Austin Field Trip

This is the WHOLE 4th grade from Whitt at the Capitol Building in Austin!

Aubrie and Ellie on the bus ready to have some fun!

Capitol shot in the misty rain as we began our day!

Rain has cleared and we're between Capital Building and lunch before the museum.

May 17 - Wonder

Today I will be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.

When I wonder, I remain still and open to the possibility.  That will help today as I'm chaperoning Ellie's 4th grade field trip to Austin!

I'll have 10 4th graders all wearing the same color t-shirt as me.  That means I'm responsible for them.  Hmmm, I wonder how that will go?

Well, we'll have 4 hours either way on the bus, and I can't lose them on the bus, can I?  Of course not!  And then there's the state capitol, walking to the park for lunch and then on to the museum!

Oh the fun we'll have today - wandering and wondering!

Having fun!

Here's a shot of Ellie and I during Muffins with Mom last week. What a cute shot that the mom across the lunch (breakfast) table from us took.  She had four kids with her - twin boys in 4th grade - Parker and Reilly, Landon is 4 and a beautiful little girl named Alyssa who looked like she was just over a year old.  Gorgeous, polite children that were so happy to be eating their breakfast together.

We're counting down the days left to elementary school.  Hard to believe that this gorgeous girl pictured with me above will be in middle school in a few months.

A wise parent once told me, 'the days may seem to pass slowly, but the years fly by!"  And I can attest to that.

Field Day

When I was in elementary school we called it Blue and White Day.  And I still have visions of Billy Yeager and I running the three-legged race and being called King and Queen of the grade.  Fast forward forty-something years later.  Billy (now Bill) and his wife, Shannon have a 10-year old son, Gavin and he's the spitting image of his dad at his age.  And Ellie is participating in her own Field Day at Whitt.

Here she's pictured with Mrs. Freeman and several of her friends as they ready themselves for all the events!  Ellie ran in both the 50 meter and the 100 meter dash.

She finished first in both races!

I know!  Our little girl who said she doesn't like to run!  Well, look what happens when you want to win.

Cannot wait to see those finisher ribbons!  They will arrive after the school field trip this week.

May 16 - Believe

Sometimes you just have to believe.  Above all else.  That you'll be able to accept what you're shown, what you've given, what you hear and what it is.

Believe in the best.  Believe in others.  Believe in yourself.

Believe that you'll be given the strength to handle the reality of the situation.

Days are sometimes hard.  Long, tiring, and full of challenge.  And if you chose to believe those are put in front of you to remind you of your strength, courage and perseverance - you'll believe in the outcome.

Believing is letting go.  Letting the universe, God and nature take it's course.  Believing in the outcome without controlling it can be a challenge - and yet that's the beauty of this entire journey.

Today I believe that what's meant to be will happen.

May 15 - Trust

Trust.

A small, yet powerful word.

We trust ourselves.  We trust one another.  We trust that all will turn out alright.

These next weeks are full of so many plans, hopes, wishes, huge efforts, and extreme vulnerability.

Yes, we have our trip involving so many moving parts - with Ellie staying in New York as we fly to Europe.  That in and of itself should be enough  to think about and trust all will be alright.

And yet, there are several other things over the next few weeks that I focus on trusting the outcome will bring joy, health and good fortune as well.

A friend prepares for an interview.  One that has quite a bit riding on it's success.  A leap of faith.  Believing and trusting the process that a positive outcome will be achieved.

Another undergoes treatment for an illness that could bring great relief.  More prayers, faith and hope for a healthy recovery.  And that long sought relief and health restored in the process.

I trust that as all of this unfolds that there will be joy, laughter, celebration and gratitude!  And even if there are bumps in the road, I trust I'll know how to handle those as well.

Saturday's Adventure

Today Ellie wanted sushi for lunch.  In fact, she knew where she wanted to go, without ever having been there before.  She's just that good.

She told Bill she wanted to go to Tokyo Joe's for lunch to have sushi.  He asked her where that was and she said, 'don't you remember it's next to Torchey's Tacos?"  Which is near work, not near our house.  So off we went.

