When you spend 24 hours of a three-day road trip in the car, you make your own adventures. My younger son started his new job in Tennessee today, so his brother, his girlfriend, and I moved him over the weekend. Each way, we drove through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. Day One We didn’t stop…
Category: family
Life Lately…
…it’s been busy around here. Within the past few days, my kids and I have seen Coldplay in concert… …saw the Legends of the Dome game (the Rams’ last hurrah in St. Louis. Thank you, Isaac Bruce.)… …including VIP passes and an autograph session… …and went to the ballpark with my Little Sister for Build-a-Bear night….
Rock ‘n’ Roll, Chi-Style
Just a few scenes from a quick weekend trip to Chicago for a race with my boy — a half marathon for him, a 10K for me. And apparently a half marathon for a Pokemon trainer and his Pikachu. The 10K took a different course than the half…all along Lake Michigan. It was gorgeous. And…
Freedom 4 Miler
Started the long weekend running the Freedom 4 Miler race with Drew this morning. A solid race for us both — and you simply can’t beat a start (and finish) line at Ballpark Village and Busch Stadium. The rain held off long enough for us to get in the entire event, so we were super fortunate….
It is Well With My Soul
“I love myself for I am a beloved child of the universe and the universe lovingly takes care of me now.” – Louise Hay Today I went on a really long bike ride along my usual trail. It was all pretty standard at first — 98 degrees, sun blazing, my skin and clothes grimy and sweaty. I knew…
Seek or Be Found
Yesterday after work, I decided to head to Forest Park to take some photos. And I was lucky enough to have my youngest come along to keep me company. I was really hoping to find a few lovely late blooms or something really inspiring, but there really wasn’t much going on. The light was lovely, Tanner was…
Full
Tonight I made dinner. I realize this is neither extraordinary or newsworthy. I didn’t make anything complicated. Just homemade calzones. Strawberry (and blueberry and blackberry) shortcake. Garlic breadsticks. Simple stuff. But I put it together. We were all home to be able to sit down together at the table and eat. And I’m happier than…
Some Thoughts on Mother’s Day
I had an odd relationship with Mother’s Day for many years after becoming a mom more than 20 years ago. While the responsibilities of being a mother have happily consumed my existence from the start, it took me a long time to feel like the celebration of Mother’s Day encompassed “someone like me.” I’m a single…
Pause
“Learn to pause…or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you.” – Doug King, poet Today is the first day of the 21-Day Reverence Challenge that I’d mentioned in an earlier post (link here). I loved it and wanted to pass along: “Drop Into The Present Moment: Busyness is an epidemic in today’s world. Our calendars have…
Unusual Beauty
“The world is full of nice people. If you can’t find one, be one.” Tonight, I found a really nice one. We’re back at the hospital for another round of the dreaded MRIs. The same MRIs that confine my kids to a claustrophobic tube for anywhere between three and four hours a pop. A recent…
Another Gem
He saw this and couldn’t resist. He just had to send it to her. This is a love note from my grampa to my grandmother postmarked 1911. I found it while rummaging through yet another box of old photos. Undoubtedly he saw himself in the enamoured gentleman in the illustration. What a smitten kitten….
A Very Good Day (Part II)
Got my birthday (cup)cake after the Garden at SweetArt, where love, magic, sweets and fantastic art are served every time. Because I can say after 45 years…life is short, eat dessert first. I have no other reason for posting this photo than I thought it was funny. That’s some cute advertising. After cupcakes, we headed…
A Very Good Day (Part I)
My big birthday has come and gone, brought to a close with a really lovely visit with my Mom. I loved getting to spend the day showing her around my beloved city. The first stop was the Botanical Garden for the Orchid Show. I’ve been there so many times, but the Garden never gets old —…
Every Now and Then
“It is not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world. It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless.” – L. R. Knost, author I first blogged about this inseparable couple almost six years ago, but we’d been observing them for years…
Because Love is an Action Word
This man spent two years planting flowers so that his blind wife could smell them. In addition to the sweet video above, here is a link to the full story with some gorgeous photos.
Pictures of My Loved Ones
As I’d mentioned in a previous post, when my 92-year old aunt passed away recently, she left behind a gold mine of family photos and history. While I gained new insight into my grampa’s love for my grandmother during my first few explorations through the photos, today I discovered further evidence of grampa’s love. Only this love…
Added Dimension
As I mentioned in my last post, my aunt passed away recently, leaving behind a houseful of belongings and family history. This weekend, I went over to the house and looked through a few boxes of really old family photos and….oh my. It was fascinating. Bear in mind that my Grampa was born in 1885 and died when…
Looking at Things…Differently
“It’s not what you look at that matters. It’s what you see.” – Henry David Thoreau Dirty gas tanker or a canvas for silliness? Old post-it note or a canvas for an anonymous happy greeting? Old fashioned duct work or a cheery tin man face? Lamp post or a platform for encouragement? Negative space or an opportunity…
Not So Long Ago…
…in an arena not so far away… Late last week the kids and I went to the St. Louis Blues game for Star Wars Night. It was the boys’ first game. I hadn’t been in at least 24 or 25 years. It was a nod to one’s inner geek and a nod to one’s inner jock that made…
It Will Be Happier?
“Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come, Whispering ‘it will be happier’…” – Alfred Lord Tennyson I love that quote from Tennyson. I love to think that next year is going to be happier — especially when this year was such a good one. It’s always fun to look over blog posts to…
Filling the Tank
“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe. No less than the trees and the stars. In the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.” — Max Ehrmann, writer My running buddies and I, after numerous failed attempts to coordinate schedules, were finally able to get together for a long walk…
Life Lately: Holiday Edition
A few photos on the iPhone lately include glimpses of… …my kitties’ company… and cupcake baking. A full Sunday in the kitchen and I had four dozen from-scratch cupcakes to show for it: red velvet (top left), peppermint (middle), egg nog (lower left), and gingerbread with cinnamon frosting (right row). The irony of this photo…
A Very Good Day
In anticipation of the holiday next week and in an effort to get somewhat caught up, the boys and I all took yesterday off for a full day of shopping and cheer. We went across the river over into downtown Saint Charles for some lunch and a bit of shopping. I don’t get over there…
Some Thoughts On Connecting
Round 2 of MRIs tonight, this time with my older son. Keeping myself occupied by taking advantage of the free wi-fi — and keeping myself feeling seasonal by rummaging through my existing Christmasy photos. This is so weird. We’re in a world-class cancer center and not a single hall is decked. There are a few…
hey there, friends 