Winning

This week, my mom and I went to Keenland, the local horse racing track. I absolutely love going there. The races run in April and October, my two favorite times of year. In April, the dogwoods and red buds are in full bloom and spring has settled across the bluegrass. In October, the air is crisp and the maples are blazing with orange and red. The atmosphere is charged with excitement and history. Usually we don't bet. It's fun enough just to be there watching the horses being led around the paddock before a race. It's fun enough to see the tiny jockeys in their bright riding gear. But this time we thought we would try our hand at betting. One of the jockeys waved at me and that sealed the deal. I made my first $2 bet. I won!! Of course the horse was favored to win and I had only bet for him to place. So I won a grand total of $3.20. But the thrill of seeing him sprint across the finish line sent my heart to pounding. I literally screamed with excitement. It was a wonderful wonderful moment.

Adoption

My dear friend Heather and her husband are working towards adopting a baby from Russia. She told me the other day how amazing it is to think that her baby might be growing in a woman's belly right now. That is such a beautiful image. Heather is trying to raise money for the adoption by selling children's books. I am going to buy some to have on hand for baby showers and birthday parties. I thought I would include the link to her adoption blog in case any of you would like to help her as well. That would definitely make her (and her future baby) smile.

Middle Class Life

So I guess it is true. As my friend Nicole points out, I am officially middle class. Even though I've been working for two years now, it still comes as a surprise to me that I can actually afford things that I previously thought were crazy and only for rich folks! For example, our dogs now go to "doggie daycare." This sounds absurd, right? Well, in our defense, they go just one day every other week. They love it. They get to play all day with all kinds of dogs and people. They get great exercise and socialization. As I type this, I realize that it is actually really embarrassing to admit that we are concerned about our dogs' socialization skills :) Are we ready for the loony bin? Here is another example. I bought some meals from "Dream Dinners." It's like going on the food network! You pick a number of meals from a monthly menu, then you go to the shop and make them. They do all the prep for you. When you arrive, preferably with some super girl friends, they hand you an apron, turn on some music and set you loose. Everything is washed and chopped and ready to go! You just stand at your little counter and compile your meals like you are Paula Dean herself. You follow the recipes, or venture off a little if you'd like, and at the end you take home meal after meal to put in your freezer for future days. Again, I am so embarrassed. I feel the need to tell you that mine averaged out to be about $5 per serving. So, am I going crazy or just taking advantage of some fun opportunities? Hmmm.... In the spirit of this blog, I must also admit that both of these adventures, regardless of how silly they are, definitely make me smile :)

Haines, Alaska

Larry and I found our idea of paradise in Haines, Alaska. We found ourselves wanting to wake up there every morning. Although, I'm not sure I could actually make it to work with the scenery you have to pass on the drive into town. I imagine folks would say, "Well she still isn't here. Must have stopped to watch the brown bears again." Really you can insert any number of words for "brown bears." You could say eagles, seals, whales.... To describe Haines is to risk sounding like a travel add. You just can't help it. "Haines is located on the shores of Lynn Canal, the deepest, longest fjord in North America. Surrounded by snow-capped mountains and hanging glaciers, it is home to some of the most stunning scenery and wildlife you may ever see." Maybe they should hire me to advertise for them! It also didn't help that before going there, I read this book written about the life and people of Haines. By the time we rolled into town I felt as if I knew everyone personally.

I wish I did.

One new thing

While we were on vacation we met this national geographic photographer Paul. (I must admit I could have had a slight celebrity-type crush on him. Larry, on the other hand, claimed that he did not appear to like girls.) Anyway, during our conversation Paul mentioned that he likes to try to see at least one new thing everyday. I loved this idea. It was easy on vacation because each day we were seeing amazing things like the alepenglow on Mount Denali, orcas spy hopping, puffins, and bears pulling salmon out of the river. But, I'd like to try this idea out at home too. Maybe it will help me notice things in my world that I would have otherwise stepped right on by.