Contentment

We are a happy family.  But like all families, I think sometimes we take for granted how wonderful our lives really are.  How often do you take a step back and count your blessings?  Which, BTW,  is one of my favorite Christmas songs.  The Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby version only, though.

I think the answer for all of us is, "not nearly enough."  While I keep a happiness journal of one good thing that happens every day, I still get lost in the daily grind, routine, rut. Whatever you want to call it.

Friday night, I was one of the very privileged Coloradans to see Keith Urban play at Red Rocks.  Red Rocks Amphitheater is only about 20 minutes from my house. It's a park. People exercise there. It hosts high school graduations and Easter sunrise services.  And there are concerts several nights every week from mid-May through late-October.  I've been several times and it's fun.  It wasn't until Keith Urban moved into the middle of the crowd, about four rows down from me and told us WHY artists have Red Rocks on their bucket list of performances that I really began to appreciate how fortunate I am to have this in my "backyard."  It really is an amazing venue and no place on Earth has a better view.  From that point on, it seemed that my blessings flooded my thoughts.  And in that moment, I felt utterly content.  Completely happy. And so incredibly blessed to have the life I have, and I wouldn't change a thing.  I wish I could have captured the next several minutes on camera, but I got bits and pieces:

And just after we took this "selfie," Keith Urban sang my favorite song of his, "Without You" when I saw fireworks erupt from three places in the south-Denver metro area festivals.  It was breathtaking.  Absolutely breathtaking.

And the weekend didn't end there! I've been on new Asthma medications (two new ones plus my rescue inhaler) which helped me have the best long run I've had in a LONG time.  After I logged seven miles, I called my mom and told her of my dream that my sister-in-law had gone into labor that day.

As soon as I got off the phone and out of the shower, we took Bryan to his Mimi and Poppy's house for his first sleepover there while Chris and I went into the mountains.  It was a perfect escape from the heat of the city.  We went to the Breckenridge Spice shop and grabbed refills for our Black Truffle Sea Salt and bought a sample of their Smoked Bacon Sea Salt.  We took the long way home and just before we crested Loveland Pass at 11,991 feet above sea level, we drove through a little rain shower.  But when we came out of it, we were ABOVE the rainbow.  Wow.  That's all I can say.  I yelled "we're above the rainbow. ABOVE THE RAINBOW!!" until Chris could pull over so I could capture this picture. You can't just pull over anywhere on the two-lane S-curve highway.  But in return, this is what I got:

It was absolutely breathtaking.  And twenty minutes later, Mom called to tell me Shannon had gone to the hospital and was in labor.  See, sometimes dreams do come true!

Chris and I tried a new restaurant close to home and were 100% impressed with not just the remarkable food, but the low (relatively speaking) price.  It was a fantastic night.  And as soon as we got to the car to go home, I got a call from Mom that my little brother was a Daddy!!  I know he has the two older kiddos, but this is his first baby.  And I am in awe.

By the time we got home from dinner, my mother-in-law had texted me to say that Bryan was a perfect angel and they wish they could do this all the time.  Bryan loves his Poppy as much as he loves his Papa!  

And we slept.  And slept.  And slept.  Until 8:00 a.m.!  It seemed like we had wasted half the day by sleeping in that late!  It was wonderful.  

So today, I started my day with a renewed sense of purpose and perspective on what really matters.  And that list is short.  What matters most to me?  My family, my friends, and love.  That's it.  With those three things on my side, I will conquer all.