Picture of the Week - 7/18/2009

Spending the week away from my boys (all 5 of them) never gets easier.

I'm in Scotland for the week.  I'm running a 3 day event.  It's exhausting - mentally and physically.  I'm not whining...  just facts.  

And I miss my kids.  Here're are a couple pictures of Zane and Beck from the beach.  It feels like MONTHS ago.  Hard to believe this was just a couple of weeks ago.  

(I will be SO SAD when Beckett finally has both front teeth.  He has been missing one - or the other - front tooth for YEARS now.  I fear this uniquely Beckett look is about to come to an end because I think that missing tooth is about to make an appearance.  It will make me sad...  gotta be honest...)

Back home on Sunday.  I have one more day of work to get through - and then I'm planning on spending an enthralling Saturday in Edinburgh studying for an Accounting exam I have next week.  I'd love to be heading home instead, but plane ticket prices are stupid and Saturday stays save (literally) thousands of dollars...  so I shall study in Scotland.  Then Sunday, I have a date to collect a bunch of hugs from a bunch of pretty cool kids!

Picture of the Week - 5/9/2019

I think Mother's Day may have come early for me this year!  I got a picture of my big guys WITH me in it and everyone is smiling!  Woot!  (Also, when did I get so short???)

This week has been a bit of a blur.  Jet lag is real and for at least a day and a half my brain felt completely out of it.  I think I'm mostly back to normal now - although I did wake up at 4:20 this morning...  so...

I've spent some time reflecting on the last couple of weeks and I don't think it's a huge stretch to say that there were some life-changing moments that happened.  These weren't getting to see the tallest building in the world or touching the Persian Gulf water or hanging out in a building that dates back to 1080.  The stuff that truly impacted me was far more subtle.

One of our tour guides has 5 kids.  We spent some time talking to him about his family.  He is raiding his 3 nieces and has a girl and boy of his own.  We weren't prying to learn more, but it came out in conversation that his sister and brother-in-law were killed in a tsunami back in India.  The story is even more chilling than *just* that because it turns out that he happened to be in town visiting when the tsunami happened.  The morning of the event he decided he wanted to go fishing and gathered up his parents to drive over to another village.  He asked his sister and brother-in-law to go too, but they had a restaurant and couldn't leave it.  They did, however, send their kids.  That decision, to go on that day-trip, and to take his parents and nieces, changed the course of his life - and of theirs.  They never saw their mom and dad/sister/daughter again.  

What a strong reminder that the decisions you make every single day have the potential to change everything.  

We went shopping at the Dubai Mall one day.  That place was insane.  We walked all day and probably only saw about a third of the place.  There were tons of people there.  Obviously there were other tourists, but there were also lots of locals - or people whom I assumed were local.  We were in a store called Zara (remember that name because I predict it will become very popular here in the next 5 years...) and we were just browsing.  One of my friends wanted to try on some clothes, so I was just hanging out waiting.  I saw this young family of 3.  The mom was shopping for clothes (just like everyone else) and she was engrossed in her task.  The dad was carrying around the baby, a boy of about 9 or 10 months.  He was cooing and laughing and playing and comforting the child.  It was a scene that could have been played out anywhere.  Except the mom was in a full Muslim robe with her head and face covered.  The dad was also in full traditional dress with a head covering as well.  This was a significantly different image of Muslim people than we are accustomed to seeing on the US news.

What a blatant example that people are people all over the world.  What they believe in doesn't change the fact that they love their kids, each other, and a good sale on trendy shirts.

One day my American colleagues and I had lunch with a man who was originally Scottish, but had spent the last 20 years or so living abroad in a wide variety of locations.  He was pretty fascinating.  He told us his favorite places to live and described the work he and his wife were doing.  The more interesting part of the conversation, however, was how interested he was in US.  Apparently his perceptions and stereotypes of Americans didn't fit nicely with the way we talked, behaving, or shared.  We talked about politics and entertainment and religion and school and all sorts of things.  In almost every topic we surprised him with our answers.  His impressions of who we were and what we believed because we lived in the United States was really skewed.  It was so eye-opening for both him and us!

