Melon Dash 2016

On Saturday, July 30th, Ellie and I ran our second 5k of the year.  We were joined by our friend, Jeanine in McKinney at Town Park before 8am.  Before you begin down the path of, 'why would you run outside in Dallas in July?" let me tell you that I'm not exactly sure.

Seemed like a good idea at the time.  And yet, standing at the starting group at 8am we were already sweating.  It was 88 degrees, and we were standing still.  Somehow I knew this couldn't be good.  But we were up for the challenge.

Good news is - we all finished.  As you can see from the finisher medal we are wearing around our necks.  Bad news is - we were wiped out the rest of the day!  Even Ellie had a headache for hours even after lots of water, fruit and rest.  I had a migraine that kicked in before we got home and spent the rest of the day sipping water and resting.  Wow - we lost a day!  On the bright side - we finished the race.

And had watermelon and cold towels waiting for us.  Bins of bottled water, bananas, apples and granola bars to choose from as well.

Melon Dash 2016. Check.

Next race not until the weather cools off.  Maybe the turkey trot or the jingle bell run.  Something when you can actually see your breath in the air will work for me!

Jeanine, Ellie and I before the start of the race!

Ellie and I before the start of the race!  Isn't she the cutest thing ever!?

National Tequilla Day

Yes, we do a lot of celebrating in our house.

Even National Tequilla Day.  Even if it was just an excuse to plan a trip to one of Ellie's favorite spots - Uncle Julio's!  She loves the table side made guacamole!  How can they have so many avocados that are all ripe at the same time?  And those bowls of onions, cilantro, tomatoes, garlic .. just waiting to be added to the ripe avocados!  YUM!

Their salsa is amazing too.  Charred peppers are used for a great flavor and specs of the black skins ensure you know it will be good.

We each enjoyed something different - fajitas, enchiladas and tacos - and then shared what we chose with one another.  And we kept those baskets of chips coming - for the salsa and guac.

Love, love, love to find a great place that we always enjoy!  Too bad that we didn't save room for the chocolate piñata that Ellie wanted for dessert.

There's always next time ....

Maddonisms

Joe Maddon is one of a kind.

He's the Manager of the Cubs and truly has a style unlike any other.  Which is what I truly appreciate about him.  He leads with grace, care and focus on what matters.  And the beauty of that is that the players follow him.  They have fun.  They enjoy one another.  And they win ball games.  And in the end THAT's what matters!

Joe made a plan in Spring Training that he continues to execute on to this day.  It was filled with Maddonisms that have been turned into t-shirts and sold for his charity on Korked Baseball.com.

These sayings include:  Do Simple Better, The Process is Fearless, Embrace the Target.

And his new t-shirt has his handwritten notes from the Spring Training plan.  It is awesome.  And just an image of his black glasses on the front of the shirt.  Joe know baseball.  Joe knows Managing.  Joe knows how to lead a team to victory.

You can laugh at my following the Cubs so closely this season if you must.  And some have even called me a 'bandwagon' fan since I've only followed them since last season.  I can tell you that I fell back in love with baseball in a way that makes we appreciate a base hit, a strikeout, a no-hitter and most of all watching a team of young kids grow together under the tutelage of a white-haired, singular focused, mad scientist kind of guy - who makes you want to route harder for him to win.

"There's always THIS YEAR."

Sleeping Beauty

We know Ellie loves her stuffed animals.  She sleeps with about 25 of them in bed with her.  From large to small, they surround her each night.  On Saturday when I went up to shut off her light and pull up her covers, I found her like this.

Too many animals!  And that one is on her head is too much, right?

She thought the photo in the morning was funny.  And she's not willing to give up one stuffed animal in the process. We're doing some rearranging of her room to add her desk from the game room so she has a quiet place for homework and studying.  Perhaps that will be a time for her to weed through some of these small friends.

Although I wouldn't bet any money on that one ....
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STAAR Student

Ellie dressed up for summer daycare one day last week in honor of her teacher's birthday.  All the girls wore a crown or tiera of sorts to make the party festive.  And as you can see, she wears her tiera well.

All grown up.  This picture certainly captures the feeling of this summer.  She's matured into such a kind, thoughtful, wise, dry-humored, helpful tween.  She's somewhere between 8 and 18.  Yet, I can say it's hard to remember a time when she didn't share her opinion and believe she had a say in the decision.

An only.  Only child.

Here's one of the wonderful benefits of an only.  The sole focus of her education, activities, friends and future.

