Allie Potts's Blog, page 29

I met someone

One of the best non-monetary benefits offered by my day job is the ability to work from home on occasion. I don’t get to take advantage of the benefit as much as I might like as I frequently have long meeting days. But when I do, it is wonderful. Every now and then I will start my work from home days with a run, smug with the knowledge that I am getting fresh air and exercise during a time I would normally be stuck in traffic. But even on the days I am lazy, I still can sit down at the desk m...

I’m still in the game

My ear made its way onto National Television. I’m a star!

It was the fourth and final quarter. The end zone was only a few yards away, and there was still a chance to retake the lead against the number one rated team in the nation. The fans were screaming as if their will could somehow help carry the play. All the quarterback had to do was find a way through the pain a little while longer.

It this scene had played out in a sports movie, my team would have succeeded. Instead, our quarterback’s m...

Imperfections can be lifesavers

Water drop, blue (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While in college, I took an introduction course into nuclear engineering. As part of the class, we visited a small reactor owned and operated by the university. Within the facility stood a deep tankfilled with water required for regulating the reaction. The entire tankwas illuminated by a series of lights embedded in itswalls making the water glow like a sapphire in the sun.In addition to the striking color, I also noticed how very still the water was...

It would be nice if I had found my sea legs

Red skies at night, sailors delight. Red skies at morning, sailors take warning

Growing up, my dad would occasionally take us out sailing on a nearby lake. There were days the water was as still as glass and the wind refused to fill the sails. On those days we would bake above deck while the boat inched along at a snail’s pace. We could cool off by hopping in the water, but for the most part, those trips were rather boring. We could have swum just as easily at the shore. Other days, the wind w...

Take a step back to better leap forward

Open auditions every rainy day!

Yesterday we were hit with heavy rains during the evening commute. Around here, rain like that somehow seems to always cause the driving public along my commute to forget basic driving rules. Thanks to the traffic, I was running several minutes late when I pulled into my first stop and collected kiddo number one. By the time I arrived at the toddler’sday care I was even later.

We had barely entered the toddler’s room when kiddo announced that he was hungry. Loudl...

No thanks required

The weather is finally beginning to transition from the scalding heat of summer into more comfortable temperatures, and at my house that means that running season has once again begun. The hubby’s more casual runs have taken on a more desperate urgency as he trains to participate once again in the Marine Corp Marathon.

He’s run a few marathons before, but last year was his first time attending this particular event. The boys and I traveled with him to our nation’s capital to offer our support...

A person’s a person no matter how small

When my eldest son was still in diapers, I had the brilliant idea to take him on an airplane trip to visit my sister. He was adorable at that age (still is – whoops! I mean handsome), but there is something about being crammed together in a tiny metallic cylinder thousands of miles above ground with no hope of escape for several hours that makes any child appear more monster than cherub.

Even as a parent, I’ve been there a number of times myself. You see harried looking parent coming towards y...

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

As I picked up my toddler from day care, his teacher approached me positively beaming. “He attempted to climb out of his bed today at nap time,” she explained with a big grin. Though he sleeps in a big boy bed at home, his bed at day care is one of those portable cribs. To my eyes, there is a fairly significant drop from the railing to the floor below. For many care givers, reporting that a child in their care is putting themselves into a potentially harmful situation isn’t something to be ex...

Getting back to work and other influencers

I’m the Zombie in blue. See I even have experience!

My throat stopped feeling like I’ve swallowed a sharp rock, my body is no longeralternating between icy chills and oven-like heat, and I amable to pick up and carry the toddler around the house without worrying that my arm isgoing to give out under his tiny weight. After days of being ill, I amfinally back in the land of the living. Huzzah! It’s a good thing too. A few more days of that particular bug and the show-runners for the Walking Dead...

Putting priorities under the microscope

How to prioritize in 15 easy steps

We had received an email from school warning us that a stomach virus was going around my son’s class and was therefore not surprised (nor excited mind you) when kiddo succumbed a few days later. Poor little thing. Luckily after a mere 24 hours the fever had broken and he was once again nearly his boisterous self.

Then we received another note from the school. I am beginning to develop click dread. This one stated that a parent had confirmed their child had bee...