Sky high

Just as I suspected, bounding around a warehouse full of trampolines was a delightful way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Never mind that we were the oldest, the sweatiest, the first to be completely and thoroughly winded (we managed that in about 4 minutes flat, I think), and the only ones documenting the whole affair for posterity.

I shudder to think of the fun we'd miss if we let things like that get in our way :)

And rounding out Saturday's good things:
- An early birthday card from Craig and Christina, which admonished me to eat as much cake as possible, to which I say - I accept the challenge!
- A drive through Medina, with Jan Michael and Craig and the sun streaming in, to see how the other half lives :)
- A big, fat cheeseburger, washed down with a 10-calorie lemonade - it's all about balance, yes? :)
- Laughing, lots and lots of laughing!

Contrary me

Do you know what I think? I think I'd better quit announcing my grandiose plans on here - a family portrait every day for a month, sharing my 3 good things - because as soon as I do, I'm hit with the worst apathy toward blogging. It sort of steals my thunder when I feel like I have to post a bunch of things just because I said I would; somehow it makes it seem like a chore instead of sharing from a truly happy place, if that makes any sense.

There have, of course, been so many lovely, good things these past days:
- A chat on the phone with our Gran
- A blackberry pie, which actually was a big, fat flop: a watery, soupy mess ... but I had tons of fun baking it!
- The sun, the sun, the sun, the sun, the sun! And more of it this weekend, they say!
- The lambs that are pastured in the field just as we cross the bridge into our tiny town
- A Cannelloni al Forno recipe that was a smashing success - it more than made up for the pie disaster!
- Our 14th anniversary, just two days ago
- Goodbye and good riddance to Jan Michael's sore throat
- Progress on our interior door project
- Mother's Day treats for our very deserving Mamas
- A weekend, starting tonight, loaded with dear friends and games and jumping on trampolines

I wonder if I broadcast my intention to quit posting things,  some crazy reverse psychology will kick in and I'll get back in the game :)

3 good things, a traffic jam

Yikes! What a rotten job I've done with sharing the good things! It's not the finding of them that's hard; it's sitting still long enough to type them out!

On Saturday morning I exhibited behavior that would not be found on any list of good things at any time or in any place. Jan Michael is under the weather - still! STILL!! - and just when we were set to drive south for a weekend of crazy fun with our family (a yard work party! a barbeque! cheesecake! togetherness!), his sore throat took a turn for the worse and he decided to stay home. So, the first good thing about Saturday is my husband's storehouse of patience and tolerance in the face of a wife who, at nearly 36 years old, can throw an award-winning tantrum. I find that the line between childlike and childish is very easily crossed sometimes...

Before I hopped in the car for the long, lonely ride south, sans husband, we took this lovely family portrait. I think it captures the sick (him) and the petulant (me) quite nicely:

We've taken a break from the family portraits since then. It's not quite as fun to play with the camera when you feel crummy, you know?

The second good thing about Saturday was the meatloaf sandwich I ate while sitting on my parents' living room floor. It had plenty of ketchup and a huge side of Doritos, and while I my temper about Jan Michael's on-going crud had dissipated, I was cranky about just being stuck behind the world's longest and slowest- moving train  when I desperately had to go to the bathroom because I'd fueled my long, lonely drive south with a Coke Zero. So, I told my parents my tale of woe while I ate their food, and I felt better. My Mama makes a really good meatloaf :)

Things began looking up in terms of my attitude shortly after that, and the good things (which are always there, but sometimes a rain cloud of a mood does a good job of hiding them!) started to pile up:

- My new friend Carlos, who is 5 (almost 6!), loves Monopoly and gets the best mischievous look in his big, brown eyes
- An almond oil facial with the mother-of-my-heart, which we chased with a splash of rose petal witch hazel
- A last-minute, late-night trip to the grocery store with the sister-of-my-heart because Sunday morning french toast needs french bread! :)
- This text from Jan Michael: 'I'm eating corn dogs and thinking of you'

