Splash the Puddles

This morning was a bit chaotic, as mornings can sometimes be when you have to get yourself and two small ones out the door by 6:35 a.m. My alarm went off at 5, and apparently I turned it off instead of hitting snooze because I didn't wake up again until 6. That meant I sported yesterday's pony tail today. I carried one boy to the couch and fully dressed him in rushed desperation while he was still sound asleep, and quite literally drug the other one out of bed by his feet. He's basically too heavy for me to lift, but I can definitely pull his little tush to the ground. Wake up, sleepyhead. They were essentially lifeless the entire getting ready process this morning. We were ten minutes behind when I realized I couldn't find my keys. Fifteen behind when we got to the car and I remembered the two crates of bottled waters in Walker's seat. I sat my coffee down on the console and climbed out of my seat a little huffy. Took care of the crates of water, settled back into ...

As I was leaving a place the other day, I hugged the neck of a sweet friend, as is our custom way of saying goodbye. I started walking off, and she called out, "Hey-" I turned to look, there was a pause and then she said "I love you..." "I love you too, I replied" with a smile and continued my trek out the door. Exchanging "I love you " isn't uncommon for us, so it felt normal in the moment. As the day went on though, I pondered the nature of the interaction and something about it felt unfamiliar. So, I shot my friend a quick text and asked if there was something else she wanted to say in the moment but hadn't. She replied that there wasn't, but that she just felt like she needed to tell me she loved me. A bit later in the conversation she shared that her thought process in the moment was, "I just think she should be reminded that she is loved and seen." It was sweet, and I appreciated it, but honestly, I pondere...

A few months ago, my oldest son asked me if I would run a 5k with him. He'd been preparing daily for months and could run that distance at good speed and solid stamina with no problem at all. I, on the other hand, hadn't really run much distance at all since my first 5k two years prior. I could still remember how unbelievably satisfying it was to train for something and pass the test of endurance when it was show time though. It was nothing short of exhilarating. So, when he asked me to do it with him, I eagerly obliged. This was just the push I needed to get back into running. I began to train again and my love for the "sport" was reignited. Running was truly a passion, one I had let die out by not actively engaging myself in it. It took weeks to build my stamina and endurance back up to the point where I was ready to run the race. There were many days of frustration where my body physically could not withstand what it had just days earlier. There were days of victo...