Pressing On

This is that time of year I typically reflect on all that has happened in our lives over the past year. As I look though my photos on my phone I am blown away of the places we have been ( even lived for a short while) and the people we have met and/or reconnected with along the way. What a gift!  I know I can push back a little on the uncertainties of the future here on earth. I can complain about things not going my way or wishing  A. B. Or C had never changed. But life is about progress and its a process. I am a work in progress. As I look back I can't help but think...... If that hadn't happened way back then, this won't have happened as it did. I can then see clearly, God's hand in all of it. Even those very difficult times when I didn't get my way. To which I can now say "phew! I'm so glad I didn't get my way in that." What a gift from God!  My brother-in-law posted the sweetest video of our sons birth in honor of his 27th birthday. I remember

Some of my best memories are of times shared around the table with family and friends. Something about a table between us seems to bring a comfort and ease that allows us to open up to each other.  To share stories, moments of our days and maybe even revisit the past a little to bring the present to light and hope for the future.  Growing up, it didn't matter what was going on in each of our lives, when my dad got home from work; we came together every night to the dinner table. I would be out front and my dad would whistle ( meaning it was time to come in for dinner). I would get teased from my friends and they would mock " it's dinner" like I was the baby in the group that had to go in for my feeding. I remember being embarrassed but now I'm so thankful for those consistent times around the table with my family. Those were some sweet moments I believe, whether they knew it or not; our parents used to teach us about life. They were also intentional about using th

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook you have seen the plethora of pictures I have posted of the fall leaves. They are incredible in the various shades of color and size. Some days, I walk out back and the wind is blowing just enough to create a sense of it raining leaves. It's gorgeous and I pinch myself that I live here to see it. Most people drive miles and/or pay for a vacation to see this in a lifetime. I'm very fortunate.  However, the down side to all those incredible falling leaves is that they of course, end up in our yard, in the rain gutters, on the patio that track into the house and they need to be cleaned up, bagged up and hauled away.  Jim of course, lives for this stuff. He loves nothing more than to work on the yard. I get it, it's that instant gratification of seeing a job that needs to be done and sitting back hours ( or in our case days) later and seeing the results of a job well done. Overgrown grass, once cut, with rows where the mower ran through

Last week my new running partner/friend asked me if I wanted to run at 5:15 in the morning. I actually prefer to run early in the morning. Especially if I get to see the sunrise or if it's raining or if it's in Arizona to beat the heat. Here, on the East Coast in November, "early in the morning" is a different game. Our neighborhood is pitch black and it's cold. My reply via text was... " argghh, it's so cold and dark" Followed up with, a little reluctantly..." but I will if you want." I know her work schedule isn't easy. I remember the days I would put in a long shift and the pressure of having to go for a run when I got home hanging over my head was grueling. So, I was willing however, not very cheerfully. She replied with " yes, we'll bundle up and bring our flashlights" " Ok, God, I really would prefer to sleep in a little and maybe have a nice solo run later once it warms up... ( because I would now be getting up

One of the reasons I was hesitant to get another dog was the fur. Our yellow lab shed like nobody's business.  I was able to convince Jim to get a chocolate lab instead of another yellow one because of the dark wood floors in our new home. I reminded him of the yellow fur that was nearly impossible to keep up on at our old house. I could only imagine that yellow fur constantly nagging for my attention with a swifter on these floors. So, it's a beautiful thing that Annie's hair blends right in with the floor. Or is it?  I can have that attitude sometimes of  "if I can't see the dirt, it must not be dirty" sort of like " if I don't step on the scale today, I won't really have gained those extra five pounds from all the chocolate I ate over the weekend".  Am I alone on that?    As I was sweeping up the other day, I was horrified to see such a large pile accumulate. How long had it been since I last swept? I hadn't noticed all this stuff on t

