End of the Year Musings

At the transition of a year, it is easy to take a few minutes and look back over what the last 12 months have brought to my life. Clear back at the beginning of this year, a friend of mine encouraged me to take a "one word" challenge and spend the year focusing on one specific goal, or at least using that word to help me find a common theme for all of my goals. I chose the word Love. It was a great experience and while many of the thoughts and growth are things I'll keep close, I hope it changed me in only good ways.

Since my first shot at this went so well, I want to give it another try this next year. And I am hoping my amazing and awesome friend does not mind if I forge a parallel path to her this year. As we talked about it, she told me the word she wants to focus on is Courage. I find myself equally in need of developing this particular trait, and I would like to join her in the journey. Or maybe Confidence. Decisiveness? It's a quandary!

Winter is fully here and I love the icicles that are hanging down from my roof. I think they frame the view of the mountains nicely.

I spent the holidays surrounded by my family, and - as always - I remember how much I love those I don't get to see very often. The little boys are so full of life. My brother and sister are both so kind, and my brother-in-law and sister-in-law bring so much to the mix! I am so grateful I get to be a part of their family.

This is about as close as my little niece would let me get to her. As long as she was safe in the arms of one of her parents or one of her handsome nephews (the girl loves men!!) she might consider letting me look at her. My mom later told me that this is karma coming back on me, because I did the same thing to my aunt at this age! Oh well. This little one is a doll with her head of long curly hair and eye lashes that go on for days. She's got my heart whether or not she wants me around right now! I'll win her over.

This little guy has personality like no one's business. He got a mummy book for Christmas. It is one he's checked out from the library before, and he has it memorized. He took it to a talent show and shared with all the other kids the different ways mummies can be made. "THIS one is frozen...and THIS one is dried...and THIS one is wrapped..."

I love that I have family close enough to celebrate milestones together. Birthdays and holidays mean so much more when you get to spend them with those you love.

It's not the size of the fish. It's the size of the fight IN the fish.
That's what I'll tell myself.

When the cold weather comes, I am glad that I get to look back and have minutes like this to pull from my memory bank. It warms my heart even if it doesn't chase the chill from my toes!

I continue to be grateful that I have such a wonderful job in such a great place. There is beauty around me every day, and the people are even better.

All in all, I have to say that this year has helped me appreciate so many blessings I have. There have been some challenges but I think those can make the good time all the better.

Insignificant

I have had a few posts started in my mind for the last couple of days. Posts about a week-by-week breakdown of life with an appendage in a cast. Musings on the Christmas season. Humor about things in life around me that tickle my funny bone.

But somehow, with today's events in Connecticut, all of that seems insignificant. Maybe there is something about being in a place that makes you have greater empathy when a tragedy strikes the area. I felt that way when the earthquake struck New Zealand and did damage to this beautiful cathedral.

My heart hurt when I saw this building in the rubble.

Though I have no significant ties to the area, I did spend a morning driving through the beautiful woods of Connecticut just a few weeks ago. And I ache for the children and families and adults and mothers and fathers whose lives were changed today. I mourn for the loss of innocence those kids experienced in a moment. It does not take much effort to search the memory files in my mind to find events that affected me at that age.

I find it miraculous that so many of those kids will get a hug from their mom or dad and cry a few tears, then be ready to go out and play. The resilience of children really is amazing.

Equally tragic is the earlier shootings this week in Oregon. While the death toll was smaller, those numbers are insignificant. Not because it means less to have 2 people killed verses 26. But just because each individual was someone special. Every single life is precious and tragedy isn't necessarily tied to a number or body count.

I hope I never miss a chance to tell someone I love them. To hug them close and let them know they are important to me. Life can change in an instant.

The Last Month

The last month has been a good one, but with a few unexpected twists. The first was a quick trip back to Boston for work. I got my first glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean, and spent some quality time admiring the beautiful scenery between research visits. The second day we were there, we finished up right in downtown and walked the Freedom Trail on our way to dinner.

