Ahh… long weekend ahead of me. Fun project to work on. Able to start and finish something. Planning on spending time alone, time with my dad, and time with my family. Sounds pretty awesome, right?
The only way it could get more awesome is by starting the long weekend with Becky and yoga!
It was incredibly peaceful, relaxing and came with a great workout too. Throw in being able to chill alone with Becky while the boys are up north and that is one awesome start to the weekend!
Thanks!!!
Becky took the boys up north to hunt with their grandpa and cousins for the next few days. On the way up I was on the phone with Becky and she filled me in that Gavin left a present for me on the kitchen table.
When I got home this is what I saw on the table:
Turns out that in school today they made these turkeys to put on their Thanksgiving table. Becky told Gavin that we could take it up to her parents’ house for Thanksgiving, but Gavin decided that he wanted to leave it here for me because I’ll be home alone for Thanksgiving night.
While Becky and the boys will be up north for Thanksgiving I’m staying home to work on re-doing our bathroom floor and my dad is coming down to help Friday morning. Becky isn’t heading up until after lunch on Thursday, so I’ll only be alone for less than 24 hours. That being said, Gavin was still nervous about me being alone so he wanted to make sure I had company. (Thanks again for the offer to head to your house Kathy!)
Sometimes the little guy drives me nuts and makes me think that he only things of himself, but there are times and little moments like this when I can clearly see how much he loves and cares about me… and that puts a smile on my face.
Thanks!!!
ear·worm – ˈi(ə)rˌwərm/ – noun – informal – a catchy song or tune that runs continually through a person’s mind
Last week Wednesday I heard a song for the first time that’s been stuck in my head ever since. The video is fantastic and there’s an incredible message in it. Check it out here:
During the end of yoga I can usually get to a fleeting moment of silence and peace in my mind. This Saturday as I laid with my eyes closed and slowly relaxing all I could hear is this song repeating in my head, and I loved every note of it.
I played it for the boys and they enjoyed it, I’m sure one day they’ll get it. In the meantime, I’m glad it’s stuck in my head!
Thanks!!!
The Nights – Avicii
Lyrics
Hey, once upon a younger year
When all our shadows disappeared
The animals inside came out to play
Hey, when face to face with all our fears
Learned our lessons through the tears
Made memories we knew would never fade
One day my father—he told me,
“Son, don’t let it slip away”
He took me in his arms, I heard him say,
“When you get older
Your wild life will live for younger days
Think of me if ever you’re afraid.”
He said, “One day you’ll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember.”
My father told me when I was just a child
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
When thunder clouds start pouring down
Light a fire they can’t put out
Carve your name into those shinning stars
He said, “Go venture far beyond the shores.
Don’t forsake this life of yours.
I’ll guide you home no matter where you are.”
One day my father—he told me,
“Son, don’t let it slip away.”
When I was just a kid I heard him say,
“When you get older
Your wild life will live for younger days
Think of me if ever you’re afraid.”
He said, “One day you’ll leave this world behind
So live a life you will remember.”
My father told me when I was just a child
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
These are the nights that never die
My father told me
Songwriters: Ash Poumouri / John Feldman / Gabriel Budin-Smithers / Tim Berling / Jordan Matthew Suecof / Nicholas Michael Furlong
The Nights lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
I know, it’s been a bit of a broken record lately, but how awesome is this weather? Seriously, this has to be one of my favorite Novembers ever!
Today we were out at Hixon Forest hiking for Cub Scouts. It was so nice that by the time we got to the top of the bluffs I had already taken my jacket off. As per the norm for events like this I had a lot of fun. It was so relaxing to go for a nice walk with the boys.
A good time was had by all, the fresh air felt amazing, and it’s always nice to wrap up a weekend with a little active time.
Thanks!!!
Yoga felt great this morning and I’m glad that we did the 75 minute session for my first time in a couple of months 😉
We cleaned the garage for winter and got everything away which was a great sense of accomplishment.
Less than 40 minutes before Fantastic Beasts was playing we spontaneously decided to take the boys to the matinee.
Spending our first full Saturday at home with no agenda was awesome!
