Dirt: Close Family

April Update... see March List.

We are counting down the days of attendance until the end of school for both girls (30 days for one and 24 for the other). Ellie started driving and is now running all over town, having fun.  Our family life is shifting a little bit.

We are a close family. I always joke that we could downsize to a house with just 7 rooms (2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, kitchen and living room) and one sofa and we would not notice. We spend so much time in our kitchen that we really could just have the television in the kitchen and do away with the living room.

The past few weeks, I feel closer to the girls. Maybe it is the impending change. Maybe it is seasonal, but I enjoy them so much lately. I am frustrated by them, sure. Fights with mom are easy to pick and I am an easy target. However, I am thrilled that we are so close.

Boyfriends 

Best friends

I have friends who are as close to their daughters and I think that is part of the success of our relationships. The girls see the other dynamics and know it is a settling thing to have your parents close. I feel sad for the girls who hide EVERYTHING from their parents. I do not for one second think mine don't hide things from me. However, I know a lot and am privy to secrets that other moms are not.

I love being a mom. I never thought I would want to be one. I thought I wanted to travel and live a big life. One without kids. However, my life is large because I have these amazing women in it and I would not change  a thing.

March: List Update

March was a blur of fun and anticipation. My daughter spent the first few weeks waiting by her computer for her college acceptance. The proverbial mailbox if you will. After months of writing, being recruited, reading up and dreaming about schools, she finally got the news. The week started off sad with a no thank you to her dream school, one she had been recruited for rowing, but who only accepted 5% of the 22,000 students who applied. Then a wait list and another no. All to her top schools.

The sun started shining by the end of the week and she had 5 additional acceptances (she had been admitted to an SEC school in the fall). All of them gave her money, several gave a large amount and she had choices to make.



In the meantime we flew to Chicago with college friends and their kids to see Hamilton! Holy cow, that was a dream. I had purposely kept away from the media, plot and music of the play so that I would be in the moment the entire time. A boy that went to high school here that we saw perform for years was one of the lead characters, making it even more of a special night. The show blew me away and I am now constantly humming songs in my head.



March was a dream.

                                                   2017 The List

• Read 100 books 22 and counting 
• Join an exercise group of some sort (social) 
• Take a class of some sort every quarter So far...Pure Barre and Vive, next up 9 Rounds 
• Get my home office cleaned up I am sitting at a clean (ish) desk
• Run a race with friends (Ragnar, relay marathon, something) Signed up 
• Spend more time with my girlfriends (Dominique, Ann, Toni, Debbie Sue, Lisa, Stacey, Cindy...) Have let it drop these past few weeks. But I have plans this weekend. 
• Take a trip with Steve somewhere neither of us has been Fall 
• Do one thing that really scares me every quarter (this will be easy, I am terrified of a lot of things.... mostly to do with water)  Still nothing. Can't really think of much. 
• Resume the dates with Delaney and Ellie  Check
• Spend more time with my parents  Not so much 
• Spend more time with Steve's parents  Dinners with Steve's  mom every other Sunday 
• Attend church more regularly  Not yet. 
• Volunteer every quarter  other than at GPS  Not even that :(

Dirt: Why We Care When We Do

This is a post that I wrote last year. I was going through my drafts and found it among about 100 others. Why didn't I post? I am not sure. However, with the current political craziness that is going on around us and in Washington, I thought I would share. I still have no answers, but I know in my heart that a ban does not make sense. Racism, xenophobia and hate are not the answer to any of our problems.

Holocaust Memorial in Boston

I admit it. I jumped on the band wagon. My Facebook profile picture is the French flag. I am  normally not one to do so, but there is something that Steve said that made me do so. France is one of the most accepting countries of religious differences.

He hit the nail on the head of what has been bothering me for years about our country. We don't embrace differences. Oh, we will try your food and embrace  your heritage if it suits our current fashion trend (think fringe and bohemian dresses, thank you native Americans and India), but you had better get in line when it comes to everything else. Your faith, speech, accent and public life better damn well reflect our homogenized watered down, version of America.

