Tales of the Ordinary Days

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 getting a haircut in the backyard of our first home (Little Tykes toys, long gone...Grandma's homemade jammies, some kept in basement storage) Today I drove by my old house. Really old, as we haven't lived there in eighteen years. There wasn't any one thing that motivated me to do this, other than a recent sentiment of touching pieces of my past as I look to the future. I often think back to a parting conversation I had with my divorce attorney. It was a remark he said in passing, one that typically would have slipped my memory quickly. But ten years has passed and his words are burned in my brain. "You will remarry and be happy. I am sure of it. You're a traditionalist and will find your happy home again." I have often wondered which of my behaviors deemed me a traditionalist and not a trendsetter in his mind. Why conventional was seen as my future and not edgy? Did I ultimately fulfill this prediction? On the surface, one could say no. B...

Sorry about the cover picture. It's the best I had from our Top 10 day in Flagstaff. And in all honesty,  I had to Google "Snapchat Filters" to figure out how to create this picture. Then...wahlah... I am a deer or a dog?? Garrett and I are in Flagstaff, checking it out. I am feeling like a senior in high school, touring schools and narrowing down final decisions. We are going through the same decision process.  Kind of. No school, though. Basically trying to figure out commonality in where to live post-kids. What we have found is this is an easier decision for Garrett. He has a master spreadsheet that lists comparison of cities in the US listed by major categories of importance to us...days of sunshine, inches of snow, recreation, cost of living, median home cost, etc... Easy, peasy for Garrett. We can narrow down by a spreadsheet. Sandy...not so much. Our breakfast conversation was a nice point of clarity as we visited our city #2, Flagstaff,  on the spread...

My panoramic view from my middle seat vantage point Well, we are done. Road trip completed and a success. Zach has his gun equipment. Delivered and set-up, his shop is almost opened for business. The two drivers and their sidekick (me) are now cozy in the warmth of our Denver home. Christmas decorations are up. Simmering chili with freshly made cornbread are in the kitchen. And Stanford and Notre Dame are playing some pretty good football on the screen in front of us. We collectively drove 1,070 miles over two travel days. Adding a one-way flight at the beginning and a one-night hotel stay at the end, the comforts of home are feeling pretty good right now. Our 26 foot truck did the job. Carrying 4,000+ pounds of gun machining equipment, we named our diesel-loving and dependable rental, the Heifer. She was a bit stubborn going up hills and wanted a nap rather than a start at a truck stop in Iowa. But in the end, she faithfully did her job before we returned her to the Penske...

View on my drive to our morning run Today was an ordinary day in Omaha. Amen to that. I have missed my sleepy, but satisfying days aglow with Midwestern pleasantries. I now sit in my art room sipping on a Leinenkugel's Grapefruit Shandy as Nat King Cole croons to me from the spinning vinyl. Windows are cracked with the sound of boys playing basketball as background noise coming from the front drive. Basketball also plays on the big screen in the living room with a big and a not-so-big boy tracking their brackets. With bellies full of a take out meal of wings and chicken baskets, my two oldest have set off with friends to enjoy a Saturday spring night. Life continues to hum for us in Omaha. Home. I began my day with a run through Boy's Town with my running gal pals. Our routine of coffee complimented with shared bananas and peanut butter followed. This same routine with a varying cast of characters has gone on at the same spot for over ten years. Some years it has been...

The many faces of a day in Denver It's been a while, but I'm back. On our drive from the airport, Garrett asked when I was here last. We went through our mental calendars and determined it was mid-August. Not like the old days when I was in Denver on a more frequent basis. But times and schedules change. Now Garrett is making the frequent flight to Omaha. The next question that Garrett asked was whether I missed Denver. That’s a tough question. I love Denver. It's beautiful, the people are great, and it's a virtual playground for people like us who love the outdoors. But did I miss it? I couldn't honestly say that I did. This didn't make a lot of sense in my overly analytic brain, so I had to give my honest answer some additional thought. After some brain-churning, I offered my simplistic explanation to Garrett. I don't miss places, I miss people. I miss relationships. I could go anywhere with Garrett and be happy because I'm with him. Going...

