tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58732618343998114852024-03-09T21:46:45.864-05:00~Love is written here ~Two moms, two girls and all that you can possibly squeeze in between.love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.comBlogger943125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-14137295411028823922018-05-21T14:13:00.002-04:002018-05-22T09:47:09.651-04:00the porcupine mafia<br />
I can appreciate that for some the question of what to do with a bear cub-sized porcupine trolling around your property might have a simple answer.<br />
<br />
Take, for instance, the gentleman in the vet's waiting room who imparted this advice: "Shoot, shoot, then shoot some more."<br />
<br />
For others of us, it isn't so easy.<br />
<br />
We are the people, after all, who spent an afternoon trying to reunite a liter of baby mice with its mother after we spooked her from her nest in our tomato planter one spring. She fled, abandoning her pinkies who were closed-eyed, hairless and not even half the size of my thumb. I placed the defenseless babies at the edge of the garage where the mother had darted and went inside to Google how to care for infant mice with a dropper.<br />
<br />
Thankfully, the mother rescued her babies one by one during Ella's afternoon nap. Thankfully, because my research indicated they were only 1-2 days old. A mother of only a handful of years at the time, I was overcome with relief for the mother mouse.<br />
<br />
There's a chance I have a tendency to anthropomorphise animals.<br />
<br />
A few years later our house became home to mice that looked an awful lot like rats. We tried the have-a-heart traps and caught nothing. We progressed to the 'ol bait and slap mouse/rat trap. Again, nada. We could hear them scurrying in the walls. Then one morning, I came downstairs and heard a largish critter jump noisily from the recliner and disappear, only to find it hiding under a throw pillow on the couch an hour later.<br />
<br />
It was an effortless switch to Decon. The wall scampering and furniture surfing ceased.<br />
<br />
But I didn't get any better at killing animals. It just isn't my thing. I don't want to kill them or eat them.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to the end of our house build last spring. The painter, there at all hours, mentioned a very large porcupine hanging around the area near twilight and told us to watch out for our dog. We saw it only once after we move in and never again.<br />
<br />
Until a couple weeks ago.<br />
<br />
Piper and I were returning from an early morning run and there he was, caramel colored and massive, hunched and sloth-like not far from our mailbox, his quills bountiful and menacing.<br />
<br />
Over the next few days, we discussed the porcupine as a family. The conversations would have been good fodder for a hunter's stand-up act.<br />
<br />
"It doesn't seem fair to the porcupine. He was here first. We moved into his home."<br />
<br />
"Who do we know with a gun?"<br />
<br />
"Could we trap him an relocate him?"<br />
<br />
"Think any of our neighbors have a gun?"<br />
<br />
"I've been wanting to go to ladies night at the shooting range. Maybe this is my chance."<br />
<br />
"I called so and so from work. He suggested a rifle and night vision goggles."<br />
<br />
Maya was adamant that she didn't want the porcupine shot. We showed her pictures of dogs, anesthetized, with facefulls of quills. "Do you want that to happen to Piper?" We asked.<br />
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"Shoot the thing," was her instant reply.<br />
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After all, it all came down to Piper, our well-loved, well-behaved lab who wouldn't be able to leave a porcupine alone if her life depended on it.<br />
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I had a very enlightening conversation with a local animal trapper, an aged Mainer who told me he'd been trapping for 50 years. He told me porcupines are hard to trap, that they aren't motivated by food (he baits with salt) and because they're nomadic, he might not even come back to our property for months.<br />
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"What do you do with them when you catch them?" I asked, my heart sinking into my stomach.<br />
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"I can do whatever you want me to do with 'em," the man said, his voice as calloused as I guessed his hands to be. "Usually I pop 'em with a 22."*<br />
<br />
First the guy at the vet, now this guy. My mind filled with images of a porcupine mafia. "Umm...can you relocate him instead?"<br />
<br />
"Fuggedaboutit," the <i>don</i> said. "My associate and I will ice him as soon as we catch him and you cough up the dough."<br />
<br />
No he didn't really say that. It was more like: "Sure...sure. But I'm only s'posed to take him so many miles away from his habitat. As I said, porcupines are nomadic so he might come back. Then you'd never catch him again."<br />
<br />
Ironically, two other gun-related things happened in this same week.<br />
<br />
First, Sandi and I were watching one of the girl's events, sitting next to a lovely and very chatty grandmother who proceeded to tell us about her five year battle with menopause (she's on the other side now, you'll be glad to know) before a seamless transition to a slide show of dead deer, all shot by her, and culminating with the whispered revelation that she was "packing a 33" while she padded her diminutive handbag for emphasis. <br />
<br />
Maybe she would like to have a go at the porcupine?<br />
<br />
Second, I heard a gun shot at 5:45 one morning far too close to our house for my comfort. Shortly after, a neighbor called to say he'd seen a hunter walking on the paved road in our wooded neighborhood carrying a rifle on his shoulder. Though I didn't want a hunter near our house, was it too much to ask that maybe the hunter, frustrated by the lack of turkeys he was surely hunting, had seen a sloth of a porcupine and figured he'd be a fair replacement?<br />
<br />
The neighborhood rallied to put up <i>no hunting </i>signs. Totally on board, of course, I did wonder if we could wait until after our porcupine problem was solved.<br />
<br />
People in the neighborhood started to referring to the porcupine as <i>our porcupine.</i> Things were going from bad to worse.<br />
<br />
We decided to proceed with the trap. Two weeks went by with no activity except a neighbor spying <i>our porcupine</i> and commenting that there was no way that giant, spiked rodent was going to go into that too-small trap. We called the <i>don</i> and he put an infinitesimally larger trap (his biggest) out for us.<br />
<br />
Good news! The next morning there was a porcupine in the trap! Bad news: it was the wrong porcupine.<br />
<br />
What do you imagine, knowing what I've already told you about our history with pest animals, had happened?<br />
<br />
Yup. We had trapped a baby porcupine. Shoot me now.<br />
<br />
You won't be surprised that we couldn't give the <i>don</i> the green light to shoot the porcupine. We all voted for relocation. The trap has been reset in hopes to catch the big kahuna- not a "him" after all, but, the <i>don </i>assumes, the momma porcupine who will likely come around sniffing for her baby. He has promised he will take the momma to the same place he took the baby. It's also possible he thinks we're insane and no relocation has occurred. I try not to think about it but I do worry that, despite having paid the <i>don</i> to relocate the animal, a more sinister fate may have befallen it.<br />
<br />
A hit. A whack. A knock off. A burn. A rub out. All euphemisms for murder. You never know with the porcupine Mafia. You never know.<br />
<br />
<i>*Disclaimer: all references to firearms in this post are likely incorrect. I take full credit and blame.</i>love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-24438015404882024082018-04-13T15:34:00.000-04:002018-04-13T20:12:31.944-04:00confessions of a gen Z parentMost parenting articles are a vehicle for dispensing advice, disseminating information or providing encouragement and support.<br />
<br />
This post is none of those. It's more along the vein of weary surrender.<br />
<br />
Anyone with a set of ears or eyes knows the legends, notorious and frightening, of raising teenagers. I can't count the number of times someone said to us, while embroiled in a medal-worthy tantrum with our preschooler, "You just wait until the teen years."<br />
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It's kind of like when a woman, her belly curved with baby, an announcement of her imminent initiation to the ranks of parenthood, has to endure well-intentioned yet careless parents warn of the treacherous journey ahead, stealing joy and expectancy with one swift cut: "You just wait. Your life will never be yours again."<br />
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I can say many things about being the mother of a teenager. The tales are true, the struggle is real and daily, the job itself often unfair and cruel. It's brutal to watch your child's adoration of you turn to rejection, embarrassment, scorn, and fury. It's painful to live with someone dislikes you roughly 50% of the time.<br />
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Confession #1: I tend to be a micromanager, a Type A person with <strike>significant </strike> marginal control issues. I don't love this about myself. I've worked to channel these liabilities into strengths (I know how to get shit done) and, even more beneficially, have learned the delicate and rewarding art of letting go.<br />
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Letting go means keeping my mouth shut when my teenager waits for the bus in a t-shirt on a 28 degree morning. It means not pushing when she won't share her speech with us, the one that was selected to advance to the next round in a school competition, depriving us of celebrating her accomplishment. Letting go means allowing my 10-year-old buy whatever she wants with her money even if it's crappy plastic junk that will end up in the trash when I find it in a dusty corner two months from now. It means standing by, baffled but silent, as she shaves an eraser into tiny bits and collect them in a Ziploc bag because its a quirky project she's doing with a friend and it makes her happy.<br />
<br />
These are the easy ones. <br />
<br />
Then there are the other ones. The situations that lurk in dark corners, striking at will and ruining otherwise good moments, the ones that bait a momma bear's instinct to protect! to set a limit! to intervene! while every step you make in that direction breeds argument, discontent and defiance between you and your child.<br />
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These are the tightropes of parenting a teen, where choosing left or right - intervene or let go- might be the wrong answer. Either way you still plummet to the ground.<br />
<br />
Big ticket items: poor diet choices that have significant ramifications on health and mood; teeth brushing, the absence of which means large dental bills; a disrespectful attitude, including eye rolling, sighing, back-talk and excessive grumpiness; money- how much do I give you and how much do you earn? And this list can be added to infinitely- grades, jobs, dating, friends, lying, drinking, sex, etc.<br />
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Then, the granddaddy of them all: the phone.<br />
<br />
Confession #2: I hate the phone. I hate being the phone police, managing screen time, data consumption, app usage, safety, potential bullying, privacy, text messages and Internet searches.<br />
<br />
It's really messing with my attempts to let go.<br />
<br />
I hold the burden of regulating phone usage heavy in my heart every day, knowing too much isn't good for a child, especially one with a mood disorder. I'm terrified that the phone is often more captivating than real life, devastated that screen time is more appealing than climbing a tree or a mountain and panicked that my teen's developing brain is being wired to need steady, rapid-fire digital input. I anguish over what social media is teaching her about her body, her life, herself.<br />
<br />
I want to cry every time I say, "Hey look!" and point to something we're passing in the car- a tawny doe in a frost-covered field, someone in a Statue of Liberty costume on the corner near the mall, a flock of geese flying in a perfect V against a tangerine sky - only to have my daughter barely glance up and offer me a feeble "ugh huh" before her head is pointed down once again, magnetically pulled to the force field of Instagram and Snap Chat.<br />
<br />
And don't even get me started on the postural ramifications "text neck" has on the growing musculoskeletal system.<br />
<br />
I remember, two years ago, saying to my daughter, "I know you're growing up and technology is part of our world, but I refuse to lose you to a phone."<br />
<br />
This was before I understood the tsunami of social influence the phone, and the world that exists on it, would present to us. Technology- the acquisition and consumption of it- is a social animal, heavily driven by peer groups and corporate influence. It's a story as old as time, a quintessential hallmark of adolescence - "But all my friends are doing it!" - accompanied by the upstream swim parents must navigate in the murky waters of limit setting and balancing kids budding independence with the need to keep them safe.<br />
<br />
I've considered that perhaps the phone is just the vehicle of independence of this generation and that the more I focus on it, the more strife, rebellion and distance I'm creating.<br />
<br />
But what if the opposite is true? What if, in letting go, I'm inadvertently making choices for my child and her brain that are irreversible, irrevocable and detrimental. Perhaps this is no time to let my guard down, to surrender. Especially now when the stakes seem to be at an all time high and getting higher with each passing year.<br />
<br />
It's the tightrope, a fall on either side. The mental gymnastics themselves are enough to make you give up.<br />
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Confession #3: It is a crushing responsibility to choose for another human being when each move, to act or to not act, will impact her future.<br />
<br />
I hear the recycled parenting advice on a loop: you're meant to be a parent, not a friend. You're the boss and you make the rules. I hear the incessant feedback of the generation above mine, well-meaning folks keen on pointing out what parents of today already know, already fear. That phones are ruining society and crippling kids socially, how screen time diminishes the development of emotional intelligence and creativity, how it's linked to depression and obesity and the how the instant gratification and intense neural stimulation impacts brain development and learning performance.<br />
<br />
None of this provides comfort day to day. None of this helps the battle or the war. Because, for most parents, every step you take between your teen and her phone makes you the instant enemy. Because we live in a time when there is an actual term for people who have fear and anxiety about being separated from their phone. It's nomophobia, or "NO MObile PHOne phoBIA". Because we live in a time when another word, far more alarming, circles like a vulture: addiction.<br />
<br />
(Maybe you're the parent of a teen and not having this experience. If so, can I come hang out at your house for a while? I promise to leave my phone at home.)<br />
<br />
Can you see the conundrum? I'm working to allow my daughter to be who she is, express herself, make her own choices and find her own way, understanding her life is her own and not mine. So I let go of my end of the rope (yes, with hands bloodied and bruised from rope burn), give up the fight, stop micromanaging, surrender the power struggle. I slip my finger out of my end of the Chinese finger trap, hoping ease on my end will discharge the battle.<br />
<br />
But if I do too much of that, she will never get off the flipping phone.<br />
<br />
How do you give up micromanaging when micromanagement is required? Do I let her swipe her finger endlessly down her phone during breakfast or do I put my foot down? Do I mandate a break from screens when it makes her even less willing to participate in family life? Do I intervene when she sits with friends, side by side, not speaking, their heads in each of their phones?<br />
<br />
The old adage "pick your battles" comes to mind often. It's great advice, though this parent could use some guidance in battle selection.<br />
<br />
A couple of years ago when my girls were much younger I was hanging out with a friend who had children the same age as mine as well as a teenage daughter. In a passing exchange between the mother and daughter, I watched the daughter speak to her mother in a tone so full of disdain and rudeness, I hurt for her and the betrayal she must have felt to have the child she had sacrificed everything for treat her that way. Even more confusing was the mother's reaction to it, something between defeat and acceptance.<br />
<br />
I vowed to myself that I would <i>never</i> let my children speak to me that way.<br />
<br />
Fast forward and here I am, standing on the slippery slope, picking my battles. Which do I let slide and which require consequences and withholding of privileges? Does the annoyed response when I ask an interested question about her sport get ignored? What about the sharp temper, lite like a fuse, when I say it's time to put the devices up? How about the exasperated, borderline contemptuous, response to a mistake I've made or a wish I cannot or will not fulfill. <br />
<br />
<i>Let it go, </i>I tell myself. <i>Don't focus on it. </i>And my personal favorite: <i>it's not worth it. </i>But then, in one blinding instant, when too many days have stacked into weeks and then months, I realized my child was talking to me in the way I vowed I would never allow.<br />
<br />
I'm not just on a slippery slope. I'm on a landslide.<br />
<br />
I told someone I respect, "I'm done with the struggle, tired of being the scapegoat. I'm letting go. She has to figure this out for herself." To which my kind, knowledgeable friend (the parent of adult children) said, "You can't. You're her mom."<br />
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<div>
And so we have standing limits in place: the phone is surrendered nightly at 8pm (and every minute past is docked from morning usage), she pays for the phone and the monthly service fee, chores are required and when a device break is mandated (especially during the less structured weekend time) all items are relinquished to the parents to prevent the inevitable sneaking that occurs. I try, as much as humanly possible, to execute these with as little emotion and apology as possible. </div>
<div>
<br />
I didn't fully understand that at some point my responsibilities as a parent would make me the target of my child's anger, confusion, insecurity, stubbornness and wrath. I didn't know that, no matter which way I went, I would feel like I was losing. I didn't realize how abruptly the tide would change from loving child to surly teen (practically overnight) and how much I would miss my daughter. I didn't ever mean to be, don't want to be, the roadblock, the obstacle, the enemy.<br />
<br />
I take great comfort in the big picture and, as much as possible, use my gut and my heart to guide my decisions. And I try to remember that part of why I miss my daughter is because it's her job to pull away from me; it was long ago written in the stars.<br />
<br />
Confession #4: Natural though it is, the messy separation of parent and child will break your heart a thousand times.<br />
<br />
There's a place I find every now and then, a soft place I can land where I trust that everything will be okay and we will all survive with our love and our bonds intact. When I'm there, I have regard and compassion for the turbulence inside my child, the enormity of the job of growing up, the need for separation and the conflicting need for connection. I don't take things personally and can approach even the heated moments with a deep breath and a sense of humor. I can remember that we are on the same team even if one of the team members despises the captain.<br />
<br />
I can remember that I'm doing the job I came here to do. And so is she.<br />
<br />
If only I had directions, a map and the GPS coordinates to this place. I suppose I could ask my daughter. She could probably locate it online for me inside 60 seconds.<br />
<br />
"For I see now that what I have done, and not done, with regard to you, bears all the hallmarks of the failings of age. Youth cannot know how age thinks and feels. But old men are guilty if they forget what it was to be young."<br />
- Dumbledore, Harry Potter Order of the Phoenix<br />
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-30914675680947181662017-11-30T15:13:00.001-05:002017-12-01T09:53:14.384-05:00This is what it's like.Power has two faces. It is a seductress, a weapon, a fraudulent righteousness. It is also a tool, a gift, an engine that drives change.<br />
<br />
If the news headlines of this fall have a common thread it is this: there is an alarming power imbalance between men and women in this country.<br />
<br />
In September, I had the rare luxury of a day to myself. With my trusty, four-legged companion by my side, I drove the three hours to Western Maine to hike the second tallest peak in Maine, Old Speck Mountain. Old Speck is part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) and it had been years, and two babies, since I'd hiked it. I have a hearty reverence for the AT and, given the choice, I will always hike its rugged path over another, hoping to channel the grit and mettle of those bad-ass thru hikers.<br />
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So with a Ziploc of gorp for me and one full of treats for Piper, we hit the trail.<br />
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It was everything I wanted it to be: thick vibrant moss carpeting gnarled roots, ancient trees boasting their fall splendor, dappled sunlight, a mountain stream and 3.8 miles of grueling assent.<br />
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I never feel alone in the woods. Nor do I feel scared. Rather, I feel at home, grounded and whole, complete in an unparalleled way.<br />
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Near the summit, I come across a twenty-something guy sitting on a rock, panting and depleted, his damp hair and shirt proof of a recent mountain battle. I say hello, something I am genetically programmed to do, and comment on the intense humidity. He tells me he just climbed the backside of the mountain, considered one of the most difficult miles of the entire AT, a feat to add to the couple thousand miles he had already journeyed from North Carolina.<br />
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He is a thru hiker, a mere couple hundred miles from the northern terminus of the AT on Mt. Katahdin in Baxter State Park.<br />
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<br />
I congratulate him, offer him some of my extra food and water. His pack is small, not much bigger than mine. He is eating the last of his food, he says, and needs to resupply in town but has enough to get him there.<br />
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<br />
Piper and I go on our way, hanging out at the summit for a bit before beginning our descent. About twenty minutes in, I see the hiker behind me.<br />
<br />
We get talking. I have a million questions about hiking the AT and he seems happy for some company. We chat and hike companionably for a while, maybe forty minutes. He is friendly and forthright, telling me about his girlfriend, the job he left for the hike, his family, his plans when he finishes.<br />
<br />
Piper, a fantastic judge of character, is warm and wagging with him so all seems well.<br />
<br />
He slows his pace and soon falls behind. Then my brain starts in: <i>what if he isn't really a thru hiker? His pack seemed awfully small. What if he is a serial killer or rapist? He seems friendly and honest but isn't that a hallmark trait of a sociopath? What if he has come out in the woods today looking for a trusting female to prey upon?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I pick up my pace, my runaway fears propelling me faster down the mountain. I want to put distance between us. I un-Velcro the Mace from my pack and slip it in my pocket for easier access.<br />
<br />
I hear the snap of twigs behind me, footfalls on the crunchy leaves. He has caught up to me.<br />
<br />
My heart quickens and I consider the likelihood of Piper, a lab who is certain every person she meets is her new best friend, coming to my defense if I were threatened. Maybe she isn't such a great judge of character but a blind love-machine.<br />
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<br />
I don't want to be thinking about this in my sacred place, the woods. I resent it.<br />
<br />
I weigh my options: fall back and let him get ahead, pick up my pace in hopes that my legs are fresher and he won't keep up. I have no cell signal, not that it would do any good to call anyone.<br />
<br />
So I do the only thing that makes sense: I keep on guard and maintain our friendly chatter. I leave room for the possibility that he is a genuinely nice guy without losing the sight of the fact that he might not be.<br />
<br />
It's a long way down. He tells me about his impending engagement, about wanting kids someday. At my prompting, he explains his small pack, his ultra-light approach to backpacking, the contents and specific weight of each item in his pack.<br />
<br />
Seems believable. Or a well-rehearsed lie.<br />
<br />
We come upon another hiker, resting on a rock. They clearly know each other, calling each other by their trail names. This seems like a good sign, I tell myself. Unless this is his partner in crime and I am now in double danger.<br />
<br />
I tell him about my kids, about my wife, in part because that is how you maintain friendly conversation. And because that's what you're supposed to do in a hostage situation to humanize the targets.<br />
<br />
He tells me a typical AT story, about a woman in some southern state who gave him a ride into town, offered her yard for camping, a hot meal and a shower. I want to believe it's true, more proof of the goodness of people, but doubt tells me he might be testing me, baiting me. Will I be as generous as she was?<br />
<br />
Here's the kicker: I am that generous. Everything in me screams to extend assistance to someone in need, especially someone on an epic journey,<br />
<br />
Finally, the earth beneath my feet flattens; we are near the trailhead. He is telling me about his dynamic grandmother who started a school for underprivileged kids, a woman so beloved by him, he cared for her as she died. Heartwarming... or total bullshit.<br />
<br />
I know he needs to get into town and it isn't within walking distance. He needs a ride. I dread the moment when he asks, when I have to decide if he has proven himself worthy of my trust.<br />
<br />
I think about my girls. Where do my obligations lie: to my children who need their mother to return safely or to a man I don't know and whose intentions I have spent the past three hours trying to divine?<br />
<br />
He thanks me for the company, pets Piper and heads toward the road. <br />
<br />
I hurry to my car, rush to lock the doors. As I change into dry clothes my conscience bullies me, smacks me around. <i>Be bigger than fear, </i>it says<i>. Don't let the state of the world alter who you are and what you give.</i><br />
<br />
Maybe if he is still waiting for a ride when I leave, I will give him one. I slide the Mace under my thigh where I can easily grab it and start my car.<br />
<br />
Then another voice, more reasonable but more pleading: <i>Your kids need you to come home. </i><i>You don't owe him anything. You owe them everything. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I edge out of the lot. I look up and down the road, awash with relief. I don't have to turn my back on someone in need. He is gone.<br />
<br />
As I drive away, Piper already asleep in the back, it hits me: he didn't ask me for a ride. He knew that would put me in an uncomfortable position. He is a good guy after all.<br />
<br />
Or he is a serial killer and I wasn't a suitable target.<br />
<br />
I am shaken the entire ride home. <br />
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<br />
And here is the point of my story: this is what it is like to be a woman in the world.<br />
<br />
We have courageous women speaking up, telling the ugly truth about the sexual misconduct of powerful men in some of the most influential workplaces in America. They are doing so at enormous personal and professional risk to themselves, not for attention or vengeance, but because silence is no longer an option.<br />
<br />
(I acknowledge that, unfortunately, there may be unfounded accusations, or outright lies, which destroy and maim the lives of the accused. But that does not change the arresting power imbalance between men and women in our society.)<br />
<br />
