Has FB Killed the Blog?

Seriously, I am terribly disappointed with myself and with some of my fellow (esp. sisterhood) bloggers. What has happened? Has FB taken over our lives? Or is life just so full of work, activities, family and friends that we don't have time to blog? I realize I will check FB a couple of times a day (often on my ipod touch) see what folks are up to, look at photos, make some comments and it never even occurs to me to write or read my blogs. FB's just so quick and easy, but like a microwave dinner. I have also recently become a text message user and I find I think in one sentence statements (often using poor spelling & grammar), not in full paragraphs and even less so in essay form. What good was all that graduate school for:)

Anyhow, sorry to rant, but I thought I would give a little blog update on the Flying Weglarzs. We are in about stage 4 of what I would anticipate is a 10-12 stage move. Phil and I realized over the weekend that we actually love this transitional time, For the first time we admitted to ourselves that perhaps the love of this liminal state of being is a driving force for all the moves we have done together. I could do without the packing and dealing with the objects of my life, but the rest of it is really quite fun. I love the research, the organization, the dreaming, but most of all the free flowing sentiments of love and and connection amongst our friends and family that is expressed because we are either saying goodbye or hello. It's a unique time and it really brings out the best in both Phil and I. It's also quite nice not to be responsible for a home, just living out of a suitcase and appreciating those who have generously opened their homes to us. Who would have thought that the gypsy spirit ran so strong in both our hearts? The lack of routine is annoying at times, but for the most part it allows us to be more creative about how we spend our days.

So this week I will start to slow down my work schedule a bit, as clients begin to transition to new trainers. There are lots of goodbyes and thank yous and hasn't it been wonderful to know yous. I love that part. In the midst of this, I'm starting to let myself get really excited about moving to California. I laugh when I think about my last visit there when I started crying to my sister saying, "I just love it here so much!". I can't wait to dip my toes in the ocean, take a long walk on the beach and hike up a hill for a vista. Saying goodbye to friends and family here will be sad, but there is joy in knowing we will be coming back here as often as we can. I am thankful that we heeded the call to move here and and I am thankful that we have the opportunity to move back. Life continues to be full of surprises.

At this stage, we are spending our last night at Lauri's house in Andersonville, then we go to Caryn & Scott's new home for the weekends and our friend Meredith's apartment in Lincoln Square during the week (making our commutes much easier). Are we blessed or what!

p.s. I would never write all this on FB. So there.

More Memories of August

Scott, our valiant boat & fisherman

Dave looking cool

Jenna (w/ Cooper in her lap)

Isn't he just so handsome?

This gear finally got Adison in the "green water"

Cooper and a huge dragonfly

Dinner....YUMMM!

Beautiful Sunset on the Lake

After Brunch at the Cook Shanty

Brunch starts with Donuts...we also got some on our way out of town!

I've been so remiss in posting photos over the past few months....I just wanted to note that August has been jam-packed with fun. Here are just a few of the photos that capture the joy that has filled the summer, starting with our Wisconsin family vacation. More photos pending!

OK-It's Happening...

The final meal in our Chicago dining room....Caryn's Birthday Celebrations!

OK- It's happening...We are moving back to California. I have to sing it from the top of The Ledge of the Willis Tower because there are no mountains here, but it just so happens I was up there last week with Dad & Dori! I have been hesitant about making it official, but yesterday we moved out of our apartment, put our stuff in storage pods, and then Phil spoke with his old boss in San Fran who wants to hire him back (definitely temporarily and maybe permanently). It's rather bewildering how things seem to be falling into place. It looks promising that I might buy back into Finding Center, the pilates studio I co-owned in Oakland. Now that we both have good work prospects and our stuff is ready to roll, I can finally believe that it's going to happen. We still have 2 more months here in Chicago to enjoy the city and the people and to save up some $ for another expensive move. I will be working more than usual and taking the semester off school to ease the pressure of the transition. Then we will likely be driving out west and then spending a little time with Dad & Dori in Maui before we settle into Bay Area life once again.

