Tales of the Ordinary Days

The Christmas hand-off (in a bowling alley parking lot) On the twelfth Day of Christmas.... We took a road trip to surprise my oldest son. 85.7 miles from our home in Denver to Zach's home of Fort Collins, Colorado. My Partner in crime, Larry (a.k.a. father-in-law) accompanied me. I drove the first leg northward and he drove the last leg southbound. We have definitely become accustomed to our road trips together. Until about noon on Sunday, this trip was unplanned. But as I have often found in life, it's the spontaneous, random acts that ultimately carry the most meaning. Feelings from the heart are many times unplanned. Spurred by a word, memory, or observation while going through the daily motions of life, the gut and the heart are rarely wrong. It's just the practicality of the head that sometimes gets in the way. As part of our Christmas weekend with the Denver kids, we enjoyed a Broadway show, along with dinner celebrations and gift openings. And althou...

Lunch with my dear friend, Patty Johnson I now have time on my hands. That is new for me. And I like it. Driving Grant to school yesterday, he and I were discussing logistics on getting him to bowling practice. Grant: "Mom, do you have time to take me?" Me: "Grant, I have all the time in the world." Grant: "Oh yeah. I forgot." And then I went on to tell him that I could now fill the role of stay-at-home mom. His response was an expression that appeared close to shock. But being the good boy that he is, he just smiled and ended the conversation. My conclusion was that most 15 year old's don't think a more 'hands on' mom is a good idea. But he'll warm up to it, I'm sure. With Grant's semi-dissing, I moved on to Larry, my father-in-law and partner in crime. Garrett often comments that he feels like the third leg when the three of us are together. I remind him that Larry is just showing me the ropes on being retire...

Rakha, Benny, Grant, Cookie and Larry On the 8th day of Christmas, my true love sent to me... A peaceful existence. A blessing better than the most expensive gift. And the stockings were hung at the chimney with care... We are hanging in the living room. Garrett had a meeting tonight, so a late dinner was planned. A bacon wrapped pork loin is in the oven. Steamed fresh vegetables will be prepared shortly. Larry and I are sipping on wine with some basketball on the TV. He did flip to Barbara Walters interviewing Donald Trump. Interesting. The socked foot below is that of my father-in-law, Larry. Grant has been meandering around the house, waiting for big brother, Ben, to arrive home from Lincoln. Both anxious to begin their Christmas breaks from school. They are also anxious to spend time together and with their family. In true Ben form, his arrival day had mysteriously moved from Monday night to Wednesday night. When asked by my husband on the reason for the move, I ...

I'm on a jet plane flying home. Denver first to reach Garrett's destination. And then I will board another plane to my final destination of Omaha. My arrival time to home will likely be midnight. All good. A great weekend was had in the city that never sleeps. And although I enjoyed the round-the-clock entertainment, I am hopeful Omaha proves to be more peaceful. I did fail to mention in my last blog the street party outside our hotel that awoke us at 4:30 a.m. With loud voices muffled by blaring music, Garrett got up observe our unplanned wake-up call. His report back to me was descriptive. There were three cars parked in the street outside our hotel window. With opened doors, music channeled out of the cars with the apparent dozen or so occupants dancing in the streets. A party. We still haven't a clue what they were celebrating, but the noise eventually dissipated shortly after Garrett's observation. Yesterday's NYC activities for us included visiting t...

Christmas in New York On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me... A fabulous weekend in New York City with friends who are best of the best. The Snide's. Goodness and fun oozes from this couple. As we boarded our flights from our respective home bases of Columbus and Omaha, texts were flying back and forth on plans for our first day in NYC. Like kids readying for a visit to Santa, excitement was abound. Cindy and Rick, of the Snide duo, have been long-time friends. Garrett knew them first through a business peer group and later introduced me. Our couples journey started as we sat by each other at a group business dinner in Toronto, Canada. It has since been five years of laughs, traveling, and general 'over-40' amusement. Although the base of our commonalities start with an authenticity in friendship, we share similar life stories. Second marriages, lots of combined kids, and the resulting blending of families. Our love for life and for our life ...

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me.... No turtle doves. But I have gotten some clarity. And clarity is a good thing. My aha moment came as I laid in bed last night. I thought about the many people I encountered throughout my day and felt reinforcement that there really was still good in the world. Good people. Genuine people living their lives with purity of motive. Although I was beginning to doubt, kind souls keep crossing my path when I least expect it. My new found clarity is in regards to my approach on life and people in general. As Garrett and I were starting our morning, I explained to him my thought process. "Garrett, I think I had it all wrong. I spent too much time trying to find the good in people rather than finding the good people." He paused, reflecting on my comment. "I never thought about it that way, but that makes a ton of sense." My mom taught me that not all people are good. Point taken. I now understand....

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me.... Not a partridge. But a great day. Lemonade came in many forms. Here's a quick synopsis: 5:30 a.m. - Ran with my gal pals. Bearing my soul to my best confidants under the light of the pre-sunrise moon: Priceless. 7:00 a.m. - Climbed back into my warm bed with sleeping hubby. Thoughts of catching another hour of shut eye were diffused by a tempting hot bath. With a cup of morning coffee prepared by my thoughtful husband, I wallowed in hot water and bubble bath glory. 9:00 a.m. - Haircut and color by my long-time hairdresser. My every six week appointments are as much sanity as vanity as she and I take turns playing mentor and counselor to each other. Hair is still brown. Hints of gray have now disappeared. Curls are added. 11:30 a.m. - Robbie stops by to pick up Creighton tickets. Lots of laughs over the newly 'retired' couple making lunch and planning their days. Always love our Robbie. Lots of lemonad...