Happy Halloween!

Last year I promised myself that it would be the last Halloween that I worked all day. And this year I made good on my promise and left work at 1:30 p.m.! What progress!

We're just going to enjoy the rest of the day and carve up some pumpkins. Little Charles is too young to trick or treat yet.

Best Wishes,

Jen

Only a Few Days Left!

DH and I have long been active voters. We believe that voting is a right and a responsibility, and we're very serious about it.

I already voted by absentee ballot so I won't have to miss work or time with my baby. DH, whose schedule is more flexible than mine, will vote on Tuesday and run around for the rest of the day wearing an "I voted" sticker. Lucky him!

Anyway, I just wanted to encourage everyone to go out and vote. So many people have fought for the right of suffrage, and we have it so easy. You still have plenty of time to familiarize yourself with the candidates and the issues--you're smart and you can do it!

Also, don't feel you have to tell your friends how you voted! Somethings are private--for example I'm a registered "Decline to State", rather than a Republican or Democrat. I only discuss politics with DH, basically. With other people just vague things...

But no matter the outcome, win lose or draw, this election is going to shape our country's future in a big way. Practically everyone I talk to feels that something indefinable and infinitely bigger is at stake now compared with past elections.

Let's just keep our fingers crossed. If you're religious you might want to pray!

Best Wishes,


Jen

Home is so Totally Where the Heart Is!

Last night DH and I were up late talking. It was about 10:00 p.m.--hey, that's late for us! Anyway, he asked me, "Hon, did you ever think you could be this happy here in this godforsaken apartment?"

And I answered, "No, I never did. But it doesn't even matter where we are as long as we're together."

DH nodded sagely and said, "Home is where the heart is."

We talked and laughed for a while longer about our happiness together, our good fortune and our plans for the future. He let me read some of his recent journal writings and we talked some more about our little family before going to bed.

While we acknowledge that we're living in this crummy apartment due to a strategic choice (we believe that housing prices will continue to fall for a while) rather than due to financial challenges, we have come to one very important conclusion as a family--we'll take the dream family over the dream house any day!


Best Wishes,


Jen

Boo at the Zoo

Earlier today my mom and I took Little Charles to the L.A. Zoo, which had opened early this morning for a couple of hours for zoo members only. There was a pumpkin patch, trick or treating, and some Halloween-themed exhibits. It was a lot of fun!

At almost 9 mos. old we're not sure how much Little Charles understands about the concept of Halloween, but we sure got some cute pictures of him in his little pumpkin costume. BTW, I got this costume at the Goodwill for only $3.00! Yes, that's right! Only $3.00! What can I say? We're a very frugal family!

Best Wishes,


Jen

Every Snowflake in the Avalanche Pleads Not Guilty....

On Sunday a 6-year old boy abducted Wednesday from his Las Vegas home, apparently by rivals of his drug-dealing grandfather, was found safe.

Luckily this poor little guy was recovered within a day and showed no signs of physical harm. But think of the emotional damage inflicted on him...

It's easy to simply focus on the child's drug-dealing grandfather, but there is a larger picture of guilt here. What about the people who use illegal drugs? They are also contributing to the violence and crime that are a regular part of the drug-dealing world.

In my opinion, that's a lot to feel guilty about. However, few drug users acknowledge their very active part in the violence of the drug culture. While I realize that drug and alcohol addiction are illnesses, is it too much to ask people to go through life while inflicting the least amount of harm on other people?

Every one of us needs to take a good hard look at ourselves on a regular basis. This kind of introspection may be painful, but the lies we tell ourselves, and the truths we flee from in vain, prevent us from leading the lives we want to lead.

Best Wishes,

Jen

Crisis Chez Nous

We've been so happy the last days, celebrating Halloween with Little Charles and playing with the dogs. But this afternoon I was getting Little Charles ready to take to the zoo, and I went over to kiss Sharky goodbye when I noticed that his eye was ulcerated. I told DH, "We're not going to the zoo. We're going straight to the emergency vet." DH looked at Shark's eye and looked so sad.

