Good. Random. Fun. {week 14}

For any of my friends who follow me on instagram

{@scrapbookmom17}

you know this has been a crazy week!

We. Have. Moved.

It's real.

It's official!!

On Wednesday, the night before we signed all the mortgage papers,

I went to "my" pond with my big girl camera for a wander.

To breathe...and to see the mama swan on her nest.

A beautiful, peaceful sight.

Papa swan was swimming nearby ~ he never strays to far from the nest.

The golden light added magic to the scene!

I stayed at the water's edge until the setting sun painted the sky...just for me.

I lingered with my favorite, arched branches...
the leaves were just beginning to sprout and I drank in the simple silhouette.
Just the moments of peace and quiet I needed before the craziness of the next days began!
This was good. Very, very good.

Over the next three days we signed papers, got keys and moved countless carloads of little stuff to our new digs.
And then came Sunday.
Our "rent-the-big-truck" day.
We woke up in our new home to a snow covered back yard.
Thanks, spring, for the random weather!
Snow. Winds. Extremely chilly temps.
Oh well, you can plan and plan...then you just have to roll with it!

So, what's a little snow?

We're New Englanders, after all.

HOWEVER,

when you arrive at the U-Haul facility to pick up your truck

AND THEY DO NOT HAVE ONE for you,

you start to loose your marbles!!!

Thanks, U-Haul, for the random delay.

Alas.

In spite of these glitches,

a truck was found, the sky cleared and our move was completed.

Whew!

Either our old house is really small, or the truck was really big...crazy, right!?!

Thanks to one husband, one son, one son-in-law, three young friends, one boss
and my darling daughter, we got all the stuff from one place to the next!
Thanks one and all.
{also, few things look more random that lots of furniture trying to find a new place to call home!}

Through it all,

the most fun I had was standing on the 2nd floor deck directing traffic.

As everything came off the truck,

my job was to tell people where to take it.

So. Fun.

And this guy.
We had our little mascot with us all day.
May I just say,
he makes every party just a little more fun!!

Here's to a great week everyone!!




Joining Tamar for
The Good. The Random. The Fun.

And so...this is Christmas!

From the decorations...

...to the over stuffed stockings....

...from the gifts to the games...

....from the movies, to the naps...to the puppy cuddles!

It was a great three-day Christmas celebration!

And so...

{without permission from Mr. Lennon}

here's a tiny edit to one of my favorite holiday tunes.

"So, this was Christmas

And what have we done?

Another year over,

A new one's gonna come...

And so this was Christmas,

We sure did have fun...

With the near and the dear ones,

The old and the young!

'Twas a very merry Christmas...

Here's to a happy New Year!

Let's hope it's a good one

Without any fear."

Joining Tamar, Judith and Kathy 

Thanksgiving Weekend

I had a really lovely weekend.

Four straight days at home.

Full of family and feasting, football and fun.

With plenty of time to myself.

And you know what some good "me" time always includes...

yes, you guessed it.

Time at my favorite pond.

On Sunday, I was snuggled under a warm blanket...

enjoying coffee and some re-runs

and not feeling like I wanted to venture out into the cold.

I was undecided.

You know that place ~ knowing the good you ought to do, but not quite sure you're going to do it.

I unburied myself long enough to clean the kitchen, 

and then stepped outside with a bag of trash for the outside bins.

Funny thing...

Sitting in my driveway,

just taking a little rest in the sunshine,

was an elderly couple.

Completely random, never-before-seen elderly couple.

They were seated in the little chair part of the walkers they were using.

So I headed over to say hello.

Turns out, they were out for a stroll...and had never wandered as far along the sidewalk as they just had.

Didn't even know the sidewalk went this far!

Just the sweetest pair.

Well, I knew then that I'd venture out for a walk. Because if they could push themselves to get out of their comfortable, safe, warm home on this sunny November day...well then so could I!

It's no coincidence, I think, that as I walked the pond on Sunday

I saw many elderly folks.

Some with a spouse.

Some with a friend.

Some on their own.

It's as if the universe was sending me an object lesson!

Keep moving, Adrienne.

Keep moving.

So that as you age, you can grow stronger and remain active.

Well, universe...message received. Thanks!

One of our holiday weekend traditions is making sure we find the time for a puzzle.
This was a fun one!
And pretty enough that it might even rate a frame!

Hope your weekend was a fun one!




Joining Tamar today for some
Good. Random. Fun.

