Since our quarantine life has become so humdrum lately, I decided to explore some new and fun ideas for the blog. No doubt, something eventful will happen here any day, but in the meantime, the peace-and-quiet (metaphorically speaking anyway), gives me a chance to change things up and keep it fun for you and me.
The idea of Throwback Thursdays and Flashback Fridays have been floating around in my writer's mind for weeks now. There was just too much other material to cover to explore them. I heard a writer interviewed today and I could relate to her commentary on her writing process: "For writers, ideas are in our heads, just the way ingredients are in a refrigerator. You may not use an ingredient one day, but it stays there until you need it, and then it gets used when you need it." I loved her analogy, especially being an avid cook. So today is the day I am pulling this idea out of the refrigerator and using it in my recipe.
While Garin, Catherine, and Miles (my wild children) swam in the rather cold and unheated pool late this afternoon, Graham sat with me and we brainstormed some ideas together for tonight's post. We finally settled on our inaugural Throwback Thursday, dedicated to Garin, the oldest, of course. We decided to feature photos of Garin, from this week, May 17, going back to 2008, the year he was born. We had a lot of fun looking at photos and choosing which ones to feature. It was wondrous to see what we were doing this week, exactly, over the past 12 years. Certainly when we were enjoying a perfect spring day in Central Park or frolicking on the beach in Maui, never could we have imagined that we would fast forward nine or ten years and be in the midst of a pandemic this same week in May in 2020.
I urge you to do this exercise. Whether you have photos documenting where you were or perhaps old calendars or journals. For me, at least, it was a moving exercise. Especially at a time like this, it feels relevant to take stock of what matters most.
2008
One month old. Garin's first trip to The Getty. This was my first time leaving the house, with my new baby and I can still remember how terrified I was. Naturally it all worked out fine and we had a splendid day.
2009
One year old. Garin in the front yard of our old house on Patricia on his favorite rocking elephant.
2010
Two years old. Garin on his second trip to New York City. We were in Central Park on this particular afternoon.
2011
Three years old. Garin was playing on Wailea Beach on Maui, Hawaii. Shortly thereafter I would go on to have three more children which prohibited us from visiting Hawaii again for eight more years. Our first time back, and first real family vacation was last June. Our trip there next month was cancelled due to COVID-19.
2012
Five years old. Garin was riding his trike near our first home in Cheviot Hills. Life as we knew it was about the change, as the twins were born two months later.
2013
Five years old. Garin was playing with a Rolley-Polley bug in this photo taken at Holmby Park in Holmby Hills. He was my subject that day for a photography class I was taking at UCLA.
2014
Six years old. Garin was playing with not-yet-two-year-old Catherine and Graham on the front lawn of our house on Patrica in a little kiddie pool. There was a lot of splashing and fun that day.
2015
Seven years old. Garin looking noticeably more mature and dapper in his signature newsboy cap. He was dressed up and ready for church at All Saints in Beverly Hills.
2016
Eight years old. Garin was ready to start his recital in this photo. We were all ball a nerves. He did great!
2017
Nine years old. We had just moved to our new home in Hidden Hills and Garin was in the courtyard of our new church, St. Martin's in the Fields.
2018
Ten years old. This photo was taken at Descanso Gardens, La Canada, California, where I took the kids on a gorgeous spring day to enjoy the flowers.
2019
Eleven years old. This is Garin on the day of his fifth grade graduation from Round Meadow Elementary School. Obviously he was a proud and happy boy that day.
2020
Twelve years old. Garin cuddled up with a book, quarantining and homeschooling during COVID-19. Historic, to say the least.
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