It's been a busy week for me. I've been in trial all week, and my evenings have been filled with tasks, commitments and little fires to put out, leaving no time to finish my Christmas decorations that I began last Saturday. Our weather report is looking rather mild this weekend, so the plan will be to finish up the decor -- can't wait to see my carol sign -- and get caught up on life in general.
I reinjured my groin muscle recently, likely by not sufficiently warming up before an activity, and it's given me grief all week. My last visit to the gym was around November 15th!!! They've purchased a new facility and had begun moving those next few days following my last visit. Then Thanksgiving came, and I was too busy to go, trying to pack and prepare for the holiday trip with family. Last weekend after arriving back home from the farm, I was furiously hoping to get my house cleaned and Christmas decor completed, so no time for gym then. And all this week I've babied my groin muscle. I feel like a sloth! UGH!
My son has been to the new gym at least twice already and has been rubbing it in how nice it is, how much I'm going to love it, yadda, yadda... Tease, tease, tease. Just stop. It only serves to make me MORE irritable and impatient about my injury and lack of activity.
So finally last night I made it to the new gym, planning to work upper body only and MAYBE very light cardio following. HUZZAH! What a sweet surprise. Impressive! I was given a quick tour by my friend/trainer/comp coach, and I was ecstatic. The place is huge, and they'll now have the space and means to offer lots more classes as well -- spinning, yoga, Zumba, aeorbics, etc. A huge spa area. A nursery. A kitchen (soon to be snack bar). Huge lovely locker rooms. The list goes on... I spent the first 20 mins or so just catching up with friends. Totally elated to be back in my environment ... it felt like "going home." Cannot WAIT to get back there tonight. Fodder for a whole 'nother blog post, for sure.
It's the little things of life that fire me up ... like having a great gym workout, catching up with friends, beautiful sunsets on my drive home from work..... eye candy from magazine articles...
While sitting in the waiting room at my doctor's office last week, I spied an issue of Men's Health from 2008, and who was gracing the cover?
My main man, Hugh Jackman! Hot damn. Such a painless wait, it turns out.
(Take your time, Doc, I'm good, no hurry....)
How did I miss THIS issue? I think it was because I hadn't yet discovered Men's Health when this issue was published. I considered asking the office staff if I could take this issue home with me...a complimentary token for their valued patients? Help them clean out their dated reading material?
I grabbed my cell and snapped a picture after reading the article.
Lying on the sofa a few nights ago, exhausted from a long day in trial, and icing my muscle and on the edge of slumber, I groggily overhear a commercial on TV advertising the new movie to be released on Christmas Day, "Les Miserables." Hello.
I say aloud in a sleepy but somewhat urgent voice: "I wanna see that."
My husband responds: "Yeah. Only because of who's in it."
Well...only halfay true. I actually love that movie, having seen it when Liam Neeson starred in it. I mean, c'mon. It's a great classic.
But, well, yeah... a chance to see Hugh Jackman on the big screen in one of my favorite movies AND on Christmas Day?
Branches, pine, pinecones, acorns, pods, leaves -- to name a few.
Thanksgiving was spent on my mother-on-law's farm again this year. My son's girlfriend joined us for the first time this year. I was a little worried about her getting bored -- no cell service, no internet, and only three TV stations. Yes, it is THAT remote. I wondered if she'd like the food. I worried that she'd feel suffocated by the small, cluttered farmhouse. I wondered if she'd wish she'd spent the day with her family, a large Italian famiy who gather each year in PA and painstakingly prepare hoards of yummy [fancy] spreads of food. What would she think of our traditional, simple
Thanksgiving meal
on a small,
remote and very quiet farm.
My concerns were put to rest almost immediately upon my arrival as we greeted each other. She was dressed comfortably and cozy in VERY casual clothes, no makeup, a beaming smile, and a genuine warm hug. Somehow I knew this was where she wanted to be.
During the three days I spent there we:
Laughed
Cooked
Told stories
Played board games
Sat by the campfire each night under the stars
Hiked
Gathered wonderful bounties from nature for my Christmas decorating
Shared stores while (some) of the men hunted
Napped
... and gave thanks for the opportunity to gather together as a family in these simple and humble surroundings, a venue which beckoned our desire to slow down, to pay allegience to the things in life that matter most, and give thanks for our many and countless blessings as we shared our Thanksgiving meal together around the table.
During my two days spent there, I was able to harvest wonderful tokens of nature's beautiful bounty to launch my Christmas decorating -- which begins today! I'm sad to take down my fall decorations, it being my favorite season. But Christmas decorating has always been fulfilling and fun as well, and as I write this blog post, I realize that time is wasting. Having arrived back home last night, finishing up the calligraphy on my outdoor "carol sign," I need to get busy. Lots to do today and tomorrow. My guess is I'll be making a few trips to Home Depot, because I ALWAYS discover at least one more thing I need for finishing touches.
