A Girl Can Do This

People who know   me, know that Fall is my favorite time of year.  Today, I spent time doing several of my favorite things, in fact.  I walked with my best friend and my daughter, enjoying the outside fresh air, sunshine, nature, God's creation. These are some of the little things I enjoyed:           The way the light shines on the colorful leaves in the trees, casting shadows and variations of colors in the reds, yellows, and oranges of the leaves.           The way the wind blows the leaves down the street, making them look like they are involved in an intricate dance on the black pavement.           The way the blue herons glide in over the water to land on a nearby dock at the local reservoir.           The way the ripples of the water and the sunlight's reflection on the water make it look like the ducks are appearing and disappearing right in front of your eyes. On top of enjoying the Fall weather, we walked to my favorite coffee shop, the Geist Coffee Shop.  This is not

 One of my passions is definitely running.  It always has been .... always will be.  I put my headphones in and head off into nature to see what adventures await.  I find new trails and learn new ways to get from point a to point b - things I never would have learned without this time away.  It's also my time to connect with God next level style.  This morning, my German Shepherd woke at what I call the "bootie crack of dawn."  That phrase definitely hearkens back to my stricter days of religion where I was not allowed to say words like "butt" .... because "bootie crack" sounds so much more pleasant.  Please - don't ask for the logic - I have not found it.   My German Shepherd is officially named Mulan, after a Disney character, like all animals in my house.  She is about ten months old now, and we rescued her when she was three months.  One of her baby canines chipped and she needed surgery, so the breeder cut his losses and donated her to a local

 Today was day three (3) of the celebrations leading up to Boo's birthday.  I tried to think of one word that would describe it.  Messy - yes, that describes it, but it does not really explain the fun we had.  Crazy - well, that describes just about everything we do in my family.  Let's see if I can't tell the story and come up with a better word by the end of it. Moms are constantly put on the spot.  The plan going into today was to wake up, enjoy a nice cup of coffee and watch the sunrise over the lake, and then go our separate ways to school and work.  Well .... NOTE TO REDHEAD - there is a difference between the time for dawn and the time for sunrise , a fact which might have been overlooked by someone when scheduling this morning's celebrations.  Therefore, we aborted the original plans.   Jack and Boo came up with every crazy idea in the book to replace the original plan, and then tried to convince me each of their new ideas was a good idea.  Actually, come to th

 Being a mother of four (4) children is somewhat akin to how the movies portray multiple personality disorder.  With each child, you become invested in and cheer for their interests, goals, and desires - you take on a personality that aligns with that child.  With Elanor (my youngest), today was volleyball, and all things diva - as usual.  My son Jack (the lower middle child as he sometimes calls himself) was involved in robotics all day - another personality I sometimes don - total nerd.   But tonight, I dove deep into the world of music while spending time with my oldest, Rebekah (aka Boo to her mom). October begins the month long birthday celebration for Boo.  She has played cello for over ten (10) years and has a serious passion for all things musical.  So tonight was the kickoff of birthday celebrations with attendance at the local symphony's opening gala. Preparation actually started yesterday with dress shopping.  Oh - the pains of dress shopping.  First off, since COVID, h