Sleep & Sports

A brief post before bed......had a great day at work, planning for a two day session that I will help lead on reinventing one of our product categories.  Have had great conversations with many of the leading thinkers in our company on what it takes to get people to address, and go beyond current paradigms about what is possible.  It is very easy to say "NO" - that is not possible - and to follow it up with phrases like "that's crazy"......"we've tried that before"......."we can't change x or y will happen" and too few conversations that begin with  "YES" that could happen "IF" we did x or y or z - much more productive discussion if you ask me.

Went straight from work to Josh's soccer game - 45 min across town.  got there just before the half - score was 3-0.....Josh in goal.....he played there 3/4 of the game, then they put him on offense.  Final score 9 - 0 Walnut Hills - the JV boys soccer team is now 4 - o, the best record in the school this season.  The football team won for the first time in 4 years at their first game last Friday (the crowds went wild! - and the whole town is abuzz - Walnut is typically known for its brains, not its brawn).  And they had an alum win a gold medal in the women's 4 x 400 relay (Mary Weinberg).

Home for dinner (thank you Todd) around 8:45.  Bed.......NOW!

Gratefulness

So, my vow to get back into a regular blog routine was somewhat disrupted by summer vacations, and the flurry of back to school activities and (seemingly endless) forms!

Now the second & third weeks of school for Ben & Josh respectively, sports & music lesson schedules are established, and sleep patterns are (mostly!) where they need to be.

I recently subscribed to a (free) virtual personal trainer  that I learned about from my "FLY Lady" membership, and the first daily coach e-mail I received contained a link to this Video - entitled "A Good Day".

Upon reflection, and to give a little insight into what my summer vacation was like - I will give a list of some of the (many) things I am grateful for (in roughly chronological order):

1.  A birthday dinner with my mom (and lobster & fresh corn on the cob & angel food cake)

2. A sister and her husband who selflessly and generously entertained our boys for a week in NJ & NYC.

3. Beautiful gardens, and the generous people who opened them to the public in Kennebunk, Maine, to raise money for the Child Abuse Council.

4. An amazing group of "in-laws" with whom we spent a long weekend in Kanab, Utah - water skiing, eating & catching up - some of whom drove very long distances to be there!

5.  The cousins (numbering 23 - did I get them all?) ranging in age from 9  mo to 19 yrs!  And the fact that they were all there with us!!

6.  My husband's wonderful parents who, though they could not be with the rest of the family at the reunion this year - are living close to us - in Richmond, IN for a year - giving us many more opportunities to visit with them than we would normally have!

7.  The beauty of the Grand Canyon - which I saw for my first time this year - and the realization of what a tiny time we have on this planet in comparison to the 2 billion years since when its depths were formed.

8.  2 Wonderful boys who helped so much when their dad was out of town last week.

9. The arrival of cooler nights and sleeping with the windows open!

10. Jeff Silva & the rest of the Immanuel Band for the inspiration and enthusiasm to keep this newly formed group a vital part of our church worship.

11. Discovering that "Popcorn" in French is "mais explose" (accents excluded - due to formatting issues)

12.  The time (& energy) to fit in a walk during my son's soccer practice tonight!

13.  Tips from my sister on how to track exercise & where to stay in Brugge.

14. A wonderful husband, who after working a full day, cooked dinner for the rest of us to eat when we got home from practice & who fixed the hub bearings on his bike's front wheel at the same time!

15. Conversation with my 14 yr old about his day, and how his World History teacher is bringing the subject to life for him - and his passion to sit around the table with us after dinner to talk about it!

16. The quiet evening, after everyone has headed to bed, when I have time to sit and write in this blog.

Au revoir.