And I simply CANNOT WAIT to see how my harvested finds from the farm will look when it's all done. On my third cup of coffee... here I go!
So over a cup of coffee early this morning, I fashioned this list. I could go on and one, but this is a good start.
How Can I
Say Thanks
·My family
and all that they represent in my life, past and present.I cherish each and every one of them
unconditionally.
·Friends –
one of the greatest gifts that life has to offer.Friends fill a part of your heart that no one
else can.
·The
ability to love - Love is a beautiful emotion and something we should be
grateful for every single day. Your ability to love is what makes you grow as a
person. Love can teach us deep lessons we would never learn any other way. It
can teach us about ourselves and about others. It is an amazing feeling, and it
is unmatched through anything else. It can lead to pain, or heartache, but it
is worth every second to have experienced it at all. Love freely and deeply,
for being able to love is what makes life worth living.
·The
ability to learn - Your ability to learn –Knowledge is a never-ending quest,
and is a key player is a happy and fulfilled life. Never take the ability to
learn for granted, considering that some people struggle with even the simplest
things.Relish in the knowledge of
others and teach yourself as much as you can. You can never know too much, the
more you open your mind to learn, the greater an experience life will become.
·Our body –
The human body is an amazing and interesting thing. It moves us, helps you,
heals us, takes us places we want to go. Be grateful for your body and treat it
with the respect it deserves. Fuel it with proper nutrition and care for it
accordingly. Be gentle with it, and challenge it. Use it to the best of your
ability, and most of all enjoy it no matter its shape or size. It is a great
gift.
·Children –
They teach us so much about living. You need only watch a child’s free-spirit
for a moment to see the pure joy they hold inside. Children living in the
moment, without much regard for what has happened in the past. They love
openly, without restriction, and they take pleasure in every thing they do. If
you have children of your own, enjoy them every chance you get because they
grow for too quickly and before you know it that time is gone. If you do not
have children find ways to enjoy others, or embrace the values that they live
by and find a way to incorporate them into your life. You will be amazed by how
much you can learn from a child if you are willing.
·Good
health
·My
home
·Faith in
God
·Freedom
·My job
·Disappointments
- So that I can learn what matters most and enjoy success that much more.
·Happiness
– The state of mind – not people, places or things.Happiness is a choice.
·Joy - Joy
is deeper than happiness. At it's foundation, it is the security that
Christ holds fast and gives peace, hope and comfort--even in the midst of
hardship. Joy is rooted in the certainty that Jesus is our Lord and
Savior, and He is in control, no matter what we endure. Joy comes from being connected to him.
It comes from a deep trust, an inner "knowing" that He is in control and that he is good.
No matter what.
·Mistakes -
Without our mistakes we would learn no lessons,
·Kindness
of strangers -The kindness of strangers
can be a magical thing. Look around you and observe all the wonderful things
that people do for each other every day. These kind acts may not always be easy
to spot, but they are there, and they are making a difference. When it happens
to you, you will know it, and when you do it for someone else it may change
their life. Always be aware of those around you, and be thankful for their
kindness even when you can’t see it with your eyes.
·Challenges
- A good challenge makes us strong, teaches us about ourselves, and pushes us
to our limits. Challenge is what makes us grow and what moves us forward in
life. Be thankful for the challenges you face because they make life more
interesting, and they push you in the direction you need to go.
·Our
pets- Animals provide us with
unconditional love, trust and companionship. Wild animals not only give us
food, but also teach us about life and they cycle it takes. They show us
strength, and give us all we need to survive.
·Music –
Music soothes the soul and is an extraordinary pleasure. It can enhance a mood,
or change an emotion. It invokes memories, and creates new ones. It is a gift I
am thankful for regularly.
·Laughter –
It truly is the best medicine, and something that should be exercised often. Be
thankful you have reasons to laugh, people to laugh with, and the ability to do
it at all.
·Food –As
you sit down for your next meal be thankful for every bite, and remember that
there are so many people who have nothing at all to eat.
·Dreams and
goals - Dreams and goals drive us, and knowing they are a possibility is a true
bonus. Dream big, set high standards and work to achieve all of your goals.
They only thing that is stopping us from accomplishing anything is ourselves.
·Talents –
They are God-given.They are not
products of our own doing.Give God the
glory for your talents, whatever they are, utilize them, and be thankful for
them.
