BECAUSE

I pampered myself today. It was therapeutic and crucial to my current well being, but it was pampering nonetheless.

After I made the appointment I second guessed my motives and considered self-indulgence, but then paused to acknowledge the reasons why I sought out a refuge of hot stones and deep tissue massage in the first place...

BECAUSE

...I have two teenage daughters who depending on the direction of the wind will choose to engage with me in conversation or roll their mascara-ed eyes when I inquire about school or friends.

BECAUSE

...I have Jaycee (who is my darling) but whose issues with such tricky things as weight, anxiety and academic/social situations at school make me weary on a daily basis as I strive to protect her and encourage and challenge her all at the same time.

BECAUSE

...Luke, who creamed me in a game of Super Smash Bros. on the Wii responded to his victory with a resounding "I sure beat the hell out of you!"

BECAUSE

...I am eating chicken for at least two meals every single solitary day.

BECAUSE

...I have not had a Hershey's Kiss for over a month.

BECAUSE

...My hormones are completely messed up and to remedy the associated symptoms I have been overloaded with doses of estrogen which make my moods swing like a gigantic pendulum, my head ache despite large doses of Ibuprofen, and a little thing called patience extinct within my existence.

BECAUSE

...I sit between at least two children at the kitchen island every evening bouncing back and forth completing stacks of homework rendered by teachers who have doled out enough punishment for taking my kids out of school for a week to keep me from ever doing it again.

(and lastly)

BECAUSE

...As I lay under the warmed sheet on the massage table my therapist ran the heel of her hand down the right side of my back and I felt the uneven "bump bump bump" of knotted muscles down the length of my trapezius and latissimus dorsi. An accumulation of stress, obligation, worry, time constraints, and self doubt (aka motherhood) all imbedded in the musculature of my spinal area.

Tonight I feel much better, more relaxed...BECAUSE I chose to put off doing a load of laundry and vacuuming my family room to take care of me and my needs.

Selfish? No way. Smartest thing I've done all week? Definitely.

BECAUSE... I deserve a little pampering...



(and you do too...)

(our) Fun filled February fling in fotos (and a few facts)

First time fliers, my kids along with cousins spent two hours acquainting themselves with the nooks and crannies of a commercial airplane (especially fascinating...the miniature bathroom with a turbo-sucking toilet, and barf bags in the pocket of every seat which were filled during the flight with with various toys, lip glosses, and even a cookie or two).



Welcomed by a drizzly California winter day we explored Seaworld under cloudy skies, and our first day of Disneyland under multi-colored plastic ponchos. By Wednesday our pleas to the sun god were answered as the thermostat cleared 70 (!!!!) and jackets were shed by noon. Our fun increased each day, as did the temperatures, and our lily white, dead of winter skin began to turn various shades of pink as we stood with arms outstretched faces tilted to the sun soaking in every last scrumptious ray!






Sights and sounds of the most magical place on earth were dampened only by a slight (actually a pretty wicked) case of bronchitis (yours truly--who never gets sick...had to take a trek to an urgent care--ironic, huh--for antibiotics and an inhaler).






Our final day was spent at Legoland which was adored by the little boys and endured by their mommas...



(Cami and I got a little bored...)



Oh, the memories of California 2009--Nineteen people in one suite? Elevator antics, Tower of Terror, where's Braxton? Trey, our angel. Six Flags is closed? Minivans on the California highway. Loads of love, laughter to last until next time...what fun we had!

"I can't believe you're 40!"

Cami called me last Wednesday evening, "I'm calling to wish you happy last night ever in your thirties!" and thus began the extravaganzic (you can make up words as you mature...) event that was my 40th birthday...

I awoke to a bright sign in my front yard declaring me "over the hill" which garnered several honks and phone calls from neighbors and friends, voice mails squeezed in between multiple calls from family, relatives and best friends all laughing while exclaiming "I can't believe you are 40!"

An eagerly-anticipated traditional birthday lunch with my fabulous mom and sisters propelled my already incredible day into an afternoon filled with friends streaming through my door delivering thoughtful cards, decadent treats and generous gifts.

An evening surrounded by my husband and kids all looking at me like I'm going to start wrinkling up before their eyes (mom, do you feel old?) was highlighted by a gift consisting of forty envelopes containing love notes declaring forty reasons why they love me...(one of the best gifts I've ever received!)

Smothered with just the right amount of attention to make me feel extremely special and loved I mourned the day coming to an end and all the festivities and well wishes along with it.

Little did I realize that this monumental birthday was far too significant to be contained to just one day...

Another annual lunch (the following day) scheduled with my best friends (extraordinaire) was absolutely not what it appeared--which was an intimate get-together at Cheesecake Factory--it in fact turned out to be a grand surprise party including a group of those most dear from my "old" neighborhood, and my very favorites from my "new!" I was shocked and amazed, but, unfortunately not speechless as I rambled about "my old and new lives coming together..." (in a high pitched, slightly manic manner).





Turning forty was unlike anything I had imagined. I felt the significance of entering a brand new decade and celebrated with the enthusiasm this birthday deserves!

As I sit, five days post-new-decade, two celebratory lunches remain, as well as a load of gift cards and b-day money just waiting for spring shopping. I'm thinking, I'm a pretty lucky girl...a little old...but lucky!