page of the Wall Street Journal last week. It's pretty blunt and meant to quiet the noise in the tech industry about whether Oracle will continue to sell Sun hardware/technology.

It reads:

Sun Customers, Oracle Plans To:

1. Spend more money developing SPARC than Sun does now;
2. Spend more money developing Solaris than Sun does now;
3. Have more than twice as many hardware specialists sellling and servicing SPARC/Solaris systems than Sun does now;
4. Dramatically improve Sun's hardware performance by tightly integrating Oracle software with Sun hardware.

"We're in it to win it. IBM, we're looking forward to competing with you in the hardware business." - Larry Ellison

I think it gets the point across.

As far as an update on my job - I don't have one. I have employment today, for which I'm thankful. But this process and how it impacts my future of employment, is day to day. Truth be told, I'm not really good at 'day to day' because I'm a planner. I like to know what's happening 20 minutes from now. So this 'day to day' thing is definitely stretching me.

So, what is my day like?: I sit. I work. I wait.
The next day?: I sit. I work. I wait.
Day after?: I sit. I work. I wait.

Get the picture? That's all I got folks! Peace out! :o)

BMM...it's not what you think.

BMM = Bad Mommy Moment.
It's a well known term between mothers.
It's also a socially acceptable term among mothers!
The definition of a Bad Mommy Moment is basically this;
if someone were to witness what just happened with your kid(s),
they would surely think you were a 'Bad Mommy'.

In the spirit of the humor that has to go alongside with the
plight of motherhood, er, I mean JOY of motherhood,
here are some pictures to further define a
Bad Mommy Moment.

Mommy, please may I come inside now?


And thats how you make pasta!


Strawberry Fields Forever


I told him to go play a game...


I'm outta here!


A little baby powder goes a long way.


Er... Mommy, it was an accident!


While you're up there, could you grab the Christmas lights?


Yes, we're out of tuna.

On a Positive Note

Do you ever go through a typical day and think to yourself: "I love ______ (fill in the blank)"?

It just happened to me this morning. Nathan was done with his applesauce and yogurt. I grabbed a paper towel, moistened it and wiped Nathan's hands and mouth. I absently thought to myself "I love these paper towels." hahaha!

In a day and age, where negativity seems to prevail, I think we should celebrate positive moments...no matter how small or mundane.

So here's to Viva Paper Towels! A small indulgence. A simple pleasure. They make me happy. I love them. hehehe!

Think about it and celebrate what you love, no matter how small! :o)

Peace out.

Aloha Kona, Hawaii

Our 7 day vacation in Kona, Hawaii was fabulous for the following reasons:

• The weather was perfect, the average temperature was around 76 every day
• We thoroughly enjoyed the company of the Auger family, relaxed and easygoing folks
• The landscape of Hawaii is breathtaking, stunning and beautiful

However, touristing with a 2 year old i.e. missing routine naps & meal times is not conducive to this age group but what a trooper he was! You'll see how he coped later in the pictures. That being said, we had a great time and have a ton of pictures to share. Without further ado...

[ After Dinner Walk by the Beach ]



[ Grocery Sticker Shock ]








[ Hanging Loose, White Sandy Beach, Clear Waters ]





[ Black Sand Beach ]





Throwing black lava rocks...


Reflective moment for Brian, pictured in the right hand corner...


Reflective moment over, now hamming it up and living large!

I took 64 pictures to finally get this one picture of water crashing on the rocks by the Augers...


Jaime took 3 pictures to capture the same for us...good job Jaime.


[ Volcano Attraction ]


Checking it out close range...


Lava flow creates 'Lava Tubes' or caves, very interesting and very, very scary dark!




Holding up the ceiling of the cave so everyone can safely escape...just kidding!


Much to my surprise and delight, the hike down to the volcano crater was very tropical.



A literal interpretation of elephant ears...






( Video of us hiking inside the volcano crater )












At the end of the hike...


Why isn't Nathan in the picture above? Poor kid fell asleep again!


[ Traditional Luau ]

Real flower leis...which cost $6...the very reason you don't see one around my neck!


Dinner is served...roasted pig, head and tail still attached...


Fire Dancer i.e. Pyro



Hula Girls ...




[ Snorkeling ]

A boogie board with a view finder so Nathan could look under water and see the fish, very cool.

Taking pictures underwater - using a DryPak camera bag - that has air in it...is a bit challenging.
Here's Jaime...


Greg...


Sara...


Me...not underwater...just hanging loose...


Did I mention we missed routine nap times? So then something like this happens. Nathan fell asleep on his boogie board out in the middle of the ocean!


[ Scandanavian Shave Ice ] Not Shaved but Shave - that's how they say it.

Sara with a Small...


Me with a Medium...


Brian with a Large...




Body Board Surfing Videos
Just about the most fun I've ever had in the water...convinced me I could easily be a surfer girl.

Video of me, I'm in the brown/teal swimsuit, just a little to the left from the center of the video...that's me giggling...it was so much fun...


Video of Greg, just to the right of Randi who is standing on the beach...


That's it, Mahalo!