The Bubble Sisters

 

Maybe this is why they say never to put bubble bath into a whirlpool tub.

Going Commando

Last Thursday Marni put aside her nighttime pull-ups and went commando. She was very excited about the whole idea and a little freaked out, but so far so good.

Fun at the Outhouse

Last Saturday the Shepard/Asanovic/Stefanoff-Imhoff gang got together for our annual pumpkin/apple picking festivities. For whatever reason, even though the weather was beautiful, the crowds were not huge.
We started the day off right with delicious fresh made doughnuts and then got right into the usual activities of pony rides, hay rides, yummy food, and rolling down hills.

This year we actually added apple-picking to the mix. We started the picking practically at dusk, and had to use really long sticks to reach whatever apples were left this late in the season. And the threat of poison ivy kept us on our toes.

But we overcame these adversities and fun was had by all.

(This post contains video that can only be viewed from the website.)

Overheard #32

We were ordering in pizza with neighbors and trying to figure out what types of pizza we wanted. Lisa suggested a margherita pizza, to which Stella replied "Yes, a marghertia pizza, but without the booze."

The Shell of the Moment

"Living in the moment" seems to be a very popular phrase nowadays. But I think it means different things to different people.

For me, living in the moment involves slowing down and  drinking in a very special time. Almost like recording it in your brain for playback whenever you want to relive the experience.

I think the first time I tried it was in St. Barts. I was poolside with Lisa at our favorite secluded hotel. It was a beautiful warm day. No sounds except for the rustling of the palm trees. No one else around. The pool was high on a hill and we overlooked the far western tip of the island. I wanted to capture this tranquil moment, so I drank it in and stored it away. It's still pretty much intact. In my brain.

"The Moment" in St. Barts.

There was a day in late August of this year that was also a "living in the moment" moment.

It was one of our last days at the beach. The weather was beautiful and the girls and I decided to take a walk in the surf and look for shells. For whatever oceanographic reason, there were tons and tons of shells washing up on shore this year. Over the summer we filled buckets with clam shells. We found a perfect, large, intact scallop shell. Stella found over a half dozen perfect sand dollars. We even found two live clams and watched them bury themselves in the sand in our bucket.

So whatever marine disaster was happening at sea, we were certainly making out like bandits.

We slowly made our way down the beach. Stella and I knee-deep. Marni off by herself a few feet away in shallower water. Every few minutes we would stop and reach into the water to retrieve another shell. It was very peaceful. Very tranquil. Not a lot of talking. Just the three of us enjoying a relaxing afternoon. After several minutes I paused, looked over to the girls, smiled, and turned the "living in the moment" recorder to the "ON" position. It would be many, many months until we would be able to stroll on the beach again, and I wanted to store this memory for the long cold winter.

The next day I looked through Stella's collection of shells and picked out a nice one. She would never miss it. But I needed it. It traveled back with me to my office where it sits now. I look at it every day. Reach out and give it a little touch. A reminder of a very special moment on a very special day, with my very special girls. It's my Shell of the Moment. Of happy moments to remember, and happy moments to come.