And when you dream, Dream Big!

Yesterday Doc played me this song from a local band that I've actually met IRL before a number of years ago. I liked the lyrics and the melody quite a lot.

Every time I drive to the school, I pass by a "for sale" sign for this house on the creek. Doc took me there on a bike ride a while back, and we poked around the property and fantasized about actually living on the creek. (!)

I'm afraid that I can't seem to get enough of the creek. I roll my window down and pause to listen every time I can while crossing it. I stop to breathe and listen and just be whenever I walk or bike past it. And this home and property is surrounded by my beloved creek. Plus there are fruit trees and little nooky spots to enjoy a book outside. I've only peeked in windows and looked at the pictures on Zillo of the inside, but it has a nice modern style that I really like. And it's situated in a way that we'd never have to deal with the likes of this again.

I may never have a dream home, but I still think it's good advice to have dreams, including BIG DREAMS. Fantasies, even! I went too long without having any dreams, because there really didn't seem to be any point. But I think the point isn't whether or not they come true. Dreaming has a way of igniting a spark inside us. I'm trying to fuel that spark in my life now. It was dormant far too long.

What are your big dreams?

Grateful for:

1) Bunch practicing her music of her own volition
2) 80 degree blue-sky days in September
3) A future where anything is possible!

Introducing.....LORRIE!

Today is Lorrie's birthday. Happy Birthday Lorrie! I'd sing, but, well, let's just call this your song:

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

I wish I knew how I found Lorrie. I'm pretty sure I found her, and not the other way around (that honor will be going to Keri...who shall be the subject of a future post in my "Online Friends Series").

I'm not even sure when I first found her, but I'm so glad I did...because not only am I secretly in love with her, but I'm pretty sure that she's how I connected with a couple other online favies...who I haven't written about yet but will sometime (hi mate Le! Hi Debbie!)

Lorrie is one of the funniest people I've ever met. At first blush we don't have much in common (since when should that stop us from being friends with someone?), but I started reading her blog simply because she made me laugh. Laugh at a time when I was so mired in murky muck some days that it was hard to even smile. She made me laugh and smile and cry happy tears even when I was really depressed. It's a gift.

I've stumbled across hundreds of blogs over the years, but only a tiny fraction of those have made it to my blog roll. An even smaller percentage of the blogs I read have ever bothered to visit mine, but every now and again Lorrie pops in and checks things out.

Among her many admirable qualities, Lorrie is a talented artist. She has a wildly successful ceramics company is called Our Name Is Mud, and her products are sold all over the world. They're a hit with lots of celebrities, and are regularly featured in magazines and on tv because they're so clever and whimsical...they just make you smile.

I'm not altogether certain that Lorrie isn't secretly one of my guardian angels (I seem to have a few of them). There have been quite a few days when I was struggling along, and a package arrived in the mail with just the thing I needed to hear:



(that was an inspired message!)


(Remember when the Wizzard of Oz gave the cowardly lion a "courage medal"...which was apparently all that he'd been missing? Well, here was my "medal".)

Or things that just made me laugh:


(it's been a long-standing joke that I married "Mr. Right")

Or pretty things:


(my kids both had special ceramic cereal bowls, so now Doc and I have our own, too!)

Last October when I was in NYC, I finally had the chance to meet Lorrie in real life. WOW! Not only is she even more wonderful in real life (if that is possible), but her kids are darling, and her home is magical. (And her SHOM was pretty okay, too.)

Her daughter gave me some tattoos:


Since I'm a teetotaler, there was really nothing else to do besides heading over to her amazing studio where p0tTerY hApPenS...



...and while trying to be as talented as her for a moment, I painted this:



Which, after being kilned, turned into:


The kids and I took a picture with a life-size poster one of her fans sent her in honor of her 500th blog post:


(Hi Krëg!)

In honor of her 500th blog post she invited all six seven of her readers to send her crafty cards. I didn't consider myself all that crafty (a position I'm actually having to rethink these days), but I make pretty good toffee, so I decided to make her an edible card...which, as it turned out, didn't ship all that well...but happily I took a photo of it before sending it to her, and included (the forethought! I'm amazing!) so she'd know what her toffee card said:


(And yes, my frosting penmanship leaves something to be desired. Sue me.)

I'm always touched by the kindness shown to me by friends and family, but there is something even more heart-rending about the kindness of a stranger. And when that kindness then turns into extreme generosity, well, I just don't really know what to do other than to try harder to follow their example. Maybe I'll make a difference in someone else's life someday.

