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 29 | 30 Days of Writing Grant's Instagram...loved this post. We miss you, Ben Lane! I can't believe it has been 29 days of writing and 15 days on our road trip. Seriously? Today was a bit of a marathon, but with a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I will start at the end and work my way back. It is 9:51 pm and we are getting ready to go to bed. Down for the count at a Country Inn and Suites in Greeley, Colorado. This will be the 15th consecutive night at either a hotel or guest bed. And all with a seven month old pup at our side. Not an easy feat, but Zeke has been unbelievably well behaved, until I jinxed it by saying last night that he hadn't gotten up in the middle of the night for a while. Our sweet Zekerdoodle responded with a wake up call at 2 am (thank-you, Garrett, for taking care of him). He is now outside with Garrett again for the second time in a hour after whining by the hotel door (Garrett creds again). Time to go home. The hotel is...

Day 10 | 30 Days of Writing The infamous Halloween house display (missing a few finishing touches still packed away in storage bins) I got a call tonight while out to dinner with friends. "Mom, are you still buying Halloween houses every year? You're putting them up this year, aren't you?" After figuring out that Grant's random call was in reference to my beloved Department 56 Halloween house display, I was a little befuddled on the call. Being the mother of boys, I don't get a lot of sentimental comments on my annual holiday decor. "I don't know. Why do you ask, Grant?" To my shock there was still enthusiasm in his answer. "Zach and I are at Target and they have Halloween houses out. You should get a new one. And you have to put them out? It's a tradition!" Just maybe all my years of going over-the-top on my favorite holiday, Halloween, has passed on to my sons? I beamed all the way home at the prospect. My fi...

Baby is off 6:00 am and he was gone. I've never seen Grant move so fast so early in the morning. Never. And not a tear shed by me. Not one. With barely enough time to remind him, yet one more time, to drive safely; listing off every potential driving threat in the 512 mile stretch to Greeley, CO. He murmured something about talking to me later in the week, closing his door before hearing my response. "Later in the week? Why don't you call me on your way?" Grant gave a smile. I haven't a clue whether he actually heard me, didn't care or thought my request was funny. And then he was off. I distinctly remember the day I packed up my car and moved into the Westmar dormitory when I was eighteen. My mom similarly described my exit as the quickest she had ever seen. College living began at home for me. My parents thought it made the most financial sense (which it did) to save the housing cost as I attended a college nine miles away. I thought otherwis...

Our daily early evening routine from 2004-2006 Well, it's happened. Baby is a senior. Months from graduation. Our last hoorah. My feeling is similar to the day I went to kindergarten round-up for him. As I sat in the crowd of parents, I couldn't believe my youngest was actually going to start school. He was just out of diapers. This couldn't be. Having a panic attack, overstressed with 3 young kids while juggling a demanding career, I was sure I had made a mistake. So I did what any good accountant would do. I recounted the years on my fingers. 2000....2001...2002...2003...2004... Yep. Despite my temporary confusion, Baby Grant really was old enough to go to kindergarten. And so it began. I have cried my way through many last-parenting moments starting with our drive home from the hospital following Grant's birth. With each flutter and kick with Baby #3, I enjoyed every minute of my last pregnancy. His birth was the planned last. Knowing it was the beginn...

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...

Grant finishes the front yard Today Grant and I raked leaves. A yard full of nature's colorful palette. And a sign of the change of seasons. The changing seasons is one of my favorite things about living in the midwest, with summer-to-fall as my all-time favorite. Each year I delight in putting out my Halloween decorations. Football, hoodies, and bonfires fill our nights. Trading in the petunias for the peonies and mums, while preparing the autumn foliage for frost. An annual rite of passage. With a 70 degree Sunday, today was a perfect day to do yard work. It was also an excellent time to reflect. Sharing sweat labor with my 16-year-old was frosting on the cake. Physical labor in the great outdoors builds character. I was also reminded of the changes in the seasons of life. Fast forward two years and all Lane boys will be out of the house. I must now confess that I have never mowed my own lawn. There have always been plenty of able men around to perform ...

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...

(Grant, Ryan, Nick, Sean) First Sunday of summer break Summer break is official now for both of my kids still in school. With this annual reprieve comes the balancing act around fun vs. responsibility. As you can surmise, I lean on the side of responsibility while the kids lean on the side of fun. A battle at times, but usually with some resulting balance. At age twenty, Ben is becoming an old pro at this feat. He started his forty-hour-a-week labor job last week. Up at seven, he knows that improper balancing of fun and responsibility lead to long work days. Needless to say, he is taking full advantage of this long Memorial Day weekend, knowing his Tuesday 6:30 a.m. wake up call will be here soon enough. But it does typically take about a week for Ben to make the full adjustment. Grant is in that one week zone right now. With finals completed last Thursday at noon and a week off before summer football begins, I can hardly hold him down. "But, Mom, it's my first day ...

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...