Breakfast at Stephanie's

Jim D. Woody 1934-2009

2009-02-14T16:09:00.005-05:00

Dad,

It has been three days since you left and I am here on the floor surrounded by your pictures. As I make the collage for your funeral my emotions are all over the place. I cry, smile, and laugh as I remember the moments each picture holds. But mainly I miss you.

I see the pictures and I want to go back in time. I want to hear your voice again and watch you work around the yard. I want to go back to the summer days as Jack Buck called the Cardinals game on the radio and all of us lounged in the pool or played volleyball or croquet. I want to sit next to you again at Christmas as you build a fire, or revisit Jeff and Millie’s wedding rehearsal dinner with the tent setup in the yard and candlelight floating on the pool. I want be where you are and in whatever moment I can share with you. But these moments are gone from present to past and I can’t go back and relive what once was.

So here I am in the present. It is Valentine’s Day, your 75th birthday, and I am thinking how fitting it is that I am remembering the moments of your life on the day we celebrate love. On this day symbolized by a heart, I am reminded of your heart and how weak it grew these last few years. And I am reminded that even as your heart grew faint, it was still filled with the strength of your faith, and the strength of your family.

On Wednesday after you left this earth I walked outside in the yard you loved and felt the memories from all the years. As I heard your Cardinal wind chime sway in the night air, and watched the branches of your trees move back and forth above me I knew I would be with you again. But for now I have peace knowing you are no longer tired and no longer breathless. Your heart is now whole and someday, when I see you again, mine will be whole again too.

Wordless Wednesday #12

2007-09-12T02:31:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday #11

2007-08-22T00:59:00.000-04:00

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

I think I'll go to Boston

2007-08-15T00:45:00.000-04:00

Okay, this isn't truely wordless, but I felt like doing something a bit different. So in lieu of a Wordless Wednesday post, I've decided to continue on my "photographic vacation." Basically I'm going through my photo archive and revisiting places where I traveled before CK arrived. (Before I continue I want to mention that although I can't get up and go places as easily as I once could, all CK has to do is smile at me and I don't want to be anywhere else.) Okay, now on to Boston...

Boston has just about everything: amazing architecture, beautiful landscapes, world renown educational institutions, terrific arts and music, top notch sports teams, and history galore. A short drive along the coast in either direction brings you to places like Cape Cod and Cape Ann, which are also amazing. I've visited Boston and the surrounding area several times and I always find something new and exciting to explore.

Wordless Wednesday #10

2007-08-08T00:01:00.000-04:00

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

My Kind of Town

2007-08-02T02:20:00.000-04:00

The Softer Side

Now that CK is here, we aren't as mobile as we once were. So lately, when I want to take a quick vacation, I look back through some of my picture archives (desperate times call for...well, you understand). The next couple of posts will include shots from other cities.

I start with Chicago. I love it. We have many, many friends who live there, so it will probably be the first big city CK visits. I love the downtown area...I could (and have) walk around there for hours and hours. A couple of years ago right after I bought my Nikon D70, I walked around and shot hundreds of pictures. These are some of my favorites.

Enjoy!

Saturday Morning

Saturday Night Lights

No Escape

Just Another HardRock

Hot City

Wordless Wednesday #9

2007-08-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/

Wordless Wednesday #8

2007-07-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday #7

2007-07-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday #6

2007-07-04T00:05:00.000-04:00

www.wordlesswednesday.com

The Power of Flowers

2007-07-03T00:23:00.000-04:00

Summer of Love
Part III
I love flowers. Probably half of the pictures I've taken through the years are flowers. My favorite place to visit is the Missouri Botanical Gardens. There is nothing more peaceful than strolling along the garden paths and walking along the reflecting pools as the fountains bubble and spray. It's no wonder the mantra of the hippies was "flower power." Flowers are the essence of beauty and peace, and there is not much on this planet I enjoy more.

Love the Haight

2007-07-02T14:08:00.000-04:00

Summer of Love
Part II
Haight-Ashbury was the center of the hippie counterculture. A few other places around the country, and London, had a large hippie population, but none larger than Haight-Ashbury. Even The Beatles were curious about the hippie headquarters and visited during the Summer of Love.

When I was there about eight years ago, it was still very much a place inhabited by hippie wannabes. But when I went back four years later, it was a different place. While some little stores tried to hold tight to the Haight-Ashbury history, chain stores, like The Gap, were popping up all over. Still, it's an interesting place to visit and you are sure to see tons of remnants from The Summer of Love.

If you're going to San Francisco...

2007-07-01T13:00:00.000-04:00

Summer of Love

Part I

The 40th anniversary of the Summer of Love has inspired me to post some pictures (I already started on Wordless Wednesday by posting a picture taken on the Haight) dedicated to this crazy time in our country's history. The past few days I've read a lot of news articles and watched a documentary about the summer of 1967 when thousands of "hippies" traveled to San Francisco looking for peace, love, and understanding.

If you've been to San Fran, I don't need to tell you how beautiful it is. It still has a hippie vibe, and the spirit of the Beats (the jazz inspired poets who planted the seeds for the hippie generation) still lingers along the streets of North Beach and at City Lights Books.

Until next time...peace.

Wordless Wednesday #5

2007-06-27T00:32:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday #4

2007-06-20T00:40:00.000-04:00

Daddy's Day

2007-06-17T23:44:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day, Mus.

I can't believe it's been one year since I found out I was pregnant. One year ago, on Father's Day, two faint, pink lines changed everything. At 4:30 AM I took the test and told you it wasn't exactly negative. Then I got on a plane and flew to L.A. During the four-hour flight I wondered if I should have stayed home with you. I closed my eyes, but my mind was too busy to sleep. Do I feel different? I'm sure the test was wrong. There was no second line. I'll take another test.