                         I saw this picture and caption the other day and it motivated me. I like consistency in my life but I am not always disciplined to get off the couch and out the door. I want to be in good physical shape but it takes discipline to get to the gym and even more to follow a healthy diet and exercise program. I want to make new friends and get connected here but I need to force myself out the door in order for that to happen. I want Annie to be a well behaved dog but I need to be consistent when it comes to training and disciplining her. Although, she forces me out the door to walk her, ever since I heard someone tell me, " A tired puppy is a behaved puppy".  I was doing pretty good with a regular routine at the gym but then life happened and a day missed here, a day missed there and before you know it, my arms are marshmallows again. Do I have the discipline I need to hit it again to build up the strength and endurance if I want to get strong? Remember th

I dropped Jim off at the airport yesterday for a business trip. I remember a time when I looked forward to him taking off for a few days. It usually meant a break from cooking, or at least a low pressure meal like mac and cheese for the kids and a bowl of popcorn for me while watching a fun chick flick. I could talk the kids into watching a romantic comedy with me and we would have a slumber party. I would convince Jarrod that he was the man of the house in dad's absence so any and all bug killing would be up to him. He took his temporary role very seriously and would typically grab whatever he could use as a weapon to fight off the bad guys. We would play hair salon and Jacqueline would do my hair or nails, I wouldn't go out with that Pebbles Flintstone bun she gave me, but it was great fun and such sweet memories.  As this past year has gone by, I have become very comfortable with it being just the two of us. I appreciate my time with Jim. I can count on him not only to provi

" It’s better to live alone in the corner of an attic than with a quarrelsome wife in a lovely home" (Proverbs 21:9 NLT) And in case I flew by that verse, I received affirmation by this one: " It’s better to live alone in the desert than with a quarrelsome, complaining wife. (Proverbs 21:19 NLT)"  I had to help Jim change out the air filter in the AC unit the other day. The unit is located in the attic. I had not seen the attic in our new house until then. It's not what you might picture an attic to look like from the movies. There are no windows,  room for much storage or even flooring. The pull down staircase leads to a dark peaked room with one light bulb at the top of the ladder  that requires a pull of a chain to illuminate. Exposed pink insulation between the wood beams makes it difficult to maneuver to the other side on the small room. The AC unit is located across the beams. I watched Jim gently walk/crawl to the AC unit. It didn't look comfortable o

The dust is beginning to settle again. We have been in our house for three month now. Funny how yesterday marked the one year anniversary that I got on a plane from Phoenix to Chicago.  Bags packed, truck loaded with all our stuff and headed to our then temporary home in the Midwest. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I'd be sitting on the East Coast and calling this, my new temporary home. I was flipping through my photos on my phone and cannot believe all that has happened in a years time.  All good things!  I have both literally and figuratively, seen four amazing seasons. I've always loved the fall season. The crisp cool evenings and mornings are my favorite. I enjoy sitting with a cup of coffee curled up with a blanket ( doesn't need to be fall for that),  a toasty fire in the fireplace, I love to bake and listen to the sound of a football game on the TV. Last fall I saw the most beautiful turning of leaves in Chicago and nothing compares to the sound of t

My sweet little Annie is keeping me busy and on my toes. At thirteen weeks old now, she is pure puppy. Is it weird that I think we have a lot in common? We both love the morning, we wake up obnoxiously cheerful and so excited to see anyone that will talk to us. We love to eat and scarf down our food at record speed, causing unattractive belching and or hiccups. Going out for a walk is the highlight of our day because we hope to meet some new people( Ok this it where we are different, I do not feel the need to sniff people to say hi). And we both chase our tail and have no idea what to do with it when finally catch it. Then we crash around 8:00 pm, wake up at 5:00 am only to do it all over again. So aside from our age and a few other important factors, we do have a few things in common.  I was thinking about this as I was chasing her around our bedroom while she had one of my socks in her mouth. Though she thinks this a fun game it drives me crazy how she gets under our bed, just out of

I headed  out for a quick run the other morning and as I was about to hit the corner, a large pick up truck turned toward me rather quickly and I saw its front, left tire spin off the wheel and roll down the intersecting street. The driver seemed to be unaware and I was trying to get his attention to let him know. As if he couldn't  tell he just lost the front wheel of his truck which would also cause him to lose control and drastically change his course.  I continued running in the direction that the truck had just come from. I could smell the burning rubber from the tire and I saw bits and pieces of the tire along the way. I was surprised how long the trail of rubber crumbs went. It must have been at least a quarter of a mile, maybe longer. At one point a saw a huge chunk of rubber with tightly wound thread and steel that was meant to keep it all together. It  had come unraveled and ripped away causing all kinds of damage and ultimately the dismantle of the tire. What was interes