This morning I awake at our friend's flat where we are house-sitting for a week and I feel a huge sense of relief. The process of moving all the STUFF is just so arduous. After 3 weeks of packing, 4 super-strong guys spent 3 hours carrying all our possessions down 3 flights of stairs and then solved the challenging puzzle of how to fit it all in 2 Door-to-Door containers. It was the best money I've ever spent! We came here from SF with 2 containers and we are going back with same. Which meant we sold or gave away most of the furniture in the big Chicago apartment. I will certainly miss all that square footage, but I have great memories of all the meals and fun family times had in that apartment. I will especially miss hosting Wednesday Family Fun nights with Sophia, Jim, Caryn and occasional guest stars. We got to have a final dinner at our dining table to celebrate Caryn's B-Day followed by yet another rendition of the If I Ran a Circus performance. The next morning we sold the dining set to a nice couple from craigslist. We have sold our favorite purple velvet chaise lounge and given our entire sofa set to Jim & Sophia. Now I just have to get mentally prepared to head back to a smaller apartment!

This weekend we still have breakfast with Phil's Dad and Sophia's 7th B-day party at the beach with all the Weglarz-Wards to look forward to. Summer's not quite over, but the weather has been cloudy, rainy and cool this week- a lot like the Bay Area!

In the midst of moving, we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this week. Today after the final bit of work was done, we went out to our favorite lunch cafe, Julius Mienl, and had a delicious meal to celebrate a fantastic 8 years and the survival of the past couple of weeks! We gifted ourselves some teacups and saucers from this favorite Chicago haunt. I look forward to drinking out of them every morning until I see my regular tea set again....exactly when and where are still a mystery! But that's half the fun of the adventure. We sure have moved a lot in our life together, but somehow it just feels right. Yep--it's happening!

California Dreaming

As summer is finally in full swing here in Chicago (thank goodness for sunshine!) we are simultaneously enjoying all that being here has to offer and we are dreaming of a potential move back to California. Yes, back to California. It's hard to imagine the actual reality of moving our stuff and our lives once again, but Phil has started looking for job opportunities back in the Bay Area. I have also been dreaming of how my life may look on the west coast. Chicago has certainly been an adventure and I have had the true pleasure of starting on a new project, Chinese medical school. But, we both agree that our true home is in California and we are planning and plotting how to orchestrate a move. We have learned that we can't make both our families and all our friends happy by fixing our location in one place or another, we just have to follow our hearts and dreams and goals and appreciate all the adventures that life continues to lead us on. Ideally, we could come up with a scenario that allows us to spend time in multiple places...that would satisfy all our goals!

We are moving out of our apartment at the end of August and moving in with Caryn and Scott temporarily to truly enjoy some time with them and plan our next move without the commitment of a lease. It should be a lovely fall here in Chicago. But first we have our week long family vacation in Wisconsin to look forward to and then a visit from my folks and from Phil's Dad & Janet too! We will be busy, but what's new. Now I just have to get back to studying herbs so I can get a decent grade on my final!

The 2nd 14 Days of June

It hasn't been as busy, but the fun and sun of summer's energy is here! I just adore this time around the summer solstice, the long days and the boundless energy. I wish every part of the year could be like this. We had more fun down in Champaign, being extras in Leading Ladies yet again. It was amazing to see Erika and Daniel in action, they are moving-making super-stars! Not to mention all the work Jenna and Dave contributed to make it all happen. It was fun being part of the Leading Ladies family at least for a few hours. Can't wait to see the real deal once it's edited.

I have started 2 new classes at school (a massage class and a Qi Gong/mediation class). I really like the teacher and summer is a great time for practical classes. One of the Qi Gong exercises is about smiling at and thanking all your sensory and internal organs. I am feeling grateful for my health. I've also been doing a fair amount of Pilates and am enjoying how strong I feel.