We both feel so terrible about our poor, fading friend. I put Little Charles in the stroller and we walked to the emergency pet hospital that's right around the corner from us.

I was in such a panic, but the emergency room doctor told me that this is not an unheard of problem for a diabetic dog, and that his eye will probably have to be removed by a veterinary opthalmologist. Since Sharky's blind, the doctor says that the eye just has cosmetic value. Removing the eye will remove the current infection and take away further risk of infection.

Poor Sharky is spending the night at the emergency pet hospital, so they can watch him and make sure the infected eye doesn't rupture. Little Charles and I went by one final time tonight to kiss the Shark goodnight and to bring him his insulin and his special diabetic dog food.

DH and I are just bereft. Please keep your fingers crossed for Sharky, and for us, the people who love him. Just last night he was sleeping between DH and me, snoring loudly and burrowing under the covers.

Best Wishes,

Jen

Pictures

Today Reyna and I took Little Charles to Sears for studio portraits. We dressed him in this formal ensemble, and then we had some taken of him in his little Halloween costume. He's such a sweet little boy, and so cute.

While I love the everday photos we take of Little Charles and each other, there's something more permanent about a studio portrait. Besides, the backgrounds and the props the studio provides are better than the background we usually have available here at our cluttered, sublet apartment!

Best Wishes,

Jen

Samson & Delilah. And Chacha...

Here's a picture of Julia's dogs, Samson & Delilah. And of course, Chacha, one of my dogs! They were out on their afternoon walk with Julia (www.hollywoodonaleash).

Aren't they cute? Dogs were made for walking!

Best Wishes,

Jen

Watch the Final Presidential Debate Tonight!

What follows is an e-mail I just received from the League of Women Voters. I'm proud to be a member!

Anyway, I'll be watching the debate, even though I've already cast my vote by absentee ballot. Let's all watch and be concerned and informed citizens!

Best Wishes,

Jen

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Get Debate Watching Tips!
Dear Jennifer,

Watch
Tune in at 9:00 EST tonight to watch Senators John McCain and Barack Obama meet in New York for their third and final Presidential Debate before the Nov. 4th election. This could be your last chance to hear about the issues that affect your life, straight from the candidates whose policies will impact your future.

Learn
Get the most out of this final debate, focused on domestic issues like our economy, health care and education. Check out the League’s comprehensive Debate Watching 101 guide and Debate Party Hosting Kit.

Discuss
Discuss your impressions of the debate with friends and family and make sure they’re all prepared to vote Nov. 4th . Then keep an eye out in the coming days for a special survey from the League of Women Voters. We'll want to know how the debates impacted you--and your vote. Please take a moment to fill it out. Your feedback will help us tailor our voter education projects and improve the experience for future voters.

Sincerely,



Mary G. Wilson

President, LWVUS



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Join Us in Making Democracy Work at www.lwv.org
League of Women Voters
1730 M Street, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036

To Unsubscribe, go here: http://www.lwv.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=unsubscribe

Here's Joni!

I just wanted to write about a terrific new radio show being hosted by one of my very favorite authors, Joni Hilton. It's a local Sacramento-area show, but it can be heard on the web on www.KAHI.com, Monday through Friday from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m., PST.

Joni's new show is a wonderful mix of advice and suggestions on everyday living, with topics ranging from decorating for the holidays to dealing with difficult relatives who would like nothing better than to ruin your holiday celebrations!

Last night Joni talked a little bit about the difference between fun and happiness. What a great topic! And so relevant, especially nowadays with an economic turndown forcing more and more of us to reevaluate what's important in life.

Every bit of advice Ms. Hilton offers is kind, friendly, and makes you feel better about yourself. Rather than nagging and humiliating callers, Joni acts as a kind of sounding board to her callers, taking into consideration everyone's needs and inspiring people to be their best selves.

