Academic Awards Night

It brought tears to my eyes. My daughter's name was called and she moved forward to shake her Principal's hand. She accepted her GPA award with poise and grace, then returned to sit among her friends.

"Parents, these are the academic leaders of the class of 2018."

We applauded, and sighed with relief. These are our children, and our childrens' friends. Their futures are bright. The whole world is before them. It made me feel like all is right with the world.

We should all feel good. These kids are our future.

This Day Was Made for Walkin'

With temps in the 60's and sunshine (finally!), this was the perfect day to walk. I took a two-mile walk during lunch, then came home and walked again. Bliss.


Fun facts about walking:

• Given that the world is about 25,000 miles in circumference and that the average walking rate is 3 miles per hour, it would take a person walking nonstop approximately 347 days to walk around the world

• A typical pair of tennis shoes will last 500 miles of walking

• It would take, on average, 1 hour and 43 minutes of walking to burn off a 540-calorie Big Mac

• An average city block is equivalent to 200 steps

• To burn off one plain M&M candy, a person would need to walk the entire length of a football field (I'd go for the Big Mac instead)

• Chickens, pigeons, cranes, quails, and at least eight of the 27 families of birds bob their head when they walk

• In 1970, 66% of children walked to school. Today, only 13% walk.

• Every minute you walk can extend your life by 1.5 to 2 minutes

• Walking sideways burns 78 percent more calories than walking forward.

• In your lifetime you will walk about 65,000 miles — that's three times around the earth!

Mother's Day

Another glorious Mother's Day. I got a phone call from my son, as well as a basket full of Bath & Body Works goodies from him and his wife. I got an espresso maker from my husband (which we immediately used). I got movies from my daughter. A memory foam bathmat and JC Penney gift card from my mom, and phone calls from family.

We enjoyed pizza with my aunt and 93-year-old grandmother, then watched an exciting game of soccer.

But best of all, I received this pinch pot my daughter made in art. It is sitting on my mantel next to the other artwork that my children have bestowed upon me. I look at their beautiful creations and think about mine. I am the luckiest mother in the world.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

The Crew Game

Pre-game warm-up exercises

On almost any given day I can say that we're at soccer. We're at the fields for practices or games five days a week. But tonight was a little different. After my daughter's game, we headed up to Columbus to watch the Columbus Crew play the Colorado Rapids.

It was fun to watch the quick-moving game, but even more fun to watch the girls study the players' moves. Pre-game, they were allowed to stand along the sidelines and watch the pro teams warm up. They noticed immediately that the warm-up stretches and exercise drills are the same ones they do. I think that had a huge impact on them and made them realize how well-trained they are, too.

After the Crew's crushing loss, all kids under the age of 13 were allowed down on the pitch to take a penalty shot at the goal. That was certainly another highlight for my daughter and her friends, despite the fact that it was pouring rain and COLD. Par for the course, as far as I'm concerned. Most of this season's games have involved playing in the rain.

Movie Night

Finally -  a night where we didn't run around with a million things to do! Instead, we had movie night. A double feature, in fact.

We started with So Undercover starring Miley Cyrus. Very predictable. Basically a teen version of Miss Congeniality, if you ask me.

Then we watched Argo. I was a child during the Iranian hostage situation and knew nothing about it. The movie was riveting. High praise from me, since history usually bores me to tears. It deserved the awards it won.

Playing with the Foster Puppies

My mom once fostered two dogs for an organization called Hart. She ended up adopting them and didn't foster any more -- until her friend called her with a desperate situation.

"Can you take a mother dog and her seven puppies? The mother's been abused. They were dropped at the shelter and they're going to be euthanized today."

A mother and 7 puppies... in addition to my mom's three dogs. But what else could she do? She said yes.

The mother and her seven tiny babies were brought over, along with a large cage and all the equipment necessary for their care. The puppies looked to be about 3 weeks old. The mother was as sweet as could be and immediately formed an attachment to my mom. In fact, she didn't want to leave her side. She was probably so grateful to be treated tenderly and taken care of, after the horrible torture she'd been through. Here's what we learned:

Two guys in Kentucky had hung her from a tree and were taking a blowtorch to her nipples. Somehow, a cop came by and rescued her and her babies. I don't know whether the men suffered any consequences, but we all like to think there's a special place in hell for them.

The mother, now named Caroline, couldn't nurse due to mastitis that I can only surmise was brought on by her mistreatment. So my mom and aunt had to take over, feeding the babies formula on a schedule much like an infant's. Needless to say, they've been exhausted.

Now the puppies are a little older and are eating solid foods and playing outdoors. We went over to take a turn holding them, playing with them, and socializing with them. Not a chore for us by any means! I just wish we had more time to help.

The puppies and Caroline are thriving, thanks to their rescuers. And just as I hope there's a special place in hell for those two men, I KNOW there's a special place in heaven for my mom.

49 Minutes - Again

Today, I walked a 5K race. The last time I did this, my time was 49 minutes and I was determined to beat it. So I huffed and I puffed, and I dragged my butt around the course, panting in the 85-degree sunshine until I finally crossed the finish. At 49 minutes. Again.

And no, I didn't win one of these trophies. Not even close.