Prayers, Candles, and Presents

A couple of nights ago we started Hanukkah a little early. Over the last month we had bought a few too many toys for our son so we figured we would begin part of the evening routine a couple of days prior. He didn’t really know what to make of it but he was happy with what we got him and seeing that smile made the few extra dollars seem like the bargain of the century. After all, this is his first Hanukkah and we want to make it a little more special so we have tried to make it as fun as possible while setting the ground work for a new holiday tradition.

We are starting this tradition as a family… just the three of us this year. Throughout the weekend, my wife and I made enough brisket to last for the eight nights and we made sure, beginning tonight, to light the candles with the proper blessings. It is only after the candles are lit, which our son seems to enjoy in and of itself, when we go back into the office closet and pull out the next toy for our son to play with. Reading the transliteration in front of our son know that, at one point I could read the Hebrew, reignited my desire to learn this beautiful language.

There is something calming about slowing down for a few moments, reading the prayers, and carefully lighting each candle. It really allows all three of us to just be in the moment while we enjoy our faith as a family. This followed by the happiness in our son’s face as he played with the toys (and the boxes that they came in) are really what makes this a special time of year and I look forward to sharing with him more and more about the holiday and the significance that it holds.

Of course, there is also another fun part of the evening as I was able to hide the small gifts that I have been accumulating over the past several weeks from my wife. Well, most of them are small. While the vast majority were clearance finds or daily deals, I was also able to find something that I had been meaning to get for her for some time now. Thankfully the camera that I was looking at went on sale and I was able to stay within budget. So now, each night, we will have images to accompany our memories and, most importantly, I might have made up, at least a little bit, for my mistakes during her birthday.

And now, with the candles having long since faded, and my wife and son sleeping, I am sitting here writing this and looking forward to the rest of the Hanukkah holiday. I am so glad that we are able to have this experience throughout the week and I can’t wait to see the smiles every evening. And, just think, it only gets better from here.

Morgantown And A Smorgasbord

When I got up this morning I had a different plan for the day as I was going to relax at the range and meet up with my wife afterward to do a little bit of exploring. It was an overcast morning but it looked as though it was going to hold off. Well, the plans didn’t completely hold up and the weather decided to be uncooperative as well.

My wife headed off to a training commitment later in the morning and I was busy getting a few things done on the computer. Just a few things that needed to be cleaned up before the coming week so I didn’t mind getting up mid project to enjoy the day. Before I had a chance to get the day started I got a call from my wife to let me know that the plans for the day had changed. So, with the new plan, it was time to get the second part of the day started right away.

Half way to our meeting point – it just made more sense to meet in the middle – that is when the weather decided to be uncooperative. As I began putting air in the tires at the rest stop the light rain began to slowly falling on my back. At least this made the fact that I forgot to bring the camera a little better. After picking up my wife, we began making our way west. Not long after getting back on the road the rain was no longer light and the windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the downpour.

While we had driven around Morgantown in the past – sometime last year – it was always a quick drive through. Today we just took our time and allowed ourselves to get lost. It really is a nice area when you take the time to drive around without keeping to a particular schedule. It would have been a lot nicer had the rain stopped for more than a minute. I would like to see the views from some of the hills one of these days with a clear sky. Maybe sometime later in the fall as the leaves are beginning to change.

After a long day weaving in and out of side streets and stopping a few moments here and there to enjoy the scenery, it was time to head off to dinner – especially since neither one of us had much to eat for the day. So, we decided to head a little south and go somewhere that neither one of us had ever been, Shady Maple Smorgasbord. After 30 minutes waiting in line we were walking up and down the buffet line deciding what we wanted to eat for dinner and, looking at the people around us, feeling rather skinny. I have to say that, for a buffet, it is pretty darn good.

With bellies full we got back in the car and heading back to the apartment. It was a long day of driving and while everything didn’t really go to plan it was nice to just take the day to go exploring again. Maybe next time I will remember the camera and the weather will hold up.