What a great show this is! I hope you get a chance to listen at KAHI, and I especially hope that this show will eventually go into syndication and be heard nationally. We need more kindness and other-centerdness on the radio (and everywhere else, I might add). So often,even on NPR, you just hear radio hosts squabbling with callers or spouting doom and gloom.

Well, no matter how bad things are, we are never out of choices. Joni has millions of hints for making life just a little bit better no matter what is going on in your life.

And besides, there's nothing good on t.v. between 6 and 8 p.m.!

Best Wishes,

Jen

Dogs on the Move!

Here's a picture of Chacha walking with Delilah. Delilah, of the curly tail, belongs to Julia, our family dog walker. (visit her on the web at www.hollywoodonaleash.com) Don't they look cute together?

Yesterday Julia and I, along with our dogs, and some of her other dog charges hiked in a nearby canyon. And, of course, Little Charles came along, bundled into one of those baby backpacks. It was so much fun!

But you could really smell the nearby fires that border the San Fernando Valley. It seems that fire season is upon us again. Last year at this time I picked up Chacha from the rescue in Northern California and on the way back the landscape was on fire. We just barely got through the freeway before they closed it due to high winds and leaping flames.

I hope everyone will stay safe, but I know that fire season is just getting underway. Seeing this danger and destruction is the only thing that mars my enjoyment of fall...

Best Wishes,

Jen

Dietrich

Here's Dietrich, one of our family's many Halloween fixtures. He was purchased at a discount store for only $5.00! We hope Little Charles enjoys the holidays as much as we do.

Jen

Can You Believe This Guy?

Sharky, a blind diabetic, may not be able to see anymore, but he enjoys his life nevertheless. See how happy he looks here!

Hollywood on a Leash

Here's a picture of beautiful little Chacha out on her daily constitutional with dog-walker extraordinaire, Julia. I take Chacha for a brisk walk every morning, and every weekend we look forward to our canyon hikes together. But during the week poor old Chach needs more exercise than I can give her. That's where Julia comes in--visit her on the web at www.hollywoodonaleash.com.

A Sinking Ship

Well, it looks like more bad news on the stock market/bank front. Today marks a new low, and it seems that the European and Asian stock markets and banks are right behind us in this current downward spiral.

On a more personal level, I have many friends and clients who are experiencing financial hardships. Everyone seems to be getting more nervous by the minute.

Sometimes I think that we, as a society, are afraid of the wrong things. Life is full of random uncertainty and none of us ever knows exactly what the future will hold. Though it may be hard to keep one's anxiety in check while major banks are failing, it's important to not be too easily manipulated by the media, which is supported by reporting bad news. "Worst Depression since the 1930's? Details at 5:00 p.m.!"

My father had very little money while I was a teenager, and in retrospect I'm really glad. I attended a public school and learned to get along with a wide variety of people. I also learned to avoid a wide variety of people...

I learned to run a small business while working in food service. While working in food service I also learned a great deal more about life that they taught in the above-mentioned public school, such as:

1) The value of the dollar. You learn this quickly while earning the minimum wage!
2) That lots of expensive things have no value at all;
3) That you can look as good in a $15.00 dress from the Goodwill as you can in something expensive from Neiman Marcus;
4) That you don't have to travel to Spain to learn Spanish or to Germany to learn German. You actually don't even have to travel to England to learn English!(LOL) I am living proof of this...
5) That I wanted to be self-employed and continue my education so that I could get out of the food service business!
6) Most importantly, I learned to appreciate all kinds of people. I judge people who are impolite to those who serve them very harshly.

I also learned that it's important to not flash one's wealth, or even value it too much. What does it all matter if you're miserable? Having waited so long for a baby, when I finally had one I thought I'd spend some of my hard earned money on expensive baby clothes from those chic Beverly Hills baby boutiques. But when Little Charles was born I remembered the Goodwill and I actually do most of my shopping there. And we're a happy family! We don't want or need anything really expensive.

That being said, if you still have a job, a roof over your head, food on the table, someone to love and something to look forward to, maybe things aren't so bad...

Best Wishes,

Jen