7:30 . . . Brought To You By the Letter "E"

Generally, when Erika has done about ten posts in a row, one of two things has occurred: she's either found a new project OR it's the end of the quarter/I have a ton of essays to grade. Imagine, if you will, a perfect storm of blog silence from me . . . and new project coupled with both the end of the quarter and 130 character sketches of various ranges of mediocrity.

My friend, Brian, for whom I am extremely grateful

It's not that I'm not grateful (hell, I am grateful every morning I wake up and get ready for work), but putting that gratitude into words seems hollow to me and inevitably, my suckiness at it creeps in. I tried to keep a gratitude journal about 13 years ago, and I failed miserably. That journal lasted only about three days; I distinctly remember starting it around October 6th as the first thing I was grateful for was the birth of my niece, Katie. See what I mean? I can't even maintain a written form of gratitude with a new infant.

Scenes From Under My Maple Tree . . . for which I am exceedingly grateful

Today, however, I'll explain my gratitude in simpler terms. I'm extremely grateful for catching up with a good friend because emails are not enough to fill the void of seeing each other every day. I'm exceedingly grateful for the yellow leaves that float like feathers from a maple tree that has seen more than its fair share of change. I'm eternally grateful for my students' writing, even when it causes me to question whether or not I actually speak the same language as them . . . because surely some of the confusion must be due to a barrier with the Mother Tongue.

Stacks of paper, written by 12-year-olds, revised by a 41-year-old . . . for which I am eternally grateful

But most of all, I'm grateful for my sister  who would put up post after post after post - even with sick kids - without bitching or complaining or calling to harangue me because deep down, she knows how to be grateful . . . and she knows that this is the time of year when report cards are due.

- Jill

6:30

{The exhibit was pretty much empty & one bear was swimming.  Bonus}

{I think our boys would love to just climb on the statues rather than look at the animals}

{or walk on the walls}

{I think this is when he was done.  He eeked out a "Cheese."}

{They like to check off where they went.}

-Erika

5:30

{5:30}

I'm incredibly grateful for our libraries.   I'm shocked when people don't use their libraries.  Because our library system is so good, we're able to preview all new book purchases.   I can honestly say that I have never not found a new-release or  older book I was searching for because they always have it.  The reserve feature is almost magical.  See a book online/tv, visit the library's website, reserve it, a few days/weeks later it's in your hands.  See?  Magic!  We get to read books that have been out of print for years.  We get to listen to music that was stolen from our college collection.  It's a service that we never take for granted & use on a weekly basis.  Last year, we were afraid that our quality of service was going to be diminished because our libraries faced budget issues like everyone else in the world.  They cut hours (no Sunday hours & shorter weekday hours) & some funding for new books.  We felt devastated.  Sunday trips to the library were starting to become the norm in our house.  Believe me, library trips are not always smooth or enjoyable with two young kids.  There's plenty of "How do we speak in the library" talk as we drive over to the branch.  We like to pour over each new release & linger in certain aisles & kids don't understand "linger" as well as we'd like.  Actually, they know how to linger when we don't want them to linger, but that's another post.  But this past Tuesday, the library got some funds because the people voted in their favor.  I'm grateful that the libraries won. 

People, use your libraries & use them often!  Even if you don't get every single new release, check out what they have to offer.  Something will be new to you.


