Sidewalk Chalk Fairy on the job

May 30th, 2013 - the chalk fairy at work on my run through UW campus with sidewalk chalk in hand yesterday.... (hoping it would not rain before this morning when Elizabeth and I went running to surprise her with these messages along our route)

on 20th Ave (on the bridge over Ravenna Park) 

late night work (hoping not to get caught!) 

SURPRISE!  She was indeed surprised... :)  

May 31, 2013 by the rose garden at UW 

hilarious post for the end of the school year

This is hilarious and a must-read for moms at the end of the school year... I laughed so hard that I cried just now reading it...

http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2013/05/30/worst-end-of-school-year-mom-ever

May/ Twenty-Thirteen

indeed.... 

May Day 2013

"The Earth laughs in flowers." -  Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

SPRING

In spring, red sings from treetops: cheer-cheer-cheer, each note dropping like a cherry into my ear. Red turns the maples feathery, sprouts in rhubarb spears: Red squirms on the road after rain.

Green is new in spring. Shy. Green peeks from buds, trembles in the breeze. Green floats through rain-dark trees, and glows, mossy-soft, at my feet. Green drips from tips of leaves onto Pup's nose. In spring, even the rain tastes green.

Yellow slips goldfinches their spring jackets. Yellow shouts with light! In spring, yellow and purple hold hands. They beam at each other with bright velvet faces. First flowers, first friends 

In spring, white sounds like storms: snapped twigs  and bouncing hail, blink of lightning and rattling BOOM!

Blue needs sun. Without it, blue hides. Then suddenly, sparkling spring sky!

White can be quite, too: delicate petals filled with light smell white.

And here, in secret places, peeps pink: hairless, featherless, the color of new things.

Red Sings from Treetops: a year in colors  By Joyce Sidman

pockets of sunshine here in Seattle 

 

" And may you find enough courage to acknowledge your artistry, and to recognize the little ways your life teems with canvases." 

- http://simplemom.net/we-are-all-artists/

racing into Mother's Day.... 

 

10.5 – As my friend Nicola pointed out to me, this girl is half way to 21.... EEK! 

 

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway." – Mother Teresa

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But you can either run from it, or learn from it." - Rafiki, from The Lion King

This picture above was taken on 5/15/13.... It's hard to believe that it has been a month since Boston... 

Giving thanks for an extraordinary gift of an ordinary day. 

As my friend Elizabeth said so well: 

 "Color amidst the grey....isn't that what we hope for on rainy days that fall on such an anniversary." 

an unbelievable experience to paint with Dale Chihuly this month at the Chihuly Museum at Seattle Center 

http://celebrate-2day.blogspot.com/2013/05/painting-with-dale-chihuly.html

 

"Contemplate how you are being asked to give your heart to God amidst your everyday activities.  Be prepared to meet your grace in every circumstance of life."  St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 

 

celebrating EIGHT!! 

May 23, 2013 

 

Many years ago a friend quoted a portion of the poem "Spring" on their birth announcement and it has always stuck with me:

 "What is all this juice and all this joy?"    Gerard Manley Hopkins

It was written by the poet who was inspired by the love he had for his son..... What an appropriate quote for this month of May celebrating Taylor's 8th birthday! 

bike trip to Victoria over Memorial Weekend 

http://celebrate-2day.blogspot.com/2013/05/victoria-bike-adventure.html

amen.... 

 

It's a Beautiful Day

enough said... 

Yesterday, I rode my bike to run lots of errands and enjoyed the ride around town... Here is the cool bike tracker at the Fremont bridge. So far, 1390 bikes had already crossed the bridge around noon... WHOOHOO! 

wishful thinking in Seattle (at the Pottery Barn Kids in UVillage) 

a sweet dinner date with Guy Tucker on Thursday 

Taylor laughed so hard with Uncle Guy! 

Taylor and Anna with Guy and Lindsey 

more laughing... 

ane more... 

and one more! 

Anna and Buckley (Tucker's awesome dog...) 