If you don't get it, if you think these accusations are overblown or that women are exaggerating when they speak of fear - for their jobs, for their safety, for their lives- I ask: have you ever had your heart hammer in your chest when you walk alone to your car after dark? Do you hold your car key between your middle and index finger, protruding out just enough to strike as a weapon if needed? Do your ideas get dismissed based on your gender? Do you ever question if your clothing choices might make you unsafe? Do you wonder, in the middle of an martial arts-inspired exercise class if those kicks and punches would ever work if you needed to defend yourself for real?<br />
<br />
For every woman daring to tell the truth about violation there are thousands who remain silent. For every act of abuse, every trespass, there is a permanent shift in the heart, body and psyche of the victim. It might only happen once, but it will reverberate forever.<br />
<br />
I'm the mother of a thirteen-year-old. I talk to her often about her body, about her voice, about her choice. I tell her that she does not owe anyone her body, not ever. I tell her how to stand up, how to stop someone with strong words, how to run if necessary. I tell her about peer pressure and people bartering unwanted touch for the coveted commodity of adolescence: approval.<br />
<br />
I wonder, do parents have this same conversation with their sons?<br />
<br />
Of course not. That is not the world we live in.<br />
<br />
But our boys need guidance too. I hope parents will help their sons understand the power bestowed on them simply because they were born male, how to use that privilege to stand up for the disempowered and disenfranchised, to never take what is not freely given, to be responsible for their desire and that no really does mean no.<br />
<br />
In the past year, the dark underbelly of our nation has been unearthed, the poisonous soil tilled and roiled to the surface. Hatred, contempt and the ruthless wielding of power over women and a multitude of minorities has been exposed; it no longer lurks in the shadows in disguise, but stands ugly and tragic in the light of day. The only way I have found peace is to hope that we, as a nation, will hemorrhage this heinous malignancy like blood from a wound, ridding ourselves of a dangerous infection.<br />
<br />
Our voices, our truths- both mens and women's, because this system harms both sides- are the medicine needed to heal us.<br />
<br />
The other remedy is what we teach the children of today, how we shape the adults of tomorrow.<br />
<br />
My ten-year-old is on a competitive basketball team this year. She's small and mighty and there is little, including her parents, that can impede her tenacious spirit. Her favorite parts of basketball are stealing the ball, sweaty armpits and winning.<br />
<br />
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<span id="goog_27280867"></span><span id="goog_27280868"></span><br />
Her coaches, two men, hold these players in such high regard as girls and as athletes, spurring them to be fierce, unrelenting and aggressive. All determination is rewarded, even if it needs cultivation, and power and moxie are the backbone of their team. I sit on the sidelines, unable to stop grinning as these girls are given license to dominate.<br />
<br />
I'm all in favor of strong women teaching impressionable girls, providing a living, breathing role model of female skill and strength. But, given the depth of this disparity in power between genders, I also love to see men bolstering these qualities in young girls. It's a strong message, an essential bridge over the chasm, allowing us all to cross over.<br />
<br />
I want to hug all the good men I know. I want to high-five the legions of brave, formidable, magnificent women I know. I don't want to feel afraid because I'm a woman. I don't want my girls to grow up feeling that men matter more than them. I want to raise courageous, spunky daughters empowered by their gender, not limited by it. I want boys to grow into solid men who support and respect their female equals.<br />
<br />
Hats off to those men that get it. I adore and applaud you. Kudos to all those working to understand. The first step is to listen to other people's experiences, rather them discounting them simply because they differ from our own. It is far too easy to think our view of the world is the true one.<br />
<br />
I will continue to seek solace in the woods and to live with an open heart. It is who I am. I will remember to account for my safety but I refuse to give in to fear. And when my girls tell me they wish to go off on some adventure, I will trust that the risk of going is less than the risk of living small and afraid. I will send them off with a kiss, slip some Mace in their pocket, activate the tracking app on their phone and continue to envision a world that has space for all of us.<br />
<br />
Power has two faces. Time to ask ourselves which one we are wearing.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-51468362679537866722017-09-07T17:13:00.002-04:002017-09-07T17:16:03.256-04:00summer, last call<br />
We had a pretty spectacular end to summer. As it wrapped up, and we followed our well-grooved path, I realized how many traditions we have incorporated into the rhythm of transitioning from the end of summer to the start of school. <br />
<br />
(Here comes a trip down memory lane.)<br />
<br />
First up, drop uncomfortable amounts of money on school shopping. Assist one child who wears only athletic pants, t-shirts and hoodies and is done within an hour and then drag her around like a punishment with her fashionista sister who has grown so much in the past six months that she needs new EVERYTHING. Go to every single store in a 20-mile radius over two days, cursing the parents whose kids are satisfied with online shopping, and entertain ideas of awards they should give out to parents who survive the ordeal and the cocktail parties thrown in their favor.<br />
<br />
There are no photos. No one (me) has the time or energy or humor for photos.<br />
<br />
Next stop, the Folk Festival.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pQGbF0YYSEv4Hpen3csAseBz9AigSAaPAjdCQDpddaFxr7hjgMVXwO07g-p83ngDjWd_n0xE3ZLCqH2hdn551SYnxRrKMbOZFBrpfjZVNwWn0WsjoCxhVYsZDAS6Tvgyu6zzxqawhRBG/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1013" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-pQGbF0YYSEv4Hpen3csAseBz9AigSAaPAjdCQDpddaFxr7hjgMVXwO07g-p83ngDjWd_n0xE3ZLCqH2hdn551SYnxRrKMbOZFBrpfjZVNwWn0WsjoCxhVYsZDAS6Tvgyu6zzxqawhRBG/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg" width="404" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Folk Festival 2014</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">The music was so good, Maya and Sandi broke out in spontaneous dance.</span></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33thS2fxP_HMs62S5QqHSB0llfGU6EUeng4F4Oj-cvSs-8zqLijYW8wEKQWyl41j68SriRv7ve3TM_7LS9S4sPbzMdEogHmecUYjw38-_aDUiA7vnhOn4_1gzPreGWV_OH7z4zkuBnVsN/s1600/B65D6AF7-CADF-4AEB-B343-AAFD86A24EA1-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33thS2fxP_HMs62S5QqHSB0llfGU6EUeng4F4Oj-cvSs-8zqLijYW8wEKQWyl41j68SriRv7ve3TM_7LS9S4sPbzMdEogHmecUYjw38-_aDUiA7vnhOn4_1gzPreGWV_OH7z4zkuBnVsN/s1600/B65D6AF7-CADF-4AEB-B343-AAFD86A24EA1-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33thS2fxP_HMs62S5QqHSB0llfGU6EUeng4F4Oj-cvSs-8zqLijYW8wEKQWyl41j68SriRv7ve3TM_7LS9S4sPbzMdEogHmecUYjw38-_aDUiA7vnhOn4_1gzPreGWV_OH7z4zkuBnVsN/s1600/B65D6AF7-CADF-4AEB-B343-AAFD86A24EA1-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a>Ella (and I) waited through a full musical set for her annual henna tattoo.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33thS2fxP_HMs62S5QqHSB0llfGU6EUeng4F4Oj-cvSs-8zqLijYW8wEKQWyl41j68SriRv7ve3TM_7LS9S4sPbzMdEogHmecUYjw38-_aDUiA7vnhOn4_1gzPreGWV_OH7z4zkuBnVsN/s1600/B65D6AF7-CADF-4AEB-B343-AAFD86A24EA1-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUMkH2f7K3LZkYRgc2PmZToo1rZIAwkN-PL0QhqP8drSw0AlCrSDs8TFhE0fU7bHnhvNVXbndZJMZAym6rI1sfx4C89o-sGAa0tF1dZ-xoDjAO-TDNadgH72Wh5gTIeUpRYCgotZlSYjW/s1600/7F04B22A-F232-4A1B-9D5E-01A71A2A6458.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUMkH2f7K3LZkYRgc2PmZToo1rZIAwkN-PL0QhqP8drSw0AlCrSDs8TFhE0fU7bHnhvNVXbndZJMZAym6rI1sfx4C89o-sGAa0tF1dZ-xoDjAO-TDNadgH72Wh5gTIeUpRYCgotZlSYjW/s320/7F04B22A-F232-4A1B-9D5E-01A71A2A6458.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi33thS2fxP_HMs62S5QqHSB0llfGU6EUeng4F4Oj-cvSs-8zqLijYW8wEKQWyl41j68SriRv7ve3TM_7LS9S4sPbzMdEogHmecUYjw38-_aDUiA7vnhOn4_1gzPreGWV_OH7z4zkuBnVsN/s1600/B65D6AF7-CADF-4AEB-B343-AAFD86A24EA1-1.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsUMkH2f7K3LZkYRgc2PmZToo1rZIAwkN-PL0QhqP8drSw0AlCrSDs8TFhE0fU7bHnhvNVXbndZJMZAym6rI1sfx4C89o-sGAa0tF1dZ-xoDjAO-TDNadgH72Wh5gTIeUpRYCgotZlSYjW/s1600/7F04B22A-F232-4A1B-9D5E-01A71A2A6458.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFPQkxVRer6aQbrZ5Z5cC-x2DvwE2vUxNWDnzuKSaPtZJnJO0ygG1sGQeJ-n93Vvij5iSMV6CtADpNd5e2gMZERSGSYyS04O-g3Q0QI9sjt4HLaMIwukjsC98SJH5R_Cux7UdwHjAwi_u/s1600/1B19C4F8-114E-4C60-9A1F-EAA4894C2F3B.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFPQkxVRer6aQbrZ5Z5cC-x2DvwE2vUxNWDnzuKSaPtZJnJO0ygG1sGQeJ-n93Vvij5iSMV6CtADpNd5e2gMZERSGSYyS04O-g3Q0QI9sjt4HLaMIwukjsC98SJH5R_Cux7UdwHjAwi_u/s320/1B19C4F8-114E-4C60-9A1F-EAA4894C2F3B.JPG" width="240" /></a> <br />
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Family favorite: popcorn as big as Maya.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-vPHJLViIWLFraKFM5gxMiWIIAClIH44i-Uc1CYzejIPJxyyNMKhh_UMSI-o6mA0mg-I3IBilI8XvPT6AJBQ5N1-NSqgzxg191U4Y_t71FmP0gjfI0xk74wa6lsL9aYEBlBFXMk9SaOW/s1600/13306A12-B2D7-4810-B62F-617ECE316D2D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-vPHJLViIWLFraKFM5gxMiWIIAClIH44i-Uc1CYzejIPJxyyNMKhh_UMSI-o6mA0mg-I3IBilI8XvPT6AJBQ5N1-NSqgzxg191U4Y_t71FmP0gjfI0xk74wa6lsL9aYEBlBFXMk9SaOW/s400/13306A12-B2D7-4810-B62F-617ECE316D2D.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpkPpP2rIjDREgC3pXIAlosWvlKQNje_p0SHgamocv2Bdry0gARnKtk_uf25zsooU_OEbg0SN9ivYl0QsK72Z5ngDNCsLLsvDEe0H1BDYcerGp1POckhrhQ07p41QinmkqMMmsiSIfG26/s1600/FullSizeRender-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxpkPpP2rIjDREgC3pXIAlosWvlKQNje_p0SHgamocv2Bdry0gARnKtk_uf25zsooU_OEbg0SN9ivYl0QsK72Z5ngDNCsLLsvDEe0H1BDYcerGp1POckhrhQ07p41QinmkqMMmsiSIfG26/s400/FullSizeRender-1.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">Giant popcorn sleeve 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSpl4hTFG_XZfacUCpSEeft7N6XJfvnEaSRazD-2SYY7-MdvQQ0FplS3i0EI9TLOK44UCK3S2yJVIv_MB15nEP2Id8bZbOrCUW87zN1D3mYKIcNwAmENUyugxdC5fliLxqxqc8QLHar-j/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-vPHJLViIWLFraKFM5gxMiWIIAClIH44i-Uc1CYzejIPJxyyNMKhh_UMSI-o6mA0mg-I3IBilI8XvPT6AJBQ5N1-NSqgzxg191U4Y_t71FmP0gjfI0xk74wa6lsL9aYEBlBFXMk9SaOW/s1600/13306A12-B2D7-4810-B62F-617ECE316D2D.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJz0Q0xNgL9ogJnVYgn4Y6vJ-Ufxd_yJZF3yPUHzGs2NP-EIEHZXKCe_DczrpwD9Pb1RMk7qVS-aiRkIPcPRNzHzTOI_eEv-OcOupQltPPuEiVxxXC8KveguznDyHX1_hfH8P8Hj3f5fkM/s1600/27B112CD-40D9-47C5-A4FA-4E8C20CA2E8C.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJz0Q0xNgL9ogJnVYgn4Y6vJ-Ufxd_yJZF3yPUHzGs2NP-EIEHZXKCe_DczrpwD9Pb1RMk7qVS-aiRkIPcPRNzHzTOI_eEv-OcOupQltPPuEiVxxXC8KveguznDyHX1_hfH8P8Hj3f5fkM/s640/27B112CD-40D9-47C5-A4FA-4E8C20CA2E8C.JPG" width="640" /></a> <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlf899_E3D3g2uWZlJmkxsaGi1dsTCeWpKwmnHPYAWnyqbJ5e6eKmwwzOkFbM2Ph5VfMvaNDUF8nwGnX1n3KJ3fOt8mSt5-hu-YDielakRDRvb59JGFu5Cf3XtwIZJkQMAi5yNhaZScRq/s1600/64C032E6-15E6-46B3-80DF-9B1DC383350B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1082" data-original-width="1082" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLlf899_E3D3g2uWZlJmkxsaGi1dsTCeWpKwmnHPYAWnyqbJ5e6eKmwwzOkFbM2Ph5VfMvaNDUF8nwGnX1n3KJ3fOt8mSt5-hu-YDielakRDRvb59JGFu5Cf3XtwIZJkQMAi5yNhaZScRq/s400/64C032E6-15E6-46B3-80DF-9B1DC383350B.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Folk Festival 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvrpCwsweGckQGdQEKYmG_V7PAnrLzMqmmCcy06xI7WuFNIKbTw8eVBFwEoCfpcwUbFEudA8boC2qyNzyHbA8nOtc3LHWKfduM5dxjhaiI3c2bPwBmGZMBgyydbgvJ4wExCOdjgg4U7kT/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHvrpCwsweGckQGdQEKYmG_V7PAnrLzMqmmCcy06xI7WuFNIKbTw8eVBFwEoCfpcwUbFEudA8boC2qyNzyHbA8nOtc3LHWKfduM5dxjhaiI3c2bPwBmGZMBgyydbgvJ4wExCOdjgg4U7kT/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-2.jpeg" width="544" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><br /></a>
Somewhat accidentally, it has become a tradition for us to spend one of the very last days of summer at Branch Lake with some or all of the Smiths, jumping off big rocks into crystal clear water. And every year the kids perform some sort of version of Happy Birthday for me (they started it years ago and now I insist on it).<br />
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This is the grand finale, reminiscent of Charlie's Angels.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4Cyays39H2oRQpmnTKzgUYC520i3WuhoudQKKh9NvT-YcQhbzDh63mhvWwHgxslrhEliZwoyG24dwrr7BMaspQ5Kwj3ABKsiPPCyg_pLO5Asf6aY_hDJQ78EfxoeDq3YhPASKd4rdulG/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw4Cyays39H2oRQpmnTKzgUYC520i3WuhoudQKKh9NvT-YcQhbzDh63mhvWwHgxslrhEliZwoyG24dwrr7BMaspQ5Kwj3ABKsiPPCyg_pLO5Asf6aY_hDJQ78EfxoeDq3YhPASKd4rdulG/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvmRTx98mHuSOZlRl36LCTKbPK_xFbJPYe6zWrYUaFA-wie3CA93uvBxv1QkD2VsGvJI09zDw5_Gp0vdoE6LB53xTI_k20VlBTDwb9nvzr1JSdxcF4PunqdvhfkMwvbrSNOQS-Y6WUKz7/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvGsTgYjnPmZKRTIGvo0AeVkN4l93cQ8eu9-gOC9aT55XqbyrWgZxBKX67XeakBOquJn75nVbu4Dg89WeR-5fMpg8mp_M0IFiu_V82FoEHEZ21LbDpies33tSi_hGjpjHky_zV0U817hg/s1600/branch+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpvGsTgYjnPmZKRTIGvo0AeVkN4l93cQ8eu9-gOC9aT55XqbyrWgZxBKX67XeakBOquJn75nVbu4Dg89WeR-5fMpg8mp_M0IFiu_V82FoEHEZ21LbDpies33tSi_hGjpjHky_zV0U817hg/s640/branch+2016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">2016</td></tr>
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Then before you know it, you are packing lunches and your 7th grader is setting an alarm to get up a solid 4 hours earlier than she has most of the summer so she can straighten her hair and your 4th grader is trying to decide if the Nike Pros she has lived in all summer violate the dress code (they do).<br />
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It was fun to take our first day of school pictures on our front porch!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhzGDqjwq-IVE_NytAfOCDoyLhqS4ubh9_C98vy-Md7SztLIS4kw8-VqgRVyz5bUotKPGzuqT6JW1xodD6AFYgVOiZnKZ9VuzssgTM27SqILG76g99IfoFN_tIZHPHYuvcLJ1TxiD6hFo/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhzGDqjwq-IVE_NytAfOCDoyLhqS4ubh9_C98vy-Md7SztLIS4kw8-VqgRVyz5bUotKPGzuqT6JW1xodD6AFYgVOiZnKZ9VuzssgTM27SqILG76g99IfoFN_tIZHPHYuvcLJ1TxiD6hFo/s640/IMG_0030.JPG-1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cpjaFrPW4fT6F2wlBec6J07njEoBj3n_-8QCQPt-JdGhOCnGLhPMaQ2KZ3pkxqOaocDxP7z6Hzv60_bKR4hgRbEyoxr3fZztx1I1HyqK5i0PaHau5GYPp26VfQYIcHcwRcUyiwjDxrmV/s1600/C7849B2F-3EC9-4720-B494-849599E58211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cpjaFrPW4fT6F2wlBec6J07njEoBj3n_-8QCQPt-JdGhOCnGLhPMaQ2KZ3pkxqOaocDxP7z6Hzv60_bKR4hgRbEyoxr3fZztx1I1HyqK5i0PaHau5GYPp26VfQYIcHcwRcUyiwjDxrmV/s320/C7849B2F-3EC9-4720-B494-849599E58211.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">2016</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSkTprWk-vQQ0kgzPmATx-BXKTQVxB7QvgxE9J0UXLtax9RaWQj2onsMwTyee0tYPe5WuPaxFyKvlKfManRzvd8LJWvh0pjN5gkpOQbGJdoqSKBnm1nniDd9nizfrjlxi4G2RoLdLZI3W/s1600/IMG_0033.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSkTprWk-vQQ0kgzPmATx-BXKTQVxB7QvgxE9J0UXLtax9RaWQj2onsMwTyee0tYPe5WuPaxFyKvlKfManRzvd8LJWvh0pjN5gkpOQbGJdoqSKBnm1nniDd9nizfrjlxi4G2RoLdLZI3W/s640/IMG_0033.JPG.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Every year I get a picture of the girls together. This year Maya's hair looked like a flock of birds has roosted for the night and had yet to be evicted with a brush. She looked at me like <i>no way are you taking my picture.</i><br />
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But being a mom, by definition means you have moves. Some call them manipulations. I prefer the term motivation. "Well, you girls could at least give each other a hug before Ella leaves..." And <i>boom</i>: there's my photo.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38Ph35JckrX-APrpc7u5qi607bDWiJWiK09kmsTrNfVliIB24GUWNs7Q1XfsSSUn5mHPuecjinj1Zp_ShRQYl2QSb7lku1GXlHAN2CuS4laOGvel_gsRiXUQ78UF5EgNAKUPYkdTNLO1_/s1600/IMG_0028.JPG-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg38Ph35JckrX-APrpc7u5qi607bDWiJWiK09kmsTrNfVliIB24GUWNs7Q1XfsSSUn5mHPuecjinj1Zp_ShRQYl2QSb7lku1GXlHAN2CuS4laOGvel_gsRiXUQ78UF5EgNAKUPYkdTNLO1_/s640/IMG_0028.JPG-3.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafCcS0nFlxTZb5RYCXEIquxeCnKJml8Gbxd7p6LT0IPCKrBScbW9qGGcsoQfVKYRmd6n6X0w4PioNa71YdAxTAgiSv4VCIOlIA1MJonPvVzcTGA3CALftqyzqiUjtvJl929m4xFQBN7_5/s1600/CCC12ED2-E2E6-4E0D-98FD-F83768D43FDC.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhafCcS0nFlxTZb5RYCXEIquxeCnKJml8Gbxd7p6LT0IPCKrBScbW9qGGcsoQfVKYRmd6n6X0w4PioNa71YdAxTAgiSv4VCIOlIA1MJonPvVzcTGA3CALftqyzqiUjtvJl929m4xFQBN7_5/s400/CCC12ED2-E2E6-4E0D-98FD-F83768D43FDC.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">First day of school 2013</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1viryLf1v3doWhppYA4lJvgMZPsu7Zg7ORjwDGPfHNPdcMpX1DSQhdYJnPmarpaM334GTIW3ZsyiGn-M-nQSK8E3n7jjfGhESFeSEATTBkavNj0lyq8Sh_FPgEhgPedkEnWtE9t3BgLP/s1600/692AE970-4980-444D-B3EE-552E3287EC7E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL1viryLf1v3doWhppYA4lJvgMZPsu7Zg7ORjwDGPfHNPdcMpX1DSQhdYJnPmarpaM334GTIW3ZsyiGn-M-nQSK8E3n7jjfGhESFeSEATTBkavNj0lyq8Sh_FPgEhgPedkEnWtE9t3BgLP/s400/692AE970-4980-444D-B3EE-552E3287EC7E.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">First day of school 2014</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLf7OZRH0WWEetvPnRxPhTxWz0qqEtlcZUHsXdoyLip6K_oGJPcgk3RiLTzh-x4_2iAOPYIaz0x4s2vcAc7Sb1HKqVF5YaSCjK2xmyaL5vbzNqlSe5qsdU7oqU5M90zHmKI-Z_MUEMSku/s1600/FDS+2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhLf7OZRH0WWEetvPnRxPhTxWz0qqEtlcZUHsXdoyLip6K_oGJPcgk3RiLTzh-x4_2iAOPYIaz0x4s2vcAc7Sb1HKqVF5YaSCjK2xmyaL5vbzNqlSe5qsdU7oqU5M90zHmKI-Z_MUEMSku/s400/FDS+2015.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">2015</td></tr>
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Piper was all like, "WAIT. What?"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfIglkmdptbH4yfK6_tNSrF8B8KdWmbaV6L-bVf2iv6t2OhKWf2xThKGer18vVovqxuDdqhOkcikFmjKtlYs79qcqIpRZxQcI1vhUZIQ9vBjZnNM8jrjHBxxjzJSL_FkmF3kW7IT_WI0l/s1600/IMG_0057.JPG-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfIglkmdptbH4yfK6_tNSrF8B8KdWmbaV6L-bVf2iv6t2OhKWf2xThKGer18vVovqxuDdqhOkcikFmjKtlYs79qcqIpRZxQcI1vhUZIQ9vBjZnNM8jrjHBxxjzJSL_FkmF3kW7IT_WI0l/s400/IMG_0057.JPG-2.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbJJk_nz80DrK8z3shVrLVlabCGOWgi1yoIVesl3n_DwGVtfOtopb9bH1XLJghVzQDDNEqpkaIt1RdxZv425hhpbyFTTbGNH-6vIS3Wm9av6tmofVNUoagOsgCiPKW7i-fLUXNzzcOERm/s1600/B8A94426-557C-4CCD-A1AE-257072E8554E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbJJk_nz80DrK8z3shVrLVlabCGOWgi1yoIVesl3n_DwGVtfOtopb9bH1XLJghVzQDDNEqpkaIt1RdxZv425hhpbyFTTbGNH-6vIS3Wm9av6tmofVNUoagOsgCiPKW7i-fLUXNzzcOERm/s320/B8A94426-557C-4CCD-A1AE-257072E8554E.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">2016</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIyHzVItnuG3jrKcp0CFsYpeojVltmOt3u2RCmlj3RlOwoIvarz2GAMiO9mYF_g5WRLTDdtDLnBMNbKWh5tn6EV8ATz89sjKnzA5phfRbYk3q88judLDUEI5mbDUVJ2SbKzBX_z9OcLPF/s1600/IMG_0054.JPG-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIyHzVItnuG3jrKcp0CFsYpeojVltmOt3u2RCmlj3RlOwoIvarz2GAMiO9mYF_g5WRLTDdtDLnBMNbKWh5tn6EV8ATz89sjKnzA5phfRbYk3q88judLDUEI5mbDUVJ2SbKzBX_z9OcLPF/s640/IMG_0054.JPG-1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>
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We moved into the house two days after school got out and spent a whirlwind couple of weeks unpacking, mounting, installing and establishing residency at our local Home Depot and Lowe's. Then Sandi went back to work, summer hit like a bomb and everything got tabled.</div>
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I spent the first days with the kids in school trying to catch up our lives, a typical early September activity: tame the umpteen piles of laundry, unpack from two weeks at camp, return unanswered phone calls, go through an irresponsible amount of unattended to mail, organize the fall schedule and get back to a normal work routine writing and massaging. </div>
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But more than anything, I relished the time to bond with my house. To organize and figure out systems for how we function in the space, to purchase the things we still needed and to reclaim the spaces that had been taken over with boxes and unpacked things. To be alone in the empty quiet of the beautiful space, productive and accomplished, once again.</div>
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And then it's time for vibrancy and volume to fill the house once again. Piper has a new found love for the hissing air-break of the school bus. The kids take the bus both ways to school this year! I love that yellow rectangle.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTNlvjhn4IYGPneuyJVdLVVo7grx9bSv_Djp_H4qiugdxy1MHEF63HZGHLD8KJWD0rxp0Wl2WZh7Yt3nmG2vplLxKYkHSqdMYj_3mKW97a8nVBELJqcdbimv3SxtIgOgHjUMoDeiSN3ws/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-38.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTNlvjhn4IYGPneuyJVdLVVo7grx9bSv_Djp_H4qiugdxy1MHEF63HZGHLD8KJWD0rxp0Wl2WZh7Yt3nmG2vplLxKYkHSqdMYj_3mKW97a8nVBELJqcdbimv3SxtIgOgHjUMoDeiSN3ws/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg-38.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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First day of school afternoon ice cream party. Another tradition. This is what it looked like last year:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vF7jP724r0mjzWuE00HnNiReoYRHhLEHvm0Xgb5I2erkivUk-cIQ_DOAYSp9Hr-oIdDm4LApzMtg2IxUYYWAodacCo5FprsOQhw5fCD2RGmZHcGWtXgH9TuunBWxdRdmKSc-601Bg0iR/s1600/FullSizeRender-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1155" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vF7jP724r0mjzWuE00HnNiReoYRHhLEHvm0Xgb5I2erkivUk-cIQ_DOAYSp9Hr-oIdDm4LApzMtg2IxUYYWAodacCo5FprsOQhw5fCD2RGmZHcGWtXgH9TuunBWxdRdmKSc-601Bg0iR/s320/FullSizeRender-3.jpg" width="231" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamPCmm4dgspOmLcx9jNn_p_Vzog9l_OMbY4_VsG-na0gvPVaS03heLY57cet0wQgtXFF60LOie_E0ZDJcIKpsnwoglX5gcfe8Pe7HhMtLi5YpqxtYAKlWwJHfW75QpeTXw3LTXcK4VPJL/s1600/FullSizeRender-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1053" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjamPCmm4dgspOmLcx9jNn_p_Vzog9l_OMbY4_VsG-na0gvPVaS03heLY57cet0wQgtXFF60LOie_E0ZDJcIKpsnwoglX5gcfe8Pe7HhMtLi5YpqxtYAKlWwJHfW75QpeTXw3LTXcK4VPJL/s320/FullSizeRender-4.jpg" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
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And this year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02yh1GuG09797ObAdNUVqDMTk9tFUSPi-FT8oA8OHI80TUSscl4jke88F5qSPedgYkmN-uq1tUNQkh9tLVKvHJJWZn2_C1kkyp1ad4gqORnT4Z360xeSs2p57ESkljlw1BJbRuHLrTPRF/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-10.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02yh1GuG09797ObAdNUVqDMTk9tFUSPi-FT8oA8OHI80TUSscl4jke88F5qSPedgYkmN-uq1tUNQkh9tLVKvHJJWZn2_C1kkyp1ad4gqORnT4Z360xeSs2p57ESkljlw1BJbRuHLrTPRF/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-10.jpeg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxcZ0Gs90PxUoepgSebB0LNv9RBZPyDFuiOu0G_O0_U_p9OLEt9DuMFrb2oX0R8NUREESk7fYHKoB5k4u_jFy7DZopDQPKYMdRzQ9fXnDzW9bYuaXKCLuJqxAoA0cV7kVnXmXj9AbRUNl/s1600/IMG_0073.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxcZ0Gs90PxUoepgSebB0LNv9RBZPyDFuiOu0G_O0_U_p9OLEt9DuMFrb2oX0R8NUREESk7fYHKoB5k4u_jFy7DZopDQPKYMdRzQ9fXnDzW9bYuaXKCLuJqxAoA0cV7kVnXmXj9AbRUNl/s400/IMG_0073.JPG.jpeg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Labor Day, the true last call it seems, brought the girls and I back to the beach with my family (Sandi typically works Labor Day). While September will have some warm, even hot, days, there won't be too many more that will drive kids into the freezing Atlantic.<br />
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First the kids decided they needed to construct a raft on which to send Maya across the narrow inlet to the other shore. I let them work on it for a while before I informed them that she would not be riding on such a vessel.<br />
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When they realized that no amount of begging would allow them to send Maya out to sea, they begged to strip down and swim (neither mother brought swim suits since it wasn't supposed to be over 70 degrees). We granted them this request and they used their "raft" (known in some circles as a log) and motored across.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSte4OMCGYfH4ez1-PruJ7GTBzGVoo0oqsYRj0BhqFGzPNHEVItwrVQV0GkQAPWun-eyFD_6JS7NeO4R5zOVz9rtAiBQz1WL3pYQT6G-8cepJSLbifygxXkyswynJ8qq9VWfy2_1LdBqw/s1600/IMG_0143.JPG.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvSte4OMCGYfH4ez1-PruJ7GTBzGVoo0oqsYRj0BhqFGzPNHEVItwrVQV0GkQAPWun-eyFD_6JS7NeO4R5zOVz9rtAiBQz1WL3pYQT6G-8cepJSLbifygxXkyswynJ8qq9VWfy2_1LdBqw/s320/IMG_0143.JPG.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">This is what happens when your almost 13 yo steals your phone.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MSWf-llMnLcHGTkVFXgxvGxMf06xYuBZ4WcehqrvPvMvwYdTw98k0ONUDNbTNMGJ9Jq57aiujChT0Z8iXEO4Yj3DB_gGoZ4cwtwVcuGII_NjotiBdLZTeXeUnJpSUME1Jts4Bw9DfVqj/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1511" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5MSWf-llMnLcHGTkVFXgxvGxMf06xYuBZ4WcehqrvPvMvwYdTw98k0ONUDNbTNMGJ9Jq57aiujChT0Z8iXEO4Yj3DB_gGoZ4cwtwVcuGII_NjotiBdLZTeXeUnJpSUME1Jts4Bw9DfVqj/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-1.jpeg" width="603" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">My sister, my mom and I</td></tr>
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Two years ago my mom and her grandkids:</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDusFE5Tljr0YBTIjKFkTNhksY9hDZUr8LAB0_23T1j2peQzChGlxgT2d7fvN5cKCiHkshVug9zBGSs8J_y0jwu9YbRhNVD87HOAu7dGIXtgPfH8qsxGi7kFqZ6OF32ZoNpHbPmRdjCGM1/s1600/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDusFE5Tljr0YBTIjKFkTNhksY9hDZUr8LAB0_23T1j2peQzChGlxgT2d7fvN5cKCiHkshVug9zBGSs8J_y0jwu9YbRhNVD87HOAu7dGIXtgPfH8qsxGi7kFqZ6OF32ZoNpHbPmRdjCGM1/s640/FullSizeRender-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">2015</td></tr>
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And this year, the four grandkids blue one grand-dog who sat so eagerly for this photo.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rQZVUoe3BU2Ka5qyoIzAuin8z3L0ccsG8yI_nEFfSSg-6joRYUAoqoT5-V0CyHyaz7J7-25_h02pw7z8U96FG9IrQzQ2jsG3Yp0FgA961h8h3n69JkAh1h0RFbv5E6S5rxd5WEIDjO1c/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1407" data-original-width="1600" height="562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5rQZVUoe3BU2Ka5qyoIzAuin8z3L0ccsG8yI_nEFfSSg-6joRYUAoqoT5-V0CyHyaz7J7-25_h02pw7z8U96FG9IrQzQ2jsG3Yp0FgA961h8h3n69JkAh1h0RFbv5E6S5rxd5WEIDjO1c/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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Happy autumn everyone! It's time for warm blankets at field hockey games, a fire in the fireplace, fleece, soups and chilly mornings.<br />
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And here's a wish for presence...because life is going way too fast.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SgRNKVpEw7yfZnj4tspVCCyslbg_mAKXcTQXJIz2W6xZ2iOOzwcs0az3zAxt52xZX9iLAV1xGuMzdU2ZNE3RXQClTr63lEygnkchaCtCa90HoSsi-o5KkwWhVEd2XorMv9Q0QP6aemdP/s1600/F956B539-1EB6-49E5-A13A-003D898DF4AF.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1009" data-original-width="1009" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6SgRNKVpEw7yfZnj4tspVCCyslbg_mAKXcTQXJIz2W6xZ2iOOzwcs0az3zAxt52xZX9iLAV1xGuMzdU2ZNE3RXQClTr63lEygnkchaCtCa90HoSsi-o5KkwWhVEd2XorMv9Q0QP6aemdP/s400/F956B539-1EB6-49E5-A13A-003D898DF4AF.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Folk Festival 2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcljWntik85SPET2Pe4UVS4mYKEgiQP9tK5x6ZQxWc1HylMMeeJ036KrA-66PORFzhfEyovWlSBHSPuzXMn-D_LSZFFYd1v46a4pmARyOdaaWhgg6BZJN_U2KfDPdNtQSQV7tdXb4fyuyB/s1600/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcljWntik85SPET2Pe4UVS4mYKEgiQP9tK5x6ZQxWc1HylMMeeJ036KrA-66PORFzhfEyovWlSBHSPuzXMn-D_LSZFFYd1v46a4pmARyOdaaWhgg6BZJN_U2KfDPdNtQSQV7tdXb4fyuyB/s400/FullSizeRender-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">2014</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3lp4XSl38QG9HzLLAXseltRczYfeVvxcKvEM6mGNhGPZqDO2dbr8IJKIXoXxRKa--psdMPyJpITbaCLvCC08zIn4wII5duZXGMTgw-u7s6rBdOoKkQY8ISsSMLYjrNhPNDIbevtx6f7Q/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1503" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe3lp4XSl38QG9HzLLAXseltRczYfeVvxcKvEM6mGNhGPZqDO2dbr8IJKIXoXxRKa--psdMPyJpITbaCLvCC08zIn4wII5duZXGMTgw-u7s6rBdOoKkQY8ISsSMLYjrNhPNDIbevtx6f7Q/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-8.jpeg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Today. xoxoxo</td></tr>
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-62388026830208876482017-09-05T09:31:00.002-04:002017-09-05T09:31:58.317-04:00out to haulSummer found our kids baiting pockets, banding lobsters and pulling profits from the sea on their grandfather's lobster boat once again.<br />
