May 7

I don't cook as often as I could, but I enjoy the process quite a lot. Tonight, I made calzones for dinner.

It's an awesome blessing to be able to look up a recipe online, raid my fridge and find the ingredients, and then just... create. And eat. It's immensely satisfying to feed my family and I'm thankful to have the resources readily available to do it.

May 6

Sometimes, I'm flat-out amazed by some of the experiences I've had in this life. Today, for example, I got to interview Robert Herjavec. As a huge 'Dancing with the Stars' fan and a huge fan of Team Sharkaroo (which I know makes no sense if you're not a fan, but that's the team name for Robert and his pro partner, Kym Johnson), it was a big-big-big deal. So I enjoyed it quite a lot. But the funny thing is, I enjoyed the everyday kind of experience that I had with Abby this evening just as much.

After dinner, I asked her if she wanted to go for a quick stroll with me. After confirming that I didn't mean a long walk, she agreed to come along... if she could read aloud to me along the way. So that's what we did: she read me a few chapters from an old Baby-Sitters Club book as we circled the park. And it was a lovely way to close out the evening.

Life is a string of moments, some big and memorable, some small and mundane. The challenge is remembering to place value on every moment, and I feel blessed that I'm inclined to do just that.

May 5

Sometimes, I'm amazed by how good and quiet little people can be.

Brady and his friend E very patiently played a game while a group of us moms got together for coffee this morning. They didn't misbehave, they weren't unduly noisy, and they didn't really complain (other than sharing that they were hungry and thirsty now and then, which were obviously issues that were easy to remedy given that we were in a coffee shop!).

It's a blessing to have kids who don't act like hooligans in public! That's an easy one to overlook, but it's pretty darn huge, if you ask me.

May 4

I was surprised when I stepped outside this morning and it was actually cold. It was a shock to my system after a weekend in warm, sunny southern California. But we toughed it out and headed to school (of course!).

It's teacher appreciation week, and I stood back and watched as Isaac and some of his classmates compared the flowers they'd brought along for their teacher.

Ruminating over how much he once struggled with basic speech, it's amazing to see him talking and joking with his peers in such a natural, carefree way. It's a blessing to see him continuing to grow and develop into such a fun-loving, sensitive, and sweet little guy.

May 3

I was blessed to attend college in a really beautiful place.

I think that to some degree, I realized that while I was there, but it was easy to forget just how lovely it is while I was gone. So it was a blessing to be back there once again this weekend, remembering what was and marveling over how much it's changed. And over how much I've changed. My life isn't perfect and there are certainly things I wish with everything I have that I could change, but I'm content. And that's a truth of immeasurable worth.

May 2

It really doesn't seem like it's been 15 years since I finished college. It's almost as if I blinked a few times and bam, here I am. Fortunately, I have no great regrets. It's been great to be in Claremont this weekend, wandering around the school and getting little whiffs of the past in the form of a sight here or a smell there.

Minor troubles and stressors aside, my college experience was a positive one, and it served as the staging area for much of my life. I met Adam here, I met some pretty awesome lifelong-worthy friends here, and I learned a lot about what it means to be a good, thoughtful person here.

And even beyond all of those wonderful things, I think I got my first taste of what it felt like to really rely on God to carry me through tough times while I was here. So for all of that --for the memories and the laughs and the fun of remembering and even the harder times that still make me wince when they come to mind-- I'm thankful. Without any one of them, I wouldn't truly be the me I was intended to be.

But before I close out for the night, I have to address one of these photos in particular: the one that features the fountain. I liked the fountains while I was a student (well, except the days when I was thrown into them, but that's another tale in and of itself for the non-initiated), but I didn't love this one until about seven years ago. We were down in Southern California for one reason for another and decided to stop by campus for a quick visit. Abby and Logan were young, and we paused beside this particular fountain for a little break. Adam and I turned our heads for --literally-- about 20 seconds, and when we whirled around again, we found a buck-naked Logan happily splashing in the water. He was having a great time; he'd instinctively ripped off his clothes and jumped in. No inhibitions. So unlike both of us. So incredibly amazing and free. We had a fit laughing before we scooped him out of the water, but the mental soundtrack from that little vignette in time really stuck with me.

He didn't get to be with us here for long, but it took him just seconds to make a memory for me to carry around in my heart. He didn't get to go to school here or grow up or meet scores of people, but he was here in this place that matters so much to our family's history. And being able to remember him here means so much.

May 1

My 15th college reunion is this weekend, and some great old friends and I decided to attend some of the festivities. So Kristine and I caught a flight to Southern CA this afternoon. After a few assorted snags like a three hour flight delay, a deleted electronic boarding pass, two trips through security, and a nearly-lost bag, we met up with Irene post-flight to begin our blast to the past.

We may be very different people with vastly different jobs, lives, and opinions, but I love these girls. They're a big part of why I stuck around our school following a less-than-awesome first semester, which means they're a big part of why my life has gone the way it's gone.

For the ways that they've helped to insure that my life is as rich as it is, I'll always be thankful.