Sleepy and the Queen

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . my husband calling to say that his motorcycle battery had died halfway up a mountain.  Fortunately he knows someone with a truck.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . sleeping in while Phillip watched the kids.  Thank you, Sweetheart.

And another thing . . .

. . . my daughter was briefly into princesses, but she has now decided that she prefers to be a queen (probably because she realized that queens are further up the hierarchy, and she likes to be in charge).  She has requested that we call her "Your Majesty" when she's wearing her dollar store tiara.

Skimming the Empire

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . getting stuff done.

And another thing . . .

. . . you know that you and your spouse are geeks when you watch The Empire Strikes Back for date night, skim the end credits twice looking for James Earl Jones's name, then immediately fire up the internet to find out why it isn't there.  According to Wikipedia, Jones asked that his name not be credited in Episodes IV and V because he felt his contribution as Darth Vader's voice was "too small to warrant recognition." I beg to differ.

Splish Splash

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . spending about twenty minutes easing myself down into the cool water when the kids and I went swimming.  Yes, I'm a water wimp.

. . . being very tired most of the day.  The swimming helped a bit, but let's face it: I really need to get to bed earlier.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . Anna splashing happily in the bathtub.

. . . the cashier at the bread store giving us a free box of donuts when she heard that Joy likes them.

Jam and a Crab

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . Daniel being super cranky after a short nap in the car.  Fortunately I've discovered that it helps to put him in the double stroller with Anna and go for a walk.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . making strawberry jam with Mom and my sister.

. . . eating said jam on toast for lunch and pancakes for dinner.

. . . shopping for foamy soap with Joy at Bath and Body Works.  It was fun to sniff a dozen different scents and decide on two we wanted to try (Sweet Pea and Japanese Cherry Blossom; White Citrus is a perennial favorite, too).

. . . hugging my sweetheart.

A Visit and Some Noisy Nanas

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . Joy spending most of our walk complaining that she wanted to go home.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . visit teaching Linda (and her husband, who always likes to sit in on the conversation).  We have great discussions, and I love the fact that two people who didn't even know me six months ago welcome me into their home every month and chat with me like an old friend.

. . . Phillip trying really, really hard to get home on time so I could go to my visit.  He still arrived late (and consequently so did I), but I love that he tried.

And another thing . . .

. . . I've seen an interesting recipe on Pinterest several times, and I finally decided to give it a try this afternoon.  It involved slicing up overripe bananas, freezing them, then whirring them in the food processor with some peanut butter and cocoa to make soft serve "ice cream."  The idea of a simple and healthy "ice cream" recipe appealed to me, so this afternoon we gave it a whirl.

The result tasted pretty good, but it was a pain to make.  I had to stand next to my loud food processor, stopping it about fifteen times so I could scrape down the sides until the frozen banana gravel finally became smooth and creamy.  I suppose a Yonanas machine would make the process much quicker and easier, but I'm not sure I want to plunk down $50 for another gizmo to clutter my counter, especially if I'm not sure I'll love it.

Home Again

Today's not-so-favorite moments included . . .

. . . seeing my grandpa arrive at a birthday party with a walker for the first time.  I keep expecting him to be the same active, commanding figure he was a decade or two ago, and I tend to forget that he is over eighty and our mortal bodies don't last forever.  Even so, Grandpa says he's grateful that his mind is still sharp, and I hope that I can say the same at his age.

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . watching my kids play happily in Papa's pool.

. . . seeing my brother's girlfriend experience my family's extra-long birthday song for the first time.  I don't think Rob had prepared her for the fact that it is three different songs tacked together, and is usually sung out of tune.

. . . walking into my own front door after our trip.  Ah, home.

Smiles

Today's favorite moments included . . .

. . . seeing Joy smile.

. . . glancing at my husband and noticing the "white badge of courage" (i.e. dried baby food and who knows what else) smeared on the shoulder of his suit coat. I love that man.

. . . Joy playing happily with her second cousins.

. . . watching great grandpa walk past with an ice cream cone and a big grin. I just had to go get an ice cream cone, too.

And another thing . . .

. . . apparently I noticed a lot of smiles today. The one that stood out the most was from a little boy at church who I don't even know. I noticed him looking at me so I smiled at him, and without hesitation he flashed a genuine smile back at me. I suppose it made an impression on me because so often people (myself included) respond to a smile with a half-hearted courtesy smile, or they self-consciously look away if you catch their eye. This boy's easy, sincere smile seemed to convey a belief that life and the people in it are good and wish him well. Since we tend to find what we look for, he's probably right.