For the grand finale of these 14 days we are house-sitting for our friends who live in a very large, beautiful house right by the lake. They have a huge deck full of flowers and places to lounge, and if it gets too hot we come into the glorious air conditioning (which we do not have our apartment). We packed up our bags, closed up our apartment, and are living in the lap of luxury over here until July 4th. Saturday night we rode our bikes up the lakeshore path to the sing-a-long Mamma Mia playing in the park. We sat in the warm light rain enjoying the movie and had fun singing and dancing with an enthusiastic crowd. The 28th day of June we just relaxed on the deck and had a meditation, massage and hair cut (for Phil) spa! In the evening we went to the opening of the new play, UP, at Steppenwolf Theatre with Caryn and Scott. The play was funny, poetic and a bit sad (the same story inspired the movie UP) and was followed by a good time at the afterparty. I am curious what the next 14 days will hold!

The 14 Days of June

June has been off to quite a rockin' start! Here's a brief synopsis (not necessarily by date):

1. Broke my tooth eating a pretzel (need a crown, my 1st one!)

2. Phil and I took a crazy fun Jazz class at Joel Hall Dance together and laughed our way through an insane amount of push-ups!

3. Had a wonderful celebration at Sai Cafe with Scott Klein and crew for his birthday.

4. Went to Champaign, IL to be an extra in Erika and Daniel Beahm's feature film, Leading Ladies. We got to be in a super-fun club scene and were lucky enough to get a private lunch with the directors!

5. Had a ball with the Weglarz-Ward kids in Champaign, Chicago, and Elmhurst. Jenna and Madeline spent the night and we went out to El Circo Cheapo at Aloft, which was fantastic.

6. Became a certified Drums Alive Power Beats instructor, thanks to my awesome booty shakin', drummin' sister-in-law.

7. Saw lots of Pilates clients and did some World Beat Workout with my boss, Cindy.

8. Had a somewhat chilly family night picnic in the park and watched Sophia conquer the swirling monkey bars.

9. Studied Chinese Herbs until my brain nearly melted (and will do so again this week for my midterm).

10. Went to an all-day experiential anatomy workshop with one of my favorite leaders in the field of movement science, Eric Franklin. Truly inspiring.

11. Had a Friday night date with Phil at our new and improved local farmer's market at Uncommon Ground (and a nice glass of wine to boot!)

12. Had a delicious meal with Uncle Dave and family downtown at Rosebud.

13. Went on a walk on the beach with my husband and enjoyed the Andersonville Midsommarfest.

14. Made my first batch of homemade ice cream to share with friends tonight!

And on the 14th day of June I finally figured out how to do links on my blog.

Inpsiration

Well, the last day of May has come and I am reminded of the wonderful ritual of welcoming May up at Inspiration Point in the Berkeley, CA hills. As the month comes to a close I am pleased to report that inspiration has come into our lives in many ways. Phil and I have both started taking weekly dance classes (Phil: Hula, Me: Ballet & Cardio Rhythms). Bringing to joy of dance back into our lives has definitely changed the mood around the home. We also have done a TON of spring cleaning and have separated my office/study from Phil's new Art Studio, which has made us both happy. We also cleaned out every closet, drawer, plastic bin, cupboard, etc. and have decided we are likely to stay put in our current apartment for another round of seasons. I have visions of home painting projects looming in my future!

Inspiration has also come from our niece Sophia's 1st ice skating show. The show and Sophia were wonderful and on our bike ride home Phil and I came up with an idea for an ice dance duet....but of course we have to take some lessons first! So we have created a summer training regime that includes biking and dancing. I've even convinced Phil to come to Beg. Ballet with me this week. Spins and jumps, elegance, coordination and super-strong legs....here we come! It's all part of the "How to get through another Chicago winter" plan. Oh yes, we are thinking in advance this time around.

May has been a busy month. My new school term is in session, I'm working at 2 Pilates studios now, and we are trying to boost up our social schedule. The trees are lush and the air is getting warmer everyday....we are now ready for the joy and fire of summer!