Sharing Our Memories

If you've talked to me today, you know that the weekend events have left me mentally exhausted.  Not that that's overly hard to accomplish, but I'm really worn out none the less.  I did make it through Zumba and a little work though.  Obviously, I was working on banquet photos when I ran across a few gems that I thought I would share.  There are a couple of funnier shots, but H would probably ask to be emancipated if I posted them. 

Anyway, hope you enjoy them.  And I'm sure that I'll have more to share soon. 

PS.  Does anyone wonder why we keep getting asked if the boys are twins?

Oh, What a Night

Ah, the day after.  I had a weekend of blogs thought out in my head knowing that the chaotic weekend may not leave a lot of time for creativity.   But when there are so many memorable things that happen in a 24 hour period, I have to ditch the prepared blog and make sure to record the things I don't want to forget.

Here are some of the highlights of the weekend.....H asking if Sharon's feeling better and able to attend the banquet.  They're buds now.  She definitely loves the boys as much as they adore her.  One note, H was referring to Sharon's foot surgery (that she had last February)...yep, she's feeling much better.

W waited until we were at the banquet to ask if we would mind if he wore his superman belt.  So all dressed up in black pants, black shirt, red superman belt with a red tie to match, W looked awesome.  I find it funny that the one who doesn't like to draw attention to himself was the one that picked that outfit. 

Jeff and his "Jeff Probst" outfit was perfect.  So when we asked Jeff to dress the part of the Survivor host, he was more than a little hesitant.  But in all good marriages, compromise is key.  So we all got to enjoy seeing Jeff dressed like he'd just walked out of the outback and he got to ditch the dress clothes for the remainder of the evening.  I'm jealous...I'd have agreed to anything to ditch the heels for even 5 minutes. 

But in a nutshell, the band kids were great, the hotel of cheerleaders were entertainment for all (especially the ones dancing outside the door all night).  I'll remember to request a first floor room next year, carting stuff to the 5th floor at midnight is no fun.  The idol contestants were awesome, the staff had a great time and were kind enough to make me a giant card, signed by the whole staff of CA.  The bottle of champagne was beautiful and the perfect addition to our kitchen butler. 

In closing, only 364 days until the next one.  Guess we should all get to work. 

The Big Day

Today's the day.  We're set, we're ready and we're off!  We all agree, it's the longest day of the year.  A Saturday that starts with an alarm clock, set up, dress up and chaos until midnight.  But it's also the day we look forward to all year.  The day when all of our hard work pays off and everyone has a wonderful time.

Wish us luck!

Banquet Eve

Don't you love those faces?  I think they're the two coolest people on the planet.  But lately, whenever I whip out my camera (in this case, the camera in my phone), these are the faces that I get.  I'm beginning to think that they may be tired of having their picture taken.  Must have had something to do with me saying that it was for the blog.

While they may not be happy about having their picture taken, they were thrilled to be sitting in El Picante.  As most of you know, Maineville is far from a culinary hot spot.  Restaurants without a drive thru are a rarity.  The few restaurants that do venture out here don't normally last very long.  As as matter of fact, El Picante was formally The Blind Moose and Beef O'Brady's before that - and the building is only a few years old.  Anyway, the new Mexican restaurant has been the talk of Maineville for weeks.  It's either the salsa (which is AMAZING) or the fish bowl margaritas. 

Tonight, I enjoyed the salsa.  After the banquet, I'll try the fish bowl margarita.  Anyone want to join me?

When the Teacher Becomes the Student

Time, Choices and Resources.  Based on your education.  H's new life philosophy.  It's pretty impressive for a 16 year old.

Coach Brinkman started the thought process.  He explained to H's class that all things are connected and that all things affect each other.  That got H thinking.  As he explained it to me, your education is your foundation.  From there, you have time, choices and resources.  Your choices determine your resources.  Your resources determine how you will spend your time.  How you spend your time will affect both your resources and your choices. 

He explains it much better than I do.  But if you think about it, he's definitely on to something. Once the weekend is over, I'm going to give a lot of thought to my time, resources and choices.  I'm sure there's a change to make somewhere.

Social Media

Social Media.  A few years ago, there was no such thing.  If you wanted to talk to someone, you picked up a phone.  And the phones had curly cords and a rotary dial.  When I was little, you didn't even get to leave a message...unless a human answered and was willing to write it down.  We used to write letters...now the boys can send mass text messages and communicate with hundreds in less time than it takes me to lick a stamp.  Oh wait, you don't lick stamps anymore.