·Strengths
– to use in order to help ourselves and others
·Weaknesses
– Because no one can be good at everything, and because they challenge us to
work harder, or urge us to ask others for help.They can lift us higher if used in the right way.
·God’s
creation and the world around me – One look around hastens immediate praise and
adoration of our Creator.The earth and
its raw beauty is an amazing thing, nature offering healing powers like no
other.
·Parents –
Parents are cherished because without them I would not exist.Parents give love and nurture throughout our
lives unconditionally and teach us life lessons of enduring legacies, leaving
meaningful and lasting impact on our lives.
·Second
chances – the Gift of forgiveness.
·Sunrises
and sunsets - The beauty of the sun, the warmth it brings, and the beginnings
and the ends that it represents.
·The small
things in life – Flowers, fall leaves, the first snow, giggles, friends, warmth
of a fire on a cool evening, hugs, recalling fond memories.
... and Round Two, in another sense, is just beginning.
They stomped us pretty good. They're a good football team, Johns Hopkins. They play fast and hard. It was lots of fun just being there, watching the game, taking in the playoff challenge, even though we didn't win.
The weekend in pictures. They sort of speak for themselves.
Friday evening...where shall we dine ... via iPhone
A glass of wine overlooking Inner Harbour
Another glass following dinner
Saturday morning sightseeing ... loved this window display
To my surpise, the cityscape was captured in the reflection!
Ready for some defense
Go D!
Hit Somebody!
Proud Mama Post Game
Father & Son Reflect on the Season
Heading to the car after a slice of pizza with the team
Taking the day off from work today to get an early start on our trip to Baltimore for the NCAA Playoffs, W&J vs. Johns Hopkins. This should be a fun trip. I've never been to Baltimore, and I'm anxious to explore the Inner Harbor and make the most of the day/evening today. The game starts at noon tomorrow, so we'll spend today traveling and touring the harbor...maybe definitely some shopping while we're at it.
Still finding it hard to embrace, knowing that Big G's football days are coming to an end. Time flies -- it just flat flies.
His focus on studying has improved slightly over the years at least...
Fun times of yesterday with my little guy ...or yesterYEAR?
Our church has decided to update the membership directory and has been urging all members to make appointments to have their portraits taken with the photography company they've contracted with locally. Members are asked to sign up for an appointment, and the family shows up at their alotted time over the course of a few weeks. The family portraits will be included in the new directory, along with contact information, etc.
We've been dreading this event. It's the typical song and dance, the followup "pressure" session to get you to purchase their "packages," none of which I have EVER liked for a host of reasons.
Why must they ALWAYS use BLUE backgrounds? Is there a law?
Everyone always looks posed and held hostage.
At least one of the subjects has a goofy smile.
The lighting is always bad.
The colors always too bright.
Posed huddles are just -- well, unnatural?
Why must we have our hands strategically placed on each other, little group hug gesturing? I live with four men. They never "touch" each other. This is a big clue that screams "FAKE."
Who sits on stools to have their photos taken? Stools? Why must we sit at all, for that matter?
This is especially painful for teenagers, thus the smiles are always forced and painful.
We attended our session. We huddled, and touched, and grimaced smiled, and laughed on cue at all the tacky jokes the photographer rattled off (if only he knew it was making it even more difficult to make our smiles look natural), and after what seemed like an eternity, the torture came to an end, and we dutifully went to the next room to choose our pose for the church directory. We heard the typical sales pitch, the "deals" they were offering, hoping we'd buy hoards of photos and packaged assortments.
REALLY? Uh, no thanks.
We chose our directory pose, agreed to buy two 5x7's, then ran for our lives outta there.
This past Saturday was spent in Waynesburg, PA, watching my son play his final season game of football as a college senior. A wash of memories flooded my mind as we made the drive north, the many years we'd spent watching him play, cheering him on, encouraging him, supporting him, watching him advance and mature and improve, his tenacity growing more and more fierce with each season.
Big G began playing football when he was seven years old. I vividly remember one of the first plays in which his coach quickly cautioned him, "Son, you can't kick the players...you tackle them, you don't kick."
He caught on quickly.
He's been playing football ever since at all levels -- grade school, middle school, high school, and now college. His football career is coming rapidly to an end, and it's a bittersweet time for us. I get sentimental about stuff like this. No, about most things, actually.
The Washington & Jefferson Presidents proved themselves worthy this past Saturday in the last season game against Waynesburg, PA, who, at the time, was undefeated, beating them 31-14, winning their 23rd PAC Championship and an automatic bid into the NCAA. What a sweet victory for G's senior and final year of football. It was a joyous and glorious fall day made even more beautiful with an emotionally-charged, hard earned victory. It was pure joy to witness the celebration following.
