52 Weeks of Happiness Week 32

This week's happiness is brought to you by a good ol' cup of tea.

A FUN cup of tea at that.

I LOVE tea. Iced, hot, green, black, white. Fruity, floral, spiced.

I dearly love Jasmine green tea, and this was given to me a while back from my in-laws. The tea starts out in tiny balls, as seen here...



and within about 5 minutes, expands to the freshest, most beautiful tea leaves you have ever seen in your life.



BLISS!!

52 Weeks of Happiness Week 25

This week, my sweet little guy started pre-pre-school. Well, that’s what we like to call his 2 day a week toddler class, anyway.

I have to say, I was very excited about it. I think my husband had a harder time than I did, considering I was nothing but excited.

I had perhaps the busiest four hours between four classes and a quick trip to his school to be there when he was dropped off for his first day.

My mother in law and her best friend were there too, and let hubby and me go ahead down the hall to his room. This week was tough, long, and up and down, but this moment was captured and it is something that happens quite often and always brings me tremendous joy.



I can't express how much this makes me feel like a million dollars. A simple thing like asking to be picked up...I know I'm his mama, he knows it, and I really feel it. A very simple, very real, very true joy.

No happiness right now...

Yin and Yang, love and indifference, rain and sun. If you don't have one, you can't have the other. And if you've had one, you certainly appreciate (or depreciate) the other.

For me, I know what sadness is, so I dearly grasp onto and continually search for happiness. It's much better.

I'm very sad today. I have one measly little day left of summer vacation. This may very well have been the best summer of my life.

I'm going back to work part-time, and I know when I get there my sweet students and wonderful teachers I work with will make me feel welcomed and at home again. But I have spent 10 amazing weeks with my flesh and blood. I've watched him grow leaps and bounds, and I want to be there all the time for this. It's killing me knowing I am even leaving him for a little bit.

For the first time in my life (exception: maternity leave), I really understand that people can say how much they love getting up in the morning...that they love the anticipation of another wonderful day. They truly are excited about waking up and getting up, and enjoy their days because of this. And you know what this leads me to believe and know about myself?

I am meant to be a mom.

NOT because I am perfect at it. No ma'am! I am only human. I know this because it is the only thing I have ever done consistently that leaves me aching for more. More days, overtime, and no need of benefits other than love and kisses. Yep, I know the frustrations so far of motherhood, but it's worth every.single.minute. It's pure joy.

I can only hope and pray that the man upstairs has it in his plan for me to be a mom twice over, but only time will tell.

I am thankful, not daily, but hourly, for the blessing of motherhood. I have never felt love like I feel for my child. I am in love with my husband in a way I had never felt it before him. In both these cases the love is pure, and different everytime I feel it. Love is far and away the most powerful force in the universe.

Tomorrow I intend on enjoying of course. I know I will. But I can't help but dread those first days of inservice before the students get there. The real reason I teach won't be there for another week and a half...let's just get there. Then maybe I will begin to find some balance. Who knows.

I want to be with my son to watch his eyes open up to new things. I want to be there daily. But I won't be the one opening his eyes up everytime. So maybe this is God's way of teaching me to let go.

But I won't ever let go all the way. No mom ever can, I am convinced.

if you made it this far, thank you...

52 Weeks of Happiness Week 23

I have tried to enjoy every moment of this week, but the fact is, it is tainted. Tainted with being the LAST week of summer vacation.

Where the hell did the time go? I was JUST sitting in the big room with the entire faculty saying goodbye for the summer...

I've done my best to have a good final week. I have one more day. But as for Week 23, I had a VERY handsome date for lunch one day. Wednesday, my friend Morgan and her baby (2 months younger than my guy) accompanied us to lunch at McAlisters, which you can never go wrong with.

Because we are a picky toddler, we hadn't been eating all that well...but this day, he ate his macaroni and applesauce very heartily and well, and I was pretty happy to have him as my lunch date. Not to mention, it was just as wonderful to have someone around who could take our picture, so mommy got to be in a shot for once!!

52 Weeks of Happiness Week 22

A bit late again. Whatever, at least I'm not skipping!!

This past week has been full of great things again--Mommy & Me, swim lessons, a doctor's appointment, and much more. BUT, Friday night, when my mother-in-law's brother and wife came in from California to meet my little guy for the first time, we got some adult time in.

A wonderful Memphis restaurant, Paulette's, just recently moved from it's Midtown location to Harbor Town down by the river. We went there for appetizers and I got some wonderful shots of the river and the sunset. The blue cheese chips were amazing, and so was the Savignon Blanc.

Then we went east again to go to a new restaurant called "The Elegant Farmer." All of their veggies and food are all locally grown. It was an amazing meal! I tasted every bit of the flavors in my chicken and sausage etouffee, which happened to be placed upon cheese grits instead of rice. Oh. My. God. YUM! And as we left, I had to snap their sweet bit of southern charm!

52 Weeks of Happiness Week 18

This post should have been made last Thurs, or Fri, or even Saturday. But no, summer has gotten the best of me. Here we go, you'll get a dose of happiness today and another dose by FRIDAY of this week. Setting a goal, here!

During week 18, I took a trip to Hardy, AR with my family. My MIL and I (and son) went Thursday, met friends up there on Friday, and were joined by hubby that day too.

I hadn't been up to my MIL's Hardy house since Labor Day, so it was way overdue! Poor little guy had a horrible night's sleep that first night, but once he figured out where he was and who he was with, he did fine.

I love all parts of trips there. We cook out, cook in, eat out, eat in, hop on a kayak to go very close to a place by the falls. You can have a beer at noon if you really want, because it's vacation.

I love the water. The mountains are fine, but I feel better with the water. And it was hot, but the river is very cool. I loved watching my son discover the river and was very grateful for all the help I had with my toddler. And I could stop for a moment, and just enjoy this, and listen to the falls.



A very happy few days.

52 Weeks of Happiness Week 15

I've been completely immersed in being a mom since school has gotten out for the summer that I've fallen behind with blogging, but I'm completely determined to not miss a week of happiness! :)

Because I'm so happy being immersed in my little guy, I have a plethora of things to choose from for this week. Rigby went to his first concert, and I think the special-ness of this event deserves the honor of being the subject of this week's happiness post.

The Levitt Shell in Memphis has quite a history. It's the place of Elvis' first paid concert, and, funny enough, all the concerts now there are free.

Mom, little guy, and several friends came out to hear Bob Dorough of Schoolhouse Rock fame. It was wonderful. Plain and simple!

This week's picture? Not tremendously memorable, but the event sure was.