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This year the kids fished some of the time on a new boat, <i>Making Memories</i>, their grandparents purchased just for hauling their traps. Everyone should be lucky enough to have grandparents like these. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcKyXNqfHJYB4MLsYNIkWc8xNyBIc9UR65zf4Bqa4ef4GDw_fgT5WE1qofqjSG1ITMroX8gJHhS75wRVX6VRdAiRqqigh259k2xv9kk4h8HufFf82-V_Nk4ieec-G8_IGxjgdsJnng25N/s1600/90F74BE7-C377-4134-B43D-97173DEF128E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilcKyXNqfHJYB4MLsYNIkWc8xNyBIc9UR65zf4Bqa4ef4GDw_fgT5WE1qofqjSG1ITMroX8gJHhS75wRVX6VRdAiRqqigh259k2xv9kk4h8HufFf82-V_Nk4ieec-G8_IGxjgdsJnng25N/s400/90F74BE7-C377-4134-B43D-97173DEF128E.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP857R4iSzo0afcc0aNLuBZHmWgPyxlxdGzHMUikWoSshoCDFEefouqYg18SsHafKpMXm6D8qF3qeUP90CYslhhV-z2aSMMJJKhx97KiVM4ySw9O2fLIER5TPeNXEqFfVjrygTY3EQiuJ/s1600/FullSizeRender-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP857R4iSzo0afcc0aNLuBZHmWgPyxlxdGzHMUikWoSshoCDFEefouqYg18SsHafKpMXm6D8qF3qeUP90CYslhhV-z2aSMMJJKhx97KiVM4ySw9O2fLIER5TPeNXEqFfVjrygTY3EQiuJ/s320/FullSizeRender-33.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">And a cousin like this...who comes along to work just because it is fun for him. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UYzvSk7FZAhE1cTSteHBM3E-3GBDcwXMHTlpMFFS3370DeP0dcXtHewQ9jKlSAy3IVp8_sUjbowuJxJeOKmMxlZOehuf16Ur7rcdKYRq9mAE3zwjDp1E6eJDLrrLwtPC5SEO2zSNJP9E/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UYzvSk7FZAhE1cTSteHBM3E-3GBDcwXMHTlpMFFS3370DeP0dcXtHewQ9jKlSAy3IVp8_sUjbowuJxJeOKmMxlZOehuf16Ur7rcdKYRq9mAE3zwjDp1E6eJDLrrLwtPC5SEO2zSNJP9E/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg-7.jpeg" width="367" /></a></div>
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Ella has 50 traps again this year and Maya has 10 as permitted by their student fishing licenses. Each year they fish, we log their apprentice hours and when they are older they will be eligible for a commercial fishing license which, in the state of Maine, can take years to obtain. </div>
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Maya loves bait pockets. It is stinky, slimy work and she relishes it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s400/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC63JqS4p6DZVvgA1VmlHv93Utspu2H6tJ3TZWDo7M7zxQGbH2bWd1P6Netxnhglge-tzlZN3au_SSlbOeVKBp91izou7yc603AkLKx6VVAN0eoYYTEBTufcyGJC3hdoarLX7-Jqdz9ZgL/s1600/30E7C6C4-6C6A-4E51-8A6E-7BADFFCBFC42.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC63JqS4p6DZVvgA1VmlHv93Utspu2H6tJ3TZWDo7M7zxQGbH2bWd1P6Netxnhglge-tzlZN3au_SSlbOeVKBp91izou7yc603AkLKx6VVAN0eoYYTEBTufcyGJC3hdoarLX7-Jqdz9ZgL/s640/30E7C6C4-6C6A-4E51-8A6E-7BADFFCBFC42.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Challenges of lobster fishing:<br />
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Occupying yourself during the down time when you have been given strict instructions not to get your bait juice drenched hands all over everything. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UYzvSk7FZAhE1cTSteHBM3E-3GBDcwXMHTlpMFFS3370DeP0dcXtHewQ9jKlSAy3IVp8_sUjbowuJxJeOKmMxlZOehuf16Ur7rcdKYRq9mAE3zwjDp1E6eJDLrrLwtPC5SEO2zSNJP9E/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1rnRVv-d_HBDUKqqB-oAi-A04uwwVCfUJg5ApJLcLw116ST6DeMzJz-AEu7pZwbqZg8VKZiIZLNS92n4FngFQ-GOSyJTt0Cs3kdjE3RMhL2moMwmQJfkNdBVhq3MgzzOC_uDbaza0g7r/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ3TwOs24otzIpevdGM46zHzae1esip8h6xExOQWGYgKiuHW9PvNkQOW0S1UWb5ifm6tpKhf285Q2RpVOJE__9GwjcEFDsQvbb4fYQAivybrUnpEjgQun34IszYhgIAL17h6qTvJ24Sp5/s1600/76456214-9612-4BF2-B3C0-EAC14A98FCD9.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRpzHgbG_2ICdu95u5zPek24bMVbSJOluwcozy90nbEcvEsRZGfyLai3TrE-6vz-hRM6nMoPFkAMdH7oiSZ-6H_77aEwn0PA2tDvqoV92fDD96T6Upr6GJJO6cl1b_q5vyWt_QTK8rslON/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZo9kAG42RCONtkoo6mB8rJ1gfClKwG1sBgfkOs8kMRaYVDpu0NnBQtTtfyiMfCEKPfHm_rFXXJqCBwy2_IaXaL75yju2HGYhdM5RKIAdbhim4W0u01bflyH7_YqySq9z3hp2A7IkVzRH/s1600/5616A832-C7B9-4ADF-918F-1684BC249693.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZo9kAG42RCONtkoo6mB8rJ1gfClKwG1sBgfkOs8kMRaYVDpu0NnBQtTtfyiMfCEKPfHm_rFXXJqCBwy2_IaXaL75yju2HGYhdM5RKIAdbhim4W0u01bflyH7_YqySq9z3hp2A7IkVzRH/s320/5616A832-C7B9-4ADF-918F-1684BC249693.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
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Sea sickness:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ3TwOs24otzIpevdGM46zHzae1esip8h6xExOQWGYgKiuHW9PvNkQOW0S1UWb5ifm6tpKhf285Q2RpVOJE__9GwjcEFDsQvbb4fYQAivybrUnpEjgQun34IszYhgIAL17h6qTvJ24Sp5/s1600/76456214-9612-4BF2-B3C0-EAC14A98FCD9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyZ3TwOs24otzIpevdGM46zHzae1esip8h6xExOQWGYgKiuHW9PvNkQOW0S1UWb5ifm6tpKhf285Q2RpVOJE__9GwjcEFDsQvbb4fYQAivybrUnpEjgQun34IszYhgIAL17h6qTvJ24Sp5/s320/76456214-9612-4BF2-B3C0-EAC14A98FCD9.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px;">Cooper took a breather, got away from the bait, chewed on some Town House crackers and was good to go again. </td></tr>
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Not getting sea gull poop on your head:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWugKSnFRVbbb715blYim02g9PV-YKGrdWOds4PARORhdO2pz03RYR4vC7sEyC5mDX3qC6UPlSfCCm123-JOezjMBaZjP-GFQaSlaKACdTMT5GrCcOFg1l5h29fUb35Bk-7F2Gjxx_y2y/s1600/DA0EC7A1-709F-4071-9BA9-3E1C53730453.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWugKSnFRVbbb715blYim02g9PV-YKGrdWOds4PARORhdO2pz03RYR4vC7sEyC5mDX3qC6UPlSfCCm123-JOezjMBaZjP-GFQaSlaKACdTMT5GrCcOFg1l5h29fUb35Bk-7F2Gjxx_y2y/s640/DA0EC7A1-709F-4071-9BA9-3E1C53730453.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Hosing off <strike>the boat </strike>your cousin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV3ayZK5sngza4GBLd1r_wWVu8VtY_tBtZAg0XVaisTIl6qfsrFesKWD4hqkv-59aRyvnlE1ciYP566P74zllqIxBsGFVt9fxVr-hm_AKQ4-RDuAaTFjYZ64W5YThhfTcaFaNkmVn-6Ax/s1600/C0516A3A-BA42-4F46-AFB6-F8CCE8FFBC7F.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV3ayZK5sngza4GBLd1r_wWVu8VtY_tBtZAg0XVaisTIl6qfsrFesKWD4hqkv-59aRyvnlE1ciYP566P74zllqIxBsGFVt9fxVr-hm_AKQ4-RDuAaTFjYZ64W5YThhfTcaFaNkmVn-6Ax/s320/C0516A3A-BA42-4F46-AFB6-F8CCE8FFBC7F.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4x3knjUfTI7bpkyqNsedQ6SJMnXqtCDdiq1fxIYrwb8PGhDezmpXqIQRa9cbJY9Jfzf5-yNGikA1oGhHIeVNRcsOvoy0ChaoKS5nH-9w0gguEOBUE50WnUZMESFa3b7bgAWuvHnpP64Z/s1600/104225C2-8BAA-4735-96BB-88E4174FFAE8.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4x3knjUfTI7bpkyqNsedQ6SJMnXqtCDdiq1fxIYrwb8PGhDezmpXqIQRa9cbJY9Jfzf5-yNGikA1oGhHIeVNRcsOvoy0ChaoKS5nH-9w0gguEOBUE50WnUZMESFa3b7bgAWuvHnpP64Z/s320/104225C2-8BAA-4735-96BB-88E4174FFAE8.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And the cardinal rule: don't get your feet near the rope! (Ella is showing proper technique here.)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UYzvSk7FZAhE1cTSteHBM3E-3GBDcwXMHTlpMFFS3370DeP0dcXtHewQ9jKlSAy3IVp8_sUjbowuJxJeOKmMxlZOehuf16Ur7rcdKYRq9mAE3zwjDp1E6eJDLrrLwtPC5SEO2zSNJP9E/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8UYzvSk7FZAhE1cTSteHBM3E-3GBDcwXMHTlpMFFS3370DeP0dcXtHewQ9jKlSAy3IVp8_sUjbowuJxJeOKmMxlZOehuf16Ur7rcdKYRq9mAE3zwjDp1E6eJDLrrLwtPC5SEO2zSNJP9E/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oC7dmVSG9kkeXpBe79eO-IeJwaisz0m6bwASLELdvF_6o3GUqpoWthi2UrJOZqwduJa2xnX64S1bE50IBu0bqMUhswQgQtmQKh7rB-NrNwAkghx47FbwzD3B_0zU25X2GKAId9L3quk6/s1600/59A1E400-57B8-49DB-8D8A-CFDECE9DBF02.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4oC7dmVSG9kkeXpBe79eO-IeJwaisz0m6bwASLELdvF_6o3GUqpoWthi2UrJOZqwduJa2xnX64S1bE50IBu0bqMUhswQgQtmQKh7rB-NrNwAkghx47FbwzD3B_0zU25X2GKAId9L3quk6/s400/59A1E400-57B8-49DB-8D8A-CFDECE9DBF02.JPG" width="300" /></a><br />
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Don't worry, they don't work so hard that there isn't time for goofing off.<br />
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When one kid sits in the lobster crate, they all want to.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggc9AGx4ASax4KYAsIpurPP-hRWSxYc16TLQh4I-TJNhYX6Sbazm4-9UH9jxN-awy8urpUvjS5i11bGOWpzAujW4KUjysY9lEIy-uLtXj4YbV4Ih_reinJdczQTzzWd0HZxElDMDj_zm4P/s1600/5CC90658-FAFA-463D-A8B0-85C9F45741DA.JPG" imageanchor="1"><br /></a><br />
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It's simply stunning out there.<br />
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This summer we were driving along a breathtaking part of the rocky coast of Maine, a place people come from all over the world to see, and I said to the girls, "Look up! Look at this!" To which Ella shrugged and said, "I know. But to me it is just like every day."<br />
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I <strike>wonder if</strike> hope they will someday know how lucky they are.<br />
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The first summer Sandi and I were together, we went on the lobster boat to work with her dad. The smell of the bait, the circling boat swirling itself among its own diesel fumes while it rocks side to side in the swells, working with my head down, all resulted in me heaving over the side. They had to bring me home and go back out. I'm sure I made a stellar first impression to this gritty, hard-working family. Now I take all precautions, stay in the chilly ocean air in the sun and take pictures. Plus, I never step on the boat without an emergency sleeve of crackers.<br />
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Maine...the way life should be. Whoever coined that motto nailed it.<br />
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-78271749581028993272017-09-01T15:05:00.000-04:002017-09-12T13:33:24.352-04:00If I built a houseThree years ago this November, we sold our house. It was time to pursue a long held dream of finding our "dream" house. But we were on the multi-step plan. Sell, regroup, save, live inexpensively for a while (at least a year, maybe more) and figure out what we wanted.<br />
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We moved into Sandi's sister Tricia's basement apartment. It was a generous offer we were fortunate to have, one that would allow us to go where we wanted to go. Wherever that was. There was the fun of adored family members living together- one family up, one family down....we were our own sitcom- but it was hard, too. Kind of like stuffing a whale into a goldfish suit.<br />
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I'm a girl who likes to have a plan, or at least some sense of where I'm headed. (I will tell you, living with such uncertainty and diminished amount of control over my external environment has substantially cured me of that need.) Our move was a "leap and the net will appear" sort of moment. Except I was suspended in mid-air for a long time, looking down and not seeing a net. I was unmoored and unsettled. There was no destination on the horizon to point my ship toward.<br />
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A few months later, after stalking the real estate listings and coming up short, we started to explore building. I wasn't sure I was up for it- the stress, the cost, the waiting. But I was soon confronted with yet another tenet of adulthood: delayed gratification. Do you want something mediocre now or something amazing later?<br />
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I cursed adulthood and jumped aboard the house building train that Sandi had long been on.<br />
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House building requires a few essential things: money (more than you think), mental fortitude, flexibility, rigorous organizational skills and patience, patience and more patience.<br />
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The only one of those I possessed at the onset were organizational skills.<br />
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I soon learned the other thing you need, pure and simple, is a vision. I lacked that as well.<br />
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In the first couple of meetings with our builder he would rub his chin and say, "I guess I'm not really sure what it is that you want."<br />
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We were equally bewildered. We were all over the place. We had the ADHD of house building. We wanted everything and there was no simple way to distill it down into a buildable house plan.<br />
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We were like the kid in the wonderful Chris Van Dusen book <i>If I Built a House</i>. This highly imaginative boy dreams up a house with an automatic kitchen, trampoline and a ball pit in his living room, a car wash-style shower, an anti-gravity room, a race track room and a fish tank room where you can scuba dive with your favorite marine animals.<br />
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I sometimes cringe when I think of the internal eye rolling our builder must have done and the possible earful his wife might have gotten about these crazy ladies he was working with. I like to think manners went a long way to soothe minor irritations. That there is a big difference between,<br />
"We want twenty more windows than you put in the plan" and "We would like to add twenty windows, <i>please</i>." And "We don't like the standard window trim you use" versus "Is there anything you can use that is more in line with our house style? Thank you."<br />
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At least in my mind there is.<br />
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One of the things we had was time. And while that placed an obvious stress on one of the essential pillars of house building- patience- it was well worth it. Because of our own timeline, we knew it didn't make sense to start building until the fall of 2016 and we started working with our builder the February prior, giving us seven months before a drop of concrete was poured or a single nail was hammered.<br />
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I honestly think it was those seven months that gave us a house I love so much it makes my belly flip over every time I pull into the driveway. We honed our preferences, whittled our taste, researched, changed our minds and created a more complete vision of how the different components of the house would come together.<br />
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One of the other assets we had working in our favor, and this will hopefully cheer many people, was that we had lived in a few sub-lovely places. We knew what it was like to live with cheap flooring, hollow doors, crappy layouts, not enough closet space. We knew how maddening it was to cook in a tiny kitchen with only a handful of cupboards and zero counter space, to have guests squeezed together for a party and to live in fear that our basement would flood if the power went out. We knew what it was like to dig cars out of snow all winter, to unpack groceries in the pouring rain and to have mice sneak through cracks you didn't realize you had.<br />
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Contrast creates vision.<br />
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It turns out living for forty years makes you a sort of expert on your life. We knew our rhythms, our needs, our wants, the flow of our family. We knew we wanted to make the kitchen our top priority, that we wanted our living space to open and spacious, that we wanted to have room for company- both to eat and sleep- and plenty of bathrooms for all the girls in our house. We choose our lot and designed our house with a walk out basement ready to be finished to provide a space for our parents should they need it.<br />
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Each of us had our things that we went to bat for. High on Sandi's list were the audio system and master shower. Mine were the three season porch and the windows. I am an outdoor girl and I require a lot of light. And so I kept adding windows to the plan. Yes, we need windows in the closets. Yes, we need windows in the garage. Yes, we need more windows in the basement. And while you're at it, can you add three more windows in our bedroom?<br />
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Please.<br />
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Keep in mind we also lived in a basement when we designed the house so there is a chance that plays a small roll in how many windows we have.<br />
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At one point during the framing, one of the guys said to me, "Gonna be a beautiful house. Lots of windows!" As we left, Sandi said, "Does it make you nervous that people keep commenting on how many windows we have put in here?"<br />
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Nope. <br />
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Did I mention the need for patience? Because there was a lot of waiting, sometimes patient, often impatient, waiting. At one point, Ella said to me, "I don't think we are ever actually going to move into that house."<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Because it takes a long time to go from this:</span></div>
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(*A HUGE thank you to Marcy Whipple and the staff at Maine Stone Design for our perfect kitchen, bathrooms, counters and floors! No one should build a house without Marcy.)</div>
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Building a house is like baking a cake, the most important cake of your life, with no recipe. You can look at pictures of cakes, take the advice of professional bakers and taste every cake out there. You can study recipes of other cakes. But when it comes time to bake your cake, you must rely on your skill, your instincts and your experience. You cross your fingers, mop your brow and pray.</div>
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When it comes out of the oven and tastes like a piece of heaven, you want to weep with joy. </div>
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When Josh (Hamilton) completed our long-anticipated fire place, Sandi and I looked at each other and said, "It is like our house finally has its heart." (Thank you Josh!)<br />
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The three season porch, a room made up of- you guessed it- windows. Sandi and her mom finished this room and they absolutely nailed it.<br />
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To watch the metamorphosis of a house from a scattered idea, to a sketch, to a 3D rendering, to an actual structure you can stand in is a wonder to me. We would wander the house and murmur, "I think we did it."<br />
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Time passed, as it always does, and our house neared completion. There was the typical stress of remaining details, inspections, appraisals, timing, mandatory waiting periods, etc. There was a week where we thought we might not close on the house in time to move during Sandi's long-planned vacation. All because of some dirt. The lawn needed to be seeded and there was no loam to be found in the wet, muddy spring we had in Maine. But at the eleventh hour, we got lucky, people went out of their way to help and our builder was very flexible with us.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;">Then we were signing papers and clinking cheers and marveling at all we created and sacrificed and visualized and worked for to get us to that moment. I don't call our house our dream house because it has every last thing we want but because we dreamt it into existence. From nothing to something. </span></div>
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That is a powerful thing. </div>
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And so moving day was upon us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just what everyone wants to find in their stored belongings...Complete with the kids' cries of, "Can't we keep them??" And requests for droppers with which to feed them milk.</td></tr>
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We relished our first night, our first dinner, (take-out Indian, or cereal if you're Maya) in disbelief that we were actually there.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya really loves the laundry window.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piper-approved.</td></tr>
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Nearly three years ago, just before we sold our house, we bought an extravagant bottle of champagne when Bangor Wine and Cheese had a champagne tasting. We bought it knowing the changes that were coming for us, knowing there would be reason for celebration. </div>
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Sandi said, "How about when we sell our house?" I was reluctant. Selling our house was sad to me, a necessary step toward moving into a house we wanted, a rest stop not even half-way on a long car ride.</div>
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I asked her if we could save it until we moved into our next house. The house we had not yet created, not yet reached for. She wasn't into it (I think she just really wanted that mind-blowing champagne) but, through mercy or love, she graciously said yes. </div>
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Finally, it was time. </div>
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And now we live in this beautiful house that I fall in love with more each day. I love to come home and I don't like to leave. I love to fall asleep here, to wake up here, to cook here and dance here and sing. To play with our kids and our dog. To have people we love grace our space with their love and laughter. </div>
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I just used love a lot in that paragraph. Forgive me. No other word will suffice.</div>
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We're home. </div>
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-87158528464107241712017-08-31T13:55:00.000-04:002017-08-31T14:13:02.568-04:00What we did at summer camp.This year we took our summer vacation, as always, at the lake.*<br />
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Sunshine, sand, water, games, boats, fishing, paddling, catching up on sleep, family dinners and playing from sun up till sun down. The most pressing questions of the day: is there such a thing as too many chips at the lake? Should I shave my legs today or tomorrow? Which bikini today? Swim and then read or read and then swim?<br />
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Each year the kids are, obviously, older. But this year it was noticeable. Kids could be in the lake without an adult having eyeballs on them every second. Kids were piloting boats, kayaking independently and even, if we were very lucky, applying their own sunscreen. (And if we were extremely lucky, not sustaining a sunburn as a result.) Ask any mom how much they love to sunscreen, and rescreen every 2 hours, their uncooperative children. It ranks up there with mammograms and cleaning the garage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4cCq7qpfepWilTwOfriAy6xk-xc43wU7AJLfpXDLVtiXBcwISDcRyvtaLahcrMRlqFC-xkuA8J0cabJjm0npkbbBkQc4k6MElMJ_5VH1r-gzUc_xya65oTuy3iHf30AWiy2cgdwIgx3H/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4cCq7qpfepWilTwOfriAy6xk-xc43wU7AJLfpXDLVtiXBcwISDcRyvtaLahcrMRlqFC-xkuA8J0cabJjm0npkbbBkQc4k6MElMJ_5VH1r-gzUc_xya65oTuy3iHf30AWiy2cgdwIgx3H/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-13.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have our own fleet!</td></tr>
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One of my favorite things about this vacation is the amount of time the girls get to spend with the people they love. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmXqJX5e8VC5oeivoT0VcXtVUG7wVB0PZhWTu1uplMFvhYABwyo3myysdUv40O43tKUMAklfzKOsKqhkN1rBaSob1BqquKNhuy5feoAVrX9Fk7IoZu_7149rMeWXp0-6kvhS3e4BKD77t/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-31.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmXqJX5e8VC5oeivoT0VcXtVUG7wVB0PZhWTu1uplMFvhYABwyo3myysdUv40O43tKUMAklfzKOsKqhkN1rBaSob1BqquKNhuy5feoAVrX9Fk7IoZu_7149rMeWXp0-6kvhS3e4BKD77t/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-31.jpeg" width="640" /></a><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2zdYh9hrxmQuD3cdpxhWvowDI1SHtfcNKh6UNAU6X3zsGuAy4kwU7jMT506zvXkFBqp7Xf2BH50V74DMDyCAHfg_qF_nn9ow4Qgx0PnsYjuZ0TSs8PO6bHrS1-VZ8fyH08cYjJRKIePV/s400/28F68FC3-CCDC-494E-9F27-2CDB15CAADCB.JPG" width="400" /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLua2bqliL73hCp7yTAsvSryWa_9aOCNx_6ITanhUze3KClQOBouE7v-4r6aFaOCRIfS44OoV0VVAF4Lb3oyWgyE48_6_N7CNQpNtH7UWjRDVftD2Levit0il5hRFKyvdTFmPH_0jI9Ybx/s1600/IMG_6586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLua2bqliL73hCp7yTAsvSryWa_9aOCNx_6ITanhUze3KClQOBouE7v-4r6aFaOCRIfS44OoV0VVAF4Lb3oyWgyE48_6_N7CNQpNtH7UWjRDVftD2Levit0il5hRFKyvdTFmPH_0jI9Ybx/s400/IMG_6586.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tia, stepping up her Aunt duties with a tooth extraction.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ella, Brady and Skyler</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1PEri8eOpc7BMoe9jDjGKQeOXWUbbdEm5TVVUSj6ms1UMsgx2pg9FfYgV-Je9-IwoX42oIhDzsOrNWVLStSwu8WGctGVRHn_P7iSsu-KHZlERPwh4ZR8_uP3htj0e3ywvqRkWAMcC9Hv/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-19.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1PEri8eOpc7BMoe9jDjGKQeOXWUbbdEm5TVVUSj6ms1UMsgx2pg9FfYgV-Je9-IwoX42oIhDzsOrNWVLStSwu8WGctGVRHn_P7iSsu-KHZlERPwh4ZR8_uP3htj0e3ywvqRkWAMcC9Hv/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-19.jpeg" width="440" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya and Makenna. The "Littles" as we call them. </td></tr>
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My family came to visit as well! Which for Maya meant someone else to beat at Uno.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIlNBexibFvYvFZUIaLa2P6PIBxcBHvw0XozLDgC4YY48ZSI_6HEwrnl5f0SPAG6x3s_WiFBuFaryJymldR6tKC1tUWPK6FZYHAejNti2Hld8jOyx43N-NH24ASGYi9fIFaNB8dz4Xyyy/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIlNBexibFvYvFZUIaLa2P6PIBxcBHvw0XozLDgC4YY48ZSI_6HEwrnl5f0SPAG6x3s_WiFBuFaryJymldR6tKC1tUWPK6FZYHAejNti2Hld8jOyx43N-NH24ASGYi9fIFaNB8dz4Xyyy/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg-32.jpeg" width="400" /></a><span style="text-align: start;"></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">And for me it meant some seaside fun in the nearby coastal town where they stayed and the utter fun of introducing my mother to the game of Balderdash. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8nCRxnNXu4gCnlMzmt-7A0uBSwzGhKAPb4jbOEj-j0peeYDqVNhS6ejmz-2KxZdZcPvqiYf4uNa2AM3bw4ZNNU4iyS7ffglkvvUF2Y0CVJkNjM75jgsnVoJKM5_8kaFjbdzobzKdqinJ/s1600/D03E3FEC-F5E9-4172-B53E-521970307321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8nCRxnNXu4gCnlMzmt-7A0uBSwzGhKAPb4jbOEj-j0peeYDqVNhS6ejmz-2KxZdZcPvqiYf4uNa2AM3bw4ZNNU4iyS7ffglkvvUF2Y0CVJkNjM75jgsnVoJKM5_8kaFjbdzobzKdqinJ/s640/D03E3FEC-F5E9-4172-B53E-521970307321.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michaela, Kathryn and Braeden</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMIZDQxxRln4ykfmEIwLSD1_dPUOPnFqel-Ucz8zMgNWgLGc-HufWrG0w92DJvzv7rCPK9iAjnJWR02HcJbuwWa0AKuOOWD1OvH5TsrGTuIZGQCcA-HCJFiEuxe6JtpUi8BR4RSRo-Wjq/s1600/50792945-AE43-4099-B2D1-71F51606152E.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaMIZDQxxRln4ykfmEIwLSD1_dPUOPnFqel-Ucz8zMgNWgLGc-HufWrG0w92DJvzv7rCPK9iAjnJWR02HcJbuwWa0AKuOOWD1OvH5TsrGTuIZGQCcA-HCJFiEuxe6JtpUi8BR4RSRo-Wjq/s400/50792945-AE43-4099-B2D1-71F51606152E.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayak paddles aren't just for kayaks, right?</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCs4lU9RJqCpbmuixZXlM0m-yThwaH-KN883rHGo4sAIvSU393ZK9xE_u-GXey-TwAN0LuR_uTCntrq64ipJSgZ0_3ooGQdIEhbp6x9cWa5eM5YRCMJjYSKm7tLh7111FhbnVhOc532o_d/s1600/FullSizeRender-19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCs4lU9RJqCpbmuixZXlM0m-yThwaH-KN883rHGo4sAIvSU393ZK9xE_u-GXey-TwAN0LuR_uTCntrq64ipJSgZ0_3ooGQdIEhbp6x9cWa5eM5YRCMJjYSKm7tLh7111FhbnVhOc532o_d/s400/FullSizeRender-19.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvyrL5U0Rm7bAJe0eIFPJMjPqzBMt_a9rulhWep4cKyoq1N4mfhH2I73b-A5v-QWYQ3zsKQLG8uzzs8F4llHGWAyy5UNQVmC3KFh9HznVutJ1xopIDTo7A9nG4K2ayVk9e2gWKrOUrF5v/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg-14.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love this picture. Ella outraged about who knows what, Maya making her goofy face and Piper taking it all in. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39PmoKk7mGQYuYOLQq_c2zy1YzwxM0VOe4Xz3vOAHAm2V8Jb9_IjNa1XNVpfD0JU4PmYoWyNDGfBEWXt0kkqEL4rciNjRA3PFG_Ccr0FQOFTTV5MamLSm7Qbi81u5NETD4UxTgXRiK6Wy/s1600/5CBA1D12-9FD8-4AAB-A784-189CFA6B20C6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi39PmoKk7mGQYuYOLQq_c2zy1YzwxM0VOe4Xz3vOAHAm2V8Jb9_IjNa1XNVpfD0JU4PmYoWyNDGfBEWXt0kkqEL4rciNjRA3PFG_Ccr0FQOFTTV5MamLSm7Qbi81u5NETD4UxTgXRiK6Wy/s320/5CBA1D12-9FD8-4AAB-A784-189CFA6B20C6.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piper made sure to supervise the eating of all shellfish.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1PEri8eOpc7BMoe9jDjGKQeOXWUbbdEm5TVVUSj6ms1UMsgx2pg9FfYgV-Je9-IwoX42oIhDzsOrNWVLStSwu8WGctGVRHn_P7iSsu-KHZlERPwh4ZR8_uP3htj0e3ywvqRkWAMcC9Hv/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-19.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMfKphC9zuVmv9sS1R3zh_pPWzJAN7DqsnPtQUNxXBaqtienL6WIQjLmPfMlVCc4djG2ezaHDh808PMawz2QIJ28_YsUO0kpp6l-kvnhOWCpDt1TfBZFhNxjxe248rJ0bCRqWAq1-vfOn/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-43.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMfKphC9zuVmv9sS1R3zh_pPWzJAN7DqsnPtQUNxXBaqtienL6WIQjLmPfMlVCc4djG2ezaHDh808PMawz2QIJ28_YsUO0kpp6l-kvnhOWCpDt1TfBZFhNxjxe248rJ0bCRqWAq1-vfOn/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg-43.jpeg" width="178" /></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8RPaPlmydFF-2T_slEA6MgVLnmi1IhTMA3POFQeNSAJt8CRY6q14-g3xdbXuSzjfK2ivKzeCVdepdBT_69h3Y7EgkNjjVSKzIGlDU05uXAK5sHuhm9wVj3e-escPDzcPQFhDZZCHrpBB/s1600/FC2A3E98-3CE5-418D-BA2D-AD87AE814B00.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8RPaPlmydFF-2T_slEA6MgVLnmi1IhTMA3POFQeNSAJt8CRY6q14-g3xdbXuSzjfK2ivKzeCVdepdBT_69h3Y7EgkNjjVSKzIGlDU05uXAK5sHuhm9wVj3e-escPDzcPQFhDZZCHrpBB/s400/FC2A3E98-3CE5-418D-BA2D-AD87AE814B00.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tia, Mark and Miss Casey Boo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdFByKX6Z8sliV5MqRHHVOwYcMZdbdyxmwacOzXvGoMsgKPFYzJazBInK5FQucPqeAAL-FIvwr10I0C65ASYtqsKmESaoVZBDqmr44gIUMvYoxqnHOPCafqxRsTER0B_tPJMO4nhi8QRg/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-44.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMdFByKX6Z8sliV5MqRHHVOwYcMZdbdyxmwacOzXvGoMsgKPFYzJazBInK5FQucPqeAAL-FIvwr10I0C65ASYtqsKmESaoVZBDqmr44gIUMvYoxqnHOPCafqxRsTER0B_tPJMO4nhi8QRg/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg-44.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNKL2EZd-JBwCEerxtZOOpOptjevOfIP_IMvW259nV4LpCBKbAvocqbTiiF5eBDh_A6uFk-RWhLvlXjMRWOgj_ItmMoOT0gHUgnmKEL7Ihmmh0gMLGc0XuOEjYNb7taHoN9t7gWpMtOyT/s1600/EA8E5732-BE4C-43ED-9B44-57E531E2D39D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoNKL2EZd-JBwCEerxtZOOpOptjevOfIP_IMvW259nV4LpCBKbAvocqbTiiF5eBDh_A6uFk-RWhLvlXjMRWOgj_ItmMoOT0gHUgnmKEL7Ihmmh0gMLGc0XuOEjYNb7taHoN9t7gWpMtOyT/s400/EA8E5732-BE4C-43ED-9B44-57E531E2D39D.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kristi said she bought this t-shirt with me in mind, being that I am the most aggressive of her "sisters". I confess, I am immensely flattered.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7uOdG6nMJvJrZZ0GSr-AdlJ1fn3jQX3YYYcyE2PH154uzcWpFUwzE0opOYQMlzR00cAFA-UraXl9WXC2zCN6cN-KsPW3-XMJatkDE7ExbD5GVKuGpzzx1OpExHhY028Tb9csKlML7J-t/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-15.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7uOdG6nMJvJrZZ0GSr-AdlJ1fn3jQX3YYYcyE2PH154uzcWpFUwzE0opOYQMlzR00cAFA-UraXl9WXC2zCN6cN-KsPW3-XMJatkDE7ExbD5GVKuGpzzx1OpExHhY028Tb9csKlML7J-t/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg-15.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hello?"<br />