What a clear way to see that if you really want to know something about someone, you have to actually talk to them.  Where they live, what they wear, what they drive, and who they are with really don't tell the story.  To know someone, you have to put forth effort and set-aside your beliefs and stereotypes.  

You have to have an open-mind if you want to have an open-heart.

So yes, I am so glad I got to feel the powder-like sand in the Arabian desert.  I very much enjoyed eating hummus and fresh bread at pretty much every meal.  And I'll always remember the chaos of the old traditional souks selling everything from tea to leather.  Not to mention the fact that the Games of Strategy class was pretty interesting...

But the real learning of this trip happened in the quiet moments - and those are the ones that have changed and enhanced me.  I really am blessed to have had these experiences...  and even more blessed to get to come home to this crazy, messy, chaotic, American house in the suburbs full of people I love and who love me back.  

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there!  I get to celebrate with MY mom tomorrow night and I can't wait to have a good chat with her over a good bottle of wine!

Cheers!

Picture of the Week - 5/2/2019

It's nearly Friday where I am - continuing on the whirlwind world tour!

First thing's first - I'm homesick and I miss my people - A LOT!

But I have to admit that I've done some pretty fabulous things in the last week...

On Friday last week we wrapped up the Craneware 20th anniversary celebration with a private party in the London Science museum.  It was pretty special!  They closed down the "Wonder Lab" for us - picture a bunch of Scots in kilts and women in gowns sliding down the friction slides and playing with the thermal cameras.  Then we had dinner in the airplane/space part of the museum, which was super cool.  

Saturday I took a tour with a few friends to Bath, Avebury (which is like Stonehedge, but older and less popular) - both pictures included here - and Lacock Village, which had ACTUAL thatched roof cottages - super cute.  

Sunday we transitioned to Dubai.  It was a long day, but we had a blast celebrating at the London airport at a cute little champagne bar.  I'm traveling with my 2 MBA buddies, which has been really fun.  

Monday we went on a tour of the desert - complete with camel ride and a traditional meal served in an open-air camp.  Tuesday we got up super early to go ride the dunes and visit the Hatta Mountains.  We wore ourselves out and spent the rest of the day at the beach.

Wednesday we walked and walked and walked and walked all over the Dubai Mall - that place had everything from Harry WInston to KFC.  Crazy!!!  We also got to see the Burj Khalifa and Dubai fountains.  

Today we started class and then afterward we wondered around the Souks (think flea market...) in Old Dubai.  We have 2 more days of classes - and who knows what we will get into in the evenings - before heading back home in the wee hours of Sunday morning.  I think we will start our journey home around 3 PM Saturday (Atlanta time) and should arrive back in my sweet little house around 8 PM on Sunday.  I'm not looking forward to the jet lag or trying to get readjusted to the right timezone, but I definitely AM looking forward to hugging by boys and snuggling my dogs and getting back to my routine.  I have soooo many thoughts and feelings and things I've learned through this trip.  It's been amazing.  I am blessed.

(The pictures with the water in front of the buildings are of Old Dubai.  The dessert pictures are from Sharjah.  The Burj Khalifa is the tallest artificial structure in the world.  The national animal of the UAE is the falcon - and falconry is BIG over here.  The camel needs no explanation - and yes, I'm sore after riding him through the desert...  The picture with the stone guy in the foreground is from the ancient Roman baths in Bath - so super cool.  And the green pasture with the big stones and lonely tree is Avebury.)

Picture of the Week - 3/28/2019

Greetings from Scotland - again.  This week I have managed a couple of days of work and meetings in Edinburgh, a tour of the Scottish Highlands, and now I'm learning all about accounting.  By all accounts it's been a very full week!

Believe it or not, this week is the first time I've ever taken a vacation day in the middle of a trip to do tourist stuff.  I've gotten to see a good bit of Edinburgh and Glasgow in the evenings and weekends before visits over here, but a mid-week day off was a huge luxury.  I'm so glad we did it!  Scotland is a really beautiful place.  

As with so many other places, pictures really just don't do the scenery justice.  It's hard to describe the landscape, but take my word for it...  it's breathtaking.  I shared a few pictures up on Facebook, so I won't repeat here, but will instead leave you with this very important message.  

I'm heading home on Sunday - after going through spring time change AGAIN over here...  I mean am I lucky or what!  Can't wait to get home to see my crew.  I'm missing them BADLY today!

