Quotes on Gratitude

“A new year is unfolding – like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within.” — Unknown

“You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.” — Ralph Marston

“Each moment of the year has its own beauty… a picture which was never seen before and shall never be seen again.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gratitude list for the week ending January 7

1. Author Katie Davis gave me an amazing New Year’s gift by asking me to come on her Brain Burps About Books kidlit podcast.  I’ll be her first guest of 2012, and the interview goes live this Wednesday (so you’ll be hearing more soon )  What an honor and what a way to start the year!!
2. I set four-year goals, which drove my annual goals (including 2012), which drove my monthly goals for 2012.  First time I’ve ever planned this strategically (and tactically), and it feels great!  Goals, not resolutions.
3. Michigan won the Sugar Bowl!!  Bonus video of the song that’s been going through my head all week at the end of the post!  Hint: Def Leppard, 1980s…
4. Laid down my first tracks of the season skiing at Breckenridge
5. Six inches of snowfall on Saturday night
6. The aforementioned deep-soaking jet tub at the Breckenridge rental.  It is heaven on earth.
7. Jay catching snowflakes on his tongue on the chairlift
8. Watching Rocky’s pure, unadulterated joy at running through fresh snow
9. Bright pink mountains in the morning at sunrise, and deep red mountains in the evening at sunset.
10. The astonishing response to the 12 x 12 in 2012 challenge, the support and camaraderie of the group, and the whimsical, phenomenal badge Linda Silvestri made for us.  I’m also grateful for Tara Lazar who kicked us off on Sunday.  I started the 12 x 12 group to inspire other picture book writers, but the participants in the group are inspiring me far more!

What are you grateful for this week?

Denard!!!

What a week! A wonderful Thanksgiving in Virginia with the in-laws, a dinner out with my best friend, and MICHIGAN BEAT OHIO STATE! Since this is the first time I’ve been able to say that in SEVEN years, please indulge my desire to share some of the players’ post-game quotes.

Quotes on Gratitude for Winning the Game!

“My dream has always been to catch a touchdown in the Michigan/Ohio State game, and I finally did that. It means a lot to me and my family. It was a great play call. I was fortunate to slip inside the d-end, ran to the corner wide open, and Denard [Robinson] found me.” — Senior Tight End Kevin Koger

“I was out there playing for the seniors. I played my heart out, and the guys did too. That is what happened. I was just doing what I had to do. Playing for the seniors and playing for Michigan.” — Junior Quarterback Denard Robinson

“That was one of the best team games we’ve played regardless of the score, regardless of the stats. I… couldn’t be more proud of all the guys, every single player. I can probably speak for Mike [Martin - Senior Defensive Tackle] that we’ve been hoping since we were kids that we’d get the opportunity to win a Michigan-Ohio game and it’d be on our backs… It’s amazing. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.” — Fifth-Year Senior Defensive  End Ryan Van Bergen

Gratitude list for the week ending November 26

1. Did I mention that MICHIGAN BEAT OHIO STATE???  Oh, well, in case you hadn’t heard, MICHIGAN BEAT OHIO STATE!
2. We cooked the best Thanksgiving turkey yet. After two years, I’m now convinced the secret is to cook it breast-side down.
3. It was also my BEST turkey gravy ever, and it is the dish I am famous for – my dad taught me his method years ago.
4. My mother in-law made the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten.
5. I had dinner with my best friend.  As always, it wasn’t enough time but still very much appreciated.
6. The four dogs my mother-in-law watched over the weekend, which helped us miss Rocky just a tiny bit less.
7. Picking Rocky up at the kennel and seeing how excited he was to be home.
8. Em finished Eragon – her first BIG book.  Now I’m reading it!
9. My cousin waited for me to get home this weekend so we could see Breaking Dawn together. Yes, we’re Twitards (and Team Edward).
10. Taking our two kids plus one of their cousins to Great Falls Park on Thanksgiving Day.  It’s so beautiful, and we hadn’t been there in years.

Be sure to come back tomorrow when the lovely Susanna Leonard Hill will participate in the How I Got My Agent series!

What are you grateful for this week?

Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me I'm the "shoelace" man!

What's on YOUR list?

ETA: As soon as I published this post, I immediately thought of more things I want to do and places I want to see. Rather than keeping track of them elsewhere, I will add them to the lists here.  I will also cross them off when I’ve completed them (except for the last list, because most of those things are ongoing rather than one-time).

