Friends

Friday night, we took our 5 year old daughter and her friend to see STOMP. There were absolutely adorable! We took them to a nice dinner beforehand and they were just giggling and acting as sweet as could be! It reminded me of what friendship really means; having someone there to share a special moment; a laugh, a smile, a tear.

The girls ordered the same dinner, talked about how "yummy" it was. They complimented each other's fancy dresses, held each other's hands, shared a dessert and just thoroughly enjoyed each other's company for the entire evening.

That same night, I received a text message from my best friend as she was excited about some new dinner menu planning she had just done. She's been following my journey through health and fitness and I suppose I've inspired her to some level. So we exchanged messages, learned that we were both running a 5k the following morning and wished each other the best.

During my race, I thought about my friend; I missed her terribly. After the race I immediately texted her to let her know my time and I waited until she finished to hear hers. Turns out we ran it in exactly the same time! How we wished we could have ran together, rather than on opposite ends of the country!

My life is rich in friendship and happiness. I am thankful for the friends in my life and I'm even more thankful to see my children share in that joy as they make their own friends.

"Happiness is time spent with a friend and looking foward to sharing time with them again."- Lee Wilkinson

Empathy and Comfort

On the car ride home today, my daughter announces that she's been having trouble sleeping at night because she hears noises. I tell her that sometimes houses make noise or it could be the wind or an animal in the woods. She doesn't find comfort in my words. She continues to explain how she's afraid of the dark and she doesn't want to sleep when she hears scary noises.

After several moments of silence (I was at a loss at how to comfort her and assure her that she was safe and that everything was ok) my two-year-old son speaks up and says, "Marissa, there are no monsters in the house, only storms outside. Storms are always happy and they will not scare you." I wanted to laugh, then cry, at the sincere honesty and care that my young son offered to his sister! He was so "matter-of-fact" and brave. The two of them chatted all the way home about monsters and storms and wouldn't you know it, we didn't hear a word about being scared of noises or the dark when it was time for bed this evening!

Take Time to Laugh at Yourself

Life isn't always easy. We deal with the daily stresses, emotional break-downs, arguements and insecurities. We all have our issues but we all must decide each and every day how we're going to tackle the world!

This morning, as I dressed up for work (its St. Patrick's Day) I felt child-like; care-free. As I entered my preschool, people smiled, many giggled and my mood immediately lifted! I realized, that I could bring laughter and happiness to others because I was willing to be silly and laugh at myself!

I take my work and myself very seriously. However, I believe that we all must take moments to enjoy ourselves, show our humor and share our silliness. Have you laughed at yourself today?

Why I Dread the Dentist

So my kids had dentist appointments on Saturday. I was already prepared for what they would have to say about Marissa's teeth. Marissa was blessed with my soft teeth and despite our tireless efforts to brush, floss, rinse, etc, we ALWAYS have cavities! She has another cavity and is scheduled for another filling next week. BLAH.

Christian on the other hand...well, he got his father's genes. Perfect teeth, perfect spacing, no cavities (can you guess how many times I've been able to wrangle him down to get a brush and paste on his teeth?) It makes me laugh, but I'm happy that we won't have the dental bills of fillings and crowns for him!

So, Marissa is in Kindergarten. She's never been late or even missed a day of school. We are very proud of her perfect attendance. Well, the dentist office was completely booked for all their Saturday appointments for the next 3 months (I can't wait that long to have her get her filling) so she has to miss a morning next week of school. I know, I know, not a big deal, but it just stinks that they couldn't get her in even in the afternoon; apparently because of her age they want to see her first thing in the morning-which isn't until 10 am for them, which means she'll miss the first 3 hours of school! I'm being petty, but it just makes me frustrated!

I guess the lesson in this, I need to work harder to keep her from getting cavities so that we don't have to cram fillings into the middle of the week! Any advice?

Recharing Your Batteries

I've always laughed at how people call me AA (like the battery). Its funny because that's often how I feel, like I just have to keep charged up long enough to get through everything I have to do in one day.

Today has been a sluggish and slow day; I haven't felt like myself. I feel "weighed down" and "drained". I knew that I needed a recharge, but wasn't quite sure how to lift my spirits and jump start my attitude. We all have those days, but that doesn't mean that I like being there!

My husband, Marty, IMed me at 11:00 AM and asked if I would be interested in having lunch with him today. Before I could even wait to hear what he suggested I answered, "Yes, I'll meet you there in 10 minutes!" HA HA HA!

We had lunch at our favorite little Thai place. I sipped green tea, ordered stir-fry veggies with ginger chicken he had Ka Pow chicken (with no vegetables!) and we just talked. We talked about the kids, discussed little business matters, complained of sore muscles from working out, poked fun at each other and just spent 60 minutes connecting.

I wasn't ready to part with him yet, so we went to Staples and the bank; taking our time and just enjoying each other. Simple pleasure # 221: having someone to buy pens and ink with on a sunny day! When we finally went back to our separate offices, I felt rejuvinated, refreshed...recharged!

I think that its important in life when you're feeling stressed, isolated, run down and tired, you reach out to those who are MOST important to you and soak up some of that positive energy. I know that it did a world of good for me today!

Figuring It Out

Check out my new blog "Figuring It Out" www.aaloftus.blogspot.com as I share with you my journey of working out and training for a Figure Competition! I'd love your support and encouragement and I also challenge you to get your booty into gear and reach for your goals!