Karma's Throne

I’ve already received my return from karma. Yes, it’s no big secret. It’s been done; big time. And I continue to live and breathe through it. So, what were those incidents not so long ago that wrapped karmas thread so tightly around my finger? Well, that’s not for feeble minds, I suppose. However, I know now how karma works; she has shown me her ways and I am here to speak of them.

Karma, that little spirit that lives out her wretched ways by giving us a taste of our own bad medicine. The incense that burns like the Catholic candles of Patron Saints. It is Ms. Karma that once envied the lust that I lived a handful of times in the wake of a few taken men; when I made a heartfelt decision that still haunts my mind, body and spirit. Then again, when I was involved in an aspiring relationship; that one that was once the fiancé, who then became nothing but a figment of many fractured female hearts. Ah yes, once bitten and twice shy, Ms. Karma grasped my life with her venom that has tortured me for the early part of my adult life; and still she continues. Karma, is a powerful thing…It’s just too bad we only learn of her ways whence we are grown and the seeds of youth have already been planted. It’s always to soon for Karma’s throne.
~K

Going Green in September!

Check out this awesome idea for recycling old t-shirts into shopping bags...

Click on the photo above for a larger version.

You Say It Best When You Say Nothing At All

To begin this blog I would like to start by saying, “No, I am not pregnant; I am just wearing a very stylish peasant tank top today.”

Maybe you shouldn’t have asked.

Ahhh, yes, the story of my life these days…”So, when are you and your husband planning on having children…”…”You two need to have a girl…”…”You better hurry up…He is running out of time…”…”Kas, how old are you? You know you really should start working on having kids…”…”Only a few more years…The clock is ticking…” Yada, yada, yada…And so the clock ticks-on…

This subject is the highlight of nearly every family and friend gathering these day – And it seems to open up some controversy wherever we go! Not because we aren’t planning on having any kids; not because we aren’t practicing; rather, we just don’t have the superhuman power to make it happen (or do we?)! There is a flurry of opinions and advice from all walks of our married life; and after really thinking about it, I felt the need to blog my thoughts! Mostly because if my husband and I are constantly being bombarded with that question, other “thirty-to-forty something” adult married couples probably are, too.

My number one issue with this question is that so many people approach the subject without sensitivity. In fact, it seems as though everyone that approaches us with the matter just “assumes” we want to have kids. It’s like, that’s what married people do: they get married, they work, they nest, they have children, they live for their children, and then, they die. What else would you do, if you didn’t have children? What do you mean you don’t want to have children? Won’t your life be empty?

I highly doubt it…In fact, just by meeting my husband my life was fulfilled in so many ways…And now that we are married, we are even more fulfilled. We both will be thankfully blessed if we get pregnant; but we will have long, fulfilled, happy lives, if that road is not a path that our lives are granted. My issue is that having children isn’t always a “choice” people have; it’s a blessing by a higher power. And many people think that just because you take all of the healthy measures to clear that path for childbearing; it can & will happen to you!!! Well, I hate to remind you all that it really is in the hands of Mother Nature! And for some “thirty-to-forty something” couples, Mother Nature has her own path in mind!

In the end, it is your choice when you choose your mate and your lover. It is your choice to practice sex with your partner, either protected or unprotected and uninhibited – or not to. At our age, or any, it really is out of our hands as to whether the practice of sex leads to the blessing of a child. It is the delicateness of this private and personal matter that makes this such a very sensitive subject for so many people.

I particularly can recall last New Year’s Eve at our home. We had two other couples over – Both couples were unmarried, but exclusive. At one moment that evening, my girlfriend shouted something to the effect of when we were going to have children. It completely set me off! Not the fact that we aren’t planning on having children, but moreso because of the manner the statement was said…as if it was expected that we were having children.

Whether we can have children biologically, or should we choose to adopt a child is another overlooked and underappreciated marital decision. I often find that people are a bit insensitive to this idea, as well. Happily adopted children are found everywhere in our world; and elated, loving parents all over the same world choose to bring these children into their lives every day. Should that be an option, we would be ecstatic to consider adoption…as would many other prospective parents our ages. However, adoption is a long, very expensive and entirely situational process that has so many weights and measures to it – that it may not be ideal for every marital situation. People shouldn’t be scrutinized because they don’t choose to adopt, if they cannot have biological children. Adoption is a choice – a very major one, with a lot of text – and even more sub-text…And may not even be a viable option for most couples!

There are so many options for couples nowadays when it comes to parenting, but the most important aspect of the entire decision is the decision itself. We love and respect our friends and family, as so many other thirty-to-forty something married couples do, but please have the respect to approach the subject of childbearing with ease and poise – with the utmost sensitivity to your loved ones. You never know how the framework of your questions can affect couples and their views and feelings. The choice to have children, whether biologically or through adoption, is a life-changing choice, and often couples may not be able to have either….So, be dignified and courteous in your approach. Sometimes it’s better to just say nothing at all…and see what their love may bring!

~K

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Update: An article that is a great follow-up to my blog, courtesy of MSN and thebump.com: http://lifestyle.msn.com/your-life/family-parenting/staticslideshowtkt.aspx?cp-documentid=29596867&gt1=32050

Tsunami: Japan

As the moon waxed and waned;

As the partial world set dreams to rest;

The island country ran its grinding day;

The Earth, her rumble began its test.

The thunderous tremble started in;

The shuttering of buildings and walls began;

The Earth, she did not waste haste;

Her plates they could no longer take.

Splitting 'neath the waters' tides;

Mother Nature granted her sigh;

One which left a sorrowed city;

A crumbled country, ruins, pity.

