The Good Stuff

The other day as I was driving I once again found myself hearing a song's lyrics in a way I hadn't before.  I was listening to The Good Stuff by Kenny Chesney.  And once again, it's a song I've heard numerous times before, but for some reason the lyrics seemed to speak to me a little louder this time.

The story of this song is a guy going into a bar after fighting with his lady, and ordering the good stuff from the bartender.  But the bartender says you can't find that here.  According to him, the good stuff is things like "the first long kiss on a second date," or "a new t-shirt sayin' I'm a grandpa."  That's the good stuff.

So of course, this got me thinking about the good stuff in my life.  For me, it's the four tails wagging when I walk in the door (and yes, even the excited barking).  It's the kiss every morning as Tim leaves for work (or when we both leave for work when it's not summer.)  It's that first sip of coffee.  It's the feeling when your head hits the pillow after a long day.  It's the excitement of the first green blade of grass in spring, or the first snowflake of the winter.  It's hearing your baby rustle and babble in their crib across the hall.  It's a good burger fresh off the grill. 

So often we get so caught up in life...jobs, responsibilities, bills, worries...that we forget about the good stuff.  Thanks to Henry, I have a much bigger appreciation for the good stuff.  Thanks to Henry, even in the darkest days I can find a least a little ray of light.  Perhaps it's because Henry is now my ray of light that I carry with me in my heart!

Florida

I don't know why I was so nervous to take Henry to Florida...I was scared he'd be fussy on the plane (even though rarely was he ever fussy)...I was scared he'd be anxious around so many new people (even though he LOVED people)...I was afraid he wouldn't sleep well or eat well (even though at three months he was already a great sleeper and eater)...I was afraid it would be a hassle to haul all his stuff (even though I had Tim and my dad drove some of the big stuff down for us).  Thankfully, making the trip was more important than all of my worries!

And those worries were just silly.  Henry was a fabulous traveler.  I mean, let's be honest, Henry was really just a fabulous baby.  On the plane he snuggled happily and slept or watched whatever we were watching on the iPad, and even when he blew out his diaper on takeoff he just chilled and let me change him...on my lap...in the cramped window seat.  Once we got to Florida, he was content to be held by anyone and everyone.  Tim and I could leave him at the house with someone and go get coffee, and he was fine.  At the wedding reception there were times we lost sight of him (knowing, of course, that he was still in the venue) and he didn't mind a bit.  He LOVED swimming in the pool and the Gulf (both of which were bath water warm), and he napped happily on the beach.

I am forever grateful that we did things with Henry...whether a trip to Florida, a visit to the pumpkin patch, or just taking a walk with the dog (you know, back when we weren't crazy and only had ONE dog) or snuggling for a snooze.  It wasn't ever a chore to have Henry with us...in fact, we rarely did anything WITHOUT him.  I know had he grown older, there would have been more times that we would have done things without him.  But for his short life, he knew love and happiness, and that is something I will never regret.

Because...this...sweet perfection... <3

To my husband on his birthday

To my dear husband,

I am so grateful that you were born an undisclosed number of years ago (a lady never discusses someone's age, and we both know what a lady I am...) It may have taken me many of those years to find you, but you were more than worth the wait.

Before you, I dated, I had boyfriends, I even had boyfriends that I thought I might marry one day.  I shed many tears when relationships ended, and often thought I would never find the perfect man for me.  I planned on becoming a cat lady, even though I really am more of a dog person, because I didn't want to admit that I was a bit lonely...that I was missing my other half.  Then one day, you invited yourself to coffee, and before I knew it, I had found my missing half.

There are so many great things about you I could probably fill a book.  But the thing I love the most about you is that you love me...and you love me just the way I am.  You don't wish I looked just a little different, you don't wish (at least out loud) that I were just a little less crazy, and you don't judge me when I burst into tears because I don't know what to wear.  You let me yell at you for scraping my car windows wrong, you let me sulk and have bad days, and you never seem to take it personally.  I know that I can be hard to live with sometimes, let alone love, yet you seem to do so without pause.

God knew what he was doing when he put you in my life.  He knew I would need someone strong, loving, caring, and kind to hold on to through tough times.  He knew I would need someone sweet and funny and fun loving to laugh with through good and bad times.  We haven't had it easy, but we're making it through...together...and I wouldn't want it any other way.

I hope today, your birthday, is just as wonderful as you are.  I hope you feel all the love surrounding you from near and far.  I hope you know just how loved and admired you are by so many, especially me.  And I hope you know how lucky I feel to be the woman by your side.  You are MY superhero.  I love you on your birthday, on every day, always and forever.

With love from your lucky, lucky wife,
Jelly Bean

My Words

Last week, I did it.  I clicked on one of those Facebook app links...you know, the one that says What are Your Most Used Words?? (Or something along those lines.)  I did so assuming mine would be full of negativity...sadness...just plain yuck.  So I was incredibly surprised with my results!

Now maybe this app filters out the "yuck", but I like to think that perhaps I have found ways to keep a positive outlook.  Am I always positive? Of course not. Is it always easy to find something good? Nope. Is the work and energy to look at the bright side worth it? Absolutely.

It would be so easy to stay bogged down in sadness, to focus on what my life is missing. And there are days when I do just that. But that's not where I want to live my life. So I find the good things...do things I like doing...spend time with the people I love. It takes effort, it takes energy, but it is worth it.

Think about your words...what would your cloud look like? What do you want it to look like? Make the changes you need to make, and change that cloud from an ominous thundercloud to a white and fluffy cotton ball.  If I can do it, anyone can!

I've been pretty quiet on here lately...life has been mainly status quo.  I have been enjoying summer.  I've gotten a few projects done (though I have several left to go, and now we're coming up on the downhill slide of summer!) read a few books, watched a *little* TV, and gotten LOTS of puppy snuggles.  So that's where I've been - busy doing mostly nothing!

Today, on one of the Facebook pages I follow, I read the following quote: "Think of the joy a firework display brings.  It has a tremendous burst of energy and color.  It causes those viewing it to be overcome with 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as they watch from afar.  The tremendously beautiful lights cause a spectacular feeling to erupt from your core being.  There are people in our lives that are like that; they bring forth tremendous bursts of color and beauty into our lives, and then they are gone and stop without warning.  After the firework display is over, we can hold onto their memory as the sky turns dark again, but we will always have that wonderful memory tucked away.  And the capability of having a memory is a gift from God so we can always see the sparks in our mind."  ~Ron Heitmann

As I read this, I immediately thought of Henry.  He was definitely a burst of energy and color, beauty and love.  And although he is gone, that beauty and love remains tucked away in our memory.  I have tucked away the feeling of rocking him to sleep, the sound high-pitched gasps he made as he drank his bottle, the sight of his beautiful smile, and even the smell of some of his world-class blowouts.  And although some memories fade with time, the brightness of these memories will stay with me forever.

On this holiday weekend, enjoy the sights and sounds of those beautiful lights in the sky, and enjoy the memories of any bright lights gone too soon from your life.  Happy 4th!