Life On Lisburn

Today was epic in all the ways that a rollercoaster ride boosts you off of your seat or the egg scrambler whisks you all around.  From a rushed morning to get Anna on the bus to sleepy boys that didn’t want to wake, the entire morning just felt, well, honestly like most of our mornings 😂. We managed to get everyone off to school, work, pre-school, grans house and work (mornings that start before 10 am are for the birds y’all, but hello life unless it’s summer - at least in Ellisland).   We got home and let me tell you there was fluent sass being spoken in our house. Maybe not sass - let’s call it spunk. Anna and D were jazzed to go trick or treating.  Now comes the fun part.  We needed to run to The pharmacy for a script and the drive through line was LONG (first world problems I know) but no biggie -improvise, adapt and overcome- I decided to run in with the three rascals.  Unbuckle everyone from their seats, popped Jamesey in the carrier on my back, laid my c...

I love gifts.  Big ones, small ones, silly ones, meaningful ones, random ones, occasion-marking ones, just because it’s Monday ones...I think you get my point.  You hand me a latte and it makes my day - you find me a paper clip shaped like a pineapple and it’s the most exciting thing because I love gifts.  Not because of the things themselves, but because of what it says.  A gift says ‘I was thinking about you’ and that in itself is a gift.   I know it might sound trite, maybe a little cliche but I truly believe this with every coffee-filled ounce of my being. Friendship is the greatest gift. Now, don’t misunderstand me or quote me out of context, I haven’t lost sight of or diminished the fact that my Faith is the supreme gift (bearing in mind that that relationship too, is a friendship).  But seriously, the opportunity to be heard and understood and journey in solidarity through the phases of life is a gift. Friendship is so unique. It’s one of the most so...

Thank you all for your prayers as Jamesey and I traveled to Philly for his annual evaluations.  The morning started off with a little rascal who didn't want to leave his covers behind for the cold, dark world that is a PA fall.  I found it somewhat amusing that this - one of the few mornings we really needed to get moving - was the morning he chose to stay in bed...but I get it.  He's not much for breakfast right out of the gate, so we hopped in the car (after my glasses had a close call as the fists of Jamesey closed around them in protest of the quick exit into the cold).  We had an uneventful drive, enjoyed the leaves changing color and better still there was a gorgeous sunrise to enjoy.  So let me lead off with the thankful points to frame the day. - We had a sunrise that was stunning. - Our barista was exceptionally friendly and made a phenomenal vanilla latte (yummmm) - Traffic was minimal and aside from one slightly nutso New Yorker all drivers were sa...

I'm not superstitious, I don't believe that rituals can influence outcomes, talismans seem far-fetched and yet...A few of you have asked about more detail on my starfish fascination.  I've always been enamored with the sea (well, summer and the sea).  But they've taken on another meaning for me, completely by shopping serendipity.  I had been sending Jeremy birthday suggestions via text message and Pinterest boards for a while, and it just happened to be leading up to Jamesey's arrival.  The night Jamesey was born, Jeremy gifted me a beautiful pair of earrings.  Over the first weeks, in that adjustment phase when new parents forget to shower, lose all creativity and original thought beyond survival of their young and themselves, I wore those earrings day in and day out.  Somewhere along the way they became linked to any and all things Jamesey.  I happened to be wearing them the day of our first extended hospital stay.  I wore them to our first app...

Wow - dear ones- I am overcome and overwhelmed by your amazing support and encouragement! My heart is uplifted, encouraged and filled by your support and suggestions.  Thank you! I look forward to sharing the future with you all.   As I was reading comments and support today, I was taken back to a few conversations that have happened along the way.  My very wise friend Brooke Dunbar and I were sharing a summer afternoon under the shade trees in our yard when I think the words "I want to write a blog" fell out of my mouth.  Bless her, she didn’t bat an eye and just said "well I think you should do it then." And that was the beginning of the end of my resistance until the perfect timing of Ashley’s  nudge last week.   My sister (Hope) and I share the tradition of writing our annual birthday bucket lists.  Hope has been one of the long lasting encouragers and I have no doubt that she’s saying ‘finally, you might actually finish out a year - lol’.  So...

A few days ago, I had the opportunity to connect with my sweet friend Ashley.  Y'all, said friend possesses the super-powers of creativity (majorly talented photographer -- take a look at her stunning work at Being the Siders   --she's the creative genius who gave me my favorite image from this summer -seen below), wisdom (so insightful) and affirmation (encouraging beyond words - such a gift).  She and I were chatting amidst a flurry of activity and I was bemoaning the fact that I've wanted to blog seriously for a while now (we're talking minimum of 8 years it's been on my yearly birthday bucket list) and that I haven't been acting on that desire because of fear.  Fear of being laughed off the internet, fear of vulnerability, fear of words (I know - that one is really hard to believe).  But really, the self-doubt has been strong with this girl asking what could I possibly say and who on this green (rainy, but green) earth would possibly want to read the iterati...

If you know me, you know about my love of all things pineapple.  But do you know I love starfish just as much? Jeremy gifted me a beautiful pair of starfish earrings on the eve of Jamesey's birthday and those starfish have become synonymous with hope.  I have worn them during major procedures for Jamesey, during significant appointments or times when I just needed an additional reminder that we have this hope... We all need hope.  We find it in different places and I'm thankful for Faith and the ways that it intersects with hope - especially when it's hard.