Today my husband, and dedicated father to our children, is taking Haley (almost 7) to learn how to surf.  She's got ocean swimming, boogie boarding and body surfing locked down, and so now the natural progression is to surf, on a real board, standing up.  This is precisely what motivated our family to move back to Santa Cruz four years ago.

You'd think I'd be out there, snapping hundreds of photographs of this milestone in her life, but I am not.  Surely I will have some regrets a little later, but for now, I just need everyone to exit the house. "Go, go!  Have fun, Haley.  Tear it up! Just remember, if you don't stand up on your first try, you'll get it next time!  Ok, off you go!  Have fun; and Kevin, guard her with your life!"

Finally, the peace and quiet I've been waiting for, but more importantly, it is my sneaky time!  I've got a pint of Hagen Daaz Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream in my freezer that is calling my name.  I think it feels neglected that it had to sit in my freezer for a full twelve hours before receiving the attention it deserved.  So the family is finally out of the house and I grab the pint, like I'm some kind of junkie.  I remove the lid, and then that little plastic wrapping, and dig my spoon into the glorious cup of frozen chocolate until I hit a frozen mound of peanut butter.  SUCCESS!

So, in short, I hope that my darling Haley has memories of today that will last a lifetime.  In fact I know she will.  As for me, I polished off my pint of Hagen Daas, and will retreat to my comfortable bed to read a book, sleep or whatever else I feel like doing.  After all, it is June 30th, and that is what June 30th is all about right?  Right??

It’s not me, it’s you: Breaking up with Facebook

What once began as a small blogging site restricted for use by Harvard students has grown into a wildly successful conglomerate with a staggering 500 million registered users.  Facebook (formerly known as Facemash) is utilized for countless reasons, some of which include keeping in contact with friends and family, promoting businesses, a tool for employers to learn about prospective employees, and the list goes on.  I literally could not begin to list the reasons people use Facebook.

My personal use of the website began a bit late.  I used to be one of those people who initially rejected new forms of technology and social media forums.  I suppose my reasoning was that I didn’t want to be accessible to anyone at any time.  If I needed to get ahold of someone I could call them on my house phone.  I didn’t want people tracking me down where ever I was, night and day.  Of course that changed over the years.  I was the last of my friends to get a cell phone, the last to sign up for Myspace, Facebook, and Twitter.  I vehemently rejected the Smartphone until I received the latest and greatest for my birthday, and wouldn’t you know it, I can’t put the darn thing down.  In summary, I tend to reject technology and then at some point I give in, and am addicted shortly thereafter.

Facebook is constantly changing.  They are SMART.  Just the other day I logged in and a giant picture appeared with a swimsuit I’d been admiring a few days before on the Nordstrom website.  Spooky.  That is not the reason I decided to deactivate my Facebook account though.  My account had become my personal yet public venting arena.  It had become my children’s photo album and baby book.  It had become my work space.  It had become the place where my entire life took place behind a computer screen, rather than with face to face interactions.  I checked it at least ten times a day (probably more, but telling you would just be embarrassing).  Lastly, and most importantly, it became the place where people could say whatever came to mind without having a filter- the computer screen had become the filter and that inanimate  object cannot relay humor, sarcasm, or spite efficiently. 

So what?  I’ve broken up with Facebook….again.  I’ve done it before and I’ll probably do it again; but for now I think I will go out and have some real life, face to face interactions.  If someone is being sarcastic, it will be clear.  If someone is being kind, it will be clear.  If someone wants to invite me to a party, they can send me an invitation or call me on the phone.

So Facebook, I am breaking up with you; and just so you know, it’s you...not me.