For my 300th post, I decided to write a Bucket List – things I want to do before I die.  I divided the list into three (loose) categories of 100 each:  1) Places I Want to Visit, 2) Things I Want to Do (many of which include specific places), and 3) Ways I Want to Make a Difference in the World.

Making the first list was a snap.  I did not allow myself to include places I’ve already visited but want to see again, and even so, I had no trouble choosing 100 places.  I could never travel enough or see enough of the world.  I would go to every last corner of the earth of I could.  So I guess it’s good that I now have priorities!

The second list was more difficult.  I really had to stretch myself and give myself permission to dream big without allowing the censor to whisper, “Oh that’s not possible!”

The third list was by far the most difficult.  I always think in the nebulous terms of, “I want to make a difference,” but I never specify HOW exactly.  Now that I’ve reached 40, I realize it’s time I start not only thinking about it but doing some things.  For that reason, this was a very good exercise for me.  I think we should all think about not just what we want to do for ourselves but what mark we want to leave on the world.

One final comment: I did not include things that would require others to make specific choices.  For instance, I could easily have put, ‘See my kids get married’ or ‘Watch Michigan win a National Championship Game live’, but that would require outcomes I have no control over.  So I kept the list tightly focused on things that I would be capable (theoretically) of doing without being dependent on the decisions or actions of others.

Places to Visit

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

1. Kenya – Masai Mara
2. Egypt – Cairo, Pyramids, Red Sea, Nile
3. Morocco – Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, Sahara
4. South Africa
5. Tanzania/Mt. Kilamanjaro
6. Mauritius
7. Namibia – Etosha National Park, Skeleton Coast
8. Zimbabwe
9. Bwindi National Park, Uganda
10. Seychelles
11. Australia
    

    Sydney Harbor

12. New Zealand
13. Madagascar
14. Japan – Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara
15. Thailand
16. Vietnam
17. Indonesia/Bali
18. China – Shanghai, Beijing, Great Wall
19. Tibet
20. Nepal
21. Bhutan
22. The Taj Mahal, India
23. Mumbai, India
24. The ghats of Varanasi, India
25. Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
26. Windsor Castle, England
27. Cornwall, England
28. The Lake District, England
29. Scottish Highlands
30. Ireland
31. Crete, Greece
32. Santorini, Greece
33. Zakinthos, Greece
    

    Zakynthos, Greece

34. Rhodes, Greece
35. Symi, Greece
36. Barcelona, Spain
37. Sevilla, Spain
38. Valencia, Spain
39. Cordoba & Granada, Spain
40. Provence, France
41. Carcassone, France
42. Normandy, France
43. Amalfi Coast, Italy
44. Bologna, Italy
45. Siena, Italy
46. Tuscan countryside, Italy
47. Sicily, Italy
48. Lake Garda, Italy
49. Salzburg, Austria
50. Vienna, Austria
51. Berlin, Germany
52. Black Forest, Germany
53. Swiss Alps
54. Lucerne, Switzerland
55. Amsterdam, Netherlands
56. Croatia
57. Budapest, Hungary
58. St. Petersburg, Russia
59. Sweden
60. Norway
    

    Norway Fjord

61. Iceland
62. Hebrides Islands
63. Rio de Janeiro
64. Amazon Rainforest
65. Argentina – Buenos Aires
66. Chile
67. Peru
68. Macchu Picchu
69. Patagonia – Argentina and Chile
70. Alaska
71. Many Glacier Lodge – Glacier National Park
72. Charleston, South Carolina
73. Savannah, Georgia
74. Cape Cod, Massachussets
75. New Hampshire in the autumn
76. Moab, Utah
77. Monument Valley, Utah
78. Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado
79. Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado
80. Florida Everglades
81. Isle Royale National Park, Michigan
82. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan
83. Hawaii – Big Island, Maui, Kauai
84. Santa Fe, New Mexico
85. Albuquerque, New Mexico
86. Finger Lakes Region, New York
87. Badlands, South Dakota
    

    South Dakota Badlands

88. Yosemite National Park, California
89. Santa Barbara, California
90. Quebec City, Canada
91. Niagara Falls, Canada
92. Banff National Park, Canada
93. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
94. Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
95. Baja California, Mexico
96. Chiapas, Mexico
97. Nicaragua
98. Belize
99. St. Lucia
100. St. Vincent & the Grenadines
101. Basque Region of Spain
102. Cuba