This Spring the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) testing was complete.  She takes a test in the Spring and in the Fall.  Its a big deal.  In fact the scurrying around, the necessity for snacks, bottled water and a good night's sleep are reminded for weeks before the test.  By the time the students actually take the test they are so wound up with worry, I'm surprised any of them do well at all.

This Spring Ellie did amazing!

The number grade will mean nothing, as each subject is on a different scale and started around 811 and goes through 6790.  To me, what's more important is where she falls compared to those around her.  They compare scores to State, District and School.

Reading:  scored satisfactory - at the state level score
Math:       scored advanced -  above both the state and district score
Writing:   scored advanced - above the state, district and school score!

She loves her writing and with an advanced math score she admitted that she really learned a lot of math this year!  Now for the reading - although she committed to a book a week for the summer, she has read two books all summer.  Now in the final stretch before back to school in August, we'll focus on reading!

Faith

Start with a prayer.

When a situation is out of your control.  Pray for patience.  Pray for acceptance.  Pray for peace.

End with a prayer.


Have faith that things will work out exactly that way they are supposed to.  Don't they always?  Perhaps you don't see it at the time, but what's meant to be, will be.  And each time we're faced with a situation it doesn't get easier, it does become more familiar.

When I remember that great basilica in Barcelona that has been under construction since 1882.  And the person in charge died when it was only 25% complete.  And somehow the work continued.  It is a labor of love, patience and perseverance.  Even when the work became difficult, they carried on.

The torch has moved from person to person over the years, and still the work continued.  Antoni Gaudi was not considered a failure because he didn't complete the work.  He was considered the originator.  The one who inspired others to continue to the work.

The work was hard.  It was intense.  And yet it continued.

He had faith.

He likely said a lot of prayers.

Looking at those beautiful stained glass windows, I too, believe that it will all work out.

I have faith.

Ellie's Summer Vacation

If you thought all the pictures were already posted, think again.  This is one of my favorites from Ellie's Summer vacation in New York.  She talked for months about being able to spend time with family - to see Josh, go swimming, go to the movies, see Gianni & Enzo, shopping with Aunt Lisa, visit Grammy's new home, bon fire at Aunt Mimi's, and the list goes on ....

She brought plenty to keep her busy, knowing full well that she'd certainly be busy enough trying to fit in all the things she wanted to do while she was visiting.  And she did all that she had on her list.  And more.

It was a great adventure for her.  To spend time with family.  To exercise her independence.  And the unexpected bonus was for her to be looking forward to returning home and getting back to routine!

Now we have activities and adventures to experience as the family during the rest of her summer vacation!  So much to look forward to ... swimming in the pool, visiting the Perot museum, going to the peach farm for fresh fruit, taking a trip to the library on a hot day for the cool treat of new book!

More to come on all Ellie's adventures over her vacation!

Trust Your Journey

I got a phone call about 7pm last evening from a friend whose timing is always impeccable.  When I say I have soul sisters, you have to believe me on this one.  She was driving home from the gym, stopping en route at CVS to pick up a lice kit because she got a call that day from her 4 year old son's daycare that there was an outbreak.

I share the details of her day only to say that she had lots of stuff already on her mind.  The job that keeps her hopping, 4 year old and almost 1 year old and a wonderful husband too.  And yet she called me. "Because I haven't talked to you since you got back from your trip," she said.  And yet we didn't talk much about that at all.  At least not the beautiful shorelines, the business class flight or all those wine tastings ... No, we talked about what it was like to have some one on one time with our husbands.

She and Chris had just returned to Bloomington from a long weekend in Philadelphia where they attended a wedding.  She ooh-ed and ahhh-ed how wonderful it was to have just a couple nights away to dress up, dance and be grown ups.  Yes, that time is so necessary to remember why we do what we do, I told her.  And we reminded ourselves what wonderful husbands we have in the midst of all the chaos.

Our journeys are not the same.  And yet we share a place in one another's lives and in each other's hearts.  When I saw this image above a few days ago I thought of her instantly.  And today as I am treasuring our conversation, I found it to be really profound.

Trust your journey.  You matter.

Storytown and Soul Sisters

Who knew?

I've been reading a blog written by a woman I knew in high school, many years ago.  Her stories are of love, friendship, courage and endurance.  Not necessarily in that order.  She writes what she feels.  And boy, does she feel.  Sometimes the same things I'm feeling.

