Feral Cats in the Land of Mouse - Ingredients for an Awesome Vacation!

Vacation was awesome.  Mainly because it was VACATION.  My future goal is to have a whole week or two off at once.  Doesn't that sound heavenly?  But even though my vacation was only four days - it was still pretty great.

We crammed 5 people into my Prius to make the trip to California from Phoenix.  From her all the way to the beach in Newport it's about 7 hours.  I always want it to be less, but realistically you have to plan on 7.  Man do I love that Prius.  I figure the gas to drive there cost us about $28.

We went straight to the beach and then had the luck of getting parking spot right next to a fantastic spot.  It couldn't have worked out better.  I fed the meter to allow us to stay until after 5 pm that evening.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The weather was perfect.  I even bought a fresh cut mango to enjoy on the beach and that was pretty awesome as well.  Here's an instagram photo I took while lazing on the sand with my book.

Later we checked in to our secret hotel by Disneyland.  I'm not going to tell you about our hotel.  Know why?  Because I honestly don't want everyone to find out about it.  It's the least expensive half-way decent hotel I've found close to Disneyland and they don't really advertise very much online so it's actually a little hard to find.  I found it back in the mid 90s through a travel agency (do those even exist anymore?).  They seem busy enough to stay in business but not so busy that they will remodel or rip the place down and build something expensive in it's place.  If you really want to know ask me and I'll tell you personally.  :)

We spent the next 2 days in Disneyland and California adventure and that is always fun.  But it was super great having all my grown kids there with me.  Yes, Disneyland was fun when they were little.  But I would say it's just as fun now.  And I don't have to find a bathroom to change any little kids diapers anymore.  We even ate at the Blue Bayou which was awesome (pricey yes, but totally worth it).

(we rode this Disney train and around and around one night - it was kind of crazy - I now have the weird song memorized that they play when you're in the "grand canyon and the primitive world").  

I can never decide what my favorite ride is.  I still really love splash mountain - but we got so wet this time I was wet for most of the day!  I do really like California Screamer and Tower of Terror too.  But honestly, this time I think maybe I most enjoyed Soaring over California - which I've always liked but seemed especially lovely this year.  There were a couple of new rides I had not seen or ridden before - the new Ariel ride in California Adventures is pretty cute.  And I will always love Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion - Pirates possibly being the ride we went on the most times.  I lost track. 

The kids were old enough to get into looking at all the interesting details and trying to figure stuff out like when you're on the Pirates ride - where the heck does that ride go?  (into the parking lot it would seem - or something!) and Jordan read up on all kids of weird disney facts before we left.  We were looking for hidden Mickeys everywhere and strange little things you've probably never noticed before.  

Jordan told us there are over 200 feral cats inside Disneyland and that they feed them.  I wasn't sure I believed that until the last night near main street and the Sleeping Beauty Castle one darted across our path!  She looked like this: 

When I got back to the hotel that night I had to look it up and sure enough!  They DO keep and feed feral cats.  They keep the rodent population down.  They showed up spontaneously in the early years of the park and they have been feeding them and spaying and neutering them ever since.  Random cats still keep showing up.  You have to admit it is a pretty good find of a place to live if you're a feral cat.  There are about 6 cat feeding stations around the park in areas where you wouldn't notice them.  One is up on the old platform for the old tram that used to stretch across the park and go through the matterhorn.  One of the stations is still there in Fantasyland kind of look up when you're in the food area kitty corner from Dumbo.  It's kind of hidden, but it's there in the corner.  Apparently the cats also really like the area around Tom Sawyer Island and the food area in Adventureland near Splash Mountain.  They like the area near the train tracks back behind Tom Sawyer island too and there is a feeding station near there as well.  

When Holden was little he used to say that if he was homeless he would go live inside Disneyland.  At the time I don't think he realized that place really never sleeps.  There are people working inside that park 24/7 so you really would not be able to hide inside that park.  But he loved that idea.  

Sadly, all Disneyland vacations must come to an end.  

We made one last stop on our way home in Pasadena.  We stopped at a place for lunch called Lemonade.  It was super tasty healthy food as well as macarons and multiple kinds of lemonade.  It was really good.  I would definitely go again.  In fact, I was wishing we had them here in Phoenix.  

I mean if you only have 4 days to spend on vacation - these are a pretty good way to spend 4 days.  

