Posted on June 17, 2023June 17, 2023 in Life Goals, Memories, Uncategorized

Halfway Through 2023

Picture of Question Mark Butterfly. Image by Theresa Davidson — Question Mark (*Polygonia interrogationis*). Image by Theresa Davidson

How are we already halfway through 2023? I haven’t blogged in a while and the only excuse I have is life has been BUSY! There are just so many things vying for my attention. Most of the year I have not even prioritized all of the right things. I am trying to get back on track.

Word of the Year

Even though we are halfway through this year, I am going to memorialize my word of the year. This years’ word is hope. Without hope for a brighter tomorrow, for a future in heaven, I don’t know how to get through the bad times. Living in the present is so important, but having hope keeps me grounded in the things that matter to me. Do you choose a word every year? If so let me know what it is in the comments. Found this on youtube: https://youtu.be/CMiQD7brjgk . Also like this: What Is Hope? | Catholic Answers

Soccer Mom Again

The heading is a little misleading, my grandson has been playing recreational soccer since he was in pre-school. This year he started playing on the towns traveling soccer team. It is so much fun watching him grow stronger as the teams goalkeeper. His team went from the “the bad news bears” (remember that gen x-ers?) to winning their first tournament! They didn’t lose any games in that tournament but tied one against the most experienced team in their division (they beat the same team in the final). To say we were all surprised and proud of them is an understatement. We are halfway through the calendar year with one season down, a summer full of training, and then the fall season. Bring it on. I love it.

Authors grandson drop kicking a soccer ball. Image by Theresa Davidson — My grandson dropkicking skills continue to improve. Image by Theresa Davidson.

Family Fun

We have had a good time with the family in between soccer practice, games, school and work! We had a great easter celebration at my mom’s house. It was a nice day and we celebrated with cascarones (confetti eggs) and other yard games and corn-hole. Of course we went to mass to celebrate the Lord’s resurrection.

Authors grandchildren having fun with an easter egg hunt. Image by Theresa Davidson — The grandkids had easter fun at their great grandparents house. Image by Theresa Davidson

Unexpected Storm

I guess you can’t get halfway through a year without some exciting weather, can you? This spring brought a couple of intense rain and wind events, with a little hail thrown in for good measure. Thankfully, we were spared from tornados! But we did get some damage to our house. We have to replace the siding and roof on our house. Some sections of siding were ripped off the house or just up and away from the house. One section became home to a colony of big brown bats. Being the “battyowl” and a wildlife biologist who happens to love bats, I thought that was pretty exciting. Not all people would welcome the bats and the mess they made down the side of the house but I was. I also knew it was temporary. We are replacing the siding after all.

The Lord has come through with his beautiful artistry once again. I have so many pictures of flowers, birds, and landscapes. I will add a few pictures here for you to enjoy. All images are mine. My art could never compare.

Great spangled fritillary on milkweed flower head — Great spangled fritillary on milkweed

Also had fun with the grandkids (and the big kids too) on Memorial day weekend. I tried my hand at taking pictures of them blowing bubbles and the bubbles themselves. All images are mine.

Summer’s Here

Well, this year is halfway through and summer is here. I hope you take time to enjoy time in nature and with your families. May God bless you with wonderful weather – warm sun and lovely drought quenching rains when you need it. Do you have big summer plans?

Peace!

Posted on December 31, 2022December 31, 2022 in Life Goals, Memories

2022 – What a Year!

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.”
Henri J.M. Nouwen

Joy

For the past couple of years, I have chosen a “word” and tried to focus on it throughout the year. My word for 2022 was “joy.” I have actually spent a lot of time focusing on finding joy this year even though there have been some really rough patches this year. Like the quote above, I have found that to find you, you have to choose it on those hard days or at least through the tough times. I chose the bonfire image to symbolize the tough times, but it was a joyous occasion when we burned that fire (our family Halloween celebration).

Baltimore Oriole Image by Theresa Davidson

Changes

You know what they say, there is a time for everything. Early this year, I was asked if I was interested in doing a temporary detail into a Regional USFS position (Threatened, Endangered, and Sensitive Species Program Lead). After much thought, I decided to go for it! After a few months in the temporary detail, I was officially offered the position and I accepted it! It was hard leaving the National Forest I had spent the last 13 years on – both as Forest Wildlife Biologist and as Collaboration & Planning Staff Officer. This wasn’t a promotion, I stayed at the same pay grade – without supervision. A step back from FS leadership but still a position with collaboration and leadership skills necessary.

