Little Ones

Years ago when my children were "little ones", I was blessed to have parents, in-laws, my sister, and a handful of other generous people who watched over them while Steve and I took a quick trip somewhere.  It didn't happen all that often, but at least once or twice a year we made it happen.

I remember cleaning the house, buying lots of groceries, and making long lists of all the things that needed to be remembered in our absence. It was a LOT OF WORK to have a "get away". 

I also remember how excited I was to come home to these four "little ones".  They seemed to have "grown up" a bit in our short time away. 

This past week I had a chance to play "grandma" with this sweet little guy!  A friend of mine from MOPS, had an opportunity to travel with her hubby, so I kept the little man from Wednesday through Friday until his Grandma came in from out of town.

Louise and I had a blast.  He was happy ALL THE TIME!  He was even happy to go down for a nap. 

Here he is!

He loved playing with our phones and rocking in Karl's rocking chair.  I had a chance to dig out some of the kid's old toys and books.  Lots of fun memories!

And yes, his mom made me a great list to help me know what I needed to do and when.  She also brought over all the necessary gear to make it easy for us.  (She needed a few days away after all the work I know she went to  to get ready.  And I bet she thought he had "grown up" in just the few days she was gone.)

The 3 C's

CHOICES. CHANCES. CHANGE.

You've got to make a choice to take a chance in order to change.

(from theletteredcottage.net. Layla Palmer's blog.)

Happy Monday!

The art of listening.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned a couple of books I was reading.  As is usually the case with books and me, I get easily distracted and preoccupied with the week's activities and some reality tv shows thrown in, ( i.e. the Kardashian wedding) and I basically have to start reading said books over again so I can remember what I already read.  So this week I actually made some more progress on the Resolution for Women. 
The part I just finished reading was all about the importance of listening and it's value in our lives and the lives of those we love.

She writes: Time and listening are gifts.  When people give you their ear, they are offering you a sliver of their life they can never retrieve again, on e of the few gifts that can never be returned or retracted.  We can get so focused on our own feelings and circumstances that many of our conversations ultimately become all about us.
What we say by no listening says a lot, so choose to listen.  Resist the urge to criticize, insult, or make sarcastic remarks.  Lean in purposefully and listen.  It's your gift so give it to whomever you can.

She goes on to give some great advice.  Sometimes wisdom is knowing what to say and NOT saying it.  You don't have to say everything that pops into your head.  Silence is oftentimes our good friend.  We would be wise to listen and gather up all the information before releasing our reaction.  Choose to let your solutions and reactions time to "settle" before being shared.

Try it for a day or two.  Deliberately keep from saying something that is better left unsaid. What would change for the better in your life if you began exercising the restraint of silence? Picture the people in your life who most need to receive the gift of listening from you.

It's our nature to be talkers and the resolution to be a better listener is one I want to make. 

Here is one of my good "listening" friends. Actually, we think she is becoming deaf and maybe that is why she appears to be such a good listener. Happy Monday!

A quick trip to Boulder.

Sometimes a mom just has to do what she has to do, and that means hopping on a plane to see one of her children.  So, Thursday I flew to Denver to see Christine, but not without a little hitch in the plan.  As we were circling Denver to land, we hit some crazy, wild, rough and tumble air!  Moments later we were on our way to Albequerque, New Mexico.  Apparently the winds around the Denver airport were so intense that we couldn't land AND we were low on fuel so circling was no longer an option. 
I have never been to New Mexico before so a little pit stop allowed me to add that state as a place I have technically been to.
After a  2 to 3 hour delay, I arrived at Tine's  condo just in time to enjoy some Thai food that she had ordered in.  There is something about food on the table after a long day that just tastes even better.  AND, Tine had all sorts of fun stories to tell about her recent adventures and boy, has she had them.  She has been all over the place this summer and early fall.  No signs that that will change anytime soon.  I caught her on the only free weekend that she and P have during the month of October.
We spent our time on Friday shopping, eating, hiking and then eating again as we dined at Frasca's.  Patrick kept us entertained the entire time.  Boulder has some of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at. 
Saturday I woke up to cold temperatures.  Yay!  The forecast was for snow in the mountains which sounds like heaven after the summer we have had in Dallas.  The three of us went out for brunch before I left for the
airport.  On my way there it started to snow and I smiled the whole way.
What a FUN weekend.  Thanks Tine and Patrick for everything.
Here is Christine's blog address:  soulschine.blogspot.com   She posted some great pictures.

Louise picked me up at the airport when I landed in Dallas.  She brought me clothes to change into ( IN THE CAR), and we were off to see Taylor Swift at the Cowboy Stadium.  She did not disappoint.  Fun times!  Adventures with both daughters in one weekend.

Back from Romania !

The  trip to Romania was one of my favorites ever.  Each time we return there, we are afforded wonderful opportunities to connect with people and places, but this was certainly a special trip.  We spent time in Budapest, Hungary on the front end of the trip.

 We spent a bit of time up at Poianna.

 

Then on to Bucharest for 4 days.

Our last day in Romania we toured a monastery and two castles.  What a great way to end a trip!

Vegas in a flash!

The month of September was a BLUR!  We were on the move for most of the month.  Somewhere in there we hit Las Vegas for a very short time.  Here are a few of pictures from the trip.  It was my first time in Vegas, and all the smoking there prepared me for the trip to Romania.

Great hotel.

Beautiful weather.

Lots of fun!