Things I Want to Do

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” — Helen Keller

1. Publish many books for children
2. Write and publish travel articles
3. Write and publish personal essays
4. Make The New York Times Bestseller list
5. Write a novel (at least one). I almost don’t even care if I ever publish one.  I just want to write one.
6. Write down my father’s “Greatest Hits” (i.e. his best stories)
7. Dive the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
8. Dive in the Red Sea, Egypt
9. Dive in Palau, Micronesia
10. Camel-trek in the Sinai desert
11. Go cage diving to see Great White Sharks
12. Dive in a kelp forest
13. Hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu during a full moon
14. Ride in a hot air balloon
15. Take my kids to Disney World
16. See a wolf in the wild
17. Go to the Rose Bowl when Michigan is playing
18. Ski Jackson Hole
19. Ski at every resort in Colorado
20. Ski the Dolomites in Italy
21. Ski the Alps
22. Learn to ski moguls like an expert
23. Learn to ski in powder like an expert
24. Go heli-skiing
25. Take a photography course
26. Stand on the field at The Big House
27. Perfect Adho Mukha Vrksasana (handstand) pose in yoga
28. Take an Italian language immersion class in Italy
29. Take a flamenco dancing class in Spain
30. Learn to speak fluent Italian
31. Read The Divine Comedy in Italian
32. Take surfing lessons
33. Touch an elephant
    

    Photo from my brother

34. Swim with dolphins
35. Attend an Eckhart Tolle retreat
36. Meet the Dalai Lama
37. Attend an Olympic Games
38. Spend Hogmanay in Edinburgh
39. Spend a few nights on The Royal Scotsman
40. Compete in a “mini” triathlon
41. Run another half marathon
42. Oktoberfest in Munich
43. Take cooking classes in Italy and France
44. Do wine-tasting tours in Italy and France
45. Wine-tasting tour in South Africa
46. See the Northern Lights
47. Successfully grow broccoli in my garden
48. Learn how to build an Excel spreadsheet
49. Perform in a play
50. Become a writing coach/teacher
51. Attend at least one World Cup game
52. Earn a living from writing and writing-related work
53. See a whale in the wild
54. Take my daughter to Rancho la Puerta
55. Attend the Yoga Journal conference in Estes Park
56. Do yoga in India
57. Make meditation a regular practice in my life
58. Write and e-publish a travel memoir
59. Finally read David Copperfield to the end
60. Learn Colorado history
61. Polar Bear safari in Cape Churchill, Canada
62. Bake a cake at altitude that doesn’t sink in the middle
63. Go Deep Sea fishing
64. See an opera at La Scala in Milan
65. Carnavale in Venice
66. Carnival in Rio de Janeiro
67. Stand on the North Pole
    

    Absolut bar at the Ice Hotel

68. Stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden
69. Take my kids to see Les Mis
70. Sleep under the stars in the Sahara desert
71. Take a helicopter ride to see a live volcano
72. Walk on the Great Wall of China
73. Bush-walking in Seven Spirit Bay, Australia
74. Hike in Tasmania, Australia
75. Hike The Grand Traverse and Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
76. Stay in an overwater bungalow in Bora Bora
77. See the Iditarod – Anchorage, Alaska
78. Kayak in The Inside Passage and Glacier Bay, Alaska
79. Ride the Durango and Silverton steam train
80. Swim with Manatees in Florida
81. Attend the Highlights Foundation Writer’s Workshop at Chautauqua
82. Go to New Orleans for Mardi Gras
83. Go to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM
84. Go back to Camogli, Italy for the Sagra del Pesce
85. Cruise the Antarctic Peninsula
86. Learn to play poker
87. Ride a zipline in the jungle
88. Put all of our home movies together so we can watch them on TV
89. Digitize all of my “paper” photos
90. Organize all photos into digital albums
91. Complete all twelve weeks of The Artist’s Way
92. Go on a yoga/meditation retreat
93. Bag one of Colorado’s “Fourteeners.” Preferably Long’s Peak, which I can see from my front window
94. Write poetry more often – not for publication, just for myself
95. Climb a 50 ft. indoor rock wall (which my daughter can do!)
    