And two lines appeared, again. So I went to Disneyland, but I didn't ride the roller coasters, or drink any caffeine, and I sat down, a lot. Children ran from castles to teacups, and I saw them in a way I never had before. I saw myself holding the hand of a little boy and a little girl, and I watched you carry him and her on your shoulders. She was wearing Cinderella's tiara; he was carrying Buzz Lightyear's laser.

Now our little girl is here, and someday we will take her to Disneyland. We will ride with her on Snow White's Scary Adventure, we will scream with her in the Haunted Mansion, and we will chase after her as she runs to meet Mickey. But I am most looking forward to telling her about the Father's Day when she first came to Disneyland. The Father's Day, one year ago, that changed everything.

Tough Decisions and Mystic Moods

2007-06-14T00:28:00.000-04:00

Today I quit my job. After eleven years with my company, I'm no longer employed. It feels so strange. While I'm very excited about the future and thrilled to spend precious time with CK, I can't help but feel that the safety net is now gone. Money will be tight. But as I've learned during the four months of my maternity leave, most of the things that make me happy are free. Nightly walks with Mus, CK, and Ollie. Going on adventures with CK. Reading to CK. Taking naps with CK...

Speaking of CK...she's a funny little one. Mus and I discovered very quickly after bringing her home from the hospital that she is mesmerized by running water. Any fussy mood or crying spell can be soothed by turning on the bath tub faucet. (And yes, it has to be the bath tub faucet. The sink faucet is not loud enough. She has to have a roaring waterfall.) I bet she's probably spent half of her short life in the bathroom. In the picture below, CK is so relaxed by the running water, she has no idea her shoe has landed on her head.

Anyway, after a few weeks of daily naps by Falls la Bañera, Mus and I decided we could no longer encourage her habit. Not only were we depleting the Earth of a valuable natural resource, we were running (pardon the pun) up our water bill. So to keep CK relaxed and keep our water bill in check, we've resorted to using a "sound machine." This machine can be set to play the sounds of a babbling brook, ocean waves, crickets, or birds. We play the ocean waves for CK. She loves them. Getting her to sleep in the car, however, requires another tactic. To get her to sleep while on the road, I put in the One Stormy Night CD by the Mystic Moods Orchestra. The rain mixed into the music is very calming, but there are also very loud claps of thunder that jolt me out of my seat. CK doesn't seem to mind them. She is oddly soothed by the sounds of a severe thunderstorm. Maybe we have a future storm chaser on our hands.

Until next time...

Wordless Wednesday #3

2007-06-13T23:21:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday #2

2007-06-06T00:36:00.000-04:00

www.wordlesswednesday.com

Wordless Wednesday #1

2007-05-30T01:13:00.001-04:00

Blogging after Midnight

2007-05-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

Well, it's not after midnight yet, but who's watching the clock anyway? CK is asleep so it's time for me to enter my second post. Actually, I'm trying to stay up until after midnight so I can enter my first photo for Wordless Wednesday. I'm very excited...

I watched CK sleep for a few minutes. It was so peaceful watching her little face. All I could think about was how much I want to protect and love her throughout her life. Then she started doing her baby Judo and well, the scene turned violent. She kicked and punched the air like it was a mugger stealing her bottle. I guess she will be the one protecting me. Mus wants her to take Karate like he did...along with practically every other sport. She has a good start on the moves.

Until next time...

P.S. Tonight I went to the new Supercenter for groceries (must save money!). I feel sad when I'm there because I really miss Dierbergs. They have great music. Dan thinks I'm nuts because he doesn't recall ever hearing music at Dierbergs. How could he not notice those love songs from the 70s? ...Baby come back, any kind of fool could see, I was wrong and I just can't live without you... There was nothing more enjoyable than rolling my mini cart (overflowing as it always was because I really needed to get the regular sized cart) down the cereal aisle. Sigh...

Maiden Blog

2007-05-28T01:30:00.000-04:00

Today is CK's three month birthday and her first Memorial Day. In honor of the holiday, CK asked me to dress her up real cute. She insisted on a red, white, and blue visor and a sequined American flag shirt. I did exactly what she wanted, after all, it's her special day.

What did we do to celebrate the day? Oh, we did it up big. We took a family trip--minus Ollie--to Babies R Us. CK wanted some new reading material so we bought her three books. From these books she will learn: where her belly button is, where Spot is hiding, and why Rainbow Rob, the black and white penguin, wants some color. But we didn't stop with the books. CK also got some socks out of the deal. Her first Memorial Day will be hard to top.

Mus and I had some fun of our own at the driving range. I hadn't hit a golf ball since having CK, and while I'd like to say I still had it, my swing was not what it was a year ago. I was exhausted after five swings. Luckily I found a bench nearby so I could sit and watch Mus hit the rest of the bucket. How could I be so out of shape? I mean I'm busier now than ever. I take CK for walks once, if not twice, a day and I carry her 12 pound body everywhere. All of these activities should equal some type of workout, right? Apparantly not. I was so tired, and swinging a golf club is not exactly a cardio workout. On a positive note, I did manage to muster up enough strength to hit the last four balls in the bucket...and my last hit was a doozy.

BTW...Women should not hit golf balls in Daisy Duke denim shorts and a halter top. (And no, I'm not talking about myself. )

Until next time...

P.S. I forgot to mention that we got ice cream today. It wouldn't be Memorial Day without ice cream.