Six Word Fridays ~ Nut

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

... and {thank goodness} sometimes you don't!

Join us and share your story

Six Words at a time!

Black & White Wednesday ~ Just the Two of Us

Lucky, lucky me.

When said "I do" thirty-one years ago today,

I had no clue how good this marriage thing could be.

Lucky, lucky me.

Join us here and share your
black & white photos!
I'm also linking up with
Wednesdays Around the World

Six Word Fridays ~ Melt

Six Cousins. Fourteen years. Heart melting.

Join us here and tell your story

Six Words at a time!

Six Word Fridays ~ Toast

There was a time, before you

knew me...or dreamed of me...

that life's journey swept you away.

You traveled far. You traveled well.

Eyes open, mind engaged - ever the

student, eager to learn and explore.

Georgia Tech, ROTC, Masters of Architecture,

the Air Force and work abroad...

all those things that came before 

there was a me, before us...

all those years that shaped the 

man who would become my father

are years that I now cherish.

And I cherish those years not

because they filled you with knowledge,

but because they taught you the

greatest lesson you've passed to me:

Never stop questioning. Never stop learning.

As a professor, as a mentor

and especially as a parent, you

passed on a heart to learn.

You passed on the heart of

the young man I see in

these gorgeous old, newly discovered, photographs.

The man I see here is 

the man I know. Though time
may have added a few wrinkles,

the humble eyes and broad smile
are unchanged. I see, in the
young man, the father I love -
ever and always eager to learn.

And so, daddio, here's to you!

I raise my glass and toast

the man who's shown me the

wisest of ways...the way of

the learner, the student of life.

{Click on the link in the menu bar to learn about Six Word Fridays and please join in the fun!}

Also linking this post to

Little Things Thursday

and

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Black & White Wednesdays ~ Home

Father and Son

I sit with this photograph

and I search for words.

There have been many twists and turns in the path

that has led my brother

to this place.

He has longed for family,

yet never settled for less than truth

and true love.

He has known that the finding of a soul mate

was worth the wait.

And find her he did.

They are now three.

And my journeyman brother has found

home

in a way he's never known.

Join us here and share your 

Black & White photos!

I'm also linking up with

Wednesdays Around the World

Baby Noa

This weekend brought a little visitor

from the far off island of Maui

to my neck of the woods.

I met my {almost one year old} nephew for the firs time.

And my heart grew {at least} three sizes!!

"My wish for you

Is that this life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold

And while you're out there gettin' where you're gettin' to

I hope you know somebody loves you

And wants the same things too...
Yeah, this is my wish."
{Rascal Flatts}



Joining Kathy for
Song-ography

Black & White Wednesdays ~ Another Story

"Let the rain kiss you.

Let the rain beat upon your head

with silver liquid drops.

Let the rain sing you a lullaby."
Langston Hughs

I don't know how they know to follow, but they do.

They know to stay huddled close to each other, and close to mom and dad, and follow closely through the water. When dad digs his beak into the muddy pond floor to stir up food, they know to nibble and nourish themselves. When mom climbs to the shore and settles down to rest, they know to climb out and nestle in beside her. They know to settle down, smushed all together along one side of mama's long body, and rest. The family rests and papa stands guard. Stays alert. 

They're quite a team, these new parents. When one is occupied with the littles, the other is watching. Watching for signs of danger. For predators. They stick close together and work to nourish and protect. 

I stood under the trees, while a light rain fell, for several hours on Sunday. I marveled at the instincts, the know how. How seamlessly mom and dad navigated the parental waters. How easily the babes followed along. Part of me identified with the ease and simplicity of it all. Motherhood fit me. Came naturally. 

Until it didn't. Until those moments when I was unsure. Didn't know what to say, what to do ... where to lead the littles. Until those moments when I questioned myself, questioned their dad. Somehow, amidst the questions, we found enough answers and found our way. 

Standing in the rain, alone with my thoughts and memories, I felt so blessed. Sometimes the small storms that came blowing trough our lives came with rain that kissed us gently. Sometimes it beat down on us. Sometimes it sang us a lullaby. Whatever the case, we learned to swim together. When it was easy and when it was rough... 

Through it all, we find strength as a family. And keep on swimming.

Join us here and share your

Black & White photos!

I'm also joining

Wednesdays Around the World

Black & White Wednesdays ~ Five Stories

Tag.
I'm it!
Yesterday a blogging bud called on me
to choose five photos and use them to tell five stories in five days.
Thanks Dianna ~ I love this idea!

