The lost art of letter writing

Today the mailman brought me a letter. 

A real, honest to goodness letter. 

I can't even tell y'all how happy it made my heart! It was just a few words offered in encouragement, but they meant more than a 500 word e-mail or a barrage of texts. I think it was because I knew it cost her something. Not just in the stamp, but in time. Time is a commodity in short supply for most of us, but she made it a priority to pull out paper and pen, putting her thoughts into handwritten words.  It made me feel warm and fuzzy, like a sweet long-distance hug. When was the last time reading a text made you feel warm and fuzzy inside? 

Use to be that letter writing was our main form of communication. I remember going off to college as a freshman and leaving my boyfriend (now hubby) behind. Back then long distance phone calls were still charged by the minute so those tended to be few and far between. There was no texting, Facebook, Skype or Facetime. Letter writing was all we had. And boy did we write...sometimes daily. I still have every single one of those letters saved in my hope chest. Not that I read them often, but they represent the love we had for each other in those early days. They are a tangible representation of the growth of our relationship. While I love it when my hubby shoots me a text saying he loves me, it can't compare with a handwritten expression of that love.

Don't get me wrong, technology is a blessing when it comes to keeping in touch with people, especially those far away, but it's just not the same. I say we start a letter writing revolution! What if just once a week we put down our phones and sent a hand written note to someone instead of a text? Think of the joy when it arrives in their mailbox. The smile on their face as they read your words of love and encouragement. It will be worth the time it takes you...I promise. 

So who's with me?

Losing the art of reflection - a major disadvantage of technology

Technology has its advantages, many of which I admit are helpful. Information at our fingertips, keeping up with far away family and friends and giving the average person a voice can all be positive if used correctly.

One serious downside I've noticed is people's seeming inability to just be still. To be alone with our thoughts for even a moment. Sitting at the dentist office recently and I looked around to see every other person in the waiting room with their noses stuck to their phones. What use to be a few quiet moments to catch your breath between appointments, to close your eyes and reflect or pray or even strike up a conversation with the person next to you - these moments are gone; swallowed up by electronic sound bytes vying for our attention.

There are many things wrong with this scenario, but what hit me that day was how our love of technology has caused us to lose the ability to think introspectively; to take a look at our hearts, or better yet, allow the Lord to do so. Hopping on to play a round of Candy Crush, or text a friend about weekend plans is far easier than trying to think through what's been bugging us. It's easier to lose ourselves in the world of Facebook than to ask tough questions about why we responded the way we did to our spouse that morning. Technology at our fingertips is stripping us of the ability and desire to just be quiet. For some of us quiet is scary, so we keep our minds busy with the unimportant.

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." Psalm 139:23

Stillness and quiet reflection is a difficult discipline, but one we must not ignore. No matter how hard we try to deflect, ignore or downplay, the junk in our lives is still there. The only way to get rid of it is to walk through it. Maybe it's time to put down the phone and listen to the One who already knows our hearts and is waiting to walk us through all the messy parts. 

  

Caramel Macchiato candy corn - yes please!

Fall is here. Sweaters, football, hayrides, apple cider and such. Granted all those things are awesome, but THIS is my new favorite thing. 

I mean favorite fall thing EVER! It actually tastes like a caramel macchiato AND it's a whole lot cheaper than Starbucks when you want a quick fix! 

Hiding God's Word in our hearts...and the shower

Here's something I never expected about having teenage boys...the incredibly loooong showers. They don't have to spend much time on appearance, but apparently the shower is where they do their best thinking. Who knew? 30 minutes into it we're banging on the door and interrupting their watery reverie. Yes, we're dream killers like that.

For school this year we're memorizing what I'm calling the A-B-C's of scripture - a scripture passage for each letter of the alphabet. Should be a fun way to shake things up a bit. I'm not sure where the second part of my brainstorm came from. Probably a lack of coffee or something. I decided since they spend such an inordinate amount of time chillaxin' in the shower that I would give them something to stare at while they're in there. Sorry for the poor pic quality. I took it with my phone...in the shower.

Taping a large Ziplock bag in an area that doesn't get too wet allows me to change out the page inside each week. Around here, we call this multitasking at it's finest.

And in case you're wondering, anxious starts with an A.

