In my real life, Miami Beach vacations are certainly not a thing of the norm.  In fact, had it not been for my momma & I’s traditional Leap Day trip to celebrate life, then I may have never seen the beauty of South Beach.  In my REAL LIFE  I cherish the beauty of the little things.  A few of the little things that I have been appreciating over the last several days. 

The Ability/Flexibility to Try New Things

• Mojitos – About 9 out of 10 people were enjoying these refreshing looking drinks while we were in Miami.  I decided to take the dare and try one even though I normally do not care for hard alcohol.  I thought I might get lucky since Mojitos have ingredients that I like:  lime, mint, rum.  Unfortunately, the end result didn’t work for me.  It was disgusting I didn’t like it at all.  I had trouble finishing it, which says a lot since half the glass was filled with lovely greenery.  Mojito – YUCK!
• Birkenstock Sandals – I have never been a fashionista but I’m certainly not earthy either.  The Birkenstock craze was huge in college but I never jumped on the band wagon.  I mean, really, why would I pay the same amount of $$ for sandals as I would a good pair of running shoes?  It seemed insane at the time, particularly when they didn’t fit my “style”.  Well time changes almost everything.  I saw a pair of these babies in Miami and they have come a long way in the style department.  Plus when I slid them on my feet, they had a lot of support particularly for the Plantar muscle.  Sold.  Birkenstock – YAY!
• Mom tried raw oysters!  Wow!  She is good about trying new things but let’s just be honest, raw oysters aren’t an easy sell.  She thought they were “good” but didn’t really understand the point of eating something that you aren’t supposed to chew.  Good point but I still like them.  🙂  Raw Oysters – ???

The Homecoming

• Seeing the family.  As a busy mom, I loved going away for a few days and having zero responsibilities, being able to just lounge, do whatever caught my fancy, and being able to eat out at nice restaurants; however, by the end of the trip, I was also anxious to get home to the kiddos and hubby.  I missed the craziness of being with the kids.  And they loved the fact that I was home for about 5 minutes before they started fighting and making demands.
• Sleeping in my own bed.  Who doesn’t prefer their own bed over any others?  I really don’t like to stay overnight anywhere other than my parents.  They have a good bed for me and Michael and it’s comfortable and I’m used to it since I stay there a lot.  But otherwise, I don’t even want to stay at a friend’s house because I am just not comfortable.  I normally do not do well in hotels either.  Thankfully the Miami hotel had a good bed and sleeping was good but normally, I’m not a fan.
• My dog.  I have a Weimaraner, LibLib, who is my baby.  Unfortunately, Michael now demands more attention than her and OUR cuddle time is much less than pre-Michael.  However, I love this dog more than most people and I miss her when I’m gone.  She is my heart, soul, and my very best bed warmer.  No electric blanket needed, I have LibLib. 

Back to Reality and a Schedule

• I like a good schedule.  That’s how I get through life.  Organization and Time Management are key ingredients to Making It Happen.
• Quality time with Aby.  It is always nice to steal some quality time with the oldest while hubby is picking up Michael by taking a short run.   Now that track season is on the horizon, all of a sudden, I’m more in demand with my oldest because she wants to go running to be in shape for the season.  I think we probably missed the “in shape” boat by a month or more but I’ll suck up take all the quality time I can get with her while she still likes me.  Last night we did a windy 3 miles on our country roads.

• Wednesday Night F’N Runs.  Wednesday is now my favorite day of the week because I have locked it in as a Run Day with the F’N Running Club.  It certainly isn’t easy for the family to make it happen but we have somehow managed it for the last 5 months.  I am hoping we can continue to manage it, even with Aby’s track schedule.  We shall see.  But this week, I’m in and soooo looking forward to it!

What little things in real life to you cherish and try to appreciate?

Happy Running,                                                                                                                 Amanda – TooTallFritz