The last of the Valentine's Day mail art. The first and middle shots are back and front views of my last cards. I knocked these 3 out on last Tuesday night, got them in the mail on Wednesday morning, and kept my fingers crossed that they would get to their recipients by Valentine's Day! Well, I KNOW that 1 definitely got to its owner since I personally delivered it. The bottom shot is from my favorite postcards that I created for the mail art swap that Carol hosted. It was hard saying 'goodbye'. I made about 52 valentines for the Valentine's Day tea/luncheon swap and I bought 2 dozen Valentine's Day cards that I mailed to family and friends. I am very proud to say, that somehow, with all the craziness of my job and the long hours I keep @ work, I STILL managed to meet all of Cupid's deadlines. YES!

I was sick most of the weekend. Actually, I'm not sure if 'sick' is the right word. I felt crappy from the tetanus shot I got on Thursday, as part of my physical. I had a fever, my arm is (still) swollen, and I have had the sniffles all weekend. Yesterday morning, I got sick of feeling crappy, so I spent some time in my garden. I cut several camelias and iceberg roses and put these beauties into a glass and added water. They are now sitting on my work table in my studio. My favorite flower is the peony. Unfortunately, Southern California's warm winter climate is not compatible with the type of environment a peony needs in order to grow. And peonies have a very short blooming season: about 6 weeks in late spring, during the months of April and May, then, they are gone until the following year. But while they are around, they are spectacular to behold.

Two photos of Cat Stevens from the early 1970's. I was and am still a HUGE fan of his. The bottom photo was made into a poster that a certain 11-year-old girl had on her wall for several years. I am not embarrassed to admit to that!

Cat Stevens - I Think I See the Light

One of my all-time favorite movies, "Harold and Maude". I think Cat Stevens had a ball doing the music for this movie. Although I have only seen this movie a few times, it is as hysterical as when I first saw it, back in 1971.

Yusuf - (Cat Stevens) - Heaven/Where True Love Goes

Yusuf Islam - Cat Stevens' return to performing. God, how much I missed hearing him perform.

Cat Stevens - Moonshadow (live)

I have been in love with Cat Stevens since I was 11! No surprise my husband strongly resembles Cat Stevens. I somehow forgot to add the 'Cat' to my artist links. How could I forget one of my all-time favorite artists?! I am SO happy that he is singing and recording again. His music and message are as relevant today as they were in the early 70's. A beautiful, gentle man who has been sorely missed on the music scene...

Another thought about Valentine's Day. This picture is one of the very few that survived the fire we had at our home in Eagle Rock, in 2003. It is from our wedding on February 14, 1981. It is one of my favorite photos.

