Each day this month, I've had several friends post one thing (to their Facebook account) that they are thankful for. When it first started four weeks ago, I thought it was a great idea - remembering each day that there are small blessings in our lives - especially when it is so easy to lose sight of that.
I even thought that I would like to do it. Surely I could come up with 30 things. But somehow the beginning of the month became the middle, then it was Thanksgiving, and now, it's practically December without a single post.
This hasn't been my best year but we are heading into my favorite time of the year. Outside of the commercialism of Christmas, I love everything about the season. But before I go there, I wanted to remind myself of all the things I have to be thankful for.
And so, here it goes.
I am thankful for...
1. ... my son and daughter, who have enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined before I became a mother.
2. ... the more than two years that Cathy has been seizure-free without medication (and the more than five years in total).
3. ... the opportunity to volunteer in the kid's classrooms.
4. ... my mother, who I appreciate so much more now that I am a mother too.
5. ... supportive friends.
6. ... a husband who is more loving and understanding and forgiving than I deserve.
7. ... finding and sticking with an exercise routine that not only works for me, but that I really enjoy.
8. ... each of the fantastic memories I made with the kids this summer.
9. ... that my father lived nearly all of his 82 years in good health, that he maintained his independence until the very end.
10. ... the support services available to Cathy as a kindergarten student.
11. ... the very basic things in life - a roof over my head, clothes to keep me warm, food when I am hungry. Far too many people go without these things.
12. ... my step-father's retirement earlier this year - nobody has worked harder or deserved it more.
13. ... the year I've spent with the kids, which while not always a smooth ride, is one I wouldn't trade for anything.
14. ... Shutterfly.
15. ... good medical insurance. Another thing I know too many people don't have.
16. ... Consignment sales. Where else can I find reasonably priced Gymboree clothes for my little girl while unloading all the toys that are no longer played with here at home?
17. ... one more year where my kids still believe in the magic of Christmas, the tooth fairy, the Easter Bunny.
18. ... corrective lenses. I'd be lost (and mostly blind) without them!
19. ... time spent with family. Both immediate and extended.
20. ... good running shoes. Worth every penny.
21. ... a little boy who completely gets my sarcasm.
22. ... kids that still want to cuddle me, hug me, and tell me they love me for no reason.
23. ... everyone who worked for my parents this year to help them finish their farmhouse in Potter County and for the hope that they'll soon be able to enjoy their retirement there.
24. ... Facebook, which has helped me find, reconnect, and stay in touch with friends and family.
25. ... After One Crazy Summer, which gives me an outlet to write, keeps me sane through an unemployment that has lasted much longer than I would have liked, and gives me a great record of how I've spent my time with the kids!
26. ... hot water.... something you don't really appreciate until your hot water heater is shot and you have only 30 seconds to take a shower.
27. ... Girl's Nights Out.
28. ... the kind of friend where 20 years can pass, but yet is still as familiar and comfortable and easy to talk to as you remember.
29. ... a little girl who finds joy in EVERYTHING that she does and in turn helps me do that too.
30. ... running races, which keep me motivated to train, and good friends to keep me company while I do it.
So, there you have it. The first 30 things to come to mind. One for each day in November.
The best thing though is this. If the month had 40 days, I could have kept going!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
It's time to move on...
My friend Jessica writes a terrific blog - Is this Chocolate or Poop? This week, as many have, she wrote about the scandal at Penn State and Joe Paterno's place in all of it. But, she took a different approach than any other that I'd seen. Many were outraged, and justifiably so. And while I have no doubt that Jessica and I share many of the same emotions, she instead considered Paterno's fall from grace and what that might mean for all of us.
She wrote:
Paterno himself said "With the benefit of hindsight, I would have done more." I wholeheartedly believe that he meant those words. I believe him when he says this is among his life's greatest sorrows; I believe that he is heartbroken.
Yes, Joe Paterno should have done more. But of all the parties involved, outside of Sandusky himself, I believe there is no person more culpable than Mike McQueary, eyewitness to the 2002 campus event that has become the center of controversy and possible cover-up. I railed about this fact for the better part of the last week, going so far as to write to both the Board of Trustees and Mark Sherburne (the acting AD) to express my opinion.
