I slept in until 7:00am, uninterrupted by my boys. (I had given clear instructions the night before.) I finished some light reading, enjoyed sweet (though forced) snuggles with my boys, turned on some Christmas music (which was soon replaced by the Zac Brown Band), and made bacon, homemade waffles, and herbal tea.
I love these kind of mornings. I love sweet, slow mornings without the rush of school days. I love having my boys around (though I also love when they go outside for a bit and run off some of their energy). I have been looking forward to this first day of vacation since the beginning of December. The majority of my Christmas concerts and other obligations are almost over. By Monday I will be able to fully enjoy my favorite moments of Christmas--fun time with my boys looking at Christmas lights, playing games, baking, and squeezing in all the favorite traditions that we can.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Perfect Moments
Last night in a quiet moment before sleep, I lay snuggled against my husband--my leg over his, my hand on his chest, my head resting on his shoulder, his face touching mine. I felt his closeness and breathed him in. I find it strange how deeply his smell touches me. I can't relate it to anything recognizable. I just know that when my face is pressed against him I inhale safety, warmth, comfort, and love.
And then the strangest thing happened. In that moment of perfect contentment, I realized how much I would miss him, his smell, his comfort when he is gone. I have no reason to think that I will lose my husband any time soon. But I have often felt that I will live longer than he will. And last night I recognized how much I would miss him. It struck me so hard that it brought tears to my eyes.
(And now I pray that this was not a premonition. I hope that it was not preparing me for any near tragedy, but merely an opportunity for me to cherish these moments and not take him for granted.)
And then the strangest thing happened. In that moment of perfect contentment, I realized how much I would miss him, his smell, his comfort when he is gone. I have no reason to think that I will lose my husband any time soon. But I have often felt that I will live longer than he will. And last night I recognized how much I would miss him. It struck me so hard that it brought tears to my eyes.
(And now I pray that this was not a premonition. I hope that it was not preparing me for any near tragedy, but merely an opportunity for me to cherish these moments and not take him for granted.)
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Happy Birthday to Me
When you become an adult, birthdays all run together. This year my birthday was an especially good one, and I want to remember it. Despite the fact that the majority of my family did not acknowledge my birthday on the actual day (my mom called me a day later, one brother emailed me a day later, and one sister called two days later), or the fact that my best friend completely forgot (it wasn't until she happened to come over the next day and saw birthday cards on my counter that she figured it out), or the fact that my husband didn't give me anything (card or gift)--these things did not affect the positive feeling I had all day long.
The day got started right. When Brett heard me stirring in the morning, he sweetly wished me a happy birthday. To which I replied, "Rabbit rabbit." (When I was in second grade my teacher told us that if we remembered to say "Rabbit rabbit" before saying anything else on the first day of the month we would have good luck for the rest of the month. She always made a big deal of it and it stuck.) Yeah for good luck!
I got up and noticed more doors closed than usual. When I started down the hall, the boys heard me and started yelling, "Mom! Don't come in!" They emerged a short time later with homemade cards and thoughtful comments. Everyone was cheerful as we got ready for school, and Ryan even made me Morning Orange Drink.
I took Copper for a nice walk and got ready for the day. I had made arrangements to have lunch with two friends from church (before they knew it was my birthday).
After a very nice lunch I went to Walmart. I ran into an old friend and talked with him for almost an hour. I also saw three friends from church, including one who immediately came up to me and wished me a happy birthday.
I cam home and found a card and rose from my mother-in-law. I went to my own small garden and picked my first cherry tomato of the year as well as a beautiful stalk of pink gladiolas to put in my kitchen window. Then I made myself a Coca-Cola cake from a recipe that I found on Pinterest. It looked so good I couldn't wait to try it out.
Brett and I had made plans to have an early dinner. He made me fresh (caught the day before) blackened amberjack. I made two easy sides. Dinner was done and cleaned up quickly. We were on the boat by 5:30pm, just as the rain stopped, and spent the rest of the evening water skiing. We came home, cleaned up, and ate cake (delicious!).
The boys were in bed fairly early. A friend stopped by with a small gift. And Brett and I were able to sit down and watch two episodes of Castle together.
That was it. Nothing very exciting. But my family was cheerful, kind, and loving all day; and I was happy all day long, from start to finish. In the end, that is what set this birthday apart as one of the best.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Superpowers
I have been enjoying listening to podcasts lately, including "This American Life," an hour-long podcast which is broken up into "acts". Each act is focused on a common theme, but tells a different story or perspective.