Texas in our rear view mirror

As I type this we’re somewhere in New Mexico. We’ve spent the last two weeks roadtrippin’ it from Idaho to Texas and back, logging 2,745 miles with about a 1,100 more to go. We’ve stopped at 87 rest stops, found all but 11 states on the license plate game (anyone from Hawaii?), eaten copious amounts of BBQ, been bitten by 168 mosquitoes, caught crawdads with a stick and cheap bacon, gone fishin’, watched kids learn to drive the golf cart (a rite of passage in our family) and learn to drive the farm truck (another rite of passage), celebrated my dad's 65th birthday with more BBQ (of course!), spent time catching up with awesome  friends and hung out on the family farm unplugging from life. 

It has been an amazing, exhausting gift of a trip. While it was good to come back and visit, ultimately it helped me realize that we aren’t a part of life there anymore. Seeing family and friends was a balm for my soul…just what I needed to be able to finally let go and accept that Idaho is home. 

We’ve left Texas in our rear view mirror, but it will always be in our hearts. 

Running - the beauty of the journey

I've written before about my love/hate relationship with running....it's mostly still a hate kinda thing. I've been told you reach a point where you achieve a "runner's high" and suddenly find yourself on the side of loving it...hasn't happened here yet.

This morning as I begrudgingly laced up my running shoes I decided to just go for a walk, maybe run a little if I felt like it. The dark clouds lingered from last night's rain storm and the air was crisp. Taking a deep breath I began my route, talking to the Lord as I walked. As we chatted I began to notice some things that previously I had run right past. 

The vivid spring green of the new trees.

The flowers bursting from the sleepy earth.

The foothills still clinging to the last bit of snow.

The world around me seemed so much more vivid and that's when it hit me. I've been focusing so much on the drudgery of running that I've missed out on the gift that it is. My focus was wrong. Yes, it can help me get in better shape, but I think that's simply a byproduct. The reality of running is that it affords me time to pray, to listen, to notice. Oftentimes the busyness of life means I run right past it all. In my hurry to get where I'm going I can easily miss out on the beauty of the journey.

Life lived well embraces beauty. It notices the little things and pauses to give thanks.

I walked in the door to a still sleeping house and a second cup of coffee. Heart sigh. Blogging on the patio, the sun has broken through the dark clouds on this Good Friday morning and suddenly I realize maybe I don't hate running after all....maybe.

Christmas in November?

I am normally very anti-Christmas before Thanksgiving.  Forget shopping early.  Thanksgiving is the oft forgotten holiday, crammed between the sugar rush of Halloween and the joy that is the month of December. I honestly don't even like to think about Christmas until I've enjoyed turkey day filled with family, friends, amazing Southern food and of course, football. 

But this year is different.  We moved into our house four days before Christmas last year and pretty much just skipped the holiday all together.  The tree did go up in the front window.  I think the kids may have even stuck a couple of ornaments on it, but honestly, none of us really cared.  We were too emotionally and physically exhausted.  Cross country moves are tough on everyone anytime of the year, but holidays can really complicate things.  I think most of us cried our way through the whole season.  Thankfully we managed to at least get the kitchen unpacked enough to prepare our annual appetizer fest on Christmas Eve.  My kids would not have forgiven me for skipping that one.  Keeping our favorite tradition added a sense of normalcy to a tough month. 

Fast forward 11 months and Emma and I are chomping at the bit to start decorating!  We put up the outside lights this weekend.  Don't worry...we're not turning them on.  That would just be wrong.  But we did have an unusually warm couple of days so we decided to take advantage of it before it gets cold next week.  Hubby is out of town and will be SHOCKED to see what we got done.  Let me just say my teenage boys ROCK!  For my friends with little ones, the lack of sleep will all be worth it when they can climb on the roof and put up your Christmas lights all by themselves!

As awesome as my kids are, they drew the line at any other Christmas festivities prior to Thanksgiving.  So the tree and all the trimmings will stay in the garage another few weeks while the excitement builds.  But the Christmas music...well that's another story.

Lessons learned from my first half marathon

I've worked out moderately for the last five or six years, but since moving back to Idaho I haven't been too consistent.  Pretty hit and miss at best.  Recently a friend asked me to run a half marathon with her to celebrate her 40th birthday...in two weeks.  My brain, being the smart part of me, was logically saying, "No way!" and yet I heard my mouth forming the word, "Yes!"  WHAT???

As the day drew closer I began to get more and more nervous terrified.  What was I afraid of?  Not so much the pain, although I don't relish the thought of torturing myself for 13.1 miles.  No, it was more a fear of failure.  Of holding others back.  Of what people would think if I didn't finish.  Just being real.  Fear can either be a stumbling block or a motivator.  I chose to make mine a motivator and what I ended the day with was far different than the fears that plagued the starting line.

