40 is not the new anything.

Relatively speaking I am fine. Career:  Kids:  Husband:  Dog:  House: still deciding. I have met most of my life expectations. Nothing to see here; keep on moving. And I am content. I wouldn't say happy, but that is because I don't like my job. Which is not unusual.

But, I am still mulling over the idea of moving away to Europe.

It seems like it might be time.

I normally started all of these things with a picture. This one is in Paris, from July. It isn't a great picture, but it is accurate and cell phone quality.

We were in Europe for about 6 weeks this summer. It went surprisingly well. There is so much that has happened in the last two years that I would require a novella of a blog.

Things are not what they used to be. If I could say anything that would sum up life now it would be, "Everything is different. Nothing is the same."

It was about time.

My dreams haven't come true, but I don't need them any more. I don't need anything that I can't find here in my home. Time has moved all of us. The Mancub is not a cub anymore and he is getting ready to go out into the world. I worry about the world, not him. The husband has found some things that make him ok, not perfect, but that's ok too. The girl is not so little. She is a real dancer now and beautiful. The dog is sleeping.

In most ways, I have left myself behind. I have no music to share. I have no art that I have created. I have no words of wisdom from books; I don't read them anymore. Maybe this is the time.

Stranger things have happened.

Little White Dog Battling her Reflection

Puppies are funny little things. The Wonder Puppy develops faster than a baby, but goes though many similar stages. She is the new project of the house. Training, socializing, convincing to use the outdoors as her toilet are the agenda of the day.

What is the little doggy blog post doing on this blog, you ask? The truth is, I am a little low on massive problems. I have a sensible job. I am fairly sure that bills will be paid and that seems good enough right now.

The husband is going to be away for a few months for work. I think it will be a good break for him. I also hope his family straightens him out. I am not worried about being alone with the kids. I have a system in place.

If anything, I am a little bored. I can get through all of the 'housework' without much effort. Between the pool, friends, & sports the kids are fine. I even have a few gardens going, veggies and flowers. We did the Disney thing and it was funnish. There are weddings and other stresses, but nothing worth getting upset about for long.

Coco the Wonder Puppy

O.K. o.k. I have finally uploaded photos of Coco the Wonder Puppy. We rescued her over the weekend. She is a Westiepoo (Westie and Poodle) mix, seven weeks old, and a baby. She is not potty trained yet.

We really enjoy having her around the house. I will go on about small dog *bling* later.

As for the rest of life: I am still stuck here in the middle with work. I have a contract coming (that has problems) and I am still interviewing. Sigh.

Tiny Dancer

Did I ever tell you that I dance?

Well, I do. I have danced 'unofficially' for a long time. I have taken an odd assortment of classes over the years and have settled into an aerobic "dance" class at my gym. Within the scope of the gym class I am pretty good. I learn the choreography quickly and am able to do almost any step.

At my new job (Private High School) there is a professional dance instructor. I have ended up working on a dance routine for our Fine Arts Week with him. It is really wonderful. I knew that I wasn't a bad dancer, but I had no idea that I was a good dancer.

Funny enough, it turns out I am a pretty good dancer. I am practicing different spins and steps. When I started our dance instructor created a basic routine, but he has been pleased with my skills and it is getting quite complicated. It seems that I have a good deal of ability.

The funny thing about the entire situation is that I have always loved to dance. As a child I would dress up and take lessons, but as I got older I lost my confidence. High school was a wash out. In college I did start to dance at Latin Clubs. I learned to salsa and cha, cha, cha.

It is hard to find a reason to dance now. I have been grateful for the gym class. I was very hesitant to start dancing at work; thankfully, a nice coworker pushed me to do it. I just have to take it slowly, but, I just need to throw out that Costumes Have Been Mentioned!!!! (Which is another thing that grown ups do not do...)