Windows Open

Isn't it a lovely day today.  The sun is shining, the weather is warm.  There's a nice breeze of fresh after rain air.  I love days like today.  The winter is gone and spring is here.  I love the smell of a freshly rained on earth.  Everything smells so clean and bright.
I had a lovely afternoon outing with the hubby and the little one.  I was on a mission to find maternity jeans since I think I donated my old ones to relieve myself of wearing them to long after Joey was born.  But sadly the maternity store in the mall is no more and I've only been able to find dress pants in Target's maternity section.  I need a pair of jeans, they're so crucial to my wardrobe.  At least this go around, I can stick to mostly yoga pants but I still need just one pair of maternity jeans.  They have to be around here somewhere, I'd really like to be able to try on a pair instead of ordering them online.
But I digress, Danny and Joey and I went to the mall and had a lovely lunch at Panera.  Joey and I got new sunglasses since I recently lost my pair somewhere and I just can't go out on a day like today without sunglasses without coming home with a massive migraine.  I actually had to keep my hoodie over my head and my eyes closed just to make it to the mall.  We also got Danny some new plugs and a cigar for his first official boardwalk-God walk of the season and to celebrate the end of mid-terms and the start of his first spring break.
I'm so proud of my hubby.  He's back in school and loving it.  He'd been out of school for 10 years and he's on the Dean's list at Gateway.  He may be stressed about some of his core classes but he always comes home from his Early Childhood Ed. class feeling renewed in his calling to open a bi-lingual daycare center.  I just know he's going to do so well.  The class even organized a group trip to a local Christian Day care during their spring break, separate from the curriculum, just because.
Danny's all excited to go because he was encouraged to take Joey.  And now Joey's all excited because she's been asking to go to school and now she gets to try one out.  She loves to learn and I'm so hoping that we can get her into the program at Gateway.  It'll be nice for her to have her school where Daddy has his school, especially since we can get the Grant for it for her.  I love her vibrancy and excitedness to learn.  Even when she starts to lose focus when I do school with her, she still hates putting it away and just wants to keep going.

I'm having a sappy mommy/pregnant lady day in case you hadn't noticed.  :-)  Hope everyone else is feeling the love today too!  Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Salty fresh goodness

I don't know what it is about the beach that is just so centering for me.  The salty fresh air (today it was slightly tainted by the smell of skunk), the rocks and the water.  It's a magical place for me.  I feel like everything will be o.k. when I'm at the beach no matter what my circumstances are.  Today it was muddy and still a little snowy but it's still the beach for me.  The seagulls cawing over head.  Joey throwing shells into the sea.  Danny and I taking turns pushing the stroller or carrying Joey around the massive puddles and piles of dog poo that got buried in the snow and are now re-appearing.  All the non fun bits are totally washed over by the fact that it's the beach.  The soothing wonderful beach.  The sound of the waves and the salty wind revive me.
I don't know what I'll do without it when we move to CO.  I'm an ocean girl, not a mountain girl.  But I'm sure I'll be able to find a rock and a babbling brook somewhere to still my soul.  That's what I used to do when I was in high school.  I'd go to the park and I had my little spot by the brook, and my tree by the pond.  I could watch the snapping turtles swim and the tad pole blossom.  I miss nature so much sometimes.  I need more nature! I really do.  I will have my place one day. Where that will be, I don't know.  God doesn't seem to be leading me to a firm place yet.  We're still in a transitional place as a family.  With another one on the way and a move to CO next year everything is all up in the air.
I don't know where I'll end up.  I don't even think I have a place that'd I'd prefer.  I mean I loved living in Philly, but I would not want to try and raise kids there. Delaware was nice and I always loved visiting but I've never lived there.  Kittanning, PA and the family farm will always have a piece of my heart, but I don't think that Danny could be that far away from everything.  Boulder, CO has definite potential but I've never been there and going now at God's urging and not my own so who knows where life will take me.  Hopefully somewhere warmer or at least sunnier.
I can't take all the grey and gloom of New England sometimes.  I need some more sun, I need to be not cooped up in the house so much.  I need to be outside and digging in the dirt and running around with my little one(s).