I learned:

Never underestimate the power of encouragement.  Around mile eight my entire body felt like wet cement.  Keep in mind I had never, up to this point, run further than three miles at a time!  Yes, that's right...three miles.  Running alongside me was my very own cheerleader, Susan.  I call her Pollyanna.  She is the most positive person I know and she spent her 40th birthday encouraging me to do what I didn't think I could.  She never let me quit, but pushed, cheered, laughed and best of all prayed with me the whole way.  The race itself was an amazing experience, but running with her alongside was even better.  I know for a fact I would not have finished but for her encouragement.

You are never too old to make positive changes.  I am 40...ish.  Things are migrating south that use to reside up north.  Time is marching on, but it doesn't mean I have to sit by and watch it happen.  I will probably never love running like some people I know, but I do love the changes I'm seeing.  Is my body changing?  Yes, but that's not the whole point.  More importantly it's changing ME.  It's changing my perspective and outlook on life.  There are some things in life that are out of our control...situations, relationships, aging, taxes.  Living life focused on what I CAN control allows me to trust God with the things I can't.  It's never too late to do things differently.

The choices we make are as much for others as for ourselves.  My hubby and kids were SO proud of what I accomplished.  Seeing and hearing that from them made every single painful step worth it.  They were there at the finish line cheering us on, even running beside us.  They see me getting stronger, making good choices and pushing myself out of my comfort zone and they are given the courage to do the same.

Good choices lead to more good choices.  Seeing what I'm capable of motivates me to keep moving in the same direction.  We're already planning on a race in September, but this time I'll be all trained up.  Mike is even training with me so he can run it with us.  It's having a ripple effect on our whole family and that's a very good thing.  We are learning and growing together.  Isn't that really the working definition of family?

I am far stronger than I realized.  Was I the fastest?  No, in fact I think we came in almost dead last.  Did I have the best form?  Nope.  I looked like a little old lady shuffling along the route.  Did I feel like quitting?  Absolutely!  But none of that mattered because ultimately I did what I never thought I could accomplish.  I CROSSED THE FINISH LINE. 

Every day of our lives is a race.  The question is will we run it well or will we sit by and watch everyone else run by?  Will we run with endurance, steadfastly looking forward to the finish line or will be live in mediocrity, crawling our way through each day?  Some days I run well and others not so much, but as Susan is fond of saying, "Just put one foot in front of the other!" and keep the finish line in sight.

Running motivation

I think it's safe to say I have a love/hate relationship with exercise.  I've learned over the years I do better with group exercise. I need the accountability and someone to push me when it starts to burn.  Left to my own lazy self - "Oh, that hurts. I think I'll stop now and finish off this chocolate bar."

While living in Texas I had a great group of friends who kept me motivated.  My fitness instructor best friend would pick me up at dark thirty in the morning for the class she taught.  If you've known me for more than two weeks you know I am NOT a morning person, especially pre-coffee, so this was a stretch...pardon the pun.  We would end our morning with coffee and yogurt at Starbucks...my perfect reward.

After having one of her sweet babies, Lindsay quit teaching at the gym and instead taught a boot camp type class twice a week in her driveway.  The fact that she lived just two streets away gave me little excuse to not show up.  The Driveway Divas braved the Texas heat and yes, even the Texas cold...no, that is not an oxymoron.  I knew that if I didn't show up I would get multiple texts and e-mails kicking me in the butt.  It was the accountability I needed.  Plus, it's just more fun to work out with your friends.

Fast forward to Idaho.  A gym membership is not in the budget right now.  My Driveway Diva friends are 2,000 miles away.  That leaves me...just me. Somewhere I knew I had to find the motivation within myself to make this happen.  Not exercising is not an option.  OK, well maybe it is, but I don't want to think about the ramifications of that one.  Frightening.

Motivation is a fire from within.  Only you can light it.  

Truth.  This exercise thing isn't going to happen unless I make it happen.  So I've had to become reacquainted over the last month with the treadmill.  I am sure if you look up the definition of "boring" in your Websters dictionary it will have a picture of a treadmill beside it.  Yep.  But nevertheless here we are. This is what I've got to work with.  Truth time - I have not woken up one time this month excited to get moving.  In fact, the only way I will do it is if I refuse to think about it, make myself lace up my shoes, grab the running tunes and get moving.  Any thought at all will give me ample chance to back out...and some days I do.

