happy m-day

“For the hand that rocks the cradle - Is the hand that rules the world”
William Ross Wallace

oh, happy mother's day to all (and that includes mothers of four legged creatures)! i had the pleasure of having my parents and mr. mooks down this weekend for a lovely family reunion. mr. mooks was overwhelmed with joy to be reunited with his mama and it took him nearly twenty mintues to cool off before we shipped him off into my room and grabbed a quick bite to eat. on sunday morning i surprised my mom with her new hiking gear and we made our way over to north bend to hike up rattlesnake trail. i'm thrilled that my parents are becoming more active as they age and being more aware of the importance of staying healthy while enjoying the beauty of this earth. i'm so proud of them - my dad hikes the grouse grind twice a week and my mom participates in a weekly hiking group @ the lynn canyon trail. and now, much to my liking, mister mooks may join them and keep them company (or perhaps, lead the way) on their weekly jaunts. oh - you gotta love him!

so today of all days, my mom said the sweetest thing to me, "whenever i'm with you i feel like a millionaire". i'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with coming off of a high (post hike) but it was how she said it and when she said it. i think she was muttering it to herself as she was looking out the window of the truck and i could see her smile through my rearview mirror. it's genuine moments like that when i realize the importance of family and how we should all savour every little moment we have.

thanks to the bizarre turn of events last year, i truly follow my motto, 'this is the only one life you live - so live it". and despite the worries of my parents of not settling down (in the traditional sense), my mind thinking a mile a minute and friends wondering why i can't sit still, i want the world to know that i'm in such an amazing place in my life as i've learned to let go of a lot of things....to be open and fearless, to be curious and spontaneous, to not have a care in the world of what people think of me, to allow my heart to sing, to enjoy moments of solitude, to laugh at myself always, to be open to new experiences, to bring beautiful people into my world, to inspire and to be inspired, to listen more, and to smile and say 'hello'. to sum it all up, i must thank anya for saying this to me about a month ago - "life is short & days are long". now that really made me think...

so now onto getting me some ginko and playing sudoku!

enjoy the mother's day pix.