We Are Marching Through February

February always seem like a whirlwind. Maybe it is the two missing days, maybe it is the shorter days so that it seems all I do it get up, go to work, cook dinner, go to bed and start over. I am not sure, but it flies by. Here we are 5 days in and I asked someone yesterday how their new year has been, like 2017 just got here.  February is the month of love, so I wish it was longer.  We find out about colleges in March, so I wish it would fly by. Such is my life.

If you have been paying any kind of attention, you know we have a new president and at least half of
the country does not like him. I personally think he is a salesman and everything he does is motivated by the highest bidder. I have so much to say about how he has the potential to cause the fall we have been saying is coming for years for the US. However, no effect is without a cause, so suffice it to say for now, we are reaping what we have sown. An ignorant, uneducated populace who sees the return to the "good old day" that none of them lived through as the answer to their problems.

Why Not and A List

At our team meeting at work on Wednesday, we were asked what our New Year's resolutions are for 2017. Since I don't make resolutions, and I set the same goal every year, I shared my usual "read 100 books". I also explained that when I used to blog, I kept a list going month to month (at least for the first few years) of what my goals for that year were. When asked if I kept that up, I muttered something about computers and being busy and that "No, I am not doing that anymore". This felt really lame. I am not going to lie, I was a little embarrassed about the whole thing. 

The reason I was embarrassed is two fold. One, a dear friend had just stated that she was trying to read a book a month in 2017. So, I sounded like I was one upping her. Two, I set that same goal every year, and have for at least 10 years. LAME. Nothing is new  and I sounded like the ass clown I sometimes am. 

The End of An Era (Official)

This blog was a phase in my life which, for now, is over. A full time job, two teenagers (one who is a senior) and a full time life has made it difficult to blog.  The catharsis of posting about my life when I was a conflicted nearly 40 year old does not hold the same remedy now as an almost 45 year old does.

I am a little sad, as I felt almost zen like when I wrote about my mundane struggles and documented the daily life of my family. However, life goes on no matter what we do and I for one am glad.

Hence, for now, this is the end of my nutty ramblings. I fully intend to pick it back up once my kids are out of the house, if only to keep my sanity and to document the adventures of TCBITW and I as we head into the third segment of our marriage.

Happy Trails! 

Dirt: Boston Was Amazing and Hard to Describe

There are no words to describe going to Boston to watch my oldest daughter compete in the Head of the Charles. The emotions were high then entire time, both for her and for me.

 I was trying to be the calm in the teenage storm that is junior year with an added once in a lifetime sporting event. But I was also there as MOMMMA...the obsessed super fan. I was with a few other MOMMAS, each of us obsessed in our own way. (And one little sister).

Dirt: Happy 30 Days of School

Fall is almost here and I am a little sad. I love the sunshine daydreams of summer and don't mind the sweat that goes along with  them. However, it is nice to wake up and go for a run and not be sweating before I leave the block.

We are in the throes of what I like to call "the real deal". High school is no joke, where my girls go to school  or anywhere, really. Homework takes forever to finish. Parties are planned, dances are danced (one this weekend) and lives are lived on the spur of the moment.

A video posted by GPS Rowing (@gps_rowing) on Sep 14, 2015 at 3:52pm PDT

My girls are both on the varsity crew team, which means 7 practices a week. That's right 7. Next week, they ramp up to 9. Practice starts at 6 am and these girls go hard all day long, getting home at 6 or 6:30 pm, eat dinner and then do homework and start all over again.

Last spring's team

I'm tired. They are tired.

Babies are exhausting, but teenagers are worse. At least they drive.

Happy first month of school to all you tired parents out there!

Taking it to 11!

I am a girl on a mission this weekend. Both of my kids are off doing teenage things and Steve is off doing man things. So, I am going to do Tanya things. That means clean my bathroom, buy new sheets and...paint  my bedroom.

The bedroom has been coming for about 6 years. We had it painted spur of the moment with some paint we had leftover from another project. So, it's white. At first I really liked it. White bedding, white walls, very soothing. Now, it is boring. I  need to punch it up a little and take it to 11. 

So, between now and tomorrow when I go buy paint, I have to decide what color to paint my very huge room (think  300 square feet).  I have had charcoal in my head for a long time. but now I am leaning towards the lighter grey that is throughout my house. 

via 

Dirt: I'm On A Mission...