Here's the kicker - I've never once finished my workout and wished I hadn't done it.  I feel stronger and darn it, just proud of myself for doing something I seriously didn't want to do, but desperately needed to.  So while I hate beginning the process, I love how I feel when I'm done.  Hence the love/hate relationship.  I may never enjoy running like some of my crazy marathon running friends, but every time I lace up my shoes I'm getting stronger...and that makes it worth it.

Snapshots in the snow

Emma and I took a chilly walk in the snow this morning.  A far cry from the beach, but it was beautiful.  We enjoyed snapping photos of our new "happy place".

Ponderings Of Pods and the Pioneer Woman

Sorry for the lame alliteration.  Couldn't help myself.

The running joke around here goes something like this:

"Mom, where's my (                      )?"

"It's in a pod."

"Our whole LIFE is in a pod!"

Pods tend to conjure up images of outer space and extraterrestrial life forms. In case you're confused, here's a visual for you.

The website says, "Everything you have fits."  What they don't tell you is that you will need 10 such pods to make it all fit...yes, 10.  Oh and those people are smiling.  We started out smiling.  By 1:30 a.m. on the last day we weren't smiling so much.

One of the important things that's packed away in the pods is my recipe collection.  I've been forced to rely on my rememberer (which is not so reliable) and the internet. This week I've been revisiting my love affair with the Pioneer Woman.  I still can't figure out how she doesn't weigh at least 200 pounds.  Her recipes would never make it into a Weight Watchers cookbook, but man are they amazing.

Last night we sampled devoured her Corn and Cheese Chowder and get this - I didn't change a thing.  Usually I read recipes and make adjustments to fit our taste, but this one was perfect.  I didn't have the cute little bread bowls, but it was tasty nonetheless.

(Photo from The Pioneer Woman)

Her banana bread is baking in the oven right now.  Can you smell it?  After tasting the batter, I'm thinking this recipe might just beat out my great-grandmother's recipe I've been making for years.  Sorry Granny.

Looks like I'll have some new recipes to add to my collection...if I ever get them out of the pod.

UPDATE: The Pioneer Woman banana bread was a bit disappointing.  It's good, but Granny's is better.  Think we'll stick with what we know.

Jesus in the bathroom

Canton, Texas claims to be the world's largest flea market.  Believe me people, it's true.  You can find everything from estate sale junk to live turkeys in a bag (yes, I said LIVE) to actual treasures and great deals.  Yes, Canton really does have it all.

Yesterday some friends and I made the hour and something trip.  Armed with cash, sunscreen and an adventurous spirit, we set off early to claim our treasures.

Of everything we experienced, tasted and laughed about, its something rather odd that sticks out in my mind.  The friends were great, the corn dogs, fried pickles and ice cold Dr. Pepper were amazing (yes, I ate all that and loved every stinking bite!) and I did come home with some pretty cute stuff, but that's not what struck me the most.  No, it was a trip to the bathroom that stands out among yesterday's memories as amazing.

Let me set the stage by saying it was hot in Canton yesterday.  We're talking 95 and humid hot.  On one particular potty stop, we were greeted in the restroom by the paid attendant.  This lady smiled continuously as she directed traffic through the large facility, held doors for people, showed ladies how to use the paper towel dispenser and told everyone she saw to "please have a nice day". Not the "how many more times do I have to say that until my shift is over" sort of greeting. No, I could tell she really hoped you had a nice day...she meant it. 

As I sit here writing, I'm wondering what sort of attitude I would have if I were a restroom attendant on a hot day at the world's largest flea market....ummm, probably not so good.  Happy restroom attendant lady was living out the truth of Colossians 3:23-24 - Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

I don't know if this lady knows Jesus, but my guess is she does.  She was using her small piece of real estate to impact as many hot, tired, deal seeking travelers as possible.  She was using her gift of encouragement in unlikely surroundings and she made a difference.

LORD, let my light so shine that others may see you...even in the bathroom.

Vacation coma

My poor, neglected blog hasn't been getting much of my attention lately.  Life has a way of crowding things out...things that aren't essential to existence anyway.  At some point soon I hope to write about the wonderful cruise vacation we took last week.  I'll probably even throw in some pictures.  They will most likely be pictures of us eating since that's what we seemed to always be doing.

