Philadelphia Freedom

Our trip to the City: A REALLY long picture post

Entering the somewhat crazy city of Philadelphia

They are so tired of posing for me- this is the best I can get these days :) 

Waiting for our cheesesteaks at Reading Terminal Market

Elly kept saying "If anyone isn't going to finish their cheesesteak, set it right here and I'll eat it!" 

No one was really willing to part with their cheesesteak, sadly for her :) 

It was SO crowded but Danielle's kids were really troopers, navigating through the crowd

It was some kind of LGBT festival that day. AND comic con. I was telling Danielle that people probably thought we were a couple. Erin called later (after seeing these pics on instagram) to inform me that Danielle and I did look like lesbians. How does one respond to that? Thanks? 

The Amish Bakery!! I got cinnamon swirl bread and Boston Cream Pie. And then I had to run away before I bought EVERYTHING in sight. 

Comic con people were everywhere. We were surrounded by nerds and people celebrating their sexual orientation. In other words, everyone that was ever bullied in high school. It was a good fit for me :) 

Really cool book art.

Jack Jack is SO done with pictures. But I can still get Katy to pose! (meanwhile, Danielle is holding the Amish donuts and kept telling everyone "If you have to choose between saving me or saving the donuts...SAVE THE DONUTS!") 

Downtown :) 

A giant pin?

The fountain at Love Park- Danielle's kids loved it! 

our "family" picture:)

The best story of the day was this picture. Jack Jack was bored and tired by this point and DID not want to get in the picture.

There was this woman who was offering to take pictures for a tip which was nice.

But Jack Jack did not want to be in the picture despite our urging

And so this woman 
(I will NOT use the stereotype of a sassy black woman..but she kind of was)

said "What's his name?" and we told her and she was like

"Jack..get over here and do what your mother wants. Put a smile on your face"

Then she was telling Danielle how she has 6 kids herself.

She took various pictures and ran them like the most fun photo shoot ever.

We gave her a small tip and I wish it had been more. I was actually digging in my purse for more money but she had moved on to the next people.

Anyway...

It was a fun day. Fun to get out of the house. Fun to take Danielle's kids somewhere new. Fun to feel like I was living my life.


Lori Ann

Last Friday Night

The Carnival: A Picture Post

The Elly bean in line for tickets. Overpriced of course, but totally worth it. 

Katy smiled THE WHOLE NIGHT!

Jack-Jack somehow won 3 swords and the sword battles ensued for the rest of the night 

Elly is our resident family daredevil 

I love these kids so much

And the sword battles continue!

Worst picture ever of me but my favorite moment of the night. On the Ferris Wheel with James and Elly. They kept putting their hands up going "no hands" and screaming with excitement. We even face timed Jack and Danielle from the top of the wheel. Elly wanted to go on it a hundred times. 

Ski ball started out ok. Then we kind of got kicked out because Katy kept throwing her ski balls in the wrong lane. James was enraged when Jack took the tickets they won and got the girls a blue tiara

Carnival funnel cake is the best. THE ABSOLUTE BEST!

The must have rolled down the hill 10 times while we waited for the fireworks to start. It felt so magical. It was 10 pm and we'd all had too much sugar and fun and we were hill rolling. 

The perfect ending to a perfect night. 

I love this one. Uncle David kept Katy's ears covered during the loud firework noises :)

I was telling the kids, as we walked back to the car, "Now we know what that Katy Perry song "last Friday night" is all about because we just had a wild and crazy Friday night"

Then Jack Jack said "But we didn't get drunk!"

Maybe the next carnival. :)
(and by 'next carnival' I mean NEVER)

Lori Ann

Into the city

This weekend is going to be epic, people!

Here is what is on the agenda:

One trip to the carnival. I am going to tell the children that we are not leaving until the following things happen: one complete emotional breakdown, ten fights over rides/toys, and someone pukes from too much cotton candy.

One trip to the city: We are going to see the Reading Terminal Market (site of my infamous pre-marathon carbo loading)- hopefully we'll get to some other places too but you could spend all day there and not see (or taste!) everything.

My primary lesson this week is on the Israelites and brass calf. YES. I have been waiting for the right lesson to push my political agenda. I can't wait to equate the brass calf to today's idols of 'fairness' and 'equality' and 'no one's feelings get hurt' and everything else I wrote about in my manifesto. I know you remember my manifesto :)

I am also going to try to get as close to 20 miles done as possible this weekend. I've gotten behind on my miles and I need to make up some ground to complete my 75 day challenge.

There is other stuff on the weekend agenda. Thrilling stuff. Like 'clean out the cat boxes' and 'mow the lawn'. But I think you people can only handle so much excitement at a time :)

Lori Ann 

To slow the circles down

What I love about my life right now

That Danielle is home again and we can maybe do a few fun day trips this summer. As much as a whine my way through every step of the trips (as Danielle can attest), after they are done, they are some of my very favorite memories with my nieces and nephews.

My groups are almost done. They'll start back up again at the end of July but it's nice to have a short break.

Having an air conditioner in my room! Hallelujah!

The idea of going to Michigan in August. I haven't been there for 20 years. It's the part of my heritage that I dedicate the least thought and time to. Almost my dad's entire family is there and has been for generations. There is a small part of me that is a mid western girl.

Getting my walking done this morning. I always feel SO MUCH BETTER when I just do it. It's taking that first step that trips me up.

Thinking about the bike I am going to get when I finish 100 miles. It's going to be pink with a basket!