On Sunday, I was flooded with good things, among them:

- A mason jar mug from the father-of-my-heart. It's maybe too much to explain here, but the gift paired with the giver is so special to my heart.
- An encouraging Sunday morning fellowship meeting
- A better-late-than-never birthday barbeque for our Dad, which included our most awesome Uncle Willie, who was just cleared to drive on his own after a stroke in March
- Serious discussion about our Mama-and-sis weekend at Seabrook, just 3 1/2 weeks away!
- The weather! So sunny and warm that part of the afternoon was spent lolling around on the patio
- A happy reunion with my Jan Michael, whose throat was sore but whose spirits were high

Yesterday and today's edition coming tonight!

3 good things, a double dose

From yesterday:

1. Having my eardrums blown out with Jan Michael's spontaneous bellowing of "She's a babe, yeah!" at the top of his lungs in his best operatic voice

2. My new favorite cupcake recipe:

Vanilla Bean (except without the bean because I used regular old extract instead) with cinnamon vanilla frosting = maybe I will eat cupcakes for breakfast for the rest of my life

3. Pizza and puzzles and books and 4 fierce rounds of Hide-and-go-seek with Eric, Tessa and Miss E:

Family portrait, round 3:

From today:

1. Waking up to a clean kitchen - I fought the procrastinating monster the night before and won! :)

2. An early morning chat with my Mama, in which we discussed important matters relating to Pinterest amd birthday barbeques

3. The funny, kind family I work for on Fridays, who are always so grateful for my help and generous with their compliments - today I was called a miracle worker :) - and who also happen to be the proud owners of  Hughie: 

I'm kind of crazy about him. He, however, was not so crazy about being banished to the backyard while I mopped the floor :)

Family portrait #4:

                                           See why he calls me a babe? :)

3 good things on the 2nd

1. The three horses and the two enormous, shaggy dogs Tonya and I met on our walk this morning. Horses hardly ever clop along down the trail, and not once have we ever seen Saint Bernard-Newfoundland-Pyrenees mixes (we were so astonished at their size, we had to ask) - two super fun surprises!

2. The lovely comment I found late this morning on yesterday's post from our cousin Laurie - a shot of happy to straight to my heart!

3. Our study tonight in Ecclesiastes and the thought that no matter the season of life we find ourselves in, God is in control of it all, and He wants and is well able to accomplish an eternal work in our hearts.

Family portrait #2:

                                                         I love his face :)

The very merry month of May

May is my favorite month. We were born and married in May, and those things alone are quite enough to rocket May to the top. But wait, there's more! I love the anticipation of a new season, waiting just around the corner, that swirls around all month long. I love Memorial Day weekend and that it signals the beginning of summer in my sun-crazed heart. I love May flowers and May ice cream cones and long May evenings. I like to cram as much fun as possible into each of the 31 days, and I like to think that finding the fun is one of my most honed skills.

The first thing I'm going to do as a high-five to May is reinstate '3 Good Things.' I won't have to look far to find them, but in the midst of the big to-dos, I want to be very mindful and grateful of the small, everyday things that make our life so sweet. I've also decided we will take a family portrait every day until we flip the calendar to June. There might be moments when we feel less enthusiastic about sticking to the program than others, but when we're 75 and remembering our younger years, we'll be glad we took ourselves in hand and pushed through :)

 So... Ready, set, go!

 1. A morning walk with my dear L and T It's such a privilege to have friends that are so helpful to my heart.

 2. This, said with a smile by my husband at lunch time, when I told him I would be home later than usual  because I would be shopping for a frilly apron to wear while I bake: "I love being married to you."

                                                 Mission accomplished!

3. The white pickup driving along in front of me this afternoon, loaded down with brilliant purple azaleas and a tree budding with fuchsia flowers - such a treat for my eyes while I rumbled down the road!

 Portrait #1 - Our serious side: