May 31 ~ That wow moment

This morning, the sun was shining and the coffee was strong.   I love leisurely mornings before things get kicked in gear.

May 30 ~ Porch conversations

Sitting at a friend's house on the porch listening to a storm roll in was the perfect way to wind down on a Friday night.

May 29 ~ Blue

Blue hydrangea on a rainy afternoon.

Late afternoon summer storms are the best!

May 28 ~ That look

Eyes may be the window to the soul but her eyes were pleading for me to stop watering the plants and play "Happy" so that we could dance.

I obliged.

The other song that she loves?  Whip It.  It cracks me up to hear the girls singing along to Devo.

May 27 ~ Cool cat

Smokey from next door likes to visit from time to time.  Mili seems to sense when he is out there and barks and barks.  Smokey doesn't care.

There are times when Smokey sits on the stone wall just to taunt the dog.  Poor Mili is way out of her league with this kitty.

May 26 ~ Memorial Day

My attempt to be patriotic involved berries and bananas on skewers in the shape of a flag.  I saw it on Pintrest -- so not an original idea by me.

I do appreciate all the men and women who have served our country.   Happy Memorial Day!

May 25 ~ Content

I wanted to take a picture of Mili but she was uncooperative.  She ran off with her treat and then peed on the floor.

Have I ever mentioned that she gets treats for breathing?

May 24 ~ A wing and a half and a prayer

The girls played in the inflatable pool while I worked in the yard all day.  It was a perfect day full of sunshine, water, and ice cream!

After baths, the girls wanted to say good night to the flowers.  Julia spotted the lady bug who was missing half a wing resting on a leaf.  After many questions, I made up a story of adventure and peril but they didn't believe me.  I may or may not have gone a little overboard at the mention of Lilly Ladybug teaming up with Spiderman.

May 23 ~ Another one bites the dust

All the teachers came out to wave and cheer as the students loaded the school buses for the last time this school year.  I'm not sure who was more excited -- the students or the teachers.  I'm betting on the teachers.

Another school year bites the dust.  It was an awesome one!

I've got a couple more weeks of work and then the summer officially starts for me, too.  I am excited!

May 22 ~ Adrenaline

Lack of sleep (I only got 3 hours of it) is a great reason to kick the adrenaline in gear and get stuff done.  Work was busy but it was good to be back.

May 21 ~ On the streets

People watching never grows old to me.  I love the way this little girl was dressed up and I love the way she clung to her mother's hand.

We headed back to the airport for a late night flight back to reality.

May 20 ~ Those who wander

Jeff and I showed my ex-husband and his girlfriend around NYC.  Yes, we are friends.  And yes, we were those people on the back row of the David Letterman show.  Did you see us?

May 19 ~ Graduation Day

Dalton is officially a Yale graduate!  Woo hoo!  The ceremony was lovely and the weather could not have been more perfect.

May 18 ~ Class Day

Secretary of State, John Kerry may have been the speaker but I was most excited about seeing the boy with a pizza box on his head.  He noshed during all the speeches amongst all his classmates sporting crazy hats.

May 17 ~ Planes and trains

 Made it to NYC and met up with Drew at Grand Central Terminal. Now we are on the way to New Haven.

May 16 ~ Winding down

Made it to Jacksonville to get a few hours of sleep before our early flight in the morning. NYC and New Haven, here we come!

May 15 ~ Behind

Behind that camera is one tired me.  If only I could drag my toe in the sand of this merry-go-round of life to slow it down a bit.

Today was especially hectic.
I had to pull three videos from buses.
Which resulted in 10 (TEN!) bus discipline referrals.
Which meant I had to talk with all the students involved.
And then call their parents.
I also had 8 (EIGHT!) parent conferences about promotion.
All but one showed up.
And I called that one on the phone.
Throughout the day, I had 3 other discipline referrals.
I only got 4 minutes to eat lunch.
I wish I were kidding.

When I left work, I went by my mothers, went by the bank, went by the store and dropped off something at the doctors.  I came home to finish packing for the girls and I loaded the car so that I can deliver all their stuff to their mother tomorrow.

And then I cooked supper and got the girls bathed.
Because Jeff is working tonight.

I'm not sure my sentences are coherent.
And I don't really care.

Tomorrow, after work, the man and I leave for Jacksonville to spend the night.  We have a ridiculously early flight on Saturday to NYC.
Then we hop on the train to New Haven.
Because my boy -- who turned 22 today -- is graduating on Monday.