Lorrie, you're the greatest! My life is better because of you and your thoughtfulness. ♥

Grateful for:
1) Gorgeous fall days and canyon hikes with my kids
2) Newly organized garage and laundry room. My hands are like cut-up sandpaper but the end result of my work is quite satisfying.
3) Time with friends

PS: Feel free to wish Lorrie a happy birthday today! Tell her Blue sentcha! (Glitter not required.) ♥

Shelah

Continuing my Friend Series...

I don't know if it will ever be possible for a friend I met online to have a greater positive impact than Shelah.

I first discovered her when she was guest posting on one of the blogs I read. It had been a while since any post there had really resonated with me...but every time I read something that touched me, it turned Shelah was the author. Her voice was a breath of fresh air. Next she guest posted on a different blog I was a fan of. Soon she'd been invited to be a "perma" on both blogs, and I was reading her words there on a regular basis, as well as her own, personal blog.

At that time, her family lived in Houston. I'd been commenting on her posts for the better part of a year when the dreaded trip to Houston came up. On the off chance we might have time to meet while there (and to possibly give me something happy to look forward to during it), I emailed to let her know I was headed that way. Without even having met me, she offered to let me stay with them if I needed a place.

So we met. Her family was adorable. She fed me dinner and then we went out for gelato (I am crazy for gelato!) and talked for a while and then said good night. I left their house in the dead of night to fly home again, and that could have been the end of it.

But it wasn't!

Last summer, her husband finished his fellowship and began interviewing for jobs all over. I count it as one of my greatest blessings that of all the places they could have ended up (and all the houses they tried to buy before the one they finally purchased), they ended up moving into a home that is a mere five minute walk away from ours.

Despite the fact that we live so close, our kids don't attend the same schools, and because there are so many Mormon's here, we aren't anywhere close to being in the same congregation at church. But our kids are friends, and in the past year, Shelah has become almost like another mother...my backup in the case that I'm gone and Doc is stuck at the hospital. She just takes Bunch & Gator in.

I don't know how she does it--that ability to care for them, all while convincing me it's no problem. I've been flying for 9+ years now, and most of that time I've just been winging it from month-to-month as far as figuring out what to do with my kids in my absence while Doc's at work. I feel bad asking for help too often from people. I haven't wanted to burden anyone with my responsibilities. It might just be a tender mercy, but knowing she's here has reduced my mommy anxiety levels about a zillion notches. I'm convinced that she secretly really is She-Ra!

This year I'm grateful that I have a little opportunity to help her out too. She's gone back to school, and between Bunch and I, we've got her covered if she ever needs outside help. It's such a blessing to me to be able to do something for her after all she's done for us. And have I mentioned yet that I simply love her kids?! They're terrific.

(The very fortunate) Mr. Shelah and Doc work at the same hospital right now. I'm hoping that we are able to stay here for the long haul (beyond fellowship), and that we'll have years and years near each other. For now, I'm just so happy to have such a priceless friendship so nearby.

Grateful for (Shelah edition):

She "gets" both of my kids. Her library...most of the books I've read the past couple years are at her recommendation (I've never known a more voracious reader). Her kids are some of my all-time favorites (and I have known and loved a LOT of kids!) She's someone I can trust 100%. She's so laid back about all the right things. She is über accomplished in countless areas I am sorely lacking in (eg: house-keeping, decorating, self-discipline, fitness...Shelah is a runner. She'll put in 22 miles before I wake up in the morning.). She's an amazing writer. She has a wonderful way of looking at and describing life. She's a great teacher and super-organized. A harder worker would be hard to come by, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more generous friend. Someday, when we have schedules that permit it, she and her husband are the kind of couple Doc and I could actually hang out with and I think the guys would even enjoy it! Since we don't have family super close (ie, close enough to be helpful on school days), having her family here is as great a tender mercy of the Lord as we could have ever asked for. ♥

Miss Ellen Patton

In the past couple years I've met a number of my bloggy friends in real life. Sometimes I remember how we "found" each other, other times I don't recall the first time I saw their blog or got a comment from them, but after enough time we ended up meeting in person.

Now that I've transferred to Boston for work (I used to fly to California to start work, now I fly to Boston), I knew it would only be a matter of time before a chance to meet up with Ellen presented itself. And last month it did!

On very short notice, we arranged to meet for lunch. Again, I could have blown it because I came up from the "T" stop in Kendall Square, where she said she'd find me, unaware that there were two ways I could have exited, and I took the wrong one. After waiting a while for her to "find" me (wishing the whole time I'd remembered to copy her cell phone down out of the email), she called me, and we figured out where I was relative to her.

