Tales of the Ordinary Days

Life is always a fun adventure. And then you blink and it's 30 years later. Or 10, or 20... Life in 1985 was certainly different than life in 2018. Today was a reminder of this. I thought deeply on this reflection as I soaked in my backyard hot tub reminiscing on my years past and the friendships that have filled these many years in between. Hot tub time machine... <apologies if you don't understand this meaning...I suggest you Google> Today was a normal day for me in comparison to my days of late. I worked with an ongoing client on building something great.  I made sure son #3 continues to survive his senior year rather than moving on to his long-awaited days of independence. And I spent time with my husband, who now lives in the same city as me (I suggest you read previous blog posts if this statement makes no sense to you). We now have the a blissful daily routine that centers around living together. These are simple life pleasures that are immea...

The picture above is from Remsen Kids' Days in the bi-centennial year of 1976. Kids' Days were an annual event, but the 200th birthday of our country made it an extra-special celebration in my little hometown. I remember this picture like yesterday; the warmth of my grandma's arm around my waist and my concern for my brothers’ misbehaving antics when they should have been smiling nicely. My mom sewed my outfit of festive red, white, and blue (unfortunately my colorful shorts aren't showing). I was nine years old. Too big for my grandma's lap, but she didn't mind. And to me, it didn't matter at all. The capturing of my grandpa's smirk in response to my older brothers' shenanigans perfectly depicts the phrase 'a picture is worth a thousand words'.  This picture is now my computer screen saver. And I smile every time I see it. A reminder of what truly matters. The people and moments we never forget when we take the time to enjoy them...

Mom & Me selfie outside Del Webb Wellness Center in Kingman, AZ I recently talked to a friend about pursuing her passion in her next career. Currently in between jobs, she is looking to jump from the insurance world to the hospice world. Most would see this as a leap of faith. I see it as a great fit and a huge asset to those who will benefit from her strengths and desire to serve her greater purpose. My friend's husband died many years ago. Raising her child on her own after a lengthy period of caring for her young, ailing husband, I see no one better equipped to help others work through end-of-life. As we talked through her transition and desires, I immediately thought about a favorite book of mine, "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande. The author, a practicing physician, argues that quality of life is the desired goal for patients and families. Gawande tells wonderful real-life stories of elderly and hospice care demonstrating that the last years or months of ...

Sorry about the cover picture. It's the best I had from our Top 10 day in Flagstaff. And in all honesty,  I had to Google "Snapchat Filters" to figure out how to create this picture. Then...wahlah... I am a deer or a dog?? Garrett and I are in Flagstaff, checking it out. I am feeling like a senior in high school, touring schools and narrowing down final decisions. We are going through the same decision process.  Kind of. No school, though. Basically trying to figure out commonality in where to live post-kids. What we have found is this is an easier decision for Garrett. He has a master spreadsheet that lists comparison of cities in the US listed by major categories of importance to us...days of sunshine, inches of snow, recreation, cost of living, median home cost, etc... Easy, peasy for Garrett. We can narrow down by a spreadsheet. Sandy...not so much. Our breakfast conversation was a nice point of clarity as we visited our city #2, Flagstaff,  on the spread...

A ride for Lucy, post-walk My morning musings while walking my granddog centered on an article I had just read in the Omaha World-Herald. It was written by a long-time sports columnist, Tom Shatel. Generally, a fan of column features, but not always those in the sports section, I was doubly skeptical as I have never been a big fan of Shatel. I met him once. About four years ago. After a big playoff win for my son's high school team, I found myself sitting next to Mr. Shatel at a local bar. I struck up a conversation. To say that he was visibly annoyed would be a gracious description. Knowing he was likely bothered many times by people who wanted to talk sports and share their opinions, I gave him the benefit of the doubt in his response to me. So instead I scrolled through my phone as I waited for my order. And that was about it. "That one time I met Tom Shatel at the bar." Fast forward to today. As I have perused the OWH headlines in my news feed, I ofte...

Flower Power - Patty, Robbie, Rox After recent colorful postings on Facebook celebrating my 50th birthday, I fielded questions on the theme behind my gal pal celebration... "Were you going to a Pink concert?" "Why the peace movement?" "Now that looked like fun. When is the next time and can I join??" My 50th surprise celebration was 60's themed after my 1967 year of birth. And I got my very own Magical Mystery Bus Tour. I have always been the driver, but this was my first as the passenger. Anyone in my family is well versed on these tours. Since my sons were little, I would load them in the car and simply say we were going on a Magical Mystery Bus Tour. Instead of debating what we were going to do, the conversation would instead be filled with enthusiastic guesses with my giving clues on our mystery destinations. Today these outings would be known to most as 'forced family fun'. But no one in my home knew the better. Input from ...

Enjoying the Oregon Coast I vividly remember being asked as a child to describe what I hoped to have accomplished by age fifty. This thought was inconceivable to my young mind. "Fifty? That's ancient!" or something close to that was my roadblock to answering this question. So I answered with the stereotypical; married with children and grandchildren, living in a comfy home and....knitting by the fire?? But here I am almost to this milestone. The big one. So what are my thoughts now with my more mature forty-nine-year-old mind? "I made it!!!!! YES!" Yep, I'm thrilled. I can truly say that I have never dreaded a birthday or wished to be young again. Every wrinkle is earned and with every new ache, a reminder to enjoy the good health I have today. Reversal is not an option. A wise person once told me that getting older was much better than the alternative. I have always held this thought close to heart. Every day really is a blessing. This birt...