Valentine's Day has always been my favorite day of the year. It is also my wedding anniversary. This Valentine's Day was an especially tiring day. I sent a larger than normal amount of Valentine's Day cards out to friends. And for some very special people, I made ATC's and mail art. Also, I have to talk about all those sweets: candy, cupcakes, and of course, this lovely cake! I never thought I would say this, but I am sweeted out! I started the day running around at work. I left work about 1:15 so that I could make my 1:30 doctor's appointment @ Kaiser. I had my yearly physical. I hurt my back and shoulder at work earlier in the week (it is a LONG story), so my doctor added a trip to the x-ray technician. Another BIG surprise, it was time for my tetanus shot. I can't think of anything I despise more in life. I told my doctor that I would rather have a root canal than that shot. Needless-to-say, I got my shot in my left shoulder. I made sure to ask for it there since I am right-handed and did not want to struggle with my arm the next few days. I have felt really shitty for the last 3 days. My arm is swollen, I had a fever yesterday, and I have had the sniffles for 2 days. All side effects of the shot. Back to Valentine's Day... I spent almost 3 hours @ Kaiser. From Kaiser, I headed to Amy's Bakery, in Montebello. I have been going to Amy's almost my entire life! I bought this beautiful cake there. An older woman struck up a conversation with me while I was waiting for one of the girls to write on the cake. She had heard me tell the girl that I wanted 'Happy Anniversary' written on the cake. She asked me if it was my anniversary. I said, "Yes, we have been married 27 years." The lady said, "You are a baby. I have been married for 59 years." She told me about how old she had been when she married and about raising 3 children. She was very pleasant and I enjoyed listening to her life story! She asked me if I was from another country (everyone thinks I am a foreigner!). I told her that I was a native, born in Los Angeles and raised in Montebello. I went to shake her hand and I told her my name. She said, "My name is Elvira. It was very nice to meet you, Roseann. You are a very nice and pretty girl." A girl... it has been quite a long time since I was a girl! From Amy's, I headed to Pasadena and to my neighborhood Borders. I was looking for Lynne Perrella's new book, but had no luck finding it. I headed home and my niece, Francesca called me while I was on the road to ask if we were going to be home within the next hour. I said, "Yes". I beat my husband home and told him my sister and Francesca were headed to our place. I suggested since the two of us were going to dinner that we have them join us. And that was the plan. We headed to 'The Capri', an Italian restaurant, in Eagle Rock, that all of us frequent regularly. There is never a line. Except on Valentine's Day! We sure found that out! We got to the Capri @ 7:30 and were in line until 8:15. We had dinner @ 9. I don't like to eat late, but this was a special occasion. We got back to our place around 10:15 and I cut the cake. My sister and niece left about 10:30ish. It was a long day and by 12:00, I was dead to the world. But as exhausting as Valentine's Day was, I look forward to all the craziness of the day each year. I am saddened when the day ends. Each year, it is a magical day for me. And although the day has come and gone, I am still receiving Valentine's Day cards in the mail, love text messages, and emails. I am so grateful for all the special people in my life. I feel truly blessed.

Happy Valentine's Day 2008. This is one of my all-time favorite Cupids. Today was an exhausting, but wonderful day.

One more and last posting for today - my favorite blog is called "My Marrakesh". It is an amazing blog. I go to this blog several times a week and just drool over the spectacular photos that Maryam creates out of many 'every day' moments. I have wanted to visit Morocco since I was a child; it is 1 of my dreams to travel to that part of the world before I die. Reading Maryam's adventures and looking at her photos brings me closer to that dream... I feel as though I am traveling with Maryam and her family on an incredible journey they have embarked on. I am the stowaway in the cabin! "My Marrakesh" can be accessed from the links on my blog or by going to http://www.mymarrakesh.com/.

Yesterday, February 9th was the event of the year: Carol Parks' 23rd Annual Valentine's Day Tea. It was my first time attending! It is an honor to be included with Carol's friends. And was this thing something! Starting with the sumptious array of foods that welcomed everyone to the luncheon. Look at those beautiful sweet peas, one of my favorite flowers.
Next, the belly dancers! Carol hired 3 belly dancers to entertain us. And they sure did. Belly dancing is really hard work! I danced briefly with the 3 of them and a few other women. The dancers looked very sexy in their bright outfits. However, none of the dancers was Middle Eastern - I think I looked more Middle Eastern than any of them!
Some more of the artist trading cards I made for the Valentine's Day swap. In total, I made 36 of them. Most of them were made in a 2-day period! It was pretty insane!
My valentines wrapped and ready for transport to Carol's house. I put a lot of effort into creating each ATC and wrapping it. I even created individual envelopes for each card.
Finally, the BIG moment...the exchange. Here is a shot of all the valentines I received. They were truly wonderful. I will cherish and revisit my valentines for years to come. The best part of the luncheon: the special and unique gift Carol gives to each of us all year long: herself. I can hardly wait until next year's luncheon. Thank you, Carol. I love you.