Fwd: a letter for RunKeeper

a silly email I sent as a message to the folks who work on my favorite RunKeeper app... :) I hope it makes them whistle a little bit more while they work today!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Emilyjasonhuff <emilyjasonhuff@aol.com>
Date: Wed, May 29, 2013 at 11:29 PM
Subject: a letter for RunKeeper
To: community@runkeeper.com, emilyjasonhuff@gmail.com


Dear RunKeeper,
I admit it. I loved you for over 500 miles, ran in the Boston marathon with you, and then took a much needed break. Then for the last 6 weeks, I've been seeing someone else (Nike + Running App). I thought it would be good for us to date around, but I have seen the error of my ways. I am coming back and want to apologize for ever leaving you. You are the only one for me.
Sincerely,
Emily from Seattle

One Second on PBS

My friend Maryanna with whom I went to Camp Merrie Woode when I was in middle school sent me an email this evening with this link. I cannot believe she spotted me in this tiny clip about Boston.  WOW!

A Nova Night of Special Reports : May 29, 2013 

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?utm_medium=channel&v=U7FR6gB6IpY&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=PBS&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DU7FR6gB6IpY%26utm_source%3DTwitter%26utm_medium%3Dchannel%26utm_campaign%3DPBS

Summer Intentions

We now have about three weeks until school gets out.  I recently listened to a talk again on a CD that my friend Susanne gave a few years ago and I am challenged to think about the summer with some more intentionality: 

Here's what Susanne challenged us to do: 

1) ask your kids, "what do you want to do this summer?" (have kids brainstorm and put their ideas on a list. Just because it goes on a list does not mean you will do it, but it's a great way to get ideas on the table you  may not have thought of!) 

2) ask them "what do you want to do for others?" 

3) (question for you) what do you want to do to enrich your marriage?  

I also saw somewhere these four categories to brainstorm: 
TO DO
TO LEARN
TO READ
TO VISIT 

We've started our lists and I'm looking forward to seeing how this summer is going to unfold. 

I love this quote below as we think about the summer ahead: 

"My favorite part of my yoga class is when my teacher asks us to ‘set an intention’ at the beginning of class….At the end, she often asks us to check back in with that intention that we set at the beginning of class.  I like that part; it means something to me. I have begun to incorporate this idea into other areas of my life. I try to set an intention before I run, work out, write, meet up with a friend, make a speech, eat a meal, discipline my children, state my opinion, or say yes or no to a request.  The more I set intentions, the more I realize how many opportunities I have to do so in the span of a week, a day, or even an hour.  I realize how often in the past I have not checked in with my intention or even made one to begin with.  How easy it is to waste time, get off track, or miss the moment when I forget where my heart is?"  -Kristin Armstrong Mile Markers

C is for Coffee

enjoying a very small cup of coffee on Sunday morning in Victoria 

Definitely not from my genes.... but we have a coffee loving 8 year old... 

Taylor's request at 30,000 feet when asking for a drink on the airplane in April 

when traveling to Nashville for spring break 

(note: they had to get up at 4 in the morning to make their flight):

  "Dad, see if they serve lattes."  Jason did let him have a cup of coffee. :) 

What is all this juice and all this joy?

Many years ago a friend quoted a portion of the poem "Spring" on their birth announcement and it has always stuck with me:

"What is all this juice and all this joy?"    Gerard Manley Hopkins

It was written by the poet who was inspired by the love he had for his son.

Taylor's famous muppet smile that he flashed as he was biking in Victoria pictured above seems to fit this quote well... 

 

Rainy Day Ride

so thankful that the rain did not stop Anna and Taylor from having a great bike ride back to Sidney today... 

Anna checking up on her mama who was the caboose 

passing a farm along the way with some of the biggest pigs we've ever seen! 

Taylor did say, "I wish I were a pig! You could roll around in the dirt whenever you wanted. AND- you would not have homework!" 

18 miles today! 

almost to Sidney with a clever Loch ness monster made out of wood 

rainy day riders :) 

thankful for kids who did not complain and who made the best of a wet and cold ride...