Tales of the Ordinary Days

Today Robbie and I ran a 5K. At 7:00 a.m. In Council Bluffs. And our husbands joined us. "Continuous genuine support" Robbie posted on our adventure. A true statement, although a little tongue in cheek. Truth be told, neither husband had planned on joining us for our little escapade. But I think they are both glad they did, as are their spousal runners. It all started last week with some text interchanges between me and Robbie. We felt like we needed a race on the calendar. Something to keep us motivated and an excuse to run together. After some Google searching, we decided on the Beat the Heat 5K this morning. With a quick on-line sign-up, we were committed. My next logical step was to add this event to my Outlook calendar and invite Garrett. Truth be told again, my sending the invitation is more of a placeholder to keep my husband in the loop and our calendars in sync. His acceptance of this invitation traditionally does not automatically mean he is bound t...

My 90 days off is over. I actually hit the 90 day mark about a month ago. Which leads to a small confession. I gave myself an extension about halfway through my time off. I quickly realized how glorious it was to pull away from making any major decisions and just enjoy life for a while. But I also knew that launching into a new career and starting a new chapter in my life would require some more time and planning. Time for decisions to be made and plans to be executed. Time to launch. I have learned a ton about myself and life and much to share. But first off, I believe a recap of the last months is in order... My 90 days off I left my position in healthcare finance on a sunny Monday afternoon in early December. Although my departure was unexpected, I have always had a Plan B. And my Plan B was to take time off. Time to do nothing but enjoy my wonderful blessing of life. Reflecting a bit last year, it was very apparent to me that my life had been full of the crazy train. W...

Lunch with my dear friend, Patty Johnson I now have time on my hands. That is new for me. And I like it. Driving Grant to school yesterday, he and I were discussing logistics on getting him to bowling practice. Grant: "Mom, do you have time to take me?" Me: "Grant, I have all the time in the world." Grant: "Oh yeah. I forgot." And then I went on to tell him that I could now fill the role of stay-at-home mom. His response was an expression that appeared close to shock. But being the good boy that he is, he just smiled and ended the conversation. My conclusion was that most 15 year old's don't think a more 'hands on' mom is a good idea. But he'll warm up to it, I'm sure. With Grant's semi-dissing, I moved on to Larry, my father-in-law and partner in crime. Garrett often comments that he feels like the third leg when the three of us are together. I remind him that Larry is just showing me the ropes on being retire...

Sunday night. 7:54 Mountain Time. Ordinary day? Ordinary weekend? Sure. But, seriously, what is ordinary any more? Yesterday was a road trip to Fort Collins to check out Zach's new place. His new journey has begun. With sleeping kids in the back (and me nodding off on occasion in the front), we enjoyed our time with Zach and checking out Downtown Ft. Collins and and the Colorado State campus. I did have a bit of an excuse for my own sleepiness on Saturday. Garrett and I hit a record late night for the two of us the night prior; up until 2:00 a.m. when we finally went to bed for the night. Enjoying friendships with two other Denver families, we made it through 2 of 3 drive-in movies on Friday night. With the first, Man from U.N.C.L.E., starting at 8:20, I was fortunate in my napping ways through part of Movie # 2, Ant-Man, as I already had seen it. The outdoor movie viewing was a blast. Kids in jammies with a blow-up bed in the back of a pick-up truck. Adults bundled in ...

I'm in Cancun and just experienced the beautiful wedding of Russell Lane III and his lovely bride, Megan. I had never been to a destination wedding before. A first for me and a first for Garrett. Although a gorgeous setting and reprieve from the Nebraska snow we left behind, not all invited guests could make the trek to the Caribbean. I quickly found that destination weddings may be low in attending guest count, but high in level of enthusiasm. We were in the middle of a tropical playground. The focal point  of the trip was the marriage of Russell and Megan. There wasn't a dry eye on the rooftop as the adorable couple shared their personally written vows with whimpering voices and loving emotion. I sat back and smiled, reflecting on the day Russell was born into the world and the number of people around me who shared in his boyhood. Yes, Baby Russ got married. It feels like yesterday that a very pregnant Robbie called announcing she had lost her 'mucus plug'....