Watching a Husker win with my furry friends I really like my seats at Memorial Stadium. We sit on the east side between the band and team parents. About sixteen seats up, the boys like the great view to the field. Although I enjoy this as well, I also like to watch the players on the sideline and all the hoopla that happens near the field. Late in the week we chose to sell our tickets and watch from home. Between Grant's morning football game and Ben's homecoming, it felt like a good decision. But there is always some reservation about missing out in the live venue of Memorial Stadium. Watching Kenny Bell's one-handed catch was an after-the-fact reminder of this. But all is good. No regrets. Based on the picture above, you can conclude that the comforts of my home were enjoyed by all. Kenny Bell looked just as good on my big screen. And nap time between the great plays was divine. My furry friends were happy and the Husker win; just as good. We started our day wit...

View out my window from my desk Do you remember the opening to the book, The Cat in the Hat? The kids stared out the window to a wet and cold day. What to do? What to do? That is how I feel right now. The best made plans can be overturned by Mother Nature. My planned bike ride with friends is out, so what now is in? Last night the boys and I went to see World War Z in 3D. It was actually quite good. Very entertaining. Home by 9:30, I carefully planned for a much anticipated Sunday morning. Bike down and tires filled with air. Check. Helmet, gloves, clipped shoes in car. Check. Water bottle open and left on island for filling beside power bar. Check. Money, ID, and ear buds set by charging phone. Check. To bed by 10:30 with dreams of a long morning bike ride dancing in my head. Check. Reality check. The sound of thunder and heavy rain outside wakes me at 6:10. A check of hour-by-hour weather and a flurry of FaceBook posts from cycling friends concludes with a cancelled ride....

This should be called "Middle of the Night Conversations"; 3:30 a.m. actually. But the title is too long for a blog. You get the drift. 3:33 a.m .: A knock at my bedroom door with words of a stomach ache from a young house guest. The intended over-nighter with Grant had turned into a half-nighter. With a call from his personal cell phone, a tired father was already on his way. With windows open and a cool breeze filling my room, the interruption in sleep seemed minor. Back in the day there were many broken nights like these; some that required my driving across town to pick up my own child. More often it was kids leaving my house in the middle of the night. Not sure on the message behind this theme. 3:55 a.m. : As our house occupants had decreased by one, the silence of the night was broken by a blaring car alarm. As is typical with middle of the night noises, I first laid in bed wishing it away. Then I got up to investigate through my opened window. Definitely comin...

Summer office space My new home office furniture was delivered today. At least for use over the summer months. Some may call it patio furniture. I refer to it as versatile  Just my style. I am anxious for my clematis vines to grow and the addition of summer annuals for added ambiance. Zach pulled through with the assembly and there was a lot. I was amazed that so many pieces of furniture fit into the small delivered box. "They are really good at packing it in, Ma'am" was the answer the young delivery man gave me. So on this sunny afternoon in Omaha, Zach carefully assembled the many pieces that were crammed in the Sears box. The final product brought me much happiness and a big smile. Comfort and warm color wrapped into a functional seating arrangement. And it actually looked just like the photo on the Internet. Score. By nightfall, I couldn't resist trying out my new digs. I sat cozily wrapped up in my fur blanket from the living room while sipping a ...

My work view today Is there anything as peaceful as driving across town in the dark of an early morning? This ranks pretty high on my list. At 6:00 a.m. there is a flicker of life beginning to light up, but all is relatively tranquil. Garrett's traditional Monday morning flight home has me at the airport before six. With a ceramic cup of coffee in hand, my first choice on this early morning adventure is which way to take home. The quick way is the Interstate. The preferred drive is straight through town. Dodge Street is my favored route. This morning thoughts of hurrying home and catching some more sleep lingered momentarily, but instead I hung a left onto Abbott Drive out of the airport. It was the Dodge way home today. 6:02 a.m. 6:07: Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" blared on the radio as I weaved through the quiet Creighton campus. A security guard was the only human I spotted as the rain lightly fell on my windshield. I didn't switch son...