But that time is not now.  Between the recent "spring forward" (whose bright idea was that anyway?) and what I affectionately call "beach brain", I'm not feeling the creative love.  Until those creative juices start flowing again, I'll leave you with a few pictures of the things this land lubber is missing the most...besides having someone pick up my stateroom, make my bed and feed me continuously for seven days.

No regrets

I'm not really big on new year's resolutions.  Yes, I could stand to lose 20 pounds, watch less TV, read more, eat less, exercise more, yada, yada, yada...who couldn't?  The pastor pointed out in his sermon this morning that while those things might all be good, none of them matters for eternity.  Good point.

So instead of a list of less/more, I have one goal this year - to live with no regrets.  To get to the end of 2012 and say, as best I can, that I lived each day, each moment to it's fullest.  That I lived fully present.  That I loved completely.  That I spoke words of encouragement and love.  That I bit my tongue more often than not.  That, whenever possible, I chose joy.

Now, I'm giving myself some leeway here.  I know I won't accomplish this every day, in every situation, but if I can do so as much as possible it will hopefully leave the world around me and the people in it a bit better off.  Not such a bad goal I think.

I'm also starting a photo a day project for 2012.  Inspired by something I found on Pinterest (of course!), I'll take a photo every day for the next year.  I think it will be a wonderful way to document the life and antics of our crazy family.  Check back for photos.  I'll try and post some once a week or so.

How about you?  Any goals for 2012? 

Pinterest inspired gifts

I'm B-A-C-K!  Thanks to those who checked on my blogging absence.  Still alive and kickin', just not kickin' it on the computer.  Our computer's on the fritz and I can't even begin to explain how crazy it makes me...yes, crazier than I already am!  What should take 10 minutes ends up taking 45 while I wait on the computer to unfreeze it's silly self and catch up with me. 

We had a whirlwind of a December that's culminating in a wonderful week off for Mike. Week off for Dad means a week off for us all.  We've been sleeping in, cleaning up, reorganizing and hanging out.  The week between Christmas and New Year's is my favorite of the year.  It's the one week I don't feel any pressure.  It's the one week there is nothing on the calendar.  It's like a deep breath before we jump back into reality. We can regroup and get ready to start a fresh, new year.  I like that.

Most of you are probably Pinterest addicts like myself.  If you're not, you should be.  Here's a glimpse of the Pinterest inspired Christmas gifts I made. 

 

DIY photo tile - used our own family photo...I have no idea who those people are.

 

Crocheted washcloths - so soft!

 

Peppermint sugar scrub - made myself some too.  LOVE this!  You really must try it.

Yarn tied scarf - made some in corals/browns/off-white.  Mine were fluffier than these, but you get the idea.  If my computer weren't so cantankerous I'd take my own photos, but we'll have to settle for looking at someone else's pics. The scarves turned out so nice I made myself one too.  Wow!  I really gave myself some great presents this year!

Hopefully the computer will cooperate and I will be back to blogging more regularly in 2012.  We'll see.

Fall lovin'

I LOVE fall.

Cooler weather, scratchy wool sweaters, chili, college football, pumpkin spice lattes...what's not to love?

Of course the term "fall" means different things in different parts of the country.  Here in Texas it essentially means anything under 80 degrees.  Not quite the same as our beautiful Idaho falls, but we've adjusted.  The first day of coolish weather this year means the first batch of fall pumpkin bread is in the oven and smelling tasty.  I've heard tell that Paula Deen has a great recipe for pumpkin bread, but I'm pretty sure it won't beat my wonderful mother-in-law's recipe.  It is U-mazing!  Mike has to work late tonight...poor guy...I'm not sure there will be any left when he gets home!

Here's a little fall Pinterest love for ya.





Too cute!

Sigh...



Why do YOU love fall?

A bit of summer rambling

My "no complaining about the heat" idea is over.  Being positive is overrated.  I'm officially complaining.  107 today according to my handy dandy weather app.  That is not fit for man nor beast!  At almost 9:00 p.m it's still 101.  Yes, I am done.  I realize my complaining will not in any way alter the actual temperature or weather patterns, but at least it lets off a little steam.

Emma's first day of first grade went swimmingly (still stuck on the "heat" theme here).  She had a bit of a fever last night so we considered postponing things, but in the end her excitement won out.  We did however opt for school in her jammies.  We'll save first day of school pics for tomorrow when we have time to brush our hair.  Twenty years from now no one will be the wiser.

Connor and Austin survived football practice.  They are tougher than I am...but don't tell them I said that.  After all the morning festivities I got the grocery shopping done and was able to pack away another five meals in my freezer.  I'll try to get a few more done tomorrow.  Meals in the freezer will help tremendously when all the football games start up in a couple of weeks.

