Smile!

It's been a yucky week so far. Thank God that the weekend is the day after tomorrow! I decided to change my attitude because I can't change anything else. As I was walking the trails on my lunch hour today, I decided to compose a list of things that make me smile and or happy. And yes, I now have the "You're never fully dressed without a smile" from the musical Annie stuck in my head.

Of course I'll start out my list with my family. You don't have anything if you don't have your family. The magnitude of their love and support astounds me daily. They always are able to bring a quick smile or laugh for me.

Take for example the other day. 2 1/2 year old Leah and I were playing outside. We came across a Caterpillar making it's way across the driveway. (Note: Until recently, Leah hasn't been a big fan of bugs. We've been trying to teach her that she doesn't need to be afraid of them because she is much bigger than them and can squish them if they get too close for comfort.) Leah crouched down next to the insect and began to relate to me Eric Carle's Very Hungry Caterpillar story. About how the Caterpillar munches its way through a variety of edibles before becoming a butterfly. "This caterpillar find 1 apple, Jo Jo" she says. I crouch down next to her expecting to hear the entire story told as only a toddler can tell. Then suddenly, Leah stands up and stomps on the unsuspecting caterpillar. "I squishing the bug Jo Jo, I squishing the bug." I fell down laughing at that point. So much for that Hungry Caterpillar. Leah apparently conquered her fear of bugs in a hurry. You go Girl!

Next on my list of things that make me smile/happy is Red Wings hockey. I was excited to see that one of my favorite Red Wings re-signed with the team for another year. Congrats on the contract Downey! With the addition of Hossa and the re-signing of Brad Stuart, things are looking good for a possible repeat of winning the Stanley Cup next season. And along with all those off season signings, comes the idea that my vacations are not far away. (BIG SMILE!!)

I usually take 2 small vacations a year. One of which is attending the Red Wings Training Camp each September. I've been attending the training camps for almost 10 years now. I meet a bunch of my friends up there and we watch the Wings and hang out together. Fun fun fun!!

Another thing I added to my list was Christmas. Did you guys know that there's only 18 weeks left until Christmas? I love Christmas. In fact I usually start counting down to the next Christmas the day after Christmas.

I realize that this is a rather long blog for such a short list, but I only had an hour for lunch and that was all I could come up with at the time. But those 60 minutes of focusing on happy things really brought my spirits up. This may be a crappy week, but at least I'm alive to live it. It could always be worse.

Hope you're all having a good day. I'll talk at ya later. I'm off to take a nap. Not because I'm tired but because naps also make me happy!

Ok, say it with me everyone, On the count of 3.

One.... Two.... Three!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHH!

What I wouldn't give for a Staples® Easy Button™ right now. This week has been a lesson in aggravation. And it's only Tuesday! I swear that I've talked or dealt with every idiot/moron in the entire world. I've been sent on wild goose chases, yelled at by patients at work, and even blocked out of my apartment complex. (They re-surfaced the parking lot yesterday.) I AM SO FRUSTRATED!

I guess I shouldn't be so surprised that it's been a hard couple of days. The full moon was just this last Saturday. Mistakenly I thought the shenanigans associated with full moons would be gone after the actual week containing the full moon. And boy, some of those were doozies! The

emotional me is screaming some chocolate and a massage. The logical me wishes simply for something (anything) to go right and hopefully soon.

This last weekend was so much fun. Which is why this week seems so awful by comparison. We took 2 1/2 year old Leah to A day out with Thomas the Tank Engine. She loved it and was jumping up and down with excitement. Other than one small glitch at the beginning, the entire day was close to perfect.

Right now I'm busy sorting stuff for a garage sale. (Yes, still.) But now it's down to the wire as Labor day weekend is the official date of the scheduled sale. That gives me a week to get everything sorted, priced, and to the location of the sale. (Grandpa's loaning his garage since I live in an apartment and don't have one of my own.) Slapping a 25 cents price tag on everything is looking really good at this point.

Well, I've got to get back to work. I'll talk at ya'll later!