Happy Hour

Are these not the best?

I absolutely love them!  Why not sip and smile?  Seems like a great idea to me.

We don't own them - just found them this morning online at lindsayletters.com.

Such a great conversation piece, or two!

Bloom

We often look to blame the person or the situation that has occurred.  In truth the environment causes a great deal of the joy or chaos.  We each contribute to the environment.

Today, let's make a healthy, happy contribution to our environment!

Don't Forget the Heartbeat

Joe Maddon's words of wisdom on the most recent t-shirt for this charity - Respect90.  I've already ordered mine.  So  many times we get caught up in the end result that we forget about the people involved - the heartbeat.  This is a tremendous reminder that its not all about the numbers, its about the heartbeat.  

Joe's Take
“I think in our game today, the way it’s run on a lot of levels, it’s more about math than people sometimes... I want our guys to understand that we understand the heartbeat around here, so don’t forget the heartbeat.

We won that game (Game 7) purely because of competitive natures and the fact that we wanted to win and the heartbeat was so good. It has nothing to do with statistical information, mechanics physically. It had everything to do with people.

And I really want our guys to understand that, because we’re going to do all the other necessary work. We’re going to do all the math work. We’re going to do all the physical work. We’re going to do all the work. But at the end of the day, man, (when it’s) a different uniform than you, you compete. You try to beat that guy in the other uniform. Don’t forget that."

Laughter is the best medicine

Bill and I talk about this card all the time.  We received it from Uncle Johnny and Aunt Christine over 15 years ago, and it still makes us double over in laughter each time we read it.

We treasure it!  And the laughter it continues to bring to our lives!

We quote it to one another when life gets complicated.  "Stay tuned" and "Healthy New York" are my favorites.  Although after reading it again I may begin to use "Keep it shiny" more often now.

When I think about what was important 15 years ago, we may have thought engagement was a milestone.  Now we know different.  Marriage, parenthood, death of a parent, moving across the country, illness, divorce of friends - those are all milestones that changed us.

Good news - my ring is still shiny and we are staying tuned for what's in store for us!

Thank you Aunt Christine and Uncle Johnny for your beautiful, profound and laughter-filled words!

#LoveMore

There's a book inside me

There's a book inside me waiting to be written.  It's coming to me in snippets on my drive to work some days.  The main characters are Elizabeth and Christopher and theirs is an unusual and extraordinary love story.  They may not be beautiful to anyone but one another.  Their love is complex and strong.  Their challenges are as well.

Life is challenging.  We know that, we've lived it.  What matters is how you live it, how you love and who you keep in your heart.

I'll continue to sort through these ideas as I begin to put these characters on paper.  Their story is worth telling.  Believe me.

Beauty and the Beast

Today we continued the birthday week celebration with a trip to the movies!  And not just any movies - this theatre is the one with the big leather reclining chairs that you book ahead of time.  We opted for an early matinee and loved every minute of this movie.

Perhaps I was the one with the highest expectations going in .. this is my favorite.  Going way back.  It is one that I love to see over and over.  We visit anything Beauty and the Beast at Disney and are never disappointed.

Today was no different.  We loved it!  What a masterpiece!  Such a wonderful story, so beautifully told.  We were glad for the opportunity to share this with Ellie as the birthday week celebration comes to a close.

She had a special request from Bill to make Shrimp Scampi for her last night for dinner.  And after the movie we finished up those leftovers for good measure!

What a wonderful 11th birthday celebration!

Power of Friendship

This week was long, trying and exhausting.  It felt heavy and cumbersome at times.  The vast majority of that was caused by work pressures, unkind co-workers and personal agendas.  Although there is an end in sight with some upcoming changes, those changes have not set in yet.  Something in my mind is still caught on the discomfort, the inequity and the frustration of the situation.

Through those times I remind myself to breathe, to meditate - quiet my mind, and to pray.  Those all help.  What also helps is the power of friendship.  Last week I had wonderful phone calls with both Jody and Monica, and a series of texts with Erica.  Oh, the beauty of girl talk!