I'm gonna break the rules just a bit and invite you all to try.
Tag.
You're it!

Stacks and stacks of slides came up from the basement in dusty, moldy boxes. One by one I looked at each treasure, each hint of my father's past. It was fitting that, on the eve of Memorial Day, so many of the slides were from the years he spent serving our country in the Air Force. He traveled through Europe, a young ROTC grad with his architecture degree. With each city...each slide...a story came to him. Tales of friendships, and runway reconstructions. He talked of lessons learned from great buildings and diverse cultures. An adventure that began as I held one slide up to the afternoon light kept us wandering the globe until long after dark.

Stories were told that I'd heard before, and many new stories were shared. Bit by bit, a picture came into focus. A picture of the young man who was to become my father just a few short years later. These formative years shaped this man I love so dearly. And I enjoyed every precious second of hearing him share his adventures.

We made a deal this weekend. I'm going to edit the photos, send him the digital files, and he's going to write his stories. All of them. It'll be my job to tie them all together and....write a book? Who knows. At the very least, a one-of-a-kind scrapbook is in our future!! I love that we found a project to share, even thought we're miles apart. Who knew so much life could be hidden inside a moldy box in the basement!!?!

Please join me and share your

Black & White photos!

I'm also linking up with

Wednesday Around the World

{Don't forget - I tagged you all! Please join in - find five photos and tell five stories in five days!}

Six Word Fridays ~ Face

Playing tourist ~ Jardin de Luxembourg ~ Paris

Let's face it ~ time does fly!

In the twenty seven years since

this photo, there have been many

pounds lost, gained....and lost again.

There's less hair, many more wrinkles

and hints of the wisdom that

comes as we age. And grow.

Only Paris remains the same ~ her

timeless beauty seemingly untouched by the

passing years. Ah, ma chere Paris ~

comme tu me manques. Toujours. Beaucoup.

Please join in the Friday fun!

Caption a photo, share a poem

or tell a story. Just remember,

only six words in each line!

Six Word Fridays ~ Gift

Nothing more precious than the gift

of time together as a family.

Please join in the Friday fun!

Caption a photo, share a poem

or tell a story. Just remember,

only six words in each line!

Six Word Fridays ~ Feast

We chop and stir, slice and

measure; each spice - each choice - links

days long gone with the now.

Sweet meets savory to make some

magic as generations join hands and 

hearts. One table...so many traditions.

Blessings are counted and laughter shared
as we feast for hours on
love and comfort, family and friendship.

Please join in the Friday fun!

Caption a photo, share a poem

or tell a story. Just remember,

only six words in each line!

Close Up

"From a distance you look like my friend,

even though we are at war.

From a distance I cannot comprehend

what all this fighting is for.

From a distance, there is harmony,

and it echoes through the land.

And it's the voice of hope of hopes, 

it's the love of loves,

it's the heart of every man.

God is watching us, God is watching us,

God is watching us from a distance."
Bette Midler

I love this song.

I love the idea that the "big picture" somehow looks better than each part.

That, together, we can be stronger than we are by ourselves.

That the One who sees the "big picture" sees something timeless. Ageless. 

Something, perhaps, far beyond our understanding.

I also believe that the "big picture" is not my responsibility.

I can't "fix" the whole wide world.

I can't make the distant horrors less horrible.

I can hope and pray and love.

But I can't "fix" the whole wide world.

What I can do is focus in on those around me.

I can do my part to love and care for and nurture the relationships 

that make up my little corner of the world.

Family, friends, co-workers and passers-by.

One on one.

Close up.

These people I can treat as I wish all mankind would treat his fellow man.

This photo is my favorite from our camping trip this weekend.

I love the tenderness.

The gentleness of one woman to a friend's child and another friend's puppy.

Harmony.

Just the sweetest!

From a distance, or close up, this is what it's all about.

The people with whom we shared our weekend are a combination of

family and friends.

Friends I've known since before my 27 year old was born.

Friends that she's known for half of her young life.

There were cousins in the mix.

And some of us have been co-workers at different times throughout the years.

It hasn't always been sunshine and camping fires.

There have been hurts and pains, both shared and inflicted.

There have been times of great joy and seasons of great loss.

But we're here.

In a circle.

Sharing our lives.

This is the "close-up" that we've fought for.

And that we will continue to believe in.

Joining Kathy for

Song-ography