Happy, Restful, Cheery Homes

I've been so busy lately and it's only going to get worse with the new full time job I start in a couple of weeks.  It's pretty impossible to go to grad school, work full time, sell jewelry part time, have kids at home still AND pursue any of my other interests.  I have far less time for books, movies, projects, vacations, photography or pretty much anything else I am interested in doing.  This blog is one of the things that is going to suffer while I'm so busy.  I just don't have as much time to update it as I used to - even though I still routinely think of ideas that I want to blog. 

This particular blog is an indicator of where I am at in my life right now.  I'm in the process of re-doing a couple of rooms in my house (give me a break on what "process" means, this process is slooooow - more in the thinking and dreaming stage than the doing, but give me to the end of the summer and I think I'll have something to show you in a blog...I digress) - and in this process I find that I am drawn to calm, soothing, restful spaces.

This doesn't necessarily mean neutrals to me (I know it often does for other people).  But more muted, more whites and blues and greens.  That is restful to me. 

I'm drawing inspiration from some of these rooms.  Cooler colors like blues and greens tend to be restful for most people.  You will almost never go to a therapists office and see orange or red anywhere.  I love orange and red, but they are not restful or calm colors. 

Lately I've been thinking about how fun it might be to decorate an office someday.  Of course, that's a long ways off.  But it's still fun to think about.  I'm sure any future office will rely heavily on these types of inspiration as well:

It's funny some people don't think so - but what we surround ourselves with - what our homes look like - it really does affect us.  So if you're not feeling so happy lately - think about making a change in your space.  It might help!

An Instagram Wall

I'm a little late to Instagram.  Not that I didn't know about it or didn't want to join in the fun (oh guys, I so DID want to join in the fun).  But because I don't have an Iphone.  Or any sort of smartphone whatsoever.  Because I'm old school like that.  Because I refuse to sign another 2 yr. contract with my provider (who does not have Iphone...and who used to have the most amazing customer service on the planet but who now outsources the most basic things...like 411...to Asia and other parts unknown...who insist that no, there is only ONE pizza hut in all of Phoenix.  Are you kidding me Tmobile?...but I digress).  Anyway where was I?  Oh yes, Instagram.

So I have just observed Instagram from afar, staring wistfully at it.  But now that I have an Ipod which can take photos, I am able to actually join the fun.

I am pretty impressed with the artistic talent of two of my children (poor Brennan is on an equally old school phone like me...and so no instagram for him either...middle child syndrome) I love seeing some of the photos they take and post.

Which has led me to the idea that I need to do an instagram wall.  Here are some examples of instagram walls which turned out really great:

 

I love this idea.  You can also mount the ones you like very most individually inside a frame like this too:

 

There are companies you can use to print them professional quality, but you can also just print on your own printer if you like.  

I'm not 100% sure yet where I want to do this in my house and which photos I'm going to use, but it's definitely something I want to do.  Here are a few of my favorites so far.

Holden's photos:

 

And my lovely daughter Jordan's photos:

I've even done a few I like too:

 I always look forward to a new project. 

Jonathan Adler - A Fun Manifesto

I frequently use photos of Jonathan Adler designs when I blog about design.  He loves color and whimsy and he has a certain mid-century vibe in lots of his decor and I am all about that.  So I thought he might warrant his own blog post.

Then I found his "Manifesto" and thought it really is worth sharing, because it's kinda great.

1.  We believe your home should make you happy

2.  We believe the wife is always right, unless the husband is gay

3.  We believe in carbs and to hell with puffy consequences

4.  We believe minimalism is a bummer

5.  We believe hand crafted tchotchkies are life enhancing

6.  We believe tassels are the earrings of the home

7.  We believe in our muses David Hicks, Andy Warhol, Alexander Girard, Bonnie Cashin, Hans Coper, Gio Ponti, Leroy Neiman, Yves Saint Laurent and Madonna

8.  We believe in the innate chicness of red with brown

9.  We believe in being underdressed or overdressed always

10.  We believe in infantile happy symbols like butterflies and hearts

11.  We believe celebrities should pay full price

12.  We believe in rustic modernism, Big Sur, A frame beach houses, raw beams and geodesic domes

13.  We believe in Palm Beach style, Louis chairs, chinoisserie, Lilly Pultizer and the Breakers '72

14.  We believe our designs are award winning.  Even though we've never actuall won any

15.  We believe in Aid to Artisans

16.  We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants

17.   We believe in mantiques, suits of armor, worn chesterfield sofas, and heraldic tapestries

18.  We believe you should throw out your blackberry and to pick some blackberries

19.  We believe colors can't clash

20.  We believe in blowing your nest egg on our pots

21.  We believe our lamps will make you look younger and thinner

22.  We believe in irreverent luxury


Isn't that the best?  Here are some rooms that I have not blogged before, that I really like:

I feel like anyone who loves transitional decor has a lot to owe to Jonathan Adler in many ways.

