Airport Play Areas

We recently took a vacation.  To Alabama, as usual :).  Always worth it, don't get me wrong.  But Washington is on the opposite side of the States.  So this makes for a looooong day of travel.  Especially with 2 kiddos!  (And let's just say that we were particularly worried about how our little man would fare on the flights.  But we learned that he is just about as awesome a flyer as his sister is!).

Anyway, long day of travel.  And a 2 year old with a ton of energy.  And an airplane ride (or two) in which she will be required to sit almost 100% of the time. 

And that's why I think the person who developed the idea of airport play areas was a pure genius.  Pure.  Genius.  Or someone who has been there, done that with children.

So this was our first stop once we got through security at SeaTac!  It was so awesome.  Plus it had a family bathroom and a mother's nursing area attached.  Again -- genius!  We were able to stop and regroup while our Energizer Bunny ran around jumping on all these airplanes and such.  She was generally contained, and while we were always vigilant and watching, we didn't have to be as nervous about her wandering away and getting lost in huge airport. 

They had one of these in Dallas where we stopped on the way to Alabama.  They also had a small one in the Birmingham, AL airport.  We love them. 

Three cheers for airports with play areas!  They are the life-saver of parents with young children who are traveling all day :)!!


What are you grateful for today?

Motels

...Because sometimes, after 13 hours of driving -- with a toddler (and only 4 hours of sleep the night before), your eyes say they can do no more driving... and the contacts NEED to come out!  That's when I am really grateful motels exist.

What are you grateful for today? 

Olive Garden Lunch with Lea

Today was an all-around awesome day.  Productive too.  Although I did learn a lesson about how it's not exactly wise to go shopping on the 1st of the month when it's a Friday.  I think everyone got paid today.  Because they were all out at the grocery stores!

Ah well.  I'm sure I'll forget that lesson the next time the first of the month falls on a Friday. 

As part of the fun, Munchkin and I went to Olive Garden with Lea.  Then we hit Costco.  And it was all 100% awesome good times.  But there's just something about that soup, salad, and breadstick lunch that make that the absolute highlight :). 

It was a good day.  And this pretty much makes me grateful in a lot of categories!  Because it's only fun when it's fun.

What are you grateful for today?

Wal-Mart

It's funny...  There was a time when I looked forward to a day when I could afford not to shop at Wal-Mart. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the one-stop shopping thing.  And sometimes it really irks me that there isn't a Super Wal-Mart closer to me.  But still...  Sometimes Wal-Mart can be highly annoying.  Like when you wait 15 or 20 minutes for someone to show up at the fabric counter to help you. 

But, recently, we've been in the market for toddler shoes.  Like we were way overdue on getting some.  I'd looked at Target a few weeks ago and didn't find any shoes small enough for munchkin -- that weren't some exorbitant price.  I mean, I just don't think I want to pay $20 for shoes my munchkin won't wear for more than a couple months.

So today I made the trek to Wal-Mart.  Yeah, laugh...  But 15 or 20 minutes is a trek for me around here ;).  Haha.  But we went.  And we found shoes!  Granted, our selection was a little limited still.  Not because Wal-Mart's selection was small, but because my little girl has some thick feet.  I tried to put her feet in some cute sparkly shoes.  No dice.  So we ended up with a couple more plain pairs...  But it's all good.  She won't wear them long anyway, I'm sure :). 

Thus, today I was grateful for Wal-Mart.  Grateful they exist, that they have low prices, and that they had shoes I could get my sweet baby girl's feet into :).

What are you grateful for today?

City Parks

Though not as beautiful -- and warm -- as yesterday, today (for at least part of it) was a nice day.  And since I was taking the munchkin to baby story time anyway...  We left a little early and stopped by one of the city parks.

One with a baby swing :)!  I was so excited to have found out about this park from another friend.  I didn't even remember it existed, but I definitely will be going back! 

So today was full of some firsts for our little girl.  She did some swinging.  She wasn't too sure what to think of it.  She didn't cry.  She mostly just looked around at the other people who were visiting the park.

And she felt grass.  I even took her socks off.  She wasn't sure about that either!  She just sat there not touching it with her hands.  It was funny.

I didn't ever really think about it before; but I'm so grateful for these free parks that are kept beautiful, clean, and maintained so that I have a place I can take our girl on beautiful days.  I look forward to having a backyard one of these days, but until then, I'm glad there are options.  And I'm definitely looking forward to some sunny days ahead in which we can visit the park :).

What are you grateful for today?

Home

As much as I love to go and do, it's always nice to come home.  Even when we have had a blast elsewhere.

I've mentioned before that I'm grateful for our nice warm shelter...  which is our house. 

But I think it's also a blessing when that house is a home.  A place where I want to be.

There have been times in my life when the two didn't go hand-in-hand.  When home wasn't a place I enjoyed being, and I wanted to be anywhere but there.

Thankfully, those times have been few... and temporary.

I'm grateful for our home.  A place where love resides.  A place where we grow and learn, make mistakes and forgive, apologize and try again.  A place of comfort and peace.  A safe haven.  A sanctuary.  A place where we strive to have the Spirit reside.

Home. 

It feels good to be here.

What are you grateful for today?

Costco

Costco is an awesome store.  And not just because of the samples...  Though that is a bonus!

I have learned that baking items (like baking powder, cinnamon, and especially yeast) are a phenomenal deal at Costco.  And now that's where I buy them.

I have also learned that it's the best place to buy diapers and formula.  Especially when there is a coupon for Huggies!

The difficult thing is that the cost at check-out is never below $70...  But that's just the price of bulk!  And, in the long run, it makes all the difference.  And little by little, I'm discovering new items which are better to purchase at Costco. 

