You Made 2015 A Standout Year

He learned to walk by running, not much has changed. With his arms stretched back like a cape, he took off. I like to catch him some days. Here are five fun things he loved learning in 2015 and that show his amazing style.

1. Drawing anything 

2. Jumping rope

3. Surfing - in Hawaii!

4. Hitting a home run 

5. Listening to his brother

*** Cheers to 2016!

Six Years Old

I rushed to pack our bags so we could drive to the party before the afternoon storm. The cousins rode in the back, two of them ate fries and watched a movie, and the other one slept. White fog moved toward us from the west. “How much longer,” he asked more than once during the trip. We were halfway there then 30 minutes away. On the back roads into town, snowflakes hit the windshield. I opened the car door, they ran into the wharehouse, ready for pizza and jumping.

Family Times

We bundled up and drove to the rink. At the party, every spot was filled. We waited a few minutes for more family members to arrive then fit our soup into the space. I wrapped the white elephant gifts, picked up the skates, and walked inside. Festive silver garland looped along the trees and my sisters wore either glittery nail polish or an eggplant sweater. I said Merry Christmas and we exchanged pleasantries as I ate soup. Connor's eyes flitted around the room noting the lights, boxes, and six types of soup sitting along the counter. I stood at the counter ten minutes or so, long enough for my gifts to be picked and opened and to notice how many faces were happy and quite possibly just loved ones.

Habits

W 4-1

He had gotten into the habit of winning small games with unsuspecting teams. Park City in the fourth game of this season or defending off any hope they had of scoring, depending on where he happened to be at the time. Close to bedtime, he discovered three years filled with hockey shots on my phone. I needed to upload and file the photos but hadn’t yet. I was at the kitchen sink washing the blueberry bowl and hot chocolate cup, when he wandered off. A minute later, I found him sorting through the printed photos I'd placed in scrapbooks, ready to post them elsewhere when I turned away.

Ski Day

I still had toys to pack away and laundry to do. Instead, we drove to the slopes, in and out of mixed pines, done up in colored lights. Can't feel my face by the Weeknd on the stereo. Down at the lift, a teenage kid was breakdancing at the shack. He gave me the thumbs up on our way to get lunch.

Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times.

If one only remembers to turn on the light. - J.K. Rowling

Turkey roasted in the stove. Wrapping paper pieces covered the rug. Twenty minutes later, I heard the boys playing hockey. This is the moment on the radio. Airplane overhead. Ocean waves in my head. After a few minutes, I picked up trash. We pointed at the Christmas cards on the door and Markus talked about who was in each. I wondered what he would remember later on.

Christmas Day.

Christmas day. Up at 8:30 am with Marko. Stayed in bed another hour, restless. He surveyed the tree and made guesses as to what each package held and told me who was getting what. I busied myself with breakfast preparations: Nutella French crepes for him, oranges for me. Then the others woke. Presents opened, Christmas music played, and a quick bath. Drove up the canyon in the snow for some Christmas snowboarding before driving to Heber followed by a hilarious game of Catch Phrase. Christmas siesta . . . we could have used one. Are the dogs fighting? Oh my.

Happy Always

Yesterday, they snowboarded to the moon and back in a borrowed board and boots. Turns out the ones we have are all too small. No cavities club at the dentist. Broomball with the team. Crispy granola and cookies made as snack. One day and counting.

It's almost here

Winter solstice. It was the longest night in the history of time. Until, it wasn’t. 1912 - Earth sped up over the years instead of slowed down with factors like the moon’s gravity and its tidal pull. Still, there was reason to celebrate despite the report's misreport. Though it wasn’t the longest night in history, it was still the longest night this year. It began with snow and ended with shopping and gingersnaps.

Pancakes

The coaches and I followed each other around all morning. The searching and undoing of pancakes, eggs, and unshowered hockey players. Our shadows joined at the seams.

Make the most of winter...

• Build a snowman
• Stay in my pajamas all day
• Go sledding 
• Sleep in a cozy cabin 
• Go ice skating outside 
• Spend a snowy day watching movies
• Make a handmade gift
• Play hockey in the snow
• Kiss someone at midnight
• Visit a children's museum
• Ride a snowmobile
• Throw confetti
• Walk in a winter wonderland
• Send a care package to a soldier
• Plan a spring vacation
• Wear something that sparkles
• Catch snowflakes on your tongue
• Relax in an outdoor hot springs
• Write a letter to a friend
• Wear fuzzy slippers

