AnneLyze

My Saturday was packed full of choices. Watch Ben run (parental duty) for 52 seconds at a day l.o.n.g track meet, hiking with the Adirondack Mountain club, clean the house (needed), yard work (badly needed), or go to the grocery store, farmers market and complete other chores.  Anyone who knows me is aware that cleaning came in last place.  After agonizing over my top two choices for the better part of two days, I finally decided to hike. I hiked up Cascade and Porter Mountains on Saturday, both high peaks in the Adirondacks.  The trail head was off Route 73, a beautiful road flanked on both sides by lakes and mountains.  The path was a steady climb up on an eroded, muddy, heavily rooted, rocky trail.  We went to Porter first, before heading up Cascade with beautiful views to be seen in every direction.  It was sunny with a light breeze, a perfect day for hiking and we were not alone, sharing the trail with lots of other hikers. Coming down was h...

Mother's Day was cold,wet and windy.  I sat in a freezing cold arena for four hours, made poor food choices multiple times and drove for five straight hours.  Yet despite all that, I will never forget how special it was and for that I have one person to thank. Sam walked in two graduation ceremonies last weekend.  Though he completed the required courses for both degrees in December (Environmental Design and Political Science) and is currently in Grad school, he walked with the University of Buffalo Class of 2013 in honor of the two programs completed.  I could not have been prouder.  Left to his own devices, I am not sure he would have participated.  I think he did it for his Parents and Grandparents because we expected it, traveled a great distance to get there, and we probably needed the accolades more than he did.  In many ways, college graduations are a pat on the back for the parents, a final passage for their children into adulthood, and a val...

Everyone deserves a day, a very special day, where everything aligns perfectly.  A day that makes you realize just how good life is.  Ben had his day last Saturday and it was awesome to be on the sidelines watching my boy shine.  So forgive a proud Mama as I share Ben's "best day ever". Saturday was all sun, blue skies and for the first time all spring, a lovely gentle breeze instead of cold, gale force winds.  Ben's first stop of the day was the Cohoes Relays, an annual spring track meet.  He ran the first leg in the Sprint Medley Relay (400, 200, 200, 800) and they won, setting a new school record.  Watching Ben hit the final turn of his leg as he pulled away from the field was thrilling. Two hours later the quartet won again, this time the 4 x 400.  Ben ran the third leg and a personal record.  I loaded a jubilant boy in the car 15 minutes later.  The second part of his day was scheduled to start in just over an hour...