Since I am back...I am going to go for two this morning. I am in the throes of reinvention in many parts of  my life. My closet is getting ripped to shreds and sent to donations. My house is getting cleaned top to bottom (so neglected) and my habits are getting a freshening up.



I tend to be a creature of habit. Routine is my friend and my comfort. However, I feel the need for a little shaking up. I took several weeks off and gave myself a break from working out to look into what I really want to be doing. Barre was great and a stress relief, but I am bored. Running has been off the table for me due to my knees,but I  have slowly headed back out and while I am struggling, I am enjoying being out there again.

teenagers do this to a person

My house has been a mess all summer. Kids at home tend to keep it that way and working 40 hours a week does not make it a top priority for cleaning. But, I have cobwebs, dirty windows, sticky floors and the "pass over" style is not really working.

my bedroom inspiration via

So, I am on a mission to reinvent myself, my house and my habit. Are you ever like that...getting a bee in your bonnet to shake things up?

Dirt: The Itch

School has started and my break is officially over! I took an unintentional break from blogging all summer long. I missed it, but it was a much  needed creative hiatus. Work is in front of a computer all day long and when I get home, I do not really want to sit in front of a different computer, even to exercise my creativity.

We painted over the graffiti wall

However, the itch has been really strong, so...here I am.

Whatever: Mia's First Communion

I was thrilled to celebrate my niece's first communion last weekend in Ohio with my sister and her husband. They put on a great party afterwards and it was totally worth the 15 hours in the car in a 48 hour weekend!

I love that my family gathers for the "important things". We celebrate each other and our successes. Milestones are big and first communion is one of the biggest. My niece does not get it now, but when she is an adult, she will look back and realize the significance of the occasion.

Cousins...

We are on the whirlwind end of  year countdown that occurs every single year. Graduation from 8th grade also know as  "the move across the lawn" and May Day are two GPS traditions coming up for us. Finals, field trips, games and regattas are still on the books to get us  to summer.  I have spent the last few days finalizing summer plans and summer jobs.

Whatever: April Favorite Photos

A few of my favorite photos from April...

 

 

  Steve and I each went with a girl last weekend. He went to east to watch our oldest set a school record as stroke in crew...I went north to watch our baby come alive in a sport she really loves. 

We both missed a great day, but thanks to technology...kept up with the goings on.

Life is really wonderful right now.

Dirt: The List...April

The list...

The list gets skipped here and there, but I love making and keeping up with it...in  my head!

Easter...5 years ago!

April...The List! 

• Get the piano tuned- back seat! 
• Start piano lesssons (Me!) -back seat! 
• Read 55 books including the Ken Follet Century Books- Have read 16 including one Ken Follet Century Book! 
• Cook one new ethnicity meal a week: Going okay... Greek this week! 
• Hike 50 hikes: 7! 
• Redo my kitchen and bathroom floors (learn to tile!): Nope 
• Take the popcorn ceiling down in my living room:Nope
• Paint the downstairs ceilings: Nope
• Take girls on dates: Going well 
• Read the Bible: going okay
• Start phase II of landscape plan: Delaney and I have started our plan
• Purge, purge, purge! :Going well.
• Say YES! :  Still saying yes! Ask me to do something! 
• Exercise 5 days a week; 20 workouts last month! Two already this month! 

Dirt: Our Baby is 14!

14! We are in denial that our baby is 14, but it has come and gone and we survived.

Ellie is stylish and fashionable. Literally the funniest person in the room, no matter what.  Kind and cool, her current loves are summer camp, Eno hammocks and rocking dad's old sweatshirts. My favorite thing about her is that she is eternally hanging out with "one of my best friends". All of her friends are considered "best". 

Sign from her 7th birthday! Makes an appearance every year! 

She is asked for art supplies and bikinis for her birthday. We obliged.  And they came days later in the mail! (Of course!)