And I ADORE so many of his accessories too.  So fun:

I totally need that last one.  Need I tell you. 

Becoming Happy: How Counseling Can Help

This month has been a bit rough.  We lost my sister at a relatively young age a few weeks ago.  I've had a bit of malaise since then.  I recently read Joan Didion's "Year of Magical Thinking" and it was such a great book on the subject of grief.  I've thought about that a lot since my sisters death - how I had just read that book and how it has helped me in a way to be more in touch with what I've been feeling and thinking.  Things happen that we don't have any control over and they are not that easy to just get over quickly.  I've had a few things like that happen in my life now.  Sometimes I feel like the older you get the more you're subject to having to face things you never thought you would - things that never seemed real or likely or...I guess just things you never think about when you're young.  

At the same time  I have learned so much from some of the hard things I've faced.  I am so much more comfortable with who I am than I have ever been in my life.  I feel so much more sure of my ability to find my way through life.  

I just started what I hope will be my graduate program for counseling.  I'm very excited about this.  At the same time I'm a little nervous because these next 6 weeks are basically a 'try out' to make sure we're a good fit for this somewhat rigorous program.  So it's good, and nerve wracking at the same time.

I'm excited ultimately about the possibility of becoming a counselor and helping people through the difficulties of life.  Really, being a counselor is like being a guide for someone through times that seem dark or scary or just impossible and difficult.  It's about helping people understand themselves better, and maybe the people around them better at the same time.  It's about finding new ways to think and do and be.  Healthier and happier ways.  

I sometimes hear people say that they don't want to see a counselor because they are just as messed up as their clients.  I don't think that's usually very accurate.  What usually is accurate is that most counselors are counselors because they have been through something hard themselves and it left them a more empathic person and it made them feel like they would like to help other people get through difficult things.  Most of them work regularly to make sure that their own problems never get in the way of helping other people with their problems.  If you don't think a divorced counselor should be a marriage counselor, you're wrong.  That person is in a unique position to understand exactly what might go wrong in a relationship.  And more importantly, they are usually pretty in tune with what couples are going through when they reach a point of being willing to come in for counseling.  Ditto when drug counselors are former drug addicts, or eating disorder counselors have had eating disorders.  

Counselors can literally help you learn to be happy.  Who wouldn't want that job?  I can barely believe that people might some day pay me for what I would actually prefer to spend my time doing; listening to people and helping them with their problems.  Hopefully inspiring people to make the changes in their lives that will turn things around in a very real way. 

But counseling isn't magic either.  Talking with a counselor without spending some time reflecting on the things you learn and trying to apply them in your life isn't going to accomplish anything.  And change takes time.  Going to a counselor once or twice or even a handful of times isn't likely to accomplish a whole lot either.  Sometimes real change takes real time.  You didn't get in your situation over night.  Your change take some patience with yourself and with your counselor.

One of the hard things about counseling people is that often, people are very reluctant to actually change.  Habits die hard.  The ways in which they interact with other people in their life, the ways they respond to stress, unhealthy relationships that feel familiar and comfortable are all very difficult things to convince someone they need to change.  Even when they know it's true, it doesn't make it easy.  And there are many ways we delude ourselves into believing things about ourselves or other people that pull us into a rut or a cyclical journey where it's hard to find where we can get out or off.  

As I start this new journey I am hoping to maybe have some blog posts that might inspire or help people to find ways to be happier.  Or ways to deal with or look at their problems which might inspire them to get some counseling if that's what is needed.  

Are you happy?  Keep doing what you're doing.  If you aren't, change something.

How simple that sounds right?  But that journey can be hard.  

If you want some advice on counselors and finding one, you can always email me at: lezleehays@gmail.com