Saturday, Smiles and Day 29

It is Saturday and you don't know how happy that makes me. It has been another long week. Still no tax money....so this may change things a bit during spring break but I am thinking we shall survive. And....I have the weekend off, then I work two days and then I am off for five. I need this more than anyone will ever know. Hopefully we can make the most of the time off and the kids will not want to kill me before the week is up.

Today has been glorious so far. I did not open an eye until 8 a.m. I never do that. I usually start waking up about 5 a.m. and never truly go back to sleep. This morning was a rare and wonderful treat. I have many plans today....but I have no intentions of rushing through any of them. I have to load up all my huge bed comforters and take them to the laundry mat. My washer had a conversation with me last week, wheezing to me that it was old and it needed better care. My poor little top loader from early 2000 is retaining water and can only start and stop intermittently..... and he just can't spin like he used to. The washer dr. did not give me a good prognosis when last he was out here and since it costs me $60 for him to just walk in my door, look at it and say...."yeah....it's old," I thought I better start being a little bit gentle with my little guy hopefully prolong his life. If not, the laundry mat and I are going to become real close friends real often. I am thinking putting a huge comforter in my little guy might just be a death sentence at this point.....so off to the laundry mat I will go.

I also am going to do my best to get in a workout today. Yesterday I did a circuit training workout and in it.....I ran almost a quarter of a mile. Now for you that run often....or are young enough to still have cartilage in your knees.....a quarter of a mile sounds pathetic I am sure, but to me it was a starting point. For my Feb. Adventure....I decided to do the 2 mi. River Run the first weekend in June, and while I still have plenty of time, I need to start training now. Of course I need to start slow....after all....I am old. But slow and steady wins the race and even if I never run again after the River Run, I have every intention of both starting and finishing that particular event. So now that I have started to train....expect to hear much more about it.

And today I am going to start and hopefully finish my chair March's Adventures (MA's) along with getting my little garden started. Events of this month have kind of put me behind a bit, but I plan on finishing what I started. I have also realized that like my February Adventures (cleaning out my closet and training for the River Run) my MA's are going to sprout other and ongoing adventures. The training will be ongoing until June and who knows I may decide to continue on even after the run. The closet sprouted new projects such as going through drawers, paperwork and just a general cleaning. My chair re-do is going to sprout an entire room re-do as I have decided where I am putting my finished chair and the room is going to have to be done around it. (The room needed re-done anyway). And then of course the garden. Once those seeds spout, they will have to be transplanted and then taken care of all summer. Hmmm. You know, when I started this whole monthly adventure thing, it was all to do some life changing for me. It was to open me up a bit and introduce myself to some new experiences or at least take me back to some things I hadn't done in a while. I had no idea just how great the suggestions I would get would be nor did I realize that these simple suggestions could truly be ongoing changes and experiences in my life. If I haven't told you guys yet....thank you! Your suggestions mean a lot to me....so please....keep 'em coming.

Well...I guess it is time to get this day started, but not before..........

The 30 Day Challenge!

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

Okay....there are many things that make me smile. Of course that shows my age again, because the older you get, the more you realize that many things are smile worthy. You just have to have the right perspective. So lets get the most obvious out of the way first. These two always (well most always) make me smile. Like you all didn't know they would show up on here!

This next one is no shock to anyone who truly knows me. I absolutely adore piggies. Don't ask me why, but I do. I have pig canisters in my kitchen, pig pot holders, pig figurines, a "piggy" bank, a pig calendar and even pig earrings. I love all things pig. They definitely do make me smile. In fact....they have been known to even make me squeal with joy a time or two. Go ahead....ask anyone who knows me...they'll tell you. Lisa loves pigs!

And sticking with the pig theme....something else that makes me smile is the book...If You Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff. I first remember this book when Z was little. I bought it because of course...it had a pig on it. It soon became a favorite at our house and the more we read it....the more we loved it. I mean what is not to like, pigs....pancakes...it is awesome. So now, whenever I run across this book, you can bet it will bring on a smile.

Switching from pigs to puppies brings on my next smiley, feel good thing. I love puppies and puppy pictures. My love of puppies has gotten me in trouble more than once in my lifetime. I used to be awesome at  bringing home strays, something neither my mother nor my husband found particularly smile worthy. These days though....I got my two little beasts who make me smile on a regular basis....when they are not being rotten!

And finally.....something that can bring a perpetual smile to my face is my memories of mine and Z's trip to Disney World in 2005. We went at Christmas time and it was absolutely unbelievable. It is a trip that brought us closer and helped us to create lasting memories. Our only regret was that David was too young to go at the time. We both hope that someday we can return to that magical place and share it all again....only this time with David there too! That was definitely a smile worthy memory!


So these are the pictures of what makes me smile. I hope maybe they made you smile too. So whether it be pigs, pancakes, puppies, Disney or something else....I hope this Saturday brings you much joy and lots and lots of smiles.