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If you’ve been reading my tweets, you know I’ve been taking these early morning strolls to the bus stop with Steev. He needs to catch the bus to class and since I’m up early and enjoy stepping out into the cool, crisp morning air, I love to tag along and chat with him as we walk to the bus stop a short distance away.

Indeed these few mornings with temperatures in the 50s and 60s are just gorgeous and remind me so much of spring. With the sun already up at 6:00am, I can step out in short sleeves and shorts by the time we leave just after 7:00am. It’s a little chilly out but that’s the way I love it !

The thing about gift-giving is it’s often so difficult trying to figure out something that’s presentable, practical and priced just right all in one! I usually end up with white hairs just trying to buy a gift .

Gone are the days when my grandmother would give a gold coin as a present. These days, that would be considered a luxury and reserved only for close family members to give and receive gold.

I actually prefer receiving gold as a gift because it’s a good investment no matter how you look at it. Then again, if it’s gold jewelry, chances are I won’t wear them.

You know what? I thought I would have lots more photos to share but I’ve been mostly car-less and housebound, hence not many photo opportunities. Anyhow, here are a few. Hope you enjoy them and have a great weekend!

Flowers growing near Whole Foods where we had a simple healthy lunch. Amazing how these flowers remain so pretty and fresh in this scorching weather. I’m all wilted and dried up the minute I step out into the sun!

We spent half a morning wandering among the giant shelves of Costco wondering, if I buy this 96-pack of granola bars or 20 lbs of coffee, will we be able to finish eating everything by the turn of the century ??!!

Seriously, you would need a document management system to track everything you see in a store this size! And after checking the giant bags of gummy bears and M and M’s my daughters wanted me to bring home, we were starved and stopped for this.

Don’t get me wrong, I love being here though it might take me a while to get the hang of the peace and quiet of being home alone. Anyhow it’ll only be for a few weeks.

What’s exciting is Steev coming home with stories about college. I can’t believe we’re still charting those ‘firsts’ even now that he’s in college! He’s grown up so much since we got here a week ago. Things like doing a budget, writing checks, worrying about me when I take the bus alone. I’m watching these transformation happening right before my eyes.

And my girls, I miss them. I’m talking to them back home every single day, eager not to miss a beat. Looks like they’ve got things pretty much under control especially in the cooking department. Yup, my girls have taken over my kitchen and are cooking up a storm, wow! Who knows, I may have to retire as family chef sooner than I thought and  thumb through healthcare job listings to find a new “job” .

So here I sit, Steev’s gone to class and the thing that strikes me is this certain what do you call it… quiet. A quiet that I’m so unaccustomed to.

On any regular day back home, I’d be dashing in and out the door every other hour, picking up one teen, dropping off the other, and my car would be so full of tales from school and college and plans for the weekend that I can’t even hear myself think!

So let’s face it, there aren’t many any days like this when I’d be home with no alarms going off relentlessly on my cell phone and computer (sometimes on both at the same time), no place to go, nothing to do except sip my tea and watch the minutes tick by till Steev walks in the door.

Yeah, so this feels weird, you know. Usually I’d be cooking up a storm, a huge pot of something or other! But here, who am I going to cook for here?!! Hmm, so I end up munching on the simplest meals you can imagine and I have all day to get through my lunch.

Guess what? Forget the mommy time sans kids. I’ll have the noisy banter, kitchen clanking, loud music and traffic madness any time. That is so much more fun. This quiet is a little too much for me!

I wish I could say I’m making good progress with my packing. But it seems I can’t get much done in spite of all my good intentions. Every night before I go to bed, I promise myself that I will get my packing done by the next day. Next day comes and I get distracted with blogging and procrastinating. By the time night falls, I would have nothing new to report. Duh! I really need to kick myself!

I promise I will get my packing done by tomorrow!

I promise I will get my packing done by tomorrow!

I promise I will get my packing done by tomorrow!

Let’s see if this helps. If not, I’ll write 100 lines, okay?

With the trip coming up, I have been having sleepless nights. So many things to do and they all have to be completed before I leave. Isn’t that always the case? I’ve been running around like a crazed woman – to the mall, to the bank, to pick up the girls, to drop Steev off to meet his friends, to collect tickets, the list is endless!

… packing. I wish I could say I love it but I don’t. Not one bit. It really stresses me out because in the back of my mind, I’m always wondering if I’m missing anything important. I always tell myself that whatever I miss, I can always buy when I get there. Doesn’t always work!

Right now, I’ve got my suitcase on the floor and I’m just tossing stuff in, bit by bit, as I go along. Strangely enough, that’s what my girl friend, the ever-efficient secretary, tells me is the organized way to pack. I didn’t know that! I never thought much about it.

Anyhow I’ve got mostly shorts and tank tops in there because it’s going to be hot, hot, hot in California. And a shirt (in case I’m suddenly required to look like a mom!), a smock top (in case we go out to dinner with friends) and… okay, I’m stuck, don’t know what else!?! I’ll leave that till tomorrow!

But I reckon I won’t be packing much. Trying to save some space for Steev’s stuff and once he gets unpacked when we get there, I’ll have space for my shopping spoils. How’s that?