    la Tomatina - Bunol Spain

96. Ride the Trans-Siberian Railway
97. See a meteor shower
98. See every Michelangelo sculpture
99. Participate in la Tomatina – Tomato fight!
100. Learn more about my family history/geneology
101. Attend a local “festa” in rural Italy
102. See a Harp Seal in the wild

Ways I Want to Make a Difference

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one.” – Mother Teresa

1. Raise responsible, independent, compassionate children. If I fail at this, nothing else will matter.
2. Ensure my children receive a good education so they can contribute to the world.
3. Love my children boundlessly
4. Teach my kids to be appreciative
5. Encourage the kids in their natural sense of wonder
6. Expose my kids to as many experiences in the natural world as possible
7. Expose my kids to as many cultures as possible
8. Read as many books to my kids as possible
9. Look my kids in the eyes when I speak with them
10. Be as good of a mother to my kids as my mother was to me
11. Donate a portion of my personal proceeds from the sales of my (future) books to benefit related charities
12. Make an annual donation of food and blankets to the Humane Society
13. Adopt another dog or two (eventually – Rocky is enough for now!)
14. Continue teaching critical thinking skills via the Junior Great Books program
15. Help bring healthy, whole food to all school cafeterias by supporting the School Food Project and Food, Family, Farming foundation
16. Donate annually to National Public Radio and PBS
17. Donate annually to National Resources Defense Council and Defenders of Wildlife
18. Donate annually to The Sierra Club
19. Shop for gifts through organizations such as Unicef and National Wildlife Federation
20. Advocate sexual and reproductive health education and rights for women around the world – through donations and Kiva lending
21. Continue making micro-loans through Kiva
22. Vote in every election
23. Take Volunteer Vacations
24. Teach creative writing to children
25. Teach writing workshops for adults
26. Mentor new writers
27. Lead writing retreats that inspire women to give time to their creativity
28. Create a scholarship for these retreats
29. Help others live creative lives with passion
30. Support small, family-run businesses as much as possible
31. Grow vegetables in my garden every year
32. Plant trees in my yard and in the community
33. Each time I shop, buy one item for donation and put it in a box.  When the box is full, take it in to the food bank.
34. Buy organic food as much as possible
35. Shop at farmer’s markets more often
36. Continue serving on the PTO at my kids’ school
37. Support fellow writers by buying their books
38. Be “responsible for the energy I bring” – from Jill Bolte Taylor – more info here
39. Be a better listener
40. Practice patience
41. Do a better job of keeping in touch with people who are important to me
42. Volunteer to spend time with an elderly person
43. Practice living in the present moment so I can bring my full attention to the people I am with/what I am doing.
44. Participate in a Polar Bear Plunge for charity
45. Complete A Course in Miracles
46. Continue my Gratitude Sunday posts
47. Consistently donate clothing, toys and other items that we no longer use
48. Sponsor families in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas every year
49. Find ways to volunteer with my kids
50. Write letters to authorities advocating my views on issues that are important to me
51. Help Em sell Girl Scout cookies
52. Pick up litter at every opportunity
53. Participate in 5K, 10K and other runs that benefit charity
54. Donate my talents (writing critiques, editing, etc.) to online auctions to benefit charity
55. Make eye contact with people and smile
56. Whenever possible, say people’s names out loud to them
57. Remember to say “thank you” for each and every kindness and courtesy
58. Use my blog to create awareness of important issues
59. Read banned books and make sure my kids read banned books
60. Support the arts by providing funding for Kickstarter projects
61. Use my public speaking skills to motivate people
62. Recycle and compost as much as we can
63. Solar power our home
64. Use only non-toxic cleaning products
65. Always take re-usable bags when I go shopping
66. Tip well for good service
67. Give compliments often
68. Do nice things for strangers for no reason
69. Promote the good work of others
70. Don’t ignore people who are suffering – instead reach out to them
71. Conserve energy – turn off unused lights, unplug appliances, etc.
72. Write more Thank You notes
73. Get my Christmas cards out every year
74. Participate in Crayons to Calculators each year
75. Participate in Turn Off the T.V. Week each year
76. Start collecting Box Tops for education
77. Write notes to authors of books I love letting them know
78. Volunteer in a disaster recovery effort
79. Keep the computer turned off from the time my kids come home from school until they go to bed
80. Once a month, have a family game night
81. Read out loud to the kids as a family activity more often
82. Treat my family with respect
83. Do not buy meat from factory farms
84. Give without expecting anything in return
85. Observe the beauty in the world aloud to others
86. Practice forgiveness – work on forgiving those who have hurt me
87. Invite a neighbor over for a cocktail
88. Talk to my aunts and uncle so I can record stories of their childhood
89. Cook meals for friends more often
90. Teach the kids how to cook traditional family recipes
91. Volunteer in a women’s shelter
92. Volunteer, at least once, among the very poor
93. Volunteer to promote literacy among both children and adults
94. Read, with an open mind, articles and books written by people whose views are very different from my own
95. Value experiences over stuff and teach my kids to do the same
96. Help educate others about the importance of wild predators in the food chain
97. Write more book reviews to support books (and authors) I love
98. Learn about Feng Shui so I can apply some of it to my house
99. Do a better job of remembering the birthdays of friends and family members and to actually send cards
100. Advocate for art and physical education in public schools