I find it unfathomable that someone could walk in on a violent act against a child and do NOTHING about it. As a mom, my first instinct is to protect... and not just my own children. I would unquestioningly do it for someone else's child too, even a child I did not know. God knows if it were my son (or daughter) in trouble, I would be devastated if someone just walked away.
Which brings me back to teachable moments.
Rich told me that in similar circumstances, he was not sure he would have reacted differently than McQueary. It's simply not a situation that he had thought about or considered before, though I am sure that he has considered it ad nauseam since. I've got to believe now, for how big a news story this has been, people have considered how they would respond in a similar situation and that they'll come out on the side of the child every time. No doubts. No hesitations. A lousy way to learn a lesson, but a lesson that I hope every adult has learned - loud and clear.
Over and over, people wrote last week... This is not the Penn State that we love, the Penn State that is part of our being.
She wrote:
"This, too, is a tragedy, not only for a man who has lived humbly, ethically, and gracefully for most of his many days, but for the rest of us as well. If JoePa can’t run the gamut of a lifetime untainted by venality, if he can’t get to 409 wins without losing his compass, if he can’t offer the world his good deeds and intentions without marring them with shame, who among us can?
There is no doubt that Joe Paterno is a great man. He is not Jesus. He is not infallible. But he’s better than most of us—and he’s been that way for a long, long time. That’s why his disgrace is so hard to take.... Maybe Joe made a mistake most of us would like to think we’d never make. But maybe we should ask these questions as well: Is the human condition such that we all will fail, if we live long enough? Or is this world so complex, so fallen, so corrupted that it makes an unimpeachable life impossible?"
Jessica's post left me thinking...
Some time ago, a friend and I were discussing sin, more specifically that sin is part of being human. He suggested a book, Blue Like Jazz. In it, the author (Donald Miller) recounted a conversation he had with another man about the war, genocide, and rape amongst eight tribes in the Congo. All terrible things. Things that we would like to think we are not capable of.
Miller (his friend, actually) raises an interesting question though... What makes us think we are so different from these men? We are all human, them and us. That's not to say that we are all pedophiles or mass murderers. But we are all capable of sin, of making the wrong choices; we are all broken and flawed. He talks about how parents teach their children right from wrong (because choosing right from wrong is not a natural choice) and that is certainly a good start. But teachable moments come for us as adults too.
Rich and I talked Wednesday night - the night that Joe Paterno was removed from his coaching position at Penn State. We talked about moral obligations and legal obligations and how we might react in similar circumstances.
No one will dispute that Coach Paterno fulfilled his legal obligation by notifying Tim Curley and Gary Shultz of the allegations against Jerry Sandusky. The moral obligation, well that, in some circles, seems less clear. For as many people who feel the Board of Trustees was justified in their decision to terminate Joe Paterno, an equal number saw it as a miscarriage of justice.
Jessica's post left me thinking...
Some time ago, a friend and I were discussing sin, more specifically that sin is part of being human. He suggested a book, Blue Like Jazz. In it, the author (Donald Miller) recounted a conversation he had with another man about the war, genocide, and rape amongst eight tribes in the Congo. All terrible things. Things that we would like to think we are not capable of.
Miller (his friend, actually) raises an interesting question though... What makes us think we are so different from these men? We are all human, them and us. That's not to say that we are all pedophiles or mass murderers. But we are all capable of sin, of making the wrong choices; we are all broken and flawed. He talks about how parents teach their children right from wrong (because choosing right from wrong is not a natural choice) and that is certainly a good start. But teachable moments come for us as adults too.
Rich and I talked Wednesday night - the night that Joe Paterno was removed from his coaching position at Penn State. We talked about moral obligations and legal obligations and how we might react in similar circumstances.
No one will dispute that Coach Paterno fulfilled his legal obligation by notifying Tim Curley and Gary Shultz of the allegations against Jerry Sandusky. The moral obligation, well that, in some circles, seems less clear. For as many people who feel the Board of Trustees was justified in their decision to terminate Joe Paterno, an equal number saw it as a miscarriage of justice.
Paterno himself said "With the benefit of hindsight, I would have done more." I wholeheartedly believe that he meant those words. I believe him when he says this is among his life's greatest sorrows; I believe that he is heartbroken.
