it's my birthday!

And even though I already celebrated with the best group of friends ever assembled, there is still some magic waking up on your birthday. My beautiful daughters fixed me breakfast in bed, even after I yelled at Becky for coming downstairs and looking in the fridge at 9:30 last night. It was the best breakfast I ever had.

I had good dreams, instead of the nightmares that I have become plagued with recently.

I received emails and calls from family and friends, and a surprise gift from my neighbor around the corner, Kris, who has done for me to help with the kids than I could probably ever repay.

It's a beautiful day and I am happy to be entering a new year for me, filled with possibilities, happiness and my great life.

I am so glad you all are along for the ride.

plan b.

I was at Divorce Care tonight, a support group that I joined that is really helpful and really a nice way to spend my precious time.

We watch a video, eat snacks and then break into small groups to talk about the video.

Tonight the topic was anger. However, the coolest thing I picked up tonight was not about anger at all.

One person in our group was talking about how you make a lot of plans while you are married... where you live, where you'll raise your kids, what you'll do when the kids move out, and where you'll retire. When you divorce, all those plans get tossed, and that can make for a very rough time for a person.

Our leader, who is now happily married for the second time, responded that those are all plans that get tossed, and when you get divorced you have to adjust to being on your own. You alone are responsible for the decisions, and its a learning process. You just have to go through it. So, you make new plans. And just when you start thinking you have it all figured out, something happens, like meeting someone new, and those plans get tossed as well.

We joked about that. "Plan B."

The best "Plan B," our leader said, is to have no plan.

I like Plan B.

the best things that happened to me today.

The sun rose and shined all day in a deep blue, cloudless sky.
I stayed out of the office most of the day.
I was reminded that Ernie is definitely my buddy!
I was invited to talk about Ponz at the Daily Illini dinner next month.
I donated gift certificates to the DI raffle.
I got to talk to my therapist and we decided I am doing good :)
I talked to both my little sisters today.
I talked to Tommy and Timmy Quinlan and they made me laugh.
I have a positive balance in checkbook.
Ed invited me to a Texas Hold 'Em tournament.
I got to listen to the girls sing along with the HSM soundtrack.
I ate ice cream for dinner.

What happened to you today?

living on the dash.

It's the new sermon series at Parkview Church, thanks to Pastor Tim Harlow. I am just spreading the word!

What's on your bucket list? If you knew you only had 30 days to live...
What would you do? How would you live those days?

The whole point is living the dash between your "start date" and "end date." That little tiny dash is really all you have. What are you going to do with it? How would you like to be remembered?

It's a thought-provoking concept, and I spent a lot of time thinking about it yesterday. I took my journal and started writing. Some of the items, I try to do daily. I really do. I try to be thankful for my very good life. I try to enjoy every minute I have with the girls. I try to let my friends know how much they mean to me, and how blessed I am with a great girlfriend family.

But, I would worry less about how much I weighed and savor the food I eat. I would breathe deep and enjoy the surroundings I have. I would pay more attention when the girls speak to me.

I would also leave a legacy of photographs for them. I would organize photos in books for them, and I would shoot a million photos for the next 30 days.

I would invest time in my photography business and document as many families as possible.

My list goes on a little longer, but you get the idea.

If you feel like sharing, tell how you would live your dash. It's pretty liberating!

Have a great week!

it's my name, don't wear it out.

I talked with Michele and mom at my cousin's lia sophia party Friday night. They were writing out checks for their purchases, and asked to whom the check should be written to. Michele commented on how weird it was to write Jean Lachat again.

I told her that's my name. I like it and it suits me very well. I am glad to have it back.

Then, I worked the baby expo all day yesterday, promoting my photography biz. It went great! There were tons of families interested in what I am offering, and I will follow up with them this week to try and book myself silly.

This morning as I got ready to take a shower, I started thinking about the booth, and why exactly I enjoyed it so much.

This is my new baby, my very own business, and my name is splashed across every facet. I am personally invested, and I am responsible for its ultimate success or failure.

Knowing that failure with me is never an option, I like the fact that me, myself and I am responsible.

I don't like counting on other people. And that spreads across every facet of my life.

Granted I do depend so much on so many people in my personal life. And that bridge is amazing and strong and never lets me down. And the friends I have have lent their support, unconditionally, to this new gig in various and continuous ways.

But, the fact that I am driving the bus (as we say at the paper) is a powerful responsibility and I like it!

Jean Lachat has a nice ring to it. I think she will do great.

the funnest day ever.

I took the girls to the Disney on Ice show Tuesday night. I don't particularly enjoy the ice show. They are okay. Some are better than others. But we get tickets every time the new one comes to town from the PR firm that handles the shows.

The girls love the ice show, so we go.

This one was a silly little story about the Incredibles at Disneyland. They go for vacation, Syndrome tries to take the place over and the Incredibles save the day. I dozed through most of the second half, waking up enough (barely) to drive home. As we left the UC, my dear, sweet little Jessie is holding my hand. I ask her, "So, how did you like the ice show?"

She responded, "It was great. This was my funnest day of my life, ever."

