A local ice cream place was having a promotion, saying goodbye to the last warm days of the year. Free ice cream! So the boys and I indulged after school today. One scoop in a cup for me, and a cone for the boys. Yum! Free ice cream. Yummy joy! Need I say more?
I absolutely adore the Hint Water (Blackberry flavor) that you can pick up at Starbucks. I have been searching for it and searching for it in our grocery stores but to no avail. So I googled it and found out I can get it at Whole Foods. Whole Foods is a little over an hour away from me so I have to plan our trips in advance. Next week I'm going to go and pick up my new favorite drink. For today, there is joy in knowing that I can buy it in bulk to keep on hand in our home!
I am a Disney nut. Or Disney dork, as my daughter would say. I love everything Disney. Especially Walt Disney World. I've visited over 20 times and my friends and family turn to me for help planning their trips. I'm helping two friends now and every time I sit down at the computer to work on their schedules or putting together the tips I've learned along the way? Joy. Simple, pure, joy. Every single minute.
And not just any new recipe. A new recipe that is a hit. With the entire family. And they all asked for me to make it again. My son even asked if I would make it again tomorrow! And the next day after that. I have some picky eaters in my house. So when I hit on something like this? Joy doesn't even begin to describe!
Saying you have a teenage daughter in the house is kind of misleading. I mean, she may, technically, live here. But she's rarely home. And when she is? She's holed up in her room. Or entertaining friends in the TV room. So a day when I can knock on her door and say, "Hey, you wanna go see a movie with me?" and she's says "Sure!"? Pure joy!
My youngest is afraid of heights. And we have a massive, amazing pool slide at our neighborhood pool. It has intimidated him every season. We went to the pool last week and he finally mustered up enough nerve to go down. But it was closed. No extra guard on duty to supervise. I promised him, if the weather was still warm enough, that I'd take him today. It was. So I did. He LOVED it! And he went down a total of 21 times! We had a blast. He can't wait until next season. The joy in his face was so amazing to witness. My favorite kind of joy!
This weekend it's supposed to turn cold. Our outdoor pool in our subdivision will be closing on the 30th. I've been swimming a couple days a week since June. And this morning, I think I just had my last swim of the season. Oh sure, I might try to bring the boys this weekend. But for me, that silent, private swim time? This morning was it, I think. I might try next week, if I feel brave. But today I just want to recognize (again) how much joy swimming brings me.
