visiting the cousins

last saturday, we headed out to concord, nc to hang with dave's cousin Krista and her sweet family...in addition to watching the deacs beat BC, we had fun playing with the kiddos. this included watching volcanoes erupt and dave receiving several "box gifts" with notes from Mason...my favorites were "stinky" and "this is a piece of paper." hilar.

although we don't see them enough, we are thankful to have this sweet family close by...

Mez

believe it or not, little Charlotte is bringing in some "hip and groovy" places to wine and dine these days. a few weeks ago, dave and I joined a group at the new lounge/restaurant/movie theater Mez Uptown to celebrate Julie's birthday ... we felt like we were in LA or NYC but then walked out into charlotte - kinda weird, I have to be honest. :) Here are some pics - as you can see, the davids were cozy on one of the small ottomans...

happy birthday, julie!

Snow Day

This past Tuesday, Charlotte got 2 inches of snow and...ours was the only school in session. While I will admit I was a bit grumpy about it at first, it ended up being a fun day and the snow was beautiful...

it's that day again...

happy yoga day! go find some free yoga, ya'll ...

a poem

every now and then one of my students gives a gift that i love on many levels. below is a poem linda and I received over the holiday and i had to post it. I love that henry knows about the writing of william carlos williams and i love that he can't remember his name. i also love how he breaks his lines and how he mixes his literal school day noticings with abstract life noticings. enjoy...




Inspired by:

The person that wrote The Red Wheelbarrow

So much depends upon my
Two teachers up by the white
Board. So much depends upon my two
Teachers up by the white board.
The two teachers that teach me
Life. The two teachers that teach
Me life. Up by the white board.

by: Henry

DEACONS.

In case you didn't hear, the Deacons beat number three UNC this past Sunday. We had the opportunity to go and cheer them on with Carolyn and Chuck. This is true at all times, but this past Sunday I was especially...proud to be Deacon.

Workin It ...

So ellen's dog, Lula, has learned a new trick. She can now call a tear to the eye which trickles down the face as she stares at you and begs for your food. Love the drama. Like mother, like daughter - hehe...



This shot was taken while ellen and john were driving back from AZ while eating some Wendy's.

New Year Thoughts...

As I was lying on my mat before yoga class today, I started to think about the new year and all of the resolutions that come with it. For me, resolutions can feel a bit daunting - like something I know I should do, but I often get so caught up in analyzing my resolutions (is that really a "resolution" or is it a move to change something I don't like about myself? is my resolution unique and interesting? is my resolution realistic? how many resolutions is "right?" etc.) I usually just give up.

So this year, I resolve to ditch the resolution and have daily hopes for living well. SO...each day I hope to:

intentionally attempt to love myself and others well

find some levity

be "half full" (instead of the debbie downer who sometimes lurks within)

choose to trust

So happy new year to you - or should I say happy days...?

Christmas 2008

this year we journeyed to dallas and arizona with my family. having never been to AZ, we were excited about the prospect! it is a truly beautiful place - unlike anything I've ever seen in terms of geography and culture. some of the down-sides were colder temps and a stomach bug, but some of the up-sides were good time with family, good golf for dave and dad and a few fun adventures. We were also able to spread my grandmother's ashes (albeit a bit on the rogue side!) as a family, which was nice. I even saw a harris' hawk in person and one of frank lloyd wright's homes in arizona...I will add more photos to the album when I receive them from family members...enjoy!

Christmas 2008