I Was Born in a Small Town

And I can breathe in a small town... Community events all weekend. Dance on Main Street. Omelette feed at the school. Fly-in breakfast at the airport. Parade. Games in the park. Tie-dye t-shirts at the library. Cousins. Family. Special. 

Traveling Uncle Matt is Back!

Great to have Uncle Matt here for a couple of days before we headed back to Nebraska. Movie in the park, pizza at the pool, and some cards before bed. 

He was also a GREAT help in getting the boys to and from camp. So glad to have him stay with us! And great that he and Marshall have a couple good days alone. Really hope that will be my two boys someday. 

Dad Came Home!

With gifts! So glad to have him home!! 

Happy Paul Bunyan Day!

Amateur Bike Hour

Well, I survived the 10 mile bike ride to and from work in support of bike to work day. There were 3 of us and my co-worker Jeremy was a great and patient guide. He took us on the route I had no idea existed - through farmland and open space. It was beautiful, exhausting, and hot. On the way home, I'm sure the cars passing me thought I might fall over I was going so slowly. And the people on their road bikes were probably wondering what I was doing.   

But I made it. I probably won't be biking to work anytime soon, but I hope it inspires me to bike more. (And I have a lot more respect for the Tour de France participants.) 

Weekend Wrap-up

Busy Saturday with a relaxing Sunday. Sleepovers (for me and D-man). Good girlfriend chats. Pizza at the pool. T-man enjoying having a dog in the house. Breakfast on the patio. Discovering our new flowers. More time at the pool. Butterfinger pie. Lovely. 

Camp Chief Ouray

Two boys are home sleeping in their beds. The house is a little more full than it had been. And while T-man "wanted to leave D-man at camp for 30 years," all I heard was laughter and playing in the car and at home (and a couple tears of course). Ha. 

I can't really do D-man's camp stories justice - those are his to tell. But, I think it is safe to say that he had a very good time as he is already talking about going back next year. 

To wrap up camp, the kids paraded past us all and then we joined them for closing ceremonies. Each group was quickly showcased as the y threw their "camp magic" into the fire for the next session. We then all joined in a giant "friendship circle" and sang "Taps" (or in my case, hummed). We then got our campers and D-man was crying. He said it was the sun in his eyes, but I think it was the emotion of the end of camp. He didn't  want hugs from me or T-man. 

He talked the majority of the way home about camp (when he wasn't messing around with his brother). We got McDonald's for dinner on the drive home (D-man said he thinks this camp was meant for him to lose weight). And took a good shower before bed - man, this kid was filthy, sunburned, and had open wound (I think from the back pack rubbing on his neck all week). 

It sounded like a great experience, but I'm glad the house is full with my 2 boys. Just one more to go. 

And why is D-man wearing a box? It was Medieval week at camp. :)

http://www.youtube.com/embed/UwFZsX_aCt0?feature=player_detailpage

Letters from Camp

So excited to get letters from camp finally! It's actually one letter in two envelopes and I loved them both. 

Quotes to highlight: 

- I miss you a little bit. 

- we sang Drew's song. 

- my sleeping bag was wet and had a layer of ice. (Outdoor sleepover with no tent). 

- the food is not that good, but it is etible. 

- I made some armor for midevil week. 

Pit Stop

Not a bad place to take a bathroom break. Getting closer to our boy. 

Lego Camp

T-man went to Lego Camp this week. Star Wars in the morning and Adventures in the afternoon. I think this was a great camp for him because it was small and really focused on being creative with Legos. There were only 4 Kids in the before-and-after care sessions. 

T-man enjoyed showing me his creations in the "Museum" at the end of camp. It was great to be there to celebrate his accomplishments. 

Pool Time

An evening at the pool with friends. What we both needed. (And pretty nice to have the pool to ourselves). 

Special Times with Number 2

With Marshall and D-man gone, it is a special week for me and T-man. We've dined al fresco together every night. We took a bike ride each of the last two nights and tonight we are baking cookies and going to have a slumber party in the guest room. Really enjoying this special time with #2. 