-Erika

4:30

I am not good at taking my kids to the doctor.  I'm not cutting up tree bark in the backyard or slathering them with slug trail to ease their pain, but I'm just not one of those Mom's that calls the doctor a lot.  And I'm not slamming those Moms either, but I'm not one of them.  I know plenty of them & they're all excellent Moms.  I also know that I'm in the minority on this issue.  I guess you'd say I'm cautiously lazy.  Cooper had a cough for the first 18 months of his life.  A nasty cough.  The kind of cough that makes strangers in Target ask if I'm allowing my kid die in Lane 4.  The kind of cough that sounds like I blew cigarette smoke into his cute little newborn face for 3 straight days.  I'd mention it every time I brought him to the ped's office for his well-checks, but his lungs were always clear.  I even made sick appointments after the strangers' comments, but nothing was done because he was in daycare.  It's the Daycare Cough.  He was eating & sleeping while he sounded like he was going to spit up a lung, so I stopped worrying.  Clearly our doctor didn't seem upset by it.  On his 18 month check-up, he coughed up a big one & the doc asked about it.  I explained what I had always explained & he said, "Ok.  You just don't want to become complacent about it."  It's a good thing I have a minor crush on our ped or I would have smacked him.  So I'm used to a nasty cough.  I'm used to not freaking out if a fever is 103 degrees.  I'm used to rashes that aren't real nasty looking.  We just don't call or go in all the time.  We also don't Google.  That will get any well-meaning parent stuck in the nasty "What-if" tunnel of doom.  Mostly Mark hates this attitude, but the kids have never been real sick.  Nothing that a cool bath & slathering of cream won't fix.

But occasionally something comes along that I can't ignore.  Once Becks had a cough that I could tell was croup the second the germs left his mouth.  Another time, he so hot & cranky that it forced the phone in our hand.  If the thermometer went one digit pass 103.9, the doc was getting a call on a Saturday night.  I always forget that taking a temp should never be done the second you pull them out of their warm bed/covers.  Wait 10 minutes & you'll get a more accurate reading.  He was down to 102 after the wait.  Medicine was given & we hovered.  On Monday, we discovered he had an ear infection & was almost over it.  Cooper's cough was the normal nasty hacking until this morning.  There was a wetness that could not be ignored.  And so we went to see the doctor.  He listened & listened much longer than usual.  He determined that it's either just a bad cough or pneumonia.  To me that sounds like we won $5 or $5 million.  Since he's never been on antibiotics, he prescribed some & warned me that they might not make a difference (aka: not pneumonia).  We left & returned to the couch.  A few hours later, daycare called & said Becks had a fever.  And so our day of two medicines began.

I'm grateful for medicine to make my kids feel better.  I'm grateful that we have health-care.  I'm grateful that when my kids are sick, they don't really act like it.  I'm grateful for medicine that taste good so I don't have to gag them to take it.  I'm grateful that we haven't had major sickness yet.  I'm grateful that they haven't puked on me. 

Today.  Puked on me today.  I've been puked on plenty, but not yet today.  And that's something to be grateful for.

-Erika

3:30

3:30

Coming home after work is nice, but today it was extra nice because it meant that I didn't have to drive one more mile.

-Erika

Why Not? 1:30 & 2:30

I've discovered that I love a project.  It sparks my creativity when I feel myself start to slug along.  It forces me to look for beauty every second of the day.  And lately, that's been challenging.  Work has been extremely busy.  One would think that traveling is a portal for new beauty, but one would not be a veteran of the road.  When I'm really busy with travel, I have one mission: get home as fast as possible.  Don't look to the left or right.  Don't gaggle or get lost on purpose.  Get home & take care of that place.  Finding & taking pictures for the 365 was getting boring & robotic.  I needed a kick in the ass & that's just what 30 Days/Gratitude '10 provides.  "Thank you can I have another," is what I'll be screaming all November.

The purpose of the project is to focus on your own gratitude.  To cultivate that attitude all year long.  Reading a few entries, I've been moved & even shed a tear.  I know I will have those moments with my own photos & words.  But I also know that every single entry will not have that heart wrenching emotion.  Sometimes I'm extremely grateful for a morning where I know that I'll get to take a nap in the afternoon.  Or one day, I'll be thrilled that I start my period (sometimes I'm afraid the big Cut didn't work).  Some days I'll be grateful that I didn't lose my shit on my loved ones.  But most days I hope that I'm grateful for the good that is showered on my life.

1:30 {When they sit & work together}

2:30 {Not having to cook dinner}

-Erika

Halloween Pictures!

Halloween 2010 from Erika Ray on Vimeo.

It's in the can!  And now it's time for Christmas.  I can't believe I just typed that.  I'm screwed.

-Erika