Pretty, isn't it!! I was so grateful for the chance to get to see a little bit of one of the cities central in the founding of this country.

One of the places I got to visit was ESPN. It had me wishing (just a tiny little bit) that I was more into sports, because I think I would have had a better appreciation. However, that didn't stop me from jumping at the opportunity to sit behind one of the broadcast desks when given the chance!

We decided we make a pretty dynamic duo. I'll provide the sarcasm and he can provide the actual sports commentary. Seems feasible.

Did I mention a cute little kid had a birthday right before I left? Look at that face!

So back to Boston...on the night of the Freedom Trail, fate (and my inherent sense of grace) intervened to change my holiday season. One of the cobblestones and I had a little disagreement. Since it had been there longer, I decided it to let it win the argument. My ankle paid the price. **WARNING: Images may not be suitable for people who don't like seeing big bruises and other stuff. These are probably the same people who leave bruises alone. Then there are the rest of us who poke them every 5 minutes and say, "Yup! Still hurts!"

Here is the big beauty on the night I "sprained" it. I can't figure out if I am stubborn, stupid, or just have a high tolerance for pain. I walked on it for a couple miles and a couple more hours that night. Honestly? Looking at this takes me back to the pain...and it hurt!! Luckily I found out one of my co-workers had some sports medicine experience, and he can wrap a mean ankle. We picked up a bandage at a cute little pharmacy in the Italian district. This little old man with a mustache was behind the counter and he was arguing with another old man. I loved the charm of the situation.

By the time I got home, the foot had swollen up pretty good, and check out the bruising!!! This is injury heaven for a bruise-poker like me.

The second coolest part of the injury was watching the progression of the bruise. Every day I couldn't wait to see where it was going to show up next! It made it all the way to my stubby little toes and turned them purple. This is when I learned that orange nail polish does not go well with a bruised foot. The color combo freaked me out and I took it right off after I put it on. At this point, I decided to get a professional opinion. Guess what? My sprained ankle was done broke!

The first doctor was good to me, and decided to put me in a walking boot. The second doctor (specialist) wasn't as nice, and decided that I needed to be in a hard cast. And on crutches. No weight on the foot for a full month!! Yeah, right. I pretty much suck at that, but I am trying. But as a bonus, I got to fulfill one of my silly elementary school wishes and have people sign my cast.

Of all of them, this one might be my favorite. My niece drew a picture of me. With my cast. :)

And since I have to wear FrankenBoot everywhere I go, I decided to glam it up a bit and add some sparkle. This was the concession I made because I decided to be conservative and go with a black cast instead of some crazy color. I do conservative so well. As long as it has some sparkle!

Crutches are kind of hard to use. I was lucky enough during week 2 to get a hook-up for this sweet ride. And then my co-workers thought it needed to be tricked up, so now it has a headlight, tail light, and some sweet green downlight. And sparkly Christmas balls!!

Not that I am counting, but I have a week and five days left until the visit when I hope to have the cast removed. Just in time to go skiing for Christmas! Just kidding.

The Best Ones

I love giving out candy on Halloween. Mostly because I love the little ones who come up to the door in the most adorable costumes so that it takes all my will power not to go "Awwwww...cute!" Sometimes I wait til the door is closed and do that anyway! So here are my top 3 favorites from last night.

1. A little boy about 6 or so that I gave a Kit Kat. He turned to his mom on the sidewalk and shouted, "Mom, look! It's my favorite!!"
2. A little ladybug with sparkly boots who got pulled out of her stroller right at the end of my porch. When her mom put her down, she was more interested in using her new-found freedom to try running off the porch instead of coming to get candy. When I got down on her level and offered her a box of Milk Duds, we became fast friends.
3. One little guy who came up to the door with his big brothers and sisters. They had got the doorbell and I was handing out candy, and this little guy wanted more than anything to ring the doorbell! That big glowing light on the door frame was more exciting than anything I could give him. It made me sad he was too little to reach it!! I tried to pick him up to get him higher, but that freaked him out more than anything and he forgot he wanted to hit the button.