Yesterday, I listened to an episode in which each act focused on superheroes or superpowers. Here is the description of Act 1 "Invisible Man vs. Hawkman: "John Hodgman conducts an informal survey in which he asks the age-old question: Which is better: The power of flight or the power of invisibility? He finds that how you answer tells a lot about what kind of person you are. And also, no matter which power people choose, they never use it to fight crime. (14 minutes)"
As I listened to the survey and the responses, I found myself asking the same question. Which superpower would I choose?
I've never had a desire to have a superpower. Though, when I was younger, I used to wrinkle up my nose and wish that I could make my bedroom magically clean itself--the way Samantha could on the television series "Bewitched"--never actually believing that it would work.
However, I have had many dreams over the years when I "fly". I never fly in the way that Superman does. The best way to describe it is like swimming in the air. I jump up, and instead of falling down I keep gliding for a while, using my arms to propel me forward. After about the time that I would have run out of air if I had been swimming, I gentle glide back to the ground. Then I can jump back up and start gliding, swim-flying through the air again. These dreams are never very exciting, but the movement always feels peaceful and natural.
So, which superpower would I choose? Flying. It would be exciting to have a birds-eye view whenever I wished. And think of all the traveling I could do!
Then the interviewer started asking whether we would use our superpower for good. After all, that is what superheroes do--use their powers to fight crime. I felt selfish then, never thinking of helping others. Could I do amazing things with the power of flight even if I didn't have extra strength? I decided that I would use my ability to fly to rescue children in abusive situations. Perhaps I would get involved in an organization like Operation Underground Railroad. I liked the idea of flying scared and hurting children out of the bad and offering them some kind of comfort.
I found this survey so interesting I brought it up with Ryan this morning before school. Which superpower would he choose? "Easy. Invisibility." Why? "Because then I could hide from people." He could also sneak snacks while I taught piano lessons and stay home from school. I look forward to asking Todd about his superpower preference.
I recognize that this survey was done for entertainment and without any official research to back it up. However, the discussion made me think (and that's always a good thing). The host concluded that people who chose flight were more confident. Often those who chose invisibility felt they had something to hide and were more likely to use their superpower for questionable activities (Sorry, Ryan!). I appreciated the comments of one man who, as he talked out his answer, recognized that for him invisibility would "lead him down a dark path." And for that reason, he changed his answer to flight.
I often wish, after listening to a podcast that I find interesting, that I could find someone else who enjoyed listening to and talking about the same things. I like having the back-and-forth dialogue. You never know where the conversation is going to go, and when done with the right person, the exchange can be uplifting and encouraging. On that note, I welcome your thoughts. What superpower would you choose?
P.S. Todd's great response: "I Flight, I guess. I don't know. Neither. I'm fine the way I am." Love this!
Anne's inspiring response (keep in mind that I only gave her the question, not the discussion that came after): Right away, Anne chose invisibility. She went on to describe how she would use this power for good. She explained that she wouldn't choose flight, because without extra strength she didn't feel she would be able to accomplish very much good. With invisibility she could act as a spy and expose corruption. I'm proud to say that my best friend has the heart of a superhero!
Yesterday, I listened to an episode in which each act focused on superheroes or superpowers. Here is the description of Act 1 "Invisible Man vs. Hawkman: "John Hodgman conducts an informal survey in which he asks the age-old question: Which is better: The power of flight or the power of invisibility? He finds that how you answer tells a lot about what kind of person you are. And also, no matter which power people choose, they never use it to fight crime. (14 minutes)"
As I listened to the survey and the responses, I found myself asking the same question. Which superpower would I choose?
I've never had a desire to have a superpower. Though, when I was younger, I used to wrinkle up my nose and wish that I could make my bedroom magically clean itself--the way Samantha could on the television series "Bewitched"--never actually believing that it would work.
However, I have had many dreams over the years when I "fly". I never fly in the way that Superman does. The best way to describe it is like swimming in the air. I jump up, and instead of falling down I keep gliding for a while, using my arms to propel me forward. After about the time that I would have run out of air if I had been swimming, I gentle glide back to the ground. Then I can jump back up and start gliding, swim-flying through the air again. These dreams are never very exciting, but the movement always feels peaceful and natural.
So, which superpower would I choose? Flying. It would be exciting to have a birds-eye view whenever I wished. And think of all the traveling I could do!
