CHOCOLATE on a Train Filled with Soul-Sucking Dementors

Yesterday, I was part of a glorious neighborhood parade.


(Not a real representation of said parade--wish I'd taken pictures.  This is just for your viewing enjoyment.)

Tamborines, ribbons and floats.  Joyful dancers--CANDY!!!
It was a spectacular celebration!!!

As the crowd thinned and we started for home, I turned to my friend and sighed, "Twenty years ago, if someone had predicted this day..."

See, my friend's three-year old had FINALLY pooped in the potty!


Hence the parade--it was around the cul-de-sac with about 7 neighbor kids and an enthusiastic grandma.  But the rest is true, too--OK, there was only one float, and it was really a wagon.  Use your imagination.

Anyway, we grinned at each other and returned to our real-life craziness.

My whole life, I dreamed of being a wife and mother. 














I thought I knew what I was getting into.  Never, never could I have imagined...

Who knew that one could experience so many rich, intense emotions in one day? 

Such extreems of peace, discouragement, contentment, longing, enjoyment, discomfort, love, frustration, rage, rejoicing, dispair, extasy, interest, exhaustion, exhiliration, overwhelming incompetence and amazing sucess. 

I love it and I hate it, but I mostly love it.



There aren't enough words to express and not enough time to try. 


It's a fabulous life that doubles as a soul-sucking dementor.






I thank the Lord for it every single day.  It's just what I wanted.  I also plead all day long for His guidance and mercy--He is the only thread I'm hanging by most of the time--but He never lets me down. 


I feel so blessed and honored to be a mother, and so happy whenever I've survived another day of it!