Picture of the Week - 3/21/2019

As I sit down to write the POTW this week I admit to 2 things 1) there's a LOT of grey area in raising kids and 2) some rules are made to be broken.

Spencer quit the high school lacrosse team.  

Phew - feels kind of good to get that off my chest.  This all happened last weekend and, to be honest, I have very mixed feelings about the whole situation.  There is a long back story on how we got to the point where we would even consider entertaining the idea of letting him walk away from a commitment he's made.  We aren't people who DO that...  and yet we just did it - and honestly it feels right.  

I don't want to get into the gory details because I'd be sharing only our side of the story.  I'm sure there's another side to it - although we've not heard it.  I will simply say that Spencer felt like he was wasting his time attempting to participate on a team that didn't value him.  The actions taken by the coaches pretty much proved this to be true at every opportunity.  SO when Spencer came to us last weekend and said he felt like his time would be better spent lifting weights, getting stronger, and starting the preparation for football - we agreed with him.  

There's a part of me that is relieved.  Honestly, watching him go through the first half of this season was painful and frustrating.  It's also obvious that he's comfortable with the decision because he's been in THE BEST mood all week.  Like nearly giddy - and certainly a joy to be around - all week.  I'm sure working out nearly non-stop and the resulting endorphin high is a part of that, but so is being a part of a group that shows him he matters to them.  Seems so simple...

There's another part of me that is pretty damn sad about this whole thing.  The Bovenizer family has put a LOT of time and energy (and money and more time and some additional energy) into the lacrosse program over the past 7 years.  (Yes...  7 years.  Spencer's first season was in 2012.)  I like the sport of lacrosse.  I enjoy watching it.  I really love the fact that all my boys played it.  I loved that they had fun playing lacrosse.  To see that come to an end is sad.  But certainly not a reason to continue to ram your head into the brick wall...

So Spencer's hung up the lacrosse cleats.  We've put the long poles into storage.  He's put on 7 pounds - and looks stronger than I've ever seen him - in a week.  He's gearing up for spring football and summer wrestling.  He won't play lacrosse again.  I don't blame him.

Quinn is still on the team.  Who knows what will happen with him next year.  This particular program doesn't value multi-sport athletes and my boys wrestle.  The combination is... unfortunate.  

Here's an old picture from Spencer's first season.  I'll miss seeing him out there on the lacrosse field - but 1000% support his decision to do what's best for himself.

This weekend we are looking forward to a visit from Grandpa Bob and Grandma Phyllis.  Quinn's got a couple of freshman games and Bob's U9 team has a game on Saturday too.  I'm off to Scotland on Saturday afternoon for my next MBA course - accounting this time.  My colleague and I decided to take a mid-week day off to do a little tourist sight-seeing and we are doing a highlands tour next Wednesday.  Stay tuned for pictures - we may see the Loch Ness Monster!

Picture of the Week - 2/14/2019

Happy Valentine's Day!

To celebrate this "day of romance" Bob and I gazed lovingly at each other this morning after hitting the snooze button, a white furry head between us, exchanged "HVD" greetings, and then agreed to try to find to time to have a dinner or something at a date to be determine later.  I actually make it sound much worse than it is, given we are going on an adult-only vacation that starts next Friday!  It's almost Buckeye Cruise time and I can't wait!!

So raising kids is challenging...  right!  I mean anyone who's been through this knows that there are a million things that I could talk about after an opening like that.  We survived sleepless baby nights and terrible 2/3s.  We have gotten 2 kids through the terrors of middle school.  We've watched one kid drive away alone - and are currently gearing up to tackle that task again.  We've listened to a million stories about Minecraft and now Fortnite.  We've juggled finances and schedules and fretted over day care selection and summer camp plans.  Kids are hard.  No doubt!

But to me, one of the most challenging parts of raising these humans is trying to make sure that we're seeing the forest for the trees.  I want my boys to be able to handle life someday - without (gasp) us around.  It means I refuse to pave the road for them.  It means making unpopular disciplinary choices.  It means sometimes not being a "friend" because they really need a parent.  It means sharing the ice cream...  darn it!