The Blonde Bomb (a.k.a. Ben Lane) Although my hope is for Ben's blondish-orange mop to be short lived, I've grown used to this look. I would go as far as to say, I'm fond of his shock top. When he first arrived home with his newly dyed do, I didn't feel this same sentiment. It was a bit of a shock to look at each day, but warm a reminder of the unity of the Skutt football team. Silly was the thought of the adults. Good karma was the thought of the boys. Obviously the boys won out. The hair followed them to the championship game. The title win is now becoming a distant memory, but the hair remains. I have noticed other players with new buzz cuts or hair dyed back to their normal color. Not Ben. He is going to enjoy every inch of blonde until it grows out. He foresees no buzz in his future. The nickname sticks. Ben's Muppet-like hair is fitting to his over-the-top personality. Although a football decision, I could easily see a changed hair color in Ben...

Chicago Marathon 2005 My dear friend, Kristi, and I have run together for over fifteen years. About ten years ago, at the coaxing of our other running friend, Angy, we joined a larger group of more competitive runners. This new group was comprised of a wide range of ages, motivations for running, and eclectic personalities; a nice way of saying people who run at 5:30 each morning couldn't possibly be normal. The varying runs and runners brought a new element of interest to Kristi and my routine and the change up was welcome. Rather than talks of kindergarten the potty-training, the runs quickly became all about logging in miles and tracking running paces. This was when running a marathon entered our radar screen and seemed like something we could actually accomplish.  Our logic was that we were logging in the training miles, so we should be up for running the distance. Kristi and I toyed with the idea of a marathon, but always fell back on the fact that w...

Beautiful Ride on Church Road Summer sickness stinks. I know..."Buck it up, Sandy". It could be a lot worse. I'm trying. Since waking up with what felt like a summer cold on Wednesday, I have tried the conventional ways to get back to good health. Some have helped. Some have not. On the list of those that helped: visit to the doctor, afternoon power naps, long bike rides, and added intake of vitamin C. The list of fails: margaritas in the neighbor's pool, long night at the Husker game, not filling the cough syrup prescription from the doctor. So now it's Sunday and the fails have taken over the wins. I feel worse than I did on Thursday. Yesterday I would have professed to being cured. My body had other ideas when I woke up this morning. Although coughing up a lung, I just couldn't miss the bike ride this morning. I hate to miss a party and this one had been carefully planned. Team Moxie was meeting at Mahoney and enjoying a long Labor Day bike ride...

Grant, Ben and Linds I ran into Miss Lindsey Fey late Saturday night. Really late. As opposed to summers from our past, this meeting was at a bar and not in my backyard. I was trying to act like a young adult again and she was just being one. With impending back-to-school and seeing our little Linds all grown up, a flood of memories came back to me. Lindsey was nothing short of entertainment for my boys as they grew up. A babysitter, a friend, a ball of constant motion...that was little Lindsey. The picture above was taken in my backyard. They had a baby pool filled and a hose spraying everywhere. Although I'm unsure of the need for the pool net (as big as the pool itself), I am sure it was fun nonetheless. The picture below is an action shot following the posed shot. It makes me laugh. Note Lindsey's dramatic sprint from the errant net. The hose is spraying everywhere and the toppled little scooter...your guess is as good as mine. Previously taken down the mini pool ...

It has been a marathon weekend of enjoying and entertaining out-of-town guests. Our Saturday was filled with a Magical Mystery Bus Tour of Omaha. I was the tour guide and this adventure was the adult version; as opposed to my typical tour of kids spots for the under-21 crowd. Don't get me wrong. I definitely drove Rick and Cindy by our city's beautiful zoo and favorite vintage candy shop. But only drive-by's with no stops at these destinations. Our tour of the city was more like a pub crawl. I drove them through the many wonderful neighborhoods, each with a history lesson. The twist was that with several neighborhood tours came with a stop at a local bar or restaurant. Ones that embraced the feel of that part of town. We started at the Old Market with a drive west through Happy Hallow and Elmwood Park. Lunch was in Aksarben Park. Next stop was West Omaha with a drive through the village of Boys Town and then east on Dodge Street to the airport (bye-bye to a Denver-...