Yes, Joe Paterno should have done more. But of all the parties involved, outside of Sandusky himself, I believe there is no person more culpable than Mike McQueary, eyewitness to the 2002 campus event that has become the center of controversy and possible cover-up. I railed about this fact for the better part of the last week, going so far as to write to both the Board of Trustees and Mark Sherburne (the acting AD) to express my opinion.
I find it unfathomable that someone could walk in on a violent act against a child and do NOTHING about it. As a mom, my first instinct is to protect... and not just my own children. I would unquestioningly do it for someone else's child too, even a child I did not know. God knows if it were my son (or daughter) in trouble, I would be devastated if someone just walked away.
Which brings me back to teachable moments.
Rich told me that in similar circumstances, he was not sure he would have reacted differently than McQueary. It's simply not a situation that he had thought about or considered before, though I am sure that he has considered it ad nauseam since. I've got to believe now, for how big a news story this has been, people have considered how they would respond in a similar situation and that they'll come out on the side of the child every time. No doubts. No hesitations. A lousy way to learn a lesson, but a lesson that I hope every adult has learned - loud and clear.
Over and over, people wrote last week... This is not the Penn State that we love, the Penn State that is part of our being.
Friday afternoon, Penn State announced that Mike McQueary was placed on administrative leave; his career at Penn State, most likely over. And I'll be honest... I felt good about that. I believe that this was an important step for Penn State to take in order to bring respectability back to the university and its football program, that without it, they had not done enough.
Saturday afternoon, they played a game. When I watched our players slowly walk (rather than run) onto the field, arm in arm in a show of unity, young men who had nothing to do with the trouble surrounding them, it was touching. But nothing moved me more than watching both sidelines come together at midfield in a moment of silence and prayer for the victims of this tragedy. Not just players, but EVERYBODY. I think it was an appropriate moment and it was classy as hell; as I dabbed the blue and white tears from my eyes, I was Penn State (and maybe even Cornhusker) proud once again.
The Penn Stater Magazine wrote a great piece (They Played a Game, but the Score Barely Mattered) that summed the day up nicely; the article talked about gestures, both big and small on the first Saturday in my lifetime where Joe Paterno did not lead the team. I got a bit teary when I read that the first seat on the first of the team buses, where Coach Paterno had sat for 46 seasons, was left empty on Saturday morning. Those kids were nothing but supportive of their coach - you could hear it in every interview they gave last week - and despite everything, I think it was a beautiful gesture.
The Penn Stater Magazine wrote a great piece (They Played a Game, but the Score Barely Mattered) that summed the day up nicely; the article talked about gestures, both big and small on the first Saturday in my lifetime where Joe Paterno did not lead the team. I got a bit teary when I read that the first seat on the first of the team buses, where Coach Paterno had sat for 46 seasons, was left empty on Saturday morning. Those kids were nothing but supportive of their coach - you could hear it in every interview they gave last week - and despite everything, I think it was a beautiful gesture.
Only time will tell what all of this will mean to Penn State, but I hope with all my heart that high school students will continue to recognize all that is great about this campus, this school. That bright faculty will continue to recognize what is great in this community and will continue to come here to teach and research. That alumni will continue to give generously, to fund scholarships and faculty chairs, to make a difference. And that around the nation, people will realize that Penn State is so much more than just a football team marred by a terrible scandal. That they will once again see the Penn State that I love, the Penn State that is part of my being.
I baked a cake for an event at the kids school on Sunday with a Penn State theme (one of three categories for their cake decorating contest). When I posted the picture to my Facebook account, my brother commented that there was no tear. That was a conscious choice... my Nittany Lion is moving on. Looking ahead. And so am I!
Now for the media folks that have swarmed our town since the story first broke, please pack up your trucks, cameras, and staff and get the @#$%# out of town... you've lost sight of what the story should really be about. And quite frankly, I've grown tired of you.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
The end of innocence
A friend gave me two tickets for the Penn State/Illinois game, the final game of a storied chapter in Penn State's history. The last game when we still believed that Penn State ran an exemplary football program. When we could look at an Ohio State or a Miami and feel moral superiority. When we could be proud of a program that preached the things we value: education, integrity, honor.
