Life's a Ball If Only You Know It

I had a fantastic weekend! It included plenty of family, lots of being lazy, and some amazing food and beverages. We started off Friday with a family birthday celebration, Mom grilled salmon and asparagus just for me, and of course made another scrumptious carrot cake. All of the birthday greetings that trickled in throughout the week warmed my heart, and it was such a joy to hear from friends and family far away!

Saturday I got to spend the whole day with my Valentine. I woke him up with a customized breakfast of s'more-stuffed french toast grilled in a waffle iron, because that's how we roll. They actually turned out pretty well - if you're in the mood for a sugar rush and a carb-coma. We overcame, thanks be to some quality caffeinated lattes, and spent a couple of hours purging the file cabinet and sorting through a ton of paperwork that has been piling up.

After some productivity, we took a dip in the hot tub and got cleaned up for dinner. He took me to the pairing dinner at BRU, five courses paired with five different brews. We started with a smoked oyster and finished with a cream puff topped with cherry ice cream. The pairings were delightful, the food was delicious, and the company was both.

The night was still young when we finished at BRU, so we headed to the Lee Hill Upslope taproom. See, they canned their small batch of Wild Saison, and I had my heart set on getting a few of them. As a bonus, I got to try their special Valentine's Day cask that had hibiscus in it, and then got to lose at a tough game of darts. Overall, it was a great night.

Sunday was another lazy day - we have a game of Lego Batman going (he's Batman, I'm Robin), and we made some headway against the Joker level. Dad came over and helped with some electrical connections and then we snuggled in for another delicious home-made meal and a wood fire.

It was one of those weekends that makes you grateful for everything life is dishing up. I am so lucky to be facing the challenges and enjoying the benefits with a partner who loves me, family who support me, and friends who make me smile. La vie est si belle.

This Glass Ain't Empty

There is a facilities manager who works in my building who is quite possibly the happiest person I have ever met. Our paths cross a couple of times a day, and he always waves and greets me, goes out of his way to politely hold the front door for me, and has even called the elevator for me. He always has a nice comment about the weather or the impending weekend, and emanates a positive attitude.

It was a challenge to drag myself out of bed this morning, and after pulling an outfit together and making some coffee, I reluctantly said goodbye to Bosco and drove to work lamenting the fact that it is only Wednesday. Outside the office I ran into Yuri. He stopped what he was working on and ushered me into the lobby, making the usual small talk about the beautiful sunshine, and sent me up to the second floor with a huge smile and a very sincere "Have a wonderful day!"

Less than a minute of interacting with him completely adjusted my approach to the day. What a positive way to influence other people around you!