A day off...

I took today off because the kids didn't have school today. There are quite a few days in the next month that they do not have school, so I thought I would take a few of those days off with them. I am trying to get the house clean, so that I can enjoy the rest of the weekend, but can't seem to find all of my motivation. Oh, well, it is about 1/2-way done and I have the rest of the day to finish the other half.

Fridays at work are my favorite day of the week to work, and now, they are my favorite day to have off from work, too. I am becoming a work-junkie, and with convenient remote access, I can check my e-mails whenever I want (oh, lucky me!). So, it is hard, if not impossible, for me to resist the urge to check my work e-mail. Because, you never know, the place could burn down if I'm not checked in. But, there is so little e-mail traffic on Fridays, and what few e-mails I have had, I was able to easily address. It is nice to feel like I can actually have a day off without the stress of work hanging over my head. Kind of like a mini-vacay, :)

Today, Lilly and I ran into St. Cloud to run a few errands. It was gloomy and rainy outside, and I didn't really want to be running around. But Lilly was feeling, oh, so chipper. She blabbed on and on from the backseat, mostly to herself as she was playing with some dolls. Gradually, the noise became louder and louder, until she was singing at the top of her lungs. This continued for about 10 minutes, when she stopped. I told her, "Lilly, that was a beautiful song,", and she informed me that she just made it up because she felt like singing. It was so perfect. She has so much joy, at times (when she isn't being a drama queen, :-)because she finds happiness in simple things.

I have always believed that I am a happy person, a person who can find and share joy, a person who looks at the bright side, and who believes in the value of hard work and persistence. But, as life moves on, it is starting to wear me down, and at times, I feel like I am losing those parts of myself that I have always believed to be "me". I think that I have shifted my priorities, both out of necessity, and out of a belief to fit into a certain mold, and those priorities aren't necessarily conducive to joyful self-expression. I will treasure that moment with Lilly that we had today, and I will always encourage her, as well as Alex and Cameron, to take a moment to find joy and to share it with others.

On a different note, we had conferences for all three kids last night at school. It was nice to hear that they are all doing well. They have all been blessed with very good teachers who complement their personalities. It has been such a good school year, I hate to see it winding down. You just never know what the next grade will bring...it could be great, but it could be terrible. I guess we have to just wait and see.

Hopefully, it stops raining soon and the spring flooding isn't too bad. Apparently the Sauk River is one that is being watched closely, as there is potential for significant flooding. Last year, one of the playgrounds which is on the river, was almost completely underwater. Hopefully, it isn't any worse this year, since many homes and businesses in our community are very close to the Sauk.

Stay dry!!