When former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested, when it became clear that Penn State administrators knew about a horrible incident involving Sandusky and a young boy that took place here on campus, our innocence was lost.
I sat down and started to read the Grand Jury report, but could not bring myself to read past Victim 1. I still find it hard to believe that Sandusky, a man who seemed dedicated to helping children, could have done such awful things.
Way back in 1977, Sandusky founded The Second Mile. It started as a group foster home, serving 45 local boys in its first year. Today, it serves 100,000 boys and girls annually throughout the Commonwealth in various prevention, early-intervention, and community based programs. I've had friends involved in mentoring programs with The Second Mile, I supported the organization as our employee's choice charity a few years back, and importantly, I really believe in the work this organization does. I've heard stories about the kids that participate in their programs and I know The Second Mile makes a difference in their lives. Today, I am afraid for the organization and for the children it serves. I wonder how it goes on in light of the events surrounding it, as more and more people now come forward against Sandusky.
Penn State is my alma mater, and I love Penn State. But I am angry.
I am angry at Sandusky who used a position of trust and leadership to hurt children.
I am angry at the Penn State janitor who witnessed inappropriate activity back in 2000 and said nothing. NOTHING. For fear of losing his job.
I am angry at Mike McQueary, whose name does not come out often enough in all of this. I understand that Sandusky was a man he knew and I am sure respected up until that moment in Lasch Building, but how, when he realized that Sandusky was sodomizing a young boy, did he not step into that shower and put an end to it. Right then. Why was his first call to his father and not the police? When it became obvious there would be no investigation, that the only 'fallout' from the incident would be to ban Sandusky from bringing children onto campus, how did he not come forward then? How does he sleep at night?
I am angry with Joe Paterno. This is a man who is revered here in State College. If you are not a graduate of Penn State or you do not have local ties to this area, perhaps that is hard to understand. But here is a man who has given more than 60 years of his life to Penn State, who helped to make this school more than just an agricultural school in Central Pennsylvania. He gives generously of his time, makes substantial financial contributions to the university and throughout the community. Until a week ago, he had the reputation of running a good program. Kids were students before they were athletes. They graduate. They don't get into trouble... at least no more than other college kids do.
But I am told he runs a tight ship around here. He controls that football program and is one of the most powerful men at Penn State. What he wants, he gets. And if that is the case, than what he should have wanted was for Sandusky to go to jail following that night in 2002; he should have wanted more than just Sandusky's ban from bringing children onto campus. He should have washed his hands of Sandusky right on the spot. No more office in Lasch Building, no more access to team facilities. No more affiliation with the program. None.
And jail. Did I mention jail? Because Paterno is a father and a grandfather and he should have been as outraged at the allegations as the rest of us now are. If there was anyone who could have pushed for action, it was Paterno. If there was ever a time where Penn State could have recovered from this, it was then.
When you announce that a former coach was discovered in an illegal act with a young child, that authorities were called immediately, that he was immediately removed from campus, from all affiliation with the football program, of course there would be some backlash - how could there not be in the 24/7 media cycle. But it would be nothing like what is going on now. It would have blown over quickly. We would have done the right thing. Children would have been protected. Joe's legacy, untarnished.
Instead, the winningest coach in Division 1 history will be remembered for what he didn't do instead of what he did. And while I am so angry at him, I am a little sad about this. I imagine his career will be over soon, I can't see any other way for the Board of Trustees to proceed than to clean house. Starting at the top... the top of the university with Graham Spanier and the top of the football program with Joe Paterno. I wish Joe's story had a different ending. A happy ending.
While much of the focus of this story has shifted to Paterno, he is not, nor should he be, the full story. This is a story about looking the other way, of protecting an institution over protecting children for nearly a decade.
I am angry with Tim Curley (Athletic Director), Gary Schultz (VP of Business and Finance), and Graham Spanier (President). I am disgusted with these men who should have come forward, who as far as I am concerned had a moral obligation to do so, but instead chose to protect their image.
I read a great quote yesterday from Bob Ford, a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"If Penn State athletic coaches and administrators could look the other way when a 10-year-old is sexually assaulted on campus by a prominent former coach, what wouldn't they do? What could possibly be beyond their capability to accept in order to protect the "good name" of the program?"