We enjoyed our new sushi place - which was quiet and featured lots of 80's music.  A strange combination, but the sushi was great!  And you can see it made Ellie pretty happy.

And that's a good adventure if you ask me!

May 14 - Adventure

Today is about adventure.

Adventures begin in your mind.  And then you might make a move in order to get there.  We used to call every weekend an adventure when we first moved.  And when I say first moved, I mean moved from New York.  That's just about 7 years ago.  Hard to believe some days.

Each weekend we'd set out to find something new to discover.  It was an adventure.  Ellie was 3 years old at the time.  It didn't matter if it was a farm stand, a furniture store or a new dry cleaner to her.  IT was new and exciting - and we were doing it together for the first time.

She and I will have our own adventure this coming week when we take a school field trip to the state capital of Austin, TX!

Until then, today we'll see what we can find ....

May 13 - Curious

Curious.

Interested.

Open.

Curious is one of those words that allows possibilities to come out.  Less driven, more choices.  And when we allow all those things to come forward, we relax and enjoy what happens.

Having a plan is great.  Most of the time.  And yet there are times that we must remain open and curious to what is possible.

I've learned in my coaching at work that the best place to approach things is to be curious.  It allows for questions and discussion and clarity.  Which is often necessary, even when we believe we know the answers.  And the times that remaining curious allows something else to unfold is wonderful.

That is true in life.  If we have everything all mapped out, we are sure to be disappointed at some point along the way.  It leads to expectations and accountability.

Curious leads to discovery.

Today I will discover new things, new ideas and new paths.

May 12 - Prayer

Sometimes all you can do is pray.

Prayer is defined as a request for help or an expression of thanks.  Sometimes they are one in the same.  And often my prayer is just to guide me through what's to come.  Stressful times, important meetings, travel, events, and most often for people.

There's someone important to me who is challenged by a health issue and during our last phone call he said, just send me good thoughts.  And to me that's a prayer.  A prayer of health, of peace and of acceptance to what's been given to us.

Today's word is prayer to remind me that this is not in our hands, but in God's.  And  he never gives us more than we can handle.

My prayer today is for strength and kindness.  For my friend.  To endure what he's been dealt.

Sending good thoughts and enduring prayers of thanks.

Amen.

May 11 - Present

Present.

That was much of the subject of Liz Gilbert's talk last evening.  How can you enjoy what you have now, if you're not enjoying it while it's happening?

Makes sense, right?

How do we ensure we really are enjoying the people we are with, the experience we are having and the surroundings we're in unless we recognize them, and appreciate them while we're in them.

It's not about creating memories just so you can look back.  It's about enjoying the sights, sounds, people, feelings of everything that we have - while we're having them.

Present.

Be present, in the present.  Because that's the gift!

May 10 - Bold

Today I see Liz Gilbert.  It was one of the courageous things I'm doing this month to honor my birthday.  When I saw she was going to be in Dallas, I knew I was going to be in the audience.  And then I began to think about how to make that happen.

Should I put it out there to all my Dallas friends that I was planning a night out to go see Liz speak?  Or should I find someone I knew who loved her and couldn't say no to a night out?

To take bold action.

Bold is defined as ability to take courageous and daring action to achieve results.

And then it came to me.  The night we were at Jeanine and Michael's with Ellie in the pool.  As the guys talked work on the other side of the pool, Jeanine and I chatted about family, free time and how we were glad we were both living in the same place again - 6 years after we first met in Charlottesville.

When the conversation turned to my birthday and where the four of us could go for dinner to celebrate on weekend in May, I asked her if she was interested in going with me.  She didn't know much about Liz Gilbert, other than hearing of Eat, Pray, Love - but she was game.  A bold move was made!

May 9 - Faith

Sometimes you hold on because you have faith.  Sometimes you have faith because of the times you've held on.  Having faith takes a commitment.  To knowing that what is meant to be, will happen.   And sometimes we're disappointed.  Yet we know that we have faith that this was meant to be.

Funny how that works isn't it?

