45th Birthday

Birthday Dinner at Carlos O'Kelley's with Ellie & Bill



I recall last year struggling with turning 44, thinking of all the things I hadn't done .. so I listed all that I had done and was happy to have done. This year, I'm so happy to be turning 45. Proud of it, in fact. Yes, I have wrinkles, cellulite and most likely need 'cheaters' to read, but I've earned each of them ... wrinkles come from time in the sun .. running with Ellie on the beach, holding hands with Bill on the deck of a cruise ship .... cellulite comes from, well age .. but I'm running about 4 days a week and although it doesn't go away I feel stronger and more capable than ever before ... and the 'cheaters' needed to read, well I've read so many amazing books that I'm okay with needing a little help to read a few more!

My birthday this year is full of promise and new beginnings. Since my birthday normally lasts about a week .. this week has been awesome .. Bill, Ellie and I are in Bloomington on our house hunting trip. We found a wonderful new home for us, registered Ellie for her new Kindergarten class, signed her up for a great Summer program, had dinner with old friends in new location, Ellie has developed a huge crush on a 7-year Red Sox fan (those of you may remember I converted before marriage from the Red Sox to the Yankees) .. Ellie hasn't mentioned converting .. yet .. so far, so good!

I'm blessed with amazing friends and family .. far and wide who sent emails and FB messages to wish me well. That reminds me of all the awesome things I have in my life .. no matter how much I've achieved or thought I should have done by now!!

Thank you to everyone who made this the very best birthday ever!

Bagels at the Playground

It was Sunday morning and we needed to get out of the house. Washed the car and played in the yard before Bill suggested we get bagels and take them to Ellie's playground. No one was around .. having the whole place to ourselves was a treat!

New beginnings always require endings ...

Last evening Ellie graduated from ABC Preschool. As Bill and I sat in the audience we looked around thoughtfully recalling when we first brought her here two years ago. It was so unlike anyplace we'd been. "This wasn't Trudi's house!" I remember thinking. Gosh she'll get lost in all these kids, in so many classrooms! But she didn't. She learned, she grew, she flourished!

I've learned that kids adapt and will succeed in so many situations. Everyday is a change to them! When Bill & I moved her to Charlottesville we gradually adapted to the people and the changes. She had new, exciting stories every day. She accepted everything so easily.

I'm so very proud of her. She's smart, witty, funny and has amazing negotiation skills! She knows what she wants, enjoys being part of our 3-man team and is already ready for a new adventure.

Here's to adventures! We're about to embark on another one ....

Golden Anniversary

 

Today, May 19th, would have been my parents 50th wedding anniversary. They were married May 19, 1961. They had 13 years and 3 children before my dad passed away in 1974. Today we celebrate their marriage and all the love of family!

Bluebird of Happiness

Although I never intended to have two bird postings back to back, it has happened. Since I began to seriously considered this job and move might happen .. a bluebird has started eating from our birdfeeded. He's brilliant blue and I began to say, 'there's my bluebird of happiness again!'

Here's the meaning of a bluebird:
Bluebird: Transformation. Passage into happiness and fertility.

"The bluebird is a guardian of all passages and transitions that we make or are about to make. We speak often of the bluebird of happiness, and this is rightly so. It makes our movements more fertile, productive, and protected so that we can attain the happiness we need in life.

When the bluebirds show up, we are about to see a change in the climate. If a bluebird has come into your life, look for opportunities to touch the joyful and intrinsically native aspects of yourself that you may have lost touch with."

Bluebird:
"Bluebird is about your happiness within and without. He signifies a contentment and fulfillment that is happening or is about to happen. Bluebird shows how to find those joyful gems in everyday life with an appreciation anew. He teaches a balance of work and play and reminds us to reinstate the fun back into life. Listen to the song of Bluebird in order to sing your own of joy with an awakened confidence and internal peace. It is time to look for chances to touch joy in your life. Dance and sing with every step, Bluebird will show you the way."

What a sight!

