Celebrating a lifetime of love and friendship …

Yesterday I went to the wedding of one of my best friends from high school. It was a pretty darn perfect day in my opinion. The weather was gorgeous. The bride and groom were happy. And the reception was a blast! We all had so much fun. And I think the biggest reason why, is that this beautiful couple brought a lot of us together who hadn’t been in been in REAL contact, other than through social media and maybe an occasional event here and there, for a long time. It was so good to see everyone. It was like no time had passed at all. We danced and laughed and joked and talked and shared just like we did over 30 years ago. I think that if decades later you can feel as comfortable with your high school friends, as you did in high school, then you have definitely been blessed with special friendships. I know that I have been and I’m truly thankful.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you celebrate a lifetime of love and friendship!!!

Limited access …

I know that I am not the first person to say this but with social media and all the THINGS that keep us “connected” and “informed”, at times I feel bombarded with information and connections that I just don’t need to have. I definitely don’t need to be exposed to people and information just because I may have a loose connection with them. For example, if you are my friend and your uncle’s neighbor likes cats, and I like cats, this does not mean I need to be her “friend”. Nor do I need see all of her other hobbies and interests either. I don’t know why, but typing all that out just cracked me the heck up! Maybe because it’s SO true! Anyway, it all works in reverse too. You don’t need to know or probably even want to know EVERYTHING about me either! HA! Please don’t get me wrong, I love the opportunities that social media and technology have given us. With two kids in college and family and friends all over the place I LOVE that it keeps us feeling “close”. And the information we can obtain IMMEDIATELY on the Internet can literally be peace giving and life saving! It’s all so incredibly valuable! But if I’m honest, sometimes it can be just a little too much for me.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you give yourself limited access!!!

Young at heart …

Last night some of my sorority sisters and I went out to celebrate the life of our dear sister who passed away two years ago. It was a nice night reminiscing and just being together. We all needed it. I know that I certainly did. In our discussions we talked about our younger years, the struggles we have faced, the decisions that we have made along the way and happiness we have chosen to find. It’s funny, despite the years that have passed and all that has changed, so much of me has remained the same. And I like that. I still feel like that college girl on most days. The one with hope in her heart and a smile on her face. The one who wanted to look back across her years and be able to tell epic stories to her grandchildren. As a 50 year old woman, I can honestly say that YEARS and NUMBERS mean nothing to me. And what does matter to me is my health, making sure that I walk through life with genuine and authentic souls and not letting bitterness take ahold of me. If I can sneak in some fun in there, find some joy, follow a few passions and gain some wisdom from lessons learned along the way, then I don’t see how I can ever complain.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you feel young at heart!!!

Hullabaloo …

You know that your best friend loves you unconditionally when you use words that are totally out of character for you, but she somehow doesn’t call you on your kookiness. I guess maybe she’s just used to it by now. HA! Dang, I love that woman!

Well, I hope you all have a day where you cause a hullabaloo!!!

Back to our regularly scheduled programming …

It was a ROUGH week. Reese was in the emergency room TWICE. She’s never been that sick. I don’t think I have worried about her like that since she was 2lbs and in the NICU. It was scary to say the least. Thankfully she is recovering well and is her happy healthy self for the most part. Her appetite and energy aren’t quite back to normal yet, but they are getting there. So needless to say I pretty much abandoned our normal way of life this past week. It’s honestly all a big blur now. Being gone last weekend didn’t help either. I can’t tell you how many times I had to ask what day of the week it was. I was so LOST! But I can’t let a week like this pass without mentioning our VILLAGE. The friends and family who ALWAYS have our back. Their love and support are the REAL DEAL and we are blessed to walk through life when them. They make tough times easier and good times even better. The seasons we have shared with them have weaved into a lifetime of memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything. I honestly couldn’t be more thankful for these beautiful souls!

So, I guess there is only one thing left to do now that things have gone back to normal around here. OK fine, OUR normal. HA!