"Yes, this is adolescence calling. We are coming for your child. No, no. Sorry. There is nothing you can do about it."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AJApIL1V18BYBP2aHzGTzeiwjHa3Lz0dED5wBDAFfCHwOK3shp_iqecNmXJi_HL_VPGqScLX4JWNUeWnQU4hDMR0pgxmgdMdut3aTQMSbExMVTUPVGo3R6Ik1OJ1ut3XpE4XLGKdudZL/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-23.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8AJApIL1V18BYBP2aHzGTzeiwjHa3Lz0dED5wBDAFfCHwOK3shp_iqecNmXJi_HL_VPGqScLX4JWNUeWnQU4hDMR0pgxmgdMdut3aTQMSbExMVTUPVGo3R6Ik1OJ1ut3XpE4XLGKdudZL/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-23.jpeg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful girl. </td></tr>
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My annual birthday party, long ago dubbed Suzapalooza, was almost a no-go due to weather but the hardy stuck it out!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AiksWILKX182jH6KNPsUnVZPrRlDYKCwRdBU-pVrNgMRkscLWc72VbxRYFHPqSiO_m6dTF9c4fBvydGKGB_j2PnvQs1rA-Zim8lhWkb10Beah_Viz49mxeJKl1LgjgdJpMMzyQB5-vlX/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-26.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AiksWILKX182jH6KNPsUnVZPrRlDYKCwRdBU-pVrNgMRkscLWc72VbxRYFHPqSiO_m6dTF9c4fBvydGKGB_j2PnvQs1rA-Zim8lhWkb10Beah_Viz49mxeJKl1LgjgdJpMMzyQB5-vlX/s400/FullSizeRender.jpg-26.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reed, REALLY wanted to carry the cake out. And the whole while he said, "Oh! I really hope I don't drop this!"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiImGNDY5cp-InO8J2h_sM6A1RXJnoLFX7VxVciOAQnteI_-V2fvaas06ysJLrLHPUj1kNy0Da-J7udlDiU9wKPisd__xDeCJFRZXZCSYIvneOCxW_SgEng8rjxKQQQYtf_d484tlRrFb/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-41.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMiImGNDY5cp-InO8J2h_sM6A1RXJnoLFX7VxVciOAQnteI_-V2fvaas06ysJLrLHPUj1kNy0Da-J7udlDiU9wKPisd__xDeCJFRZXZCSYIvneOCxW_SgEng8rjxKQQQYtf_d484tlRrFb/s320/FullSizeRender.jpg-41.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wouldn't dream of having a party without Ange. As usual, she blew our minds with an amazing homemade dessert, a giant peanut butter cup, and kept filling my glass with Sangria. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5izpJuO1Jwtwjqhsat-GJL3brcD5IuRfkKzsm8vr4aKoyv7q1Uk-zHSoTA6A_Q7bM5EwFx5ACQ1WeCnQBNBwvbj0CqB-Xi-745N3MZfQSGKExRCxr1dSi5GJuMRpH6PHISEVaYtCO3n34/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-42.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5izpJuO1Jwtwjqhsat-GJL3brcD5IuRfkKzsm8vr4aKoyv7q1Uk-zHSoTA6A_Q7bM5EwFx5ACQ1WeCnQBNBwvbj0CqB-Xi-745N3MZfQSGKExRCxr1dSi5GJuMRpH6PHISEVaYtCO3n34/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-42.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emilie, Sandi, me and Ange. My tribe.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaeGHPUgYmjoFUdHzBbST-Z2ItqeFllXORNHQpD8cL3zxhu0WS16wSPKunZpGLSnwCTHKGwJLbi3EwGMtfDHa9yqhQqva7Lsl86We0XyFOMc3r7SehUI3Mu6J3vL14M0g8zBdFoBOhubO/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-27.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaeGHPUgYmjoFUdHzBbST-Z2ItqeFllXORNHQpD8cL3zxhu0WS16wSPKunZpGLSnwCTHKGwJLbi3EwGMtfDHa9yqhQqva7Lsl86We0XyFOMc3r7SehUI3Mu6J3vL14M0g8zBdFoBOhubO/s640/FullSizeRender.jpg-27.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's either a cake for an 8-year-old or a very young 41-year-old. Then there are these kiddos...my heart overflows with love for them. </td></tr>
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Perhaps the culmination of our two weeks at the lake, and certainly a sign of the kids' newfound maturity and bravery, was conquering the rope swing across the lake. This pictures are more blurry than I wanted but you get the idea.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68YHmUq7YuR9gWl8BK-J3Zg2LWXnV32Ovn8yywZkzrDPtNlQfYfmMB-2B8mp9ImPAq-OAVF5n3T-sMzW4G3EFoRfmESJpQj6st83_OZr0EDzgq8YjoZG-xqU6Ygtg7SGnm8fhxYDcA5T5/s1600/FullSizeRender.jpg-21.jpeg" imageanchor="1"></a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ella</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandi</td></tr>
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Our nephew, Brevan (in the orange trunks) was like, "Hey! Why not go to the tippy top of the rickety, poorly constructed wooden platform and swing from way up high?"</div>
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Despite the adrenaline rush he was on for the remainder of the afternoon, the adults were not a big fan. Boring adults, always so focused on things like safety and preservation of the spinal cord. Piper was also highly distressed by the situation. She stood by on rescue alert, crying and whining until finally, unable to stand it, I let her go after him.<br />
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Life at the lake is like nothing else. It calls us back. Always. </div>
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*An enormous thank you to Sandi's parents, Dwight and Patti, who make this possible year after year. For the place, for the boats, the gas to run them, the lobster and, most essentially, your endless supply of love and joy....we love and appreciate you immeasurably.love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-44806150392490036062017-05-02T13:45:00.002-04:002017-05-04T12:55:50.354-04:00here's to hoping I write better than I crochetWhen I was pregnant with Ella 13 years ago, I was put on restriction in the last few weeks of my pregnancy for reasons I don't recall. It wasn't bed rest, just rest rest. I did many things to occupy myself and prevent obsessive thoughts about my impending launch into motherhood. <br />
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I rolled change, read books and washed and folded teeny tiny onesies. I organized diapers, baby toiletries and the adorable shoes my infant would never wear because have you ever tried to stick a boneless chub of skin into a patent leather Mary Jane?<br />
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Bored of these tasks, I set my sights on crocheting a baby blanket. A quick resume of my crocheting abilities: I had made one, only one, scarf a decade before when someone showed me how to connect a single row of crochet stitches to another.<br />
<br />
And so I stood in front of the stunning selection of yarns at Joann Fabrics, carefully selecting the color that would suit our baby, the baby we were intending to raise without the suffocating imposition of gender-specific colors. The girl baby who, though not yet born, owned things in yellows, creams and greens. I chose a purple yarn shot through with strands of indigo. At the register, the clerk scanned my yarn, put it in the bag and said, pleasantly, "What are you making?"<br />
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I put my hand over my giant belly the way pregnant women do and answered: "A baby blanket."<br />
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The woman looked up at me, down into the bag where she had just put my yarn and back up at me. "With two skeins of yarn?" she asked.<br />
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Now, I admit, I should have noted the tone of disbelief and slight judgment in her words. But, hyped up on pregnancy hormones as I was, I smiled and nodded proudly.<br />
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Being the novice that I was, I wasn't sure how long to make the first row, the platform of the entire project. I decided that longer was better than shorter- because who wants a short blanket?- and crocheted a row the length of my body. Satisfied, I expertly turned the corner and proceeded to attach a second row to my first. Back and forth I went, rocking back and forth in the glider, feeling my baby kick intermittently with excitement. I was the epitome of a mother awaiting her baby.<br />
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Unfortunately, something unexplainable happened as I went along. The length of the blanket began to shorten. This was lamentable, given that it was meant to keep my baby warm, but worse, the blanket also seemed to be curving inward slightly. It seemed my amateur hands had accidentally tightened the stitches as I went, drawing the edges in toward each other.<br />
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I knew exactly how to fix it. I would just add some extra stitches on the end of each row to even the blanket out and make it flat once again. After all, I had already proven I could crochet a scarf and wasn't a blanket just a giant scarf?<br />
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It is hard to fully explain the transformation that occurred over the next week in my baby's "blanket" (regretfully, air quotes are required from here on). It continued to shrink and curl in on itself, like failure, but also like a hug. And because I kept trying to correct my errors, it curled up on each side, hollowing itself out like a bowl.<br />
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I finished one skein and was halfway through the second, considering giving up but not sure my fragile mental state could handle it. After all, if I couldn't succeed at making my baby a blanket, how was I going to succeed at making my baby into a person?<br />
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Sandi's mother, a career wise-cracker, examined my work during her next visit. She shook her head. "I'm confused about how you did this," she said, "But the really surprising part is that you have kept going. Look how many stitches of perseverance there are here."<br />
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By the time I finished, our baby's "blanket" had a distinctive canoe shape to it. It was about a foot and half long with high, uneven sides and a deep gully in the middle. In which to set the baby, of course.<br />
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No one, least of all me, can really explain how this happened. Not that it mattered anyway. My crocheting "abilities" became the new family joke. From time to time, we pull out Ella's hand-crafted baby blanket for unsuspecting visitors.<br />
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Fast forward to today. I have just completed the first draft of my novel. I have written and written and written some more. I have said no to everything else, let the laundry pile up and watched the dust bunnies roll on by. I am a writer because I write, I told myself. And write I did. Twenty one months later I have compiled 444 pages and 203,615 words.<br />
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I've thought of that baby blanket many times over these months. As I tap, tap, tap on my keyboard, stroke after stroke of perseverance, I pray this time my efforts of continuation will turn out better.<br />
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After all, you can buy baby blanket,s but you can't buy a novel with your name etched on the spine. That the sort of thing that takes a lot of stitching.<br />
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I may not be able to crochet but I know I am a writer. I am a writer because when a day goes by and I don't get to sit inside the walls of my story, I feel like something is missing. I miss my characters. I am a writer because a few weeks ago, as I was plodding along, a new character approached the door of the house that is one of the scenes of my story, knocked on the door and told me why she should be in the book. I am a writer because I was furious at one of my characters for acting like a jack ass and at another for not having the guts to speak the truth when it was needed.<br />
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I am the baker who crafted the gingerbread man who came to life. I am the wordsmith who gave birth to a story, a story that demanded to be told from the depths of my insides, a story that now lives and breathes on its own, answering a call I can't fully explain.<br />
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I am a writer because I love every part of it, every breakthrough, every revelation, every bit of fine-tuning. I am a writer because sometimes the story tells itself to me, surprising me with a twist I did not see coming, tying up loose ends that I thought I might have to cut.<br />
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I am a writer because, frequently, when I reread a section I think, "Oh, I know what would go really well there," only to read the next sentence and see that it is already there, written by me months before.<br />
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I am a writer because I even relish the rewriting I am doing now, subtracting words and sentences, pruning the text and in so removing, making everything stronger and better. I think about the nuances of my story and my characters as I work, as I drive, as I do the dishes, and have sudden epiphanies that make me drop everything and scribble in the notebook I keep in my purse.<br />
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I am a writer because when I write scenes that plow through the story like an emotional wrecking ball, I am so lost in the moment that I don't realize I am crying.<br />
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When I took up running years ago, I remember saying to Sandi, "When I become a real runner, I'm going to buy myself some real running clothes."<br />
<br />
She astutely replied, "You run and so you are a real runner."<br />
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I write and so I am a real writer.<br />
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I'm convinced of my own success. I believe I have a story worth telling. I believe that, with the help of some shrewd and honest readers, I can revise and rewrite my novel into something worthy of publication.<br />
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I have put up my crochet hook for now in favor of my keyboard. And, because, yes I dare to go this far with my dream, soon I will pick up a pen as well.<br />
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A pen...to autograph all the books I plan to sell.<br />
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-66114733388229332552017-01-11T10:49:00.003-05:002017-01-12T06:11:30.242-05:00how building a house is like having a babyYou've been dreaming it up, imagining how life will be different, picturing your family with its newfound treasure....<br />
<br />
Congratulations! You are now parents of a new...house!<br />
<br />
Yes, I have decided that building a house is a whole lot like having a baby. Here's why:<br />
<br />
When you are about to have a baby, you think about that baby all the time. What will it look like? Whose hair will he get? What colors eyes will she have? A baby hijacks your thoughts. When you build a house it is the same except instead of wondering about eye color, dimples, freckles or nose size, you wonder if the sketch on paper will come together to look good, or let's be honest, even decent. Instead of hoping for 10 fingers and 10 toes you hope your kids' rooms allow them space for a bed and to actually turn around. You assume the layout of your master bath is perfect until your bathroom designer points out that when you are lying in your bed and look through the door to the bathroom you will be looking straight at your toilet. In short, you wonder how it will all come together.<br />
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When you are expecting a baby, you spend so much time waiting- an eternity it seems!- that you think the day may never come when the baby actually arrives. It may just live in the belly forever. Waiting for a house to be done is much the same except you wonder if you have just invested your life's savings into a structure you will never get to live in.<br />
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When you build a house, you can plan all you want on a due date but, like (most) babies, it will be done when its done, not when it's convenient. In both cases, it is best not to get too attached to a date.<br />
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When you name your baby, it's often wise to keep the name to yourself. Rarely are people as excited about the name as you are, especially if it is at all outside of the box. ("Oh. I see. You named your child Boxer. How interesting.")<br />
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The same is true of a house. It can be downright disappointing to share your house plans with people. They may not like it as much as you do and may struggle to hide it. ("Oh you are building a yurt/craftsman style house with a windmill farm in the backyard. Love it.") Like safekeeping baby names until there is an actual breathing human being associated with the name, it might be better to keep your house a secret and just invite people to the housewarming. (Word of caution: this is hard to do in a small town.)<br />
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When buying things for your baby or for your house there is a common theme. Everything costs more than you think it will. "Do we really need this swing that plugs in instead of using batteries?" (You do.) "Do strollers really cost this much?" (They do.) "Wait, how much did you say that faucet is? Is it made of unicorn horns?" (No. That one would be 20 times the cost.)<br />
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When you have a baby, you get loose with your mouth. You don't mean to but you talk about things you wouldn't ordinarily discuss (nipples, hemorrhoids, excrement, etc.) in common company. You must also watch your mouth with house building because when people ask, "Hey, how's the house coming?" they might not have the time for the 20 minute monologue on your dilemma over choosing a heating system, the intricacies of granite striations or the pros and cons of wood versus engineered flooring.<br />
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When you have a baby you are starving for information ("Yes, I would love a DNA map of our fetus, thank you very much.") and especially for a sneak peek at your little one. Each ultrasound, no matter how much the image departs from that of a human baby, is a source of pride and glee. The same is true when the foundation goes in for your house and the roof trusses show up. Even though they don't actually resemble a house, they practically bring a tear of joy to your eyes. ("Will you just look at how beautiful those triangles are! Have you ever seen a nicer shade of gray?")<br />
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House building, like parenthood, also provides an instantaneous bond between people. Folks you might not have sought out for conversation become the ones you turn to for commaraderie or to celebrate a progress made ("She rolled over for the first time!" or "We have electricity!") or to ask advice ("He wakes up at 4:30 every morning for the day. What do I do?" or "We need to decide if we want vinyl balusters or aluminum. What did you pick?").<br />
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When you are preparing for the arrival of your baby, every detail seems of the utmost importance: what texture the baby blankets should be, if that shade of yellow is warm and sunny or looks like pee, if it is better to get the mobile with the sheep or the ducks. Never has there been more on the line.<br />
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When you are building the house, there are are exponentially more choices and you make each with painstaking care (bi-fold vs. pocket doors for the closets, backsplash or no backsplash, track light vs. recessed light) not sure which ones will matter in the long run, which ones to make a priority in your budget and which ones you will be so relieved you spent and extra 5 hours of your life deliberating about.<br />
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Both house building and parenting require a couple to foster positive relationships with everyone who will be helping them along the way (you would no more want to get on your pediatrician's bad side than your builder's), to quickly establish each other's strengths and weakness and divide and conquer along those line and, most essentially, to cultivate a generous sense of humor with each other. It may be hard to laugh it off when you co-parent pretends to be asleep when the baby cries in the night or when you spouse contemplates a helipad on the roof, but truly, laughter is the best prescription here. That and some carefully chosen words. </div>
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In the end, it won't matter how close or far from her due date your baby was born or what exact date you moved into your house. It won't matter how many pounds you gained while pregnant (unless of course you still have them and then it may matter a lot). You won't remember most of the sacrifices you made during the building of your house, the near argument you had over the tile for the kitchen or the 50 houses you drove by to pick the perfect color of siding. You won't care that your house wasn't tight by winter the way it was supposed to be or all the days you drove by and no one was working and you were in danger of throwing a two-year-old tantrum. </div>
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Because now you are holding that baby in your arms and your heart is melting as he smiles at you for the first time. You are cooking in your dream kitchen or sitting by your brand new, push button fireplace. And because now you have new things to think about. You have another human being to take care of. You have a mortgage to pay.</div>
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Congratulations! Your worry and angst have just begun. Best buckle in and get ready to ride.*</div>
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(* I am joking, of course. House building, like becoming a parent, has been one of the most joyful and fulfilling experiences of my life. As I have brought more mindfulness and appreciation to my role as "Mom", I have cultivated the same with our house. I am aware of how fortunate we are to be building a house at all, especially one that is nearly everything we could dream of, and I told myself early on that I would not complain when things didn't go right or there were stresses or setbacks. This attitude has made all the difference and, as a result, the experience hasn't been the harrowing one you hear about time and again. Instead I am approaching it with excitement and amazement. It isn't every day you see a 40-year-old woman jumping up and down at night in the light cast from from her headlights because there is a roof on her house. </div>
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As I get older, and infinitesimally wiser, I know this to be true: it isn't life that makes you happy, it is you that makes a happy life.)</div>
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-59957076869856923732016-11-30T14:51:00.001-05:002016-12-01T09:09:46.829-05:00maybe it isn't you...maybe it's just a broken windowThis is not a political post. Promise.<br />
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This is a post about moving forward, stitching things back together, and finding our way back to humanity.<br />
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I have been in a post-election retreat for the past few weeks. I haven't been able to stomach the news, the banter, the fear, the gloating and the flat-out hatred that has been circulating. It feels like the world has been poisoned.<br />
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The landscape of our nation has been greatly impacted by this election and would be regardless of who won. There have been things said, words written, insults slung and dormant belief systems reinvigorated and the lid doesn't go back on easily. Nor would I want it to. I prefer that we as a nation bleed out all the nastiness that was seeping under the surface, the philosophies and beliefs so many of us thought had a minimal presence in our modern society. Let's turn the dirt over and see what is underneath once and for all.<br />
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Only then can we be free of it.<br />
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As I retreated, I have looked around my little world and seen that things are mostly the same. I am immeasurably blessed to be surrounded by love and goodness, kindness and safety. But it is not that way for staggering numbers of Americans who have been targeted during this election and will continue to be in the aftermath. I am aware that as a privileged person, it is my job to be a custodian to those whose lives are profoundly marked by the division and hatred that have grown large as of late. I am not always sure how to do that but I am a writer and, as such, can at least give a voice to it. I can at least say <i>I will stand up for you </i>because I will<i>. </i><br />
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I know it sounds impossibly trite to say, "Can't we all just love each other?"<br />
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But, really, truly, can't we all just love each other?<br />
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And by love I don't mean all-out adoration. I mean acceptance, allowing, kindness, freedom to be. I'm talking about seeing yourself in someone else, recognizing the universal experience of suffering in other human beings. I'm talking about more transparency between us, less devices acting as intermediaries in our relationships, more open acknowledgment that being a human being is a lovely, exhausting, messy, beautiful, humbling, glorious, terrifying journey for <i>everyone</i>.<br />
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We don't all have to agree on policy, on leaders, on diet, on parenting, on taxes, on styles, on sports teams, on education, on money or on religion. That would be ridiculous and futile to attempt such homogeny. It would also demolish all the rich texture that makes our nation diverse, inventive and dynamic.<br />
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Our society thrives on difference. Sameness should never be the goal. I once heard the expression, "We can't all like vanilla ice cream." And what a bland world it would be if we did?<br />
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But there is something we do need to agree on and we need to agree on it soon before we do any more damage to each other. We need to agree that we are all human beings, radically diverse though we may be, and we are all made up of the same basic elements.<br />
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We divide, position "us" against "them"and make lines in the sand to serve the purpose of protecting ourselves, our individuality, our freedom, our bonds. What if there was no "us" and no "them"? What if we are all just "us", trying to figure out this life together? If that were the case, if we didn't need to guard against the threat of people who are in some way different than us, then we would be able to recognize the humanity in everyone.<br />
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We would so freely recognize that every human being is entitled to basic kindness. That we are all equal and we all deserve a space, a place, in this great nation of ours.<br />
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One day at school drop off I was passing the car of a friend. I put my window down to say hello but my friend just waved and didn't roll the window down. I am not proud to admit that I was immediately offended. You know what I found out later? My friend's window was broken - <i>broken -</i>and would not roll down. It was not personal, offensive or excluding. It was just a broken window.<br />
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What if the barriers between us are based on misunderstandings, unfair expectations and seeing things too narrowly through our own lenses? What if everyone is walking around with a broken window and, in response, we take offense, put up walls and make assumptions?<br />
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All human beings are walking around with the same basic pieces: joy, misery, fear, love, anger, pride, wonder. What if we didn't judge the pieces of others but instead recognized them as the same ones we have, just presented in a slightly different form? Acceptance of each other would get a whole lot easier. Humanity would return to our country.<br />
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What I have learned from this election is that it is easier to hate than to love. But easy has never been our style. We are Americans and we love a challenge.<br />
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-80896859062257860672016-11-17T12:34:00.001-05:002016-11-17T12:37:15.376-05:00Ella, a portrait of a young lady<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Today our baby turns twelve. <i>Twelve.</i> </div>
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To raise a person from an infant to a twelve-year-old is an unparalleled experience. It is not the same as simply loving someone for twelve years or being married for twelve years. To have a being created by you, who depends entirely on you, evolve into her own existence, grow into her own skin, begin to find her own identity is the stuff of magic, of wonder, of indescribable beauty.</div>
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I took the puppy on a trail run in the Bangor City Forest, a place I used to frequent many times a week with a different set of canines and before children. As I ran with Piper around the familiar curves and turns, keeping close tabs on my little brown rocket, I was thrown back twelve years to when I walked these trails with a different baby on my mind.</div>
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Being pregnant with Ella was like a part-time job. Type I diabetes qualified me as a high-risk pregnancy and I spent hours at OB appointments, endocrinology appointments, perinatology appointments, ultrasounds, tests and yet more tests. Being pregnant was sort of like a job. My blood sugar control needed to be near perfect and part of that was achieved with routine. </div>
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So I walked the trails at the City Forest, two dogs in tow, as my belly grew through the spring and summer until, eventually in the fall, I lumbered through the five miles. I spent my time imagining our baby and my life as a mom and Sandi's and my partnership shifting from <i>couple</i> to <i>family</i>. </div>
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There is something about a first baby, the one who makes you a mother. The one whose presence forever changes not just how you feel, how you love, how you see the world, but actually changes <i>who you are</i>. </div>
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On Ella's birth announcements we had the quote: "Making the decision to have a child - it is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body." (Elizabeth Stone)</div>
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I have had twelve years of having my heart walking outside my body and I can attest that nothing will tear you apart and put you together quite like motherhood. I have watched this adorable, cuddly, tenuous, discerning baby:</div>
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bloom into a confident, caring, sensitive, daring young lady.<br />
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It is a metamorphosis I am awed by.</div>
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She has gone from her fancy petticoat dress phase (an entire year, no pants whatsoever) to a fashionista phase (6 years), and has landed soundly in athletic mode. This past year she has done basketball, skiing, gymnastics, field hockey and is now trying her hand at cheering. <br />
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There were several gymnastics related injuries this year including a broken arm,</div>
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an X-ray to rule out a broken foot.<br />
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and <span style="text-align: center;">a gashed shin that required stitches and a sunny July afternoon spent in the ER. (Talk about FUN.)</span><br />
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There are so many things Ella loves. She loves holidays, homemade macaroni and cheese, when it gets dark outside, cheesecake, the beach, having people visit, interior design, music, salt and vinegar potato chips, clothes, art, slamming doors, writing, her friends, anything made by Apple, chai tea, movie afternoons, a day packed with things to do, photography and getting lost in a good book.</div>
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Above all, she loves her family.</div>
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She ADORES her puppy.</div>
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And, most of the time, she even loves her sister. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">She dislikes: Sunday evenings, surprises, a day with no plans, when Maya crosses the line (any line, which she does every single day), being told what to do, cheese sticks, endings and goodbyes. And,</span> alas she still does not love her vegetables. (This was actually an April Fool's joke when I told the girls I had made them a super special, yummy breakfast and made them close their eyes.)<br />
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Sometimes, in the part of my brain where I make illogical bargains and deals, I think, "I would be such a better mother now than I was 12 years ago. If we started over, with these same kids, imagine how much better a mom they would have now than they had then."</div>
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I'm pretty sure that is like being 20 and wishing for the wisdom of an 80-year-old without living the years in between. </div>
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In truth, I would never be the person I am today, the mother I am today, without each and every moment I have shared with Ella: the beautiful, the treacherous, the terrifying, the joyful, the maddening, the miraculous...all of it. </div>
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Ella and I have grown up together. She has evolved into her own person, with her own hopes and dreams, fears and strengths, successes and failures, joys and pains. And I have grown into a better human being, a better mother alongside her.<br />
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I asked Ella if eleven had been a good year. She shrugged. I said, "What would you say your best year has been?"<br />
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Without hesitation she answered, "Ten."<br />
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I said, "Really? Why?"<br />
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"Because that is the year I was homeschooled." I nearly fell over. That year was HARD.<br />
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"But you weren't doing so well that year. That is why you were homeschooled."<br />
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She said, "I know. But that helped me get better."</div>
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There are so many things to love about Ella. She has a quiet demeanor that is very peaceful to be around when it is just the two of you. She has developed a quick sense of humor that catches you off guard in the best moments. She can let go of little things in favor of peace and harmony. She has the most contagious laugh and gives such heartfelt hugs. Her heart has become full of compassion for other beings and she holds a newfound sacredness for them. She is sensitive and feels things deeply. She is generous and kind, brave and adventurous.<br />
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There isn't a time that I have been more proud of our girl than I am right now. The growing pains have paid off. The struggle and strife have carved her from a block of clay into a work of art. She has found a place to land with both feet on the ground, <i>her</i> two feet, no one else's, and she looks up at us and smiles. And we smile back because we know she didn't get there by accident or by luck. She got there because she persevered, she traveled, she was gritty, tough and determined.<br />
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There is an Buddhist quote about the necessity of struggle that I have thought of countless times over the years of raising Ella. I couldn't find it exactly but I found this quote from "Lost" which succinctly says the same thing:<br />
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<i>You see this little hole? This moth's just about to emerge. It's in there right now, struggling. It's digging it's way through the thick hide of the cocoon. Now I could take my knife, gently widen the opening, and the moth would be free, but it would be too weak to survive. Struggle is nature's way of strengthening it.</i><br />
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Letting your child struggle can be excruciating. And, as with all things where the risk is high, the payoff is enormous.<br />
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Our girl...our girl is flying.<br />
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Happy Twelfth birthday, El. We love you to the moon and back. We love who you've become and we are excited to see all you have yet to be.love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-31872904868518838932016-11-04T13:56:00.001-04:002016-11-04T15:48:13.747-04:00The tiny box that holds the future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are so many things I could say about this historical presidential election but most of them I will keep to myself. </div>
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I will save the quips and links to the hilarious Saturday Night Live spoofs. I will try hard not to step up on my soapbox.</div>
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But there are some things that deserve a place, a space. </div>
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When I grew up, it was laughable when girls, posed with the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" responded with, "I want to be President." Adults patted them condescendingly on the shoulder and all but said, "That's nice, Dear."</div>
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For the generation that came after me, it was less a joke and more a possibility. For the current generation, it is an inevitability. </div>
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Our girls got to see the first black president ever elected, though we had to explain over and over why that was such a big deal. These same girls who when we talked about slavery would sit with their chins on the floor in disbelief. What we were saying was so outrageous we MUST be confabulating it. </div>
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These same girls who went through three different political campaigns before their mothers had the right to marry each other. "Why would people vote against this? Why don't they want you to get married?" they would ask. "We don't understand." That is because hatred and exclusion are not born in a child's heart. They are taught.</div>
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For them a female running for president is not such a big deal. I mean, of course, why WOULDN'T a woman run for president?</div>
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It really is cool with me if you are not a fan of Hillary Clinton. I get that she has made some mistakes and she rubs some people the wrong way politically, but she is the first, <i>the first</i>, woman to ever run for president. And in so doing she has shouldered more hatred and insult than probably any other candidate in history, not simply because of her opinions on policy, social issues or the national debt, but because she is a <i>woman</i>. </div>
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That is the epitome of injustice. </div>
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I have been a voter for 22 years now. I have heard many candidates be insulted. But never, ever have I heard the level of vulgarity of this election, specifically vulgarity aimed at woman. I have never before seen lawn signs and t-shirts with the level of crudeness of those that say, "Hillary for Prison" and "Lock her up." I've never heard a candidate refer to women in such derogatory terms (not just Clinton but women in general). Never, ever did I think I would see bumper stickers that would call a candidate a bitch. When I drive down the road and see "Trump that bitch" on the back of a car I think <i>how is this election NOT about gender</i>?</div>
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Has there ever been a male candidate referred to in such defamatory terms? People might call a male politician an ass or a womanizer. They might call him mistrustful, cagey or even incompetent. But never have we had stickers and shirts using profanity toward a male candidate. </div>
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I saw a post on Facebook (written by a man) that said something to this effect:</div>
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<i>If you think this presidential race has nothing to do with gender, answer this: if Hillary Clinton had five children with three different men would she even be remotely considered as a presidential candidate?</i></div>
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The double standards abound. The qualities often criticized in Clinton- tenacity, ambition, arrogance, intelligence, power, influence, determined and unapologetic pursuit of goals- are heralded in male candidates. These are the qualities generally thought of as "presidential" even. Apparently these qualities still, in 2016, aren't so becoming on a woman, even if she is running for President of the United States of America.</div>
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I would like to poll the general Hillary haters and ask them what their ideal female candidate would look like? Would the answer be a kinder, softer woman, maybe one who bakes cookies for her staff, who is deferential to her husband and those in power around her, who is less bossy and less driven? Of course not. No one would vote to elect that sort of woman president. </div>
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Perhaps the more honest answer for some people is that there is no ideal female candidate because they think a woman simply shouldn't be president. </div>
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Tell that to them:</div>
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The box is so tiny. The implications so enormous.</div>
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I'm not saying you should vote for Clinton just because she is woman. But don't <i>not </i>vote for her just because she's a woman. </div>
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I fall asleep at night thinking of these same words, "Madame President" and I dream of a world with less hate and more possibility. One where our girls can see an endless parade of strong women before them, women who ignite in them a knowing that they can do and be almost anything they want. </div>
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(Except an Olympic gymnast. I think the ship has sailed on that one. You have to sort of be exceptional by age 5 or 6 to travel that road. I guess the same goes for being a child prodigy. But mostly anything else.)</div>
<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-16040400672317174262016-10-29T07:15:00.000-04:002016-10-29T07:15:49.338-04:00Just...Yay: celebrating the life of Maya<span style="font-size: x-large;">Maya Annabel Carver</span>, a profile of a nine-year-old<br />
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<u>Favorite food:</u> pasta<br />
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<u>Second favorite food:</u> pasta<br />
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<u>Third favorite food:</u> pasta<br />
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<u>Nicknames:</u> Maya Moo, Maya Moosie, Miss Maya, Maya Papaya, Maya Goodness<br />
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<u>Best known for:</u> climbing like a monkey, her infectious joy, being freakishly strong and incredibly silly, leaving her socks in every corner of the house, not reaching 50 lbs until age 8, and funny faces<br />
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<u><br /></u>
<u>Primary language:</u> trash talk (runner up: potty talk)<br />
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<u>Favorite pastime:</u> gloating<br />
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<u>Most despised pastime:</u> sleeping<br />
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<u>Superpower:</u> LOVE. And the fact that she never tires (10 P.M.: "I'm not tired! Maybe just my legs... a little.")<br />
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<u><br /></u>
<u>Future occupations:</u> clown, linguist for the United Nations, cartoon voice over, circus performer, stand up comedian, ruler of the world<br />
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<u>Pet peeve:</u> injustice (especially of the sibling variety)<br />
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<u>Favorite word she still says like a little kid:</u> "Pacifically", as in, "I pacifically told you not to touch that, Ella!"<br />
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<u>Most often heard saying:</u> "In your face!" and "Maya rocks!" and "Boo Ya!" and "I love you more than you love me and I can't hear you!!!" (followed by a door slam or some other rapid escape)<br />
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<u>Favorite game:</u> anything she can win<br />
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<u><br /></u>
<u>Loves:</u> her family, her puppy, her friends, legos, pasta and WINNING<br />
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Dislikes: LOSING<br />
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<u>Most impressive skills:</u> adept at speaking in various accents, being able to eat her body weight in pasta, spot on sound effects, the ability to make everything game under nearly any circumstance and one of the most loving and generous hearts you will ever meet<br />
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<u>Sports:</u> gymnastics, competitive showering/tooth brushing/getting in the car/clearing the table, climbing of all sorts, filed hockey, diving, running, basketball and skiing<br />
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<u>Life goals:</u> to be a millionaire and own 30 dogs<br />
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<u>Possible name of her future band:</u> Shaken not stirred <br />
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<u>Best known for:</u> eccentricity, stamina, joyfulness, having a wiggle (that lives inside her body and finds its way out during everyday activities) and an insane sense of humor<br />
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<u>Strengths:</u> quick wit, crazy big biceps and strong self-concept<br />
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<u>One year plan:</u> Be the boss of third grade<br />
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<u>Five year plan:</u> World domination<br />
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Perhaps our niece Makenna said it best: "When you look into Maya's eyes you feel like joy is coming to you."<br />
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A few nights ago after Maya had finally succumbed to sleep, I went in to give her a kiss. She rolled over and said, "<i>Yay</i>." I whispered, "Yay, what?" She rolled her tongue around in her mouth, trying to find the words. "Just...<i>yay</i>." She didn't remember it in the morning.<br />
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In her birthday card to Maya, Ella wrote: Being your sister is an amazing experience, along with a hard one (sometimes :)). What I mean is, I am so thankful for you and wouldn't want any other sister. You make me laugh (everyday), cry, scream, smile and much more." <br />
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We don't always know what to do with her and sometimes we have to rock, paper, scissors to decide whose turn it is with her, but one thing is indisputable: we are all better because of Maya.</div>
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Happy ninth birthday to our one-of-a-kind girl! We love you. To the moon and back.<br />
<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-32647612824370331612016-10-11T13:45:00.000-04:002016-10-12T10:49:37.270-04:00Finding happy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This past year I have been doing a lot of reading and learning about happiness. I had found myself in a perpetually overwhelmed state of low-grade stress the majority of the time and it was seriously interfering my enjoyment of my life. I watched, and highly recommend, <a href="http://www.thehappymovie.com/" target="_blank">The Happy Movie</a>, a documentary that travels the world asking the question "what makes people happy?" To see a toothless rickshaw in New Delhi, India who lives in a shack with his family say that he has all he needs and that he is <i>happy</i> as he smiles his toothless smile, you can't help but smile too and ask yourself some hard questions. </div>
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I am clear about this: happiness is a state of mind, a state of being. It is not about having what you want but wanting what you have. </div>
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In order to cultivate a more joyful state of being, I have changed some things in my internal operating system. I have become very mindful of turning away from thoughts that make me stressed. I have profoundly lessened the complaining I do (twice I took on a 30 day challenge to not complain...it was harder than I want to admit). And I have cultivated a regular practice of gratitude. </div>
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In practical terms it looks like this: I am barely on time to pick up a child and the traffic is not moving- could be ridiculous line at Dunkin Donuts that has spilled out onto the Main Rd, the painfully slow transporting of windmill components through town at the very moment school is to be released for the day, or any number of other things that happen in life- and instead of my body being tense and spouting aggressive things in my head, I breathe and notice the people around me. I acknowledge that I cannot move until I can move and that I am simply going to be late. No one will die. I chill out. I think about all the things I appreciate: the sunshine, my two legs, the fact that I have my own car, the fact that I get to pick my kids up even if I'm late. I cease holding myself hostage to the stress because I now fully understand that it doesn't get me there sooner, it just makes me miserable.</div>
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I am very imperfect at it.</div>
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Sometimes, actually daily, when I drive down the road my brain will carelessly run thoughts through my head about something that is going to happen or something that did happen or something I did wrong and I find I have a low-grade feeling of anxiety. I say to myself, "Feed your brain," and I consciously choose other thoughts. I intentionally think about things that make me happy or affirm a positive outcome. It is astounding how powerful this simple practice is. The truth is I'm feeding my brain nearly every moment of the day. Why not feed it things that make me feel good?</div>
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Buddha said, "Rule your mind or it will rule you." </div>
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In practicing wanting what you have, I have found that some of the most truly joyful things I experience have nothing to do with having money or spending money or acquiring anything. In fact, I largely enjoy things more that don't cost money. I am so blessed to live in the beautiful state of Maine where there are endless ways to enjoy life. And autumn is when Maine turns on the dazzle, transforming our already beautiful landscape into a stunning display of color. </div>
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This weekend my sister, Kathryn, and I took our kids hiking up Mount Battie in Camden. As an avid hiker, I can tell you that hiking with kids, in my experience, is not always enjoyable. Without fail, one of the kids, at some point along the way, ends up in tears. This is NOT fun. But strategic planning (going with cousins), a pep talk at the trail head ("if the puppy can hike it, you can hike it too") and some good 'ol fashion bribery (cookies and Twizzlers at the top) can go a long way toward ensuring success. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathryn and Braeden</td></tr>
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We opted in favor of the trail that is not in the State Park. It is shorter, but steeper trail, that offers nearly immediate views of the ocean.<br />
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It also gives kids (and adults) the chance to climb up boulders and pretend they are spider man.<br />
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My heart is so happy in the woods.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She isn't get 4 months old and she climbed it like a champ.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Piper made it!</td></tr>
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I am collecting photos of my kids on top of mountains. This is one of my happiest places and I celebrate every bit of that I can instill in them. Even if they cry. (No one did on this trip!) Even if I have to feed them cookies on every mountaintop in Maine.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ella, me and Maya </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kathryn, Michaela and Braeden</td></tr>
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Kathryn's partner, Brian, and our mom drove to the top and met us there. We got some pictures, got tossed around by the crazy autumn wind, mingled with the leaf peepers and then headed back down the trail with happy kids who were quite proud of their accomplishment.</div>
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Life is expensive. But joy doesn't have to be. Here's to finding happy around any corner, with every ray of sunshine, every blue sky, every hug, every "I love you" and every chance to remember how blessed we are simply to be alive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEo7jL-VWeFCBTC-6zbYzmZjsrZTN6ShGv5cDJMzmIDFh9DolASptD904mrnTTdoc0MIouXynfwdftRgWEi_6c0G1bec23gINKKcUc5XroHU1G29G2C4Mf8qVgNzGx06IK3cjJShCr5Www/s1600/FullSizeRender-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEo7jL-VWeFCBTC-6zbYzmZjsrZTN6ShGv5cDJMzmIDFh9DolASptD904mrnTTdoc0MIouXynfwdftRgWEi_6c0G1bec23gINKKcUc5XroHU1G29G2C4Mf8qVgNzGx06IK3cjJShCr5Www/s640/FullSizeRender-17.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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(This post was inspired by the brand <a href="https://www.personalcapital.com/financial-software" target="_blank">Personal Capital</a>, a company that offers free financial planning software. Being organized and intentional with money as well as seeking out opportunities to enjoy life that aren't expensive, like hiking a mountain, are easy ways to reduce stress and promote joy. There are so many tools out there to help us simplify and streamline and doing so frees up our time and energy for the living part of our lives. Which I think is the whole point of being alive, right? )love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-59217030874452167272016-10-10T19:19:00.001-04:002016-10-10T19:46:35.105-04:00What we did on summer vacation...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This past summer had a bumpy start but finished with a bang with our usual 2 weeks at camp, some of our favorite days of the whole year. And because September hit hard and fast (each of the girls getting settled into new schools and into new sports), it is October before I am even posting these pictures. </div>
