Tales of the Ordinary Days

Friday night lights at Skutt Catholic Moylan Field I love this time of year. Hoodies and fleece blankets are officially pulled out, ready for football games and bonfires that fill our weekend nights. Kids and parents have now nestled into a new school year. School spirit fills the air. My youngest son is now a junior at Skutt Catholic High School. His road to completing high school is becoming shorter. Past the halfway point of his high school journey, the days tick away as my journey through these fun years is coming to an end as well. My oldest, Zach, began as a fresh-faced freshman in the fall of 2007. Since then, not a year has passed that I haven't had a son walking through the halls of Skutt. Living one mile from the school, door to door, I have been blessed with a home brewing with constant activity as an extension of the school. From pasta feeds in the backyard to a meeting place for kids before and after school events, I have enjoyed every minute of the teenage cha...

Enjoying a summer rain shower in bare feet We went to the zoo yesterday. Although cloudy and overcast, the crowds were low and many of the exhibits new to us. Garrett had warned of impending rain throughout our excursion. Our local weatherman was right. As we walked out of the Orangutan Forest, the sprinkles began. Quickly moving on to our last stop, the indoor Kingdoms of the Night, the sprinkles turned into a light shower and our collective pace quickened as we sought shelter. Garrett guided us to the nearest Kingdom door, which was clearly marked 'Exit'. Our entourage of me, sons (Ben and Jake), and cousin (Stefano) followed Garrett's lead toward the exit doors. "We can't go in through the exit!" was my immediate response. Garrett likely predicted my comment with his own response of questioning why I ALWAYS had to follow the rules. My further argument of how an exhibit walked through backwards would likely not have the same enjoyment of follow...

My current view My mom has been in town this week. The last time I saw her was on a visit to Arizona while I was taking a time off from my work life. Now months later and with me fully back on the work treadmill, I found myself making a comment to her on more than one occasion. "Mom, I am so busy. How did I let this happen again?" I swore myself to a more serene lifestyle after smelling the roses during my months off of work. Instead I have found myself shuffling calendar entries and running from back-to-back engagements and meetings. Although I have been wildly successful in my quest to work with the right people on the right projects, I've somehow left out the balance of leaving some time for myself. Sometimes ones self is the best study of human nature. I have come to realize that what was good for me 20 years ago is different now. What I desire for daily personal time and replenishment of energy is much different today. I will rack that up to age and human e...