{My Delayed Fairytale} Stories about life, love and Lily.

I haven't written for a while. Mainly because I keep thinking that I'm still on vacation. When I wake up in the morning, I reach for my swimsuit. When I go to bed at night, I dream about boats. I dream about living on a boat, steering a boat, sailing a boat, buying a boat and sailing it around the world. All of which are part dream and part nightmare. Then morning comes, and as I am reaching for my swimsuit, I remember, "Silly, you are home. Put some clothes on and get to work!" So I get to work.

Since being home, I have thought a lot about how life isn't always a vacation, but it can still be enjoyable and full of adventures. It's about enjoying my time even doing the simplest of tasks. It's about enjoying my family. It's about enjoying my surroundings. It's about not comparing myself to others and being grateful for the blessings I have. Sure, I'd love a vacation every week, but I also want to enjoy the rhythm of my life. Even the rhythm of the mundane and almost robotic part of it. I need to keep reminding myself that I can make my life as enjoyable as I want it to be. I just need to want it... and I do.

This past week, I am making an effort to soak LIFE in so that I'll never forget how happy it can be in spite of its challenges. Luckily, I am a happy person by nature. So, I am enjoying the flowers that spring has brought to my part of the world. I am enjoying the warmth of the sun on my face. I am enjoying the time I have with my little girl. Lily always seems to be happy regardless of her circumstances. I need to be more like her. Think about it; just learning to enjoy what we are given is, at times, difficult. Regardless, it is up to us to make our little corner of the world the best that it can be; filled with joy and full of happiness. (Or as close as we can get to it. I'm a realist.)

I am notorious for taking it all for granted. I am blessed and I need to recognize my blessings more by showing gratitude. Yes, I have trials, but it's about learning to enjoy and understand the trials that I have been given and finding joy even in the midst of them. Believe me when I say it has been a long road in learning how to be grateful for Lily's setbacks. In fact, at times, I forget about all this learned behavior in showing gratitude and start to feel REAL sorry for myself. After a few mopey cries, I pick myself up and remind myself that I get to have Lily and that is enough. Now, I choose to just be happy. I choose to be grateful. If I forget? Well then, it's time for another vacation.

Here are some rather happy moments this past week in my otherwise mundane but enjoyable life.

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My mom has a dollhouse behind her house. It is filled with everything miniature and something I could have only dreamed to have had when I was a little girl. My sister, Courtney, who is beyond talented; decorated, painted and refinished all the furniture with her magical touch. My little nieces spend hours playing in this dollhouse when they come to Nana's for a visit. So I figured it was about time that Lily enjoy it as well. As you can see from the photos, it didn't disappoint. She loved it.