Fast forward to Saturday morning.  I had a hard time shaking sleep from my brain.  A bit foggy and sluggish.  Our 9:30am soccer game was in Plano, so with drive time and warm-ups we left the house at 8:20am.  When we arrived we saw Coach Cheryl, her daughter and another team mate headed to a warm-up area to kick the ball around.  Bill and I hadn't anticipated how chilly it was - windy and cloudy so we hung back in the car.

As we sat there in silence I recognized my crankiness.  Unsure exactly what was causing it, and more so how to resolve it!  The field in Plano is at a park that hosts a variety of sports - baseball, basketball as well as the soccer fields.  There is also a walking path that curves around the entire place.  While I sat in the car wondering about the crankiness I saw a group of three woman walking the path.  They seemed to be about my age, likely with kids somewhere in the complex at a game.  They were chatting and I could see from their faces they were happy.

In an instant I realized that what they had was not about calories being burned.  It was good for their soul.  The connection of friendship.  That left me longing for friends like that - CLOSE BY!  I made peace with it and we made our move to her game.

Although this time it was different. Instead of plopping down in my chair next to Bill I chose to stand with two moms I talk to in passing most weeks.  I love their girls, for their kindness and teamwork.  Know their other children by site as well, and husbands who often are en route to take another child to a different game.

Today I stood with Katie's mom and Leah and Miriam's mom.  We drank coffee from our travel mugs, talked about our kids - all of which celebrated their 11th birthdays within a week of one another, our inability to exercise as much as we'd like, the stiffness in our backs, the family vacations we're planning for the summer and the best part was the consensus of needing alone time.  They each spoke kindly of their husbands, and although content in their lives - they were tired too!  By the end of the game - and our time together - I said to them, "you have no idea how very much I needed this today ... I've been missing close by girlfriends and this conversation filled my soul!"  We hugged and wished each other a great rest of the day.

Sometimes God answers our prayers without us even putting them into words.  Thank goodness for the spirit of women, motherhood and coffee talk with girlfriends!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

Our little girl is growing up!

We shared stories with her of the night she was born, the first night of her life in a hospital separated from me, with Bill by her side.  We talked about where we've lived and how she's grown.  And most of all how very proud of her we are!

She's funny, kind, sweet, smart and downright amazing!

She picked Kenny's East Coast Pizza for dinner last night.  This is her choice of margarita pizza with fresh mozzarella and basil.  We shared a chopped salad and looked forward to dessert!

Her peanut butter pie arrived with a candle on top as Bill and I sang Happy Birthday to her!  She had a great day at school and a special dinner out with family.

Vacation comes to an end

I love the app that allows you to put your 'best nine' in one photo capture.  Its often harder to figure out which ones to leave out!  Here's an assortment of the best of our vacation to Destin, FL last week.

If you only had these photos to use to summarize the trip I believe you'd see:  sunshine, smiles, beach and beverages!

This trip was different from the rest.  Less adventure and more laughter.  Less being late and more holding hands.  Less reservations and more snacks of fruit and cheese.

Bill asked me several times if this was boring.  Heck, no!  This was perfect.  Everything in moderation - and I mean everything!  Togetherness, sunshine, cocktails, eating out, structure, plans, and even seafood!

We had a wonderful week.  The weather was phenomenal.  Much better than we anticipated.  There were walks on the beach, hours at the pool, some eating out, even more eating in, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for our special occasion night out, sunrises and sunsets, cocktails by the pool, more bottles of water, taking advantage of recommendations and finding our own favorites too.

Somehow we all found time together and apart.  Ellie spent more time in her room by herself than ever before.  Bill and I spent time each morning on the deck watching the water with our coffee.  The two of them went to the pool each morning while I did my 3-mile walk on the beach solo.  It was a variety of activities with a rhythm only we seemed to understand.

We bring back to our reality - wonderful memories, sunburns, shells and sand, a renewed sense of one another and of a family as well as the adventure of a new place we look forward to visiting again and again!

It's almost time ...

When it is time to celebrate, there is really no stopping us!  We're nearly ready to pack the car and get on with this Spring Break to Florida!  We've made lists, made reservations and now it's time to make it happen.

We won't have many pictures posted until our return.  Yet know we are relaxing and enjoying ourselves while looking at the water in Destin!