A Great Meal

The Daily question for today is…  “What was your last great meal?”

Mmmm…  Anyone who knows me, knows I love food.  I love trying new foods.  I love cooking and baking and trying new recipes. (Which is probably why I’m needing to lose some weight…  Ha!)

But my last great meal?  I didn’t have to think long – it was last weekend!  The epitome of simplicity and “ordinary.”

Kabobs.  Over a campfire.  Oh yum.

Steak.  Chicken.  Red bell peppers.  Green bell peppers.  Small portabella mushrooms.  A little teriyaki.

Campfire smoke.

Fresh air.

Listening to baby in the tent, giggling with Daddy.  Feeling relaxed and thankful.

Great meal.  (Isn’t it funny?  The food tasted great – but just as important was where I was and what I was feeling.)

What was your last great meal?

Camping Out…

Camping out…  is a lot different than it used to be!

My hubby and I love to camp.  Love it.  And we’re good campers.  Happy campers.  Efficient campers.  We’ve got this down – whether it be car camping or a short backpacking trip.  We’ve got it.

Til baby came along.  Ha!  We’re bound and determined to continue camping…  It’s just that it’s… a little different these days.

We get to camp on a Friday night, around 5pm.  While Mike sets up camp, Sawyer and I play and read books on a picnic blanket.  And he eats dinner – while trying not to make such a mess that the bugs swarm!  It’s tricky, but we do it!  By the time his dinner is gone and cleaned up, it’s “supposedly” time to get ready for bed.  I start the bedtime ritual while my hubby is making the campfire and beginning to cook our dinner.

Bedtime?  Are you kidding?!  We get the jammies on, read a couple of stories, say our prayers, have a bottle, sing a little…  And then?  Well, apparently it’s playtime!

Sawyer loves the tent.  Loves that he’s laying beside us and can roll over and grab our face at any time.  (It gives him the giggles.)  He wants to crawl, to stand, to roll in our sleeping bags and over our pillows.  He stares out the door at the kids walking by.  He hears dogs barking and perks up to see what’s going on.  I gotta say, it is pretty fun laying in the tent with him…

All of a sudden, Daddy comes to play in the tent, and tells me to go eat my dinner.  Seriously?!  He’s made and eaten his dinner already?!  Time goes fast when you’re trying to get a little one to sleep…

So we switch roles.  I go out to the campfire and eat my delicious kabobs.  And in the tent?  It’s not any quieter…  I can hear laughing and giggles.  That kid is not going to sleep anytime soon.

They emerge from the tent at 8:30.  Sawyer’s having the time of his life.  And I’m realizing there will be no “mommy and daddy time” at the campfire tonight.  And that’s ok.  He’s a happy kid.  And this is what it’s all about, right?

The magic of being outside as the sun sets.  The smell of the campfire.  The flames dancing and hypnotizing anyone who looks at them – including the babe.  The fresh air.  The scent of rain coming.  Hearing thunder in the distance…

Oh wait!  What?  Is that rain I feel?

Yep…  Quick, into the tent!  A downpour!  Thunder!  Lightening!

I was a little nervous.  Sawyer’s eyes were big – yet, he played harder than ever at first…  And then passed out in my arms during the heaviest part of the storm.  Oh dear…

An exciting night.  That’s for sure.  Not what we expected.  Not what we planned.  But I’m so appreciating our ability to enjoy it for what it is.  And loving how well Mike and I work as a team.  We may not get much time together at the campfire…  But we love seeing Sawyer wiggle and giggle and hear each other’s laughing, too.  We’ll figure this out the more we do it.  But for now, it’s not exactly a bad way to spend a Friday night.  We’ll take it!

Remembering Today

“What do you want to remember about today?”

The fact that it is an ordinary, everyday kind of day.  Nothing extraordinary is happening.  Nothing spectacular.  Nothing over the top crazy fun.  It’s just a day.

And it’s worth remembering.

Remembering…

…Sawyer’s big smile and giggle when I went in to get him this morning – sitting up in his crib, gripping his monkey, bouncing up and down with excitement as Mommy wished him “Good morning!”

…Toys and blankets scattered all over the floor in the loft.  Giraffes, mooses, books, balls, rattles, a “minky” blanket, the star that plays classical music when shaken…  All kinds of fun to be had!

…His first glimpse of Elmo.  A big smile.  Suddenly interested in what it is happening on the TV.

…The drool-y, messy, open-mouthed kisses that have begun.

…Walking away to change the laundry, and peeking back to see Sawyer crawling towards things that are off-limits – with a grin on his face.  Oh boy!

…Watching the dog sprawl on the blankets, til the little boy make a beeline for her.

…The hubby coming home for a quick lunch break – with kisses for both of us.

…Sawyer giggling with black beans, sweet potatoes, and cereal in his mouth – and oozing out…  What a mess!

…The fragrance of clean laundry.

…The warm taste of fresh coffee in the morning.

…Catching a glimpse of this:

…The feeling that life is good.  I’m where I’m supposed to be.  I’m loved – and have so much to love in return.

 

What is worth remembering about your day?

Happy Place

When you’re told to think of your “happy place,” what comes to mind?

I was realizing yesterday that at this time last year, we were gearing up for our ten day road/camping trip to Glacier National Park in Montana…  That, my friends, is my happy place.  In fact, in my birthing classes, when we talked about visualizations, I would picture kayaking on Lake MacDonald…

Today, there is a cool breeze blowing through my window…  And I’m remembering sitting at our campsite, looking out over the lake, listening to the breeze and the birds and the chipmunks…  It was simply perfect.  Beautiful.  Peaceful.

A perfect place to visit just before welcoming our son into the world.  And I can’t wait to take him there!

Isn’t it interesting to think about the term, “happy place?”  What makes Glacier my place over sitting at the kitchen table?  Or the pool?  Or playing on the floor with the pooch and the kid?  (Not that those aren’t happy places!)

I think for me, a total introvert, it’s about the re-charge.  In a place with fresh air, cool breezes, quiet, few people, the smell of yesterday’s campfire lingering in the air and on our clothes…  It’s the simplicity that makes me smile.  The lack of obligations and duties.  The ability to sit and daydream – or go on an afternoon adventure and discover new things.  It’s making it up as we go along…  And doing it all with my favorite person in the whole world…  I love it.

And I wonder when we’ll get to do it again…?

Where’s your Happy Place?