Here were the least favorite.

1. Two women who looked like they were in their 30's. No kids with them. Seriously?
2. The teenager who towered over me and when I went put a piece in his bag, he leaned over and looked in my bucket to see what else I had. Hmm.

Things That Make Me Excited

I get to go trunk-or-treating tonight with the munchkins. And this was 5 years ago...but she and her brother are still cute as a button when they are dressed up.

Tomorrow (if the last couple years are a good indicator) we will have a long string of little tykes in costume ring our door bell. Half of them will shout "Trick-or-treat" in chorus when the door is opened. The other half will stare in wide-eyed terror and maybe choke out a whispered "thank you" when they are prompted by their accompanying parent. I love Halloween!

My nephew turns 4 this weekend. And we get to celebrate. It is going to be a good week!

Just For Fun

The weather can't decide if it wants to be Summer, Fall, or Winter. Frankenstorm is headed toward the East Coast. Halloween is this week. I have been reading fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm.

For these, and other random reasons, here is a list of things that are wonderful.

1. Turtleneck sweaters on a cold day.
2. Watching snow fall in front of a window.
3. The belly laugh of a little kid.
4. Warm blankets and a cold nose.
5. Popcorn smells a little like happiness.
6. Hearing a song that instantly makes you smile.

Photos from the Bay

Last week I had the chance to head to California for work. I spent a couple of days in and around San Francisco. In between work, I was fortunate to capture some pictures of one of my favorite cities by the Bay.

Since I can't quite figure out yet how to get my Flickr photos to show up here, this is a shortcut to the album.
 Bay Area Photos, September 2012


One day I'll have this technology thing figured out!! Just not today...

Ode to Dilbert

I don't know copyright law, and that seems like a lot to research on a Friday. So all of the comics I have posted on my cubicle wall will stay there instead of working their way to this virtual wall on the blog. But I have to say that on a regular, frequent, nearly daily basis, the writers of Dilbert make me giggle. Some days its a guffaw. Some days its a belly laugh. I've chuckled. I've laughed so hard I've cried. I think it is because I recognize in them the same sarcastic sense of humor that resides deep in my soul.

Here are some of the lines that make me giggle every time I read them. Context is everything, but these are funny on their own.

• Tell the spiders living in your skull that we'll look into it.
• I wonder what it's like to have squirells living in your brain?
• You sound like an asthmatic rhinocerous rampaging a cracker festival.
• Attention all employees. The stain is on the move. I repeat, the stain is on the move!
• Would you say you worship satan or do you simply respect his no-nonsense approach to discipline?
• Ow! Ow! It's so boring, it hurts my head! My brain is trying to escape through my ear!
• One day I realized that sadness is just another word for not enough [Dr. Pepper].
• I just lost a good glue stick, but I gained a few hours of quiet.
• I no longer worry about life passing too quickly.

Of Spiders and Saviors

Yesterday was an interesting and funny day. By interesting I mean I pretty much wanted to die, and by funny I mean I got scared enough for my heart to stop just a little.

One of the absolute best things about my job is my co-workers. They are awesome. They are amazing. They take great delight in picking on me. But don't worry, I suppress my natural instincts to be a fragile desert flower and I fight back. Maybe just occasionally, I start the battle.

Yesterday I was working with two of these guys, and we had some equipment to check outside. As they were working, one turns to me and says, "Hey, will you grab my keys and open up that enclosure? It is the key right on top." Being the good little worker I am, I grabbed the keys and went to wrestle my way into this particular box. As I pulled the front off, there about 6 inches from my face is the biggest freaking spider ever to walk the earth.

