Pizza

Staff Treats could mean many things. Today it meant pizza. The kind people who manage us decided it was a stress lunch day.

This post is dedicated to Anonymous Provider, Co-Worker of the Year. I have never laid eyes on such decadent free pizza. Entering the break room can make anyone feel like a kid in a candy store.

1. Veggie-licious: not your run-of-the-mill vegetables. Lovely mushrooms, joyous peppers, jamborees of artichokes...
2. Hawaiian-icious: pineapple-covered and non-pineapple-covered...
3. Salad-icious: rich, individually-wrapped salads, dressings of every persuasion, luxurious red tomatoes enveloping soft, buttery lettuce...

Thank you, Anonymous Provider!

Bits

1. Eyes, closed. ‘Sweet dreams.’ ... ‘Hello again.’ Short, but effective, nap.

2. Hands, also closed, catching... ‘Good job.’ ‘Grand Slam’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Thanks!’ Double header, but only first half, softball.

3. Ears, open. ‘Thanks for listening.’ ‘Anytime.’ Short, but effective, conversation.

Tea Rose

1. Arriving: to my job, boss greeting me with a hug.

2. Sharing: Max's Snapchat, asking me to dinner, he'll pay.

3. Watching: relaxed, fed, on a warm evening, across the city. My son looks up Wonder Woman on his phone and when he invites me to go with I spy recliners for all the seats in Holladay.

Hearts

1. Sandwiches. Pre-planned picnic with hockey family in the season opener.
2. Roast Beef (in bread). Friendly last-minute dinner for Morgen.
3. Running Shoes (brand new). Overnight he has decided to be a runner including the clothes.

More Summer

25 more days of Summer

1. ¡Hola! Jumping into his cousin's homecoming from Peru y su madre en el banco. 

2. ¡Hola! My son's girlfriend and I served up dinner of chicken, potatoes, gravy, salad, bread and berries.

3. ¡Hola! ‘I'm so excited to have you be a senior this year. Just let me know if I can do anything to help!’

Injuries

1. Listening to my sons' voicemail messages to me.

2. Bicycle ride through a tucked-away golf course. Learning afterwards that his shoulder took a hit when the NJ team boarded him. He's out for the rest of the tournament. 

3. PPV, for discovering why people pay to watch an Irishman punch an American. Markus and his teammates ran up the 'Rocky' steps to celebrate. 

Double OT Win

1. Cole, Cameron, Victor. Meeting friendly new players.
2. Stanley. I received a bunch of texts from the hockey moms in Philly. Markus is on, watch out!
3. Unknown. Hot-t-t on the double overtime 3 on 3 was Markus, Jared and Victor.

Three Things: Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a slice of England in North America. Good things from there:

1 Jersey's. Size that dad ordered: Youth Large. Size that he actually wears: Mens Large. You can also buy the correct size jersey if you get in touch with the right people (luckily before the team manager left on his flight). Liberal thinking embodied in attitudes such as, ‘The world will not end if you don't have your jersey.’

2 Hockey. August 24: An extra holiday, after being in school (for three whole days), presumably to enjoy the beautiful flight, beautiful city and beautiful rinks...

2b ...and beautiful players. Another excuse after getting called off work to launch oneself into the Philly hockey tournament. ‘Thank you for taking Markus while I stay here not working...’

3 Morgen. Reading, writing a paper and snap chatting at the same time. There is no one like him anywhere else. If you’ve never imagined this stuff, drive over on your next free weekend!

Merci, Kinyon, pour votre perspective.

Weekend Before Last

1. Warm gesture: My son was extra nice and brought me back a ring and a magnet, which I really needed for my fridge. 

2. Warm email: I got to be happy for someone else, whose good news included being invited to go to California, ‘Greetings and sunshine!’

3. Warm puppy: I hugged the fresh, hot from running at the dog park pup, up against my almost healed head and face.

Eclipse of 2017

1. Before: Marko needed to be at school at 7:30am, first day of 9th grade. 

2. During: won a pair of glasses from Max.

3. After: Morgen, watched it with some new colleagues at his first day back at the U since May.

Fields of Gold

Today was a miscellany of goodies. Here are just three:

1. Video clip sent, ‘This uplifts me so much, It also reminds me of similar feelings I have had while witnessing this same divine spark in each of you as you've used the forms of art you have all worked so hard to develop. You have all blessed my life through that creation and communication. This video made me want to take a moment to thank each of you for those moments of beauty, shared through the years. We need more of those in this world, don't we? Enjoy! Kate.' Which inspired me to share this one with her. 

2. Searching on YouTube for this video that still gives me goosebumps and brings me to tears even 15 years after watching her in person at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Watching link after link, two other programs catch my eye, pulling me back to when I dated the same man in 1990, before he coached Michelle to her World Championship in 2003, cranking up the music from the screen and belting out at the top of my lungs, ‘Here we are now, entertain us. I feel stupid and contagious...’

3. Then, watching him before he was Michelle Kwan's coach. If you can, take five minutes to watch them. They are AMAZING. Thank you, Kate!

back to school feast 2017

1. A certain nurse at a certain night shift agreed to help me out with feeding my babies, they were all hungry at once.

This year's back to school feast menu included:
montreal rib eye steaks served with rice pilaf and orzo pasta, vine ripened tomatoes seasoned with dill from my herb garden, cucumbers from the farmer's market, green grapes, made from scratch bread, ripe red strawberries and ice cold lemonade.I can't forget to mention the brownie sundaes for dessert.

2. A certain Morgen talked me through some of his romance issues.

3. A certain little son did some recording (playing on the recorder) for me (‘My Heart Will Go On,’ ‘Concerning Hobbits’) and, much to our shock and concern, reproduced a little hip-hop lyrical: ‘Feels!’ He was clueless; it was hilarious. (This forever solves the to-play-or-not-to-play issue as far as I'm concerned.) We almost convinced him to play, ‘I'm The One!’ 

53:12

1. 53:12 - Length of conversation with Marko, a morning philosopher before he even gets out of bed.
2. 70.00 - Percent discount on a new blue helmet, just for asking.
3. 99.99 - All I paid for a pair of $850 hockey skates!

Morgen, my son part III: Happy Feet

Some of you know Morgen's been staying on the good side of the courts. We're looking at meeting with his counselor instead of a probation officer every 3-4 months, with possibility for early release. I wanted you to get to know him as a person - and now I am sharing him with you!

1. My son works at his job at People-ready in a LA Dodgers hat.
2. He also bought tickets to DAS with his birthday money from me. {He bought new clothes for school on Monday and got his haircut with his money from work.}
3. My son dances with Il Skipo at 6:30 every night.

7 Truths

Write Seven Truths On My Blog

This is my first - and maybe only - such game. I'd like to write more, but I'm going with seven random facts about our home that we moved into twenty years ago today. 

Here goes:

1. I am the proud owner of this home in only 120 more payments

2. who loves sitting on the porch swing and watching my boys play

3. and it has been repainted three times.

4. Once, before we finished off the scraggly basement, Morgen took his fingerprints to the white carpet in the living room. (How would you feel?) Red, yellow and blue handprints. In hind site, I could've just framed his cute little handprints. I had a heck of a time explaining to him why I was replacing the carpet.

5. I used to come take pictures every week while it was being built.

6. I have one memory of being inside before we moved in, with Morgen drinking his sippy cup and climbing up the stairs.

7. What I love most about my home are the people inside it. You knew that, right?