All that said, there’s just something about delicious stick to your bones food on the first truly cold day of the year that just feels so right! Becky fired up a recipe that I’ve loved since childhood… Mexican Hero Sandwiches!
Delicious strips of bacon under Colby and Monterey Jack cheese, all atop a fantastic mix of ground turkey, onion, and chili peppers… ahh… cold weather lunch perfection!
Thanks for soothing the savage beast that is my appetite Becky!
Thanks!!!
Since our run this morning the temperature has dropped about 20 degrees and the wind has increased by almost 20 mph. How crazy is that? Hello Mr Cold Front!
The way this morning started off was pretty awesome. Our normal early morning run and it was 58 degrees! That’s like PERFECT running weather, not too hot, not too cold. The moon was still bright so I was able to shut off my headlamp most of the way.
As the run started it just felt right. I played an excellent tune by Avicii and felt everything click right away. My legs were loose and feeling great and I hit my rhythm quickly. We shot the bull for a while and then fired up another song. Back to quiet and talking and then back to another song. It felt wonderful! Nice dose of Gaslight Anthem to bring it home and 4 miles were in the bag. So peaceful, relaxing, and serene in a state of flow.
It was one of those “that’s why I run” runs. The ones that just feel right and that I hope to feel every single time I lace up the shoes. Of course that’s not realistic and the painful and torurous runs remind me of how much to appreciate the fantastic ones like today.
As an interesting side note, this pic was in my Facebook feed from 5 years ago…
It cracks me up to think that it was below freezing then and this morning it was almost balmy… I am very thankful for the great weather!
Thanks!!!
Another Bear Scout meeting and more fun is in the books. Tonight we covered knife safety and helped the boys earn their Whittling Chip and only one of us lost a corner before the night was over (it was me…).
Nothing like carving up bars of Ivory soap with plastics butter knives! Almost all of the adults and the lone big brother also got in the spirit and were carving too. I’m glad all the boys had fun!
A few months ago Becky drove back from a soccer game so I could put together the scout plan for the year. In most cases I would have looked at the craziness of the past few weeks and said “forget it, let’s put it off for a few weeks until life slows down.” Because I already had it planned it was surprisingly easy to pull off. I’ll have to remember this for future years of scouting. I’m also keeping it in the back of my head as we get ready for 2017 at work. Suprising how a little extra planning can make a big difference!
Thanks!!!
During our planning session today Norm busted out a video that we’ve watched before. As normal there was hardly a dry eye in the room by the time it was over. This is one powerful presentation made by a man with only months to live. With his own mortality looming behind him there is tremendous insight he offers us.
In the chaos of our daily lives this is well worth the 10 minutes. Trust me, you’ll be happy you invested the time in it.
Thanks!!!
This one might sound a little strange, but I just love escape rooms! Talk about an activity that covers pretty much all of my favorite things. I get to take things apart, solve puzzles, find clues, make sense of chaos, and get a great feeling of accomplishment. Throw in that it is in a small enough period of time to hold my attention (1 hour), and I don’t have to clean it up when I’m done, and it is one of my favorite activities.
As a part of our planning retreat we did them as teams this evening. Just like past experiences I enjoyed the entire thing and was smiling pretty much non-stop.
If you have no clue what I’m talking about please let me know and I’d be happy to go to one with you so you can experience it too. 😉
Thanks!!!
This morning was filled with moon awesomeness!
It started with a run on a quiet country road with Becky. The moon was so bright and beautiful that we were able to run the majority of the way without our headlamps on! There’s something so serene about running in the moonlight and watching your moon shadow run alongside of you on the sand.
The boys were pretty pumped about seeing the super close Super Moon so we woke them up and got them moving quickly. Somehow they were able to both be ready in under 26 minutes when we normally struggle to get them ready in just over an hour. Seeing as they were so pumped I took them out to Nelson Park to watch the moonset. They had so much fun watching the moon slowly set in the bluffs. We just sat on the deck at the park and watched it slowly sink into the bluffs, turning more orange and getting larger as it dropped.
I have a whole lot of day to go and I’m excited to see how great it will be. How can it be anything short of awesome when it starts with something so incredible before 7am?
Thanks!!!
