something silly is good

I love this poem. always have.

PUT SOMETHING IN

by Shel Silverstein

Draw a crazy picture,

Write a nutty poem,

Sing a mumble-jumble song,

Whistle through a comb.

Do a loony-goony dance'

Cross the kitchen floor,

Put something silly in the world

That ain't been there before.

*whoever came up with the beard font succeeded. Loooove it!

good quote

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

I love this quote! So simple and so powerful at the same time. I suffer from an affliction of past blunders recall. I worry about stupid things I have said and done and never quite get over it. I should have done this... I could have done this... I find quotations powerful in moments like this. There are post its all over my desk, calendar, mirror... Doesn't really matter who said it sometimes either. As I look around, there are biblical quotes, presidential quotes and the words of many authors and poets. Sometimes though, all you need is good ol Bob Marley to put it all in perspective.

I'm off to be with my sons who are growing up so quickly before my eyes. Gotta make some eggs for sweet William. "oh and make them smashed by the way" he says. (thinks that means scrambled?)

Ellet High School

A friend from high school created a site where our class can connect, show photos and chat. It has been really neat to check it every once in a while and see who has joined. I love perusing the photos of everyone's children and seeing how the years have been to my former schoolmates, many who were in school with me from grade school through high school. It is great to see my best friends on it but I talk with them anyway. It is great to see those who moved away. It is a gift to have Stacy back in my life, accessible at any moment. It is wonderful to see the ones labelled as nerds in high school with the tables turned. It is touching to see photos of our classmates who have passed away. It is fabulous to see those in the closet in high school comfortable to be out and proud with all of us. What is not great is how it is starting to feel like high school all over again. Selecting friends on the site means not selecting friends. Dishing about the past means reliving things that were painful and sad. Many of the people on the site are mere strangers to me because I left my hometown after high school. Even though I grew up with these people and spent more time with them than my family (think about how long a school day is. this is a frightening revelation as a parent), I don't remember them.

*lovin that 80's hair, huh?

so small

After running they day before Carolyn, Chad and I rented a car and began driving south towards the town of Seward. Upon arrival we met up with Tommy and Sarah and hiked up to Exit Glacier. Wow! There really aren't words to describe what it was like standing before such an immense and foreign object. It looked like a prop for a movie. I mean, just like a science fair project with blue food coloring added for a realistic touch it stood there before us. The following day we headed out early for an 8 hour day of sea kayaking. Out into the deep blue (well, it was actually grey) sea we went with a warning from our guide that we could only survive for 90 second in the water when we capsized. Um, you mean "if?" The day was spectacular, the views were unlike anything I have ever seen. We saw 5 bald eagles, shouting each time "bald eagle!" We stopped at north Beach for a bit of lunch and hiked up to a waterfall. The forest floor was covered in ferns and salmonberry flowers. I munched on fiddle heads as we hiked down to the beach. For a few minutes we laid back on the grey wacky rock (official name) which was smooth and absorbed the heat of the sun. Carolyn and I could help saying "remember that time in Alaska......?"

As we fought against the waves in the middle of paradise, I felt so connected to the earth and yet so irrelevant. I was so small in such a big sea with such big mountains rising around me. Truly humbling. I wish my kids and husband could have been with me to see the beauty and experience the exhilaration of the moment but at the same time felt empowered to be doing something as myself.