Ellen is an iconic figure. She seems to know pretty much everyone. She's one of those creative, thoughtful, talented people who is generous and kind to everyone. Before we ever met, I'd received two hand-written cards in the mail from her...she's old-fashioned like that. I wish I were more organized and consistent with writing letters and sending packages (I have a shelf in my closet of things I intend to send people for month after month, never making myself actually get them off.)

We had a nice lunch and then she gave me a bit of a walking tour of MIT, where she works in the president's office. It was orientation day, so the new students were flooding campus and starting out on their new adventures. It reminded me of my happy first days of college so long ago. What a great time of life! What amazing feelings of freedom and possibility! How fun to work in that environment every year. It must keep a person young. They're very lucky to have her at MIT.

Despite our very short notice, Ellen showed up with a gift for me: a nerdy MIT pocket-protector! My dad wore a pocket protector when I was growing up. I don't notice people wearing them much these days, but it made me laugh. She's just thoughtful, that Ellen!

Since our lunch, I've gotten another little package in the mail from her. In addition to photography skills, Ellen is a WIZZARD with a sewing machine, and made me a sweet little coin purse from some cute oilcloth. It's been fun reading her blog and looking at life from her cheerful perspective.

Grateful for:

1) This crazy thing, the internet. When I consider all the good it has brought into my life (and the fact that I've managed to steer clear of the dark side of it), I am so grateful for the innovation, invention and inspiration that has brought it about.

2) As a child I couldn't seem to "figure it out"...that how to find and make friends thing. I had a couple dear childhood friends (hi L3 and Pokey!!!) and they did a remarkable job of compensating for the unkindness of some other children. But I struggled in that department. Today, my friendship well is overpopulated with the best of humanity. It reminds me of this, which is one of my favorite promises.

3) Indian summer September days. The sweetness of my friend's 3 yr old preschooler every Thursday. Playing piano/viola duets with my daughter. Snuggling with my son. Doc's current ER rotation hours. Gator's improved attitude and effort this week. Mint chocolate chip ice cream. My body aching as I try to get back into shape. Scout leaders who really (authentically!) enjoy scouting (?!). Unexpected notes, email and letters from people. Jackie Evancho's voice. Visiting teachers. Reading scriptures with my kids in the morning before I send them off into the world.

Darla

You know how every now and then you cross paths with someone, and though nothing momentous transpires, they change your life for good?

Twenty years ago I decided to go on a mission for my church, which starts out with a stay at the Missionary Training Center (MTC). We lived in a dorm-style setting with our assigned companion(s), and learned such things as we'd need in order to be successful (eg: foreign languages, how to share the gospel, the importance of separating whites from darks when doing laundry.)

I'd been there for almost a month of my 9 week stay when we got some new missionaries in our room (there were about six of us to a room, as I recall). One of these missionaries was named Darla, and she was going on a mission to the Canary Islands, which sounded so much more exotic than my intended destination (Texas).

Darla and I did hardly more than sleep in the same room. We didn't have the same classes, didn't meet together for church, were entering and leaving the MTC at diffferent times. We might have eaten a meal at the same time but aside from time in our dorm room, we didn't interact much.

But she was one of those people that was impossible for me to not adore. She was light. She radiated good. I was drawn to her like a moth to a lamp. That was a particularly messy, difficult time for me. It was at the MTC that I saw a counselor for the first time, and started facing the abuse from my past. The turmoil inside made it hard to focus on the things I was supposed to be learning (Spanish, for example). I was struggling to fit in with my two companions, who seemed to hit it off with each other while I felt left out. So it was a hard time.

But then Darla arrived...lighting up the room with her tremendous spirit. Meeting her was one of the highlights of my short time there. All too soon it was time to move on.

Life went by. We kept in touch a little bit, but I think the only other time we saw each other was eighteen years ago when Doc and I went to her wedding reception. We waited in a line that wrapped around the building outside just to get in to see them (apparently I'm not the only one drawn to her!).

That reception was the only time Doc ever met her, and it was also the last time we saw each other. Life moved on. The internet wasn't around yet, and we lost track of each other.

A few times in the past fifteen years I did search for Darla. Once, I found an outdated reference to her husband in a newspaper, but otherwise, nothing.

Then a few weeks ago Doc called me one day.

"You'll never guess who I just ran into" he said.
"Then you'd better just tell me", I replied.