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Suffice it to say that 2 weeks at the lake with your feet in the sand and lots of family time (on both sides) means tons of laughing and playing and the making of great memories.</div>
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It also means a lot of s'mores. To the point where you expect marshmallow with your breakfast.</div>
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There is no place like camp. As soon as you step onto the dock, your entire nervous system says, "YES."</div>
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If you were to ask the girls the best thing about Schoodic, hands down it would be family. To have playmates (in the form of cousins, grandparents, aunts and friends) at your disposal around the clock is no small thing when you are 8 and 11. </div>
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In other news, Maya perfected the swan dive.<br />
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Water skiers! Ella for the second year, me for the second time ever in my life (with a 22 year gap in between).</div>
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Sandi, of course, is a pro. Little to report there.<br />
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And, as usual, there was the I-hope-no-one-gets-a-spinal-cord-injury tubing Sandi and Kristi know and love (and I tolerate with intermittent calls to "SLOW DOWN!" to their father who captains the boat).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Jaxie</td></tr>
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The dramatic weather changes at the lake are amazing. </div>
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For my 40th birthday this year, Sandi and company through me a very surprising surprise party a few weeks ahead of my actual birthday. It was wonderful and amazing and crazy fun. And, because I am <i>this</i> spoiled, we still held the annual Suzapalooza birthday party at the lake on my actual birthday. This year, in honor of the Olympics, Ange came up with the idea of doing Suzapalooza Olympics. Ange made medals, I bought chocolate and ribbon and fired up the glue gun.<br />
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There were many competitive events for <strike>the kids</strike> everyone. A huge thank you to our ever equal-minded judge, Kim, who competes in her own competitive event making it across the blueberry barrens to get to camp each year.<br />
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Three-legged race:<br />
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Tube jump:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI05JXEwZ5GFJf4IKjgSnDtB_ARm0sjnxcnqbxgpWmWbcuTEPRJ8Z7XDoQo1bbgiJcmUcs62ZeIiOx77klrUIy60A4tNYVbw9WM3dX8znaNtiZarO9qE9_RyPecke9feVx5MmZxuXSVFAQ/s1600/DSC_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI05JXEwZ5GFJf4IKjgSnDtB_ARm0sjnxcnqbxgpWmWbcuTEPRJ8Z7XDoQo1bbgiJcmUcs62ZeIiOx77klrUIy60A4tNYVbw9WM3dX8znaNtiZarO9qE9_RyPecke9feVx5MmZxuXSVFAQ/s640/DSC_0555.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkg7C2rW-lMpK0Ac2BKRKMjyY6G2ZCOzguEYB_3VYd6E-YtFm17KhAlf8-J61FX2sFlgj7M9-xRHay_lK5Hb266eBe6-C-2u0s_MmtUzpodfwbTpkhr0J6klNjuLE_r-1y_-XXh9VVYuJ/s1600/DSC_0554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkg7C2rW-lMpK0Ac2BKRKMjyY6G2ZCOzguEYB_3VYd6E-YtFm17KhAlf8-J61FX2sFlgj7M9-xRHay_lK5Hb266eBe6-C-2u0s_MmtUzpodfwbTpkhr0J6klNjuLE_r-1y_-XXh9VVYuJ/s400/DSC_0554.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnYNq3kzcGnCN3-2K3e7scZEVq9AF6Nq9PCgIdOEqGxPIPqZuAtVylh4xidqcRTj1vGpBNUYSO-zYxvxgSOls3tobk1MAvvwPlwsCIuqGKAj8r5g0i_1LLHrADwr6rh_7c2E0cxkx15O8/s1600/DSC_0559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnYNq3kzcGnCN3-2K3e7scZEVq9AF6Nq9PCgIdOEqGxPIPqZuAtVylh4xidqcRTj1vGpBNUYSO-zYxvxgSOls3tobk1MAvvwPlwsCIuqGKAj8r5g0i_1LLHrADwr6rh_7c2E0cxkx15O8/s320/DSC_0559.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG895BmKJfD4xgcrHxBoOy2LPrKQbSMPsZijFVIrkJuneytxHT4c7-6sqegxWOD1uJrLruWQuRHcZllYjwxwrWUCQk6sp_P4dfCN193JzKrwMleQkhshPXqiTEgWo8vht6NA8J6kJV68V_/s1600/DSC_0602.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG895BmKJfD4xgcrHxBoOy2LPrKQbSMPsZijFVIrkJuneytxHT4c7-6sqegxWOD1uJrLruWQuRHcZllYjwxwrWUCQk6sp_P4dfCN193JzKrwMleQkhshPXqiTEgWo8vht6NA8J6kJV68V_/s400/DSC_0602.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEVfAvG0Pofq2y3eeN9a49Iztzp_8Ig09ajNWeqVa0_9fD5zFIiydPFpNjNThh2glzhBw4khVrp9diNL4ae2G_AMR6tLn7und84Ni2kPPrGDWmtWK-XfK3xAUJP4y84th61Th049MgXXS/s1600/DSC_0605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEVfAvG0Pofq2y3eeN9a49Iztzp_8Ig09ajNWeqVa0_9fD5zFIiydPFpNjNThh2glzhBw4khVrp9diNL4ae2G_AMR6tLn7und84Ni2kPPrGDWmtWK-XfK3xAUJP4y84th61Th049MgXXS/s640/DSC_0605.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite picture from vacation</td></tr>
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And, of course, the dock jumping competition:<br />
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For obvious reason, Sandi took home a medal. Also known as a KitKat.</div>
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And a Can Jam tournament. If you haven't played this game, please put it on your summer list. It is SO freaking fun. </div>
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There was some early bragging and trash talk as pairs one and prepared to play the other winners...</div>
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But in the end, this father/son pair took the trophy.</div>
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The coveted medals:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARGfP3bx_m3unuoe3jvuvtZ5bu5JoyJ6lRquHk4frngx8YjxxDgu81rJHxDYuTDuf3R5VlAeljBHxZ9dn7Y_C18vnkIB2E9Qw8BoB1wTb7jxGQa9YJ4aflHZSW_p1BSs-8mQoH4b97MdG/s1600/DSC_0740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARGfP3bx_m3unuoe3jvuvtZ5bu5JoyJ6lRquHk4frngx8YjxxDgu81rJHxDYuTDuf3R5VlAeljBHxZ9dn7Y_C18vnkIB2E9Qw8BoB1wTb7jxGQa9YJ4aflHZSW_p1BSs-8mQoH4b97MdG/s320/DSC_0740.jpg" width="217" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLIG4ZcHbuT8q2I8pB7KSCzmxvwHEWluW806wVEv3gFb5q8qKRaWw_Krht8xurhgEnC9pHhbaMTn2NDENDtqABaorH8HRdmX3UF3wQC4gBN9RcuYnTsiwJsTk9WY3_XLetdc1NIl6eD7n/s1600/DSC_0726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLIG4ZcHbuT8q2I8pB7KSCzmxvwHEWluW806wVEv3gFb5q8qKRaWw_Krht8xurhgEnC9pHhbaMTn2NDENDtqABaorH8HRdmX3UF3wQC4gBN9RcuYnTsiwJsTk9WY3_XLetdc1NIl6eD7n/s320/DSC_0726.jpg" width="214" /></a></div>
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Medal winners! (Everyone who participates is a winner. We are just that liberal with the chocolate.)<br />
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There is also a competitive class for the most relaxed. Everyone is a winner in that class.</div>
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Ange made me not one, but TWO, cakes. (I REALLY love cake and she really loves me.)<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Wow, am I ever blessed to call these people my own. (Not pictured, but sorely missed: Emilie, Tim and kids who WILL be there next year!!)</span><br />
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'Till next year! (And a BIG thank you to Patti and Dwight who make all this fun possible each summer!)</div>
love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-28002856114053960702016-10-10T07:36:00.001-04:002016-10-10T16:04:29.634-04:00On getting a puppy...finally.The girls have been wanting a dog for what feels like forever. Or I guess it has been 4 or so years. I<span style="text-align: center;">n the world of begging that is an eternity. </span><br />
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Sandi and I had three dogs at one point, before kids, and as kids took over the majority of our time and energy we did not replace dogs as we lost them. The last dog passed away while Sandi was in anesthesia school and I was very clear that I could not have something else to take care of during that time.<br />
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It turns out I wouldn't be ready for another few years. Anesthesia school was a little brutal all the way around.<br />
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I was clearly the hold out in my family about a dog. I credit my overall intelligence. I knew to whom the primary responsibility would fall. After having surrogate care of Jaxie, our niece dog, for a couple of months, I could tell I was finally ready. I only wanted a dog when I knew its presence would be joyful and not just another cloying item on my to-do list.<br />
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So suddenly (or very, very slowly), it was time. This was one of my top 3 favorite surprises ever.<br />
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We went to meet our puppy when she was only 3 weeks old and the girls had to wait an excruciating 5 more weeks until she could come home.<br />
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The girls bought all of the supplies for our puppy. Shopping for these supplies was never dull.<br />
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We picked Piper up on the last few days of our vacation at camp.<br />
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To say she has become an instant and inextricable part of our family would be an understatement. Here she is posing for first day of school pictures.<br />
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Piper sort of goes everywhere with us. Turns out people love puppies and the smiles that multiply when you bring your puppy around makes you feel like you are in charge of the sun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_eB2TLTYJKzAB8j8R3xLLBqGMscYMWysmjpH-z7dxY1PPT-jfgvOLlTZiP6QpPXy1HknSCMHCT64vRUrwncTSeo_KbwQa8ElQrz3ooR03Zemfl4I_W7Slq-VQHeOi9abQRc6l6iiJM7k/s1600/IMG_8777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_eB2TLTYJKzAB8j8R3xLLBqGMscYMWysmjpH-z7dxY1PPT-jfgvOLlTZiP6QpPXy1HknSCMHCT64vRUrwncTSeo_KbwQa8ElQrz3ooR03Zemfl4I_W7Slq-VQHeOi9abQRc6l6iiJM7k/s320/IMG_8777.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">watching field hockey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">her new friend Greta, the great dane</td></tr>
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Obviously, the girls are in love.<br />
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We get quite a kick out of the places and ways Piper falls asleep.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">while designing a kitchen for the new house</td></tr>
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She is growing so fast, as only a puppy can. And though it is true that she isn't left alone a lot and we make sure she gets plenty of play and exercise, she isn't the crazy chocolate lab people cautioned us about. She has the most loving disposition and easy nature. She is also very trainable (and it turns out so am I) and puppy obedience has gone a long way to reduce frustration on everyone's part.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">learning to beg from her cousin Jaxie</td></tr>
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I'm so glad I knew to wait until I was ready to get a dog, especially a puppy. I am totally smitten with this little brown ball of joy. And because she and I spend practically every waking minute together, she has become somewhat of my baby. </div>
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First hike...</div>
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...followed by a very wakeful ride home.</div>
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Truly, the world sparkles a little bit brighter since she came along. And in case you are wondering, the answer is yes, Maya is already begging for ANOTHER dog.<br />
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-14569396897132310502016-08-06T15:21:00.004-04:002016-08-06T15:42:06.605-04:00summer "work"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This summer we don't have one, but two, little lobster fisherman (fisher girls?). Ella's student fishing license allows her to fish 50 traps this year and Maya enters the ring at age 8 with 10 traps. It is such an amazing opportunity for them in every way. From getting their hands dirty with work, to the ocean air soaking into their pores, to (my favorite) the invaluable time spent alongside their grandfather, we could not ask for more for our girls. </div>
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The first day the girls hauled their traps it was a family affair that ended with a beach picnic. It was, as the girls say, the best day ever. </div>
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The bait takes a little getting used it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wYfcfaiqhaodNzUETLnxV_O4hfZt5Piwfiejcm5dhEtjMhBsv9eCeWHJJ0vxTcZgA49MLttQ-F8QK1sqHt5PnoIFn3b5X2Se_eQGKcE5x5CZZ67TBD3B1fFYdsqDU-PwX3pt54omSOHL/s1600/DSC_0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_wYfcfaiqhaodNzUETLnxV_O4hfZt5Piwfiejcm5dhEtjMhBsv9eCeWHJJ0vxTcZgA49MLttQ-F8QK1sqHt5PnoIFn3b5X2Se_eQGKcE5x5CZZ67TBD3B1fFYdsqDU-PwX3pt54omSOHL/s640/DSC_0298.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandi, with the beautiful women that helped shape her into the exceptional person she is. </td></tr>
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The "Littles" as we call them, just seem to get cuter and cuter and each year they seem to look more like the other.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whatever it was, it was good news. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0_ybBuivk53TWWAC4jk-hmRi34NT0zCMaA4Wq-Jf-8ebumZ5kjfKTi1KC8bkT8g4sBXhx7hzzzShY_5Y2R2U3toBcN7FVqncqeiIt1nlyHJ8ueshTlA99zdsCjQSUrZ9A9bXVHE99msw/s1600/DSC_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB0_ybBuivk53TWWAC4jk-hmRi34NT0zCMaA4Wq-Jf-8ebumZ5kjfKTi1KC8bkT8g4sBXhx7hzzzShY_5Y2R2U3toBcN7FVqncqeiIt1nlyHJ8ueshTlA99zdsCjQSUrZ9A9bXVHE99msw/s400/DSC_0382.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Robbi.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite picture of Kristi to date. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A generation of clam digging. </td></tr>
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"It is not joy that makes us grateful; it is gratitude that makes us joyful." -David Steindl-Rast</div>
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-47949970193189375202016-08-03T07:13:00.000-04:002016-08-03T07:13:01.198-04:00an ideal family vacation an hour awayI woke up feeling breathlessly grateful for my life and the lives of those I love. Nothing like a little perspective to shake the entire way you look at your world.<br />
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This is a post of pictures of our staycation in July, the four of us enjoying this stunning state in which we live and specifically the Acadia National Park region which people travel from all over to visit each summer. Why go far when you can drive an hour and have the world at your fingertips?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first attempt at camping since the camping debacles with young children. It was a huge success.</td></tr>
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There was a bunch of wildlife at the Seawall Campground, including the most playful and friendly bunnies I have ever seen. They scurried in and out of campsite, frolicking playfully.<br />
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We also brought our own wildlife:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my all time favorite pictures of the girls. </td></tr>
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I believe Maya has been waiting her whole life for fire. She was immediately captivated and occupied by it. I said to Sandi at one point, "Are we sure this is a good idea?" Maya + fire = ?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">campfire whittling</td></tr>
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The girls slept in their OWN tent. I felt like they had moved away to college.<br />
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There is one place we can all agree and so with a family comprised of 4 incredibly independent females, we go there often. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Cadillac Mountain in a crazy wind storm</td></tr>
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We spent one of our favorite family days ever at the Wild Acadia park on the ropes course, zip line, water slides and more. Everyone was happy, no one cried and there was ice cream. It was a good, good day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCiAEvPP_4apcmJsfP3-JNthxwg-0Ps33i1GjZAU0g1ImMe18jWp7nl8jcAq7Y2vZ3cUsTdLMJfB-JAfsEXgfSxlCJeRzZ42kVlEv4hGj_0r6I_OiZxoQK5DBarJ46lUEsYI8-oVkEXmx/s1600/IMG_7465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMCiAEvPP_4apcmJsfP3-JNthxwg-0Ps33i1GjZAU0g1ImMe18jWp7nl8jcAq7Y2vZ3cUsTdLMJfB-JAfsEXgfSxlCJeRzZ42kVlEv4hGj_0r6I_OiZxoQK5DBarJ46lUEsYI8-oVkEXmx/s320/IMG_7465.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look whose driving!</td></tr>
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One of the highlights of the day was this water balloon battle: Maya and I versus Sandi and Ella. I think technically Ella and Sandi won but they ended up wetter than we did so whose to say.<br />
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Go hug those that you love. </div>
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-50786908124502709272016-07-29T08:20:00.000-04:002016-07-29T23:18:40.300-04:00the tideI am going to be 40 in 23 days.<br />
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Am I okay with this? Absolutely. Am I grateful to be alive and healthy at 39.9? For sure.<br />
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Growing old is a privilege denied to many, as they say.<br />
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Yet...there is <i>something</i>.<br />
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I have had a very big year. It has been a year full of saying goodbye: to a house, to people, to outdated ways of thinking and being. It has been a year of letting go, of digging deep, of shedding skin, of cleaning house. To call it a mid-life crisis would be both inaccurate and unfair. It is something so much larger, so much deeper. So much better.<br />
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The image that comes to me again and again is the tide. The water comes in and the water goes out, carefully orchestrated by celestial phenomena but seemingly, almost magically.<br />
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On the ebb tide, as the water leaves the shore, pulled by the moon into the sea, there is a vast emptiness across the landscape. The underbelly of the ocean, dark seaweed and salt-stained rock, is exposed. Low water can be everything all at once: peaceful, vacant, lonely, expansive, barren, majestic, promising, a playground teaming with sea life.<br />
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There is a pause when the tide is all the way out and has yet to begin its return. This rest, known as slack water, can last only a handful of minutes or more than half an hour, depending on the phase of the moon, before the water reverses course and floods back to the shore. Slack water is akin to the brief moment between inhale and exhale when all is gone but about to be restored.<br />
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I am at in slack water right now. My tide has gone out and I am sitting in the empty. My mantra to myself is that the tide always comes in. It is guaranteed so long as the moon doesn't fall out of the sky. My tide will also come in. Perhaps it is one of the more brave acts a human heart can perform: to stand in the space between the old and the new, between what was and what has yet to be, to dwell in the pause between the exhale and the inhale.<br />
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There is an old fishing adage that says, "When the tide rests, so should the fisherman."<br />
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This fisherman is trying to work that out.<br />
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If I can surrender to the slack, to the pause, an alchemy occurs. Vacancy becomes possibility. Emptiness becomes expectation. Sadness becomes anticipation.<br />
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I am on the verge of the next chapter of my life. I can feel it coming. I have cleared everything I don't need out and I have the capacity for the new. I can fill it with anything. Like someone reintroducing food after a fast, I have been very mindful of what I am filling myself with. I have sought out play, adventure and challenge, to shake myself free of my own confinement. I am seeking a lighter heart and a more liberated existence. I am doing things that frighten me, that exhilarate me, that unchain me.<br />
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In that spirit, I decided I would make space for myself to fulfill a long held goal to complete a 100 mile bike ride (a century). I signed up for the Lobster Ride in Camden which offered a century perfect for the overachiever in me: a 103 mile coastal hilly route. <br />
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Then I tried to talk myself out of it 20 different times when I saw how it fit into our busy schedule and worried about how hot it would in July riding all day long. But I made myself do it anyway.<br />
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The ride was everything I needed it to be: quiet, difficult, long, beautiful. My bike computer stopped working at the start line so I had to let go of mileage and pace and all the things I use to define my success. The route took us along stunning back country roads through the woods and along lakes with heavy canopies of shade and then down a peninsula to a lighthouse.<br />
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As midday approached, the sun pounded on my back and the heat rose up from the pavement and I felt like I was in a fire sandwich. I don't exert myself well in the heat and I could feel the toll it was taking. The course was only marked with turns, not mile markers or distance notification or even arrows saying, "You are on the right road!" and I found myself out of water on a blistering road with no other cyclists around (100 miles is a lot of space for a group of cyclists to spread out on) wondering if I had made a wrong turn.<br />
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I considered going into some stranger's house and asking for lemonade with lots of ice and I began to fantasize about the air conditioning in the cars that passed me. Low mental moment.<br />
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When I finally made it to rest stop 3 (which was almost 10 miles farther than I thought it was), I sat in the shade and gulped water. I looked around at my fellow cyclists and they also looked beat up by the heat which was oddly comforting. I asked the volunteer how far to the next rest stop and he answered, "Sixteen miles down the peninsula to the lighthouse. But you will have an ocean breeze and it will all be downhill."<br />
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I would have paid good money for an ocean breeze and downhill.<br />
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I got back on my bike and peddled along in the steamy air that couldn't exactly be called a breeze. The little air that was moving was not coming off the ocean, but from the land. I realized I should have rested longer because I felt like a wilting flower in the heat. My body didn't even feel like my own. I didn't know if I was riding 16 mph or 11. I wasn't sure I cared.<br />
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I quickly realized the volunteer, in an attempt to boost my morale, had committed the cardinal sin. He had lied. To be clear, when you are riding 103 miles in sweltering heat you don't need that shit. You don't need to be cheered up. You need someone to give it to you straight. Eventually, I got to the lighthouse, dumped water over my head and took refuge in some shade as I prepared for what seemed to be a manageable 34 miles left to ride.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQS23ikAkt9J6TY9BE5tRE2_fQdmqsn4m8P3ujklFURyBc0ZJHBwrw_fsFwOcgFJ1snnyP7d_SVBG6eNQA0ySqHEara1jxtCeu-FpIY4JoGJY4xFnv74nZj2741EIARLi_8wSmtKZbGNMh/s1600/FullSizeRender-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQS23ikAkt9J6TY9BE5tRE2_fQdmqsn4m8P3ujklFURyBc0ZJHBwrw_fsFwOcgFJ1snnyP7d_SVBG6eNQA0ySqHEara1jxtCeu-FpIY4JoGJY4xFnv74nZj2741EIARLi_8wSmtKZbGNMh/s400/FullSizeRender-6.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">How cool! And I particularly liked the crunched M&Ms in the foreground of this picture.</td></tr>
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I felt decent when I got back on my bike. Until the muscle cramps hit. Despite chugging electrolyte drinks and chomping on salt pills, my body was revolting against the heat. Every few down peddles would make my left hamstring seize and every few up peddles would do the same to my right quadricep. I carried on this way for a few miles. It became impossible to stand to climb hills and I feared for the first time that I might not be able to finish if I couldn't peddle.<br />
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The ride was a microcosm of my life. It was damn hard. I needed to just keep peddling. I felt I had lost my way but I just needed to stay the course. I needed to call on my mental fortitude to preserve. Newt Gingrich couldn't have been more correct when he said: "Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing he hard work you already did."<br />
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And here was my reward:<br />
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Ironically, my pace was decent- only slightly slower than my typical riding pace for much shorter rides. It only mattered in that is made me laugh a bit at myself because even when things are difficult, I usually do a better job than I give myself credit for.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX29q8yxNcZCZP68c2Bq5M_A_RgBvFITWLCrsZAJq0WLDOP4kKZhw6HCAtEfW644pXHF9w0kUHOicjbIte1bmX0dbN3Y6IQ4nDpd7tpRiR74Y3GUOB6ClUgeVIEn9y-n1stxNc1tQH91vW/s1600/FullSizeRender-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX29q8yxNcZCZP68c2Bq5M_A_RgBvFITWLCrsZAJq0WLDOP4kKZhw6HCAtEfW644pXHF9w0kUHOicjbIte1bmX0dbN3Y6IQ4nDpd7tpRiR74Y3GUOB6ClUgeVIEn9y-n1stxNc1tQH91vW/s640/FullSizeRender-1.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Sometimes a song is given to you like a gift, putting into words an experience that is hard to nail down. I'm very grateful the song "Lucky Now" by Ryan Adams found its way to me.<br />
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<div style="color: #616161; font-family: roboto, arial, 'noto sans japanese', sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 25px; padding-bottom: 10px;">
The lights will draw you in<br />
And the dark will take you down<br />
And the night will break your heart<br />
Only if you’re lucky now</div>
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<div style="color: #616161; font-family: roboto, arial, 'noto sans japanese', sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">
If the lights draw you in</div>
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And the dark can take you down</div>
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Then love can mend your heart</div>
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But only if you’re lucky now</div>
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I am lucky enough to have a heart that will break and open, open and break. I have lived long enough to know how to embrace the challenge and seek the beauty, both at low tide and at high. It doesn't mean it is easy. It means that I might just be okay with it being hard because without the ebb and the flow my life would be bland and anemic. The contrasting pairs that comprise a life- struggle and growth, dark and light, pain and joy- is what gives it texture, depth and meaning. I consider myself lucky to know these fully. I have enough love around me and within me to sustain me. I can rest as slack water with full trust in the flood tide.<br />
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-61343619224860595672016-06-22T09:07:00.004-04:002016-06-22T20:03:51.626-04:00The Trek Across Maine: an infomercial<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Have you ever:</div>
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Needed some time away?</div>
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Wanted to see the state of Maine up close and personal?</div>
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Liked the idea of other people feeding you constantly and telling you that you're awesome?</div>
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Wanted to do some good?</div>
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Come to know sensitive spots on your bottom you didn't know existed?</div>
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Then you must sign up for the 2017 Trek Across Maine!!</div>