Right now I have faith.  Faith that the right decision will be made by those with the decision to make.  And faith in the person with whom the decision will be made for.

Faith takes years of believing.  Faith in things well out of our control.  Faith in things we can't see or touch.  Faith in people, faith in decisions, faith in organizations that we're a part of.

So I'll say a prayer.  Close my eyes.  Believe in the intended outcome.  And know that in the end the only thing I can do is have faith.

May 8th - Family

Today is Mother's Day.  And that's all about family.  Family that raised you, and family that you created.  We spent the day grateful for the sacrifices and love that the mothers around the world made and showed us.

Family is also the friends you were born to connect with along the way.  Those are the ones that we choose to be by our side - through it all.

In our case, living in Virginia, Illinois and now Texas we've created a family for ourselves in each location.  Those are the ones you celebrate with and you lean on.  The ones that you call when you have to share and also when you need a hand.

Family takes on many different forms.  And in the end, does it really matter?  We're here for one another through the good and the not so good.  And when it's not so good, these are the ones that make it better!

So glad for my family, and for the ones I choose to be my 'family'.

Saturday in May

Today was a gorgeous, sunny day in Dallas.  So we decided to get out and get in that sunshine before more severe storms find their way to us tomorrow and Monday.  There was a classic car show at the Sachse High School so we went for a walk through the cars.  Although I liked the classic Mustangs and Bill liked the Corvettes, Ellie reserved the right to pick this '57 Thunderbird as her favorite!

It almost looks like we must be near the ocean wit the breeze, the sunshine and the convertibles!  We had fun finding the Schuler's there too.  Jamy was displaying his new shiny red Corvette too!  So we spent time with Dawn, Robin and Lincoln while the guys talked cars.

And this afternoon we prepared for the Derby.  We had tried to invite friends, Charlie and Abby over for some Derby celebration, but they had tickets to the Paul Simon concert to we decided just to go it alone.  Some snacks and these Mint Julips were the way we celebrated today!

May 7 - Beauty

Look for the beauty everywhere.

Almost like a gratitude practice.  Perhaps where we look, we will find.  Beauty is likely pretty closely connected to abundance.  Beauty is different for each one of us.  And that's the awesome thing about it - the differences are what make us who we are!

Today I will look for beauty.  And beauty is what I will find!

May 6 - Grace

Today the word I chose didn't come so easily.

I had to deliver disappointing news to someone last evening.  And it hurt me more to deliver than for the receiver to hear.  Having been disappointed by not being chosen for a job is a place I've been before.  Several times.  But that doesn't make it easier to hear on the other end.

I had secretly hoped today's word would be celebration.  In anticipation of this good news.  But it wasn't good news.  It was disappointing.  For both of us.

And yet the sun still came up today.  The rest of the world carried on as though nothing had happened.

In that moment of realization I knew today's word would be grace.

Not giving up, not giving in.  Not even hoping for a different decision, regretting an action or outcome.

Just grace.

We often hear great leaders say that they have been given grace at times.  Encourage us to give others grace.

So today I choose grace.  In my words.  In my actions.  In my thoughts.

May 5 - Listen

I'll bet you think this one the oddest of all, right?

Listen?  Really, listen?

Yes, listen.

And I did.  It worked all day long.  I didn't look to respond.   I looked to listen.  To understand what was being said.  What was being done.  Listen.

It reminded me all day long to stop formulating a response.  But to listen.  Pause.  Listen.

Wow, it has to have been the most powerful of all my choices so far.

And now what could I possibly choose moving forward to have as much impact?  I'm not sure.  But tomorrow I will.

Just listen.

May 4 - Breathe

Breathe.

Such a peaceful word, don't you think?

That post it note on my computer got a lot of play today.  Several people noticed it.  Wondered if I'd forgotten to breathe and needed a reminder.

It was a wonderful reminder.  Although I hadn't forgotten.  Not once.

Even when I wasn't sitting at my desk I still was reminded of my word.  Breathe.  And I did.

Breathe in.  Breathe out.