When the waves they crashed ashore;

Until the ocean reaped no more;

Havoc wrang across the plains;

Wreaking destruction, taking means.

Among the tireless media cry;

The World, she watches to this nigh;

Awaiting numbers with anxious eyes;

While Mother Earth's people stop in stride.

We wait, we watch, we listen, we hope;

While God, Mother Earth, and Humanity weep;

And prayers are sung while victims cope;

Japan, to you our souls are weak...

Our hearts ring out to your entire nation;

With love, generosity, open hands;

To you we offer empathy, prayers, and patience;

And to you all, solace and peace for your land.

~K

Farve: Walking the Plank

Dear Brett Favre,

The Vikings of the far past, never knew you; the Vikings of the near past despised of you; the Vikings of the present depend on you; the Vikings of the future falter in the rationale of the decisions that you will make right now.  Oh, the story of the Norse - according to football!!! 

Having grown up in a family that holds the Vikings engraved in our hearts, I cannot say that I ever liked you, but I can say that I definitely appreciated your game.  After all, from deep in my heart I still visualize you wearing your yellow and green (and it hurts).  And while you were a part of my team last year, it was your leadership, skills, and spirit for the game that carried our Vikings through the 2009-2010 season.  I respect that.     

That in-mind, please do us all a favor and please be rational before you decide to leave Minnesota.  I respect your game and I respect your age...And as long as you leave the game respecting your body, no bad purple blood will you leave behind. But if it's just because you're bored of football, or bored with the Vikings, please think precisely about this decision.  It takes 21 days to make or break a habit; and last year, you didn't even afford 21-days to the pre-season team.  Jump-starts don't work, even if you are a very seasoned veteran.  I hope that you don't think that was okay last year, and I certainly hope you won't go that route again this year!!!

Regardless of the 2010 pre-season kick-off being just around-the-corner, with or without Brett Favre, the team will carry on.  After all, by definition Vikings were Nordic adventurers who took to expeditions by way of the seas.  With that, we will be proud to bid you farewell after your premiere Viking season of adventure, shall you choose that route.  Now carry-on, get yourself straight, and be right-minded with a decision that will leave us all looking forward to the 2010-2011 Viking football "expedition" - WITH or WITHOUT you!  Skoal!!! ~K

This could quite possibly be the Vikings team bidding farewell to Farve,

as he walks the plank toward the retirement piranha!

Girl Scouts Logo Update

Today I discovered that the Girl Scouts have changed the original 1970s-designed logo to a more "modern" version of the iconic branding.  Being a former girl scout, I was surprised that it captured my emotions on such a personal level that I just HAD to blog it!

For those women who are former girls scouts, you will probably be able to relate to my feelings of uncertainty as you compare the two logos.  First, you can see that the "trefoil" design has more of a "squished" line.  The "corners" of the leaves of the trefoil are more defined, giving the leaves a more "cloud-like" and "child-like" character.  Additionally, the faces of the trio of females on the trefoil seem to encompass a more "youthful" shape.  Their noses are more lifted, their lips are a bit more rounded and smaller, and their necks seem a bit more erect.  The most obvious change is the addition of "bangs" to the design, on the first female on the trefoil.  After reviewing the logo, it is clear that the changes are virtually more evident of an appeal to a more juvenile generation of girl scouts.  

According to a news release from their website (http://www.girlscouts.org/news/news_releases/2010/new_national_brand_initiative.asp), the change is a way that the Girl Scouts are "revitalizing and reenergizing its brand to reach a new generation of girls."

While my personal feelings are still torn by the fact that the legendary designer, Saul Bass' icons have now dawned a new era of youthful feminism; I do feel as though the Girl Scouts have definitely branded their image towards that "new generation of girls" through the changes made to this timeless icon.  I am always going to personally have a soft-spot in my youthful heart for the icon that I carried on my sash through my youth and into my teens; at least I will never forget the "trefoil" my heart knows and loves.

~K

Brix 42 ~ Pasadena, CA

Thanks to our great friend Frank, who actually invited us to meet up spontaneously after work one Friday night, my wonderful hubby and I decided to join him and some friends for a fantastic "Happy Hour" in Old Town Pasadena. We discovered this great spot, that we have driven by numerous times, and never even gave a second look - until now!!!

It's called Brix 42, and it's right in the heart of Old Town Pasadena...{caddy corner from the ever-poppin' Twin Palms} Brix is located at 42 De Lacey Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91105. The facade of the building is very "Spanish Colonial"...and it has a inviting warmly inviting interior where you can relax in the lounge area, or be more social in giant oversized booths on the more "restaurant-lounge-side".

The place is just fabulous for some cocktails - great music - flat screens for the almighty sports fans - and believe it or not....THE FOOOOOODDDD! Yes, we had some amazing apps, from their garlic french fries, to the fried calamari, to their mussels in a yummy white wine cream sauce - We clearly indulged!!! My husband and I enjoyed an amazing NY strip with mashed potatoes and veggies to make anyones' mouth water! It was all beyond compare, and very unexpected. Although we never had the opportunity to do a sampling of their brews, to top things off - this place is also a brewery with house brews. Yep, so go get your beer-tasting on!

Around 9 p.m. the house lights dim, and the twentysomething Pasadena crowd rolls in, but do not be discouraged because the DJ just starts spinning some fantastic jams. Old-school, to new-school, this place really gets poppin'....Although we left around 9:30 - I am sure those that want to hang until the DJ stops spinnin' are more than illin'!

Regardless of your taste for winding down the week; this is one hot Pasadena spot that will get your mouth watering and your taste buds shouting....With a casual - loungy feel and a crowd that appeals from twentysomethings to sixtysomethings - all will be pleased with this little-known Pasadena spot!!!

~K