Carrying a Torch

I still wish Buffy the Vampire Slayer were on. I miss Felicity and the Gilmore Girls, too. I enjoyed Charmed until Rose McGowan showed up. I'd love some more episodes of Mad Men, but I really miss my WBTV. I don't watch anything now except The Biggest Loser, and that's not the same. I also need a good book to read.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a quiet Thanksgiving again. Our choices are either drive in the car for hours or stay home with no fanfare. So we opted to stay home, but it makes for a lonely holiday.

Happy Birthday, Boo

My precious little Boo is 6 today. Happy birthday, my darling Owen. My love for you is everything, everywhere, always.

xoxoxoxox

Audreyisms

Whenever you ask Audrey where someone is, the answer is "California".

If you ask Audrey to tell you a secret, she whispers in your ear "tuna".

If you ask Audrey if she wants a treat for being a good girl while shopping, she says "Undies!"

Whenever Audrey plays with her toy phone, she calls Toni from day care and says, "Hi, Toni. Good. See you later. Okay. Bye."

If you ask Audrey what kind of anything she wants (pie, cookie, big girl bed, t-shirt) she says, "a pink one!"

Sunshine on my Shoulder

I cast a shadow in the far corner of my back yard today. That has never happened before. Why? Because a 75-year-old elm tree once stood there. That's right. An elm tree.

But a few weeks ago it dropped a limb between our house and the neighbor's. It missed the gutters on either side by mere inches. The rest of the tree leaned ever so slightly over the corner of the house occupied by Audrey's room. We had someone come look at it to see if we could save it. We could try, he said, but he made no promises. Our second-opinion arborist said no, it should come down. And today it did.

So instead of a shaded back yard, a lot with mature trees, we have ever-increasing direct sunlight. We lost the honey locust last year. We had the birch taken down along with the elm. It was dying, shedding branches in every storm. It posed less of a threat, but we decided to be prudent and proactive. One of our last large trees is an ash. We've already received notice from the city that we will have to take it down (at our expense) if the emerald ash borer comes to town. The maples seem to stand on notice.

My ferns shriveled toward the earth today knowing that their cool shady spot is no more. They will burn in the sun come July. Yet I can now breathe a little easier knowing that Audrey is safe. But like my ferns, I, too, shall miss my trees.

Rest in peace, my bright birch and my mighty elm.

Waving My White Flag

Our basement flooded. The carpet is soaked.

I have no more words. I have no more feeling. I surrender.

Just Breathe

So Matt and I have had a rough year. I went to yoga on Sunday, and Ruthie, my instructor, reminded the class that the only thing we had to do was breathe. Everything else was optional. So that is what I'm reminding myself. Just put one foot in front of the other and BREATHE.

I asked Owen to remind me to breathe if he ever noticed I was growing frustrated or angry. He laughed and said that was weird but he would do it.

Onward...

Updates

I realize I've been MIA for quite some time. Summer was tough. Matt worked and traveled a lot. I didn't have much childcare. My big standing assignments disappeared, and so I had to take more lesser-paying assignments. So far this year I've earned half as much as I did last year, and it's catching up with us. No vacations. Still no new car (130K miles and counting on the Subaru, not to mention $3000 worth of repairs this year). No new floors. No patio. More trees falling. Broken dishwashers and microwaves. The list goes on and on. I'm also struggling with running injuries, so I can't run let alone train for a marathon. It's just not a good time here, and I'd rather be quiet than regale you with our recession woes. We're all still alive. No obvious battle wounds, although Owen has a loose tooth and I have a nasty plantar wart and burn on my arm from the iron. I'm praying for a miracle, but I'd take a two-for-one sale on laundry detergent.

Kids at the Capitol

My Boys of Summer

Audrey and Papa Gene

Papa Tom and Grandma Shelley's Tractor

Owen's Tree at the Capitol

First Day of School

Mile 19

Here I am acting goofy for my friends at mile 19. I felt really good out there today and finished in 3:57. If only I hadn't gotten stuck in that port-o-potty line for 7 minutes....

Seriously, I am trying to decide which marathon to run next. I'd love to try to run another with Bill. Matt has his eyes on Detroit. The Sacramento marathon in December is outrageously flat and fast. So we'll see what I decide. Another week of recovery and I promised myself I wouldn't commit until I knew how I felt when my recovery period was over. In the meantime, I am welcoming and encouraging suggestions. Remember, I need a relatively flat (slight rolling hills are probably okay) and notoriously fast course if I'm going to cut 11 minutes from my time. Kathy, sorry, but no altitude. And Chicago and Milwaukee are already full unless I run for charity (which I could do). I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to run my next one with Matt's sister, a former knock-out fast college runner. But she's currently preggers, due in July, and even December is probably too soon to get in marathon shape. Well, it would be for me if I were carrying around nearly ten pounds of boy in my belly.

My Boys

Grandma Shelley Visit

Chicago Weekend

Finally Some Photos

I am way late with these, but I'm going to randomly post a few pictures from the last few months of our lives. This is Easter Brunch.

Happy-Birthday Breakfast

Girlie is two today. Happy birthday, my sweet little Audrey Violet.

To My Health

Just a note to everyone who has been thinking about or praying for me: I am doing well. I am on a wait-and-see approach with my doctor. I'll go back for more tests in June and then we'll compare those results to the ones from March. That should tell us where we're headed with all this.

I'm comfortable with that, and I'm relieved to be able to live like a mostly healthy person for two more months. I feel almost normal again, and I'm mostly back to my usual routine.

Thank you to everyone who has wished me well or thought of me more than usual or watched my kids or brought me treats and surprises. I am forever grateful for your love and kindness. It feels so good to know that when I reach out for a hand, there are dozens there ready to take mine and walk with me.

Personal Record

I ran the Shamrock Shuffle today. I was aiming for a sub 47 10K, and I had been doing speed training up until 2 weeks ago. I finished in 46:56, just making my time by 4 seconds. I am proud of myself. I set a goal, worked hard, and reached it. I'm not sure what's next, so I'll enjoy this one for a while.

Postcards

Is anyone else in love with the fruity post card stamps? Kathy, if you're reading do you know where I can get a photo to add? I can't seem to figure out the free-pictures-on-the-web thing.

It's a Boy!

Aunt Lynnie and Uncle Joe are having a boy. So far all looks fine and the baby is right on target for an early July delivery. Yay!

Dancing with Dad

When Girlies Dress Themselves

She wanted to go a la Lindsay Lohan with the orange-tights-no-pants look, but I insisted on the jeans. She selected the too-small summer tank top from her about-to-be-hand-me-down pile, the tights and the red shoes.

Pigtails