I restarted this blog again in 2022 after barely blogging these past few years. The restart was part of an experiment I am not going to go in to, but it was semi-successful! Looking forward to many more changes next year.

Spiritually, I have done some growing as well. I have blogged about this a little, but more is going on inside of me and I suppose that is where is all starts, right? Hopefully, the youth group I lead, is benefitting from this growth – and maybe it is expanding outward too. Letting the light shine, if you know what I mean. Jesus has been there for me, that’s for sure and my guardian angel has most likely worked overtime for me.

Loss

This year has been a time of loss too. One of my employees passed away early this year. She was so young and such a sweet person. Cancer sucks. It was so devastating to all that worked with her and of course to her family. It was heartening to see her friends and co-workers rally together to send her care packages while she was in the hospital and to see them again rally to pack up her apartment with her parents. Kathryn, you are missed.

We also lost my father-in-law this month. Losing family during the holidays is hard. Lucky was a lifelong conservationist, avid tennis player turned official, fisherman, husband, dad and grandpa. He fought a terrible battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I can’t imagine the pain he was in before his passing. I am grateful for the hospice service that made him a little more comfortable in his last days. He will be very missed.

This is a terrible picture of a picture – but it is one of my favorites. Lucky made huge leaf piles for my girls when they were little. This picture was taken over 20 years ago!

Trips

This year has been filled with travel for me! Most of it was work related but there was some pleasure travel as well. I went to South Dakota this year for a conference at Custer State Park. I was able to visit Mt. Rushmore on the way there. The buffalo up close at CSP was such an awesome experience.

The big family highlight was a big trip to Cape Cod. We went there for a Family Adventure Cycling tour of the cape! We rode our bikes on the Cape Cod Rail Trail and along the National Seashore. Brian did about 100 miles, Brayden and I did about 85 miles. It definitely pushed my limits but it was so worth it. We camped the entire way out there and well we did get a couple of hotels on the way back. I think my favorite state we camped in was Vermont. It was beautiful there! On the way back home, we also stopped in Pennsylvania and saw my dad and brothers. That was a visit way overdue.

I took a couple of work trips to Wisconsin, one at the peak of fall colors which was pretty great. A work trip to Florida rounded out my work travel. Orlando in November isn’t a bad time to go! I went a day early and got to spend a half day exploring Universal Studios by myself. Of course, I had to go to the Harry Potter world. Also got to go to a nature preserve that The Nature Conservancy manages. It was beautiful.

I am looking forward to the new year. What was your favorite part of 2022? Let me know in the comments!

Peace.

Posted on April 23, 2016 in Memories

My Earliest Memory

Memory From My Early Childhood

I have a few very early childhood memories. I grew up in Chicago on Greenbay Avenue right in front of the Marblehead Lime Company. Anyone who grew up there will remember the days when everything was coated in a film of white powder. It’s probably why I have asthma now that I think about it. That’s not a very good memory, let’s skip that.

One thing that I remember very fondly was my transistor radio. In my mind, I think it was in a white leather case, much like this brown one here.

transistor radio picture — Mine was white

My Transistor Radio

I LOVED that thing. I was probably 4 or 5 years old when I had it. It was my most prized possession, other than my dolls probably. I was the kind of kid that could play in my room alone for hours. That radio was my go to comfort in the evenings or at nap time. I remember pulling up the antenna and turning the dial to find whatever I wanted to listen to. I remember listening to baseball games, music, and stories read over the radio. I think that was my favorite. I listened to funny stories, adventure stories, and I even liked to listen to scary stories! My older brother would listen to the scary stories with me sometimes. He had his own transistor radio, but it was fun to listen together.

I was reading by 3 years old (I went to school with my older brother because my mom was a teacher aide, so I learned to read with him). So listening to stories was just an extension of reading for me I think. I still love to read and I still love to listen to stories while I am busy creating things (crochet, painting or otherwise crafting). I just got an Audible account on my kindle and I love listening to the stories.

What is your earliest memory? Let me know in the comments!