Some social media facts.....Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the US.  One out of eight couples married in the US met via social media.  If Facebook were a country, it would be the world's 3rd largest.  YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world.  Studies show that Wikipedia is as accurate as Encyclopedia Britannica.  There are over 200,000,000 blogs. 

Scary, isn't it?  So when the boys came to me and asked for Facebook accounts, I was terrified.  But four accounts (one for each of us) and 1266 friend requests later, I've realized what an amazing tool social media is.  Never in my lifetime did I think that I could sit in the living room, laptop in hand and talk to W while he was away.  Never did I think that H could send a message to my phone letting me know he'd arrived at his destination ..... and that my phone would fit in my pocket. 

It'll never be easy having the boys away from home.  Not for a day, a week, a month or a semester.  But knowing that Facebook, IM, text message and Skype will keep us a little closer makes it just a little easier.

Need Some Cache

Here's my confession...this is not a picture I took today.  I did take some, but my Quizno's salad was less interesting than this one.

This is my "Fight Like a Girl" geocaching travel bug.  I was uploading pictures today when I ran across this one.  That's when I realized that I couldn't wait for the weather to break so that Jeff and I could get back outside, hunting down caches.  There's nothing like a warm day and a GPS, searching the area for the little box that contains a log of visitors and the mementos they've left for the next person.  The best part is, most of them are hidden in plain site.  If there is one thing that geocaching has taught me, it's how unobservant most of us are as we go about our lives.  Sometimes, the coolest and most unique items are right under our noses but we're so busy, we miss them.

Anyway, the picture is my travel bug.  We placed two of them last year....H's and mine.  H's has traveled from Cincinnati to Indiana and then back to Cincinnati.  Last check, it had traveled 80 miles.  Mine is the "Fight Like a Girl" travel bug.  We placed it in October to support National Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I placed it about 1/2 mile from our home...and it's currently in Greece, on the way to Norway.  It's traveled a total of 5432 miles.  That's the cool part of geocaching, you never know what you'll find or where what you place will wind up.

Spring, where are you?

A River Runs Through It

Calling all contractors, builders, anyone good with a hammer....or just anyone!  We need an ark! 

Since H and W were off school today for Presidents Day, we had a whole day of errands planned.  A little banquet work, Borders, lunch with Jeff and tie shopping.  Little did we know that we were going to feel like we were being washed away.  By the time we finished banquet work and lunch, we were drenched and cold.  So once the "had to get done" stuff was done, we decided to come home where it was warm and cozy.   

Oh, wait.  Hold off on that ark.  It's supposed to turn to snow in a couple of hours.  Maybe an igloo?

Super Sunday

She looks like a sad dog, doesn't she?  Let me assure you, she is not sad.  Willow is enjoying the nice, quiet relaxing day we've had today.  As I write this, Jeff and I are still in our pj's.  Banquet work is done, we watched the Daytona 500, got in a couple of TV shows and a little bit of reading and surfing.  The house smelled of homemade split pea soup, fresh laundry and a cracking fire.  I'm pretty sure that life doesn't get much better than this.  Willow thinks so too.

To the Moon

I've wanted to take a picture of the moon for some time.  Normally, I'm fast asleep when it reaches the perfect point in the sky to set up my tripod on the deck and shoot away.  Last night (or early this morning, however you choose to look at it) the moon was beautiful and I was still awake.  So out I went, seeking one crisp clear picture of the moon surrounded by darkness.  Here is my work.

The picture reminds me of the boys.  Quite a stretch, one would think.  But when the boys were little, we always played a game.  I'd start with I love you to the moon.  Then they would get creative.  I've been loved to the ends of the universe, the bottom of the ocean, the end of the driveway and "this much".  So when ever I see the moon hanging in the sky, I think of the boys and know that no matter where their lives take them, they'll always know that I love them to the moon and back again. 

Warm Breezes

Oh, how I have appreciated the last three days.  Windows open, playing in the yard with Willow, not shocking everyone in the house.  It's been in the high 60's, sunny and breezy.  The grass is a little greener, the house smells a little fresher and my heart is a little warmer.  Not much longer and Spring will be knocking at our front door. 

As you can tell, I wasn't the only one enjoying the open windows and warm breezes.

The Masters

Everyone is the Master of something.  W is the video game master.  H is the Master multi-tasker (unless it involves chores).  Jeff is an Excel Master and the master of lots of other things.  I am the Master of panicking 8 days before the banquet. 

After yet another long day of banquet work, this is one of the almost complete centerpieces for The Masters golf tables.  One more thing down, a million more to go.  Once the banquet is over, I plan on mastering rest and sleep....at least for a couple of days.

