The simple things in life

There are things that make my world brighter. These are just a few of them that I've been thinking about for some time now, and wanted to jot down. They're simple things that maybe sometimes don't get enough recognition.

Great neighbors
Just the other day, our electricity went out. I had just given Owen his nebulizer treatment and with the exception of that, we weren't in need of the electricity and would be fine until the power outage was fixed. At least that's what I thought until I realized I needed to use electricity to get our van out of the garage to take Colin to preschool. My initial thought was to just not take him to preschool that day. Then I thought I'd go see if our neighbor would be willing to give us a ride since I noticed her car wasn't parked in their garage today. Before I could even finish asking, she just handed me the keys to her Denali. Wow, amazing! I'm pretty sure nothing of the sort ever would have happened in any of our old neighborhoods. The kicker is, this wasn't an isolated incident. All of our neighbors are just as amazing. It's a real community here, not just a bunch of strangers in homes near each other.
From the moment Eric and I moved in, we knew we jackpotted an amazing community. And this has only been emphasized time after time after time.

One on one time with my little ones
It's rare that I get these moments. So when I do get them, I relish in them. I love the connection that I can make with that child, the memories we make, the attention I can give solely to them. It's so fun to learn their inner thinkings and personalities more during these times. We started Daddy/Kid time years ago when Eric was in school and it seemed the kids never really got to see him, let alone spend time with him and have just continued these because they have become so special. Recently I have thought, there's really no reason I shouldn't be able to have some one on one time with them too. I always thought that because I saw them all the time, there was no need for it. But that special one on one time is different from the regular run of the mill time together.

A good Dollar theater
We've always been fans of the dollar theater. It's always been the most affordable way to see a movie in the theaters, and a majority of the time, the only affordable way for us to see a movie. Even though we are now through those rough school years, our family is a growing broad, and the prices to see a movie at a regular theater have just become absurdly expensive. We could easily spend $50 for our little family just to get admission to the movie---or we can spend just $10 at the dollar theater for admission, popcorn and soda, for all of us! Let's see?--kind of a no brainer for us. An extra perk of the dollar theater for us is also the fact that we don't feel so bad taking our sometimes disturbing children to them, because for the most part, that's what the audience is full of--sometimes disturbing children.

Time in the kitchen whipping up a new masterpiece (or at least attempting to)
I love to cook! It's soothing, relaxing, exciting, invigorating all in one. It's always so fun to try something new out or give a new twist to an old favorite. Although I'll admit the "testing" is not always point on, I would have to say for the most part it's enticing.
I have learned much in my years of cooking/experimenting. I am a better cook for it. I know I'm not anywhere near the chef my brother Tim is, who seems to just have an impeccable knowledge and palate for it all (I'm sure it helps that he actually trained to be a chef), but that doesn't matter to me. I know many that don't really care to cook or prefer to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible, but I am not one of those. I love that my family needs to eat everyday. It gives me the opportunity to do something that I love and feels like it takes me away to a place of less stress and bliss. Even if just temporary, it's a feeling of shear joy, and I love it.

The amazing high you get from a heart pounding, sweat drenching workout
I'll be the first to admit, sometimes it can be hard to find the time and true motivation to get that workout in. I always want to do it, and it's usually just the getting started part that I sometimes struggle with. But once I'm going, I'm GOING!! I love it. The heart starts pounding, the sweat starts dripping, I pump the music up just a little bit louder, and I'm feeling better, stronger and healthier each step further I take. That's what gets me going. I just have to remember the amazing feeling of accomplishing a great, successful workout to want to jump right back in. There are days I wish I could work out all day long, to just stay on that high, but reluctantly life (nor my body) permits that. It's an amazing feeling, and I have found that as long as I'm consistent with it, it makes a real difference in how things go. In the way I perceive things, as well as the way I react.

An amazing husband
I've always felt Eric and I have a good marriage. We are on the same page in so many important aspects of life--religious, financial, family, etc. He's always been a great father, friend, etc.
Recently my Mom gave us a book about love languages. One of my goals for this year is to read a book every month (I know pitiful to you book clubbers out there--but I just don't have the time to devote to personal reading that I used to). The love languages book was first up. At the end of the month I felt I had a better understanding of how people perceive/feel love. I followed some pointers in the book to strengthen our marriage and passed the book to Eric for him to read. Over the next few weeks, he really stepped it up. He started taking on chores of mine that I abhor, just to ease my load. He's made a true effort to communicate in my main love languages that he loves me--or so I thought. Just a night or two ago, I found the book under some magazines of mine on my nightstand. He never read it. He's just plain amazing, and obviously doesn't need a book to help him realize how to show that he really cares. Thank you Eric. I love you.