Coffee Talk Mom

Huh?

I am a little confused by this weather!..and I am not so sure I like it. YES…it is GREAT to see the color, but this week I had to start planning to take care of my huge yard.

We currently need to mow our grass…THAT is kind of like talking to a teenage girl about shaving…once you start, you have to keep doing it!

Sprinklers on…CHECK…William taught how to turn them off when it snows again…CHECK

Uhh…Is that a weed I see? Wait…there is another one!!

The dog now wants her pool filled and ready for afternoon swims…Problem is, they don't have the pools at Home Depot yet and I am not sure I am mentally ready for that wet dog in my house already!

I broke down and bought 3 small pots of flowers…I figure I can bring them in if it snows. I can't remember the last time I bought "flowers before Mother's Day"…

Yes…I busted out the container of flip flops…no complaints there!! Now I just need to "spray and wash" a tan!!...The winter white may be blinding the neighbors!

Another big shock…huge fire in CO this week...smoke so bad in Highlands Ranch, I was sequestered into my bedroom with an inhaler and an air cleaner…NOT looking forward to allergy season.

All in all…LOTS to be thankful for…85 degrees in Colorado today?? WOW…stop worrying about the what-ifs and water bills and get out and enjoy it!!

P.S. I think I found a real "gardener"...not a "lawn mower"...he is pulling weeds, dead-heading, trimming trees etc...REASONABLE!! Let me know if you want his name and number!!

Coffee Talk Mom

Last night I was a Navy Seal

Ya Ya…I know you are jealous, but actually it is a huge pain in the butt! I am a dreamer! I don't mean a day-dreamer where I think about all of the wonderful goals I have set and how I can achieve them. I am talking about doing wind-sprints in my sleep kind of dreamer. I have ALWAYS been that way, but it wasn't until about 3 or 4 years ago that I acquired yet another wonderful old age (or maybe I am still growing...??!@#?) ailment of restless leg syndrome. What the heck? Where do these things come from? I guess I have had nights where it wakes Dave up. That makes us even since he is constantly snoring! He says I am like our yellow lab who runs in her sleep! I should be 98 pounds soaking wet the way I see it!

It may not surprise you that whatever I read about or see during the day has the potential to wind up in my dreams. Many of you have probably been there…Is this getting weird? Ok…so last night I was a Navy Seal (we have recently seen the movie "Act of Valor") and I was climbing up a building in Mumbai. (YES…I just saw something on how Tom Cruise did his own stunts in the most recent MI movie). I was using those hanging ribbon things (my neighbor girl was in a show last Friday night and was a ribbon dancer/acrobat). I am still not sure who I was saving or why I was there, but somehow I ended sprinting toward a helicopter to be rescued, whereby they had me jump into the ocean and swim for shore (I am pretty sure one of the bachelorettes jumped from a helicopter at some point).

Does this sound relaxing to you? Is there anyone else who, by chance, has this kind of wonderful style of sleep where you wake up exhausted? It's no wonder I felt tired on my "wog" today (that is a jog with a little walking)… Stay tuned for more on that subject later…

CTM needed coffee at 3:30 this afternoon…I wonder where I will be tonight??

My IQ went up 10 points!

…or so I told my friend last night as I finished reading a 500+ page book.

I love seeing kids read! I almost stopped a mom in the grocery store last week and complimented her as her son was holding the cart reading a book as he walked with his mom…who does that? He was probably home-schooled! I also noticed he was eating a pear! Again, who does that? What is wrong with me? I definitely vote that mom as "Mother of the year"!

Back to reading!

As a child, I don't think I was ever an avid reader, but I definitely read books for fun. I would sit in awe of my sister who could read a 350 page book in a couple of hours. Now she is smart…not just kind of smart, but Mensa smart. To this day, she speed reads her way through whatever looks interesting. I always thought that was kind of like knowing another language…what a gift! In the past few years, I have developed a true love of books. I love to read just about anything as long as it's not too academically intense. My idea of an accomplishment was reading Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken" about a fighter pilot in World War 2 who was resilient in the face of sure death. I recommend that book highly. I felt pretty good about myself…I am no war aficionado but this is an incredible book about the human spirit.