Driving And The Local

It’s great to set plans and get away for a weekend but sometimes it is nice to just get in the car and drive somewhere without a particular schedule. This was the balance of our Saturday as we drove up the northeast extension, got off the highway just north of where we had previously looked at apartments, and meandered up and down the semirural roads just enjoying the scenery and looking around. Despite a few pockets of traffic, within a couple of hours since leaving the apartment we found ourselves sitting at another small restaurant beside the railroad tracks although this was definitely a distinctly different location than Hungry Bear Café.

The Local was chosen on a complete whim as we quickly pulled up a map of lunch spots as we crossed the line between Telford into Souderton. Sitting at a table on the old train platform it was a beautiful small town location with Main Street peaking between the sunflowers at the far end of the repurposed depot. I really wish I had gotten a picture of this to share but as we let the house just for a little exploration I completely forgot to put the camera in the car. I’ll get one next time.

The food was pretty darn good as I had eggs benedict (with extra crispy Scrapple on the side) and my wife had a veggie omelet. The coffee was surprisingly tasty as well. You’d be surprised (well, some of you wouldn’t) at how hard it is to find both a good cup of coffee and properly prepared scrapple. Eggs benedict is a fairly consistent way to measure a small breakfast spot as well. So, yes, in addition to the view, we will be returning to The Local in the near future when we continue exploring that area.

After our satisfying stop we got back in the car and continued to weave our way through the small towns as we made our way back to the highway. With the moderate August weather and the roads fairly clear, it was a nice day to be out driving without a plan especially away from the business of the main line. With the afternoon quickly passing us by, we made a couple final stops. The first was to partake in a classic summer treat (for the second weekend in a row) at Rita’s and the second was a stop to a local book store where we actually walked out empty handed.

Nearly home from our casual day, I couldn’t help but think about the ways that things will be different this time next year. With a new baby on the way, we hope to have a home of our own next summer. Where? No idea at this point as we have to restart our search in future months. I just hope that with all the changes, and another year at my current job, we have a greater sense of security and permanence in our life. That would be a welcomed change from the past few years of wondering and worrying about what was going to happen next and were we were going to end up.

Investing In The Little Things

With so many things going on at the office and outside of the office with all of my other commitments and responsibilities there are some days when I spend very little time with my wife. While it is not an ideal situation, I have to keep busy and I enjoy the constant pace of life. Fortunately, my wife is very understanding of this recent shift but every once in a while I make sure that I step back and show her, in some way, that I appreciate her and support her in her work, her hobbies, and her education.

I try to listen when she needs an ear, embrace her when she needs a hug, and offer the little knowledge I have when she had a question but there are also other time when I just decide to do something a little more. When I am able, I try to include her (or at least offer) in some of the activities that I have going on constantly. I try to make her laugh as much as possible because she tends to get caught up in things and loses sight of the good things that happen every day. I try to do all of these things on a regular basis.

There are times when I wish I could have done more and other times when I try to think what I could have done differently to make things better but I am still a husband with flaws, as we all are, and so I am not always on top of these things. However, there are instances when things go right and all the other stuff going on kind of melts away. Sometimes it is as simple as relaxing with my wife laying on the couch or going out to a reasonably price lunch or dinner.

However, there are more extravagant moments (well, for us at least) when we go away for the weekend or occasions, like today, when we find an item on clearance that I know that my wife will get years of use out of. While searching for a number of things at Wal-Mart we walked by the electronics department and noticed a camera on clearance. We have been talking about replacing her Pentax for a while and now, seeing the severely slashed price, we had the opportunity to upgrade her. While there is a little bit of investment up front just the fact that we no longer have to buy packs and packs of AA batteries anymore will recoup our money in just over a year.