I'd post a picture here, but I don't have a camera with a wide enough lens. You can use your imagination. At this point a VERY mild expletive escaped my lips. One that I would say to my grandma or my 3-year-old nephew.

So there I am, staring this spider down. And it's winning. The thing is smack dab in the middle of it's web with the lifeless form of a smaller and less fortunate spider gripped in its little pincers, sucking the life out of it. Meanwhile, I have stopped breathing. And I'm afraid to move because spider-zilla might decide I am a tastier treat that what it has already. About the time my heart decides to start beating again, I look up and my co-worker is shaking so hard with laughter I think he's going to hurt something. So I did what anyone would do who has recently come back from a near death experience. I kicked him. When he stopped laughing enough to be able to speak again, he said, "Best. Response. Ever. You just made my day!" And I exercised a little restraint and didn't kick him again.

Story #2

Have you ever been driving somewhere and you don't really want to stop for gas? It just doesn't work well into the schedule. Have you ever pushed it to the limit, and made it to your destination just as your gas light comes on? It is kind of gratifying (and a little scary) when you know your car well enough to know exactly how far you can go. Have you ever made it to that destination far away from your home, pulled in to get gas, and realized your wallet is not with you? That every method of payment or cash you have available is roughly 2 gallons of gas away and you are running on fumes? If you haven't had this experience, then you have also never know the relief that comes from knowing you have someone to call. And hearing them say, "I'll be right there."

It is good to have friends. It is good to be loved!!

Broadway Tunes

I always have a hard time picking a "favorite." Take music, for instance. To me it feels like I am excluding so many good options by saying, "My favorite kind of music is ______." There is no right answer to that. Some days I am in the mood for country. Other days have a more classical vibe. Other days I need to blast back to tunes that remind me of high school days. If I'm cleaning or working out, I might need a good beat to get me moving. How do you pick just one when there are SO MANY good options for music?

With that intro, I have days where I like a good Broadway or musical tune. It can almost be like listening to a story, but one with a good soundtrack. And even though I can't use the word "favorite," here are some songs I love listening to over and over.

Jekyll and Hyde - I get chills every time I listen to "First Transformation" and "Alive." If you know the story, this is where Hyde makes his first appearance. And the very last word of "First Transformation" is the climax that leads right into "Alive" which is why I have to listen to them together.

Notre Dame de Paris - When Disney released The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a kid's cartoon, I boycotted on principle. I have no idea how to take a story so dark and twisted and make it something suitable for children. This music much more closely follows the complex story as written by Victor Hugo. I love "Belle" because all three men sing about the same woman. Their feelings range from infatuation to obsession, and I'm not sure that anyone even comes close to love.

Across The Universe - Not technically a Broadway soundtrack. But I really like some of the Beatles remixes. One of my favorite is "Let It Be." It's more powerful if you have seen the movie, but I'm not sure I would recommend watching all of it just for that scene. An inner city choir sings this rendition, and the main soloist is a cherub-faced boy. If you watched it and weren't crying by the end, you might not be all the way human.

Phantom of the Opera - "Past the Point of No Return." I realize this may not be considered one of the power songs in the lineup. But there is something about the way this particular song blurs the lines between fiction and reality for the characters who are singing.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Alison Krauss is always amazing, and hearing her sing harmony on "Down To The River to Pray" just makes gospel music hit me in the soul!

That's all I have for now.

Popsicles and Pirates

The wonderful thing about spending time with family is there usually isn't one spectacular event that defines a visit as successful or a bust. It is all the small moments that combine to build memories together. Here are some of those little moments.

We have stubby toes and finger toes and toes that can cross and toes with freaky nails. We have pretty toes and hairy toes and pale toes and tan toes. And we compare them, just to make sure we all know whose are best.

Girls get to wear fun bows and clips in their hair. They get Girls' Night Out and sister time. Is it any wonder that some little boys get jealous? Good thing there's a pink wig around to play a little pretend.

