friday quotation

Be bold...be thankful...be quiet...be original...be spontaneous...be punctual...be a star...be young...be loving...be crazy...be loud...be random...be adorable...be unique...be daring...be obnoxious...be yourself.

And to my IMAZ friends...be awesome...be your best...be good to one another on the course...and be looking for your loving teammates and cheerleaders!!!! So proud of you!!! Such an honor to be here with you!!!

the mind is a funny thing

One day it has me waking up and checking to make sure that my passport is valid first thing in the morning. (I'm not sure where I think I'm going!)
Another day it has me checking a flight only to realize I've booked it for the wrong city and need to get a rental car. Geez. Thankfully it was in the same state.
IMAZ friends, I promise my brain will be in better shape when I'm cheering you on this weekend. I won't tell you to pedal hard before the swim.
I can't tell you what a privilege it's going to be. Lucky for you the air is dry there, otherwise the tears of excitement would probably be flowing all day. SO very proud of you. More than you can imagine. And my mind DOES know what it's saying when it says that.

floating fish...

...and other fun things in San Antonio!
What a great day hanging out with Amy in SA as we started by cheering on friends and lots of friendly strangers in the San Antonio Rock 'n Roll 1/2 marathon and marathon...then made our way to a great lunch (complete with EGGS! and HOT TEA!) at Madhatters...and eventually to part of the River Walk where we saw a tree dedicated to Amy's dad and FLOATING FISH!! (Courtesy of Amy's mom who wanted the art along the River Walk to be interactive so as you pass under I-35 there are things like these floating fish...that apparently light up at night.) You have no idea what a big goofy grin I had on my face when I saw these. Might need to go back there one evening to see them aglow...
Home in time for grocery shopping, Goodwill clothes dropping, work getting done, and soup making! YES! It's soup weather again and with the chill in the air I'm all sorts of giddy. Productive + fun weekend with friends and even a little tour of my artist side and a road trip...can't ask for much more. Okay, well, except for maybe next weekend when at this time I'll be cheering my little lungs out for my IMAZ friends...assuming I still have lungs and a voice left to use.

perfect day for...

...a bike ride...and then some art...and then some cleaning.
Got to share Amy's LAST pre-IMAZ ride with her - woot!
Got to explore the studios in east Austin and check out some of the very cool art here in this city...some of my favorites: Catherine Dudley, Brian David Johnson, Matt Wester, Peggy Weiss, Sarah Wilson, and a few others whom I cannot remember now. A beautiful fall day for roaming in and out of studio spaces.
And then home for some long overdue cleaning and filing...ahh...that feels good!

friday quotation

Accidents and inspiration lead us to our destination...

birthday, birthday swim, s'mores, zen swim, yoga...

...evidently I need to blog a little more often these days. What's new since I last blogged? Well, a lot. And not a lot.
Saturday brought my birthday and in true fashion where I try to do something to celebrate life, health, and all of that good stuff, I signed up for a 5K swim at the lake above Mansfield Dam. I usually do the Race for the Cure each year, and conveniently it is usually on or around my birthday. But Fisher Works was being baptized on Sunday so Race for the Cure wouldn't be happening this year. I happily signed up for a 5K swim instead. In fact, THIS might become my annual birthday celebratory event.
The morning was COLD. As in the low 40s, high 30s cold. The water was right around 70 so that felt like a bathtub compared to the air temp. The swim was delayed due to fog...which really was quite thick. But luckily it lifted within 30 minutes or so of our (Amy & Matt Bush who ferried me into the park...Amy was swimming, Matt was kayaking for Amy) arrival. I say luckily because standing in the morning air, even with our many layers on, was making my teeth chatter. The gathering of swimmers was pretty small - maybe 25-30 of us? And what struck me was how unlike a triathlon this was. Not a lot of grumbling over the delay. Very little in the way of complaints about the email explaining the race that arrived the night before the event. And not really very many questions about the course even though it was nearly impossible to see any course markings. I liked this atmosphere. I was a little nervous...but mostly because I never felt quite certain about where exactly we were going to swim. But I didn't have much time to think about that because suddenly we had 8 minutes to get ready and get in the water. That got my adrenalin pumping...enough so to get me into the water...which suddenly felt chilly even though it was nearly 30 degrees warmer than the air temperature! Into the water we went...heard the blow of the air horn...and we were off. Immediately, I felt at ease. Long, smooth strokes. Easy breathing. Comfortable in the water. Ah...I was at home. And there were so few people that I really felt like I had the lake to myself - especially on the backside of the swim. The only bad thing about that was that as I headed toward the dam - because that was the only landmark that was worth siting by - I would have given my eye teeth to have seen another swimmer or a kayaker. Someone asked me if I was afraid out there in the lake without being aware of another soul around. I said, "No...I was just scared I was totally disoriented and was swimming in the wrong direction!" Finally, I saw the finish line...or I saw the buoys marking the finish line. And then I became aware of someone off my right shoulder. I kept my pace, picked it up a little, and kept my eye on that other swimmer. As I got close enough to the finish line to be able to really pick it up and hold a faster pace, I did just that. I kept thinking, "I'm a kick-tastic, and today is my birthday, and I'll be damned if you are going to beat me." And she didn't. But was only behind me by 2 seconds. All of that time swimming alone in the middle of the lake and I ended up finishing within 2 seconds of someone else. That's a little funny to me! The folks at the finish line said it was the most exciting finish of the day - glad to entertain. Anyway, I finished with a big old grin (and not just because I was finished!)...what a fun time. Yes, I had worked hard (but never more than probably 85-90%) but I felt good...not beaten down like you do after even a 5K run. Hmmm...I might be on to something here. And I was pretty pleased to have finished in the top 10! (And second in my AG...take that 37 year-old self!) Anyway, the morning was still brisk when I hopped out of the water, but the sun was out, and after putting on some warm clothes, it actually felt like a beautiful fall day. A great day for a birthday!
I got to drive around Austin in the sunshine-y weather doing errands and being generally happy. The evening brought dinner with Amy and then S'MORES!!!! with friends. We tried to go to the Holy Cacao trailer where you can make your own s'mores and have hot chocolate under festive lights in a really laid back trailer park. (What trailer park isn't laid back, right?!) But we failed to think about the Gypsy Picnic which highlighted tons of trailer food down in Auditorium Shores and consequently closed down the Holy Cacao for the night. Boo. Enter the best, most flexible friends in the world who after trolling through their brains for dessert places decided that the point of the evening was, after all, S'MORES and agreed to go to Amy's to make S'MORES in her fireplace. The only thing that topped that great event was the fact that Jess made homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream...seriously delicious, folks. So, I was in my own little sugar and friend induced bit of heaven as I rounded out my first day as a 37 year-old.
The next day brought Fisher Works' baptism which was as much a highlight as my birthday! Getting to be with Kimberly, John, Fisher, and all of their family was a real treat and an honor. And in true form, Fisher behaved perfectly. Seriously, he makes all other kids look bad! The day was gorgeous once again and everything felt a little bit right with the world.
On to some sign making at Catharine's house to encourage the IMAZ folks in a little over a week along the race course...and then to an endowment concert at the Austin Music Hall featuring Bob Schneider. It ended up being much more fun than I would have anticipated which was a nice surprise. Got the chance to talk to people more than I thought...and managed to avoid "business" chatter which sometimes happens. All in all...a smile inducing, heart-warming weekend. I got ZERO work done but that was okay...even if I knew I'd pay for it all week.
Zen swim on Monday...meeting after school that night...and then finally a chance to stop and breathe at Tuesday a.m. yoga. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. Met a new teacher named Katy whom Deralyn had recommended and she was good. The class moved quickly but in a purposeful way...not just to rush through it. And maybe that felt good because it sort of mirrored my life...moving quickly but in a purposeful way...not just to rush through it. Feels good.

