I won’t miss the 80s lights or the cracked grout.

And I won’t miss the broken shelves in the medicine cabinet or the too-large-for-the-space sink.

Or that nightmare of a glass shower door. Really, eleven years we’ve been together. See ya!

I can hear her downstairs when I get out of the shower.
“Daddy, I gave Bogey a treat because he came inside.”

I’ve been doing a lot of yoga lately. I bought a Groupon for Core Power Yoga and after two weeks I’ve fallen in love with the place. It’s crowded, it’s hot, it’s hard, but I walk out of there refreshed and happy and really, really stinky. The yoga has made my running better, my hip looser, my strides longer.

I’ve been doing a lot of reading lately. I just finished Katrina Kenison’s The Magical Journey. I’m younger than she is, and I haven’t experienced empty nest syndrome, but the book still spoke to me. It reminds me to be present. To enjoy the time I have with daughter now. To set down the phone or the ipad and really listen.

I haven’t been doing much writing lately. Until last night. When my mind was racing with work and house and kid and dogs and Boston. I put it all down. I wrote it all out. Just to figure it out. To spit it onto the page.

The sun just came out. I haven’t seen it in days. I think I’ll go outside for a quick run, take a deep breathe and just enjoy.

Spring Cleaning, um, rather, Purging.

I don’t know about you, but I’m on a mission to clean out my house. Not just scrub it, but really purge, purge and purge. That said, I’m having a hard time parting with a few things. But, they’ve found their way into the give-away/sell/donate pile. Speak up if you want them! My heart is breaking that they’re heading out on their own.

1. Old magazines, including Cooking Light, Real Simple and Martha Stewart.

2. A handmade purse I bought on Etsy that I haven’t used in years.

3. Slinky Dog (yep, the one from Toy Story)

4. A box of cookbooks, including a Thai, Grilling and Cooking Light collections.

5. Fabric. Lots of fabric. I hope to sell this at the sale. Other ideas?

What are you doing this spring to Clean Out or Clean Up?

Remember those questions I posted a week or so ago? I haven’t forgotten them. Here’s number one:

1. What is one thing you’d like to accomplish (professionally or personally) in the next year?

There are a lot of things I want to accomplish in the next year…  move to a new house, complete another triathlon, run another 10k. But the one thing I need to throw out there, into this virtual but very real space, is that I want to finish the memoir I’ve been working on. I’ve been working on it on and off for a couple years (mostly off), but it needs to get onto the page somehow (and soon). That means that by April 4, 2014 I’ll have a first draft. And it might be a shitty first draft, well, yes, it will be a shitty first draft, but it will be a first draft.

I met a writing friend for coffee (I drink tea) yesterday and she has inspired me. She makes herself write 500 words every day. I’m going to write 500 words at least four times a week. At least. If more spills out that’s great. There will be less sleep and less reading, and hopefully less TV. But there will be writing.

And maybe I’ll share some of it with you here. I haven’t talked about this “memoir” here before. In fact, I rarely talk about my personal writing here except with my supportive and loyal writing group, but many of you know that having Daughter was no easy task. And that’s where my story begins. There are lots of parts of my story and lots to write about. And I’m working on it. Really working on it. And it’s hard. But now I’ve thrown it out to you. One year. 365 days. And it’s not an April Fool’s joke. Really. That was already three days ago!.

It’s amazing how fast four years can fly. Four years ago today we welcomed a dimpled, bald, adorable little baby. She has grown to be a dimpled, blondish, adorable little girl. And now she’s four.

Baby girl, there is so much I want to tell you. That you’ve loved. Loved beyond belief. That you’re beautiful. That you’re smart. Like scare Mom and Dad’s socks off smart.

And funny and way more goofy that we could have expected.

You’re gentle, especially with the new puppy and with other young children.

You’re creative. You love to make cards and posters and presents for your friends.

You’re thoughtful. And you often think of what others might want or need.

You’re polite. Always (usually) offering up a Please and a Thank you and an Excuse Me. Sometimes.

But best of all, you’re you. You’re a bit of me and a bit of daddy and it looks like you really got the best of both of us. You love to laugh. You love to eat. And you really give the best girl hugs I’ve ever had.

But really, Baby Girl, I’m glad you’re ours.

I’m so glad you landed here.

Right here.

With me.

Love, Mama.

I came home this week to find this lovely Tulips Postcard in my mailbox. It’s from the amazing Jen, and while her timing was right (it arrived smack dab on the first day of spring) spring really hasn’t shown up yet in these parts. The high for the next week is about 30 degrees and we’re still covered in snow. Little Luna agrees that this weather is for the birds. Certainly not for an island-loving girl and her island-born-and-island-missing pup. At least it’s the weekend. So there.

It’s been a month, in fact, one day over a month since I’ve been here. Sorry about that. I’ve been busy. But that’s obvious. I haven’t left you entirely. In fact, this little bloggy thing is always in the back of my mind. And since I’ve been taking a writing class this last month and  a half I’ve really had this little blog on my mind. That said, I’m gong to make an effort to get back here. On a regular basis. With more writing.

And what better way to get back into the swing of things, than a challenge!

Angie, over at her beautiful and inspiring blog, has offered these questions (from Kate) as writing prompts. And I’m totally digging in and joining them. I’m even going to try to join their linky party if I can figure it out.

Here are the questions:​ 

1- Monday: What is one thing you’d like to accomplish (professionally or personally) in the next year?

2- Tuesday: Who is the one person who has had an important influence on you? Describe.

3- Wednesday: What essay or poem or short story do you return to again and again? Why?

4- Thursday: In what ways has parenthood shifted your perspective on some aspect (you chose) of your life?

5- Friday: Describe your ideal day.​

So, stay tuned. I’ll be answering her questions over the next few weeks. I’d like to say I’ll be here everyday, but we both know that’s not realistic, don’t we?

Girl stops by.

Eyes lock.

They marry.

They have a daughter.

They live happily ever after.

Daughter and I snowshoed over to Minnehaha Falls this weekend after the “blizzard”. It took nearly an hour to get there (because that’s how long it takes an almost four-year-old to walk about a half mile in the snow when there are woods to explore and swings to swing on). The falls were amazing. Look at that ice! And those tiny little people down there. There were other people behind the falls. I could hear them, but couldn’t see them. Seriously too scary for me. Daughter wanted to go down there. Not a chance said the Mother who would have to carry her back up the stairs. As it turned out, I carried her all the way home, on my back. (It took about ten minutes.)