Hello Monday: Snippets Of Here And There

This post was inspired by Lisa Leonard's series, Hello Monday.

Hello Monday and hello to rampant yucky colds going all around, all three of us cooped up together since Friday. I'm grateful to have a lovely home to cough in though. We have lived here for a year and it is crazy how quickly that year went!

Hello to a Valentine's Day that was spent with canceled plans, my 4 year old Valentine in a Merida dress up dress, red hair a mess, holding hands with me on the couch while watching a Charlie Brown Valentine Special. (How many times can I say Valentine in this paragraph?) Hello to admitting it is okay to feel disappointed when things don't go as you wished, but allowing room for unexpected joy in quiet places. Olympic viewing, laughter at ourselves over how pathetic previously mentioned colds have made us feel, and an excuse to sample shakes from a brand new place.

Hello to giant heart Lush bath bombs.

Hello to making smiley faces out of your pills. An incredible dad on this Cystinosis journey started this on Facebook and every morning my feed is filled with creativity in what can sometimes be the harsh realities of this disease. I'm working on a big post about it and I'm glad he reminded me to look at the notion of "smiling keeps you alive" in a whole new light.

Hello to the gorgeous key gLocket. I'm obsessed. I wear mine on a long chain every single day. 20% off with code HAPPYGIRL at gLockets.com

Hello to a red velvet cupcake ballet smile that is both equal parts creepy and precious.

Hello to yummy, quick, and easy paleo dishes; chicken taco salad with mangoes and guacamole, and chicken salad with grapes. I'm dipping my toes into paleo and I am so refreshed with how incredible my stomach feels! For 29 years I have felt that all of my stomach issues were from cysteamine (the harsh medication used to treat Cystinosis) but I might be sensitive to gluten and dairy. (I will be sharing more about this soon!) It is a revolutionary path and I'm excited to see where it takes me!

Hello to the cutest thing ever when Rory took Sook on a date to the Waffle Love truck last week when I was at book club. He also brought home two new pets from their date night; little frogs Sookie promptly named Stella & Sam (after her favorite books and show.)

Hello to new Sookie birthday kitty towels that are so soft I want to wrap myself up in them forever.

Hello to happy momma tears as she practices writing her name. I celebrate with her and count my lucky stars I'm here, ALIVE, to watch her grow up like this. It is stunning. It is brilliant. It is really happening.


What are you saying hello to?