I knew it would just be a matter of time before we got another dog. It has been a little over a year since we had to put Molly, our lovable yellow lab down and I have missed her so much. Growing up with a dog and having a dog in the home most of my adult life, it has been so quiet in the house without one. We had various reasons to wait as you can imagine over this past year. Between moving across country , traveling back and forth, not wanting to train a puppy in the snow and then of course moving again. Now that we are feeling settled in our new home in Boston, it was time. Although, I was beginning to get a little obsessive and become highly meticulous toward our new place. You know, keeping the place clean and then freaking out that granola crumbs got on the floor. Or, I had just fluffed the cushions on the sofa or wiped down the sink and someone flatted those cushions out and splashed water all over the counter and mirror. A dog would only add to that anxiety, especially with the

We have this beautiful vine crawling up one of the trees in front of our house. I love the contrast of the green color against the brownish gray bark. Maybe it's because I am still in awe of all the greenery around here but I find it appealing to see that vine grow up out of a small sprout in the ground and latch on to the base of that tree. It looks to be healthy and thriving!  Because we are nestled into the woods, we have all kinds of trees, shrubs, plants and weeds growing like crazy. Jim met with a landscaper to talk about what needed to be trimmed back and pruned to clean things up a bit. One of the first things this guy pointed to was the beautiful vine.  Jim said "oh, no, leave that, my wife really likes it" he came back with " that's fine, but you do realize  it's  poison ivy so be careful you don't brush up against it" he then showed Jim the difference and pointed out all of the poison ivy we have in our yard that is growing wild. I never k

Growing up we lived in a development on the top of a hill. The road on the way up had a large dip that we enjoyed as little kids. Seat belts were not required "way back then" so if my dad hit it just right, my sister and I would come up out of our seats, squealing as we got air and then come down just before the tops of our heads hit the plush lining of the roof top. On those late nights home from Grandmas or my Aunt and Uncles house on Christmas Eve, if I dosed off, I'd wake to coming out of my seat and know that we were close to home. The big dip was exciting and fun.  The County Fair was an annual family event we loved to go to. I have great memories of those times. Especially, this one in particular, my dad bought both my sister and I chameleons , little cute lizards that change colors and patterns to conform into the image of the environment around them. I understand it as a way of blending in. We received with purchase of our lizards, a baby leash and safety pin to

A few things happened this week that made me think of leadership and the role of a leader. It’s been said that in order for there to be a leader there must be a follower. I follow many people on Facebook and Instagram but I’ve also had to hide or unfollow those that are taking me somewhere I don’t want to go or know I shouldn’t go. I don’t want to be lead to inappropriate videos, photos or vulgar posts. So I don’t follow those people anymore. They are no longer leading me. I took an exercise course last week where the instructor as she was demonstrating the proper form of exercise said “DO NOT, NOT, NOT do this exercise while standing on your bench” , as she was standing on her bench, she continued saying… “I’m standing on my bench because..” to which, I tuned her out. For me, it didn’t matter why she was standing on her bench. She had just instructed us to NOT, NOT, NOT. I couldn’t help but think that the best way to lead is by example. The old “do as I say, not as I do” came t

I am craving for things to feel normal again. When I think of that word normal, meaning usual, I realize things most likely won't be normal again. At least not the old normal.  Things changed and a lot (practically everything)  looks different from a year ago. That doesn't mean I won't find a new kind of normal. So, that is what I am currently seeking. My new normal. I am usually one to easily switch gears, I can go with the flow and not get my panties in a wad if the plan for my day changes. Especially, if it involves people and coffee. Like if I have a list of chores and then get a phone call from a girlfriend who wants to meet for coffee. I can so easily switch to coffee with a girlfriend gear. But, I have come to realize that my temperament, needs structure. Otherwise, I get distracted, lose focus on the task at hand and can waste the day away. And we can keep that little morsel of information to ourselves. Oh whatever, it's not like it's a secret. I'm easil