Johan and I practice the religion of be nice to people and don't be a hater. Before we eat, we hold hands and say "We're thankful for this food. We're thankful for each other."
He also says more traditional table graces when he's with my parents.
Last night at dinner, he told my mom, Roger and me that he wanted to lead the table grace. We all held hands and Johan began:
"Little bunny foo foo
Hoppin' through the forest
'coopin up da field mice and poppin' 'em on the head.
Along come the good very and SHE said:
Little bunny foo foo I don't wanna see you scoopin' up
da field mice and poppin' 'em on the head!"
Amen.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Tonight!
My friends, this is the day I've been waiting for since I first heard Susanna Hoffs' unmistakable voice 25 years ago.
Today is the day I see my favorite band in concert. I know the words of every song. I know the order of the songs on every album.
Yes, dear Bangles, I do understand. I do feel the same. This is burning an eternal flame. It really is.
Today is the day I see my favorite band in concert. I know the words of every song. I know the order of the songs on every album.
Yes, dear Bangles, I do understand. I do feel the same. This is burning an eternal flame. It really is.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
A Perfect Weekend
While I don't normally provide weekend recaps here, there was something about this weekend that I don't want to forget. It was a perfect weekend; one that made me reflect on gratitude and how full my life is.
It started with a car ride home with Thomas, who then pulled on his climbing gear and pranced around in the trees for awhile, trimming the branches. Friends and neighbors; beer and wine; chainsaws and children. It was a crisp fall evening with good conversation and much laughter.
Saturday morning, Addie and I packed Johan and her nephew Louis into the Volkswagon and drove to Belle Plaine for apple picking. The sky was cornflower blue and the trees were the most brilliant reds and oranges as we drove along the highway listening to Raffi. The apple orchard was more than just apples. There were pony rides, a train ride, a giant hay stack for jumping, and old fashioned tractors to climb on. It was a wonderful and happy morning. Except when Johan's eyes got "pokey" because of too many jumps in the hay. Addie saved the day with a damp washcloth. Addie has an amazing camera and an even better eye. Her pictures of our outing are here.
Later on Saturday, after having the professionals finish trimming the trees at my house, Addie and I ate Thai food and watched "The Lincoln Lawyer." Considering the fact that Addie fell asleep during the movie, I think I liked it more than she did. It was a legal thriller, but the crux of it was legal ethics. It was all about attorney-client privilege. Super nerdy and fantastic. As we watched, Addie pointed something that I don't generally notice about a film- the art direction. I was happy to sit next to my friend who sees entirely different things in a movie than I do. We learn from each other.
Sunday morning brought an early rise and coffee with BJ and his family. BJ's house is just up from Minnehaha Creek and after some fantastic coffee, we went to the Parkway and watched the Twin Cities Marathon. Our other partner, TRA3, was running the marathon. As we stood in the brisk autumn air waiting for Thomas to run by, Johan practiced sprinting in the grass and chastised me for not letting him "run with Thomas." When Thomas came by, he stopped to sweatily hug BJ and me, as we cheered him on. It was a lovely moment and made me feel truly and firmly that we have a good partnership. We support each other professionally but we also support each other personally and moments where we cheer for one another are important.
After "Thomas won the race, and everyone else was slow" (Johan Alcantara Lund, 10/2/11) we picked Sylia up and had a delicious brunch at Hell's Kitchen complete with a bit of psychoanalysis, laughter, coffee, and lemon ricotta pancakes. Man, it is good to have her home. Rather than trying to pack 4 months of conversation into a single night, we can have a leisurely brunch and let the conversation flow as smooth as the maple syrup that covered and sweetened our breakfast.
After brunch, the Vikings lost. Ok, so not a perfect weekend. But that's ancillary. Mid-afternoon, it was brought to my attention that my parents' dear old friend Cal was in town from North Carolina and a rather last minute family dinner was impending. Pauly and I hemmed and hawed, lamenting the last minute nature of the dinner and complaining of how tired we were. Then we realized that you never would say, "Gee, I wish I would have stayed home rather than see our dear uncle" but if we missed it, we sure might wish we would have gone. So, I picked up Pauly and we reunited with our lovely, loving chosen family. There we told them our tales and listened to stories of us when we were babies. We hugged and kissed Cal and we knew we made the right decision. We talked about love and loss and babies and children the past and the future. We laughed.
