We in the northwest corner of the state, of the country, actually, are known to grow weary of gray skies and rain. We’ve even been known to whine and complain a bit.
But days like today come and we forget all the months of dreary!
Flowers push up out of the ground…
Babies are taken outdoors for the first time without buntings and introduced to the sounds of birds and frogs and the feel of the sun on their skin
Lawn games get pulled out of garages
We laugh
and compete
We even document plays and ask Grandpas to make the call
(abbie moved on, Granpa declared it half through)
The sky is so blue it doesn’t seem real
kids hold hands and kiss in fields of flowers.
We revel so in the sunshine. So much so, that we forget the gray skies of winter.
1. Five things I was looking forward to this weekend:
1. Starting the weekend early, leaving work at 2:30 instead of 5:00
2. Late lunch and a glass of wine with a girlfriend
3. Dinner with Rick and Joel and Maryann
4. Girl time with my Abbie tomorrow, doing hair and shopping
5. ZOO on Sunday
2. Five things I am ACTUALLY doing this weekend:
1. Starting the weekend early, leaving work at 2:30 instead of 5:00
2. Late lunch and a glass of wine with a girlfriend
3. Stop at Haggen, pick up OJ and thermometer, get home, fill up Rick’s water bottle, make tea, get him ibuprofen, take his temp
4. Probably take Rick to the doctor, MAYBE get my hair done
5. Possibly calling the kids and see who can go to the zoo NEXT week
3. Five photos I took yesterday on my lunch time walk:
4. Last Five people I texted:
1. Shawn Devine
2. My Abbie
3. Rick Atkins, aka Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Love, aka Hunka Hunka Burnin’ Fever
4. My Dad
5. My sister Cheryl
5. Five words I will say this weekend no matter what:
1. Happy
2. Birthday
3. To
4. Me
5. Anyway, because
1. Tonight after work I was overcome with
A. How light it is outside
B. FLOWERS!!!!!! Everywhere. Flowering trees. Flowering bushes. Crocus’ poking up their pretty little heads. Daffodils starting to come up.
C. Temperature change. It’s cold, don’t get me wrong. But not freezing. And I carried my coat out instead of wearing it. Did you hear that people??? CARRIED my coat! I officially have Spring Fever! And just in time. Because we all know what Sunday is, Right?
2. My BIRTHDAY!!!
(The Birthday Queen)
Oh, and it’s the first day of Spring. yay. I mean, YAY!!!!!!
3. I had to stop by Abby’s tonight to drop off pictures she ordered for wedding invites. She lives with my niece, Lael, who was cooking in the kitchen and looked totally adorable. I didn’t have my camera, but I had my camera phone:
I thought she should have been wearing some spiked heels instead of her sensible comfortable loafers
So she came out in heels. And a mask
Josh showed me the raised garden beds he’s working on in the back yard. Raised garden beds built by my son means 2 things.
A. I succeeded in passing on the love of gardening, even though I haven’t had my own garden in a long long time
B. It’s almost Spring
When I got off work this evening I received this photo from my sister:
It took me a few minutes to realize they were ground hogs. And that today is Groundhog Day. Today is the day we learn our fate. If spring will come early, or if winter will go on and on and on. Fortunately, we live on the WEST side of the country, so we’re already enjoying beautiful, if not freezing weather!
Sorry for the commercial. Feel free to fast forward. Or just not watch. It’s a groundhog. And men right out of Bill Murray’s movie from several years ago, which I loved, by the way.
I like my sister’s photo the best.
MY Groundhog Day started out like this:
I was driving to work, and could see the sun rising in my rearview mirror.
I was driving, fishing in my handbag (the one Josh brought me from Nepal) for my camera, not sure I actually had it. (I KNOW!! This is more dangerous than talking on the phone, I KNOW!!)
I made contact. Camera in bag. EAGLE IS IN THE NEST. Ok, that’s just family code for whatever someone was sent to pick up, whether, kid, eggs, milk, or wine. In this case, Camera.
When I first got my camera it was a practice of mine to leave for work an hour or so early, maybe, three days a week. I just couldn’t get enough ‘practice’ time with my camera! Last year, I think I got lazy. I felt like I’d outgrown my equipment and quit using it so much. I still think (I know) I’ve outgrown my equipment, but that’s no excuse, I still need to take it with me everywhere I go and practice, practice, practice. Someday I’ll get to upgrade. That day is not today.
So, in the meantime I will practice “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Heb 13:5
A couple weeks ago I was walking past my flowerbed after it rained and these little sparkly diamonds caught my eye. I ran inside and grabbed my camera:
I love the drops on the end of each point of the leaves. I couldn’t have planned those better myself if I’d tried!
