Tales of the Ordinary Days

"Are we back to normal again?" I heard my father-in-law, Larry (aka Old Guy), asking Garrett this as I laid in bed.  Garrett was performing his morning ritual of coffee bean grinding before brewing our morning specialty coffee. This was after he had read and stretched, all while I was still thinking about waking up. Through the crack in the door, I could see Larry sitting, feet up, in his favorite sofa spot. Jake, my step-son, was noisily filling his large water jug for a day in the sun at his summer job. This clanging of ice at 7 am along with the permeating coffee aroma and Larry's shuffling have been my morning wake-up routine of recent times. With my delivered cup of hot java, I hear the sounds of the morning; the garage door opening with Garrett taking Jake to work and the percolating of Larry's own coffee of choice, Folgers, in his Mister Coffee machine. His own pot to drink through the morning while enjoying his latest book. Yes, Larry, I think we are ...

Enjoying the scenery, sun, fresh air I just finished a gorgeous bike ride. Twenty miles of Colorado beauty right outside my front door. A new normal is beginning. People are venturing out again. Cars and trucks traveling the county road towing paddleboards, kayaks, and rafts; enjoying Memorial weekend. People feeling the outdoors itch was evidenced by the number of bicyclists climbing the winding stretch of County Road 240 east of Durango up to Lemon Dam. Garrett was intermingled with this chain gang, maintaining his own pace but looping back occasionally to check on me. "Good job!" "How are you doing?" "Almost to the top. You got this!" His words of encouragement as he breezed by me. With my love language - Words of Affirmation and Garrett's - Quality Time, this Sunday morning bike ride definitely resulted in a win-win. I have likened this isolation time as feeling like Garrett and I are on a weekend couples retreat that just doesn'...

A new Durango Chamber Diplomat (Dip) and trusted with the giant scissors! I love to go new. There is something exhilarating about going for the freshly wrapped gift in a white elephant gift exchange. Not knowing what lies under the colorful wrapping has always caught my wonder and attention. I now find myself going new on most days. With a life with less restrictions (no boys' calendars to coordinate nor 8-to-5-type work days), I find myself in my new city of Durango, Colorado filled with people whom I have never met and in places I have never been. The days of raising three sons are in my past. But I still have three 'boys' in my life today. Garrett, Larry and Zeke (husband, father-in-law and dog) are my current partners-in-crime. Every day brings something new. Some things are mundane and necessary, like weaving our way through the healthcare system and the ever-important need for a new dog groomer. More times than most we find little treasures as we work through...

View from the front porch of our new house There hasn't been a dull moment in our recent nomadic lifestyle. But we now have news on this subject. And our news is that we don't plan on moving again. We plan on staying in Durango. No more nomad existence for us. We bought a house! Last year was all about 'out with the old' and this year is officially our 'in with the new'. After two large house sales and moves last year (Nebraska + Indiana) plus two moves from Boise rentals, we have gotten a little tired of packing and moving. After my last move post-exhaustion, I clearly articulated my feelings to Garrett. "One of two things is going to happen in Durango. I am either going to settle in for good or I am not going to get too comfortable. I am not doing another big move." Settling in has won out. It started with us 'just taking a look at some houses' to get a feel of the local market. One house viewing led to another and then we met ...

Durango mug shots We are a week into our Durango adventure. Larry and I arrived last Tuesday night. On a scale from 1 to 10, we ranked our road trip an 8 for our 1,200 miles cross country together. Keep in mind, this is blended rating for our trip. By 5 pm last Tuesday, when we arrived at our storage unit in Durango after four days of driving, we were done. We were at a low score of a five. I was driving too fast. Larry was driving too slow. Four days on the road and we were delirious. And then Garrett interjected into our scene. Cool. Calm. The peacemaker. The three of us worked together to unload Larry's truck into the storage unit before dark with his U-Haul trailer returned shortly thereafter. With a visit to a local craft brewery and a warm dinner later, we were all good. Our new trio + Zeke was revived and ready to embark on our new adventure. Yes, all is good in the world. It is amazing what a good night's sleep and unpacking can do for a person. Fast fo...

Day 18 | 30 Days of Writing Getting ready to board our cabin with the Marshall won·der ˈwəndər/ noun 1. a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. "he had stood in front of it, observing the intricacy of the ironwork with the wonder of a child" My favorite videos to watch are tear-jerkers full of wonder and joy. The baby getting a cochlear implant and hearing her mother's voice for the first time. The boy putting on glasses that allow him to see color after being color-blind his entire life. Their response to these everyday experiences is unfiltered pure joy. We all watch them over and over again. Wonder and joy are beautiful things. Not taking for granted everyday and hidden treasures is equally gratifying. Today we took a train ride. A treasure nothing short of spectacular. Larry and I left Durango at 8:00 a.m. via the historic Durango & Silv...

Day 17 | 30 Days of Writing A sunset behind the mountains...the end of our night Dave Matthews' song Funny the Way It Is kept playing in my head today. His wonderful lyrics talks of the world of opposites we live in. Lying in the park of a beautiful day Sunshine in the grass and the children play Sirens passing, fire engines red Someone's house is burning down on a day like this And evening comes, and we're hanging out On the front step and a car goes by with the windows rolled down And that war song is playing, "Why can't we be friends" Someone is screaming and crying in the apartment upstairs Funny the way it is, if you think about it Someone's going hungry, someone else is eating out Funny the way it is, not right or wrong Somebody's heart is broken, it becomes your favorite song... This song hit the charts and gained popularity in 2009. I remember listening to it on my playlist during my 2010 road trip with my p...

Day 16 | 30 Days of Writing Dinner, patio style, in Durango, CO Today we made it to state #5, Colorado. Our trip mileage has exceeded 1,100 and our dog continues to make new friends. I am going to start with the end of our day and then work our way back. We are now super-comfy in our rooms. Larry is in the room next to us, likely reading a book or sleeping at this point. Garrett and I are side-by-side on computers in bed, with Zeke chomping on a bully stick on the floor. Football is playing in the background. The city is Durango, Colorado and the hotel, Durango Downtown Inn. The Animas River flows outside our room. We are here another night, so our sights are set on Durango adventures in the morning. Zeke is quite the dog. Having a dog in tow on a road trip is not an easy feat. From finding hotels that take dogs to locating grassy areas in the high desert for doggy potty breaks, it is all about Zeke. We don't mind. Puppy Wuppy. Zekerdoodle. Woof-Woof. All nicknam...