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Disclaimer: all the fun shown here was true and actual fun. These are real people, not actors. Any personal discomforts on a bike seat, couple disagreements through remote parts of Maine regarding their pedaling speed (no one shall be named) or stress about actually leaving your children for 4 days on their last day of school have been omitted for two reasons. One, they were not photographed (who needs to see that?) and, two, that is real life and, let's face it, we all have plenty of that. </div>
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It's all good when you finally get your bike and all your gear on the bus that will take you all the way over to the start line in Western Maine at Sunday River ski resort and you can just hang out in the sun and wait for it to be time to leave. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAGF2pWDNlLTyDyXsA045hQRtGkP980Ujsc3HGstw2itM4mfrzalKB8m6kiSrCI8Y7A8D3rvuGTfs7Hh5dN58OJ29f5s60DeVqz2TilhlIhxPYH3XVvn3-CQpENdACvjpmtlWi-Qpi6G0/s1600/IMG_6518.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaAGF2pWDNlLTyDyXsA045hQRtGkP980Ujsc3HGstw2itM4mfrzalKB8m6kiSrCI8Y7A8D3rvuGTfs7Hh5dN58OJ29f5s60DeVqz2TilhlIhxPYH3XVvn3-CQpENdACvjpmtlWi-Qpi6G0/s640/IMG_6518.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Now, I am a big baby about the 3 hour bus ride because I don't like buses and I get really car sick. BUT, we got smart this year and downloaded a movie to the iPad, packed pillows, a blanket and some snacks and enjoyed the fact that someone else was driving. I said to Sandi, "So THIS is what it is like for our kids to travel!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ19voOWzuhCyG_QBtp5WEFXI9fYSwAWfquNX9cuiLjLXcqZEWZ-4sUg_1ijmRxSA_f0xeiBzAtb-QstbZ80vWN4Tyj26iND35uBiaCv9VVgV-NvKxbIA-LvjCJ8XvKMgoEGnoyHLuiHWz/s1600/IMG_3405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ19voOWzuhCyG_QBtp5WEFXI9fYSwAWfquNX9cuiLjLXcqZEWZ-4sUg_1ijmRxSA_f0xeiBzAtb-QstbZ80vWN4Tyj26iND35uBiaCv9VVgV-NvKxbIA-LvjCJ8XvKMgoEGnoyHLuiHWz/s320/IMG_3405.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9ntgvAciATTK1R45N5fYLH6KszyZu8ZlLBludl4nf3ag7dSfJs0iZOJLdRreUl7xt0vmcKKIew1NWXNgpOha22fyfiUmq-DAMSwbd-dNK12dUD9u_dU8KGOrsRySKF2q0HhoU6DEfAJ0/s1600/IMG_3407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9ntgvAciATTK1R45N5fYLH6KszyZu8ZlLBludl4nf3ag7dSfJs0iZOJLdRreUl7xt0vmcKKIew1NWXNgpOha22fyfiUmq-DAMSwbd-dNK12dUD9u_dU8KGOrsRySKF2q0HhoU6DEfAJ0/s320/IMG_3407.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was super fun... until I got car sick and had to take a nap. The last 30 minutes of that ride are a slow torture for me as I fight the urge to muscle the bus driver out of his seat and take the wheel.<br />
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The Trek Across Maine has raised over $22 million for the American Lung Association in its 32 years, raising over $1.2 million this year alone. The fundraising minimum is only $600 which is totally doable. There's the part where you get to feel amazing for having done some good and also have the fun of riding your bike!<br />
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Two thousand trekkers, hundreds of volunteers and endless amounts of gatorade and peanut butter and banana sandwiches to propel us the 180 miles across the state. But first, we had to get our bikes to the start.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF_iipHjaNMU9v56PYkL4Tzm4DGjUotf5V1uKchawT1mazHqTl2-eoLq_OhLCFFk27nEs8zY36qPA-WgVdqHBeFx-i6YHRfeDx8QZX89HOv3yUqZLS5u3JcZg9hx_Afe46SOe5SzV0TYj/s1600/IMG_6525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFF_iipHjaNMU9v56PYkL4Tzm4DGjUotf5V1uKchawT1mazHqTl2-eoLq_OhLCFFk27nEs8zY36qPA-WgVdqHBeFx-i6YHRfeDx8QZX89HOv3yUqZLS5u3JcZg9hx_Afe46SOe5SzV0TYj/s400/IMG_6525.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmhxlIZMGyunwOCHqNXz6jtn5ziKY6PFEJoGfy4Onsu0S2AYpfMisobanRLmIbpLqnLk51sTUMFmM2R7tPNCXQiQpixICjR15B2s8GegaoteOqtLaGDEbpRhEmuG0MNBtjpVoW_EBcBGu/s1600/IMG_6526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMmhxlIZMGyunwOCHqNXz6jtn5ziKY6PFEJoGfy4Onsu0S2AYpfMisobanRLmIbpLqnLk51sTUMFmM2R7tPNCXQiQpixICjR15B2s8GegaoteOqtLaGDEbpRhEmuG0MNBtjpVoW_EBcBGu/s640/IMG_6526.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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It is fun to see a mountain you've skied wearing its summer clothes.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxRRoPwDfZutVwV74h3l1Oq0dMq1k1vPcG-MxESOPUT7x8gO167gUg7fCnwEJectcoaA7aiZFnAF6xH-Uv3HFf_M0WS_YM_4hmHYnVVUFidArwQlKmHi8SL_lhE2F88z8RQnmpljrnkvl/s1600/IMG_6532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmxRRoPwDfZutVwV74h3l1Oq0dMq1k1vPcG-MxESOPUT7x8gO167gUg7fCnwEJectcoaA7aiZFnAF6xH-Uv3HFf_M0WS_YM_4hmHYnVVUFidArwQlKmHi8SL_lhE2F88z8RQnmpljrnkvl/s400/IMG_6532.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWvt5Q0p7ZC6Da0PQ5dy485AKgaAEWqwqWqYumSGBZkItA2i5ENX_NcKr6Y3zFFgNtWlroi9BW4UcaWEyTeOgDbKPgQD8l28isW2Jdjv8Gk5qajDOQ8_a70CNWA-47jlgwTvAN5xQ0LFo/s1600/IMG_6534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWvt5Q0p7ZC6Da0PQ5dy485AKgaAEWqwqWqYumSGBZkItA2i5ENX_NcKr6Y3zFFgNtWlroi9BW4UcaWEyTeOgDbKPgQD8l28isW2Jdjv8Gk5qajDOQ8_a70CNWA-47jlgwTvAN5xQ0LFo/s320/IMG_6534.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumJmScCkdTKTGEIuBpZFAKB2yOecjCgQbc6PxGVbEjlrhBKOUjZgPFm-yAXNmXV-uhfM8GssQ8cDd_v4sA_L_Ik6mhIs4KJk9_nSm917yw9ahpUEWDcEItRUZpyekitDV27JxmmE5YNyk/s1600/IMG_6539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumJmScCkdTKTGEIuBpZFAKB2yOecjCgQbc6PxGVbEjlrhBKOUjZgPFm-yAXNmXV-uhfM8GssQ8cDd_v4sA_L_Ik6mhIs4KJk9_nSm917yw9ahpUEWDcEItRUZpyekitDV27JxmmE5YNyk/s320/IMG_6539.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Our friend, Alissa, who was one of Maya's ski guides last year with Maine Adaptive. She rides the Trek as a medic (seems she is a perpetual do-gooder and we love her for it) with trusty bags of equipment on her bike to help any cyclists in need along the way. Just one of the hundreds of people that make this ride possible (but one of our favorite ones).</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzuVIiJ_8H75JOs-um6z5g4iBAFr4E1G_rpPpKoqo0BBREgkURRs3bgyUmolHcwwGqxe9a7cph-VWplIQXayBQhHNUmGpTo0e5sNknqrCUH6LK1HWUpj6OZBsHGR7zBY_4dGAVBU4jQVc/s1600/IMG_3413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzuVIiJ_8H75JOs-um6z5g4iBAFr4E1G_rpPpKoqo0BBREgkURRs3bgyUmolHcwwGqxe9a7cph-VWplIQXayBQhHNUmGpTo0e5sNknqrCUH6LK1HWUpj6OZBsHGR7zBY_4dGAVBU4jQVc/s400/IMG_3413.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Who doesn't love a ski/bear claw chair?</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBxiqztPyqY_U0dO2ki_4iAiG_t7NzcY5ISMg-8UQcfGVOjLG_sygC_U4xM0hv9Ts8YfVzaJ6Cz3ZAkmdMzl4zekVUC4WJ-s-fCad20Ynz0hIGvKjPu4hn85FJit0W0Mdy08UKHeTFaTK/s1600/13511530_10153694882877061_1318426770_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBxiqztPyqY_U0dO2ki_4iAiG_t7NzcY5ISMg-8UQcfGVOjLG_sygC_U4xM0hv9Ts8YfVzaJ6Cz3ZAkmdMzl4zekVUC4WJ-s-fCad20Ynz0hIGvKjPu4hn85FJit0W0Mdy08UKHeTFaTK/s320/13511530_10153694882877061_1318426770_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Our friend Kristi took this picture from the second floor when she saw us sitting together in the lobby. Thank you Kristi! </td></tr>
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This year a group of Sandi's colleagues formed a Trek Team so we (sadly) left our very wonderful Gold's Gym team to join them. I love the clever name Stacey came up with, "Sleep Cycles", for a group of anesthesia providers. Sandi did a great job designing the jerseys and we got a ton of compliments on them! (Our teammate Frank was unfortunately not present for this photo.)</div>
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Sandi and I raised close to $1,500 for the American Lung Association and our brand new team raised a total of $6,500. That is the best feeling. I can't wait to see what we can accomplish next year!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMZ_p4qkWkeF0gSR94Lnql4TgqB7f98Jo0U01mm3zht3NJ8nRU1SMnUwVuQincarW_BYGS5jYAjsdd3biR6m6r_Y8GbbTsCMIwZV93XsPvdzsB5q-AkbiIKiHfYsP5HpPLadpcBP02oZe/s1600/IMG_3443.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMZ_p4qkWkeF0gSR94Lnql4TgqB7f98Jo0U01mm3zht3NJ8nRU1SMnUwVuQincarW_BYGS5jYAjsdd3biR6m6r_Y8GbbTsCMIwZV93XsPvdzsB5q-AkbiIKiHfYsP5HpPLadpcBP02oZe/s640/IMG_3443.JPG" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoPwb_pgLQSXyUBUj1lDfHjKTt-uIbhH2boZoHGZaMRCcPlBCDxFaVvMc6S4SC5tcXiyt7_91h8MfUe8dceqISwtH_rWfcEZVIx2uAbhMMnjmOfd5Rugdmqh-VHCs_2llhfZ6ZOGcDzJr/s1600/IMG_3446.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLoPwb_pgLQSXyUBUj1lDfHjKTt-uIbhH2boZoHGZaMRCcPlBCDxFaVvMc6S4SC5tcXiyt7_91h8MfUe8dceqISwtH_rWfcEZVIx2uAbhMMnjmOfd5Rugdmqh-VHCs_2llhfZ6ZOGcDzJr/s640/IMG_3446.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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The collar of the jersey's say, "Go to sleep with the best." </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbx1pGSGfb0fwQG1u9JmQ4xFLUxTOZQXz9qaAxcdmHDzNgqXpaEijFs-SbdTXmrrCcbPXhnF-j1ECniAynArCn5JqcLB7xlXnlqCa2GwkmBDVEdYbFonUG1zVKmCJePoU5y7h0de2FzIz/s1600/IMG_6584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJbx1pGSGfb0fwQG1u9JmQ4xFLUxTOZQXz9qaAxcdmHDzNgqXpaEijFs-SbdTXmrrCcbPXhnF-j1ECniAynArCn5JqcLB7xlXnlqCa2GwkmBDVEdYbFonUG1zVKmCJePoU5y7h0de2FzIz/s400/IMG_6584.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
The weather promised to be four days of perfection which was a tremendous bonus after riding in the monsoon that was day 3 of <span style="color: purple;"><a href="http://casadecarver.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-2015-trek-across-maine-aka-feast.html" target="_blank">the Trek of 2015</a>. </span><br />
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We were ready to ride!<br />
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This is the part of my infomercial where I don't have to tell you, I can show you, and you realize that Maine is so freaking beautiful that you HAVE to ride the Trek.<br />
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These notes are everywhere, including at some rest stops, on the porta potties.<br />
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Seriously, I could use a station like this in my everyday life.<br />
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On the road into Farmington (the end of the 70 miles of day 1) we have the pleasure of embarking on a jaunt through a town in typical Maine fashion. The town of Chesterville, ME must be shaped like a spider because we pass through it 16 different times. Or maybe only 4. It is a lot for such a small town. I like to call it is the cat and mouse game of Chesterville. Now you're in it and1 mile later you're not except...wait, here it comes again.<br />
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We have an expression in Maine, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes." I feel this should apply to Chesterville. "If you think you have left Chesterville, wait 500 feet."<br />
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(I was not successful in photographing all of the signs- I'm riding a bike for goodness sake- but I did get two of them.)<br />
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Did I mention the cheering? Who doesn't love to have people cheering for you on the side of the road? Especially when they are adorable. There were even kids that had a free lemonade stand for the trekkers. </div>
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Day two started out cool and beautiful. There are so many friendly faces we see now that we have been doing the Trek for a few years and the camaraderie of this massive group of cyclists is so fun. Our team member Luc, who just bought a road bike 3 weeks before the Trek, was decked out in style for his ride.<br />
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Again with the beauty.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Frank, me, Raf and Sandi all found each other at one of the rest stops.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqK_Qc9WZnHpHXWHGlF7AWL5Z8cTmssv-OlgTQ0TkMuhHSP90qu17lEvB4hb2v4GZcwwSby5f7GBgk3e9Ki5L0eeazTWjwLBW0It14yN1ZEE9EFPr_r55meZqXpY0dPXhm28ak75Zt3LD/s1600/IMG_6620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJqK_Qc9WZnHpHXWHGlF7AWL5Z8cTmssv-OlgTQ0TkMuhHSP90qu17lEvB4hb2v4GZcwwSby5f7GBgk3e9Ki5L0eeazTWjwLBW0It14yN1ZEE9EFPr_r55meZqXpY0dPXhm28ak75Zt3LD/s400/IMG_6620.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We got chatting with this guy, Bill, who had been doing the Trek for 20 years and has his own permanent trekker number (Sandi's lucky number, 22). Turns out he also has 9 lives, having survived being hit by a truck on his bike several years ago and surviving an IED attack while serving in the middle east. He is also a total badass who cycled the Mount Washington auto road race: 7.5 miles up the mountain on a mostly gravel road at an age somewhere north of 60 I would guess.<br />
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These are the kind of awesome people you too will meet on the Trek when you do it next year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRifyKqKbGzQGXsHAqnWfoW8qgaIC5B4uGc_-__Ae0tHrqwtgSfe4Sce-zKv4oK3l5AYUZdqQ926KTkXX13F9B-ScICq-ahybQYDtJ-Zlsvg9gU8U9EYk-Rk6tO9BFkW_4WOklAaRsmlKd/s1600/IMG_6622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRifyKqKbGzQGXsHAqnWfoW8qgaIC5B4uGc_-__Ae0tHrqwtgSfe4Sce-zKv4oK3l5AYUZdqQ926KTkXX13F9B-ScICq-ahybQYDtJ-Zlsvg9gU8U9EYk-Rk6tO9BFkW_4WOklAaRsmlKd/s400/IMG_6622.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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Like this guy who is on the side of the road cheering trekkers on donning a purple sequin beard, knee socks and a boom box. We had seen him the day before in a silver sequined beard and matching shirt that looked like thousands of diamonds when the sun hit it. </div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJbZTfx8chhGguG52tNb856piDMMcfCW0wz2Fs-vxQzdRrsRYHWRummRoBTwDiBHUfxzLRaPfFQUO06qjepEK63mua_AEc7Czl25esBgYzavEMcGNMNzN9hBtNA9ZsdoNcY44uHfPIKgN/s1600/IMG_6626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwJbZTfx8chhGguG52tNb856piDMMcfCW0wz2Fs-vxQzdRrsRYHWRummRoBTwDiBHUfxzLRaPfFQUO06qjepEK63mua_AEc7Czl25esBgYzavEMcGNMNzN9hBtNA9ZsdoNcY44uHfPIKgN/s320/IMG_6626.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9jFv4PsJ5uLRzSBa21Xhjg71ucGx6nmggPj5P9AMEL7xaHW5t1-dwN8aQj0ivC9OZ7V-gFLMqS877NgwLpRdCavl50X6HHdpwlO4JPLru2R_Vz0DzIgbBOe0Gtz2cDxY_BnpfUiB8Plt/s1600/team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="462" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9jFv4PsJ5uLRzSBa21Xhjg71ucGx6nmggPj5P9AMEL7xaHW5t1-dwN8aQj0ivC9OZ7V-gFLMqS877NgwLpRdCavl50X6HHdpwlO4JPLru2R_Vz0DzIgbBOe0Gtz2cDxY_BnpfUiB8Plt/s640/team.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The whole team at Colby College at the end of day 2. (I am not in my cycling gear because as soon as I get off my bike the first thing I want to do is take those clothes off.)</td></tr>
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Every year the person holding the question mark is my favorite. This woman listened to my tale of woe in Farmington about how there was no longer iced coffee at the finish line. After you ride 70 miles, coffee is kind of essential. She felt very badly to not know where to send us. Not ones to rest when caffienation is on the line, we finally found some on campus and went back to tell her. She was so thankful that we had figured it out so she would have the answer for other trekkers (after all she is holding the question mark).<br />
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When we got to Colby on the second day and I saw her I asked, "Where is the iced coffee?" and she laughed and said, "Where it was yesterday! In Farmington!"<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLKbtZE18ACljwQwvnW5M2192tJIzViXBmUFSqL4Xop9fl29WPiUkNiazOCPfSpwcLaRhPGJCPiWm0kQ7FMJsc_YULia7X15usEFdjbaXN5GEYShJnrRYYl21pGnvEO5Tkz6EYBt1rryB/s1600/IMG_6633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfLKbtZE18ACljwQwvnW5M2192tJIzViXBmUFSqL4Xop9fl29WPiUkNiazOCPfSpwcLaRhPGJCPiWm0kQ7FMJsc_YULia7X15usEFdjbaXN5GEYShJnrRYYl21pGnvEO5Tkz6EYBt1rryB/s320/IMG_6633.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Saturday night, dinner out!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMNGdLrIc65BA_jOF69WKe2apjkDq-vZC5TDFQx7sjE5zlc1V6tzq4CB5bgirH9_w-rhsQyshJY4kAlheekBnINvxYD8KCDRpHxiytpGP8yw8u9Smhfc14ad-Okm2pbsfRD9dlQ4jblzB/s1600/IMG_6643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMNGdLrIc65BA_jOF69WKe2apjkDq-vZC5TDFQx7sjE5zlc1V6tzq4CB5bgirH9_w-rhsQyshJY4kAlheekBnINvxYD8KCDRpHxiytpGP8yw8u9Smhfc14ad-Okm2pbsfRD9dlQ4jblzB/s320/IMG_6643.jpg" width="316" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYO9o4gCyyCoW13_mLj0b0y9ZdmBV-pVqKp6SZ3gZKCZrB0WggjBWOoScZhP190cD7JWW8Xf9rQ4moFX0-HulZtQ6YPd2n9tAWOnx4Xof9iO5sc4uR8MIHHSVSuPX_JjagPLEodKtprxkp/s1600/night+out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYO9o4gCyyCoW13_mLj0b0y9ZdmBV-pVqKp6SZ3gZKCZrB0WggjBWOoScZhP190cD7JWW8Xf9rQ4moFX0-HulZtQ6YPd2n9tAWOnx4Xof9iO5sc4uR8MIHHSVSuPX_JjagPLEodKtprxkp/s320/night+out.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
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And then before you know it, you only have 56 miles to go and you head out for day 3 and find your way to the ocean hoping the day doesn't go too fast.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtB8_6AIGME1qlhU2tOhhPVSYZWvRezPg_cCspL0yGgw1wgpYcluub3-7-V2A9fLNr_hbwbF9aPl81XoUJIfwN6xi6kmYvl9v7EPBb5-M_aWQ-wz3zobibXCUe8HMdhJ_VWLef5EGHVTq/s1600/IMG_6661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtB8_6AIGME1qlhU2tOhhPVSYZWvRezPg_cCspL0yGgw1wgpYcluub3-7-V2A9fLNr_hbwbF9aPl81XoUJIfwN6xi6kmYvl9v7EPBb5-M_aWQ-wz3zobibXCUe8HMdhJ_VWLef5EGHVTq/s400/IMG_6661.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Our teammate Stacey and Sandi</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gWiVRfVw6m31kKizu8MW-amQdAuOZtz3WrAR8SIirwKd-L8kKE9LtRRIpqpX9ssSuDJbbi9hrN9ebul9vliOgcU64UZvj1YF7PkXyK6cPVFLaIk9XDRd3O2VBw9s3M9kuM-ZG_LBcqud/s1600/IMG_6666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5gWiVRfVw6m31kKizu8MW-amQdAuOZtz3WrAR8SIirwKd-L8kKE9LtRRIpqpX9ssSuDJbbi9hrN9ebul9vliOgcU64UZvj1YF7PkXyK6cPVFLaIk9XDRd3O2VBw9s3M9kuM-ZG_LBcqud/s640/IMG_6666.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">A typical rest stop</td></tr>
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In addition to all of the usual delights at the rest stops (trail mix, oranges, apples, fluffanutters, PBJ, PB and banana sandwiches, all manner of granola bars, etc), this year there was the addition of the totally delectable <span style="color: purple;"><a href="http://www.bixbyco.com/" target="_blank">Bixby Bar</a>. </span>The company, founded by a young Maine woman, has its factory in Rockland, Maine and their product line is a huge up and comer on the health-food market and among foodies given the unique and high quality ingredients. The Bixby Bar was the talk of the Trek. My favorite was the Bing Cherry Chipotle Peanut bar. I've never had anything like it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIYhuzSN6uEnCTPGYhHlJT997efrT1GwcAoQXDcmvEgxTyQQFYeSKSy-hpdMwKTGx_lPIJQknAg1Mz8GppffeMkjbd7IshzN-RMLptSYjsDyDuNR2sWb_On78DIrOIeQHZ1MN0y66wIh5/s1600/bixby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZIYhuzSN6uEnCTPGYhHlJT997efrT1GwcAoQXDcmvEgxTyQQFYeSKSy-hpdMwKTGx_lPIJQknAg1Mz8GppffeMkjbd7IshzN-RMLptSYjsDyDuNR2sWb_On78DIrOIeQHZ1MN0y66wIh5/s320/bixby.jpg" width="272" /></a></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49gaO5CRzNLFIWgKCKm14MtNGX3sc4K9N8nZrRTDWIxECIzSQM8K4pdvGbs2_BfUZ_FvsJ39viB2P-djnsRM184-K3zZqP_bcZnI1Ewx1HN6duYKWC2BEe848K_lGSqVSLp2KvisTQf_v/s1600/IMG_6667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg49gaO5CRzNLFIWgKCKm14MtNGX3sc4K9N8nZrRTDWIxECIzSQM8K4pdvGbs2_BfUZ_FvsJ39viB2P-djnsRM184-K3zZqP_bcZnI1Ewx1HN6duYKWC2BEe848K_lGSqVSLp2KvisTQf_v/s320/IMG_6667.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">We saw this guy throughout the Trek and, although we never did learn the significance of the hot pink tutu, we wanted a picture with him. </td></tr>
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The last 10 miles of the Trek for me are some of the best of the ride. The route takes us on rolling back roads and the other cyclists (at least the ones we generally ride with) are happy and playful as we take turns passing each other on tired legs. Typically we pass the men on the hills and they smoke us with their momentum on the downhill so there is a lot of banter.<br />
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I spend these miles feeling immensely grateful and wishing time would slow down so it didn't have to be over yet. That is how much I love this ride and this time with my truly amazing wife.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvPPYJcOeVgWOXZRdDgR2Am-AnMQROoUdSDZmJyQz4ag3o9VDDOS1a-VwY7kr0MYNEVeQn5wRzr780Ei2TargIKI1PwhEfJEdn14YlGWcYlz5dYk-D3M-rezch6GcQUGQCmv7LIT6a_vj/s1600/IMG_6679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgvPPYJcOeVgWOXZRdDgR2Am-AnMQROoUdSDZmJyQz4ag3o9VDDOS1a-VwY7kr0MYNEVeQn5wRzr780Ei2TargIKI1PwhEfJEdn14YlGWcYlz5dYk-D3M-rezch6GcQUGQCmv7LIT6a_vj/s640/IMG_6679.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
Every year Sandi says, "I am going to train more next year so it will be more fun for me." And every spring life and work infer and she ends up doing only a couple of longer rides before the Trek. This year she didn't even get in the one 50 mile ride we always make sure to do. But, luckily, she is in amazing shape and can, somehow, hammer out 180 miles with a smile on her face.<br />
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I'm not sure what point I am trying to make here but as much as I wanted to delete this picture, it is too quintessential to not include it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJnBeyZE_pW32d9tOH6yAPrlQIVhj9m7-HRL5eGRb1w_SNA5WDE21zm-YSTpG1qINxmLV_C8P7iHpt_4lCTtg1icVf-_XSAMOm5cr_ex4x4NKF4YpBUSQbQJUHdeiM-AgQ-fhzXTwU97U/s1600/IMG_6681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNJnBeyZE_pW32d9tOH6yAPrlQIVhj9m7-HRL5eGRb1w_SNA5WDE21zm-YSTpG1qINxmLV_C8P7iHpt_4lCTtg1icVf-_XSAMOm5cr_ex4x4NKF4YpBUSQbQJUHdeiM-AgQ-fhzXTwU97U/s400/IMG_6681.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My mom surprised us at the finish line! She has been there almost every year (minus last year's monsoon) but I didn't think she would come this year. She has a little bit of Trek fever I think. The finish line is such a buzz of excitement and celebration and every person that comes across it must feel like they are incredible.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bXyXNqAbxzN5WkGzMnvh9FVwVm-6gDI0rsv1ZRg1tJ0z82Q7S5SJfKxtmf89B4xfMV-G86eDVciBiQjsqafuaM4pOtkZqULoaMnIdkDDGx2kmVTT17PyscAVK6ibWqJrY2TAWYN9ExME/s1600/IMG_6682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bXyXNqAbxzN5WkGzMnvh9FVwVm-6gDI0rsv1ZRg1tJ0z82Q7S5SJfKxtmf89B4xfMV-G86eDVciBiQjsqafuaM4pOtkZqULoaMnIdkDDGx2kmVTT17PyscAVK6ibWqJrY2TAWYN9ExME/s400/IMG_6682.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
You want to do it now right? You want to have all this fun and do something good? You want to meet cool people and get better acquainted with your under carriage? You don't have to be a fitness buff or even an avid cyclists. You can train to ride and take your time and be part of this truly phenomenal event. You will thank yourself.<br />
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You are going to sign up immediately and then go buy yourself a Bixby Bar to celebrate. Right?<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Zzlf0MR_811Vxz3BK_j5vp6IsQsT3V1262BC_bO1nxpVmkWWZBWm_WoLJjUsy2HxeV3xfWQ61kpDomuuEwzq97lGcBUHq8QEgTUVTzLSmPS4PAza0Qfzzhu59wSLf6n5z3qrCLqHnYFG/s1600/iced+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Zzlf0MR_811Vxz3BK_j5vp6IsQsT3V1262BC_bO1nxpVmkWWZBWm_WoLJjUsy2HxeV3xfWQ61kpDomuuEwzq97lGcBUHq8QEgTUVTzLSmPS4PAza0Qfzzhu59wSLf6n5z3qrCLqHnYFG/s640/iced+coffee.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Iced coffee in Belfast!</td></tr>
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-26718359888342109582016-06-16T10:40:00.000-04:002016-06-16T10:40:17.221-04:00swim, bike, run (and flip)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
We are trying to kind of sneak up on Maya with the introduction to her athletic prowess. She has it but she doesn't really know it. Because she is such a competitive kid she tends to shy away from doing anything where she is at risk of losing. Her determination has been better suited for individual endeavors which is why gymnastics seems to be a good fit for her. She has refused soccer, softball and basketball even though she shows promise with the skills of all of those sports.</div>
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When her drive and her skill click she will be a force. </div>
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But peer pressure can be a good thing. Her best friend Abby was going to do the Jr. Bears kids triathlon, would she like to do it too? She shrugged. "Sure." </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Maya might be the first person ever to do a triathlon with a full face mask.</td></tr>
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Now to say that Maya and Abby are cut from the same cloth would be accurate but not descriptive enough. It would more fair to say that when the black hole that exploded to create the universe, Abby and Maya were racing each other to the front of the line of creation, giggling and spanking each other's bums and making crazy faces while telling everyone else the best way to proceed at the dawn of time. </div>
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When Maya and Abigal (affectionately dubbed "Mabigal") are together, your stomach hurts from laughing, you think about things you never considered before, especially when these incredibly industrious and creative children have been quiet for any length of time (<i>they last went in the room carrying a jar of Peanut Butter, a map, some cotton balls, a flashlight and scissors...maybe I should check on them</i>) and you are searching for a glass of wine and some ear plugs.</div>
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While we were waiting for the race to start I took the girls into the indoor field house at the University of Maine to get some of their wiggles out. They ran to the other side of the track (because who doesn't sprint around a track 15 minutes before a race?) and I could hear them screeching with glee. I heard the distinct phrase, "Sandbox!" and looked up to see them flinging sand through the air like confetti. </div>
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It was the long jump pit. </div>
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Abby is Maya's first best friend and she couldn't have picked a better one. When Trish came downstairs the other day while I was making dinner she said, "Something smells good down here!" To which Abby replied, "Oh, it's probably me."</div>
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In short, Maya has found her soul mate. </div>
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The triathlon was two laps in the pool followed by a 1 mile bike ride and a 1/2 mile run. Parents could help their kids set up their transition spot but that was it. No help from us during the race. We were told before the start, "Parents, it is time to let go." I reluctantly did.<br />
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Sandi was on call and, sadly, got called into work as the National Anthem. I took videos of all three events but it was such a bummer that she had to miss it.<br />
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Maya is a speed demon in sneakers. I am not exaggerating when I say she is hard for me to beat when we race.<br />
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And I am flat out envious of her form.<br />
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So proud of these girls!!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Nothing like having your grandparents come and cheer you on!</td></tr>
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As if that weren't enough for one day, the afternoon was spent at the girls' end of year gymnastics show. Gymnastics had sort of taken over our lives this year and I have from time to time whined about it. But as I sat in the auditorium watching all the classes show their skills all the way up to the competitive team the girls are on, I was totally wowed by what they could do and how hard they had worked to get there.<br />
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My kids kind of amazed me on this day and that is great thing to experience from time to time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">More grandparents!</td></tr>
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When we stopped for ice cream on the way home there were some other people from the show there and they went out of their way to speak to the girls and tell the how impressed they were with their tumbling. The girls beamed, feeling like celebrities.<br />
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love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-60077547284294863532016-06-07T12:58:00.002-04:002016-06-07T12:59:30.268-04:00Burnt Island: best field trip ever<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At the parent curriculum night at the beginning of fifth grade, the teacher told us that the kids have the opportunity to go on an overnight field trip at the end of the year to Burnt Island. I was sold immediately and started collecting possibilities of how much fun that would be. </div>