I am shattered, excited and heading to bed in a few minutes.  If tomorrow is anything like today, I'll need my strength.

May 14 ~ The check-up

The seven year check up has been done and all checked out well.  Her favorite part?  The Tweety Bird band-aid.

May 13 ~ Shake it off

There may be some brain matter on the ceiling of my office still.  Dealing with our case manager and her supervisor have been oh so very challenging lately.

I've been trying to bite my tongue.  Trying.  I think it is bleeding....

May 12 ~ “Life doesn’t get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.” Steve Maraboli

And so it begins -- the end of the school year grind.  Meetings with parents to give them the news of their child not making enough progress is just not my idea of fun.  In fact, it downright sucks.  No one wants to be the bearer of bad news -- and we educators never want a child to be retained.

Unfortunately, not all kids bloom at the same time.

For the parents who were emotional, I understand.  Really, I do.  For the ones who were understanding, I envy your certainty.

Over the years, I've learned to keep tissues on hand.  I've learned to listen.  I've learned to not take comments made in moments of upset as a personal attack.

But most of all, I've learned that summer vacation seems to heal the sting of disappointment.

May 11 ~ Nine decades

She cooks.
She bakes.
She kicks butt in Rummikub.

I want to be like my grandmother when I'm 90.

May 10 ~ Extra lucky

What does it mean to find a FIVE leaf clover?  Maybe extra luck?

I'll take it!

May 9 ~ Friday afternoon

Came home and sat in the yard with the man.  The dog yapped at the birds while destuffing one of her toys.  I think she meant to look intimidating.

The girls pretended to "cook" food for us (grasses, leaves and sticks) until they got hungry for real food.  We decided to order pizza.

Unwinding.  As Jane Austen said, "There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort."

May 8 ~ Wildflower moment

After school, the girls got to visit with their mom.  And I got a real break.

It has been a long, long time since I've gotten the chance to be alone for more than a run.  After going for that run (I need the therapy it provides) and then running some errands, I just drove around and savored the peace.  Nobody needed me.  Nobody said my name.  It was just quiet.

In the silence, I stopped to take a closer look at the wildflowers are popping up all over the highway.   The tranquility is so healing.  I'll bring the girls back here another day but today the universe put those flowers there for me.

Thank you, universe.

May 7 ~ Poised pinkie

I can try to be poised, right?

Speed work with some girlfriend this afternoon.  It was only 93 degrees.  It could have been worse.

There was wine when I got home.  White.  From the fridge.  Cold.

And it hit the spot.

May 6 ~ The picture of innocence

She may look innocent but she was working hard to mastermind a way for me to forget about her bath and bedtime.

May 5 ~ Cinco de Fried Rice

It is a May 5th tradition in our house.  As of today.

May 4 ~ What I'm Reading

I'm a book-a-holic!  I love reading almost as much as breathing.

In the bedroom, I am reading The Collected Stories by Grace Paley.  The  book underneath is what will happen next.  On my iPad, I'm reading The Beggar King by Oliver Potzsch and Evernote Essentials by Brett Kelly.  I listen to books when I run so the audiobook I've got going currently is The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes.

I can't wait for summer when I will have more time to read!

May 3 ~ My Eyes

My eyes are tired and happy.  It was a successful day with the girls, their mother AND their father (who drove 6 hours for the chance to spend some time with them).  The girls love their parents and it is so healing to see them reunite.

Soon, the girls will move back to their mother.  Getting to foster and be a part of the reunification has been an absolute privilege (albeit an emotional privilege).  I will miss those girls but I am happy that their little family is mending hurts and defying odds.

Now on to laundry and mopping and maybe a batch of cookies... anything to keep my mind from thinking too much.

May 2 ~ May showers and May flowers

May has started off with rain -- which hasn't been great for the already rising rivers.  BUT it has been awesome for the flowers.

May 1 ~ Happy and healthy

Guess what?!

Nobody ran a fever today!  Life is good being on the mend.

After school we visited with the girl's mom and went out to eat.  Watching their excitement is... well, exciting!

4/30 ~ Smell the roses

Earlier this spring, my husband bought a new rose bush for the garden.  They are blooming and the scent is just heavenly!

I slept off and on all day but I do feel better now that the fever has broken.  So, back to the grind it is.

4/29 ~ My view from the sofa

Darn stomach flu.

After feeling more and more miserable at work, the end of the day finally came and I picked up the girls and came straight home to the sofa.

I hate being sick.