Well, this week I went one step further. After hearing the author of "Bonhoeffer" speak at our church a couple of weeks ago (Eric Metaxas), I dove in to a 500+ page autobiography on an amazing man of God who was in the middle of Nazi and Hitler's Germany. I am one of those crazy readers who, if I start a book, need to finish it in short time. Once I put a book down for a couple of weeks, I almost need to re-read it to the page I left. (Is this a sign of age??)…I knew once I started this, I needed to finish. It took me about 8 days of reading since it is not an easy read. It is amazing what your brain can do, if you stretch a little. Some of my world history even came back from high school. Many themes will stick with me for a very long time. The incredible tragedy that the Jews endured at the hands of the Nazis should not be forgotten. As a Christian and feeling driven to help, Bonhoeffer became a spy and was in on the attempt to assassinate Hitler. "Being a Christian is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God's will" Metaxas writes. That sentence, in itself, has had me thinking for days. It is so easy to sit back and "do well" but being active and stepping out of the box as a Christian is much more difficult. Can you even imagine preaching Jesus in the face of a terrorist? I humbly say that I am sure of my faith but not sure of my ability to give my life for it. In theory, I am ready. Bonhoeffer gave a sermon years before his death at the hands of the Nazis and said, "No one has yet believed in God and the kingdom of God, no one has yet heard about the realm of the resurrected, and not been homesick for that hour, waiting and looking forward joyfully to being released from bodily existence…Death is hell and night and cold, if it is not transformed by our faith. But that is what is so marvelous, that we can transform death." This book is both difficult to read and gives great hope at the same time. I highly recommend you take the time to read it!

Read on Coffee Talk Peeps and Have a great weekend!!!

CTM

A little reality check for CTM!

This is a funny little story for those who you who can relate. Back "in the day" I wasn't so…well...dumb. I graduated from college. I had 2 scholarships. I was kind of smart. After a few years, we had the pitter patter of little feet and I 100% chose to stay home. Now…it has been almost 22 years and here is the result.

Last night, we had 2 work people from Silicon Valley to the house for appetizers and drinks, opting to go out to dinner after. I had never met them, so, as usual, I wasn't worried about the presentation, food, drinks, or what to wear…I was worried about what they were going to think of me and what the heck I would talk to them about. We ended up having a great time, after I broke the ice like so:

Cast of "play ahs"

CW (Dave's Co-worker)

S (Spouse of CW)

CTM

Dave

………………………………………

CTM to S: So, do you work in the city?

S: I'm actually not working right now

CTM: Oh…must be nice to take a break. (?!?)

S: My company got bought by GOOGLE

CTM: Wow…awesome..a well deserved break then.

Dave: He invented the Android phone

CTM: uhhhhhhhh…that's nice…

END of conversation…I turn to CW who is talking to Dave about Boulder

CTM: SO, where did you go to school?

CW: Harvard

CTM: uhhh…that's nice

CTM: William, tell Mr. S about your computer hacking skills…!

……………………………………..

The evening progressed and we ended up having a great time…very sweet (young!) people !!

Today I am on round 2…prepping good old American food for an entrepreneur from England…hoping he likes BBQ and blueberry pie…stay tuned!

Have a great weekend!

CTM

 

You know it’s Spring when…

Last weekend I had that all too familiar urge to clean…not just a little tidying up, but maybe something more intense. That is why Dave almost passed out when he rounded the corner into the kitchen and found the oven door in parts on the counter. Well…there were nasty drips between the glass and I thought I could clean it out. Lucky for me, Dave knows his way around a puzzle and, even though the first time it went back together there were 4 extra screws, he eventually got it all back together. This wasn't without some eye rolling and a promise from me not to take things apart without taking digital pics as I go. I AM really good of thinking up projects that drive him nuts.

I was thrilled when I turned the page of my calendar and found MARCH! Cue the Halleluiah chorus. I am one of those Colorado peeps who know they would be "fine" if only they had January and February in Hawaii on the beach. I am great through the holidays, then I wake up and realize the holidays are over and it's still WINTER! I know there are plenty of chances for snow but psychologically March brings the promise of green grass, crocus bulbs peeking through the dirt, and trips to Home Depot (which by the way I am totally sick of by fall). I don't really care about the cold or the snow, but I MISS COLOR! The best advice for a Coloradan is to take a trip in late January or early February so you have something to look forward to. Unfortunately, for most of us, the kids are just getting back to school and that is not possible. I usually try to have some dinner parties and see friends whom get busy in the summer months. Most importantly, I call my friend Mary K. in Ft. Worth where it has already been in the 80's and the thought of a long hot summer looms ahead. She even got jealous of the snow last week! You see…the grass is always greener!

One thing I try to hold back on is updating my Facebook status with weather complaints and snow totals. I mean, who do I think I am…meteorologist?? NO…but I am becoming more like my parents every day where the idea of a weather disturbance is big news. I may be guilty of mentioning the wind this year, but my favorite Pinterest quote is still the one that says, "Oh look, it's snowing outside. I'll update my status for all of my friends that don't have a window of their own". I guess it is better for me to think positive and wear flip flops around the house with the fireplace on if necessary!

Spring is in the air…HANG ON and carry on Coffee Talkers!