And for me, it means modeling behavior that I want my kids to have.  You all know the old "do as I say, not as I do" and that doesn't sit well with me.  If I want my kids to be helpful, they need to see me being helpful.  If I want them to be on time, I can't be late.  If I want them to be kind, I need to be kind.  If I want them to look across a fuzzy white head and say Happy Valentine's Day after 27 years with some other person, they have to see me love their dad.  And if I want my kids to stretch themselves and push the envelope to reach the limits of their potential, then I can not be complacent.  If I want my kids to push themselves, well...  I'm pushing myself to show them how.

And the most recent example of this means I'm starting to plan a trip to Dubai for an elective for my MBA program.  We just went through the process of selecting electives and a couple of my colleagues from the course suggested that we get out of the "comfort zone" of Glasgow Scotland and try to take one of the courses held in a different location.  (Side note - how nuts is it that I consider Glasgow in my comfort zone???)  We are going to be taking a course called "Games of Strategy" in Dubai in May.  Cra-ZY!  Crazy I tell you!  And a perfect way for me to show my boys that "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" ~Neale Donald Walsh

Here's to stretching and growing and Living a "Do as I Do" kinda life!

Update on sports and activities and such...

- Spencer and Quinn were both eliminated from wrestling last weekend.  We are all bummed that they didn't get to go to state with the rest of the team.  Next year... 

- Pretty much immediately after getting eliminated, Spencer started eating and hasn't stopped since.  His goal is to put on about 30 pounds by August.  (Send food...)

- Also as soon as they hung up the wrestling shoes, they grabbed their lacrosse sticks and cleats and hit the field.  They had their first game on Tuesday night.  They play again on Friday and Saturday.  They are both on the JV team this year, which is kind of fun - and makes our schedule SO nice!

- Zane and Beck also started lacrosse this week and Bob is coaching them both.  We are playing Beck "up" on the U9 team for 2 reasons - one is that he's been playing for 4 years and can't go back to little shooters (he would kill someone) and two is that with them together this also drastically simplifies our schedule.  This may be the easiest spring I've had since Quinn was 5 and the easiest one I will have until Quinn graduates from high school.  I'm gonna enjoy it!

- Zane and Beck are wrestling in "novice state" this weekend.  It's their last wrestling event of the season too, but they will continue working on the mat through the spring.  They are having a blast.

Have a happy week - and go be a role model for someone!

Picture of the Week - 11/29/2018

Greetings and happy last Thursday of November!

Today is an MBA exam day for me.  That is much like a normal work day - with the added "fun" of having to drive to the Georgia State campus to take an exam I don't feel ready for on a pretty nebulous topic.  Good times for sure!  Bright side - it's not raining and I don't have to drive in rush hour!  Also after today I will have one more module/class DONE!  Onto the Entrepreneurial Management and Leadership assignment and prep for the Analytical Decision Making module coming up in January.

In other - more interesting and fun - news!

• We bought new furniture for our living room!  Yay!  This is probably only fun for me (and Bob is good about pretending), but I'm excited!  
• Spencer and Quinn are knee deep in wrestling season.  They had a dual last night (Quinn lost, Spencer got a forfeit win).  They have an individual tournament this weekend - double elimination which starts on Friday and goes into Saturday if they can get a win the first night.  The wrestling schedule for the next month is BANANAS!  Next weekend they go to Orlando, then they have a very rare weekend off (to recover?) before going to Pigeon Forge the weekend before Christmas and then Louisiana the weekend after Christmas.  Wrestlers get no holiday break...  they just eat vegetables and workout.
• Zane and Beckett are also gearing up for some wrestling fun!  They are doing their first tournament this Saturday.  (Note that if the big guys do well in their tournament that necessarily means that either Bob or I will have to miss the first tournament for the little guys.  Ahhh...  divide and conquer...)  They are excited.  I'm excited for them!  I hope they love it as much as their brothers.
• Next week I am headed to Philadelphia and am SOOOOOO happy that the weather looks like it's going to be in the high 40s/low 50s and not snowy.  An overnight to Philly for work is bad enough without having to worry about weather-related travel issues!  Then I have to put away the overnight bag and pull out the big suitcase for my last trip to Scotland for the year.  This one will have me gone for a week and will, essentially, be the last of the heavy-lifting for my (paid) job this year.  I have lots of PTO time and I'm taking most of the rest of the year off!  I.  Can.  Make.  It!