friday quotation

Note to self:

Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special and precious, for you shall only live it once. Be comfortable with growing older.
~Louise Hay

for all the saints...

Yesterday was the day where we celebrate All Souls' Day at St. Andrew's. Some years ago a colleague and friend of mine suggested that we use the day in chapel to celebrate all the "saints" in our lives who are no longer with us. The result was a slideshow that included pictures of grandparents, parents, friends, cousins, pets, etc... People or furry-creatures who were near and dear to us but had passed away. It's one of the most powerful services we have all year. It's also one of the saddest - but in a sweet, sad way.
I was so overwhelmed by emotion yesterday - my usual tears but also just a deep, deep sense of gratitude and connection. So I wrote this to share with my colleagues:

I am thankful for...this community and being a part of it.

I know that the "I am thankful for..." service is coming up later this month but as I sat in my office all afternoon, as I'm sitting here at home this evening, and as I sat in chapel today, I find myself feeling overwhelmed (yet again) by this place and the people that make it what it is. What a treasure to have a chapel service like we had today - even if my eyes are still burning from crying. As always, it's a time of the day that draws us together, but today's service seems to do it in a more profound way. It humanizes us; it connects us at a very basic level of love and loss. It makes me sad for the people who are no longer in our lives. But, as one colleague reminded me (just when I needed reminding), it makes me glad that as a community we have so very many people (and furry friends) who are special to us that we would be able to have a slideshow like that. I thought about the people in the slideshow who are of no relation to me and yet feel like family because they are extensions of this St. Andrew's family. And that means something to me. (Well, it means a lot to me.)
So, thank you to everyone else who had a hand in the slideshow - either putting it together or making sure we could see it and hear it today. I will sleep better tonight remembering today and knowing that I get to go back to SAS again tomorrow.

And it's true. I was struck by the number of deaths that I'd experienced over the 15 years that I've been at St. Andrew's. Not in my own personal family but the loved ones of my St. Andrew's family. That was touching and tough. But all in all, it made me feel surrounded by a host of loving folks here on earth and all sorts of saints in the world to come...

zen swim and the wrong road

Monday's BSP swim was the best I've had in a while. Maybe because I was well-rested. Maybe because the springs were relatively empty. Maybe because I finally got to swim as long as I wanted to...well, that's impossible (I would have swum all day had that been the case!)...but I did get to swim a little longer than usual because I was awake earlier than usual because I went to bed earlier than usual. Funny how that extra sleep thing works! (Yes, Amy, I do listen to you sometimes!) Anyway, both the extra sleep and the uplifting BSP swim were needed to tackle the crazy day of November 1 which, this year, brought not only many early decision/action applications to my world but also two self-study reports! I felt like my load had been lightened so much by the end of the day that my run around Town Lake that evening turned into a mini ETG time trial! (Only matched by my Tuesday run in the rain and cooler temps...)
Tuesday brought a change-up. I'm switching up my yoga days so that I can try a different teacher. Today it was Vic - who I love. Even when he's only a (self-described) half-awake Vic at 6 a.m. :) He's thoughtful, challenging, and wise. And I really appreciate that. Today's little nugget as he made sure we were in the right position for a certain posture, "If you're not in the right place, correct it now. Don't keep going. It's like a Chinese proverb I once heard: No matter how far you've gone down the wrong road, once you realize it's the wrong road, turn back." I loved that. It's a reminder to me that it's not too late to start over. That we can't undo what we've done but we certainly don't have to keep making the same mistakes, traveling down the wrong road. It is sometimes inconvenient to retrace our steps. It usually takes more time. It's sometimes painful. But it's ultimately better than continuing on the wrong road!