Hot day, cool kids

96 degrees today. Time for a dip.

Almost

Almost night
Almost sleepy
Almost done
Almost ready
Almost packed
Almost finished
Almost at the finish line
Almost ready for a nap
Almost time for sunscreen
Almost time to not wear a watch
Almost time to forget what day it is
Almost summer.

Summer's Doorstep

The past few weeks have been peaceful and the transition into summer has begun.  There are more and more moments that I recognize as important or special and feel the need to capture and preserve in my mind and sometimes on this blog.  Our little family is growing so quickly.  I sit here on a Sunday morning, enjoying some quiet time with Audrey, while Violet and Kim snooze upstairs.  While household cleaning is on the agenda today, it is nice to sit and pick pictures from the last couple weeks to install here.  With only a week and a half of school remaining, Summer Break is all too near, and it is refreshing to think about days with no schedule or agenda.  Time without structure can sometimes be very wonderful, as it allows people to simply act on their feelings at that moment.  Too often our schedules dictate our feelings and we don't have time to address our actual needs and wants.  Summer Break, for me, is a time to not only spend with family and friends, but to also dig deep and examine who I am and what I really care about in this life.  

Violet at the park, on her first swing!  

Sitting in the grass, enjoying the weather!

Munching on Sophie, her chew toy giraffe.

Audrey enjoying the swings at the park.  

Dirty chalk hands while running the bases.

Phoebe surveying the action after a run.

Audrey playing with the dirt on the baseball field.  

Violet on Mother's Day.

The girls with Great Grandmother Flesher!  

Our family.  Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful wife, Kim.

Daddy/Daughter Toss!  

Audrey.

This summer promises to bring many wonderful experiences and adventures.  From family visitations to road trips to many outings to the museums and parks and zoo, we will enrich our lives and enjoy each other's company.  It is important to strive each day to accumulate these experiences and add depth to our perspectives in life and learn to communicate about them effectively.  By adding to the total our ourselves and sharing, we also help to fill those around us with the events and interactions that are most important to us.  We are not defined by any single minute, but rather the sum of all our moments.  

-a

What will you do with it?

A day at the zoo with our beautiful family. While the sun is blocked by the layers of stratus clouds, Audrey and Violet remain radiant nonetheless. Audrey noticed and commented on the trees growing their leaves back, and I am cheered by thoughts of long summer days with my daughters in a few short weeks!

My marathon training has begun in earnest again, and I am working on stamina and added strength training. Soon my diet becomes adjusted as well to fuel my body rather than satisfy its cravings. This training makes me feel like a machine, and forces me to think like one in many ways, too. From proper equipment and constant maintenance to scheduled performance and technical data, the marathon will be all consuming in terms of free time and personal focus.

If not in training, my days will be a compilation of play, snacks, exploration, reading, learning, laughing, and hopefully a couple naps. It is a privilege to have this time available to rest and reflect and dedicate to other areas of my life. While I love the profession of teaching and education, I understand the necessity of having time to mentally and physically prepare for a new season of students and learning opportunities.

That's the word that has been on my mind as of late: opportunity. The work and education in my life have afforded me these opportunities, and continue to open doors and potential paths in life. I hear a lot of friends and people in general speak about missed or blundered opportunities, and I read about people who leave this world before their time yet they will be remembered because they made the absolute most of the possibilities offered to them. Witnessing all of this sharpens my own ambition to carefully examine and evaluate the things in my life and ensure that potential positive opportunities to strengthen and better myself and my family are seized. What's in my head is the thought that each day is unique and finite, and it is up to each of us to decide how to utilize the time that is given to us and act upon those decisions. The question I ask myself each morning when I wake up now is: what will you do with it?

Whenever I need a reason.