Do you have a Bucket List?  If not, do you want to make one?  Here are some additional resources to get you started:

43 Things

Barefoot List

Creating a Bucket List

My father had passed away at the end of that September.  Immediately after returning from his funeral, Phil and I had to move into my mother’s very small home with our two kids (then 1 and 4) because our house had suffered some damage.  The repair would be time-consuming and costly and render the house unlivable for the next two months.  It was clear to me that in order for us to recover financially, I would have to go back to work after having left when Jay was born.  I had hoped to begin pursuing a writing career then (2007), but that dream would end up waiting two more years.

My mother and father had been divorced for many years, so while she was sad, especially for me, it was not the same as the oppressive grief enveloping me.  The kids were too young to fully comprehend and while Phil understood and was also grieving, he was pulled back into that thing that doesn’t wait for people to “get over it” — life and work.

So even though I was surrounded by people crammed into this tight space, I felt like I was living inside of a black bubble that nobody could penetrate.  The best part of the day was bedtime, when I could shut everything off for a while.

After a few weeks of this, we decided to take the kids and rent a house in the mountains for a long weekend.  We needed to spread out and also give my beleaguered mother a break from our two energetic toddlers (not to mention my constant sadness).

Somewhere on the drive up, Jay had a diaper explosion of epic proportions, such that when we arrived, we had to strip him, put him in the bath, wash the

Em and Jay, ages 4 and 1, while we were living at my mother's

clothes and the car seat cover and hose down the car seat frame.  The next day, Michigan lost their football game.  That may seem like a small thing, but since my father and I bonded over football, it made me even more depressed.  I slept by myself in the cold basement because the slightest human sound (snoring, kids tossing and turning), kept me wide awake.  So much for rest and respite.

The last day of our stay, I took Em to a little paved trail at the center of the house’s subdivision.  This trail surrounded a small man-made pond.  (Native Coloradans would call it a lake, but as a Michigander, I knew better.)

Em said, “Mommy, I want to go down to the beach and look for seashells.”

Me: “We’re not going to find any seashells here, Em.”

Em: “Why not?

Me:  “Because we’re in the mountains, honey, so there won’t be any seashells here.  Plus, this is a man-made lake, so there probably isn’t anything living in it that wasn’t put there on purpose by the people who made the lake.”

All she heard was “mwa mwa mwa mwa mwa,” like the teacher in the Peanuts cartoons.  She was unrelenting.  “Please, Mommy!  I know we’ll find shells there if we just go look.  Please, please, PLEASE!”

I did not want to walk down to the lake, only to spend an hour looking for non-existent shells.  At four years old, Em did not take disappointment well and I could see an irrational outburst in my future.  But I swallowed everything I wanted to say about how nothing could live in this tiny pond at 9000 feet, that Colorado hadn’t seen any ocean since the Cretaceous period, and that even if there had been fossils here at some point, they’d be long gone after the excavation and building of the subdivision.  Off we went to the rocky “beach.”

Within one minute, Em came running to me with a small, gray shell in her hand.  A shell that had clearly had an aquatic creature living in it in the recent past.  I could not process what I was seeing.  I dropped to my knees and started sifting through the rocks and sure enough, there were shells.  Everywhere.  Hundreds of them.  Soon, the two of us were running around the beach, laughing and collecting as many shells as we could.

Although I didn’t realize it at the time, that event lifted a tiny bit of pressure from my heart and marked the beginning of my recovery.  Grief can take you to very dark places.  I’ve said before that you don’t ever “get over it,” but you can incorporate the loss and enjoy life again.  That day, my daughter and her sheer force of “belief” reminded me that life is a miracle and meant to be lived.