And it actually made me smile each time I thought, 'breathe.'  The word wasn't smile, it was breathe.  Why did it make my smile.  Because it reminded me what mattered.  Catch my breathe.  Pause.  Just do the ordinary.  Breathe.

And it felt wonderful!

May 3 - Magic

Today's word is magic.  And it reminded me to look for all the magic in the everyday, the mundane, the rhythm of life.

I found birds singing.  I found people laughing.  I found one person helping another.

The magic really is in the normal existence of human beings.  It's not about rabbits being pulled from a hat.  It really isn't that complex.  But you have to look for it.

It's a helping hand.
It's an item that you've been looking for, suddenly found.
It's things that happen in exactly the right time.
It's a phone call from a friend.
It's a smile and shared laughter from someone that means a lot.

It's magic in the everyday that matters most to me.

May 2 - Abundance

I often tell Bill, 'we live in a place of abundance,' as I believe it's a state of mind not a place.  It is defined as 'plentiful.'  I like to think about it as having enough.  Doesn't mean a lot, doesn't mean a little.  To me it means enough.

The work abundance chosen for May 2 on my journey to my birthday was about reminding myself how grateful I am for all that I have - family, friends, career, safety, opportunity, and enough.  Just having that word as the one I chose to remember made me feel as though I had more.  More than what, I'm not really sure.  But for certain it was enough!

May 1st - Joy

I decided on my journey to my birthday this year, and in anticipation of celebrating a milestone, I'd choose a word each day and live it.

Today I choose JOY.

I practice on the drive to work what the word will mean during my day.  I put a post-it on my computer to remind myself.  And then I dive in.

May 1st was joy.  It just came to me, I didn't make a list or practice ahead of time.  I just decided in the morning that joy it is.  What a happy word to start my birthday month.  And all the things to come that will mark this momentous occasion!

Joy = a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  Love it!

First Swim of the Season

On Saturday we went to Jeanine and Michael's house in McKinney for a cocktail and a swim before we all went to dinner at Liberty Burger for dinner.  Ellie enjoyed the pool for quite a while - and you'll see she had so much fun!

Hard at work

For a project this week Ellie made two different Coke Cupcake recipes.  She makes about 4 dozen of them - we froze them until Friday morning until they were frosted!

New neighbors

You can see from this picture that we have a couple of new neighbors that have chosen to build a home nearby.  So close that they are literally at our front door!

Mourning doves!

Comes the Dawn

After awhile you learn ... is the first line of a poem I have loved for several decades.

Joe Maddon likes to remind us that he believes in the power of 24 hours.  I, too, believe that things always look better, clearer, calmer when the sun comes up the next day.

Here's a great shot out our backdoor of the sunrise.

Here's to another new beginning.  A new day.  Another twenty-four hours!

Morning Inspiration

Ellie left this for me next to morning coffee one morning this week.  She said when she saw it, she thought of me.  So instead of saying it, she cut it out so I could save it and remind myself of it.

She's incredibly thoughtful, kind, generous and SO WICKED SMART!

Big Week

It was a big week for Jake Arrieta.  A no-hitter, increased to 5-0 and NL Player of the week.  You may recall I've been following  him since last season when he had his first no-hitter.  His story was featured in the baseball pre-season Sports Illustrated issue.

He's a survivor.  He's not a quitter.  He works really hard and believes in himself.

And he credits pilates with his physical condition.

I love him for so many reasons. :-)

All-District Choir

My girl is a singer.  And a good one at that.

She loves to sing .. in the car, in the shower, in the house, outside the house, at school, when not at school.  Well, you get the picture.  She sure does love to sing!

She was selected as one of 14 in the entire elementary school to participate in All-District Choir.  She went through months of preparation, spent countless hours with Mrs. Soudress - an amazing, musical angel who inspires all these students ... and then Ellie was recognized for her participation and selection into this choir.

She sure wears a proud smile on her face!  And continues to carry a song in her heart!

Burgers!

Me and my girl at HopDoddy getting a burger!

That's the burger!

