A Pleasant Surprise

The parish window is framed and hung up.

Reach To Newer and Higher Goals

Work until sleep is the ultimate and unavoidable reward.

The Youngest And The Oldest

The youngest played her last band concert last night. She is hanging up her bass clarinet. It's been a good run. It was wonderful.

The oldest, after the middle school concert bumped into her 7th and 8th grade Spanish teacher. The woman who bestowed upon her, her National Honor Society pin. One of the top three most influential teachers in her K through 12 education. Truly an awesome role model.

Can you say great night, sure you can.

What does love look like?

Today, eighteen years of marriage. This is what love looks like. Do you recognize it?

Close One

It's where love resides.

I'm in heaven

Either that, or Vermont.

Would anyone answer this ad?

The convenience of mess

Working on stained glass at home means a project get attention, a little or a lot, each day. But it also means a mess. Messy. Messy.

I thought of you, jeff noel

A circumstance happened yesterday that resulted in me quoting jeff noel, "Live your life so when someone says something bad about you, no one believes it."

I quoted you, jeff.
Thank you.

It's not about the ride

It's about facing the ups and the downs on life's road head on and surviving. It's about reaching out to others. It's about keeping the focus forward and keep pedaling.

Yoda packed and ready to roll.

Because there is no try; only do. Boston Brain Tumor Ride. For what we do truly does matter.

She is not a Disney Fan.

Not like me... But still she kept this mom-made bookmark on her white board all four years of college. In all seriousness, no mother could love a child more than I love mine. And no mother could ever be more proud.

My Spartan

Congratulations!

To my Spartan! Graduating WPI today. Seriously, where has the time gone?

We Are Pacing Ourselves

Boston Brain Tumor Ride Sunday. Pacing our rides as to stay active but not over extended this week. Sunday at 7:45 AM we push off. Hoping to finish by 1PM. For we must get home for My Spartan's graduation festivities from Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Time flies.

Secret...

I love riding over highways. I slow to watch the cars and wonder about each and every destination. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually. Safe Travels.

Yeah, it's hard.

We ride and ride and ride some more. Always training. Always moving forward. Yeah, it's hard. But it's so worth it.

It's Coming!

The Boston Brain Tumor Ride.

We rode to the sea.

It was surreal to be on the Cape yesterday, billing day, a work day, a school day. Two moms on bikes, left the world behind.

Happy Birthday Bike Wife

May all your bike wishes come true.

Keeping it all straight

Stained glass, like life, like crowds, it's tough to keep it all straight the more pieces, commitments, people that become involved.

Breathe. Move ahead slowly. Be patient. It always comes together in the end.

Cycling is like a box of chocolates

You never know what you are going to get.

Ended up missing my riding window with Prajna as I was late getting out of work. Would it be a rest day? No, perhaps a slow day. A short ride to flex my achie (breakie) knee. I'd ride out through the neighborhood towards Southboro. In other words, going up Pinehill. But I planned on embarrassingly slow.

Two streets over my knee relaxed. The weather was warm. I was dressed for heat. And the rest is history. For in the end it was the fastest street ride to date. Resulting in breaking 4 segment records and getting me two Queens of the Hill.

I'm still stunned over the magic. I could have decided to stay home. So glad I didn't.

What will I bite into today?

More than 20.

As the season progresses the bar inches higher. The ride has to be more than twenty miles.

Do you see the progress? It's tucked in the stats like pixie dust. First Boston Brain Tumor Ride of 25 miles completed in 2 hours 20 minutes; 5 years ago. Yesterday squeezed in a ride... A fat 22 miles in 1 hour and close to 37 minutes... Including a stop to look at Prajna's rear brake.

Today marks another huge milestone: Last day of undergraduate school for my oldest love, my Spartan, my sunshine. Seriously, where has the time gone?

Progress

Progress in life, cycling and stained glass comes in tiny tiny tiny baby steps. Sometimes you see it but most times you don't.  Work towards it anyway, every day.

A Little Stained Glass Secret

I don't have all the pieces... It's not all sorted out. To be clear, I don't have the glass figured out for the foreground and the background. But as with life, I'm working with what I have to keep moving forward.

New Beginnings

Are so evident this time of year when you walk in the woods.

HONEY, I'M HOME!

We went to our CSA farm for the first time this year. We planted beets and mulched peas.

Oh My Goodness! I told one of the farmers I wanted to run into the middle of the fields and roll around in the soil. Like a dog, to get very personal with the land.

So happy to be back at Stearns Farm.

Can you be flexible?

The house had pink shutters and pink lady slippers. Next to each other, both would be diminished. It took a while, but finally gave in and changed the shutter glass to the same as the door.

Being able to change even after the pattern is cut and fit can be a useful life lesson.

Sometimes it's best not to look at the big picture.

Sometimes it's best to look at the details for affirmation.