Rewards

Saturday was payday.

We got to witness the most rewarding sealing that I could ever imagine up

and revel in all the joy surrounding it.

To supplement the richness of the day,

Mia and I got the reward of donning the matchy dresses I sewed for the occasion,

and I personally got the reward of seeing my first multi-tiered cake come into

fruition & ingestion

(in spite of the all-too-realistic nightmares I had of it being mopped off the floor just minutes before the luncheon).

The fact that the Lilac City's lilacs finally decided to bloom is its own form of payment for the long winter we are just beginning to escape.

MORAL OF SATURDAY'S STORY:

as I am often being reminded by an ever-patient Deity,

rewards, big & small, are so worth the wait.

Winderthon III

Last week was our third annual Windermere Marathon (& half). We have slowly recruited more and more members of the R family to participate, and about 25% of our stake members are regulars, so it's more of a sweaty social event than anything else.

Although I am not (and never have been) an especially competitive athlete, I was pleased to have shaved a few minutes off my normal time. Here I am nearing the finish line & feeling grateful for encouragement from sideline cheerleaders (particularly for enthusiastic clapping from the random man in the green shirt).

As always, David was one of the top finishers in the full marathon.

Unlike my own self-preservation method, he believes in sacrificing everything he's got

(including his hair and most of his clothing).

Mia quickly arrived on scene to save the day.

My sweet SIL, Lexi, ran her first half and also proved to be a most enjoyable running partner. Joe was her support at the finish line because he didn't want to reveal the secret techniques that he'll debut in July's 50 miler, an the subsequent 100.

David's other runner brother and trail connoisseur, John:

Here is our matriarch marathoner finishing first in her age group!

Mia's little body can be spotted scrambling behind Gma's finish:

*SIL, Carrie, and almost SIL, Elena, also raced,

but they were a little too elusive for my camera to catch.*

...And thus commences our (mostly David's) 2011 racing season!

Mo. 23 & Printemps

We are at the end of counting Mia'a age in months and we can no longer contain her babiness with our sneaky vocabulary. In Mia's 23rd month, we are also coercing spring-time into sticking around by taking advantage of every moment it timidly shows up:

like squishing our toes in the garden soil...

...performing gratitude dances for the sunshine god...

....and just filling every second of friendly weather with outdoor activity.

Since most of this spring has been cold and rainy, however,

our Easter egg hunts have either been indoors...

...or shrouded in snow attire.

This month included some other exciting landmarks:

-the fact that I can nearly tame all of Mia's toddler fuzz into one, solitary puff

-my second official mother's day

(a holiday which speedily swung from painful to sweet once Mia finally decided to join us)

-an increase in Mia's already established accessorizing abilities

-reaching our peak imagination skills as we relax in the relative location of our future living room

-the transferring of laundry duty

AND best of all:

-the matching up of cousin T's surname with the rest of ours

(and prepping for his family's sealing!)

East Coast Margins

I decided today that I've moped around enough and because we did, after all, enjoy some nice moments in the margins of our mostly hellish April "vacation" to the East, that I might as well document them.

Returning to our corner of the inner west is always so painful to one's aesthetic sensibilities.

Why can't our neighbor's double-wide be replaced with this?

Or I'll settle for this...

The best part, of course, was visiting our friends & family!

Here are dear friends, Kathryn & Shannon:

Mia & I got spoiled and loved by Amanda, as always:

While in Annapolis, we visited the famous Chick & Ruth's Delly.

David thought that the menu was photo-worthy.

I'm grateful for a nice waitress who talked him out of the Man vs. Food Challenge.

We tried to soak up as much sunshine as possible before returning to dreary weather and the reality of our disappointment.

Luckily, Mia was unaware of our motives and just enjoyed the moment!

Thanks to some pleas for advice from veterans (most of which was to "break all your normal rules and just survive!"), we had some peaceful travel time.

Half a Decade = Expertise

It always seems silly to try and articulate how one feels toward anyone in a close relationship because everything seems to be oversaid or understated,

but this I can confidently & publicly declare:

Either five years of marriage has made us proficients, or my husband is just really easy to love...

...as is demonstrated in his giving me free reign over our anniversary celebrations.

Here they are:

one of my favorite, and not-so-manly, restaurants

followed by a Yorkshire moor (and not-so-manly) classic.