billions of stars

When I was in high school, I was heavily involved in music.

I LOVED IT!

So much so that I took any arts class that was available to me. I immersed myself in singing, dancing, piano lessons, music theory and history all because I knew that one day I wanted to have a creative life and I wanted to be surrounded by other creatives to fuel this bright, shiny future I saw for myself.

The desire was so great that at one point I even took a special 5 unit sequence in music that somehow fulfilled my science requirements - NO CHEMISTRY, NO PHYSICS.

Some people gasp when I tell them this. Truth is I didn't need it where I was going and I never gave it a second thought, until now.

Fast forward twenty years, the shine has faded on my ideal star. There have been many twists and turns but for all my creative endeavors and for all the artistic people that I've worked with, the ones that inspired me most were more than their creative selves, they were also mathematicians, scientists and neurologists. 

I have my own neuro-science geek inside me, too.

How to explain the mathematical beauty of a equation or the poetry between time and space? Who knew such creativity existed from the other side of the brain, the one I dismissed so easily in high school. It got me thinking about my choice and the decision I made.

Who was that girl who swore she had it all figured out? She obviously didn't do the math. Was she too busy looking up at the stars?

It's ok, I can look back and smile now because I see the bigger picture.

It's all connected - written in my pages and in the stars.

i do, take two

Today is our wedding anniversary, 15 years!!!

Where does the time go?

So, how does one celebrate the occasion?

 

If you're us, you revise your vows and with a little help from your kids,

you say I DO, again with the biggest promise you can make, 

a PINKY SWEAR, and then you eat some cake!!

(Special thanks to Ethan and Reese as our officiant and photographer)

 

*** 

Dear Mom and Dad,

Today we celebrate your anniversary of 15 years of marriage. 

In honor of the vows you once made before family and friends, we wanted to help you renew your commitment to one another and to our family with a very special tradition – the Pinky Swear.

It’s the best way we know how keep a promise.

So please join hands, I mean pinkies, and get ready to say I DO, one more time.

 

***

MOM, do you pinky swear to take dad to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward?

 

Do you promise to love him, all the parts of him, especially his happy whistling like Bing Crosby in the morning and his singing radio hits from the 80’s and 90’s?

When you ask him a question, will you appreciate his one word responses like “Tuesday”, “Brooklyn”, and “Bob”?

Will you love his smile despite his lack of a foreign accent?

Will you support his habit for milk, naps and the weather channel?

Will you cherish the breakfasts he makes on the weekends, especially the bagel runs and the fresh pots of coffee complete with creamer?

Will you hold dear the SNOW he shovels, the grass he mows and the leaves he rakes?

Will you support his playful side in a fierce game of badminton, Othello or Mario Kart 8?

Will you look the other way when he breaks something a little bit more before he fixes it?

Will you forgive him when he says “no thanks” to pizza on some Friday nights?

Will you stay by his side watching Yankee games, building and sorting legos or just hanging out reading the Sunday paper?

And do you pinky swear to hold his hand like the first time, all the days of your life.

 ~ I DO ~

Dad, do you pinky swear to take mom to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward?

Do you promise to love her, all the parts of her especially the ones addicted to the Avett Brothers and listening to the same song over and over again on repeat?

When you ask her a question, will you look kindly on her long, drawn out answers, the kind that take the scenic route to Yes or No?

Will you love her despite all her life talks and have patience with her thinking and overthinking brain?

Will you support her habit of buying and returning things and making multiple drafts of her to do lists?

Will you cherish her week day attempts at dinner and her late night cups of weak tea aka Dippy Tea?

Will you hold dear how clean she makes our house just before a party?

Will you support her romantic side with lots of movie nights and accept the fact that some of these hours you will never get back.

Will you look the other way when she downloads another book on her Kindle?

Will you forgive her when she pretends not to hear your suggestion of doing some weeding in the garden?

Will you stay by her side when she is writing at the computer, watching clouds in the backyard or just hanging out watching House Hunters?

And do you pinky swear to hold her hand like the first time, all the days of your life?   

~ I DO ~

YOU CAN NOW KISS – YUCK! – AND BE MARRIED, STILL.

Now let’s cut the CAKE. YUM!!

 

Happy Anniversary, Love. xo

The Power of One

April 30th, 2015 is National Pay It Forward Day.

Pay It Forward is a simple concept.

You do something good for someone in response to a good deed done on your behalf or a gift you received. When you pay it forward, however, you don't repay the person who did something nice for you. Instead, you do something nice for someone else.

How would you feel if someone you didn't know paid your bridge toll, bought you a cup of coffee or put an extra quarter in your meter?

Pay it forwards can even be as simple as giving someone a compliment or making another smile - small acts of kindness can change the world.

If you are skeptical then watch this video. You will be amazed by the ripple effect of a free slice of pizza.

THE POWER of ONE is HUGE and BEAUTIFUL - COUNT ME IN!

CLICK HERE to learn more about Pay It Forward Day!!

 

Happy MONDAY to Ya!!

Can you see the math in this painting?

I'm short on time today but I found this fascinating video on Vincent Van Gogh and his famed painting, Starry, Starry Night.

Remember it was Ethan's favorite when I took the kids to the MOMA a few weeks ago.

Just goes to show that ART, MATH & SCIENCE are not separate entities.

Beautiful skies in the forecast - have a great weekend!

Nature by Numbers

Ethan and Reese are taking the New York State Math tests this week. This post isn't about all the wars brewing over State testing but rather about MATH, beautiful, amazing and awe-inspiring MATH.

Take it all in, ooh and aah and be inspired by the everyday world and its numbers.

Nature By Numbers

 

 

 

 

half empty or half full, it doesn't matter

 

"Is this glass half empty or half full?"

Obviously, you know where I am going with this.

At one time or another we've all be asked this question in school. We then learned that our answer revealed whether we were naturally an optimist or pessimist in terms of how we saw the world.

And maybe the label stuck.

But what if someone told you that half empty or half full, it doesn't matter??

That's what Oprah learned with Shawn Anchor on her Super Soul Sunday program. Anchor is an American educator, author and speaker on Positive Psychology. Check out this clip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOrWxaE4MHE

I love the concept of a pitcher nearby. POSITIVE or NEGATIVE, it's a temporary state, you can always add more if you can know where to look.

It's a great reminder on those rainy days when our minds gets clouded with negative thought patterns or when we can't see the bigger picture.

Bottom line, half full or half empty, who cares??? Unless of course, you're these kids who had the BEST REALISTIC ANSWER!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkQjx4uhP4c

Would you believe that Dave and the kids gave the same response when I went around with a glass? I live with a bunch of realists or maybe I should say exact-ists.

Happy Monday to ya - count me in!

1+1=3

What makes a good story?

Would you believe the answer is a mathematical one? 1+1=3.

Ken Burns can explain. He's not a mathematician, but an award winning American director and producer of documentary films . Listen as he talks about stories, namely what makes a good one.

If you've ever been touched by a story, one that you felt in your bones, you'll have done the math, too.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H37yNkrw3_4