We’ve kept those shells and they seem to move around the house.  They’ve been inside the glove compartment of the car, in Em’s room on her dresser, in Jay’s closet, in a little Tibetan prayer altar I have on my dresser, on the kitchen counter.  It’s as if they turn up in different places so we can rediscover them and replay that beautiful moment over in our memories.

Now, I am sure there are scientists out there who could give me a perfectly grounded and logical explanation for those shells – what they are, why they live in that pond, etc.  If you are that person, please save yourself the time.

Because the fact that the shells exist is not the miracle.  The miracle is that we found them.

Do you believe in miracles?

I’ve written about my personal 9/11 experience before (here and here), so I won’t cover that ground again except to say that the feelings are particularly acute on this, the ten-year anniversary.  My heart is with all of the victims’ loved ones today.

Family four years ago at the Michigan-Notre Dame game. Dad is the one in the Colorado sweatshirt, of all things...

In addition to 9/11, these days in September are difficult for another reason.  The Michigan-Notre Dame game is always played the second weekend in September, as it was yesterday.  Four years ago, the day before that game was the last time I spoke to my father.  I was angry with him afterward for reasons that are ridiculous and not worth writing down.  For two weeks, I kept thinking I should call him, if for no other reason to than to find out why, in the name of all that was holy, did he wear the Colorado sweatshirt I’d given him to the game instead of any of the dozen Michigan sweatshirts he owned.  But I didn’t call because I was mad and I felt he should be the one to call me.  And then the unthinkable – it became too late.

One is a grief on a macro scale, and the other on the smallest of micro scales – it’s mine and mine alone.  Yet what the two have in common to me is that I’ve learned that holding on to anger, grudges and hatred only leads to more pain.  It never makes anything better.  As difficult as it is, acceptance for what we cannot change along with forgiveness is what is necessary.  I hope that we as a country can begin to move more toward forgiveness and healing.  As for me, these past four years I’ve lived with the shame and regret of holding onto anger about something that was so trivial and unimportant.  This year, I’ve decided to forgive myself.  Lesson learned.

Mom and I heading out for Les Mis

I am grateful, after all, that many of my family members, some of whom did not see my dad very often, got to spend time with him before he passed.  They had so much fun that day and the stories are now in the record-books of family lore.  The same family members now congregate every time the Michigan-Notre Dame game is played in Ann Arbor (as it was yesterday), and it’s become a way for them to honor my father’s memory.

So on this day, a day that marks one that was once filled with immense tragedy, there is much to be grateful for.  Here is my list for the week.

Gratitude List for the week ending September 10

1. I am grateful that none of my family or friends were physically harmed during the 9/11 attacks.  We bear our emotional scars, but we are the lucky ones.
2. Along the same lines, I am grateful for the health of my friends and family.
3. I am grateful that my mom and I went to see Les Mis together – the best musical ever written and performed.
4. We had the most delicious dinner before the show too!
5. Michigan beat Notre Dame in a classic game that will go down in the record books as one of the greatest ever played.  Michigan won in the last 30 seconds!!!
6. Fried chicken and cold beer for dinner on game night.
7. I am grateful for my work.  In addition to my writing, I’m working on another project that is bringing me so much joy and excitement (if not a bit of fear too!).
8. I took a yoga class with Carmen yesterday.  She is such a beautiful teacher.  There is always a “spiritual” component to her classes.  Yesterday we focused on twists, which she said is a metaphor for drawing in the blessings and lessons of the summer and then taking them and turning into the new season.  I certainly had more than my share of blessings on our trip to Italy this summer, and am glad to carry them with me into the next phase.
9. I am grateful to live in a place where the seasons are clearly marked by nature.  I heard geese honking the other morning – a harbinger of autumn
10. Tonight we will have not only a full moon, but a harvest moon.  A fitting moment of beauty on the anniversary of 9/11.

What are you grateful for this week?