Penn State will never be the same.
And so now what remains for me, as an alumna of the university, as a resident this community? The Board of Trustees will take action which I believe will result in the termination of both Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno. A search for a new President... one I hope values emerging technologies as much as Spanier. I have to believe different leadership at Penn State may view Rich's work group differently than our current administration does (and selfishly, only one of us should be unemployed at a time).
For McQueary, for Paterno, for all the others who knew something was amiss but did nothing to stop it, there's a lifetime of guilt for their complicity in this. There's a hope for absolution that may never come.
And for Sandusky, his day in court, where now more than 20 victims stand ready to face him, will come. Twenty boys, now men, to let him know that what he did to them was NOT ok. There will be prison. And most importantly, there will come a day where he stands before God for the judgment that matters most.
For the victims, I cannot begin to imagine what comes next for them. I hope there is solace in knowing that this man they once trusted cannot hurt anyone else. More than that though, I hope they find peace.
For them, I am heartbroken.
When former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was arrested, when it became clear that Penn State administrators knew about a horrible incident involving Sandusky and a young boy that took place here on campus, our innocence was lost.
I sat down and started to read the Grand Jury report, but could not bring myself to read past Victim 1. I still find it hard to believe that Sandusky, a man who seemed dedicated to helping children, could have done such awful things.
Way back in 1977, Sandusky founded The Second Mile. It started as a group foster home, serving 45 local boys in its first year. Today, it serves 100,000 boys and girls annually throughout the Commonwealth in various prevention, early-intervention, and community based programs. I've had friends involved in mentoring programs with The Second Mile, I supported the organization as our employee's choice charity a few years back, and importantly, I really believe in the work this organization does. I've heard stories about the kids that participate in their programs and I know The Second Mile makes a difference in their lives. Today, I am afraid for the organization and for the children it serves. I wonder how it goes on in light of the events surrounding it, as more and more people now come forward against Sandusky.
Penn State is my alma mater, and I love Penn State. But I am angry.
I am angry at Sandusky who used a position of trust and leadership to hurt children.
I am angry at the Penn State janitor who witnessed inappropriate activity back in 2000 and said nothing. NOTHING. For fear of losing his job.
I am angry at Mike McQueary, whose name does not come out often enough in all of this. I understand that Sandusky was a man he knew and I am sure respected up until that moment in Lasch Building, but how, when he realized that Sandusky was sodomizing a young boy, did he not step into that shower and put an end to it. Right then. Why was his first call to his father and not the police? When it became obvious there would be no investigation, that the only 'fallout' from the incident would be to ban Sandusky from bringing children onto campus, how did he not come forward then? How does he sleep at night?
I am angry with Joe Paterno. This is a man who is revered here in State College. If you are not a graduate of Penn State or you do not have local ties to this area, perhaps that is hard to understand. But here is a man who has given more than 60 years of his life to Penn State, who helped to make this school more than just an agricultural school in Central Pennsylvania. He gives generously of his time, makes substantial financial contributions to the university and throughout the community. Until a week ago, he had the reputation of running a good program. Kids were students before they were athletes. They graduate. They don't get into trouble... at least no more than other college kids do.
But I am told he runs a tight ship around here. He controls that football program and is one of the most powerful men at Penn State. What he wants, he gets. And if that is the case, than what he should have wanted was for Sandusky to go to jail following that night in 2002; he should have wanted more than just Sandusky's ban from bringing children onto campus. He should have washed his hands of Sandusky right on the spot. No more office in Lasch Building, no more access to team facilities. No more affiliation with the program. None.
And jail. Did I mention jail? Because Paterno is a father and a grandfather and he should have been as outraged at the allegations as the rest of us now are. If there was anyone who could have pushed for action, it was Paterno. If there was ever a time where Penn State could have recovered from this, it was then.
When you announce that a former coach was discovered in an illegal act with a young child, that authorities were called immediately, that he was immediately removed from campus, from all affiliation with the football program, of course there would be some backlash - how could there not be in the 24/7 media cycle. But it would be nothing like what is going on now. It would have blown over quickly. We would have done the right thing. Children would have been protected. Joe's legacy, untarnished.