My Wish for You

I remember being a child and begging to pull the wishbone.  With three of us, we had to take turns every year.  So some years, I was left without a wish.  Fortunately, that's where shooting stars, eye lashes and birthday candles came in handy. 

As you can tell, we've been a little busy.  Jeff carefully carved out the wishbone on Thanksgiving, it's been sitting on the window sill ever since.  So this morning, when H found it on the craft room floor (thanks to Fancy), they decided to pull it before school.  They both made a wish and H walked away with the larger piece. Then they left for school.  Throughout the day, I've wondered what their wishes were.  What do you wish for as a 14 and 16 year old boy...do I even want to know? 

I'll probably never know.  But I do know what I would wish for today.  My wish is for them to live the happiest of lives.  That they wake up every morning and go to bed every night knowing that they are the most loved people on the planet.  I'd wish for them that when they grow up, they fall in love with their best friend, have a home full of love and laughter and never take life to seriously.  It's too short for that.  I'd wish them the moon and the stars...and the courage to reach for both.  But mostly, I'd wish that they find their hearts calling and follow it until they make their own happiness.

They probably wished for gas money and a new video game :)

Looking Good

Diets and cookie bars, not the best combination.  I'm not dieting, just cutting out all the sweets and replacing them with Zumba and hopefully a 5k in the summer.  So when the after-prom committee needed volunteers to bake for the Quarter Auction, I tried to lay low.  Obviously, that didn't work.  Since I don't bake much, I called the master...Michele gave me a recipe for these little pieces of heaven.  I know this because one stuck to the pan and I couldn't give the after-prom people a broken cookie bar...so W, H and I split it.  Oh well, I'll dance a little harder tomorrow.

I Love You Everyday

Happy Valentines Day!

When the boys were little, Valentines Day was quite a holiday.  Days of preparing cartoon valentines, sugar filled treats and picking the perfect red shirt for the day.  My, how times have changed.  This morning, H gave me a kiss on the cheek and a quick valentine greeting on his was out the door.  W mumbled a very quiet, tired version of Happy Valentines Day as he was leaving for the bus.  H is still at work, W has left for his man cave and Jeff and I are editing banquet video tape.  Sounds like a great holiday, huh?

The thing is, we love each other every day.  No holiday necessary.  Every phone call ends with love you.  It's the first thing we say to the boys in the morning and the last thing we say before bed every night.  Valentines Day is for those that haven't sat on the bathroom floor when their child or spouse has the flu.  That's love.  No card or flowers necessary.

Comfy Pants

"Mom, are we going anywhere tonight?"  I hear that question every day after school.  I mean, right after school, while the bus is still pulling away from the drive.  On the weekends, it's asked a little sooner, like as soon as W rolls out of bed. 

If the answer to the above question is no (which it normally is), the transformation occurs.  You see, W loves his comfy pants and slippers.  He would wear them to school, Kroger, dates and his wedding if no one minded.  Before Christmas, he was wearing ones that he'd long outgrown.  Apparently, they're still "comfy" even if they're too short. 

One day, W will be out on his own.  Maybe he'll be a veterinarian, a firefighter, a chef or an executive (for the video game industry)....but whatever he chooses to do, I hope they have casual days. 

Heart of the House

The fridge is the center of our home.  If it isn't on there, we haven't been there or we don't have to do it.  All appointment cards, report cards, phone numbers, chore lists, vacation places and family members are accounted for there.  It's the center of our home.  You can find our project list right under Mickey Mouse.  The chores are under the butterfly and the Ohio State helmet is the home to Jeff's "1st Place, Father of the Year" ribbon.  The post-it notes written by H (and later altered by W) are still stuck to the front, and they're at least 4 years old.

When we went looking for the new fridge, we were dead set on stainless steel.  Until I found out that stainless steel is not magnetic.  I was devastated.  No magnets, no pictures, no voter registration cards, no artwork, report cards, etc.  Thankfully, we found a "faux" version that magnets stick to like glue.  I was thrilled. 

For weeks now, the fridge has been empty.  Not inside, but out.  It was cleared off for the painting project and then it was covered with a thin veil of grime and dust.  Today, it was finally cleaned and the 29 cubic  foot heart of our household is back to normal.  Sticky notes and all.

The Fortune Cookie

Fortune cookies - the highlight of Chinese takeout.  I mean, where else can you get beef and broccoli with a side of puppies and rainbows.  "Sing and rejoice, fortune is smiling on you."  "Everything will come your way now."  "Here's your lucky numbers."

After making fun of happy go lucky fortunes, I realized that the Chinese food industry would be out of business if they filled fortune cookies with real life.  Who wants to open a cookie that reads "Sing and rejoice, but you're still not getting that promotion" or "Everything will come your way, including that train". 