How she recognized him, and how he actually remembered her name without being told, after ALL THESE YEARS is astonishing. He walked into the room she was in, her back was to him, but when she heard him say his name (and we have a pretty common last name) she turned around. "I know you! You're Blue's husband!" she said.

And that's how I reconnected with my amazing friend after 18 years. Yesterday we met for lunch. Only we almost didn't meet because I went to the wrong restaurant and sat there waiting for a good 15 minutes before I noticed that I was at Zuppa's and not Rumbi's (!) I RAN over to Rumbi's, and the second I walked in, there she was, and we were hugging and it was a joyful moment.

I couldn't have imagined how very beautiful she'd be. She was light and brightness and pretty at twenty-one. Now, at forty-one, she is simply glorious. She has that deep-beauty that just can't be contained within herself. I don't feel quite as moth-like today as in years past (perhaps I've evolved into a butterfly), but I could still hardly get enough of her.

Neither of us think things happen coincidentally. I'm sure this chance meeting was a tender mercy of the Lord in my life. I am always humbled by his watchfulness over me.

Grateful for:
1) Kindred spirits
2) People who are strong in areas where I am weak. I watch their example and let myself be inspired as I try to become more like them.
3) How beautiful life is (even in those difficult times it doesn't seem like it.)

Living a luxurious life

There was a homeless man that we passed every day during our time in NYC. He set up just off the sidewalk between two buildings, and there he slept, hour upon hour, morning, afternoon, night.

He lay there dead to the world, only he wasn't dead (I was pretty confident no one would reposition a cadaver). His location across from Central Park and next to a nice church was relatively safe and picturesque. I wondered what he did when he was awake (Only once that we went by he was gone, and that was late at night after Wicked was over. His things were stacked neatly against the wall.)

He almost looked like an art installation, someone I would definitely want to interview if I were researching homelessness. Where does he go when it's cold? How does he eat? Does he have family? Any kind of income?

I was fascinated enough to snap his photo (much to my daughter's mortification. Does that make me weird?)







Then there was the bookseller. Don't know where he slept at night, but by day he sold used books, magazines and records. I don't know how he made a living with this (were the books a cover for selling contraband?), but he had a table full of books set up on the sidewalk, which he covered with tarps at night.

But the thing that caught my attention was his car, which was parked beside his table on the street. It looked as though it hadn't moved in months (didn't know the city would permit that!), and it was stuffed to the gills with books! No room for a person in this baby.

I didn't want to embarrass him by being obvious about snapping a photo of it, so it's not the best picture. But it was a wonder!



Grateful for:

1) My home. It's not a lot, but it's far more than many people have, and we're blessed to have it.
2) My employment. Having a job you love isn't a luxury most of humanity has enjoyed.
3) Books. They bring me a lot of joy, teach me countless lessons, and enrich my life.
4) Working vehicles. They're getting a bit old. They're scratched and dinged up. One has lost all it's hubcaps. But they're paid for, and they get us where we need to go. We live lives of luxury.

We ♥ NY

We're home!



Last night Bunch and I returned from our fabulous trip to NYC which included, in no particular order:

• Wicked (which completely exceeded our already high expectations). It was the reason we went in the first place. We both absolutely loved it.
  




• Great times with some of our favorite relatives





• Times Square





• Shun Lee where we enjoyed scrumdiddilyumptious Chinese food in an upscale setting. MMmmm!


• Super fun visit with one of my besties and her darling girls


Getting "fairy dusted"



• Alice's Tea Cup where the famished can order the all-you-can-eat sandwiches, scones, desserts and teas. We stayed a long time and ate far too much. So delish!!! Really. Go if you can.
  
  
  
• Shake Shack (which has notoriously long lines...but we were the first customers of the day)




• Shopping, Shopping, Shopping, Shopping, etc.




• American Museum of Natural History, where we saw this remarkable tree.

• Sampled some classic NY Pizza, soft pretzels and candied nuts
  


• World Trade Center site and Memorial, where I recorded my experience of 9/11 as a flight attendant based in New York.
  


• Good books


• Central Park
  Bunch and Me on the terrace overlooking the park.
  
  (and here's a view of it at night from our place)
  



• Sore feet from hours of walking. (We soaked them in a fountain at the park)




• Magnolia Bakery Our eyes simultaneously popped wide open in delighted surprise when we tasted the first bite of our treat! Blueberry Jamboree...I'll be googling for a recipe for you. Consider yourself warned!
  


• Planes, trains, a convertible BMW with the top down, boats, cabs, subways, and (almost) a helicopter ride!