Gratituesday: March is Marching

Here it is ...Tuesday again and nearly the middle of March.  Steve and I had a night away on Saturday and it was glorious. I took one photo and one video of the band we saw (Steve's current favorite, Houndmouth) and that was all. No social media blitz, just us. We walked in a  beautiful park with hundreds of other folks happy for warm weather, walked to dinner, walked to breakfast and really just hung out, just being together.

Glorious.


Tonight I am taking him to see one of my all time favorite bands, Modest Mouse. Such a treat to see two bands I really like in a span of four days. Spring has sprung and with it, live music again.

March 10 Gratituesday List

• Parents who will hang with our girls while we go recharge our marriage
• Friends who send MMs  with our photos on them as gifts
• Sunshine on Sunday (I have a sunburned  nose)
• Answered prayers in the middle of the night
• Daughters home from traveling safely
• Pure Barre challenge. 20 in 31 days. I am on number 7 in 8 days. 
• Sisters who create workout videos so I can not go to the gym
• Family to miss!  So lucky to have a large family on both sides that we keep up with on social media

Girl cousins

Gratituesday: Exercise and Yeast

Gratituesday started as a plan for me to be present in my thankfulness for my blessings. The little things in life that make me happy or a better person. I am easily bogged down by negativity of others and my own self talk. This is a way for me to "count my blessings" as my ever chipper Grandmomma used to say.

 Gratituesday List

• Nutritional yeast. I have used it to ween off grains by adding it to last night's salmon cakes, this past weekend's waffles, today's frittta...
• Saying "yes" to reading to 4th graders. They all clapped when I finished. I was on cloud 9! 
• Juicing. Not delicious, but I feel amazing after. 
• Steve drinking the juice with gusto. 
• Steve challenging Travis to 100 burpee challenge and me jumping on the bandwagon. Goodbye bingo jigglers! Today is day 43.
• Pure Barre for offering a 20 in 31 challenge. I'm sore already.
• Modest Mouse in Chattanooga. Getting me through my winter-no-music- festival-doldrums! 
• Sophomore year, for not being junior year. 
• 8th grade, for not being kindergarten. 
• Chattanooga Library, for feeding my obsession! 
• March, for reminding me May is almost here.

Cooking: Aging and Yes!

Having come to the realization that I am going to actually age (GASP!), I have decided to make some changes in my life. Yes I, ...the sufferer of Peter Pan  Syndrome, have acknowledged that I will not always be able to bounce back and have started really and truly, aging.


It hit me recently, I might be middle aged. Which only means I have lived half my life with just as much to go.  But, what did strike me is that I better start taking better care of myself this second half. So, I have weened myself for the most part off sugary things. I am in the process of "less grains".  Daily juicing is almost a habit (two weeks in and if I skip it, I miss it). Workouts better planned.

The cute cup and straw make me feel like it is a sassy drink

The other side of that aging coin is that "later" is here. I read a great blog by one of my dear friends cool sister. She is smart and full of life, the type of woman I strive to be, but never seem to actually be.  She started an "I Never" list of experiences.  Her log of what she did "new" inspired me to have a year of "yes". Simple in concept, but not in practice, for me.  I am a lot a little controlling, shy and a little introverted.  The unknown is hard for me. New situations take a lot of energy.  "Yes" is hard.

Dirt: Hump Day Winter Hate

The weather is awful. Cold, damp and threatening snow. 

We have had two weeks of this. I am a southerner and I loathe cold, damp and snow. 

So on that note...Happy Wednesday! 

We can make it. We can make it. Say it with me...We can make it. 

Gratituesday: The Desert in Winter

Gratituesday during Lent can be a time of reflection. The girls and I attended church Sunday and the message was one of hope. Everyone wanders the desert at some point of our lives. We also all are loved by God and only have to look up to hear Him say so.

I am grateful for a time of reflection.  Winter can be a desert. Lack of sun and interaction that being outdoors brings can make us all a little cranky.

This week's Gratituesday List

• Only 13 more days until day light savings. Hallelujah!
• Hot  tea and a television show is almost the same as going out used to be. Almost.
• Freezer chili  on high school curriculum nights.  
• A wool sock connection is like gold. I happen to have one. 
• Attending a clothing swap with a ton of 30 somethings. Totally fun. 
•  A great church in my neighborhood that the girls and I love.