Tessa Ann was born this Wednesday, August 8/23/23…4:27 PM. 8# 13oz, 21 inches long! And…what a cuddler!!!! We had to go see the next day, of course! Babies now a days…they have more hair than me! It is just not right! She will know me no matter what!
Grandma got to hold her first when we went. All smiles…both of them! We get to go see them again on Sunday, both our grandson Connor, and our new granddaughter Tessa! We can hardly wait!
Grandma Sarah got to feed her, and then of course, got to change her! Fair is fair…
I took over again after. I may be biased, but what a cutie!! My other daughter Megan went Friday for the rest of the weekend to help Molly and Tanner out with the kids. We are bringing meals tomorrow. We want to hold Tessa, but we are going to give extra hugs to Connor to make him be even more special now that he is the big brother!
We have been grinning ear to ear. I absolutely love being a grandparent! I have always said grandkids are like potato chips, you can’t have just one! I was never much for just a small bag…I always went for the large economy size bags! I have no doubt you will be seeing pictures and blog posts of Tessa as well as she grows up! Let’s keep making memories! Keep moving everybody!
How many times do you hear the line, “It was the right moment at the right time!” Was it due to luck? Was it due to hard work that finally paid off? Was it just a “random moment” that can’t be reproduced if you tried? Who knows! For the majority of those times, I like to think of it more as hard work that finally brought everything together. There may be a little “dash” of luck in there, but if you just wait for luck to occur, you will be waiting for a long time. There are many moments, especially with running, where everything just falls together, and nothing could go wrong on a certain run. Then the next time, absolutely nothing goes right. What changed? Too many variables to count!
You start off the day like any other day. You have a routine, and we all tend to try to stick to that routine. But as you all know, things can change…continuously. Sarah and I went out for a run a few weeks ago and was clear when we started. One mile into the run, the fog came. Now, we all know the weather can change. But our everyday life we think we have, or know of, a plan for the day, only to have things keep changing. The “fog” moves in, storms come, or the opposite can occur. We may be thinking something terrible may be coming because of how things at work may have been lately, only to have it turn into absolutely nothing, and the day could not have gone any better. Life is a roller coaster–hang on!
A morning view of the lake one day. Great reflections. You can just let your mind go with the possibilities that may come from the day. Later, a storm comes. Once it passed, the views were something I would have never seen before. These next pictures were truly being in the right place at the right time!
But was it truly being in the “right place at the right time”? Was it luck? I go out many times to go take pictures. I will be looking at what the sky is doing as it gets closer to sunset to decide if it is worth going out to take pictures. Some of it is luck. The other is knowing “what I want to be looking for”, and that, like everything, only comes with repetition. You keep learning from those moments. That knowledge helps to be in the “right place at the right time”!
Sometimes, it truly is just luck! I caught my grandson Connor and Sarah watching TV, and Sarah was acting like Connor. That was a random moment. We all have those. That is what makes life interesting, and fun. You can’t plan for those. They just happen. Just remember to pay attention enough to catch those moments as well.
Many of those moments truly come behind the scenes for how much work you put into things You get what you put in. Again, nothing comes easy. Hopefully those things you do work for come together at the right moment. Along the way, you will get to enjoy those random times as well of being in the “right place at the right time”.
And remember to sit back once in a while and just enjoy some relaxation, and a cup of coffee. Life is too fast paced to begin with. Take some moments to slow down. It might surprise you how many other “right moments at the right time” show up! Keep moving everybody!
We got to spend a great weekend with our grandson Connor! My daughter Molly is expecting a girl any day now. We were trying to give her a little break beforehand. Now will have to figure out another weekend once the next one is born. Oh darn! You do what you got to do, I guess! Ha! We had a ball!
Started off the first morning with Connor trying to steal my slippers. He came close! We went walking with him in the Burley every day. We spent a good portion of Friday morning with him at the zoo! It should have been the circus because he can be quite the clown!
Of course, they had a bunch of tractors and he had to try them all!
He and Sarah had to give a thumbs up (or fingers up) if they were having a good time!
Then of course yesterday, I had to put him to work helping mow the lawn. If he is going to stay for the weekend, he has got to learn to pull his weight around here! It might have been harder if it wasn’t so fun!