More importantly, it made my wife happy both in the moment and as she goes out on her little excursions during the warmer weather to take pictures. I have my hobby which I invest in on an ongoing basis and it is nice to invest a little in her hobby every once in a while. We both found the things that relax us and take our mind off of things for a little bit which makes the limited funds put into each of them worth the financial commitment. I can’t wait to see the amazing photos that she gets with the upgrade in her equipment!

Last Full Day In The Desert

Today was one that was tremendously productive but also one that made me wish that there was another twelve hours to get a few more things done. I should have known that it was going to be one of those days when I couldn’t get out of bed despite my alarm going off a dozen times. But, as most days, you have to push through the desire for sleep and get out of bed and begin your day.

I was loaded down pretty heavy as I headed out the door with my computer bag bulging with my camera in the front pocket. While I didn’t take nearly as many pictures throughout the day I still managed to get a few shots of the scenery as the sun began to approach the horizon in the early morning hours.

Just a few steps out my cottage door the sun began to peek above the mountains and offer a glow to the desert greenery all around.

Turning the corner and walking slowly up the path it was absent of the morning bustle that I have become accustom to living so close to a city.

Around the corner I now had my back to the slow illumination and a coolness still enveloped the buildings in front of me and the extinguished lights seemed ready for the day to dominate.

The lobby has been part of my temporary routine from walking up to the front door…

…to saying hello to the front desk as I made my way through and into the dining room at the far end.

For the entire morning on through the early part of the afternoon was a series of transitions from table to table and from meeting to meeting. For hours it was a constant stream of information, perspectives, and experiences that filled my mind both with challenges and possibilities. Nearing a time of information overload I managed to step away for a few fleeting minutes both to address the pressing priority of talking with my wife for the day but also to see if there were a few shots that could be stolen in the middle of the day.

This time around there wasn’t anything that caught my attention and called for my focus so my day continued with a couple more brief meetings and some long overdue daily time in the classroom to try and cram in just a little bit more information into the bloated brain cells which by that time had begun whining for a little mercy. It couldn’t have been a better time as the information was a perfect complement to what I had learned the day before and so did more to organize the gray matter rather than beat it into submission. Time continues to rush past as it had this entire trip and soon I found myself walking back up to the main building looking around for a few last minute shots as the last rays of light began to dim and the lamps reasserted their presence.  

But the light faded too fast to capture much more so a simply turned around in one solitary spot on the asphalt trying to record the images of the landmarks I had passed countless times in a matter of a couple days. Looking up the only life in the dwindling light was the passing of a jet high in the sky…

…and looking back toward the direction of my temporary residence was the representative symbol of all present at this event and why we keep pushing forward. All that we have and are able to experience is because of what flies above us and all that we are able to do is because of those who have defended it. It is a single frame that closed this last full day in a perfect way.

And Nicolas Cage Is Nowhere To Be Found

This morning I woke up in a state that I had never been in before last night. I arose from a bed absent of my wife, reached down, and shoot out my shoes just in case because you never know what may have crawled into the room during the night from the arid surroundings. Today I woke up in a small cabin/suite at Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Arizona with a full day ahead of me to try and get up to speed with the details of one of the clients for which I work.

Having not been able to fall asleep until about one in the morning (local time) I was not too happy with the blaring iPhone alarm at 6 AM. After hitting the snooze button a few times I managed to get up and out the door not really knowing what direction I needed to walk to get to the dining room next to the lobby. Camera in hand I slowly retraced the path I think we drove the night before in the pitch black desert night.

It wasn’t long until I took my first pre dawn photo of the day.

Somehow I managed to find my way back and, looking off to the left, I caught a glimpse of the sun as it illuminated a tree at the far end of the small parking lot.

 

After a prolonged breakfast with my boss and our client we made our way to the first class of the day to absorb as much as we could during this short trip. A few hours later and with a much better understanding of both what the company does and how we can best serve them, it was time to head back to the dining room for lunch but not before I called my wife.

