Two for '22

 

 

 

 

  So I hopped on Facebook on the 116th day of 2022 and I saw my mom's post in my newsfeed.  Mom, on 4/26/2022, is reminiscing about her father, my grandfather, who passed away on this day, 18 years ago.  I have to admit, it does not feel like it's been that long since I have interacted with my grandfather, likely because he is still with me every day.  My Two for 2022 is My Grandfather and Me.  Whether it is every morning when I take my uber dose of Vitamin C (because my Grandfather said it was best to keep us healthy), or when I pause while eating and ensure I am chewing my food as much as I can, or when I am full and feel as though I have had "an elegant sufficiency."  Or when I take the time to learn as much as I can about something before having an opinion, or I take the extra time to complete a task the right way, or when I lean on my ethics to make a decision, or or or.....no matter what I do, I feel my grandfather's presence, guidance, influence, etc...

  The 115th day of 2022 is a Monday.  A Monday during the academic year so, as normal, I was at Band Rehearsal at 6PM on 4/25/2022.  And it was the "Senior Rehearsal" and all of the Band's Class of 2022 Members got to choose a song, and the Band played it.  The excitement, vibe, and utter joy in the Band Room was inspiring.  My Two for 2022 is the Penn Band and Its Seniors.  The Penn Band Class of 2022, they've been though a lot.  The last Band Class to have a "normal" academic year at Penn (2018-19).  The leaders that led the Penn Band through waters never navigated.  And, as was evident today in that room, the Band continues to thrive and bring music and mirth to Penn's Campus and beyond.  Thanks to the Class of 2022!

  The 114th day of 2022 was a really nice Sunday.  Sunday means church and, on 4/24/2022, we were in person!  After last week's Easter Service in the sanctuary, we were outside in the courtyard.  But the best part was we were joined by our community across the US and even the world.  We had members from Lancaster, PA, Kansas City, and as far away as the UAE!!  My Two for 2022 is Church and Zoom.  We have learned a lot during the pandemic, let's hope that we can take some good from the last two years and stay together as a church - near and far!

  The 113th day of 2022 was Decision Day for Anna!  on 4/23/2022, my two for 2022 and Anna and UD.  Because Anna has decided to take her talents to South DE.  She will, in the Fall, be attending the University of Delaware as an Education Major focusing in Elementary Education with a Dual Certification in something else she will choose.  So proud of Anna's decision making process, the options she had, and that she will be close enough to visit!  As Sarah said, we have a Blue Hen in our house now!  And she does not even have to change her school colors.... Blue and Gold!

  The weather was beautiful on the 112th day of 2022.  A few degrees above normal, which seems fitting given the issues we are causing on our planet.  On 4/22/2022, my Two for 2022 is The Earth and Us.  I know it seems like a lost cause, but it really isn't.  While we were all sequestered in our homes, we saw positive changes in our environment so let's try, now that we are all "allowed out," to take some of the pandemic experiences and learn from them.  We have one planet, let's do what we can to keep it (and us) alive.

  This week has been a rough one for my Two for 2022 for tonight: Me and My Sugars.  On the 111th day of 2022, my struggle with my sugars this week continued.  Although I handled Easter pretty well, it seems that the leftovers (I guess the ham had a honey glaze) were doing me in.  BUT, on 4/21/2022 I think I got back on top.  Anna made me an omelette with ham (cut the glazed part off), green pepper, and cheese.  Was so good.  And I kept myself under control at the snack stand in the evening game.  It 's taking me a while to understand exactly what triggers me (Chinese food is the biggest issue I have right now) and, eventually, we'll (Sarah is an amazing partner) figure this out!

  I know a lot of people who have given up on Social Media.  And, yes, I concur that the FB business model is filled with issues and shadiness.  But, on a rough day at work on 4/20/2022, I looked at my FB feed and a memory came up that made me beam with joy.  You all probably can see the memory below, on the 110th day of 2022, of when Alexa hit two homeruns in a softball game and Sarah got them both on video and Collingswood won 13-7.  Well, it was not a lot, but it got me through today with a smile on my face.  So I have thanks for my two for 2022 for tonight, Facebook and Memories.  Days like today are what keep me on the platform (well that and my need for this nightly reflection!)  Good Night all and may your memories be happy!

