However you say it

On the way to the library this evening:

Caroline: Mommy, is the Christmas Eve mass going to be bilanguageal? Or just English? Or just Spanish?

Me: Ummmmmm... Probably just English. 

Caroline: Yeah. That's what I thought. 

Friday Feature: my Friday night

This week has gone by in a blur. That seems to happen to me whenever I have weekend travel plans. I always think I have plenty of time to figure out the details of my trip, to let high school friends know I'm coming home, and to think through options for outfits. 

Then BAM, it's Friday afternoon and I'm struggling to heed the Outlook calendar reminder I set weeks ago that I have now clicked "Snooze for 5 minutes" on at least five times. Gotta go. Gotta go. Gotta go. 

Hit the bank and Walgreens on the way home for cash and a card; run in the house and spend 15 minutes piling clothes on the bed, hoping my best guess for Houston weather in November is close enough; and run back out the door to pick the kids up from school. Get Caroline's bike on the car bike rack; back home to actually put the pile of clothes in a bag; check the kids' overnight bag; throw it all in the car; head over to my best good friend's house. 

See, this isn't just the weekend I'm going home for my cousin's wedding, it's also the weekend Justin has class in Little Rock. I like to think Caroline is extraordinarily mature and independent for nine years old, but unsupervised time at home for the midgets that exceeds about fifteen minutes is not yet in the cards. I am so blessed, so fortunate, that Shauna and Andy are such good friends that they'll keep the kids for me tonight. Score another one for making the deliberate decision that this place is home. 

Dropped them off; hugs and kisses; sandwich from a drive through and off to the airport. So this is my Friday night. 

I'm off to Houston for a whirlwind trip that includes a drive to Austin and back tomorrow. No worries that the last few hours have been the blurriest of the week. I wouldn't miss this chance to be with my family and to celebrate my baby cousin Meredith's wedding. 

Friday Feature: Puzzle Piece

As a mom, I've realized that there are so many things about your children that "just are," despite the assumption that you're guiding, molding, and teaching them in all that they do. This week, Caroline brought home some art that I inferred was a part of a bigger masterpiece, a way to show that every child in her class is unique but still fits in and is an important part of the whole.

Just another reminder that my sweet, sensitive, thoughtful daughter who sometimes mystifies me because she's so different than I am is a beautiful individual, and our family would be missing a piece without her. 

Our common thread is made of shoelaces

I run. Quite a bit compared to some people. If you read my blog with any even semi-regularity, you already know that. You probably also know some of the reasons I run - there are a lot of them - but if I had to pick just one, it would be because of the time I get to spend with my friends as we tick away the miles day after day, week after week.

The thing about runners is that the definition of "running friends" can be pretty fluid. The truth is that anyone you see while out on a run with sneakers on their feet moving at anything more than a standstill is your running friend. You say good morning, give them a smile if you're unable to speak, or stick your hand out for a high five as you pass by. It isn't something you're told when you start to run, it's just something that seems to come naturally when you're out there on the trail, pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em down.

I'm so fortunate that my running friends are also my "friend friends" - over the last three and a half years of living in NW Arkansas, the people who welcomed me to their group when I showed up new in town and with whom I've run ever since have also become the people I choose to spend time with on the weekends, ask for professional advice, vent about life's frustrations, and celebrate life's successes together. When I changed jobs this past spring, having friends who didn't care who I worked for or what I did for a living made it that much easier to manage the transition.

This past week, I saw the power of running friends bridge across two of my social circles. There happened to be a meeting that brought a friend from P&G to town, a friend who has become an avid triathlete and runner over the last few years. He sent me a note and asked if I wanted to get together and run while he was in town - of course I did!! - and I naturally asked him to join not just me but the group of friends I run with.

Tuesday and Wednesday morning, a little after 5AM, we met and headed out for our runs together. It didn't matter that it was the first time Michael had met the group; as soon as he showed up in a tech shirt and sneakers, he was a friend. The conversation was as natural and easy as it is on any given weekday morning, and it was such a joy for me to be able to spend time with him doing one of my favorite things.

Runner selfie!!

As it turned out, Wednesday was kind of a Hail and Farewell run - hello to Michael and goodbye to Joon, my friend who after many months of training at Quantico, is headed out to his first duty station as a 2LT far across the ocean in Okinawa. We haven't seen him in many months but nobody missed a beat - he's a running friend, he's a friend friend, and it was good to see him. He'll hopefully be home for a short visit in a few months but after that, it'll be a two year stint in Japan. I guarantee, though, after two years if he comes back to NW Arkansas, the time apart will fade away and it will be like he never left.

There are days when I need and enjoy a solo run; days when the run is the therapy that clears my mind. Even on those runs, my friends are with me, as I turn things over in my head and think, what would Shauna say? How would Mary handle that? I wonder if Richard ever had to deal with that?

The ties that bind friends together are different for all of us. Mine just happen to be made of shoelaces.

Friday Feature: Crack the code

This is John's first year as a Cub Scout and things are going swimmingly. He has made some new friends, is looking forward to a big event including BB guns, and is cute as a button in his uniform. 

In last week's meeting, his den talked about encryption and secret messages, and then tried their hands at doing their own. 

Get ready, CIA. John's on the case. 

Friday Feature: Who's the Boss

As many challenges as there have been in the first six months in my new job, one consistent positive has been my role as a team leader. I've had the opportunity to hire, train and promote some really great people, and I'm reminded on a daily basis that the business will ebb and flow, but my impact on the people around me is more important to me than numbers on a page.

Even with the daily mantle of responsibility, though, I don't necessarily think of myself as "the boss." Combine that with my general inattention to the calendar and National Boss' Day snuck up on me. Until I walked into my office around 3:00 yesterday afternoon and found this on my desk:

There are a lot of days where I've questioned whether I'm making a difference, if I really have what it takes to transform this business. This was a nice reminder that making a difference isn't measured solely on the P&L. 

Friday Feature: Student of the Month

This school year has been going very well for both kids. They both love GT; they have teachers who inspire and excite them; and we've received only good behavior reports from their classrooms.

That's really no surprise for Caroline but this week, she was recognized for going above and beyond. Way to go, kiddo!!