Endorphins Alive!!!

We had a great weekend. N's parents drove down from Louisiana on Friday and visited with us all weekend; they left early this morning. Sunday was my little one's fourth birthday (how did THAT arrive so quickly) so on Saturday while she was visiting with her much enamored Grandparents, N and I went and picked up her new bicycle. We selected a metallic purple Barbie number with a pink backpack, very chic with the pre-school crowd, I hear. By the time we returned to the hotel, N's parents were quite tired and ready for us to be there, I think. They both seem younger than their years but the fact is that they are both in the early years of 80, and having an energetic-beyond belief four year old who is excited because it's her birthday and her Grandparents are around, can be exhausting! Little One loved her bike!!!!! I'm glad that I had the video camera poised for action when she opened the door (I snuck into the house first and waited for her to come in). Her little face reflected surprise first, then a grin slowly spread from ear to ear and she was all over that bike like ticks on a dog. The next several minutes were spent riding up and down the street, with me trailing behind, video camera in hand, trying to capture her first biking experience for posterity. I'm glad her Grandma and Grandpa were here to share in the moment. It was a good day, indeed.

This morning, just when I was about to talk myself out of going to the gym, I read the blog of a fellow blogger (thank you, Ellen!!!) and was inspired to get my butt out the door. I love going to the gym once I get there, but getting out the door on time can be dicey at times; I need to implement some serious schedule changes for myself (ie, waiting until night time or the afternoon to enter the domain of the internet, into which I can easily disappear for an hour at a time). Arming myself with a Johnny Cash CD and a water bottle, I hit the treadmill, ran for two miles, and felt great afterward. Add to that some work on the weights and I left the gym feeling energized and happy that I'd gone; had I not, I would have spent the day lamenting about the fact that I didn't work out after eating cake and all sorts of other evil foods over the weekend. I hate that after a woman hits the age of 36 she can't eat to her heart's content anymore, without serious repercussions. Nowadays my normal lifestyle has to include more healthy eating, working out, stretching, following creative endeavors and being spiritually centered. It's a good plan but some days more difficult to follow than others. I am also home pre-schooling my daughter-not too hard at this stage, but since I'm setting the groundwork for probable future homeschooling I have lots to learn and am spending quite a bit of time learning about what I need to do to raise a healthy and happy child, beyond the common sense stuff. It's a good Monday today!!!