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Fast forward through Ella's fifth grade school year: countless friendship dramas, gaining confidence that showed out in the world, a blur of gymnastics practices and meets, becoming a bold and skilled skier, becoming a bold and skilled preteen, getting a hand-me-down iPhone (wi-fi connected only) and losing it around every corner by perfecting the use of sarcasm and a well-placed eye roll and suddenly it was time to board the ferry to Burnt Island. </div>
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Ella and I would be tenting so I hauled all of our backpacking and camping gear out and got to work. Sandi said, "Have you ever put the tent up by yourself?" When we camp Sandi does the gear and I do the food and clothes and supplies. So the night before the trip, while Sandi was at work, the girls and I put the tent up in the living room. </div>
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It is actually really challenging to put a tent up in a small living room. </div>
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Maya said, "Are you sure I should be helping you? Because you know I am not going to be there when you actually have to do it?" Like we were going to be on Survivor or something. </div>
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Ella filled the backpack with only half her stuff in it and said, "It doesn't all fit, Mom." I took it all out and said, "Watch and learn, El." I rolled and smooshed into ever corner of the backpack. When it came time to shove her pillow and stuffed animal in there (both of which were contraband and we were told if you bring them, don't show them) I said, "You might want to look away. This won't be pretty for poor Daisy..."</div>
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Ella's young and energetic teacher (who ironically went on this very trip as a fifth grader himself) was a total rockstar making sure these kids had a safe framework that allowed them freedom to learn and explore. There were 27 students, 15 parent chaperones and 2 teachers. Talk about a robust adult to student ratio! As soon as the kids got off the bus he had them move around and then randomly get in a line and sound off, beginning with the number 1 and going up to 27. Periodically, as we would transition between activities, he would have them sound off to make sure everyone was accounted for.<br />
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I love stealing ideas from teachers. This summer I will be on the beach and say, "Sound off!" Maya will say, "One!" and Ella will roll her eyes at me.<br />
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Most of you who know me know that sometimes I struggle with having my primary identity being that of "Mom" and all the pedestrian parts of shuffling and shlepping and laundry and groceries and cleaning that go with it. I work hard to nourish my brain cells and feed myself outside of my mom role so I can be a successful and (mostly) present mom to our girls.<br />
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And then there are trips like this where I spend nearly every second in wonder and appreciation that I get to be mostly a mom, a mom who can spend 2 whole days and an overnight with my daughter on an amazing trip. It is way better than any paycheck I could receive. I am acutely aware of it when I have a dear friend and a wife who would ache to go on this trip but have to work.<br />
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So I just kept repeating the mantra: "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." In between texts to the various parents who I kept sending photos to of their kids having the time of their lives.<br />
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I was the parent rep for both Bella and Skyler:<br />
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Burnt Island is a 5 acre island off the coast of Boothbay. It has a small ferry to it and can be easily accessed by kayak. </div>
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The island is beautiful and enchanting and so alive with history. The keeper of the island, Elaine Jones, is one of the most dynamic women I have ever met. She knows every last wrinkle there is to be known about the history of the light, the ocean and creatures, the maritime history of the region and the long line of lighthouse keepers and their families. She is an excellent storyteller and I could sit and listen to her for hours. </div>
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When Sandi and I had kids we mostly gave up backpacking. I think we have been once in the past 12 years. I love this picture because Ella is wearing my backpack that she hauled around herself! Feels like coming full circle.<br />
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Tent status: we were able to put the tent up. Even without Maya. However, the fly was touching the tent which it shouldn't and can lead to a wet interior if it rains. I tried (for about 2 minutes) to problem solve that but was unsuccessful.<br />
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Not surprisingly, when I selected by tenting spot by its proximity to the bathroom, I failed to realize that I had set up it adjacent to the only grave on the island. For real.<br />
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We put the tent up and 5 seconds later Ella said, "I think I want to sleep in the bunk house with my friends."<br />
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And just like that I was camping alone on Burnt Island. In a tent that was improperly set up for the rain we, of course, had. No big deal. Everything was damp but no rain fell inside. I was quite pleased to wake up in the morning and find that my almost 40 year old body could still sleep on the ground in the damp and move just fine.<br />
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It is hard to describe how much fun this trip was. It was so well planned and executed that it was incredibly education while also being a total blast. The only complaint? It went by way too fast.<br />
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Elaine Jones is responsible for acquiring enough funding to build the Burnt Island Educational Center, complete with a dining room, kitchen and flush toilets as well as a bunk house upstairs. <br />
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Soon it was to the beach to dig up sand worms for fishing. The green crabs were just a bonus. </div>
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Turns out Bella was a little more freaked out by the sea life than Ella or Skyler. </div>
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Who doesn't love a tidal pool and all the creatures therein?<br />
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We did a GPS hike (like geocaching but rather than exchanging trinkets the kids traced symbols to prove they had been at the locations they were supposed to be at) that concluded with solving a bit of Burnt Island trivia to get the location of their final treasure (a bag of Skittles). <br />
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The kids learned a bit about lobstering and painted their own buoys.<br />
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The last day we did a very cool Amazing-race inspired hunt all over the island using compass navigation skills and decoding. They were split into teams of 4 and made their own flags representing each team member by their coded name. </div>
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While the kids were learning compass skills to use in the race I decided it would be a good time to hike back to the bathroom. As I was making my way back to the group, a cluster of parents were walking along with Elaine. I thought I would make myself useful and join these parents that were clearly on a mission. Turns out they were going to be in charge of the stations the kids would be visiting. Sounds good. Then Elaine says, "Is there anyone who wants to volunteer to float in the ocean in a survival suit so the kids can try to rescue you? You would be in the ocean for about an hour." </div>
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Come again? </div>
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Now I can be overly ambitious from time to time. But there are some things I just know I cannot do. Floating in the water, in the <i>ocean</i>, for an hour is definitely one of those. Swimming in a lake is sometimes one of those. I have an unexplainable, deep seated fear of my legs dangling in the water where fish and turtles and monsters could bite off my toes. I make myself do it but it isn't without some light hyperventilation, a lot of self-talk and a some true grit that I swim in a body of water with creatures in it.</div>
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Thankfully a very hearty dad was excited for the post and I was positioned on land (and near the coffee and the bathroom as luck would have it!). The kids had to decipher a "man overboard" code and find the right location to try to save the dad! It was the coolest. </div>
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Later, when this activity was all done I heard the teacher say a thank you to the parents who had volunteered for the "adventurous" posts. I realized that, while I would have totally volunteered for it anyway, I had found myself in the adventurous group quite by accident when I emerged from the bathroom. Turns out having a small bladder could get you into trouble if you aren't careful.</div>
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Hands down my favorite activity of all was going up into the lighthouse at night. As Ella's teacher said: most people never get to go up in a working lighthouse and if they do it almost would never be at night. It was the coolest experience to think about these lighthouse keepers, back before GPS and satellite and charts, climbing these narrow spiral stairs and keeping the light aglow for all the mariners of yesterday. The stories Elaine told us about the elements the keepers would have to brave during storms to keep ice off the glass so it could be seen by the sea gave me goose bumps. They would have to go out onto the tiny deck with its flimsy railing during hurricanes to maintain that light. </div>
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The light, a one inch bulb, looks enormous as it refracts through the glass. The windows of the lighthouse are red so when the light flashes every 6 seconds, it flashes red to the sea which indicates a specific message to the mariners (I think to take the island on the port side to slide safely into the harbor but don't quote me on that). </div>
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I practically had to be dragged from the island I loved it there so much.<br />
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Back on the mainland, we got to visit the Maine State Aquarium for a bit before boarding the bus. We saw both baby lobsters (c'mon...how cute are they?) as well as a 17 pound lobster they estimate to be 30-40 years old.<br />
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The girls were really wowed by the touch tanks and specifically the shark tank. Okay, I was really wowed too. </div>
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It has been a bumpy year, no doubt about it. But I look at this growing girl with such love and appreciation that I get to be her mother on this journey. Even if she would rather sleep with her friends in the bunkhouse than in a tent with her super fun mom. </div>
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It's all good. </div>
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-68370380428018356872016-05-05T22:19:00.002-04:002016-05-05T22:19:29.282-04:00pasta! pasta!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We have a child that loves pasta. Like REALLY loves pasta. As in when you ask if she wants anything special to eat over the weekend she says, "Pasta." When you ask what she wants for Christmas she says, "Pasta." And when you say you have a surprise for her later she says, "Is it a pasta party?"</div>
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Well, the joke was on her that day because it WAS a pasta party. I just didn't think she would guess it. </div>
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I have been wanting to make homemade pasta ever since I inherited my friend Martha's pasta maker five years ago. When we moved I decided not to pack it away with all of my other non-essential kitchen items because this was the year I would make pasta. This was the year the pasta maker joined the ranks of essential kitchen items.</div>
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(I mean, when you have a child that feels this way about pasta, isn't it sort of inevitable?)</div>
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I researched some pasta dough recipes and randomly picked one that seemed simple (the only ingredients were eggs and flour) and had good ratings. The success seemed to be in the execution. You place your flour on a wooden board, make a well in the flour and then crack the eggs into it, beating them and slowly incorporating the flour until you have a "shaggy" dough. (No you do not use the dough hook on your Kitchenaide mixer. I really wanted to but no recipes I read said that was okay and I wasn't going to be a wuss on my first attempt.)</div>
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Let me tell you, my dough was shaggy. It was a shaggy with a capital Shag. No amount of kneading by hand was making my shaggy mess into a cohesive dough. I added another egg in case mine "extra large" eggs hadn't, in fact, been large enough. I looked up another recipe and saw it called for adding water a teaspoon at a time if the dough was too dry. That sounded good so I did that. </div>
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The directions said the dough should be soft and silky. Mine was tough like leather and still crumbling around the edges. I wrapped it as instructed and waited the requisite 20 minutes. I think my dough recipe had some ratio issues.</div>
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Turns out 20 minutes can really work wonders. What I unwrapped wasn't exactly supple but it was at least dough. I pressed it into an oval-shaped disc and got ready to roll it through the pasta cranker. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnqAXkW8cX_llj-LhXXTKYlmQKvkEeKcI6Yi4JunsSbVvMnKur50gqmQCdWteEyaYFZdcFATKsl2tpVRgv-Hk0ttvsr9xh3mrDuIY_J3_uaNsGoIDXDsl-ecMndxzWpvj6WdIc_s8K8Ws/s1600/IMG_5626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwnqAXkW8cX_llj-LhXXTKYlmQKvkEeKcI6Yi4JunsSbVvMnKur50gqmQCdWteEyaYFZdcFATKsl2tpVRgv-Hk0ttvsr9xh3mrDuIY_J3_uaNsGoIDXDsl-ecMndxzWpvj6WdIc_s8K8Ws/s400/IMG_5626.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
You take several passes through the rollers, narrowing the passage each time until you have a thin line of dough. Then you can either pass it through the spaghetti or fettuccine setting or you can leave it as a thin sheet and then cut it with the super fun cutters.<br />
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I threw together some ravioli and a few random curly q's because they were fun. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdw3nS_rUSSL7ymwm-hxZuZDgX8aKs0nrgGnvXKmxN3vZvVPOdtElgEjhKTM-w3ioRI_rkL-GRD4OpqKKSm46WzFA7mzKkbalJVUELzo6QeYIELRzQhnZf7qtqhDiVg-yUL_fK8rz6YoB/s1600/IMG_5632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdw3nS_rUSSL7ymwm-hxZuZDgX8aKs0nrgGnvXKmxN3vZvVPOdtElgEjhKTM-w3ioRI_rkL-GRD4OpqKKSm46WzFA7mzKkbalJVUELzo6QeYIELRzQhnZf7qtqhDiVg-yUL_fK8rz6YoB/s320/IMG_5632.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmuOfcm6S8fuSRZAZpG3H5u_oGoLkutV3-tWOHkn8b_vK626gXH6_eOlR7n5YhELzm2Oq26IoTOm1lH1xicwhzIQ7s1t7SHi0OL4EuPgIZR3KJUrqx6dQaP8Y5ZbeVAOEwJzrmqqPozI8/s1600/IMG_5629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmuOfcm6S8fuSRZAZpG3H5u_oGoLkutV3-tWOHkn8b_vK626gXH6_eOlR7n5YhELzm2Oq26IoTOm1lH1xicwhzIQ7s1t7SHi0OL4EuPgIZR3KJUrqx6dQaP8Y5ZbeVAOEwJzrmqqPozI8/s320/IMG_5629.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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But by far the spaghetti was where there real fun was. It was like playing with a Play Dough maker but way better. After all, we were going to <i>eat</i> this stuff!<br />
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Maya was as excited as...well, as you would expect a pasta devotee to be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjX-npgdKDq1R_O6OsazHPLPOVxpQ9SoOPY65WERu0gQQ39XxUELxf9jYWNSN57DfxNlw6qXx438DxqvnJlbiy4GwG6aI5LqeII7mXFKJHBIsZqt13U4vPC8WiPQG0LHmkTvDD-Z6Wdr98/s1600/IMG_5690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjX-npgdKDq1R_O6OsazHPLPOVxpQ9SoOPY65WERu0gQQ39XxUELxf9jYWNSN57DfxNlw6qXx438DxqvnJlbiy4GwG6aI5LqeII7mXFKJHBIsZqt13U4vPC8WiPQG0LHmkTvDD-Z6Wdr98/s320/IMG_5690.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM8hwaYm_FqRRNGfx3XcPA3yB89j1zv4pKcxjJRa89VpauU6qbQrMwLJH6IbjTqEUd-n9EBNws4weCun3aonodM0T6zdUrby0o8b5nY9IMIBT3P3-bztJNDsXunpBlf1K2yg8ed-nk_Q1/s1600/IMG_5687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlM8hwaYm_FqRRNGfx3XcPA3yB89j1zv4pKcxjJRa89VpauU6qbQrMwLJH6IbjTqEUd-n9EBNws4weCun3aonodM0T6zdUrby0o8b5nY9IMIBT3P3-bztJNDsXunpBlf1K2yg8ed-nk_Q1/s400/IMG_5687.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Honestly, it wasn't nearly as labor intensive as I had expected. For sure, the rolled pasta took a lot longer. But once you make the dough, the spaghetti was super fast. From what I gather, you can make the dough ahead and keep it in the fridge for a bit as long as you let it come to room temperature before you roll it.<br />
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And it was crazy delicious. Ella had hers with marinara sauce but the rest of us loved the simplicity of butter, salt, pepper and fresh Parmesan cheese.<br />
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It turns out pasta makers aren't at all expensive. I saw some online for less than $30.00. If I were going to purchase one, though, I would buy one that attaches to the table or counter. I didn't have the three hands I needed to hold the pasta maker so it wouldn't flip over, turn the crank and guide the dough as it came through. It was far easier when I had a helper.<br />
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Mother's Day calls for another pasta party for sure. I am going to find a new recipe (there are some that have you add different flavorings- purees or herbs- to the beaten eggs before you incorporate them into the flour). I also really want to try my hand at one of my favorite things to eat, squash ravioli.<br />
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For Maya, it will always be about the pasta. She had the stomach flu last weekend and when she finally turned the corner, she asked for pasta. As she gobbled it down, I asked how her belly felt. She rubbed her tubby and said, all satisfied and contented, "Pasta fixes everything."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yjW2C0IfUdrFuVm3LYyHPy4dpUrFCRBrzN_RzXS7eUVwuN0y2RqSx3pyGM2RgDAF8cDYvRQ2XMx2R8iy_IKU6oMiuIQw0p0QrF7CVpThqBIetIG43OG5aT3Su13rbETSF32qaqscQCRs/s1600/IMG_5691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yjW2C0IfUdrFuVm3LYyHPy4dpUrFCRBrzN_RzXS7eUVwuN0y2RqSx3pyGM2RgDAF8cDYvRQ2XMx2R8iy_IKU6oMiuIQw0p0QrF7CVpThqBIetIG43OG5aT3Su13rbETSF32qaqscQCRs/s640/IMG_5691.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gotta love the t-shirt. So Maya.</td></tr>
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-74639287054067831122016-04-26T10:20:00.001-04:002016-04-26T10:20:50.587-04:00outside<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Maturity has taught me some essential things about myself. Among the long list is the knowledge that I am a creature who needs to be moving my body, ideally in a challenging fashion, every day.</div>
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I also need to be outside. Every day. Unless it is freezing or pouring. Then I am happy to be warm and dry inside. </div>
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The mild winter we had here in Maine didn't mute the arrival of spring in any way for me. Every moment of sunshine, every lawn bursting with green, every open window and every chance to be without a jacket has practically had me jumping up and down. </div>
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But more importantly, it has found me outside as every spring does. Cycling, hiking, running or playing with the kids. </div>
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Maya loves to hike so we have been in the woods or up a mountain every chance we get. I think she will go anywhere if we can take Jax.</div>
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I wonder if Jax is allowed at the dentist's office...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0BoTVSUemzm3x7aPVEP2cDU5UAzXORxdeHTrCByr9aXzRLrIR638JZckWd12PUQ1r2SFfgiLiMluIPgSfXsS_ohgNuiMRQNZP6DSa4zM9ujO5edI453_iny5-mUSM8NcyHZx_NfbEti6/s1600/IMG_5554-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0BoTVSUemzm3x7aPVEP2cDU5UAzXORxdeHTrCByr9aXzRLrIR638JZckWd12PUQ1r2SFfgiLiMluIPgSfXsS_ohgNuiMRQNZP6DSa4zM9ujO5edI453_iny5-mUSM8NcyHZx_NfbEti6/s640/IMG_5554-1.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maya, with her bestie Abby, at the top of Chick Hill</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkGWcU2JVpHaFm_mHsD0MvdcoOKfCBDbTet7BNHYu9hljOJzasWyaW7SYDGr1h26z2Gc518EbAqdRB3RnneAfPmEfC7JN9ai5IAOAVl2mt0TE8srbYwh-p6W2KgydTOVO73NuIMBKODmm/s1600/IMG_5558.JPG-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTkGWcU2JVpHaFm_mHsD0MvdcoOKfCBDbTet7BNHYu9hljOJzasWyaW7SYDGr1h26z2Gc518EbAqdRB3RnneAfPmEfC7JN9ai5IAOAVl2mt0TE8srbYwh-p6W2KgydTOVO73NuIMBKODmm/s640/IMG_5558.JPG-1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We got to hike in the Amherst Woods with the Smith's along a waterfall and it was so beautiful. And no bugs yet! This is the best time to be outside.<br />
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Who doesn't love dinner outside?<br />
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In other news, the girls successfully completed their competitive gymnastics season. It was amazing to watch them find their own groove, to watch them be brave in a crowded gym of competitors and spectators, to master once unattainable skills and nail them when it mattered and to assess which kind of braids hold up best under pressure. Super proud of our girls.</div>
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One of the best things I have done for myself in the past many months was to take an entire day when the girls were at school and hike Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park. It was every kind of good of me and was one of those experiences that made my whole life click back into place. </div>
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I am so very grateful to live in the beautiful state of Maine. </div>
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5873261834399811485.post-52696422918291253172016-04-25T14:40:00.001-04:002016-04-25T14:40:12.373-04:00the monkeys in the treesThis weekend we built a treehouse.<br />
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Sandi finished a 12 day work stretch on Friday and said, "Wouldn't it be fun to build a treehouse?"<br />
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Spring is the time when Sandi and I get the itch for outside projects. Without our house there are no landscaping projects to be done, no gardens to dig out, no rock walls or patios to construct. So a treehouse it would be.<br />
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It was going to be a small dwelling and we were going to use the scraps from Trish and Brock's home construction. But that idea lasted mere minutes and, two trips to Lowe's later, we were erecting the Taj Mahal of treehouses.<br />
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It is REALLY exciting to build a tree house. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6k6gdFPgMPj-udDGYK2cAz9qvS4mIyOjrXY0BVte2ffcpyALYtnF7XHer5H75Xnh8QpmI8ai1SpIoooqeK8K7DMa7RbYHns2chbJwcl9qvz2q9o6EimTtz903JozcEvpZ0kERFtMEjspF/s1600/IMG_5601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6k6gdFPgMPj-udDGYK2cAz9qvS4mIyOjrXY0BVte2ffcpyALYtnF7XHer5H75Xnh8QpmI8ai1SpIoooqeK8K7DMa7RbYHns2chbJwcl9qvz2q9o6EimTtz903JozcEvpZ0kERFtMEjspF/s320/IMG_5601.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">getting ready for tire swing install</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">making a treehouse sign under close supervision from Jax</td></tr>
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Except when it isn't. </div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Ella kept saying, "Is it me or is this taking a LONG time?" I'm not sure where she gets her timeframe but we figure it took us about 9 hours over 2 days, minus the time it took to get materials. That doesn't seem unreasonable when you are a kid and you get a treehouse this awesome. </span><br />
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Our brother-in-law Brock made a few guest appearances to torment Maya (he loves to tease her call her "cute" and she loves to growl at him and say, "I'm NOT cute!" which is the cutest thing of all) and loan us various tools.<br />
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Sandi and I are at our best when we can work on a project together, especially if it's outside where we are both happiest. </div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I am often given jobs were my propensity toward error will be of little impact. Sandi had me spacing, leveling and pre-drilling the screw holes to attach the railing. This was a big deal for me to get this job. At one point when I drilled two holes that were clearly not level with each other, I called down to her from the trees, "So you know how the Native Americans intentionally leave small imperfections in their artwork as an act of humility?" </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">There was a small pause followed by her reply: "Oh, great." </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">The girls got to use the drill and they were PSYCHED. Who doesn't love to drill screws? It is so satisfying. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Brock had a bunch of composite railing slats that he had gotten on clearance and wasn't going to use so we scored big time. Isn't every treehouse made with composite decking?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuVN7LwW2ytC6CdxQixZNGTpHdMJBrYA2H8n6FviCleJwkgicFJJoivqwvbpG5fcd_RLOB8q6V8IlRKmxcNZP7_fVwea_r1DNUwFAyIshYSARwZUFW5qatNEEytncxgKX7T_PYy7TD9f7/s1600/IMG_5642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuVN7LwW2ytC6CdxQixZNGTpHdMJBrYA2H8n6FviCleJwkgicFJJoivqwvbpG5fcd_RLOB8q6V8IlRKmxcNZP7_fVwea_r1DNUwFAyIshYSARwZUFW5qatNEEytncxgKX7T_PYy7TD9f7/s640/IMG_5642.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
I never had a treehouse as a kid. It is the coolest thing. I was sitting with my back to one of the trees that comes up through the floor and as the wind blew, I could feel the trunk shift against my back.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">treehouse selfie</td></tr>
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Happy kids = happy moms.<br />
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It was only 46 degrees on the second day and I was in desperate need for hot coffee. I asked the girls if they wanted to have hot chocolate in the treehouse. YES. They were so excited they offered to pack a picnic for us. Ummm...sure. </div>
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They came out with every snack cracker in the pantry as well as a tub of frosting and 4 spoons. There were multiple levels of letting go on my part.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbERpE6Xj8HFrE8h1mac2tXPaS0vDzzLRw4PhYzJsYJWFnyPdW6AhaTraSYEi85bWFgH-L_x83SAhMfcOXMzyMkOSmO4Cs0N9ERpJfczDl41dqCqHu60yG037Bn0kPZGqJ6ntWLzG88QsW/s1600/IMG_5643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbERpE6Xj8HFrE8h1mac2tXPaS0vDzzLRw4PhYzJsYJWFnyPdW6AhaTraSYEi85bWFgH-L_x83SAhMfcOXMzyMkOSmO4Cs0N9ERpJfczDl41dqCqHu60yG037Bn0kPZGqJ6ntWLzG88QsW/s400/IMG_5643.JPG" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug1oU9UWrC2Z0xe8_T1JbUxRW2bhp6QtkjUEKnvOUYXTYlPOrOXERb62Wr29FCX5wvSgtAxgM9NzenaMLs9nDnpA452X6NoSfXybZPAHTQcp0_Vs1fwoTUMunPHykspXSAn1SNRbg_Uvg/s1600/IMG_5641.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjug1oU9UWrC2Z0xe8_T1JbUxRW2bhp6QtkjUEKnvOUYXTYlPOrOXERb62Wr29FCX5wvSgtAxgM9NzenaMLs9nDnpA452X6NoSfXybZPAHTQcp0_Vs1fwoTUMunPHykspXSAn1SNRbg_Uvg/s320/IMG_5641.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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All done!</div>
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It was truly one of the best family weekends we have had in a very long time. The kids were happy, helpful and appreciative. It felt like we had really settled into our new (temporary) place now that the kids have a place to play outside.<br />
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Our friend Ange said: "Treehouse before real house?" Yup. That's just how we do things.<br />
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<br />love is written herehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13018008596762465057noreply@blogger.com1