While I was on the phone wishing that she was here with me I took note of the small island in front of the main entrance where the flower bed was full of colors encompassing the entire spectrum.

Lunch went very quickly as I hopped from table to table trying to talk to as many people as I could and hear about all the perspectives and experiences from those in attendance. It seemed like in no time we were back in the classroom drilling down into the minutia. I’m just glad that I find it interesting or else my energy would have completely left me in a post travel daze. However, having spent much of the day planting in a conference room chair I took advantage of the thirty minutes between meetings to walk around the property and take a few more photos.

The first of which during my after class walk was when I finally took note of one of the large cacti against the blue sky (the first vibrant blue of an otherwise overcast day)…

…followed soon after by the sun radiating around a cactus on the other side of the narrow road.

I meandered between the buildings…

…and enjoyed the mountains in the distance…

…before heading into the last, but informal, meeting of the day.

With everything taken care of, the running around completed, and the list of task having grown to dominate multiple notepad pages, it was time to head out further into the desert for a cook out to close out the day. The manicured oasis provided a wonderfully relaxed means of getting to know participants and attendees just a little bit better without the primary topic of conversation being work related. After all, that is an inevitability when you have a campfire going.

With just a handful of us left creeping closer and closer to the burning embers during the brisk evening it was time to call it a night and head back to our rooms to rest, relax, and prepare for another busy day. It is also another day when I can attempt to not get lost on the way to and from my room but obviously I managed to get back tonight, and in the dark no less, so I guess I’m making progress. One more full day in Arizona but also another full day away from my wife.  

 

*Note: The title makes reference to the Cohen brother's movie "Raising Arizona" starring Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter. Sometimes I find I have to spell out my obscure references.

Long Way To Go For A Waffle House

Today was a day when I couldn’t seem to get caught up. Once one thing was taken care of three other things popped up. It’s bad enough when you are going through a normal day but today was anything but normal. Today was running from one thing to another, from one place to another, and when I finally had hours to sit and work I wasn’t able.

Today is the day that I previously alluded to when I had something coming up that I promised I would write about and I will do just that but only a little bit for now. Come on, I don’t have many interesting things come up in my life so I am going to take my time and get at least a couple days out of it. Let’s just say that I am not writing this post in one of my usual spots at home where much of my writing gets done.

So things were a little hectic at the office earlier today all leading up to the mid afternoon when I kept running around and jumping from one project to the next trying to tie up loose ends before departing at 2:30. Thinking back I am pretty sure that I got everything done or handed over but I am sure I will wake up in the morning with an “oh crap” moment as I inevitably realize what I forgot to do. But, until then, I am going to keep thinking that everything is good to go and try and relax and rest up for tomorrow.

Needless to say, my 2:30 departure from the office didn’t happen until 3:00 which pretty much messed up my schedule and my wife’s schedule as she left work as early as possible. Fortunately, I made good time getting to the apartment and we managed to get everything in the car and got on the road by 4:00. Destination, Philadelphia International Airport.

Check in was easy as I simply scanned my confirmation and retrieved my boarding pass from the automated kiosk. Security was a little bit of a hassle but it also went smoothly as they didn’t hesitate with my bearded photo ID and I didn’t have to remove my camera from the carry on (that saved a good 5-10 minutes in itself). So, despite my tardy departure from the office, I arrive just in time to meet my boss at the gate at 5:00, one hour before takeoff. Time to get comfortable in the emergency exit row, spread out into the empty seat beside me, and have a quick conversation before going to sleep. That’s right, I got on a plane for the first time in over a year and the first time ever on a business trip.

It was a pretty good flight with the only exception being my dislike of landings and soon after arrival we were on our way to the rental car and on the road. First stop, Waffle House! Hey, it doesn’t have to be fancy to be good. It didn’t take long before we had our dinner in hand and we set off for a road picnic. So, where am I? You will just to read about it tomorrow.