But no matter how lame and generic fortune cookies are, they are still the highlight of our Friday night, kids have plans, day before grocery shopping dinner.  Jeff and I race to open them, thankful for the unrealistic dose of sunshine that we'll find inside.

Shadows or Sunshine?

"You are the only shadow standing in your own sunshine." 

 

It's a great quote, isn't it.  Not something you would expect to hear on Top Chef.  We were catching up on the show tonight and that was the last line of the person who packed their knives and went home.  Sorry, Fabio...I'll miss you!

 

Anyway, this line got me thinking.  Do I stand in my own sunshine?  Do you?  Is it ok to be the shadow sometimes?  I mean, everyone has a bad day, right?  And how long can you be a shadow before you only start to see the dark and no longer see the sunshine? 

 

Funny enough, I had a long phone call this afternoon that raised all of these questions in one way or another.  I didn't have the answers then.  But now, after thinking about it...here are my answers.  You are the only one that can stand in your shadow...but how long you do it is up to you.  Without shadows, we wouldn't appreciate the sunshine, we would take it for granted.  If you can see your shadow, you can acknowledge it, appreciate it for what it is and then move it.  You may have to sit down and take a break to remove your shadow.  But sometimes, you might have to reach for the moon so that your shadow is stretched so thin that you can only see the sunshine.  

 

And if you love someone....tell them when they're a shadow.  Then help them find their sunshine.

 

Chaos

Chaos.  It comes in all forms.  Not all of it is bad, but it's chaos none the less.  Sometimes it's crazy, busy schedules or a lengthy to do list.  Other times, it's clutter and mess.  If you know me, you know that I don't always handle it well.  I'm neurotic about clean counters (but if you've been to Blue Ridge with us, you already know that), stray dog hairs, firewood scraps and routines.....the list goes on and on. 

The chaos I'm currently referring to is the painting.  Jeff apparently knew what was going to occur when we inked the deal on the project.  Drywall work and painting 6+ rooms make an enormous mess.  Who knew?  Again, apparently Jeff did since he tried to get me out of dodge for most of it.  Unfortunately, we came home early (or the painters are late in finishing) and the house is in disarray.  

I've spend most of the day pacing though the house, wondering how to clean the drywall dust in every crack and crevice.  Only to find out that they wouldn't be done today and the mess will multiply by tomorrow.  And of course, as I'm "venting" to Jeff about my freakishly obsessive need to eliminate the mess...in walk the boys looking for a long lost, must have electronic.  It's about the size of a quarter and one of those "I just saw it the other day" items that is never to be seen again.  And by the way, we only have two minutes to find it before they leave.  Again, more chaos. 

Chaos.  It's something I know well and could talk about for hours, but I have some drywall dust to vacuum. 

What's Your Story?

Isn't the old line, if these walls could talk?

Well in my case, it's more along the lines if these shoes could talk.  I remember years ago, when I only bought cheap tennis shoes for the occasional weekend wear.  I wouldn't even consider big, bulky athletic shoes.  Reebok, Nike, New Balance ... all out of the question.  Then I got a little older, a little smarter and a little less vain.  And I started working from home, which meant I could trade in my hose and heals for crazy socks and cross trainers. 

If my shoes could tell a story, they could say so much.  All of the places they go, all of the things they see.  They drive the kids to school, work concession stands, cheer at football games and tap along at varsity show.  They brave the woods while geocaching.  They walk miles in faraway places, wait for me patiently while we swim off the side of the boat.  They see some beautiful moments with newborns, children and families in the studio.  They go fishing with the boys, out on dates with Jeff and have taken a beating in some gruesome workouts.  But most importantly, they spend quiet family time at home, never miss a birthday, holiday or anniversary and they see every special event. 

The tales they could tell would fill thousands of pages and detail the story of our lives.  Does anyone still wonder where the boys get their love of shoes? 

Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...come on, you all know the song!

Anyway, it's my birthday and I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite things.  Birthdays, as a whole, are my favorite.  Not necessarily mine, but everyone elses.  Birthdays are a day that is all about you.  What could be better than celebrating the day you were born?

But anyway, here is the first of my favorite things.  The Fremont Street Experience.  If you haven't seen it, it's definitely a must.  At 38 (ugh, another year older), I'm still like a five year old when we're here.  I'm in awe of the lights of Vegas.  So a trip wouldn't be complete without spending an evening downtown, watching the light show.  One day, the boys will laugh at me when they find all of the videos that I've taken of the lights.

Now for another of my favorite things....