Hard to argue with the funnest day ever.

I felt pretty good about that. Not that this was a huge sacrifice or anything. I did get to show them the Michael Jordan statue and school them in his greatness. (To which Becky asked, "When did he die?") But I was happy to have done something that meant something for them.

We do it all the time. We wash, we clean, we cook. We take them places, we do stuff with them.

But nothing quote compares with having a hand in the "funnest day ever."

I hope to have another one of those very soon.

vroom. vroom.

I've revved it up a notch in my professional career today.
Once again, I was treated to a brand new experience which I would have never had the opportunity to have were it not for my career choice.

That can be both a good and a bad thing.

I spent today at the Joliet Speedway, embedded with the Luczo-Dragon Racing team! YEAH, baby!

To say I am not a racing fan is an understatement. In addition, I know nothing about the "sport," nor do I respect people who regularly and willingly drive over 200 mph around a cement track surrounded by other cars. I don't get it, and I don't want to get it. It's much easier just to sit back and make fun of it, which I regularly do.

So, by luck of scheduling I get this assignment. And it wasn't bad. And now I've done it, and I hope to never have to do it again.

However, I always do feel lucky to be thrust into new experiences, even the unwanted ones. It builds character!

Here are the five most interesting things I learned today:

1. Car racing is very, very LOUD. Even by my standards.
2. The tires on race cars have no treads. Unless it rains. Then they put on treaded rain tires.
3. Indy race cars cost upwards of a million bucks each. When they crash, it's a million dollar crash. That's a big bummer for the owner.
4. All girlfriends of Indy race car drivers, owners and high level crew members look exactly alike. They are rail-thin, with straight long hair, usually blond, and they wear tank tops with tight black pants and aviator-style sunglasses.
5. Nascar racing is vastly different from the Euro-style Indy racing. And the cars aren't as cool.

Embrace new experiences. My photos will be in next Sunday Sun-Times.

God willing.

it's the season.

Fall is usually known as a season of dying. Trees are turning colors and losing leaves, and summer is drawing to an end, with the weather a little less warm every day. The sun also starts taking its time rising in the morning sky.

It's my favorite time of the year. My birthday falls in September, and never having been a huge hot weather fan, the arrival of this month, even as a child, always signalled that better days were ahead.

And then there's football, which gives me joy like no other sport. I love the game - its strategies and toughness. Nothing is better than a day like today, spent inside a stadium or curled up on the sofa watching the Illini play!

I reach my 41 st birthday in just a couple weeks. I usually take some time to look back over the past year and see where I was and where I am going. I expect great things for and from myself this year. I am on my own, and finally starting to feel like myself again.

I am celebrating with dinner and drinks with my girlfriends. These are the people who have stood by, and stayed by me through a really challenging 40th year. I want to thank them for keeping me up and about and living a life that is worthwhile, generous and kind even when you think it isn't. I am happy to share my favorite season with them, and I wish happy new beginnings to all of them.

I know I can make it through this next year with them beside me. And for that, I am so thankful.

why I had a good day today.

I really didn't want to, but geez... someone up there wanted to make sure I did. I don't know why, but I am a little cranky today. By all rights, I shouldn't be, but it's just one of those days, where you are like, "Man, I am CRANKY today." Must be because I had to go to the office, which next to hell is probably my least favorite place to be these days.

So, my girls are back home, which always makes me feel better. I know it's been a while, but every time they go away, I just miss them. No matter what kind of week I had with them, it is still very difficult to hug them and send them to someone else's house for three days, and in this case, four days because of the holiday. The house is eerily quiet and I am not the type of person who is good at being alone. I hate it. So I am always very excited to see them again when they are home.

I go into my email at work, and here it is, a lovely note from Lou and Tom of Burbank. I shot photos of their cat, Oliver, a few weeks ago, and they were the nicest couple. Just really, truly nice people. I talked to them for about 45 minutes, and enjoyed every minute of it, which is still what I love best about my job... the people and experiences I get to have.

But I digress...

Lou sent me a photo and a really great note thanking me for coming out! See it at the right!
And if you'd like... Ollie's story

How can you have a bad day after looking at something so freaking cute? And I am not even a cat person!

Anyway, so I am not as cranky as I was. Which is my lesson for today:

Don't be cranky.

oops there goes a republican.

This election, if nothing else, is definitely the most interesting in my adult memory. It's great that an election can actually cause emotions to stir and allow people to want to be informed about the candidates.

So much for US apathy; there is so much going on, most people I talk to can't wait to hear what happens next.

So, there's Palin, a female, running for vice-president. A mom of five kids. A republican. Make that a Republican. Do you find yourself on her side because she is a woman? I refuse to play that game. I worked too hard to prove myself as able and willing and dedicated as my male counterparts in the workforce; I expect the same from any woman, especially one seeking to be second in charge of the US.

Make sure you get informed now, so when you vote in November, it will be an educated decision.

Maybe she'll win me over. I am a hard sell to vote republican in any election. But at th very least I will make sure I have my good reasons when I cast that vote in November; and it sure will be an entertaining coupla months!

Stay tuned!