One Fine Day: LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Happy Wednesday, m' dears! So much has happened since my last LLD post. Let's get straight to the details...

The Marine Corps Marathon was memorable for a variety of reasons. Max ran in his first one-miler with 3,000 other kids around the Pentagon parking lot. Despite this being his idea, he got cold feet before making his way to the starting line. Thankfully, Flyboy and his bestie were able to give our little runner bean the pep talk he needed. Maxwell started out with a nervous shuffle and tears in his eyes, but he eventually found his stride and ended up passing a lot of the kids that started before he did. When it was all said and done, he was pretty stinking proud of his achievement! As far as the five-year-old is concerned, he ran a marathon two weekends ago. For the two guys who actually ran a full 26.2 miles on October 27th, it wasn't quite as easy, but they did the damn thing—even if it meant running for several hours in a downpour all over downtown Washington D.C. Despite the crazy rains, my mom and I made it a point to cheer on the guys. It was the least we could do, and I'll never forget the energy of the crowd, the persistence painted on the face of each runner, the pride of family members watching their loved ones pass by, or the way the sun finally came out as Flyboy and his BFF made their way to the finish line at Arlington. I still don't understand WHY anyone would want to run this kind of distance for that much time, but I imagine the feeling of accomplishment when you've completed a marathon is indescribable because the emotions that came over me as a wife and friend are a high unlike any other. Congratulations boys!

One month into turning five and Max LOVES to share all the things he's done so far. The list includes "running a marathon," upgrading to a booster seat, his first school program, catching his first fish (a Crappie from a nearby lake), and dressing up as a Venus Fly Trap for Halloween with mom and dad as his flies. I hope I haven't forgotten anything. Anywho, he likes to revisit his ongoing list of accomplishments on a daily basis. I can't say I blame him; he's done more in four weeks than I have in years.

Parenthood is fun because you're constantly finding ways to reinvent the wheel. Since Max will probably always be strong-willed, we're continuously looking for new approaches to get through to him. Since he's all about his dad and planes, I decided to adopt the saying "Max, Relax, Roll" —as it's used primarily during pilot training for stall recovery in the aircraft. Obviously it takes on an additional (and catchy!) significance for Maxwell, so I had Flyboy explain what it means to our inquisitive kid hoping the reminder might help him whenever he's being stubborn. Hey, it was worth a shot! Stubborn recovery, anyone?

Where did October go? Flyboy is getting ready to leave again for several weeks. Sigh. While helping him get all of his gear together, I realized that we will have spent almost eight months apart this year. Is it really any wonder Max has had a difficult time with all the change happening? Heck, it's hard enough for adults. On the bright side, we've got a lot of exciting things to look forward to and since this time of year seems to pass by quickly, I imagine he'll be done with training in a snap and we'll be celebrating the holidays together in no time. A wise Morgan Harper Nichols once said, "Take heart, breathe deep. Let November be November. And when the sun sets, remember: you are free to just be."

Alright, enough about me. How the heck are YOU? I'm dying to know.