Have a great week everyone - stay warm!

Picture of the Week - 11/1/2018

So here's a "truth bomb" I saw on a GIGANTIC sign on the Royal Conservatory of Scotland on my walk from the hotel to class this morning.  

Life is not a dress rehearsal

Such a good reminder.  Such an important fact.  

Go live...  to the fullest.  For me, that means making the most of the time I have here working on this MBA with these fabulous fellow students and then eagerly awaiting my return home to "my people".  I may be off doing great and wonderful things (far too often), but my heart is where my boys are - and I miss them terribly when I'm away.  While it's often hard, it's part of my story - and I'm going to make the best of it.  After all, this isn't a dress rehearsal and I don't get a do-over!

Have a great week everyone!  I'm back home on Sunday after filling my brain with information about Entrepreneurial Management and Leadership!  Can't wait to see those smiling faces waiting for me at home!!

Picture of the Week - 7/26/2018

Hi all!  Greetings from SUNNY Scotland!

The weather this week has been SO nice.  Like ridiculously nice!  This is a big deal because there have been SO many trips out here where the weather has been flat out miserable.  It's an awesome change!

This has been a jam packed week.  It's been a ton of work, but as always, we've gotten a ton of stuff done.  And the Indian food is awesome too!

I took my first MBA exam this week.  Check out this picture I took from the train on the way back from Glasgow to Edinburgh.  The scenery was very cool.  And did I mention that it was SUNNY!!

Bob is, as always, holding down the fort at home.  He's managed football practices and high school orientations and summer camps.  The boys all seem happy and well - even if I can't seem to get Spencer to answer texts from me...  

I'm heading home on Saturday and can't wait to hang out at home for a while.  (August calendar is a rough one...  fair warning that my communications may begin to get whiny....)

Have a great week everyone!

Picture of the Week - 5/3/2018

Sorry...  can't pull it together enough to put together a coherent email tonight.  I'll try again next week.  

Picture of the Week - 3/22/2018

Hi all!

Greetings from Glasgow Scotland on day 2 of my MBA journey.  So far so good - although I have had WAY less time this week to try to keep up with emails and "normal" work than I expected/hoped for...  so tonight you get this picture of pre-dinner drinks with some members of the course.  This has been a relatively easy module...  mostly a way for us to gear up for the coming courses and get to know the rest of our cohort.  It's been a wild week...

Tonight all my boys are participating (along with their dad!) in youth lacrosse night.  This is, sadly, the second year in a row I've missed the event.  It's a fun night...  and I really wish I could be there.  Alas...

Tomorrow is our last day of this first module - and then I'm headed home for a *whole* week before heading back to the UK for spring break.  LOL  More on that next week!

Cheers!

Picture of the Week - 3/15/2018

Man - the days and weeks are FLYING by!  I sure wish Mother Nature would take the hint and decide it's time for spring.  I'm tired of being cold!

This week has been a "normal" week - which really just means that I've been home to help with taxi duty.  LOL Bob (legit) puts 100 miles on our car every Monday because of the back-and-forth we have with all 4 boys every Monday.  Crazy!

Today I worked from home, squeezed in a hair cut, and then got to watch Spencer play (and win) lacrosse with Beck and my mom.  It was a good day!  Then I came up here to send out this email and got totally distracted by the NCAA wrestling tournament.  If you had told me 6 months ago that I'd be willingly watching wrestling on TV (by myself), I would have told you that you were crazy.  Alas...  I may have fallen for the sport almost as much as Spencer has.  

This weekend will be a fun one - if the rain holds off.  We have a lacrosse clinic taught by Swarm professional lacrosse players for the little boys.  Then Quinn has a game, Spencer has a game, and finally Zane has a game.  Good stuff - and that's just Saturday.  Sunday we have another game for Zane and Bob's U9 dynasty team.  LOL

Monday I'm off to Scotland to start my MBA experience.  Stay tuned for more info!  I'm actually really anxious about the whole thing, but I'm sure once I get the first class under my belt, I'll settle down.  

Here's a goofy little picture of my little dudes from tonight.  Goodness they are fun!