Spring!

Today was a BEAUTIFUL day in Boston! I have been convinced that it is definitely warming up, and there is hope for a beautiful spring. The trees are budding, the crocuses have pushed through the ground and bloomed. Springtime up here always fills me with a sense of hope, as the cold, dark, quiet winter gives way. Everything is put in motion. Especially obvious to me are the rowers and runners on the Charles River. Also in motion is frozen water starting to thaw. I'm taking this opportunity to post an old photo with a moving water theme (It's 5 years, if you can believe it, from our honeymoon in Maine, where this picture was taken.). I convinced Ricky to wear a helmet with me, having seen a others go overboard and suffer injuries. It wasn't until the slideshow at the end of the day that we realized that not only did we look like TOTAL dorks, but we were the ONLY ones on the entire trip to wear helmets.

Guten Tag

My big blue-eyed husband has taken off on an excursion to Germany, a European country where he can actually blend in. The mission is to fix a work-related problem, so hopefully the fix will come sooner than later and he can enjoy the trip a little. It struck me that it has been quite some time since the old medical school days of living 200 miles apart. I'm a little spoiled now. Since HE's the one that took off and left me here all by my lonesome, I'm going to take this opportunity to be mischievous. As many of you know, Ricky has been training for a triathlon. I'm so impressed with all his hard work, particularly in the swimming pool, where he doesn't have a tremendous amount of experience. Lately he's been working on "equipment." You might ask, "Just how much equipment can you use in a pool?" Well, he has upgraded in several areas, such as cheap plastic lap-counters to a watch that counts for you. He has bought a swim cap, and he's been shopping for a wet-suit. He has come a long way. Just because I think you'll be wondering by now...he's still the only one in the pool with swim trunks. (Excluding the drag from his trunks) nothing slows him down, even if the only pair of goggles left in the store belongs on a 10 year old girl. You'll be thankful to know he's made an upgrade since then, but aren't these fabulous? If I had the time to get on the sewing machine, he'd also be wearing a pink satin cape in this picture.

The New Hardy Bunch

It's a bit late, well more than a bit late, but here it is. I'm posting the Christmas update. This is our newly enlarged Hardy side of the family, with the addition of Maggie. In the background is the group effort at tree decoration in the Hardy living room, Palestine, TX.

It was a very special Christmas, being the first one spent with Hardy and being able to see Maggie for the very first time. Hardy just lights up the room like a Christmas tree when he gets excited about his Thomas & Friends gear. Although Maggie does little more than sleep, she does a super job of snuggling and melting your heart. Christmas is such fun with kids.

A Thomas Christmas

"Thomas & Friends" was the theme of this year's Christmas. I don't remember being into fads or toys of any one type, but I have always loved watching other people and kids find something they're passionate about. Hardy's passion is Thomas and more Thomas. He spends hours at a time with his trains, and boy did he get showered with Thomas paraphernalia this Christmas. I love the way he squints at the camera flash. He's such a sweet little guy. He's talking a lot, much more than even 3 months ago. He is a whiz at people names, and when it's time to say grace, he will often name everyone at the table, making sure they've all got their hands folded for the prayer, including aunt "illy" and uncle "kiki."

Snow & More Snow

The snow started Friday before Christmas and didn't stop until Sunday evening. This is the view from our perch. The blanket of snow turns everything pure white. People tend to snuggle up indoors, and the snow sops up the rest of the noise making it deafeningly quiet compared to the typical city hum. Our Sunday afternoon flight was cancelled, but we managed to make it out of town Monday and arrive in Texas just one day late.

Fall in New England

It's not technically winter yet according to the calendar, but she decided to blow in anyway last week, and wow is it chilly out! I'm saying goodbye to autumn by posting this photo from our hike with the Georges and Roehms last month. There are still a good number of leaves on the ground, though, and today I had the joy of watching a rather burly thirty-something year old man, out with a bunch of his guy friends, skipping through a pile of fluffy dry leaves. He had a huge grin on his face, half prepared for the ridicule of his friends and half sheer joy of the moment. It was awesome.

Life boils down to two questions.

Should we get a dog?

Or should we have kids?

Wendy - after nearly a week, this fwd still makes me laugh, so I have to pass it along. I also want to applaud the parents that had the clarity of mind to take this picture.

I know some of you are wondering about hidden meaning in this post. Sorry to say there is no implication here, but I look forward to the day I can answer one or both of these with a yes. After all, who wouldn't want one of these smiling characters to teach you how to enjoy life all over again?