Friday Fumblings, Vol. 2 - Montage-Worthy Tumbling

Happy Friday!  I can't believe it's already been a week since my first Fumblings.   I must remind myself that I created Friday Fumblings as an exercise in letting go, so I'll just get to it.

Well, spring in Denver has pretty much looked like this:

And this:

 And yep, this: (watch out, Cherry Creek Mall...it looks like the end of the world is near!)

Which ultimately leads to our loyal, yet anxiety-ridden, Tucker to do this in the yard:

 Oh yeah, and this (you can't quite tell, but he heads over to dig up the area with the bushes as well! ARG!)

Oh, and if you aren't aware of what this adorable dog can do in terms of destruction...(no, not ME...he he)

Picture couches shredded to pieces, back doors scratched into splinters, and pools of nervously flung drool all over our wooden floors and carpets.  Ewwwww, Tucker.  Ew.  You'd think that since we've had him for almost four years now, he'd calm down.  Quite the contrary.  

The windy and rainy weather has, of course, summoned our lovely tulips and daffodils, which have brought us much joy amidst our doggy drama.  I didn't take a pic of them in full bloom this year, but here they are, somewhat withering away:

And that means it's yard clean-up time, and eh, well, time to get rid of the weeds as well:

And to transform our now barren back yard "gardening center" into a lively work center for the summer:

But first, both Mark and I have a lot of work to do (here's a little bit of school work I intend on wrapping up this weekend.  The rest of the table will be filled with Mark's work -- perfecting a presentation for an upcoming airport next week):

The working weekend will require lots of this (for me, anyway.  And yep, I did crochet the coffee sweater, which admittedly, I've used as a gin and tonic cozy as well):

See, told ya:

  And hopefully I can reward myself this weekend with some quality time with Jess:

Which makes me really:

Happy and content.

Thanks for reading, as always!  Hope you tumble into some fabulous weekend experiences.

-DTL

SMITC -- This one's for you!

Here goes... 

Dear Single Mom In The City (aka, marathon relay teammate and fab friend, Jill):

Here's me when I was fifteen-ish.  (No, no, no...not FREAKISH...fifteen-ish).  I told you I'd make it up to you! 

Right, left, right, left, right left,
-DTL

Byrne Urban Scholars - An Inspiring Influence, Indeed

MENTORING...THIS COULD BE THE START OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP

  "Oh my goodness!  The little sister I've always wanted?  Rock on!"

Silly as it sounds, these were the thoughts that were running through my head before, during and after my interview today.  I met with the program director for Byrne Urban Scholars to discuss the ins and outs of their mentoring program, and in case you haven't noticed, I'm more than a little thrilled about the upcoming opportunity.

Ok, ok...I might have been getting ahead of myself just a tad by thinking that I'll automatically have this "big sister, little sister" relationship with my future mentee.  I get ahead of myself sometimes.  I know this.  It comes from a good place though, so I'll go with it...

Anyway, I have four friends who are current mentors for Byrne Urban Scholars.  Here's one...check her out sometime.  She's a riot, and an honest-to-goodness deep down good person.  Anyway, I simply can't wait to be a part of this community.  I can't wait to make a difference.  I can't wait to help a high school student succeed (hopefully!).  And before you toss your cookies because of all this bright-eyed cheesiness, I'll just say that I simply can't wait to meet my future mentee!

MAKING CONNECTIONS

I know I won't be mentoring for a while, since the mentor / mentee matches for the upcoming school year haven't even been made yet.  Until then though, my goal is to actively SPREAD THE WORD that Byrne Urban Scholars is LOOKING FOR MENTORS!  Please visit the the Web site if you are interested at all to learn more.

Here are some facts to get you started:

• One student drops out of high school every nine seconds in America. 

• In Denver, 37% of all high school students drop out. 

• Colorado ranks 49th out of 50 states with the highest percentage of teens that are high school drop outs. 

• Byrne Urban Scholars graduates one student at a time. This year they have 20 students graduating from high school and heading on to college. Many of these students are the first in their family to finish high school. Their mentors have played a huge role in them graduating!

RIGHT ON, MAN!

Ok, If I have any male readers out there, please know that male mentors are in HIGH demand. There simply aren't enough.  Just thought I'd plant the bug...  THANK YOU!

TELL ME YOUR STORY

Do YOU have a mentor?  Are you a mentor for someone else?  Did you have a mentor when you were growing up?

I would love for you to post a comment and say a few words about your experience. In other words...any advice for a future mentor?  Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Well, more mentoring stories (vaguely stated to protect identity, of course) to come this summer and fall.  As always, thanks for reading!
-DTL

Great-Fullness. A More Positive Alternative to Yuck-Voidness.

Conveyed in a voice mail message.  Written in numerous emails.  Whispered in my ear.  Overwhelmingly felt in my heart.

Today I received many reminders, subtle and straightforward, about how great my life truly is right now.  I know what you're thinking... "Blah blah blah...life is soooooo great.  Good for you."  Well, yes.  Thank you.  Good for me!

I have great friends.  A great family.  Great mentors.  A great husband.  Even great thingportants.

It doesn't really matter to me how life was before today.  Or what it will be like tomorrow.  I think it's remarkably (yep...purposely being redundant...) GREAT today. 

 If tomorrow comes and I begin to feel yuck-void (get it?  I thought it was kinda clever...), I will remind myself of today.  A day chock-full FULL of...well...

great.

-DTL

A Stumble of Faith

Tonight I took a huge leap of faith.

I have been majorly putting off some work lately, out of sheer fear.  I finally bit the bullet and miraculously moved forward a bit.  I didn't take a graceful leap, or a execute a flawless swan dive.  I kinda slipped, stumbled, tumbled, and then...PLOP.

I belly flopped, more like it, into frigid waters.  I'm hoping it will pay off in the end though, and I end up making it to the warm, sunny shore. You know, before I drown.

Well, I desperately need a tan anyway, so it's time to bask in the glow of success.  My floaties have come off, and now it's sink or swim time.

-DTL