Instead, the winningest coach in Division 1 history will be remembered for what he didn't do instead of what he did. And while I am so angry at him, I am a little sad about this. I imagine his career will be over soon, I can't see any other way for the Board of Trustees to proceed than to clean house. Starting at the top... the top of the university with Graham Spanier and the top of the football program with Joe Paterno. I wish Joe's story had a different ending. A happy ending.
While much of the focus of this story has shifted to Paterno, he is not, nor should he be, the full story. This is a story about looking the other way, of protecting an institution over protecting children for nearly a decade.
I am angry with Tim Curley (Athletic Director), Gary Schultz (VP of Business and Finance), and Graham Spanier (President). I am disgusted with these men who should have come forward, who as far as I am concerned had a moral obligation to do so, but instead chose to protect their image.
I read a great quote yesterday from Bob Ford, a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer:
"If Penn State athletic coaches and administrators could look the other way when a 10-year-old is sexually assaulted on campus by a prominent former coach, what wouldn't they do? What could possibly be beyond their capability to accept in order to protect the "good name" of the program?"
Penn State will never be the same.
And so now what remains for me, as an alumna of the university, as a resident this community? The Board of Trustees will take action which I believe will result in the termination of both Graham Spanier and Joe Paterno. A search for a new President... one I hope values emerging technologies as much as Spanier. I have to believe different leadership at Penn State may view Rich's work group differently than our current administration does (and selfishly, only one of us should be unemployed at a time).
For McQueary, for Paterno, for all the others who knew something was amiss but did nothing to stop it, there's a lifetime of guilt for their complicity in this. There's a hope for absolution that may never come.
And for Sandusky, his day in court, where now more than 20 victims stand ready to face him, will come. Twenty boys, now men, to let him know that what he did to them was NOT ok. There will be prison. And most importantly, there will come a day where he stands before God for the judgment that matters most.
For the victims, I cannot begin to imagine what comes next for them. I hope there is solace in knowing that this man they once trusted cannot hurt anyone else. More than that though, I hope they find peace.
For them, I am heartbroken.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Overnight... all by myself
There are days that I would give anything to be far away... far away from the stress that sometimes comes with raising two young children, the growing frustration of a job search in a region with little professional opportunity, the daily responsibilities of being an adult, of running a household.
I am not complaining (much) about these things. All the things in my life, good and bad, are of my own choosing. But that said, it is sometimes nice, even if only for a few hours, to not be a wife or a mother. Nobody climbing on my lap, wiping their boogers on my shirt or asking me to sing songs while they sit on the potty. Nobody wondering if there are clean running clothes in the house or what's for dinner. An uninterrupted adult conversation, a chance to finish a thought before I forget what it was I was thinking about in the first place.
With a few phone calls and emails, and a reservation with my friend Barb, I planned a night away.
Within days of 'booking' the trip, Groupon's Deal of the Day for the Philadelphia area (one of four regions that flood my inbox with mostly useless mail) offered a 60-minute Swedish Massage at Bella Sorrel, a day spa just down the street from Barb's house, for only $35. She and I both made the purchase! Sadly, when she called to schedule the appointment, the spa did not have two slots together, so I was FORCED to go alone. It was torture (in case Barb is reading... in reality, it was a nice start to the day and a good way to relax after the long drive). The big downside - I left feeling slimy and smelling like a stick of peppermint gum.
After a quick shower, Barb and I said good-bye to her husband and kids and took off for adult night!
The night started at a little restaurant called Los Sarapes (if you are in the Chalfont area, and you like Mexican food, go check it out), where Barb promised they served enormous margaritas. They didn't, but that is ok... I still have some not so fond memories of the last time that Barb and I were together back in July. With our kids safely tucked into bed that night, she and I drank - one of us (that would be me) way too much!
We decided to see a movie after dinner, something that neither one of us has the opportunity to do too often. There were a few movies out that we were interested in seeing and we settled on the 9:40 showing of Moneyball. What a great choice. For those who haven't seen it, the story is about Billy Beane and the 2002 Oakland A's - a team that set a MLB record for consecutive wins (at 20) but lost in the first round of the playoffs. What makes this team, and this story, so interesting though is how they did it - with statistics and economic analysis and the lowest payroll in baseball.
