Tales of the Ordinary Days

Fam picture - Christmas 2018 (Garrett gets photo cred) I chatted with Kat on Christmas Eve. She’s my kids’ stepmom and my ex-husband’s wife. By my estimation it’s been at least five months since we’ve spoken. Like a couple of old college friends, She and I quickly caught up in the five minutes before I had to take off. Recently I commented to a friend on how weird it was to not have routine interactions with my ex, Scott, and his wife, Kat. With no school activities, sports, or the coordinating of kids, the frequent phone calls and texts have stopped. No more sitting in the bleachers together at football games or coordinating holiday breaks. As weird as it sounds, I miss this. But then I remind myself that the lack of having a reason to talk to each other is a good thing. It is a sign that our sons are doing just fine. We have no worries or issues that warrant discussion as co-parents of adult children. The boys are all doing their thing, happily flowing in their individ...

Day 5 | 30 Days of Writing My middle son, Ben, FaceTimed me today. He wanted to find out what I was doing for my birthday and when he could join in. Very sweet. It never crossed my mind that Ben would drive to Omaha on a busy weekday. It also reminded me that he is the only one of my three kids with a driving distance day-trip option. I reminded him of this fact shortly after Grant moved to join brother, Zach, in Colorado. "Ben, you do know that you are kind of like the only child now. And I'm a little vulnerable. If I were you, I would totally milk the situation." I was trying to be funny, yet there was a bit of seriousness. It did sound appealing to have a child to dote on again. Not the right way to feel, but feelings aren't always right or wrong. They're just feelings. Ben laughed it off and never gave in to my wicked temptation. The reality is that even if he wanted to, he couldn't. He has his own life and is very busy. But he has made a...

What road do we teach our children to take? A wise man once told me, "The world is full of takers. Our job as parents to fill the world with givers." This has always stuck with me. In the age of helicopter parents, sometimes it is too easy to lose sight of this simple goal. As parent s, ou r job is to equip our children to be good people who are productive members of our community.  Instead, we get caught up in our kids making the best select teams and getting accepted to the most prestigious universities. It is all about their personal achievement and receiving a participation ribbon. The unfortunate result is a selfish child. One who knows how to work an A and earned entry into all AP classes, but without a hint of empathy on how to spend time with an aging neighbor in early stages of dementia. A child with no sense of knowing how to drop everything and make someone else feel important. A giver. In the words of a favorite columnist of mine, John Rosemand, on...

Caption of photo: Miss Daisy Driving (Zach and my recent Vegas/Arizona road trip to visit my parents) A friend recently posted a quote that has stuck with me. "The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." - Stephen Covey Too often, I have let my schedule run my life. Not always, but more in my past than I'd like to admit. And I am not in the minority with this offense. It is more common for people to let their days run them, rather than them running their days. Priorities. This last month has been a win for me in the priority management category. There were many great times with my husband, kids, parents, friends. This feat did require planes and a lot of careful planning, but a success. Zach has turned the page to 24, Ben safely past the age of 21, and Grant a golden 17. Although my three sons live in three cities, we found a way to uniquely celebrate each April birthday. My husband finished his teaching st...

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...

Ben's home! Off on another random drive. A carefully planned calendar goes a long way for me. I look ahead to a weekly view full of colored-coded entries on future time commitments. Bliss for an organized mind. And then there are my kids. Do they accomplish a lot in a day? Yes. Do they have color-coded planners? Heck no. The three Lane boys have many similarities and differences in their personalities. One similarity that I have always innately known, but is now officially documented, is their shared strength of 'Adaptability'. Per their individual Gallup Strengthsfinder Assessments, all three possess this as a Top 5 Talent. Adaptability (definition per my friends at Gallup):   People exceptionally talented in the Adaptability theme prefer to go with the flow. They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time. Well that pretty much sums it up. They live in the moment. The good news is that in an eff...

The cropped picture A rainy Saturday in Omaha. I have experienced many of these over my 27 years of calling Omaha home. This March day that had bursts warmth along with the precipitation, held nothing of particular difference over the early spring days of past. But that's exactly why it was such a great day. The ordinary days full of old friends, new faces, family, and the comforts of home rank high on my list. With lots of recent travel and fun on the road, the rhythm of normalcy within the heartbeat of our Omaha home has been a welcomed haven. It truly is the little things in life that bring the the greatest pleasures. Today's blog post is simply going to recap my ordinary day. And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I am going to use my pictures from the day in telling my story (Instagram meets blog post??)... __________________________________________________________ The original 'uncropped' picture. We obviously aren't good at photo boot...

A little Saturday play after a hard day's work As I have found in life, the days fly by. Regardless of whether I am working or not. Such was the case last week. In the blink of an eye, I went from the mountains of Utah to the Denver Rockies. And then back home to Omaha. Yesterday's 70 degree Nebraska day offset the lure of the mountain views. A good week. In recap... Day 77 (Monday - 2/22/16) Monday was a day of legal work for us. Never underestimate the worth of a good attorney. This isn't a new realization for me, but an insight that has served me well both personally and in business over my years. And by 'good attorney', I mean much more than seasoned and smart. It means high integrity and ability to steer clients in the right direction, even if it isn't what the client wants to hear. Barring all attorney jokes, I have had the blessing of working with the best. Monday was no exception. Logically we went from attorneys to margaritas. Monday wa...

My view as I come down the steps each morning The bliss of home life and warmer weather has set in for me. A little routine and sunshine goes a long way. We will be on the road again tomorrow, so I have soaked in my short-lived downtime in Omaha. Meetings on my listening tour continue. Each refreshing with great takeaways. Tuesday consisted of a lunch with a philanthropic leader. I learned about many great initiatives taking place in Omaha. Other meetings over the last two days included many great people I have worked with over the years. From healthcare attorneys to CEO's, I was all ears. I would be remiss to not talk about my kids. My silence in relation to them as of late isn't because they're not around. In fact, they are very much around and I am very much present. A great gift of my 90 days off. I think Grant has warmed up to having his mom around the house a lot. We have gotten into a very nice rhythm. George is orange and Randy with black (pretty cute, ...

Grant at a Creighton game ~ Fall of 2007 Baby Grant got his school driving permit yesterday. My days of carting kids and playing taxi driver are almost behind me. A bitter sweet time. Although I will be gaining a new found freedom, I have actually enjoyed this car time with the kids. But instead I am reminded daily that my youngest is now a young man, not a child, and that he is no longer just the tag-along little brother. He played that role well for many, many years. From the toddler to junior high, Grant watched hundreds of baseball, basketball, and football games with his brothers on the field. Grant's vantage point was typically in the stands, under the stands, or behind the stands. With his dad as coach for many of the teams, Grant would also tag along to practices; learning great skills in keeping himself busy and finding fun in people and things on his own. Now almost 16, this training has served Grant well. He never lacks for something to do and is quite skilled,...