Robbie enjoying the concert in her "leg-warmers" It has been quite the weekend. It's felt a bit like a flashback to my college years. Concerts, packs of friends, late nights, dining after midnight....all rolled up in one weekend. There is one conclusion I have come to: What we did night after night, weekend after weekend at age twenty is much more difficult to pull off in one solo weekend at age forty-five. But I'm giving it the good-old college try. Let's start at the beginning; Friday night. After a day of work and great anticipation of our Ohio guests arriving, things didn't go quite as planned. Cindy and Rick notified us with a quick text that they would be delayed by four hours. Details would emerge later. Bummer. Friday night's crown jewel activity was an outdoor concert put on by the Doobie Brothers. And it didn't disappoint. There is nothing better on a warm summer night than to pick up a space on a grassy knoll and listen to a 70...

Laura and I getting ready for the Plymouth County Fair I want to go to the Iowa State Fair. Really bad. I've never been, but have heard great things about it. I'm unsure how this slipped by me over the course of my forty-five years; especially given twenty years of these in Iowa and the rest in neighboring Nebraska. I have enjoyed many years of the the Plymouth County Fair, the Clay County Fair and even once, the Nebraska State Fair. But never Iowa. A tragedy. Even Martha Stewart gushes about this show put on by Iowa. And with a mere two hour drive away, I have instead sat back, year after year, with no participation. I just received my HyVee mailer on great cooking and entertaining tips. They highlighted this coveted Midwestern attraction. I am taking this as my needed push. This will be the year. Time to experience a real fair with my kids. As a child I eagerly awaited our county fair. The Wurth's were the poster family of everything good the fair portrayed. Eac...

Our paparazzi from last night Last night was Jazz on the Green. It was a night full of friends, cheers, and summer relaxation. The jazz music sounded more like blue grass to my naive ear, but enjoyable, nonetheless. The ladies wore hats and sundresses with the guys dragging our blankets, pop-up chairs, and coolers to the designated grassy knoll. Surprisingly the summer humidity avoided us with the unexpected shade, a welcomed retreat. The Omaha World Herald reported an audience count of 10,000. Seems right by my visual accounting. I ran into many friends during walks around the perimeter. Lots of smiling faces and dancing legs came out to Midtown Crossing last night. Fun times. The guys talked Senior Open and the women; kids and upcoming excursions. After a great sunset and an ending fireworks show, we reflected on our great night together. In typical fashion, we planned our next couples outing. Doobie Brothers at Stir Cove was the final decision. The invitation is open...who...

A little morning stroll past Memorial Stadium I was talking to Garrett on the phone Saturday night, telling him about my upcoming Sunday plans. "I'm going for a bike ride in Lincoln in the morning," I told him. "Did you run out of places to ride in Omaha?" was his response. Hmmmmm. I didn't know the answer. Why were we riding in Lincoln? Perhaps I am too eager to join the fun without asking questions. Earlier in the day, I put out a post looking for someone to ride with on Sunday. I received an invitation to join two for a ride in Lincoln. It never crossed my mind to ask, why were we going to Lincoln? All I knew was that a van was involved to transport bikes. As I pulled into my friend's driveway, I was anxious to get resolution to my question. Why Lincoln? Scott quickly apprised me of the situation. A rental car that Kerri had rented for a family vacation needed to be returned to Lincoln. So the idea was to drop off the rental van and ride o...

Brendon and Grant outside their cabin home for the week "Are you ready for the good times? Are you ready for the birds and bees, the apple trees, and a whole lot of fooling around..." It's Meatballs time. Summer camp has begun. Grant is the first of the Lane boys to attend sleep-over-all-week summer camp. Personally, I'm jealous. Laurie and I drove the boys to Rivercrest Camp in Fremont today. Brendon went last year and enthusiastically convinced Grant into join him this year. They have been talking about it for days with great anticipation. What I have gathered is that camp includes little sleep and lots of fun. There is a pool, a river, paint ball guns, air boats, a snack shack, cafeteria style food and activities galore. And although in different cabins, there are girls. Hmmmm. Last year Brendon was introduced to coffee and per his mother, slept for two days straight after returning home. Bags were packed and included stamps and envelopes for letters ho...