Yes, we still get our burgers.  But it feels like less often than we used to - that's for sure.  We've had our share of BBQ and of Tacos lately - so it was certainly a treat to go to Addison for a burger at HopDoddy!

Last Soccer Saturday

Ellie has made many friends over the past two years playing soccer for the Pink Sprinkles.  Here she sits with Katie, after their game was complete watching Katie's 4-year old sister, Sarah play soccer on her team.  Oh those adorable little girls running after the ball.

Today was harder than some games.  

We played the team we asked Ellie to be traded from a year and a half ago.  We didn't like the aggressive tendency of the coach, and how his teenaged sons made fun of the girls as they helped lead practice.  Ellie sensed it and said she didn't want to play soccer again, and I didn't like the vibe any more than she did.

So for the first time ever, I called the league and asked her to be traded.  And we moved from the Mighty Cupcakes team to the Pink Sprinkles.  We always considered that a step up, from the cake to the sprinkles on top!

We love our current team.  The girls are great - they work together, cheer each other on and care about one another.  And it should come as no surprise that we love the parents and Coach Mario too.  We optimize what a soccer family would look like.  Ellie is such good friends with so many of her teammates and that has made us happy.

Today we experienced a very rough game, coached by a very aggressive coach.  Ellie didn't get hurt, but she saw some of her teammates go down after being pushed or elbowed and that upset her.  At halftime she uncharacteristically came over to my chair and sat on my lap.  She cried a few tears and said they were mean.  

I reminded her how brave and strong she was.  And how her courage to play and finish strong would help support her teammates.  I encouraged her to keep playing her game, and not fall into the trap that the other team tried to set - of aggression and roughness.

The Pink Sprinkles lost.  4-1.  

But in the end they played tough, the girls kept one another strong.

And kept the parents so, so proud!

Jackie Robinson Day

What a wonderful quote, to remember a man who made baseball better.  Jackie Robinson #42 will live forever in our hearts, and on the field!

Hail, oh hail

close up of the hail outside the garage door

hail in the flower beds

We had another hail storm on the night we were at the claims adjuster finding out the estimate to repair our vehicles.  We drove home in it - separately of course because both cars needed to  be assessed for damage at the same time!

And we survived.

Another storm.  To see another day of Texas spring weather!  We didn't have any more damage to our house or to the cars.  Yet, many of our friends and neighbors cannot say the same thing.  This storm was more severe to them.  Causing broken windows, holes in roofs and damage to floors, furniture and carpet.

And we survived.  Everyone did.

And we were grateful.  That we were together.  And dry.  With no holes in our roof.

And then the rainbow came out.

Grateful once more.

Opening Day of Baseball 2016

As tradition would have it, we celebrated on Sunday of Opening Weekend even though the Yankees don't play until 12noon tomorrow!  We each had new t-shirts, Ball Park franks for dinner - complete with Cracker Jacks and apple pie!  Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and ..... OPENING DAY of BASEBALL!

Landscaping Nearly Complete!

BEFORE - Front of the house

AFTER - Front of the house 

A couple months ago a couple from south of Dallas moved to our neighborhood, directly across the street from us.  Jim and Frances have taken to making some improvements, and they began with their front yard.  I loved what they did with the stones and plant beds, so this inspired us to find a landscaper to do the same for our front yard!

You will see the difference in the front of the house be just doing the stones and mulch.  Really frames up the front yard nicely!

And we didn't stop there ...

BEFORE - tree in front of the house

AFTER - tree in front of the house

This shot with the tree close up really shows the difference in how the yard looks.  We just love to drive up to the house now to enjoy the view!  We'll save the flowers for the front door.  There are pots and plant stand from the fall that we'll turn into a spring display soon!

BEFORE - Backyard tree on the right side

AFTER - backyard tree on the right side

And while we were at it, we had them edge and mulch the two trees in the backyard as well.  It's our view from the kitchen and family room, so we might as well have it improved as well!  In fact the electrician is going to install outdoor ceiling fans on the patio so that we'll be able to enjoy that space, so this view really motivates us to get that done soon too!