It was an extremely busy week! I started off on Monday by having lunch with my old friend, Jack. We have known each other since I was 19 and he was 21. We had lunch @ a Japanese restaurant, in downtown L.A. We hadn't seen each other for almost a year! It was time for me to get his Christmas, birthday, and Valentine's Day gifts out of the closet. Ridiculous - you would think we live in different countries! Since Monday was a pupil-free day, it afforded me a rarity and luxury, an hour lunch, something that I never have during my work week. On Wednesday, February 6, was my birthday. My best friend, Sergio, took me out to a very nice restaurant, in Pasadena. We had a GREAT time, but then, we always do. Sergio gave me a beautiful pair of earrings. They are mother of pearl hearts with marcasites. They are stunning. I got home about 9 and my husband and I got a chance to spend some time together. On Thursday, I spent the evening with 14 women! 2 friends have their birthdays the day after mine, so we all got together to celebrate our birthdays at a restaurant in San Gabriel. The women all worked with me @ Garfield. They left work around 4 and got massages before joining me for dinner. I was the acting principal from Wednesday-Friday, so there was no way I was going to be able to join them for a massage! God knows, I could have used at least 1. I got home @ 10! And I paid the price the next day! That's what 3 late nights will do to you! On my birthday, I arrived to work to a BIG ass arrangement of flowers! I arrived @ 7:20 and was making my way across the parking lot to the main entrance. I was stopped several times by people wishing me 'happy birthday'! Well, the weird part was that none of the people who wished me 'happy birthday' could have known it was my birthday! Having been @ Wilson for only 6 months would have made it almost impossible for most people to know it was my birthday. When I got to the last person outside, I asked, "How do you know it is my birthday?" Rosie told me, "You'll see when you get inside." When I walked into the main office, it still hadn't dawned on me. I was pretty loaded up with several bags. I made my way to the administration's cards, which are located in the middle of the long counter, to sign-in. I noticed a big basket in the way, so I pushed the tray of cards over so I could initial my card. After I signed in, I walked away. More people wished me happy birthday, then someone said, "Hey Roseann, don't forget your flowers." Then, I saw the flowers! There was a large sign in front of the flowers that read: 'Happy birthday Roseann Cazares, from Garfield'. A teacher quipped, "What are we? Chopped liver?" The flowers were so beautiful - the arrangement is HUGE. I have never seen so many flowers in 1 vase! They are on top of my file cabinet, in my office @ work. In my next post, I will get to the BIG story of the week!

I am getting ready to call it a day. Today is my birthday! It's Bob Marley's birthday too! I just got through with a few more postcards for the Valentine's Day mail art swap coming up very, very soon. I have 2 more to go and then, I am finished with this particular swap. Then, I have only one left and that is the artist trading cards for Carol's luncheon on Saturday. I am really excited about Valentine's Day. It has always been my favorite day of the year. I have felt that way about Valentine's Day since I was a little girl. Hearts play a HUGE part in almost all of my artwork. I have been in the Valentine's Day mood since right after Christmas. Today should be an extremely chaotic and bustling day! I am the acting principal for the next 3 days. I have never been intimidated by the job since I have had quite a bit of experience being the acting principal over the last 2+ years. Normally, on my birthday, I take the day off and spend it doing things I really LOVE such as going to the museum, making art, having lunch with a special friend, or taking a day trip somewhere such as Santa Barbara, then going out to dinner with my family. Today will be a little different since I am at a new school and am still adjusting to all the new faces, names, and nooks and crannies of the buildings. I have had several friends ask me for the last couple of weeks about my plans for today. Because I knew ahead of time that I would be running Wilson, I was very hesitant to make any plans. It is hard for me to leave early on any given day and at any time, an emergency can change a solid plan! So, the "plan" is to leave work about 5:30ish and head to my best friend, Sergio's house. Luckily, we only live a few minutes from each other! He is going to take me to dinner. On Thursday, my buddy, Maria, and I are going to join 14 friends for dinner; 2 friends have their birthdays the day after mine and we are going to celebrate all of our birthdays together. It is a girls' night out! The women are going to leave work @ 4 and have massages, then dinner @ a new Chinese restaurant, in San Gabriel. I was asked if I was going to make it for the massage. I made a crack about being lucky to make it for dinner! On Saturday night, my husband and I will be going out to dinner; we will officially celebrate both of our birthdays that night. My husband's birthday is February 19. I have the rest of the week and pretty much all of next week booked with birthday celebrations. The entire month of February is about celebrating birthdays, Valentine's Day, and my anniversary. I am pretty exhausted by the time March comes around. But, I LOVE the craziness! It is time to go to bed! I will be back at it in a few hours. Happy birthday, Roseann...