Heartache

Do you ever have one of those days that you can feel your child's pain?  Feel the heartache?  Feel it so intensely that it is worse then your own pain or heartache.  I had one of those days this weekend.  Correction.  I actually had two of those days this weekend

I am sure I have mentioned it before, but Davis swims with a top-notch swim team.  He loves swimming.  He (usually) does not mind the long and intense practices, is not bothered by the cold temperatures or the cold water, and loves the meets.  He works hard and has consistently improved over the past few months.  He has become accustomed to time drops and accolades from his coaches.

This weekend was a different story.

Of the ten races that he competed in, there were a few shining moments.  Two new time drops, and meeting a new time standard for another race.

But then there were the other events.  A handful of "DQs" (disqualifications) for rules that I did not even know existed (did you know it is illegal to take the first arm stroke in breaststroke before you take your first breath?  No?  Well, I did not either).  And a very close call by an official who thought he left the blocks to early during a relay (which was especially painful because it caused his entire relay team to be DQed).

How is it that a 10 year old can try so desperately to act like a man in one moment, and fall apart like a child in the next moment.

I saw Davis fight to be strong.  

I saw Davis put on a brave face in front of his team mates.  

I saw Davis stand tall and still as he talked to his coaches.  

I saw this boy:

But then, when we walked away from everyone, I saw someone else.  

I saw heartbreak.  

I saw disappointment.  

I saw someone who still likes to be hugged by his mama and be told that everything will be alright.  

I saw this boy:

This is not the first time I have felt his pain, and I know this won't be the last.

But it never gets any easier.  

So glad that I said "yes"

14 years ago, on a chilly beach in Virginia, this guy asked if I would spend the rest of my life with him. 

I am so very, very  happy that I said "yes."

He knows me better than anyone else on this planet - - well enough to buy me the perfect Valentine's gift.

Now that is true love.

Happy Valentine's Day Keith!!

I love you!

 

And so do these four:

The wonders of a Mac.

For Christmas this year, our family decided to take the plunge and purchase a new iMac desktop computer. 

As a lifelong PC user, I was hesitant.  For me, the thing that ultimately sold me on this rather pricey purchase was iPhoto.  The idea of finally organizing all of my hundreds thousands of digital images excites this slightly OCD mama more than it probably should.  So, over the past few weeks I have played around with the Mac a bit here and there, but I have not really learned how to use it properly yet.

Not the case for my kiddos.  Apparently kids these days already have a built-in knowledge of how to use all things Mac related.

Keith and I had a date night scheduled on Sunday.  We also had one kiddo at a "spy-birthday party" a baseball team meeting, and a handful of neighborhood kids at our house that day.  As I raced home after picking up one kid from the spy party to get home before the babysitter arrived, Davis asked me if he could try out iMovie on the Mac that night.    "Sure, no problem," I replied.

The next morning, the boys were up uncharacteristically early.  They wanted to show us the movie trailer that they created the night before.  Not expecting much, I filled my coffee cup to the top and sleepily walked to the computer.  I could not believe what I saw - - video clips, music, and text all in a complete and fun to watch format.  In fact, I could not stop laughing when I watched it. 

The wonders of a Mac. 

Watching this movie trailer alone made the purchase worth it.