Top Five Posts (Posts with the most hits)

1. Jane Yolen’s 20 Rules of Writing
2. 100 Random Things (About me)
3. Tori Spelling Picture Book – What Next? (The one time I let loose and really ranted. This post gets hits almost every day. I guess negativity does sell, although I intend to try to restrain myself in the future)
4. Picture Book Dummies
5. Dream Number 29

Five of my personal favorites

1. Julie: An American Girl
2. The Magic of Mackinac
3. She Loved that Baby Up
4. Barnes and Noblesse Oblige
5. M Go Bust

Another of my favorite posts, The Presents of Christmas Past, has also gotten hits resulting from strange and funny search terms.  For example, I’ve gotten several hits on the post from people looking for variations of “wire hanger yarn poodle” because of this picture:

Who knew making poodles from yarn and wire hangers was still such a popular activity?  I’ve also gotten hits on the same post from variations of “life-size plastic doll,” which honestly, is just disturbing.  They find the post because I wrote about getting this doll for Christmas one year:

Although I had never heard of it before I made it, apparently lots of people like Frito Pie.  I still get lots of hits on the post I wrote about making it for a party, including the recipe.

I’ve also gotten people coming to the blog seemingly for information on pterodactyls, pterodactyl boyfriends and, yes, unicorn erotica as a result of this post.  (Thanks Libba Bray! )  I would so love to know what they are hoping to find when they click on that post…

Anyway, thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me.  Looking forward to another great year of blogging and conversation!

From Viewpoint Trail, Boulder

This week made it easy for me to write my Gratitude Sunday post since it was so fabulous.

Quotes on Gratitude

“People who live the most fulfilling lives are the ones who are always rejoicing at what they have.” — Richard Carlson

“So often we dwell on the things that seem impossible rather than on the things that are possible. So often we are depressed by what remains to be done and forget to be thankful for all that has been done.” – Marion Wright Edelman

“But friendship is precious, not only in the shade, but in the sunshine of life; and thanks to a benevolent arrangement of things, the greater part of life is sunshine.” — Thomas Jefferson

Gratitude List for the week ending November 6

1. Farewell dinner with a friend who is moving to Portland
2. Watching the kids play and enjoy their basketball games
3. Michigan managed to (barely) win their football game
4. Finding an untouched apple tree in an open space field not far from our house.  Pie or cobbler anyone??
5. The writing community.  I officially thanked my critique partners on Tuesday, but I’m continually amazed by how generous and supportive my fellow writers are.  Especially as evidenced by all the comments on my earlier post about being temporarily stumped by PiBoIdMo.
6. I know I’ve said it and said it and said it, but I’ll say it again: I cannot believe the outstanding weather we have had this fall, which continues.
7. Sitting outside in an open-air restaurant with the kids yesterday, watching the game and them finding “secret passageways.”
8. Taking Em to see the movie Secretariat.
9. Walking in the open space fields with Rocky, enjoying sweeping views of the Front Range and cows grazing in their nearby pasture.
10. A beautiful hike with a friend (and Rocky) on a stunning trail I had never hiked before.

What are you grateful for this week?

Quotes on Gratitude

“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” – Wayne Dyer

“Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.” — Lao Tzu

Gratitude List for the week ending September 11

1. MICHIGAN BEATS NOTRE DAME 28-24.  It was a glory game – down to the last 3 seconds. This picture was taken in Ann Arbor before the Michigan-Notre Dame game in 2007.  Michigan won 38-0.  This was the last picture taken of my dad.  He passed away two weeks later.  So, winning this game means even more nowadays… (*ETA – the other guy in the picture is my brother Jeff.  In case you couldn’t see the family resemblance).
   

   Michigan-Notre Dame 2007 at the Big House

2. Two words: Denard Robinson.  Longest run in Notre Dame stadium history: 
3. All of the firefighters, pilots, emergency crews and volunteers battling the fire in Fourmile Canyon this week.  The fire is now 70% contained.
4. Canned tomatoes put up for the winter.  These will taste good in February!
5. Stunning September weather
6. Em and I recovered from our nasty viruses.
7. Reading Harry Potter to Em
8. Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins – Yum!
9. Homemade chicken noodle soup when you’re sick
10. Rain on a day we really needed it to help contain the fire, followed by a double rainbow in Boulder.

What are you grateful for this week?

Eric Seals - dfp

My parents used to joke that my first words were not “mommy” or “daddy,” but “Go Blue!”  I am a born and bred Michigan Wolverine who grew up in Michigan and then went on to attend The University of Michigan.  Maize and blue courses in my veins.  Michigan football is a religion in my family, so much so that Phil and I had to plan our October wedding on a bye weekend or we figured no one on my side of the family would attend (myself included!).

