Believing is Seeing

Its been a while since we’ve last talked. A lot has happened. And we’re ready to dance again. I’m not promising any frequency but I can tell you that we’ve found our passion to write again.

Oh, and rest assure. Things here have been fantastic. There isn’t a single thing that has worked out as I outlined but that has been part of the beauty. I’m done forcing life; from here we will simply try to follow her lead!

All our best – and stay tuned!

I’ve seen other parents offer their child a gift in return for them to perform some desired action. Whether its to go to bed, eat their vegetables, stop biting their brother, whatever. We have all seen and while every parent acknowledges that they don’t believe in them, they all still use them. And even those that swear that they don’t, they do. But is their another way to get someone to perform a desired action without offering up something in return?

Living proof has presented itself – and the answer is quite simple. All you need to do is let someone know that they are missing some photos of their grandchildren because they aren’t a member of Facebook! See, Christine and I take loads of photos and videos of Reily – I mean loads! [So much so that we've had one person comment 'We get it, you really love him. And he's smart and cute in all but I got the point after the first 3 minutes of him laughing on the video." (And now we'll see if the person who said this still reads our blog! ] And most of those go straight to our Facebook pages so that everyone can see them without having a massive email list. But there are always stragglers who still need the email and while we try very hard to send as many photos to them as we can, sadly some simply don’t make it.

Then, it dawned on me. Why don’t I just tell those people that they are missing some of those photos. The result?

You got it! Look out – Rhonda Stummer has joined facebook. And then in traditional Stummer fashion, she began to leave a trail of dust. At current count, she amassed 28 friends, recruited two other family members to join, and uploaded a photo album of her grandchildren! All in less than 24 hours.

So my mom will no longer be missing any photos of the little one! And I venture to say that she’ll probably become more ‘popular’ than both Liz and I in no time at all. These are some of the photos that she’ll no longer be missing:

Or my latest favorite…

So, if you are interested in see more like this, perhaps you’ll join Facebook as well. Or just call my mom and she’ll send them on over to you!

From the Endless Oceans of Dreams,

and it’s Brilliant Sunshine…

to the Urban Jungles of Opportunity,

and the Confidence of Layers…

WE ARE HOME!!!

The last box has been unpacked and broken down; a process that seemed to take longer than expected given that one member of the family wasn’t too interested in putting stuff away as he was with putting it in his mouth. And if anyone thought that putting together baby gear was tough straight from the box, they should really try doing it without the instructions and having the movers shove all the pieces of every toy into one box. (Much appreciated fella’s – a little piece of advice for the Los Angeles service industry – ‘Try Harder.’)

Some pieces are missing and a few are damaged but we are moving on and feel a sense of calm again. A feeling that never seemed to resinate while we were in Los Angeles – it always seemed like we were on vacation there. Not here though – from the moment that we left O’hare and headed towards the city, a feeling of serenity blanketed us with the feeling intensifying as each mile clicked off. And then the sight – it is my absolute favorite visual – coming around the bend from O’hare on I-90 just when you get the first glimpse of the city skyline. It looks like something straight out of a Hollywood set where the building look so small and wonderfully aligned as if some set designer meticulously placed them. And its best viewed at night; where the periodic lights of individual offices replace the night stars and the city is trapped by a warm glow.

[Incidentally, Christine's favorite view can only be seen at night as well except she needs to be in an airplane! She is in love city's grid - the orderly array of streets and parks that are lined with rows of street lights illuminating the endless adventures that the city has to offer.]

So we will rest for a few days as the events of the past week have really drained us…

But fear not as we are getting back to normalcy and so updates and photos should become more frequent again…

I think that it is somewhat natural for individuals to become more reflective during certain events of their lives. Those obvious events include births, deaths, and birthdays ~ all of those moments that force us to take a deep look at where we currently stand in relation to where we expected to stand. Today is one of those days for me!

It is my birthday. And nothing feels different from yesterday nor from last year and yet certain things are monumentally different…and others haven’t changed a bit. For example, I was up at 3am today. Now, I’ve been up at 3am on past birthdays as well. And like past birthdays where I was up at 3 am, I did have someone screaming at me. But this time it wasn’t the bartender indicating that it is was really last call and that we needed to leave; it was Reily anxiously wanting to be the first one to wish me a happy birthday!

And again, like past birthdays, I got sick last night. But this time it wasn’t due to the over-consuming of the nectar of the gods. Just a reminder that my stomach can no longer handle undercooked meat followed by a bag of reese peanut butter cups. And like past birthdays, I remind myself that it shouldn’t take ‘milestone’ events to occur for me to be reflective upon where I currently stand in this world. I would be better suited if I just incorporated it into my daily routine – add it to the list.

But today is different. I got up like normal at 3 am being that I lack the ability to fall back asleep like my other 3 roommates possess; and I was able to walk the city. There is just something amazing about the city before it is inhabited with routine. And likewise, I seem to find myself embracing the brisk morning air regardless of the temperature when its enjoyed in solitude during the early morning hours. Yet my perspective on the weather changes dramatically by evening as the once refreshing breeze is replaced by the harsh, winding wind that seems to enjoy battering any exposed skin that it can find. What is so different between the two occurrences besides the timing and my perspective? And there I have it – that is the difference!

Not one for change, I’m slowly learning to accept that the only constant is change itself. With that, I’m welcoming my 31st year (and here is where my father will argue that I’m in my 32nd year but that is for another discussion and one best enjoyed 5 beers deep!) and learning that timing and perspective are the secrets to this life of mine. Life is about details ~ and that is where the beauty lies. For when we go through the motions of our days then we forget the wonderful moments that are right before us. And I almost missed an amazing one this morning ~ something that yesterday would been looked at as routine. But not today; for I got to hold Reily during the first moments of my birthday – feeding him as he drifted back off to sleep next to his mom. And that is where my perspective changed!

As the sun set on our final day in California, we were awash with many different emotions and thoughts.  The radiant reds and oranges were a magnificent good-bye from the West and reminded me of the many beautiful sunsets we were able to enjoy with our beach community.  The plane went out over the Pacific and then banked back toward land, providing a clear view of the illuminated Pacific Wheel at the Santa Monica pier set against the bright lights of LA.  I recalled how we had felt when we touched down there only nine months ago.  We had dreamed about the perfect weather, the beach, surfing, hiking the mountains and the short drive to go snowboarding.  So why are we leaving all of this?  That is the question most people ask with a smirk.  Well, I’m excited about being closer to family and the many friends we have back east, especially those with kids; a career change that will allow me more satisfaction and time to focus on Dan & Reily; and the conveniences of the city that we had missed dearly on many nights.  California does have a lot to offer, but it will still be there on vacations.  So bring on the snow and rain and humid summers, we will make the most of any place…together.