Well, I hope you all have a day where you get back to your regularly scheduled programming!!!

It went smoothly …

Today was the first day of school for Libs and Reese. And it went great! Reese rocked her first time through the valet drop-off line and had a wonderful day at school playing with her friends. She has a new teacher for the first time in three years and she handled it like a champ. I’m so proud of her! Although Libs now has a (mom-loathing) zero period, she had an awesome day. She loves all of her classes and has a bunch with her friends. Tennis went fantastic too! Her team beat a school that they hadn’t beaten in five years. WHOA! know that I probably won’t be able to say that every day will go this well for them, but I am sure going to appreciate it now.

Well, I hope you all had a day where it all went smoothly!!!

Happily growing older …

Yesterday I found myself explaining how elated I am to be turning 50. I know that may sound absolutely crazy to a lot people, but if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not like most people. I’ve never been one to focus on my age. I’ve actually spent most of my life focused on my mortality. Having a mom who died in her mid forties after battling breast cancer twice taught me that life isn’t so much about longevity as it is the quality of time you have here. But it also scared me A LOT. I honestly never new if I would make it to see 50 especially dealing with meningitis … twice. OY. But despite it all, here I am. Healthy. Fit. And feeling quite blessed. I am honestly surprised I made it, HA! So how can I be anything less that overjoyed? I’m surrounded by incredible friends and family and I’ve been given the most wonderful children in the world. And God has graciously given me more time to share with them than I ever expected.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you are happily growing older!!!

I couldn’t have done it without them …

I want to say all of this today, since tomorrow I will just be too busy (and scattered). My heart is so vested in these words that I fear that if I start crying that I might not stop. So if I wrote them tomorrow that would be bad because Sunday is race day.

This will be the first full marathon I will run since I got sick. I’ll be fighting a lot of demons out there Sunday. Yes, I can run. I’ve proved that time and time again. BUT can I run THAT distance again? Do I still have what it takes? I honestly and fearfully don’t know.

But with the love, support, guidance and encouragement of my family, friends and doctors, I get to find out. It’s a miracle I have been given this chance again. And I do not take any of it for granted. It is because of these incredible souls that I am even willing to try.

It’s hard to put yourself out there like this. REAL hard. Even under the best and healthiest of circumstances it takes all you have. Being knocked down physically has only made this task more difficult and one of the biggest mental challenges I have ever faced. But I promised myself something years ago when I took a chance on running seriously again. If I do this, I won’t give it up. I wouldn’t do that to my heart again. Running matters to me. It is the part of me that propels me into a fearlessness that I have never know otherwise. And I don’t want to let it go. Not ever.

The point of all my emotional rambling (HA!) is to publicly thank each and every person who has walked through this season of life with me. The season that robbed me of so much, but gave me back even more than I could have ever imagined.

SO without further adieu … to those beautiful souls who have cheered me on, from those first steps that I took with my walker, to the start line this Sunday morning … I humbly and genuinely thank you for believing in me. I couldn’t have done all of this without all of you.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you feel eternally grateful!!!

A big surprise …

I got a special treat today when I received a text from a friend of mine who had moved away. “Do you want to go to lunch?” SAY WHAT?!?! I had no idea that they were even in town! YAY!

Well, I hope you all had a day where you got a big surprise!!!

Tragedy and loyalty …

Sixteen years ago today the U.S. faced a very ugly day. But what happened after that was something I will never forget. We came together as a country. People hung their flags. We became neighbors and family. We were proud to be Americans. There was a patriotism that emerged that I had never seen before in my life time. And it was beautiful. We didn't scatter and become concerned only for ourselves. There was a huge sense of community. We actually loved each other!

Our country is pretty divided right now. But those memories really give me hope. We have weathered some pretty nasty times together. We pulled together before, and we can do it again now. I believe in us. And I won't ever stop.

Well, I hope you all have a day where you remain loyal!!!