We were huddling in the snack stand during the game on the 109th day of 2022.  Wow was it windy and cold on 4/19/2022.  The young baseball players were having fun, but I was cold and, when I am cold, you know it is a strange moment.  Yes, my two for '22 for today is Cold and Blustery.  This was not baseball weather tonight.  Hoping it warms up soon!  Gotta sell that ice cream and slushies! 

I received a cryptic email in the morning of the 108th day of 2022.  "Please contact Cooper Hospital Lost and Found."  I had not been to Cooper Hospital, but I think Alexa was there.  SO I called back on 4/18/2022 and, guess what???  They had the contents of my wallet.  Not my wallet.  Not the cash (I never expected to see that again).  But all my cards except one (they were all cancelled anyway) and my driver's license (already replaced).  But also my PennCard (saved me $35!), my BJs Warehouse card, my Medical and Rx cards....and a whole bunch of stuff I never really remembered was in my wallet.  My 2 for 2022 for tonight is Lost and Found.  I still need a new wallet - but at least I have the contents back, well most of them.

I remember my first Easter Service in a Church.  It was in college and I was playing the tuba in an Easter Brass Quintet for Chas Terry's mom's church.  That was actually my entre to church music and church services and, along with the Penn Glee Club, the reason that I was so comfortable when Sarah started taking me to University Lutheran.  And now, 30 years later, on the 107th day of 2022, I am still in love with Church Music and, specifically, Easter Brass.  My 4/17/2022 two for 2022 is Easter and Brass.  It's not Easter for me without brass.  So I am SO appreciative of the opportunity to play for Easter, IN PERSON, this year.  It was the first time in the OFR Sanctuary for services since March 8th, 2020.  And I am so grateful for Michael, Katelyn, and Adam Rose who joined Sarah and me this morning.  And the Easter Brass was wonderful.  HAPPY EASTER, All!

  It was April 2020 and the Pandemic was getting everyone down (little did we know how much more we had in store for us).  Easter came, and nobody could really leave their houses.  So my friend Nancy and I had the idea to try to bring a smile to people's faces by driving the Easter Bunny around Oaklyn.  And people seemed to like it a lot and a tradition was born.  On 4/16/2022 (now the Saturday before Easter since so many people are now able to travel on Easter), we took the Easter Bunny (with a Police Escort thanks to the fine people of the OPD) around town.  My Two for 2022 for the 106th day of 2022 is Oaklyn and the Easter Bunny.  It was great seeing the smiles and the waves (and I think the adults were happier to see him than the kids!)  We finally got the soundtrack and speaker correctly calibrated.  And we gave out lollipops today, and I want to go even bigger with the candy next year.  I love Easter and I love my little town!

  The 105th day of 2022 is also Good Friday.  So my two for 2022 is Darkness and Light.  Good Friday is such a somber time, but it is the start of a Holy Weekend that ends in the pageantry of Easter Morning.  So, on 4/15/2022, I am thinking about the tough (dark) times and hoping that, we have a lot of good (light) times in the future!

  I have never been the most coordinated person and, on the 104th day of 2022, I personified uncoordinated.  Walking out of the Acme (buying hot dog rolls on my lunch break), I tripped over my own feet.  I reached out to steady myself on my shopping cart but.... guess what?  Those things have wheels.  ZOOM! went the cart - CRASH! went my body on the pavement.  By 2 for 2022 on 4/14/2022 is falling down and getting back up.  I quickly got back up and scurried. embarrassed, to my car.  What I did not notice is that my wallet fell out of my pocket.  As soon as I got to the van, I noticed but, by then, it was too late.  Wallet was gone, ego was bruised, and I picked myself back up, called all the CC Companies to cancel my cards and ask for new ones, and went back to work.  Sometimes I fall down at work as well, but we all fall down, we need to practice getting back up!

Whelp, it's been another few days since I have posted a Two for 2022 and I apologize to anyone who is coming here nightly, looking for a reflection.  SO, now that I have apologized to my mom and my sister (heh), I can write about my reflection on the 103rd day of 2022.  4/13/2022 was another day of work meetings (was on campus though and that was great!) and the evening found me, where else?  The SNACK STAND!  One of the benefits of working the snack stand is that, as the games are coming to an end (because of darkness), we are often regaled with beautiful sunsets like the one in this picture.  My Two for '22 tonight is the Snack Stand and Sunsets.  It's as if God is saying thanks for the hard work, here is a beautiful reward and, now, get back in the stand, games are ending soon!  :-)

 

 

  To cap off a great weekend (Friday = Phillies Opening Day and Saturday = LL Opening Day), the 100th day of 2022 was 100% awesome.  Because 4/10/2022 is Palm Sunday and that means my Two for 2022 today is Palm Sunday and Pancakes.  We observed all of the Palm Sunday traditions this morning at church online.  The stories of the Triumphant Welcome with the foreshadowing of what is to come.  The waving of the palms, cloaks, and, for some, whatever they had to wave, and the singing of The Palms.  But the day started off even better at the first in person Fire Dept. Pancake Breakfast since 2019!  I was even good and only ate one pancake (for me, it was Palm Sunday and Pancake) and, thus, kept my sugars in range!  But, even better than the food (and the food was as good as it always is!) is the community feeling you get in this event.  Between the Snack Stand and the Fire Hall this weekend, my Oaklyn Community feelings are as strong as ever and th...

  So, what you see here are the FIRST FRIES from the Oaklyn Little League Snack Stand.  Because the 99th day of 2022 was Opening Day for OLL.  My Two for 2022 therefore is TWO Opening Days.  Our amazing day on Friday was supplemented by the amazing Opening Day #2 on 4/9/2022.  The whole Snack Stand Village was in force, the fries (and hot dogs and all the other great menu items) were available and we saw all of those happy faces on all of the kids!  What could be better!  PLAY BALL!

  Ahhh, there is something so special about baseball's Opening Day.  Hope springs eternal because all teams are 0-0 and "have a chance" to make it big this season.  My Two for 2022 for the 98th day of 2022 are Opening Day and the Phillies.  Ahhh, the Phillies.  Break my heart every time but, on 4/8/2022, as one of their free agent acquisitions led off the game with a home run and the other struck out three times but then got a big double.  And their ace pitcher was brilliant through 6 innings and, again, ran out of gas in the 7th. And, baserunning mistakes were made, but one was overturned on a reply and the other was no big deal. AND the Phillies won 9-5.  AND, I was at the ballpark (and NOT in the office, home or on campus) with my family and friends.  SO, thank you Opening Day and the Phillies!  You made this day a good one.

 

Hey there everyone, it's been since Saturday since I posted a Two for 2022.  It is nice that the reflection on Alexa's 20th birthday has been up for four days but, sadly, that is not why the next post is not until 4/6/2022.  If you can't guess, work lately has been.....well..... a LOT.  Yes, on the 96th day of 2022, my Two For is a Too For.  Too Much, really.  The emails have been too much for me to keep up with and a lot of tasks and other responsibilities and I need to get more sleep.  TOO MUCH!

 

 

 

I remember where I was on the 92nd day of 2002, especially at 2:16PM.  And now, on the 92nd of 2022 I came to realize that my Two for 2022 is obvious, TWO DECADES!  We celebrated Alexa's 20th birthday on 4/2/2022.  It was a really nice time, all of Alexa's roommates were here, and Chris and Jackie and Jesus and Christian.  Sarah made an amazing menu and Anna made some of the best mac and cheese any of us had ever had.  I even behaved and my sugars did not get too high!  So two decades ago we became parents.  And now, two decades later, we are preparing to be empty nesters in 6 months or less.  The last two decades have been an amazing ride, I cannot wait to see what the coming decades will bring.

According to my spreadsheet, I have been running the Oaklyn Little League Snack Stand since 2009.  So that means, on 4/1/2022, when I went to the BJs Wholesale store with Brian Cole, it was the 13th time we had done so together (remember, we did not go in 2020 - dang Covid).  And, as he has for the last decade or so, Shawn Fore accompanied as well.  This is why tonight's Two For 2022 are Brian and Shawn.  I mean these guys coached my girls in softball, and are true friends.  Who else can I count on when I send a text and say "hey, can we shop for the Snack Stand next Friday?"  Well, we did add Corbin Roth to our excursion tonight and thanks to Anna and Sarah for coming up and unloading with us.  But, tonight, the focus is on my appreciation for my friends who no longer have any kids in the league, but are always willing to lend their hands (and their trucks) for our setup tasks.  THANKS!