Tales of the Ordinary Days

Carol, Cindy, (Shimerda girls-Anna, Sarah, Mary), me, Melanie, Barb, Nicky, LuAnn Picture was taken at Sarah's bridal shower a few years back With every great first meeting, there is a story. The moments in time where lasting relationships begin. This is the case with my neighbors of Elm Circle. Over the last nineteen years, we have co-existed like a close extended family. There were times when we needed each other, but was also the comfort in distance between own homes. My neighbors perfected the art of knowing the difference. Driving away from my home for the last time, I called each of my boys. We shared these years as a family with roots that grew deep. I felt the urge to share the finality of the moment with them. All responded with encouragement, but Grant nailed it with his comment. "Mom, it's really not about the house. It's about the people. I miss the people. You'll miss the people." He was so right. My home was not the same, now empty of...

The last picture taken together at 16706 Elm Circle To the New Owners of 16706 Elm Circle: I am writing this letter as a for-sale sign is being strategically positioned in the front yard of my home. It has been nineteen years since a sign to allure new owners (you) has been placed on its grassy front. Today I find myself reflecting on the sweet heartbeat carried in walls of my forever home and all the joyful moments shared inside and out. My hope is to pay this all forward to you. Today instead of savoring the past in my comfy chair in Omaha with three active boys buzzing around, I am in Boise with only a faithful dog by my side on a quiet summer morning. The only sounds here are the buzzing of the neighbor's mower and the many happy memories that are racing in my mind. A typical lazy August morning in our cherished house of past would include smells of chlorine from wet swim trunks not properly placed in the washer. Towels leaving evidence of late night hot tub use an...

Dinner in Boise after a movie at The Flicks My adventures in Boise are about to continue, albeit briefly, as I will be traveling again in a week. I am currently sitting on a plane that just departed Omaha, in route to Boise. It was a very cold, but a very productive (and extremely busy) week back for me in Omaha. It’s been almost a month since Garrett and I pulled out of our Omaha driveway for Boise with U-Haul in tow. Three weeks in Boise. One week in Omaha. My new normal. Well, at least for now. I am honestly unsure what my new normal will be for the long-term and I’m good with that. As my father-in-law explained to me the other day, “Sandy, you just get up in the morning and figure it out.” Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me. Although the main reason for my week back in Omaha is for business purposes with several on-going projects and clients based there, it also makes my time away from cherished Omaha friends feel almost nonexistent. True to my nature, t...

Ben joined me for my 100th movie of the year Last year I finished the year with what I thought was an impressive list of 52 movies I had seen in movie theaters. At the close of 2017 I decided that although I loved my movies, it was time to refocus some of this time on reading. I equally love books. So I set a reading goal of 52 books for 2018. My belief was that I would be spreading the time I spent in the movie theater to book reading. I have gained book reading success by just completing my 52nd book (Becoming by Michelle Obama...VERY good). But the funny thing is that yesterday I also watched my 100th movie in a movie theater for the year. Yes, that is correct. I almost doubled my movie intake while reading a book a week (previously I was averaging just over a book a month). I love books and movies. I especially love those that make me think. The ones that stay in my brain and heart. Ones that I find myself avidly researching later or those that turn into great discussion t...

Day 2 | 30 Days of Writing Sunday Funday. How about a bike ride? (Old Market sculpture in the background) I am a firm believer that fun is what you make of it. Regardless of circumstances or surroundings, it is available at our beck and call.  Wrapped with the bow of positive perspective, I have found that most fun adventures come in the most ordinary places and on the most routine days. Today was no exception. A gorgeous day by all accounts; perfect temp, low humidity, and no wind. There was enough sun to get people outdoors and smiling, but enough clouds to make the sky interesting. A perfect Sunday. We started our day with our alarm clock of a sixty-pound pup resting his head on our bed with a low pitched whine of wanting outside. We love this time of year when we wake up to the coolness of the morning from our opened windows. The love of a puppy to greet us is just frosting on the cake. After lazily enjoying my morning coffee and catching up on read...

Selfie attempt at Hy-Vee to memorialize Matt's last purchase as a Nebraska resident (note that Matt was supposed to be in the picture) My brother, Matt, moved out of Omaha this morning. He began his 20 hour road trip to Kingman, Arizona at about 5:30 a.m. With car loaded to the hilt and fresh off of a going-away party from last night, there were few words between us. Just a quick hug and wave. And then he was gone. Life changes just keep marching on in my life and this is another biggie. My brothers and I grew up close in age and close in life. Matt is the oldest and I am the youngest. There is only 28 months between our birthdays with our brother, Mark, born in between. Being so close in age, we shared friends, teachers and experiences through our childhood years. I have often said that birth order rules don't apply to us. There is one thing the three of us share and that is a sense of humor. We fought our way through childhood, constantly trying to outwit each o...