high centered

as i was racing around today, grocery shopping and other errands i came across an interesting site. a green jeep grand cherokee was high centered in a vacant dirt filled lot very close to the local high school. it looked as if the car was trying to get back to the road after a fun filled fling in the muddied lot when the driver decided to take that last jump and well, stopped the fun right there. standing next to the jeep was a tall thin boy... parked on the road, directly in front of the jeep, was a lexus sedan. i could see this situation unfolding and had to laugh at the scene. mom comes to rescue boy, boy is in big trouble, too bad there also was a girl standing there as well. i had to catch myself in mid thought... i was thinking about my response if this was andrew standing there and i had just pulled up. oh, i thought i would be soooo mad, he would be so grounded... and then i thought about his father, and, well, me. my perspective changed. i realized that eric and i had probably been in rougher situations in the 4x4 world but we had been lucky enough never to have been caught. (by the land and by moms!) so, what would my response be if that tall, thin boy were mine? after getting over the "are you ok" i would probably have to run into another room and laugh and then, after i was composed, i would call the tow truck and let andrew work off the bills from the tow and whatever the underside of the car needed. how could i possibly be upset over something both eric and i would absolutely do, if we were back in high school, with our sweetheart, in a 4x4, on a rainy day.

orange

it very rarely is cold, gray, and rainy here. today was cold, gray, and rainy. all day long. it was fabulous. what made it even better is that the orange leaves and pumpkins practically glowed against the background of the storm. very fallish, very thanksgivingish. and, if i had a favorite color today, it would definitely be orange.

cater waiter

dressed in my sensible black shoes, black pants and a shirt just like every other girl in the room, i played cater/waiter tonight. it was my first working experience besides the short stint selling baskets since ohio. it's a little different in ohio. they don't pay as much there and the baskets, well they don't require the wearing of sensible shoes! but all joking aside, there has been a part of me that has always been interested in this field so even though it was "work," as eric put it, i had a great time. i actually enjoyed being in a big, busy kitchen. i enjoyed prepping the appetizers and i can now claim to be fabulous at plating shrimp over rock salt! i enjoyed helping with the last minute touches in the banquet room and even had some flashbacks of my wedding as the colors were very much the same. but alas, reality hit hard and as many romantic what if notions that have wandered around in my head have done in the past, i now know i could not be numero uno, the chief, or the one in charge of something so big. i'm just not that organized! i think i'd make a seriously great number oh, i don't know, 10? or even a fabulous assistant to the designer to the wedding coordinator that works with the caterer. yeah, that sounds about right! oh and it also helped that lesli was there to show me the ropes!

trees

right tree

left tree

this morning i feel quite introspective. there is so much to do... i'd rather think about things instead. as i was cleaning up the breakfast mess my arms and face were being warmed by the november sunshine tumbling into my kitchen. the view outside enchanted me even more. the sky was pristine blue (thanks to the wind) and my left elm tree's few remaining leaves were swirling around in the breeze. i call it my left elm tree because i have two. my right elm tree has not yet decided to give into the cool evenings and brisk mornings. the leaves on him are still quite green. i'd like to think of myself as the right elm tree. a little slow to embrace changes, get things done, and ultimately to lose the things i am fond of, have grown accustomed to and hate to leave behind. because as you and i both know, the tree will eventually lose it's leaves (they are starting to yellow) and i, too, will have to get things done. but for now, i'm holding onto things... i have a whole closet to prove this point. but, i am also holding onto this morning of slowness, listening to andrew read, hearing georgia get excited over what he is saying, smelling sleepiness in their hair and touching their soft, warm faces and arms. because, i know that this too will be gone in time. just like the leaves on my tree, this morning will fall away into my memory. so, as my right elm tree is doing, i'm going to hold on just a little longer today. enjoying my life one moment at a time.

morning commute

lately, it seems we have spent a lot of time on the road. not necessarily to anyplace exciting, just here and there and then back there and here again. so, thought i'd take advantage of just another red light. this was taken on the way to georgia's halloween party at her mommy and me class. she was a little upset, she didn't want to have her hair put up. she was princess lea. think starwars.