Gated Access

Not so enlightening- just a check in...

Scheduling things when my schedule is wide open has been much harder than I thought it would be. I've been down here for almost a week, and after a few days with Kara and her family, and a quick weekend in Las Vegas, have been trying to block some time for small jobs, and time, of course, for my grandparents.

Grandma and Grandpa gave me a key to their house, and we signed up for a pass to get through the gated entry. Elise gave me the parking permit to hang on my rearview mirror. Last night, I interviewed (and got!) a tutoring gig up in Coto de Caza, where my name was left at a gate before I could get near the mansions. I've never had so many pieces of paper on my dashboard! And apparantly, all three are here for the duration of my time here in Strip Mall, California.





I'm enjoying spending time with my grandparents, cooking, cleaning, eating with them. I've dodged 'going to the mall' and 'getting my hair done' at least twice, so I think I may be safe for a week or two. What's really nice is the comfort level. Last night after dinner, my grandma and I sat on the couch. She was doodling on a piece of paper, drawing a profile of a beautiful woman. The tv wasn't on, and neither of us were talking. We were just sitting together. Silently. It was fabulous.

Living with Elise has been great. She is teaching 6th grade, so I can definitely relate to her stress and exhaustion level. It's great to catch up, and the longer I am here, the more memories of college flood my brain, which has been fun. Her cats are characters!

I start tutoring in the mansion (holy moly) today. The husband worked on the Shoah project (Steven Spielberg's project interviewing Holocaust survivors), which interviewed my grandma right after they released Schindler's List several years ago. Interesting connection.

And right now, I have to go get ready- I am going on a 'trial run' as a flower delivery person for Valentine's Day! How funny is that?!

I'll be back with more insight when I get some.
Now it's back to the gate.

Take care! I miss you all.