I'm going to go plop down on the couch now and put my feet up.  It's been a full, but wonderful day.  I think I deserve a treat don't you?  There's one of these in the freezer calling my name.  Oh yeah, they are divine and they're all mine!  I told the kids they're "mommy treats"...don't judge me.

Calm before the football storm

Summer has come and gone in a flash and we're already gearing up for fall.  Football practice for Austin and Connor is in full swing and school starts up again in just a week.  That's one more week to finish the list of projects I wanted done this summer.  Um...yeah.  Pretty sure that's not gonna happen. 

I just finished putting all the boys' games onto the family calendar.  My mantra?  "Be anxious for NOTHING!"  Yikes!  With hubby working 60+ hours a week and both boys having games at roughly the same time on different sides of the continent, I'm wondering just how it's all going to work out.  But I know it will...somehow.  I have a feeling sleep will be a precious commodity over the next few months.  Please, if you find me wandering aimlessly, just feed me some coffee and point me to the next game.

So this year we're cheering for the Wylie Saints (Connor), the WPA Patriots (Austin) and our beloved Boise State Broncos. 

It's a good thing we're a football lovin' family! 

Land's End and customer service

Good customer service is hard to find these days.  Gone are the days of "the customer is always right" and "if there's a problem, we'll fix it".   That mentality has been replaced with "make as much money as possible.  Who cares about the customer!"  Because of the obvious lack in our society, when you do run across a company who cares, it really stands out and deserves some recognition.

I love Land's End clothes.  They're classic, stylish and fairly affordable.  I won't buy Emma and I's swimsuits anywhere else.  It took 35 years to find a suit that fit just right...no tugging and pulling to make sure everything is covered.  I can put it on and feel comfortable.  They hold up great to all the hours Emma spends in the pool, while keeping her cute and modest as well.

So this year I also bought the boys' suits there.  Normally I would just pick them up one at Target or Kohl's...after all, they're just boys' swimsuits right?  But the Land's End suits fit them great, so I splurged a bit.  After just a few visits to the pool, Connor's suit completely lost all it's color.  It looked horrible.  I was just going to run to Kohl's and get him another one, but decided to see what Land's End would do.

I didn't have my receipt and honestly wasn't hoping for much, but it was worth a shot.  I explained what happened and without batting an eye, they refunded MY FULL PURCHASE PRICE!  Most store's without a receipt will give you the lowest clearance price at best, but not Land's End.  Wow!  Talk about customer service!  I was so impressed and it made me an even more loyal customer.

Check out their great end of summer clearance deals going on now.  Most of their summer wear is marked down 30% and then 40% off that.  You know I walked out of the store with more stuff right?  Oh yeah.

**I am not a paid spokesperson for Land's End...though I think I should be don't you?

Blast from the past

Got an e-mail this morning announcing homeschool skate day at a local skating rink.  Skating rink?  I didn't even know those still existed.  Needing to get the kids out of the house I announced, "Kids, we're going skating!"  Blank stares.

We arrived at the skating rink which had probably been around since the turn of the century.  The kids were skeptical to say the least.  "Are you sure this is safe mom?"  Ha!  Once inside I felt like I was in Jr. High all over again, from the once colorful faded carpet to the giant orange toe stoppers.  Oh my.

The kids looked like colts trying to get their legs under them, but before long they'd pretty much gotten the hang of it.  One thing I like about trying new things is the character issues that inevitably crop up.  One nameless child struggles with doing anything they are not immediately good at.  At one point his attitude was just lower than the limbo pole, but by the end of the two hours he had pulled himself up - literally and figuratively.

I don't think I'd been on skates since Jr. high, but was amazed at how quickly it came back. 

And then it happened.

The EPIC fail...or fall.

My skates got tangled up on a corner, my feet flew up in the air and over my head and I landed on my bum...hard.  Falling when you're 12 is one thing.  Falling when you're...well, older, is painful.  I don't think my wrists are quite broken, but suffice it to say typing is painful.  Go ahead and laugh...I did.  It was seriously funny.

The morning ended with You're the Inspiration, an old Chicago favorite.  If you're singing along to the song in your head right now then I know how old you are.  Isn't it the BEST?? 

The kids are already begging to go back next week.  We'll have to see how quickly I heal.  Painful?  Yeah.  Worth it?  Absolutely!