And the frozen yogurt that's only $1.35 (plus tax) in a giant cup...  The sweetest way to end the trip ;).

What are you grateful for today?

Our Safe, Warm Shelter

It's cold outside.  Last night, it got down to freezing.  And I'm pretty sure it will get there again tonight. 

But I had no idea how cold it was last night, because I was safe and warm inside our apartment.  It wasn't until we went on an early afternoon walk (because it was beautiful outside -- and I had no idea the temperature!) that I realized just how cold it was!  Because it was still cold at 1:00 this afternoon. 

And when we walked back in the door after our 10 minute walk as a family...  Oh the warmth felt so amazingly good.  And I just knew that needed to be my "grateful" for today. 

Because it is such a blessing to have a safe place to live.  A place to shelter us from really cold nights and blustery winds.  A place we can work to make a sanctuary and a safe place spiritually and emotionally as well as temporally and physically.  A place to call our own -- a place to make our home. 

It's kind of funny.... I walk in and out of our apartment almost every day.  And it isn't often that I realize what a blessing it is that we have such a nice place to live.  But it's definitely a wonderful thing that we have a roof over our heads, walls to keep out the weather, and warmth to keep us... well, warm.

It makes my life happy and cozy and comfortable.  It makes my little girl's life safe.

And for those things, I am grateful.

What are you grateful for today?

Libraries

I love libraries.

I could just stop there, but I won't.

I have used libraries for as long as I can remember.  The first library was the one on Fort Clayton in Panama.  I can remember going upstairs to the children's section and reading picture books.  And then, as I got older, I remember using the encyclopedia for a couple of school reports (one of which was on Sweden).  As time went on, they also started housing their videos up there, and we would go and check out VHS tapes.

Then I got really old and had to start typing up my reports, rather than just hand-writing them.  And that was a time when we might have had a computer, but it was an old Apple-type with green print on the screen; and then I don't think we had a printer.  Because I remember going to the library (again on Fort Clayton) and hunting and pecking my way through a paper on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None for Mrs. McDade's 8th-grade English class.  (Fortunately I learned to type the following year in high school!)

I also remember checking out CDs from that library, and books on hermit crabs -- after we managed to kill several of them and not being able to figure out why...  Turns out we were trying to make pets out of the wrong kind -- the saltwater kind.  And they didn't take too well to the fresh water we offered them.  After reading up on things, we knew how to catch the fresh-water crabs -- at night, with coconut, along the Causeway.

Then we moved to Dothan.  And guess where my very first job was...  Yep, a library.  I was a children's room worker, and I had an awesome boss.  And that's when I realized libraries weren't just great fonts of information -- they were also awesomely fun.  For real.  And maybe part of that is the people with whom I worked...  But I still attribute it to libraries, because they clearly attract some of the coolest people ever.  Because every library I've worked in has had just such people -- and I've worked in several libraries.  And I planned to make that my career (if I didn't get my first choice of getting married and being a stay-at-home mom); so I got my degree to become a professional librarian.

And okay, so it never happened that way.  But I still love libraries.  I love that I can get any book I want to read (pretty much) and it's free (as long as I return it on time!).  I love that I can borrow movies of all kinds and TV shows -- and I've been doing that a lot lately (including today -- and the movie I'm currently watching -- The Day After Tomorrow -- has a library that saves people's lives.  I'm just sayin'.).  And it's free!  I love that, in the digital age, I have access to all sorts of information through the virtual library collection.  And I also love that I can download some songs I like -- for free -- and to keep!  All because of libraries.

And yeah, I know there are predictions out there that libraries will one day disappear.  But they've been saying that for decades (I learned that in library school).  And maybe I'll be proven wrong...  But I, for one, will always enjoy the feel of a book in my hand -- even if it is cool to have like a kajillion books on one electronic gadget.  There's just something timeless about turning pages of paper.  And, the technology of paper never becomes incompatible ;).

So yeah, I totally love libraries.  They rock.  Always.  And I'm grateful for libraries -- for the memories, the tools, the pleasures, the entertainment.  I plan to be a library patron for the rest of my life, and I hope that it's always an option!

What are you grateful for today?

Sweet Home Alabama

It's kind of funny:  I wasn't born in Alabama.  I didn't grow up in Alabama.  I spent 10 years of my life in Alabama, though.  And somehow, it has ended up feeling like home. 

Talk about eating some crow.  Because I never dreamed I would feel the way I feel. 

I loathe the heat.  And if you've never had the privelege of "enjoying" an Alabama summer, let me just tell you:  it's HOT.  (And I'm serious about my feelings about the heat.  My friend Julie just told me that it's the only time she's ever heard me whine and complain -- when I'm hot in the South... haha.  I should probably work on that...).  The weather in Fall is beyond beautiful.  Pretty much perfect.  Not a cloud in the sky, with chilly nights and mornings and warm days full of sunshine.  This has been a pretty perfect week, weatherwise. 

I'm not really a huge fan of cockroaches either.  Being that I've never seen one in Washington, I kind of forget they exist until someone mentions them when I'm back visiting...

(Basically what I'm saying here is that you should never look for sweltering weather or roaches on my gratitude list...).

And yet, despite those things, Alabama is what feels like home now.  It's where my heart yearns to return -- for good.  (Shocking, I know).

Maybe it's because I became an adult here. 

Or maybe it's because I matured into adulthood here.  I graduated high school here.  Graduated college here -- twice.  I learned how to be independent and support myself here.  I made friends who are near and dear to my heart here (in other places too, of course, but this bears mentioning).  I made great memories here.

And though my heart yearns to come home for good, I don't know that we ever will.  It may never be right for our family. 

Regardless, though, I'll always be grateful for sweet home Alabama.  And I'll always love coming home, even if only for a short time.

What are you grateful for today?