Watching Michigan’s stature as the winningest team in college football fall brick by brick into a pile of rubble these past few years has not been easy.  I know I am spoiled.  Last year was Michigan’s first losing season in my lifetime.  A heartbreaking loss used to mean losing a hard-fought battle at the Rose Bowl or in the Big House against OSU when both teams were undefeated.  It did not mean losing to a Division I-AA opponent like Appalachian State IN ANN ARBOR to open the season.  Nor losing to a whole slew of unranked teams in the Big Ten, already much maligned as a conference that’s lost its luster (no kidding!).  A heartbreaking season used to mean losing the chance to play in the National Championship, or losing the Big Ten Champion title to Ohio State in the final game of the season or getting our butts kicked in a BCS bowl.  It did not mean losing nearly every single conference game and hoping to scrape our way into a mid-December bowl.  A downright shameful season was one that resulted in going to one of those December bowls.  Never did it mean ending a second season in a row without going to a bowl altogether, coupled with yet another loss to OSU.

Sure, I’ve suffered plenty of heartbreak in my lifetime of fanship.  Michigan has lost many big games and at least one legendary coach.  This is how I found out that Bo Schembechler was retiring:  I was in my bathrobe in my freshman dorm (which also housed most of the football players), when I practically ran into a reporter with a microphone who asked for my reaction to the news that Bo was retiring.  I had no idea he was retiring and said so.  Then I went back to my room and cried.  HOW COULD THIS BE???  I’d waited my whole life to go to Michigan to watch Bo and his Wolverines and now he was LEAVING???  The HORROR!

Never, though, has there been so much heartbreak than in the last three years.  In November 2006, Bo passed away on the eve of the most highly anticipated Michigan-OSU matchups in its 103 year history.  Ohio State was ranked #1 and Michigan #2.  After a grueling, smacking, dirt-kicking, fingernail scraping fight, Michigan fell 39-42.  Even after the loss they retained their #2 ranking until the coaches voted the Florida Gators into that spot after they won the SEC Championship a week later.  Michigan lost the chance for a re-match against OSU in the National title game and went on to suffer a brutal loss at the hands of USC at the Rose Bowl.  Woe was us!

The 2007 season opened with what my dad referred to as the Appalachian State FI-ASS-CO, bookended by another shattering loss at the hands of OSU.  In between, I lost my father suddenly and unexpectedly to a ruptured aortic aneurysm — a literal heartbreak.  The last pictures we have of him were taken at the Michigan-Notre Dame game that year (which, thankfully, we won). How can you talk about the loss of a parent and college football in the same breath?  It’s just a game, right?  Well for us it wasn’t.  It was (and is) a way of life.

When I was 7, dad sat me down with a drawing of a football field and explained the concept of first downs, touchdowns and field goals.  Then we graduated to off-sides, holding, and roughing the passer.  And so on.  He took me to my first game when I was 9.  Both during and after college we talked every weekend and dissected the game – sometimes even play-by-play.  Dad and football are forever woven together.  So much so that I couldn’t even watch football last year.  It was just too painful.  That turned out to be just fine since it was one of the worst seasons in Michigan history, ending with no bowl bid for the first time in 33 years.

This year I came back to Michigan football, prepared for anything (or so I thought).  I couldn’t stay away for long, and I have to pass the tradition on to my children – a task I take very seriously.  The season started out promising enough with four straight wins (including the glorious one against Notre Dame) and Wonderboy quarterback Tate Forcier showing so much promise.  Perhaps that is why what happened the rest of the season was so hard to take.  Our expectations, pretty much minimal at the start of the season, were lofted to places they never should have gone after last year’s performance.  Those expectations were crushed by loss upon loss upon loss.  Yet, there is always fresh hope at the kickoff of the Michigan-OSU game when all that is old can be made new again.  A win against the Buckeyes redeems almost anything.

Alas, redemption would not show its face in the Big House today.  I made myself a screwdriver after Tate Forcier’s fumble in the end zone that enabled the Buckeyes to score in the first minutes of the game.  I figured if this was the way the game was going to go, I was going to need a drink.  I was thus somewhat fortified for the following four turnovers.  Hello Heartbreak.

Will I come back next season for more?  Of course!  I’m already counting the days ’til next season.  What choice do I have?  I am a part of Michigan’s history and it is a part of mine.  I have just two words for the Buckeyes for next year’s game at the ‘Shoe:

Bring it!