{Go Snowboarding}

{See a play}

{Take up a new hobby}

{Stay out late and go to breakfast }

{Read a book}

{Workout indoors}

{Try a new restaurant}

{Go to a professional sporting event}

{Bake Cookies}

{Drive around and look at Christmas Lights}

{Catch up with friends at a cafe}

{Volunteer during the holiday season}

{Sort old photos}

{Spend time with family}

{Attend a game night or better yet the Love Olympics!}

{Live in the moment}

{Host a winter party}

{Pay it forward}

{Try a new soup recipe}

{Watch a marathon of Downton Abbey}

{Plan a weekend getaway}

{Sit by a fire}

{Have a snowball fight}

We Are What We Repeatedly Do

Excellence, then is not a habit, it is a way of life. - Aristotle

The big hockey player walked over to the rink with an open attitude. He surveyed the area. Anyone looking? Not really. He slid on the snow, soft at first then gradually built momentum before he sild on it like a penguin in the Antarctica. Slip, sliding, away . . . He gave me a sly look and continued to play, his whole body in the dance.

5 Minutes a Day

After I left work and sat in my car, I was told it was the best day ever. They went to see Star Wars. They played hockey with each of their teams and lightsabers then danced. Version tried unsuccessfully to turn the baby, the IV wouldn't run. The spinal dropped her blood pressure. I opened iodine and watched blood filter through the suction. It’s much simpler than we realized. Both mom and baby survived. Thankfully. 

Never go to bed without a plea to your subconscious...

Doctor today told me that he asks that he won't harm any of his patients. 

Nothing worth having comes easy

After cleaning up a little around the house for most of yesterday, I decided a car ride was in order. Chances were good Morgen would be done with his final and I could watch Max practice. Both happened. In between we drove to a coffee shop after picking Morg up from school. I stood in awe. I watched him finish folding his laundry and as he told me he finished this semester with a 3.85, I tried to find my words, pick up his books, and balance a hot cup of hot chocolate. Forget traditional superheroes, in that moment, I wanted to tell him that I was completely, totally proud of him, a young man who destroys evil, has his name on the dean's list, and is invited to two honor societies. I could have used extra arms to hug him tigther plus a banner.

Moments Like This

I had errands and holiday shopping to do downtown so I listened to a voicemail message while popping in and out of Max's school counselor apt. I walked by the stair well and saw who was singing in the halls: the school choir standing in bundles and singing Handel's Messiah, the acoustics of the halls, along with students scattered on their way to class. I stopped to get a closer look just as the last part of her message played. “Call me when you can,” she said. Her voice was high- pitched and reedy. Doctor K's nurse. “Some abnormal results.” It was the last thing I expected her to say.

Sledding by Moonlight

I baked a pan of cookies for snacks and cooled them on a rack when it seemed like twelve minutes had passed. I didn’t bother to set the timer while they cooked and I wrapped presents in the other room. I relied on gut instinct and smell. It seemed impossible to be in two places at once anyway and the nerve-racking echo of the oven timer couldn’t be reckoned with. When I finished, we went back to the kitchen. He was hungry and refused the ramen I made earlier. I offered cheese, which he readily ate so made a cheese quesadilla for him. As the cookies cooled, I diced lettuce and croutons then the chicken and mixed them in a clear bowl with chunky sea salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. A scoop of salad was topped with chicken and onto a small plate. Marko sat in his chair stuffing quesadilla triangles into his mouth. All done, yes. I cleaned up and he got dressed in his snow pants. I held his sled in one arm and my hot chocolate in another. I half walked half drank and I couldn’t say how it happened exactly, but the thermos slipped from my hand and spilled on the snow atop the hill. Uh oh, he said. On to sledding.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

It worked. He fell asleep in the chair after coming home from school and work. I cranked up the heat and christmas music popped open a yogurt, and wrote. Snowflakes soared wildly in the wind. Sun slipped by. I remembered a movie scene I wanted to watch: wood paneling, purple ball gown, so close, red apples on the floor, the wicked witch who walked through the door at 11:59 pm. My phone rang. We made evening plans then I asked him what he wanted after weight class. The more protein the better, he said. Hmm, good to know. That after sixteen years.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

I tried to leave for work early before breakfast and almost arrived over an hour later. Then Morgen needed new contacts again. Up and down and back up with new ones. We talked about school, fighting terrorists and societies fixation on materialism. Dinner came early. Sushi, rice, avocado. I cleaned up and he went back to school. Then the shower and me teaching skating to them. I didn’t sleep much, Max didn’t say much. So it went.

Captivating

By 4 pm, I needed a nap in the car ride. Marko came home from hockey and fell asleep, so I went to sleep for a second. Hour later, I made plans for the Strip, a tour of famous downtown Vegas. I parked at Cosmopolitan. The Aria captivated me. “Do you need some help?” “Uh, no thanks.” The answer sounded weak. I started to get photos of these three together but it was just the beginning. Episode two played out on the way home at 1am. I finally got the hype.