My favorite part of the movie came at the end... when Beane was offered $12.5 million to take over as GM of the Boston Red Sox. He turned it down, choosing to stay in Oakland. It's rare to see someone in professional sports turn down a big payday (I am thinking of Jayson Werth as I type this) . I think that's one of the reasons I still love Cliff Lee, who left millions on the table to come back to Philadelphia last year, despite what my brother has pointed out to me (though I already knew) was one of the biggest disappointments in Philadelphia sports history last month.
In between dinner and the movie, there was shopping... and even more of it on the way home when I met a friend who lives in the Hershey area for lunch and some time at the outlets. In a 24-hour span of time, I think I accomplished roughly 75% of the Christmas shopping I need to do. If only I could say that about the Shutterfly books I do for our parents each year (where I just finished uploading our pictures for 2011).
So, I returned home rested and poor, to two children who acted as though they hadn't seen me in weeks. That sure makes for a nice homecoming. I'm glad I took the trip, even if I missed out on a friend or two I would have liked to have seen. There's always next time...
I am not complaining (much) about these things. All the things in my life, good and bad, are of my own choosing. But that said, it is sometimes nice, even if only for a few hours, to not be a wife or a mother. Nobody climbing on my lap, wiping their boogers on my shirt or asking me to sing songs while they sit on the potty. Nobody wondering if there are clean running clothes in the house or what's for dinner. An uninterrupted adult conversation, a chance to finish a thought before I forget what it was I was thinking about in the first place.
With a few phone calls and emails, and a reservation with my friend Barb, I planned a night away.
Within days of 'booking' the trip, Groupon's Deal of the Day for the Philadelphia area (one of four regions that flood my inbox with mostly useless mail) offered a 60-minute Swedish Massage at Bella Sorrel, a day spa just down the street from Barb's house, for only $35. She and I both made the purchase! Sadly, when she called to schedule the appointment, the spa did not have two slots together, so I was FORCED to go alone. It was torture (in case Barb is reading... in reality, it was a nice start to the day and a good way to relax after the long drive). The big downside - I left feeling slimy and smelling like a stick of peppermint gum.
After a quick shower, Barb and I said good-bye to her husband and kids and took off for adult night!
The night started at a little restaurant called Los Sarapes (if you are in the Chalfont area, and you like Mexican food, go check it out), where Barb promised they served enormous margaritas. They didn't, but that is ok... I still have some not so fond memories of the last time that Barb and I were together back in July. With our kids safely tucked into bed that night, she and I drank - one of us (that would be me) way too much!
We decided to see a movie after dinner, something that neither one of us has the opportunity to do too often. There were a few movies out that we were interested in seeing and we settled on the 9:40 showing of Moneyball. What a great choice. For those who haven't seen it, the story is about Billy Beane and the 2002 Oakland A's - a team that set a MLB record for consecutive wins (at 20) but lost in the first round of the playoffs. What makes this team, and this story, so interesting though is how they did it - with statistics and economic analysis and the lowest payroll in baseball.
My favorite part of the movie came at the end... when Beane was offered $12.5 million to take over as GM of the Boston Red Sox. He turned it down, choosing to stay in Oakland. It's rare to see someone in professional sports turn down a big payday (I am thinking of Jayson Werth as I type this) . I think that's one of the reasons I still love Cliff Lee, who left millions on the table to come back to Philadelphia last year, despite what my brother has pointed out to me (though I already knew) was one of the biggest disappointments in Philadelphia sports history last month.
In between dinner and the movie, there was shopping... and even more of it on the way home when I met a friend who lives in the Hershey area for lunch and some time at the outlets. In a 24-hour span of time, I think I accomplished roughly 75% of the Christmas shopping I need to do. If only I could say that about the Shutterfly books I do for our parents each year (where I just finished uploading our pictures for 2011).
So, I returned home rested and poor, to two children who acted as though they hadn't seen me in weeks. That sure makes for a nice homecoming. I'm glad I took the trip, even if I missed out on a friend or two I would have liked to have seen. There's always next time...
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