It is possible to gather enough children to take down a grown man. Even the baby got in on the fun and tried to run her dad over with a train.

Pirates and water go hand-in-hand. Especially when you have skulls on your shirt. And your board shorts. And you captain a canoe into the depths of the seaweed forest. Because then you can say "Arrgh!" as many times as you want and it never gets old. Nor does the phrase, "The beach is straight ahead!" Which is a lot cuter coming out with the lisp of a 4-year-old.

When you play hard, it is good to take re-hydration breaks. Especially if the hydration comes in the form of a Popsicle. But wait...what is that???

Look!! A plane!!!!! The look on his face kills me.

As anyone with small children knows, there is no such thing as a clean way to eat. So after a while, you stop trying to keep the shirts and dresses and clothes tidy, and you just take it off when you give them food. And how can you look at those cheeks and those cute little rolls and not want to pinch them?!? I can't.

There's a right way to wear a hat, and then there is the cool way to wear a hat. 'Nuf said.

One night a storm blew in from over the Salt Lake. We went out on the porch and watched the lightning. All the kids were pretty big fans. Until the thunder started getting a little louder, then some of the boys decided they were finished.

Utah in July is one steady stream of fireworks. You have to see it to believe it. Last night the plan was to keep the fireworks small and not loud. Three of five children agree that loud fireworks are NOT fun. So we did sparklers and ground blooms and snaps and snakes. And when you have a couple of inventive guys around, all of those can become aerials! The finale (well, one of them...since every good fireworks show has at least one false finale) was the Statue of Liberty.

And this is what it all comes down to. Big cheesy grins and hugs and looking forward to the next time we get to see all of the cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews who live so far away! xoxoxo

Photos by Brookelyn

Last night was craft night. Mostly bows to go on the heads of sweet little girls. And during the festivities, my sis showed up with a munchkin to hang out for a few minutes. Brooke REALLY wanted to take some pictures with my phone. As I flipped through them later, they made me laugh.

DISCLAIMER: All photos were taken by the subject, and have not been modified in any way. I have done the good parts version, though, since there were about 50 more photos

She had a lollipop from the jar-o-fun that sits on our counter. It contents are mostly to bribe children. Works like a charm.

Just in case you missed that blue lollipop, here's a closer look. It will make more appearances, so let's give him a name. Hi, Buster!

Buster was tasty. As this picture demonstrates.

Buster left a blue tongue behind.

Here's a view of the crafting area. Oh, and Hi Buster!!

And hello eyebrows!!

 You might be wondering if it is just us older Westaways that make faces when we see a camera.

 

Nope, because here is the proof!

And that is the world through the eyes of a 4-year-old. It made my night.

A Few Photos From Saturday

This is a snapshot.  It is a little out of focus and the composition is not perfect. But adore the look of love on Tahnee's face. I had to try to capture it. Isn't this how every man wants his bride to look when she is looking at him?

I stalked the temple grounds with my camera while the wedding party was taking photos. But that isn't how I got this picture. I took this just walking up the sidewalk toward the temple. I glanced up when I was walking under a tree and the branches framed the spire just so. I stopped! I shot.

This was a little more carefully composed trees-framing-the-temple-spire shot. I know it's been done. In, like, the last picture! I still like the way this turned out.

I had fun with the settings here. I didn't know I could adjust the color balance even after I made a photo black and white! Now I do. And I'm a fan of the layers of battlements. Or whatever these are called. I kind of want more contrast. But this is a start. And not bad, considering that I shot through a chain link fence.

Just as I finished framing this, a girl in a pink dress walked around the corner. Oops. But where did she go?? It's magic.

The clouds cooperated and there was no rain during the ceremony, pictures, or the reception. But they make a great backdrop for a spectacular building.

During the luncheon,  the bouquet needed a place to live. I thought the side light made for a great close-up of some stunning flowers.