Then the interviewer started asking whether we would use our superpower for good. After all, that is what superheroes do--use their powers to fight crime. I felt selfish then, never thinking of helping others. Could I do amazing things with the power of flight even if I didn't have extra strength? I decided that I would use my ability to fly to rescue children in abusive situations. Perhaps I would get involved in an organization like Operation Underground Railroad. I liked the idea of flying scared and hurting children out of the bad and offering them some kind of comfort.
I found this survey so interesting I brought it up with Ryan this morning before school. Which superpower would he choose? "Easy. Invisibility." Why? "Because then I could hide from people." He could also sneak snacks while I taught piano lessons and stay home from school. I look forward to asking Todd about his superpower preference.
I recognize that this survey was done for entertainment and without any official research to back it up. However, the discussion made me think (and that's always a good thing). The host concluded that people who chose flight were more confident. Often those who chose invisibility felt they had something to hide and were more likely to use their superpower for questionable activities (Sorry, Ryan!). I appreciated the comments of one man who, as he talked out his answer, recognized that for him invisibility would "lead him down a dark path." And for that reason, he changed his answer to flight.
I often wish, after listening to a podcast that I find interesting, that I could find someone else who enjoyed listening to and talking about the same things. I like having the back-and-forth dialogue. You never know where the conversation is going to go, and when done with the right person, the exchange can be uplifting and encouraging. On that note, I welcome your thoughts. What superpower would you choose?
P.S. Todd's great response: "I Flight, I guess. I don't know. Neither. I'm fine the way I am." Love this!
Anne's inspiring response (keep in mind that I only gave her the question, not the discussion that came after): Right away, Anne chose invisibility. She went on to describe how she would use this power for good. She explained that she wouldn't choose flight, because without extra strength she didn't feel she would be able to accomplish very much good. With invisibility she could act as a spy and expose corruption. I'm proud to say that my best friend has the heart of a superhero!
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
Curiosity
I was recently exposed to a new children's author, Oliver Jeffers. The boys and I have really enjoyed reading his books together. I enjoy his stories and art. I came across an interview he did and found this quote interesting:
Telling Stories and Asking Questions by Oliver Jeffers, published on 11/9/2013 HuffingtonPost
"I'm a curious person. I grew up that way. An important lesson my dad taught me was that the surest sign of intelligence in an individual, is curiosity, and that 'why' is the most important word in the English language."
Before we were married, I used to think that I was a smart girl, because I did well in school. (On the flip side, Brett didn't make straight A's--you can guess what I thought about his intelligence.) The longer I am married to Brett the more I am impressed with him, and the more I realize how very wrong I was. I regularly reflect on my husband's intelligence and his ability to do anything he set his mind to (except maybe sing...).
I think it all goes back to curiosity. I see how my husband is wired to wonder how things work. Then he figures it out and applies his knowledge. His hobbies are quite varied and self-taught.
It thrills me to see a little of this same curiosity in my son, Ryan. His hands are always busy, and he asks a lot of "why" questions, which I often deflect to my husband. Unfortunately, his schoolwork also resembles his dad's. I am afraid it will require great patience on my part dealing with his approach to school and homework. I hope that I can keep in mind the great things his father has done and look forward to what Ryan has to offer.
(Don't worry, Todd. You and I are both smart in our own ways, even if we don't have that natural curiosity.)
Telling Stories and Asking Questions by Oliver Jeffers, published on 11/9/2013 HuffingtonPost
"I'm a curious person. I grew up that way. An important lesson my dad taught me was that the surest sign of intelligence in an individual, is curiosity, and that 'why' is the most important word in the English language."
Before we were married, I used to think that I was a smart girl, because I did well in school. (On the flip side, Brett didn't make straight A's--you can guess what I thought about his intelligence.) The longer I am married to Brett the more I am impressed with him, and the more I realize how very wrong I was. I regularly reflect on my husband's intelligence and his ability to do anything he set his mind to (except maybe sing...).
I think it all goes back to curiosity. I see how my husband is wired to wonder how things work. Then he figures it out and applies his knowledge. His hobbies are quite varied and self-taught.
It thrills me to see a little of this same curiosity in my son, Ryan. His hands are always busy, and he asks a lot of "why" questions, which I often deflect to my husband. Unfortunately, his schoolwork also resembles his dad's. I am afraid it will require great patience on my part dealing with his approach to school and homework. I hope that I can keep in mind the great things his father has done and look forward to what Ryan has to offer.
(Don't worry, Todd. You and I are both smart in our own ways, even if we don't have that natural curiosity.)
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