Finding a primary care doctor that I really, really like. And feeling (even after a few days) already a little better with medication.

Tomorrow night we are taking Danielle's kids to the carnival and there are going to be fireworks! Let the summer magic begin! (The only magic time of summer for me are the weeks leading up to the 4th of July..the rest is a hot, horrible mess)

Getting this picture printed for my mom. It's her and two of her 4 sisters (the other two wouldn't be born for another 15 some years). My mom, Aunt Debbie, and Aunt Cheryl with their dad.  

Lori Ann

Every night has its dawn

Random Life Updates- the Tuesday Night (but I wish it was Friday) Edition

Before I begin my usual litany of boring life updates (ok, ok..thrilling life updates) I will begin this random thoughts post by stating 3 random things about myself. 

Let's do this dance!

1. I use google just as much as any of my clinical literature for treating my clients. If I had a dime for every time I've typed "How to help someone overcome anxiety, grief, conflict with family, etc, etc....." I would have like 39 dollars. Wikihow is my unpaid research assistant. 

2. It makes me angry when I think of the way we here on Earth have treated Pluto. It will always be a planet to me.

3. I don't have any normal lights in my room. Just Christmas lights. (because I'm 13)

Now, on with the excruciating minutiae of my daily life...

I am now on a random assortment of medications. That's right, people. I'm self medicating again. And NOT with pot this time! (I have never self medicated with pot but I hear SO many people say that in my office and you know I like to be edgy)

Therefore, the tone of this blog may change. If  I stay on the meds. If it remains the same odd travesty, that's a sure sign I've taken myself off my meds:) Don't worry. I'll keep you updated on my mental health journey. I know it doesn't make you vaguely or even overtly uncomfortable;)

Work has been extra crazy lately. Some of my favorite people are leaving. When people leave a job, it always gives me that end of the school year feeling and it's sad. 

My 75 day challenge (to walk/run 300 mile before my half marathon) has been stop and go over the last week. I'm a ...few...miles behind schedule. I might try to get up to Philly this weekend and see if I can walk 10 miles just wandering around the city. (Then I am going to run up the Rocky stairs. And by "run" I mean take a selfie where it seems like I'm running and put it on my instagram and then go and get a cheesesteak from a street vendor)

My parents finally broke down and admitted that they had a fourth child (me) because they knew they would need someone, 30 some years down the road, to make weird Walmart runs for them. I bet it took a weight off their shoulders to finally admit the truth:) 

I was at the office for 14 hours yesterday. All the stress and long hours of a high powered job. Just without the power. Or money. 

Lori Ann

p.s.- I recognize how boring this post is. But don't forget- I'm on meds now. Things should be getting a little wilder any day now!

p.p.s.- Look what I found on the Internet! Validation!!

So I got that going for me...which is nice.

My dad at Normandy Beach

It's Father's Day again, people.

This year I've decided to share a few stories about my dad that I think about alot.

Let's do this dance....

A few years ago, when I lived in North Carolina, I was backing out of the driveway of one of my clients and talking to my dad on the phone for some reason. Probably about politics. I was racing to get to my next client and I almost hit the telephone poll at the bottom of that client's driveway. My dad told me that I need to slow down and take things one at a time. I think about that advice every day.

When my car got towed for being parked illegally  in my sisters complex (when I lived in Colorado), on the way to the car impound, I called my dad to rant about the injustice of it all. He ended up quoting some Billy Joel song lyrics to me (which I can't remember) and telling me "Every one in a while, you step out of line and 'the man' smacks you back in place'. I think of those words every time I feel overwhelmed by life's many injustices. :)

There are so many more stories.

The male flight attendant "hulkster" incident.

The mission pick up.

The Disney surprise.

The cutting up of the ice cream box.

The popcorn in a paper bag.

The hair brush fight incident.

The kitten in the rain at 4 am.

The 12th son of the Lama

The flowing robes

The grace

Bald

Striking

 

I think I have more stories about my dad then almost any other person in my life.

He still remains larger than life to me in many ways.

 My dad always knows the right advice to give. He is the first person I always want to talk to about politics, stress in my life, things I find interesting, etc.

He is an amazing person and I wish I had the right words to say to thank him for being such a good dad in so many ways.

Happy Fathers Day, old man.

Lori Ann

aka

Oreo

Previous Fathers Day tributes are

Here

Here

Here

Never going back

With only 10 days until the dreaded summer solstice, it feels like the right time to put this year's

SPINSTER CHRONICLES SUMMER TO DO LIST

out there on the Internet.

 Let's do this dance!!

1. Go to Michigan and leave flowers on the graves of both my grandparents and my uncle Ray

2. See the fireworks from somewhere cool. Like DC or Philly. Not the same old, same old. 

3. Complete one half marathon. 

4. Walk 300 miles

5. Sign up for BIG half marathon- the Philadelphia one in November

6. Conquer my fear of the basement

7. Spend a whole Saturday wandering around Philadelphia. 

8. Spend a whole Saturday wandering around NYC.

9. Get Sugar caught up on her shots

10. Do something every week that is out of my routine and scares me a little 

The other day, I asked one of my clients what they thought of when they thought of 'routine'. They said "comfort..like a blanket you wrap yourself up in".

I told them to think of a it as a coffin that you are laying in where the lid is slowly closing.

I think I may have traumatized them a little. 

But it's inspired me to get out of my routine. 

Here is to the best summer summer of our lives!!

Don't tell Sugar about the shots thing. I am sure she prefers to be surprised:)

Lori Ann