• Pinkberry (x2) (it was THAT good! But then I'm a complete sucker for frozen treats. Complete.)
  




• Governor's Island (which we think should be renamed Pistachio Ice Cream Cone Island" because that's honestly what the island looks like!
  
  
• Visit to the world famous Juilliard School. So fun for my little songbird
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Lincoln Center
  
  
• Manhattan LDS Temple (which was closed, but we attended church in the same building, where we were happy to see a familiar face from our days in Vermont who's all grown up and famous now, but who is just as sweet and lovely as she ever was.)
  
  
  
  
• Rockefeller Center
  
  
  


• And countless amazing, Crazy, Inspiring, Sad, Beautiful scenes from this remarkable city that I love:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


• And finally, our accommodations. They were more fantastic than you can possibly imagine!

The dining area. I didn't get a photo of the kitchen. Or the terrace with the fountains, trees, flowers and outdoor eating area. My sincere apologies for depriving you...

Living room.

We b0th spent quite a while playing this beauty. If this view doesn't draw out the music in you, nothing will.

Master suite. The bed was so comfortable we almost didn't get out of it. Almost.

Bunch takes a photo of the mirrored ceiling in the master bathroom, which is all granite, glass and mirrors.


Bathroom #2 was all mirrors. No photo of #3, but it's dusky silver walls, black sink, toilet, and floor, and fabbo deco are superb!


This trip was truly one for the books. We packed it in and enjoyed ourselves silly. We're both so grateful to all those who made it possible for us. There's really no way to pay back the kindness we've been shown. We'll be paying it forward (for a long, long, time!)

Grateful For:

1) The fact that, though I used to be intimidated by the sheer scope and craziness of NYC, I've fallen in love with it over the past few years. It's amazing.
2) Perfect weather, health, and company!
3) Doc and Gator. What better ending than to come home to my lovely boys?!

Tickets

Don't you hate that sick feeling that instantly floods your system the moment you see blue flashing lights zooming up in your rear-view mirror? And isn't it a relief when, after you pull to the side, the cops race right past you and turn a corner...chasing after some other person. Even though you haven't been doing anything wrong, you still have that rush of adrenalin coursing through your system that lingers long afterward. I was just thinking about this the other day while I was in Boston and saw it happen to someone else.

But I DID have a ticket story happen yesterday. My brother in law flew in a few weekends ago for a family reunion. His flight back to work departed at 5:00 a.m., and no one was really excited to get up at 3:00a.m. to get him to the airport, so we came up with a plan for him to drive himself there, and then my other brothers-in-law would drive down together and get the car later.

I have pre-paid parking for the year because of my work, so I gave him my pass to get in the parking lot, and planned to get it back after the guys picked the car up. But my plan backfired when I got to the airport to fly out for work last week and realized I hadn't retrieved my parking pass from them after they got the car all those weeks ago. I had no choice but to pull a paper ticket, and ended up paying $41 to park for the six days. It's actually a much longer story involving intrigue, threats to call the police and so forth, but I'll just leave it at that, and say I'm glad nothing worse came of this little exercise in trying to help out. And also that I won't be loaning out my parking pass any more.

Finally, a happy ticket story...since most tickets are, actually, the good kind. Tomorrow night Bunch and I are heading to New York City for a momma-daughter weekend get-away.

Almost two years ago Bunch asked me one day, "if I pay for my ticket, would you buy yours and take me to see Wicked?" I thought that was a worthy goal, and now she has a ticket for the flight (I don't...so I could end up on the jumpseat if it's sold out), and we have two tickets to see the legendary musical WICKED on Broadway. We are so excited!

Grateful for:

1) All those who are making our exciting NYC weekend possible. You know who you are.

2) Doc's now off on Friday...even though he was originally scheduled to work (they're making him take it off because they've been over-scheduling him). This will be nice for Gator, Even if Doc feels guilty about not being there for his team.

3) My job. I just love it. And I realize how fortunate I am to have it. And I submit there's no other industry with more amazing perks. But let me know if you think of one!

4) I lost a fight with some yellow jacket wasps last night. I'm allergic to honey bee stings and had never been stung by wasps before, so I was somewhat concerned. But though they hurt WAY worse than bee stings, I didn't have a severe reaction to them and go into anaphylactic or anything. And Gator took particularly good care of me...swapping out ice packs for hours to numb the pain (Doc was on call all night)

5) A sweet friend ordered a copy of the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy from Amazon and had it shipped to me last week. This world is filled with kindness! Can't wait to read devour it!