And why not?  We were raised in the same home town.  Attended the same high school.  Same age.  Kids, husbands, career change, move to another town, friends we love, death of others we love - all these life experiences in common.  She inspires me to continue to decide to be brave each day.  She loves with her whole heart.  Grieves losses with tears and agony.  And most of all enjoys the laughter of her children, the smile of a stranger and the sweetness of an ice cream cone on a hot summer day in the same way I do.

Who knew?

Kinship.  Friendship.  Common bonds.

Call it what you will.  We have it.  Although we may never meet again.  And yet, she inspires me and lifts my soul when I read her words.  In the posting below she references an exchange of emails she and I shared over the past week.

Whatever it is we have.  I'll take it.  Treasure it.  And know that 900 miles away another woman sits down to write, filled with stories, hopes, inspiration ready to be gifted to the world.

Rock on, sister!

Storytown

Storytown

July 05, 2016

Polly Simpkins and Lauren Shehadi Herbert and Patty Gilles Winpenny and Martha Margolis 
have been telling me for years to do this. And they're right. They've always been 
right and supportive and generous with their love and praise. Recently a few unlikely 
folks said some nice things about my writing; namelyScott O'Connell and Michael 

Gerber and someone I haven't seen in probably 30 years: Jude Mooney.
How's that for a name for a guardian angel? 

Jude.
And, as is so often the case in this weird and wonderful life,
something that I never imagined would happen happened: my loudest cheerleader 
turned out to be my former mother-in-law,Marion McChesney, who simply will 

not let me not do this. I cannot tell you how much I adore her for that.

And so those people and their unexpected words of kindness pushed me around the bend to finally, finally making a book. Creating it myself, with the help of Ellen Rubenstein, who is a crackpot proofreader and Brett Hughes, who knows how to make things look beautiful. And now that I've started I'm obsessed and can't stop.

I've been writing for this blog for five years now. I've been taking photographs for as long as I can remember. I owe a depth of gratitude to every single person who has ever read a story or looked at a photo and thought it was good. Or maybe thought it wasn't so good, but took the time to pay attention anyway. All of you have shaped me into what I am today and continue to inspire me to do better. 

From the introduction:
When I look back over my life and think of all the things I have done, the pieces seem kind of disparate and disconnected: teacher, shop girl, firefighter, photographer, preacher, writer, hospice chaplain. But upon deeper reflection, I understand how all of these things have actually been about one thing: looking for evidence of God in our lives. From the time I came to understand that there is a loving and benevolent energy at work in our lives, I became what I never thought I would be: a research scientist. When I was a kid my report cards always said that I was good at “creative writing" and I have always been drawn to art and design and color and creation of any sort, so it makes perfect sense to me now that I have spent my life seeking evidence of the largest and most beautiful creative force of all. When I came to understand this, I did what I do all the time: I cried. Because I knew it to be the truth of my existence. And when you stumble upon that, it’s a pretty great moment in time.

What I have now will be yours very soon. I promise.

Village of Amalfi

The last stop on our trip was the village of Amalfi.  The blue waters, rocky cliffs and breathtaking views are a sight to be seen.  We knew we'd love the Amalfi coast, we just didn't realize how beautiful it really was until we were up close and personal.

The weather was amazing - sunny and warm.  The people so friendly and we found lots of wonderful sights to see and enjoy for a small seaside village.  You'll see from our photos that we enjoyed the cliffs, a beautiful Cathedral and as our time came to an end  - sat in a cafe and enjoyed gelato to watch the passersby.

What a wonderful day!

On the Amalfi Coast

Oh, the lemons ....

 On our last day of excursions we arrived in Naples.  A busy, industrial looking port with several options.  The one we knew we had to do was see the Amalfi Coast.

The morning started with a tour of the coastal village, Sorrento .. with lemons, bougainvillea, and the beautiful ocean views.  After seeing Mt. Vesuvius, we had time on our own to wander the village.  Our first stop was the Sorrento Cathedral.  Tucked away without any fanfare, was this gorgeous little place.  We went inside to admire the stonework, light a candle and say a prayer.  Several locals also wandered in and out during our time there.

We then wandered down the hill to get closer to the Gulf of Naples.  Along the way we found a few more churches, a couple boutique hotels, lemon trees and gorgeous displays of bougainvillea.  When we reached the water we had a wonderful view of Mt. Vesuvius as well.

Of every place we visited, over a cafe where we sipped cappuccino, we decided this was our very favorite spot.  There is something about the ocean that provides the perfect balance of beauty, respite and excitement.  And this place was a winner!  Even though we only spent a few hours wandering, we found treasures to take home, got some great photos and will always have the memories of our time in Sorrento!

us by the sea ...

the buildings in the village

How gorgeous is this view!?