A snapped pix before a stop for a train A walk in the park. A run down the lane. A ride on a country road. All great visuals and outdoor excursions. The bike ride is taking the lead for me in "favorite mode of exercise" category. Biking is great. I'm so glad I was reintroduced to it. In all honesty, reintroduced is an overstatement since my past biking life didn't include biking shorts, jerseys, or clipped shoes. My new days of riding are a much different experience than those of past (i.e. there is much more freedom in riding a bike without totting a toddler on the back). Thursday we went on a long bike ride. Our start to the Fourth of July holiday. Last year the Fourth riding group stretched to twelve. This year it was only five; including two riders whom I hadn't met before. With quick introductions by our mutual riding friends, our holiday excursion began. And it was a great ride, even though I was the sole female pulling up the rear. My riding comrade...

Lane and Halpenny entertainment I love the Halpenny's. Anything involving the name Halpenny = fun. The good kind of fun. The kind that feels youthful, no matter the age and with no adult expectations. No expectations to entertain. No expectations to exceed expectations. Good old fashion fun just seems to happen organically. At least when the Halpenny's are involved. I learned two Halloweens ago that my friends, Brian and Laurie Halpenny, are not the only fun ones with this namesake. I was invited to the Halpenny Halloween party that year. Everyone Halpenny came to join the fun. They came in mass. Some in costume, most with great food, and all with libations of some sort. Friendly welcomes came from the Halpenny tribe to the sole Lane lady joining their fun. It was the most fun I had on a Halloween since a child. This is a huge declaration as I have put on some great parties myself over the years. This particular year I became a Halpenny-want-to-be. They had me at hello ...

Tonight at a plenary meeting, I was reminded of the heartfelt impact of a random act of kindness. The center of our discuss was kindness shared within the service of healthcare; empathy given to those most needy and vulnerable. This great discussion led me to think of my own life experiences. How acts of kindness were selflessly given to me in the past and the impact left in my own heart. One of particular note came immediately to mind. This act wasn't random. It was intentional. It was a gift of kindness given to me during a difficult time in my life. On a Friday night in the dead of winter, ten of my sister-in-laws, nieces, and friends (and brother) celebrated a Red Carpet Night with me and for me. Some would say this was just a girls night out, but it was much more than that. The month prior I had purchased a strapless red gown for my company Christmas party. I was very excited to wear this simple, but classic, red dress with matching shoes. A turn of events occurred ju...

Kristi...my friend and awesome guest blogger today :) Kristi Reimers (dear friend, running comrade, subject of many past blogs) is the writer of this funny blog _______________________________________________________________________ I was just the first one to step off the plane. My ticket: Seat 1D; First Class. That really was a first. Sitting in First Class is certainly not routine for me.  I am solidly a back of the plane, happy to have an aisle seat, kind of gal. The thought that struck me as I was pampered and treated significantly better than the “economy girl,” was the difference a few hundred dollars can make. Not that this is petty change, but I quickly realized this paid-for splurge included the privilege to board first, walk down a special aisle just for special people, not feel like a herded animal, and to be treated with utmost courtesy. I was surprised last evening when I saw First Class printed on my boarding pass. This was the doing of my tra...

Kori and Robbie in the days of big glasses and big hair Deep in my basement is a classic VHS video clip of Robbie and Kori singing their best Def Leppard rendition of "Pour Some Sugar on Me". With big glasses and big hair these sister-in-laws-in-crime put on a great show. And twenty-plus years later, it is brought up at every family wedding reception. I now know why my sixteen year-old sent a text a couple days past, asking for a viewing. It is a cult classic. One that was obviously brought up at the rehearsal dinner among the twenty-something age group. I wish I had the actual clip to share or a picture of that moment of time. The best I can do today are the pictures of Robbie and Kori above taking during that same era. I can also provide a descriptive that may help with your visual. Picture a video camera the size of a small shoe box, propped on a tri-pod. Picture a very young Robbie in her "Sally Jesse Rapheal" glasses and a peach lace bridesmaid's ...