Good Morning!
I am sitting here in my cool basement listening to the sprinkler system outside working hard to attempt to keep up with the nasty humid weather that has ravaged our lawn. I love these mornings where I can just get on the computer and get my "looking" done in peace without having to change someone or wipe someone or get someone something to eat. It is my time. I bring my coffee down after Jeb takes off at 7 and its just me and the various humming sounds of appliances in the furnace room. I try my best to not look over my shoulder at the laundry that seems to multiply everyday mysteriously. How many people really live in this house? I sit here and listen for little footsteps that will eventually come to greet me with a sleepy face and a case of horrifying morning breath and what lately has become the only hug and love that I will get all day. I sit here and pray that my dog doesn't make a peep outside at ambitious folks who are out to start their day off with a walk; a little "me" time. Stupid animal. I sit here and ponder what I will accomplish today, if I will shower, if I will remember to take something out of the freezer for dinner. I am not ashamed to say that I adore and look forward to my time. I am selfish in this way and I love it.

You know when you watch the Olympics and on some of the sports you see the "degree of difficulty" for various things like diving or mogul skiing? Is there a "key" to deciding these scores for life? I am in great debate with myself about the score I would receive for carrying out the act of delivering a baby -vs- parenting and running a household with a 4 year old and an almost 2 year old. Would I receive a higher score if I kept up with my idol Denna Kestor (a u.s. record holder for marathon running at a time of 2:19:36) or if I was showered with hair done, make up done, everyone fed, out the door in a test driven brand new car (keep your feet off the seats), to the Farmers market, to the bank, and home by 11am? Hmmm... this is something to ponder. I can hear the strategists crunching the numbers now. We measure success in things like numbers, sometimes awards, sometimes with wealth but when it all comes down to it what makes you at the top of your game? What makes you the winner? Regardless, we wait to be awarded with paychecks, words of affirmation, love. We wait for whatever the award will be and pat ourselves on the shoulder and move on. Life. Its a funny process isn't it? I think today I will put up a personal best score for myself on the dry eraser board and leave it up there for all to see. And then maybe treat myself to some M&M's.

Today is our 9th anniversary. This morning is a lot like the morning we got married. Hazy and rain soaked. My husband not only said "it" (happy anniversary) first this morning when we eventually rolled out of bed but he called me "hot stuff" too. For this I will excuse him of all flower duties today. We have a picture of us on top of our armoire in our room from that day 9 years ago that I cherish. It looks like we were probably 14 playing dress-up with fancy clothes on. Fresh faced, wild eyed kids, hanging on for dear life to one another. Funny. Little did I know how much more I would adore him and our life together as "us" now more -vs- then. Its that gradual appreciation for someone and all of their little quirky ways. Its a gradual appreciation and love for someone that has seen you at every different emotion and seen you through every different scenario of life. I am so grateful to have been able to have finished "growing-up" with my best friend. We were kids, and some days we like to think we still are. When we are 80 we will have been married for 60 years. The stories we will have to tell... Cheers to us.

The princess has awakened. The starting gun has been shot. I will pace myself and post my winning time tomorrow.

My love, all my love,
Cassy