On Friday I saw a Pileated Woodpecker at work on a tree and fly from one tree to another. It was an awesome sight. It was so much bigger than any woodpecker I had seen in the past. Who would think you could find grace and beauty in a woodpecker. But maybe that's because I love the birds, and am attracted to that color. As most of you know my favorite bird is a cardinal. Most likely due to it's bright red color!

Meanings of seeing the woodpecker:
Woodpecker - Power of rhythm and discrimination, new inner rhythms
From: Symbolic Animal Meanings
"When I hear the woodpecker knocking, I think of opportunity. You know the old saying "when opportunity knocks, answer the door." That's precisely what I'm driving at here.

Woodpeckers are extremely opportunistic themselves. Each tree is a door, revealing tender morsels of food (grubs and ants are their favorites). Other trees will yield against their beak-hammering to provide great mansions for their young.

When the woodpecker comes tapping into our awareness, it's also a signal to use our heads. Just as the woodpecker uses its head (beak) to hammer out solutions (food, shelter), we too can use our intellect in finding solutions to our own barriers.

The symbolic meaning of woodpeckers also point to a need for creative vision. Being opportunistic, woodpeckers can see value everywhere, even in dead trees. Have you ditched an idea or given up on a project? The woodpecker may be trying to tell you to breathe new life into your project, just as they build new homes into dead trees.

Further, the symbolic meaning of woodpecker indicates a return to our roots, or having trust in our basic (gut) feelings. Dr. Carl Jung observed the woodpecker as a symbol of a return to the womb of creativity. In this observation the tree is symbolic of a womb; earthy, grounded, sturdy and secure. The woodpecker's home within the tree is analogous of a fierce determination to return and protect that which is sacred to us.

When this bird comes pecking, it is a call for us to return to our roots, back to the womb of our ideas and use our intellect and discernment to follow through with our plans.

This analogy is doubly profound in the case of red-headed woodpeckers as the color red is associated with the root chakra. Prime, protective energy. Another clear sign for being aware of our core impulses, and our basic beliefs".

Off we go to Bloomington!!

Its two years, just about to the very day that I posted that we were moving to Charlottesville, VA. Now I have another opportunity at the 'mother ship' in Bloomington, IL. Ellie is so excited to be going on an adventure. We've promised her a trip to house hunt, look for a new school and summer camp for her. Within the next couple weeks we'll have visited, have an offer on a new house, put this house on the market .. and be well on our way to a report date of June 25!!

2, 4, 6, 8 ....

Strawberry Fields Forever

Two years in a row makes a tradition for us. Chile's Orchard has strawberry picking beginning in early May and we've taken advantage of that on Mother's Day two years in a row. With sunny skies and early before the crowds arrive is the perfect combination for successful strawberry picking!

Soccer - Third Saturday

Happy Mother's Day 2011

The two reasons I celebrate Mother's Day today!

Derby Day

Although we were not surrounded by family and friends on day to celebrate the Run for the Roses, we celebrated just the 3 of us at home. AND WE WON! $5 Win and $5 Place netted us $158!!

I picked Animal Kingdom because it was my favorite park at Disney. We had a great time there, and a great time watching the horse come from behind to win!

What Michelle Obama knows for sure ... about marriage

The Obamas have been married for 18 years, and they say they've learned a lot during their years together. "It has to be a true partnership, and you have to really, really like and respect the person that you're married to because it's a hard road," Mrs. Obama says. "There are highs and lows. But if, in the end, you can look him in the eye and say, 'I like you' ... I stopped believing in love at first sight. I think you go through that wonderful love stage, but when it gets hard, you need a little bit more."

The Oprah Show article

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is a highly misunderstood 'holiday'. Although I like to celebrate with chips, salsa and margaritas, it is less celebration and more rememberance in Mexico.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a happy, popular and exceptionally vague celebration of Latino culture. In Mexico, and especially here in this historic state capital, the celebration is mostly a martial one — with jet flyovers and a military parade — to commemorate the Mexican army’s decisive victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.