Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I have moved

Hello Readers,

My blog has found a new home on WordPress.  You can access it with this link:

Upon a Sunny Day

Please follow me over.  Thanks so much!

Friday, May 3, 2013

Flapjack Friday Faves [05.03]

Happy Flapjack Friday!  I made my family breakfast [well, sort of] this morning, in keeping with our Flapjack Friday tradition.

Today I thought I'd share some highlights of the week.

On Monday, my music lovin' son and I experienced Woodsongs for the first time.  If you're not familiar, Woodsongs is a live, taped program akin to the Grand Ole Opry and Austin City Limits.  It's recorded on Monday nights in the Lyric Theatre.  We heard Lexington's own Ben Sollee as well as Australian Kim Churchill. If you live in Lexington, you need to be a part of Woodsongs, at least once in your life.  If you're visiting Lexington on a Monday, stop in.


Quote of the week:
Hope, no matter how unreasonable, is always more preferable than despair, no matter how justified. ~ Cory Booker
Hope is my word of the year, so I had to include this tidbit.

Out with the old, in with the new.
On Tuesday, our family had the privilege of attending son Jamie's final piano recital.  I say final because I seriously doubt he'll ever play piano in a recital again.  He's headed to college as a dual Music Performance major focusing on classical and jazz guitar.  He won't have much time for piano.  So, he finished big with a number by Debussy, one of his faves.  Incidentally, daughter Allie began her high school athletic career this week, working out with the girls soccer team.  Proving she does not take after her mother, she finished first in the mile run. 

Regarding being creative, this book sounds interesting:


It includes this info:  William Faulkner once wrote 10,000 words between 10:00 a.m. and midnight.
Who knew???

Speaking of being creative.......I love a good trash to treasure story and that's what my self proclaimed video of the week is:

Landfill Harmonic:  The world sends them garbage, they send back music.


And finally, in case you think all kids want to do is eat meat....you're wrong.  A wave of vegetarianism is about to sweep this mighty nation.  Okay, maybe nothing quite that dramatic, but one school in New York is completely vegetarian now:
Elementary school goes vegetarian

This afternoon, our family is off to Red River Gorge.  A weekend of camping in scenic Kentucky.

And... I'm extremely ecstatic to dine at Miguel's tonight.  It's a semi-famous pizza place there at the Gorge.  Lot's of rock climbers hang out there.  Mind you, no one in our family is a rock climber, but they do allow folks like us to eat there.  It should be fun.  
Happy weekend.... if you're a betting man or woman, may your horse win the Derby.  If you believe Cinco de Mayo is a major holiday [yes, our family does], make some enchiladas and celebrate big.


Thursday, May 2, 2013

navigators and explorers

When I was a student, I enjoyed hearing the stories about explorers.  Remember?  Columbus, Magellan, Ponce de Leon, Balboa, Cabot, etc. 

This week after school my daughter began participating in high school soccer conditioning. This is a new thing.  She hasn't played organized soccer in years.  Apparently her school's team isn't that great [only what I've heard...no offense if you're on the team] and she has a friend or two who are on the team.  She likes to run; she's looking to fill some time.  So, she's decided to give it a try.

Our son has a game plan for the next four years.  College is mapped out.  He knows what he's good at and what he enjoys.  He doesn't need a navigator as much as he previously did.

Daughter Allie is a different story.  She wants to see the world, at least the European part.  She wants to be a foreign exchange student.  She likes to take photographs, she likes fashion, she likes music, reading, and, like I mentioned above, she enjoys running.  She wants to be an explorer.  But at this point, she still needs a navigator. 

Navigator.  
I think that's the parents' role when you have a teenager.  Show them the options, the course, the different routes, all the while giving your input. A guide, so to speak.

Explorer
Some people are geared for sailing.  Metaphorically.  These types want to see the world, experience different stuff.  And chances are, they're ready to go.....today [ie now].  That's my daughter.  She's ready to sail on out of the harbor.  Yet she really doesn't have a clue on how to get the ship out of the harbor, and once she got it out, she wouldn't know which way to steer.  Not because she's unintelligent.  Because she is inexperienced. 

I'm finding this season to be one of endings and beginnings.  I suppose when the explorers mentioned above set sail they had to realize they were saying good-bye, possibly forever to how things were.  They were headed for a new world filled with adventures and who knows what.  

All that's great, in respect to the raising a teenager perspective.  While I'm excited to see where my kids end up, I'm saddened to step out into unknown waters.  There's a chance things will forever change.  Actually, it's more than a chance.  They're going to move on and I'm going to stay here.  Unless of course I follow them.  Which is not out of the question.  Doesn't every ship need a navigator?