Needless to say, we kept him busy, but he kept us even more busy! Now we just have to wait for his new sister to come along. We all can’t wait. It is a good thing that Burley has room for two!
We all had a ball, and the weather cooperated for the majority of it. I can’t wait to have more weekends like this. Going forward, we will have a little girl with us as well! This grandparent life is the greatest thing! My son Nick just got engaged last night to Hannah! A lot of excitement going on lately for this household. Can’t wait to see what else the future has in store for all of us. Everybody keep making memories! Keep moving everybody!
As I wrote last week, things don’t always go as planned. We finally got some rain today! We managed to go for a run this AM before it started, but it was so humid it would have been nicer to run in the rain. We were out walking in the Hills last Fall during the rain. You just wear the right equipment! If you always wait for perfect weather, you will rarely go do anything. I will admit, I don’t like running in the pouring rain! But if it is light rain, it actually is a very nice way to workout. I have been out too many times to count when the weather was fine when I started, only to have it rain on me during the run. You just go with it. It is after all, just water!
Even storm clouds can be cool to look at beforehand, but you better be ready with a backup plan if you have not gone outside before they really start rolling in.
You could tell all morning on Saturday that the rain was rolling in. You could hear it thunder in the background. Some of the times after the rain, it can be some of the best sights to see!
I am writing this Saturday evening. It is supposed to rain most of tomorrow too. We have run club at 7AM, and unless lightning out, we will be out there running!
We needed the rain. Saturday afternoon was a good time to take a little nap. I woke up after about 30 minutes when it was really coming down. It was very peaceful to just watch and listen. A time to just relax and forget about everything else. Take the time when it is raining to just sit back and listen. I mean, just listen! I have had other people tell me that a “rainy weekend” is a great way to get some things done in the house or gets some projects done you have been putting off. Utilize this time! Plans may change due to rain, but welcome to weather! Just go with it! Keep moving everybody!
Life always presents challenges. Sometimes you feel like you are cruising along, and then next it feels as if nothing goes right. There are always challenges that come up, but how we deal with them depends on our attitudes. Think about it…things are always changing. One decision leads to one outcome, and then another, and so on. But what if you had made a different decision in the past? That decision could have steered things much different in your life and led to completely different outcomes. What if I had not met Sarah in med school? What if I had not been a runner, I would not have had something in common with Sarah to have the courage to even ask her out? Then the ripple effect. Everything in my life may have been totally different. And the same goes for all of us!
Last year we went out the Black Hills and climbed up Black Elk Peak. As we were getting closer, the fog started rolling in. When it first started coming, it was very cool watching. It was changing by the minute.
We had about 15 minutes of just watching on how fast things were changing. After that, the fog was so thick you could not see anything from the top. People that were coming up after us completely missed seeing anything from the top. That is how fast things can change in our lives too. We started our way back down after that because we could not see anything else from the top. You make a decision based on changes, which leads to another decision, which leads to another outcome, and so on.
Pay attention to things each day. Ask yourself each morning–“What is something good that will happen today?”, or “What is something good that I will do today?” Then at the end of the day, think about what all happened, and ask yourself the same thing: “What good happened today?” And “What happened today that did not turn out well?” Then follow that up by “What am I going to do to change it?” Those changes and decisions are as varied as the sunrise and sunsets. Every day is different. So why should the things in our lives not be different every day?
When we need a break, take one! Just like my grandson Connor. He will go and go and go, and then just like that, comes to crashing halt. Remember to take breaks. Get sleep. Take time to unwind and enjoy the everyday things in our lives as well. Time really does go fast!
When those “daily” challenges come, you have to learn to “push” your way through them. Learn from them. Learn how to deal with them. Make changes and start the next day anew.
Tom, Sue, Sarah and I did the Crazy Horse walk last year. We are going to do it again this year. We may be standing at the finish line, but just remember, the only “official” finish line is when we are no longer here. Otherwise, every day is different. Again, it may not always go as planned, but enjoy the ride. There will be good and bad. Hopefully, there will be more good than bad. Out attitude decides if for us. Make each day a new adventure… A learning experience! Keep moving everybody!