WHEN we return, we'll stay at this hotel ...

Sorrento Cathedral

Happy 4th of July

Five years ago, this is what our patriotic little girl looked like eating her Dippin' Dots at the ballgame.  So much has changed, and yet, she's really just the same happy, content girl who loves a ballgame and ice cream!

The days may seem to drag, by the years fly by.

I read this message several years ago and it makes much more sense now.  Although to me the days feel like they fly by too.  Think back to the days when things seemed simple - watching fireflies, counting the stars and root beer floats on a hot summer night.  Going to a ballgame, hot dogs and Cokes, 7th inning stretch - all the rites of summer.

In the spirit of making today what matters, this photo represents all the days of summer yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Celebrate our independence today.  Remembering all the people who believed so much in a future that wasn't dependent on the past that they established a new country, a new beginning.  They were brave and strong - and worked together to get things done.

Happy 4th of July!

Roma!

The Coliseum

 Our day in Rome was non-stop moving.  In order to see it all we started early, and just kept going.  Multiple day tours we're going on at the same time and a couple we met on the ship ended up at the Trevi Fountain at the same time.  So we had our photo taken together.

Rome was something I truly wanted Bill to experience.  The history, the culture, all those tremendously old buildings.  We thought about sitting at a cafe watching nuns walk by near the Vatican as we planned this trip.

In reality, Rome was our least favorite stop.  It was noisy, hot, crowded and dirty.  People everywhere!  Yes, it was worth seeing.  Since this was my second trip to Rome, I didn't throw a coin in the fountain with hopes of returning .. although Bill did since he hadn't before.  We'll see ...

We walked and walked.  Our food was just okay.  And the day was very long.

A bright spot at was finding trinkets at the Vatican to bring home and sitting on a bench nearby sharing a panini and gelato at the end of the day.  Not quite the cafe table with wine and nuns, but we enjoyed it none the less!

Bill & I with Martha and Ian - our friends from the UK

Trevi Fountain - only threw one coin in, not three

Historic sites every way we turned in Rome.

Don't ask ....

Well, since I'm sure you're wondering what Bill is up to in this photo.  We saw the strangest things in Rome of people taking photos of one another doing these silly little poses.  EVERYWHERE!  We couldn't figure it out.  So Bill decided he needed one of these silly poses too!

And there you have it!

St. Peter's Square at the Vatican

Tuscany

And then there was Tuscany.

This tour was a 2 1/2 hour drive from the port.  And well worth it.  The scenery to and from was amazing.  To drive through the countryside was like none other.

It appeared that if someone had land, there was something planted.  Mostly grapes, olives or along the coast - lemons.  This place had both grapes and olives.  To make both wine and olive oil of course!
 
We tasted 3 whites, 3 reds, Prosecco and Grappa.  That's a lot of wine!  Here was the best part.  This was a very informal tasting.  The wine was all on the table with trays of meats, cheese, olives, bread and brussetta.  And they told us after we tasted them all to let us know what we liked and they'd just bring more of that!  Really!?  Brava!

We again met some really great people.  And of course convinced someone to take a group shot of us.  So much fun ...

The grapes

The wine cellar where we did the tasting

Another couple and a pair of sisters at our table

Our hostess - who shared stories of both grapes and olives.

On the ride back .. so many trees that grow such good stuff!

And just one more bottle ...

The olives .. not ripe as you can see, but gorgeous none the less!

Pisa - The Leaning Tower, that is

Our first stop in Italy was in Florence.  This stop offered so many excursions it was difficult to choose.  We decided to leverage our time here and do the most we could.  This involved one 1/2 day tour in the morning and another 1/2 day tour in the afternoon.  This would mean we wouldn't see it all.  Someone wise once told me that you should always leave something to see upon your return!

In this case we saw Pisa in the morning.  A 45 minute bus ride from the port to this tiny town of Pisa with the famous tower.  Like anything else that you've seen in pictures, when you finally come upon the real thing it's almost overwhelming.  And never as big as it looks in pictures!

Apparently it's all the rage to take photos pretending that you're holding up the tower .. hence the pictures below!

And after the fun and games of seeing the tower and that gathering of buildings we walked into the little village to have a slice of pizza at the 'most famous pizza' place in Pisa.  Truth be told there were very few people inside, but it was cool and the pizza was delicious!  Bill had his photo taken with the owner who was gracious and funny.

What a great treat to have a Coke and a slice on our first day in Italy!

Grazi!

Prego!