Sleep Away Camp

Yesterday, T-man and I dropped off D-man at Camp Chief Ouray outside of Winter Park. Be jade he was so organized, packing up didn't take too much time. He had told me the night before that he was nervous. Of course! 5 nights away from home with no family is no small feat! 

After we checked his stuff and got a health screening (he was running a low grade fever), we headed to his very rustic cabin. I tried to talk him through things he might need to know (hang up your towel, put your shoes under your bed, tell the counselors if you need your allergy medication), but I, of course, was thinking of other things I should have told him. I know he will have a great time - just hard to believe he is old enough to do this! 

Last night, I got the following note from a mom of one of D-man's friend he spent the afternoon with on Saturday. 

"I had so much fun getting to know D-man. He and I had a great conversation at the pool--he was very "adult" in his ability to communicate. He's a great kid and you guys should be really proud of the wonderful young man he is."

It made me miss him even more, but also confirmed what I already knew - he will be just fine. 

Happy Father's Day from Afar

Unlike many families, we didn't celebrate Father's Day today. We "celebrated" (and I'm saying that very loosely) on Tuesday night before Marshall took off for Thailand. He got home around 8 and we had a couple of gifts and cards for him.  The boys enjoyed watching Gangnam style videos with Marshall. 

Fortunately, we did chat with Marshall briefly today and wished him a happy Father's Day. And Marshall had a pretty good day (and adventure). See picture of his location. We are all very fortunate to have such a wonderful man complete our family. Happy Father's Day from half way around the world. We love you. 

Poppin' Tags

D-man's first sleep over camp starts tomorrow. Not surprisingly, he is living by the packing list and we have been on the hunt for all the items. This led us to Goodwill. What a find! We got 8 items for under $25. It also allowed me he opportunity to buy T-man some "new" items (see picture) as D-man is getting so many things. We will be off to Target to finish this list this afternoon. Wish me luck convincing him that we don't have to have EXACTLY what the list says. :) 

Movie in the Park

Food trucks. Wine in a water bottle. ET. Two boys driving me nuts. Small town feel. All good. 

Just Leaning

I just finished reading "Lean In" by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, on the recommendation of my old boss at work. I don't know that I would have read it, but she highly recommended it (and we are going to have a book club discussion on it). 

I have to say that I really enjoyed it. As I read the book, I found myself saying,"yup, I have felt like that." "Yes I have done that." It was just nice (and at the same time sad) to know that even one of the most influential women in the world has had the same thoughts and feelings about being a working Mom. 

The book cites a ton of research that is both eye opening and depressing. I know that I am fortunate to have a a flexible job. But, I know I need to "lean in"ore. I need to ask for projects. I need to get out  of my comfort zone. Because as I know, stretch assignments and projects are an opportunity to grow. You have to be willing to take risks. You have to know that you do know more than you think  you do. You have to participate. You have to stick up for and support all women in their choices - even if they aren't choices I would have made. And I have to know that a ton of work has been done, but there is much more to do.  And that having it all really is a myth. 

I am fortunate. I am lucky. According to Sheryl these are very female things to say. But, I do think I am all of these things, but also know that I have worked hard and done good work to get where I am. I just need to remember that. 

So sometimes I'm leaning in. Sometimes I'm leaning out. and sometimes, I'm probably leaning sideways. But, the lesson for me is that i need to actively do my leaning and not leave it up to others. For many, many reasons, I can  be happy that I have the opportunity to lean in any direction. 

24 Blissful Hours

I arrived in Minneapolis last night at 7:30 and I'm catching the same flight number - just 24 hours later. The little stopover provided a wonderful time with my sister and her family. Chatting, laughing, relaxing, baby time, a walk around the lake, happy hour outside with the boys. A great, great day. What a beautiful family. 

Congratulations to the Marshall family! (I wrote the draft of this blog in the airport while waiting for my flight. Love that Jacki's blog read almost the same. :) 

Surviving Conferences

Conferences are interesting. Lots of waiting around. Filled in with shots of busy. No daylight and lots of free stuff. 

Fortunately, I did get out for dinner both nights with coworkers. I also enjoyed a few minutes each morning out by the river. I never got to the lake unfortunately. But, I'm excited that I'm wrapping up this trip in Minneapolis!