Animals.  If you can't tell from lots of my postings, I love all types of animals.  So today, when we got the opportunity to see the Flamingo habitat, I was definitely in.  Jeff's seen them so many times, but was nice enough to take me through it again.   The koi were awesome, the ducks were cute but the turtle and the huge catfish were just to shy to photograph.

One more favorite....

Yep, it's ice cream.  Definitely one of my favorite things.  Zumba and a new year's resolution to fit into my skinny jeans have limited the amount of ice cream that I consume.  This was actually my birthday treat from Jeff and I haven't had any this year.  Ooops, did I mention that I tried gelato to this week?  It was so good, but nothing compares with a little cookie dough ice cream.  Thanks for the treat, Jeff.  You'll never know how much I enjoyed it!

It's been a wonderful birthday trip, both for Jeff and I.  But tonight I sit here writing this, discussing with Jeff how ready we are to get home.  The boys, the puppy, our pillows and normal, everyday life.  Those are actually our favorite things....and I can't wait to get back to them!

Cup of Joe

I didn't used to be a coffee drinker, but the older I get, the more I look forward to that warm cup of java every morning.  At home, the smell of coffee calls me just as our alarm clock goes off.  When we're not home, Starbucks calls me...well, it calls me just about every time I pass one.  And since there's one on every corner here, I have to limit myself.

Coffee.  Perfect on a chilly morning, a morning by the lake, the pick me up on an early school morning...it's the cure for anything.   Including an evening at the IBar. 

The Lion Queen

One of our favorite parts of the trip are always the MGM lions.  I never miss the opportunity to see them.  Some trips, we are very lucky if we can see them for a minute or two.  Today, they were out having the time of their lives.  As were the two trainers that were in playing with them.  Here is the friendliest.  She posed for everyone.  They are the most amazing animals.

Unfortunately, Jeff won't let me bring one of them home. 

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

As everyone knows, Jeff and I are lucky enough to have birthdays that are three days apart.  We normally try to get in a birthday getaway, if time allows.  Our favorite getaway location is always Vegas.  Nothing says "Congratulations, you're getting another year older" like warm weather, lights, food and a little black jack.  It's one of Jeff's favorite places.

Another one of Jeff's favorite things is Top Chef.  We're addicted to the show.  Any time you include food and competition in one show, we're in.  Jeff swears that his love of the show has nothing to do with Padma...I'm not so sure, but what the heck.  Anyway, we both love Tom Colicchio.  Each time we're in Vegas, we always say we're going to make it to one of his restaurants.  But we never seem to make it. 

So today, for Jeff's birthday lunch (at 10:30 in the morning, gotta love the time change) we decided that 'Wich Craft was a must.  I didn't think Jeff would make it past the menu on the door.  But he did, and it was an AWESOME lunch.  Ham, Gruyere, peppered apples made the most fabulous sandwich I've ever eaten.  And Jeff loved his too.  One more thing we can check off of our bucket list....eat at a famous chef's restaurant. 

Happy Birthday, Jeff!  I love you!

Travel Day

Welcome to Nevada!  After a long day of traveling, this is the view outside our window.  The news reported yesterday that 47 of the continental US states had snow, Florida being the only one without.  I found the snow in Nevada :) 

Sugar and Spice

Since my camera is all packed away ready to leave tomorrow, I didn't get a chance to take a new picture for today.  I did get a chance to work on another entry for the Photoshop Magic contest.  This is a little girl that I had the honor of photographing in October - her one year session.  It's been said that girls are made of sugar, spice and everything nice.  So I found the perfect poem about little girls and "created" a new portrait.  Hopefully it's a winner :)

Irony

I woke up this morning to ice.  Not enough to cancel school, but just enough to be beautiful.  Once the boys were at school safely, I ventured out the front door to capture the cherry trees, the wishing well, the little pine and the boxwood's all covered in a cocoon of ice.  After slip sliding my way around the house, I saw the boat.  It was dripping in ice and it made me laugh.  There's something ironic about seeing my favorite warm weather toy covered by Mother Nature's frigid touch. 

The good news was the warm weather was on its way, just a few hours more and we'd be warm and rainy.  Man, were they wrong again.  In the time it took the boys and I to watch a bad movie (Back to the Future III - and yes, it's bad) Mother Nature arrived with a vengeance.  Those same cherry trees now are covered in 1/2 inch of ice and are being pulled over, the wind is picking up, power is starting to flicker in neighboring suburbs and we've already lost a couple of tree branches to the ice. 

I should be packing, the kids should be getting ready for school tomorrow, but instead...our only concern is that Jeff makes it home safe and sound tomorrow.  So Mother Nature, if you're listening - Enough is enough.