Tales of the Ordinary Days

Oscar to the left and Felix to the right Stealing a phrase from a friend of mine; 'we have a situation' at my house. I live with Felix and Oscar. The Odd Couple. For those of my age and older, you completely understand of whom I am referring. For those younger and confused, check with your friend, Wikipedia. This relationship has existed for some time, but has escalated over the last year. Post-marriage, Garrett and I have began spending our weekends with each other's kids and with more overall time in Omaha. Although the result has been a culture shock to both Ben and Garrett, it has been no surprise to me. Most say merging families in re-marriage is hard on the kids. The truth is that it is harder on the step-parents. Let me just throw out the core of the issue. Ben is a train wreck. This assertion is not a surprise to those who have known him his whole life. As a forever-smiling toddler, when asked his name, he would say "I'm Benny and I'm a train wr...

The phrase 'bloom where you are planted' keeps resonating with me. I'm not completely sure where the embedding began, but as of late, this catch phrase continually hits replay in my brain. I do feel like I am planted in a lot of different places these days. Tonight I am in Omaha. And I'm at home. Just home (9:06 p.m.). But home nonetheless. Home means many different things to me. I confuse people with pictures of Denver on my blog and social media. I also confuse people with my spotty appearances and 'going quiet' for periods of time. The new norm. "Did you move to Denver?" is a frequent question. or "I haven't seen you in ages. Why have you dropped off the face of the earth?" is another. Albeit the understandable confusion (apologies for past miscommunication and the inevitability of those in the future), I'm kind of everywhere these days. But the real answer is that most time is spent at 72nd and Center in Omaha, less tim...

2001 College World Series photo with Kevin Costner ~ kids are thrilled ;) The College World Series is back and Omahan's are loving life. Anyone who lives here or travels to enjoy the games knows what I'm talking about. There is a feeling of excitement as we wait for the eight teams to win their way to the final playing field of CWS Omaha. Watching these young men play from their heart, for their team, and for the love of the game is pure bliss. Definitely a favorite time of the year as we soak up the spirit of this annual Omaha summer tradition. Like us Omahans, others from outside the confines of our Midwestern world are also enamored with the games.  They pour into our airport and flock our city by car to support their favorite team and watch the "best show on dirt".  Among these masses, we are also blessed each year with those of celebrity status.  Everyone from US Presidents to dignitaries, professional athletes, and actors come to...

The view outside my bedroom window, 8:49 pm Our windows are cracked on a beautiful May Saturday night. The only sounds are the chirping of birds from nearby trees and a distant hum of car engines. Lawns are mowed and trash bins quietly put away without a sound of human in range. Home from a movie and dinner, Garrett and I are greeted only by our happy animals. Grant is out fishing with friends without a thought of hanging out at home. We haven't seen Ben's smiling face since Thursday morning when he left for his summer job. A text this morning let me know he was safely at his dad's. A lot has changed in the fifteen years since we first inhabited this house. My recent addiction to watching home video tapes has been a stark reminder of this. Each converted DVD runs about 2 hours and I watch them from start to finish, noticing the little life details that were temporarily forgotten. December 2000 was our move in date to Elm Circle. This was right before Grant's f...

The thought for the day, my friends.....slow down. This theme keeps resurrecting itself amidst the chaos around me. And by the sounds of the conversations and interactions I have with my friends, I am not alone. Having a three day weekend ahead of me sounded like pure bliss. With the less than stellar weather forecast, I planned on working non-stop for the entire weekend. A time to play catch-up; both for work and household duties that have been staring at me from my carefully sketched out to-do list. Go, go, go...the current story of our lives. With hefty work goals and busy kids dominating our time, Garrett and I try to keep true our workout schedule and date nights. Neither get gold stars, but we're trying. And the kids are older. By appearances, they would seem collectively self-sufficient. But my dear friend Robbie hit the nail on the head in her explanation to me on growing kids many moons age. Although Robbie and I are the same age, Robbie's kids are 5ish year...

A fun night with long-time friends, grown-up nieces, and a sweet baby girl. Blissful and relaxing. That pretty much sums up my night. Sometimes the best things in life are often the ones that come by surprise. The last minute invitation. An unexpected open night. Laughs from memories of years back and days just past. Life has been hectic. I often forget the day of the week. Although I deem this year a 'bye year' with no graduations or major life changes for my kids, the pace of my own life makes up for it. My salvation is the mission of my work that drives me and those around me. My sanity is gained from my entertaining boys and date nights with my husband. Throw in a good girls night out and I am dreamy. Torpedoes? Not a chance. I'm golden. Ben came home from college. My initial feeling was joy. And then that excitement died down when reality sunk in. The horrors of the summer after the freshman year in college. A big torpedo. New found independence. Late nigh...

As we approach the opening date of our new healthcare clinic, I am reminded of what has inspired me to take the leap of faith in joining this great venture. Although my area is finance, what I do and what motivates me is much deeper. A Midlands Business Journal article from years ago hangs on my office wall. It articulates some bits behind this motivation. Back in 1996 I was named as one of the 'Ten Outstanding Young Omahans'. The MBJ individually interviewed and ran an article on each honoree. I was asked by the reporter how I became interested in healthcare with my background in accounting. I told the reporter the story of my grandpa who had a stroke when I was in high school. I had spent months accompanying my grandma to the hospital, 45 miles away, as a support to her as she cared for her recovering husband. While my grandpa was painfully learning how to walk and talk again, I observed from the sidelines of the rehab room. When he would rest, I would wander the hos...