Nancy 11/365 - Orlando, Florida USA

Cruising in the double BOB along Finch Street with our snacks and water.

Monday October 11, 2010

Task #4 from Merrill:

Move that body!

Everyday.

What? Everyday? Is she crazy? Turns out, she's not. 11 days into moving that body I'm feeling loads better.

With the exhaustion that has accompanied this past year, I've found exercise to be next to impossible. I've missed feeling strong and the energy that comes from exertion and breathing fresh air.

Thank you Owen for finally letting me get REM sleep and waking just once a night to eat. Thank you Merrill for getting me moving. Thank you Jeff for, well, everything.

Nancy 5/365 - Orlando, Florida

October 5, 2010

wake

shower and get ready

devotion

breakfast

clean kitchen

vacuum

put owen down to nap

play cars

build a towering city with blocks

get beaten twice in candyland

play outside in the gorgeous weather

owen's up

lunch

haircut for john (school pics tomorrow!)

play in central park

whole foods

owen down for a nap (tho, no nap)

clean kitchen

phone calls for school

snack for john

pack dinner for boys

get john dressed - oh how i hate shin guards and those gigantic socks

25 minute drive with a fussy owen

watch soccer practice, feed owen, tame owen

20 minute drive with a passed out owen

tubby

clean kitchen

pass out

grateful for a hubby who fixes dinner. grateful for a happy little john. grateful for a sweet little owen.

nancy - 73/365 - Orlando, Florida USA

July 4

What a beautiful 4th of July. A great church service, wonderful lunch, tons of rain, visit with the family, a fabulous dinner...just about perfect. Happy Birthday America!

nancy - 64/365 - Orlando, Florida USA

June 24

I am having a tough time putting into words how I feel about this amazing family. They are in a difficult, sad season of their lives and yet they are living joyfully. They remain steadfast in their faith and are supported by so many family and friends. It was such an honor capturing this moment of joy.

Thank you Van Son family for sharing this time with me. Thank you for reminding me to live. To savor. To appreciate. To be grateful for each moment. You are in my prayers.

nancy - 11/365 - Orlando, Florida

It has been a crazy, busy, frustrating, uplifting, exhausting, irritating, blessed and joyous week all rolled into one. Add being a single parent (Jeff was traveling) and it just about did me in.

This week we, the parents, alumnae and friends of John's school, have encountered/completed the following:

• dropped our children off Monday for what we thought would be a normal April school day (and also Teacher Appreciation Day)
• learned abruptly around 10 am that the Director and teachers had been fired
• immediately pulled our children out of the school (ALL of us. Every. Single. One.)
• met under the trees of Dartmouth park and cried, prayed and ultimately hatched a plan
• incorporated a new school
• secured a temporary location for our new school
• secured insurance (!!!) for the school
• enrolled all children in this school
• continued school throughout the weekend in many locations across town
• met as a parent/alumnae/friend group 3 times
• began investigating permanent locations
• obtained a Federal Identification Number
• registered with both the Department of Education and the State Department of Education
• fingerprinted and ran background checks on every single person that might come into contact with the children (including me :) )
• started the process of filing for non-profit status
• consulted with non-profit attorneys and CPA's
• set up payroll
• voted a Board of Directors
• opened a bank account
• raised $$$
• planned two fundraisers

PHEW.

About 10,393 other things occurred as well, but I can't remember them all.

I'm exhausted, but so very excited and grateful for this community we are so blessed to be a part of. I think I'll be feeling the emotions of this week for a very long time. It was amazing.

Friday April 30, 2010

Nancy - 5/365 - Orlando, Florida USA

I often think I won the husband lottery. Today he let me sleep in a bit, cooked a fantastic pancake breakfast, took John to Leu Gardens for a little one on one time, took us all out to lunch, helped put away laundry, played & played & played cars with John, changed some dirty diapers, and let me get out of the house with Andrea for a kid-free afternoon break.

I am grateful. So very grateful.

Saturday April 24, 2010

Nancy - 1/365 - Orlando, Florida

Often it's simply a matter of perspective. When the outlook seems gloomy or the day seems long, a simple shift in perspective improves everything. Today we are grateful for a kind doctor who saw Owen yesterday without an appointment and gave us a plan to heal his skin. That plan gave me perspective and gave Owen his little personality back.

Tuesday April 20, 2010