After dinner, I came home and read stories to my wonderful son. I felt grateful for all the love that envelops him. From law partners to new(ish) friends in orchards to the oldest friends I have, that boy is surrounded by smart, kind, generous, caring people.
I closed out the weekend with a conversation with Sarah. It only could have been better if she had been sitting with me on my front steps.
Was it a weekend where Johan and I saw everyone that matters? Nope. We weren't at Mille Lacs, so of course there was something major missing for both of us. But, was it a weekend that exemplified all the goodness in our lives? A weekend that made me feel immense gratitude?
Hell, yes.
It started with a car ride home with Thomas, who then pulled on his climbing gear and pranced around in the trees for awhile, trimming the branches. Friends and neighbors; beer and wine; chainsaws and children. It was a crisp fall evening with good conversation and much laughter.
Saturday morning, Addie and I packed Johan and her nephew Louis into the Volkswagon and drove to Belle Plaine for apple picking. The sky was cornflower blue and the trees were the most brilliant reds and oranges as we drove along the highway listening to Raffi. The apple orchard was more than just apples. There were pony rides, a train ride, a giant hay stack for jumping, and old fashioned tractors to climb on. It was a wonderful and happy morning. Except when Johan's eyes got "pokey" because of too many jumps in the hay. Addie saved the day with a damp washcloth. Addie has an amazing camera and an even better eye. Her pictures of our outing are here.
Later on Saturday, after having the professionals finish trimming the trees at my house, Addie and I ate Thai food and watched "The Lincoln Lawyer." Considering the fact that Addie fell asleep during the movie, I think I liked it more than she did. It was a legal thriller, but the crux of it was legal ethics. It was all about attorney-client privilege. Super nerdy and fantastic. As we watched, Addie pointed something that I don't generally notice about a film- the art direction. I was happy to sit next to my friend who sees entirely different things in a movie than I do. We learn from each other.
Sunday morning brought an early rise and coffee with BJ and his family. BJ's house is just up from Minnehaha Creek and after some fantastic coffee, we went to the Parkway and watched the Twin Cities Marathon. Our other partner, TRA3, was running the marathon. As we stood in the brisk autumn air waiting for Thomas to run by, Johan practiced sprinting in the grass and chastised me for not letting him "run with Thomas." When Thomas came by, he stopped to sweatily hug BJ and me, as we cheered him on. It was a lovely moment and made me feel truly and firmly that we have a good partnership. We support each other professionally but we also support each other personally and moments where we cheer for one another are important.
After "Thomas won the race, and everyone else was slow" (Johan Alcantara Lund, 10/2/11) we picked Sylia up and had a delicious brunch at Hell's Kitchen complete with a bit of psychoanalysis, laughter, coffee, and lemon ricotta pancakes. Man, it is good to have her home. Rather than trying to pack 4 months of conversation into a single night, we can have a leisurely brunch and let the conversation flow as smooth as the maple syrup that covered and sweetened our breakfast.
After brunch, the Vikings lost. Ok, so not a perfect weekend. But that's ancillary. Mid-afternoon, it was brought to my attention that my parents' dear old friend Cal was in town from North Carolina and a rather last minute family dinner was impending. Pauly and I hemmed and hawed, lamenting the last minute nature of the dinner and complaining of how tired we were. Then we realized that you never would say, "Gee, I wish I would have stayed home rather than see our dear uncle" but if we missed it, we sure might wish we would have gone. So, I picked up Pauly and we reunited with our lovely, loving chosen family. There we told them our tales and listened to stories of us when we were babies. We hugged and kissed Cal and we knew we made the right decision. We talked about love and loss and babies and children the past and the future. We laughed.
After dinner, I came home and read stories to my wonderful son. I felt grateful for all the love that envelops him. From law partners to new(ish) friends in orchards to the oldest friends I have, that boy is surrounded by smart, kind, generous, caring people.
I closed out the weekend with a conversation with Sarah. It only could have been better if she had been sitting with me on my front steps.
Was it a weekend where Johan and I saw everyone that matters? Nope. We weren't at Mille Lacs, so of course there was something major missing for both of us. But, was it a weekend that exemplified all the goodness in our lives? A weekend that made me feel immense gratitude?
Hell, yes.
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