Tales of the Ordinary Days

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...

Day 11 | 30 Days of Writing Same spot at Lake Zorinsky. 18 years apart. In August of 2000, I loaded up my car and drove to Lake Zorinsky Park. Lugging the boys (then 7, 4, and 5 months old) we trekked about a quarter of a mile on the trail to a spot I had eyeballed earlier on my run. Note that in the year 2000, our idea of having a professional picture taken of the kids entailed a trip to the Target Photo Studio. We didn't hire a photography to meet in a field of sunflowers. That option wasn't available. At least, not to my knowledge. And there was no such thing as a newborn photo shot with snuggly babies in unbelievable sleeping poses with adorning parents. Our newborn picture was taken at the hospital with wrinkled baby in bassinet. We had one choice, would purchase and then cut out of a sheet and mail to our closest relatives and friends. Oh, and this was typically included with a handwritten birth announcement. Those were the days. Without knowing it, I was a...