May 19, 2015: Let's Take a Selfie...

A fun night with long-time friends, grown-up nieces, and a sweet baby girl. Blissful and relaxing. That pretty much sums up my night.

Sometimes the best things in life are often the ones that come by surprise. The last minute invitation. An unexpected open night. Laughs from memories of years back and days just past.

Life has been hectic. I often forget the day of the week. Although I deem this year a 'bye year' with no graduations or major life changes for my kids, the pace of my own life makes up for it.

My salvation is the mission of my work that drives me and those around me. My sanity is gained from my entertaining boys and date nights with my husband. Throw in a good girls night out and I am dreamy. Torpedoes? Not a chance. I'm golden.

Ben came home from college. My initial feeling was joy. And then that excitement died down when reality sunk in. The horrors of the summer after the freshman year in college. A big torpedo.

New found independence. Late nights. The resolving door of friends at our house. A joyful reunion quickly dampened by the reminder of our quiet existence taking a summer sabbatical.

Rather than being joyful, I became a bit crabby. A house full of teenagers at 10:00? Finals for Grant and work for me doesn't stop because UNL is out for the summer. Last night my demeanor was not happy to have the college boy home. Crabby. Definitely crabby.

And then tonight I took a deep breath. With a good workout with my trainer and an even better dinner and wine session with my girlfriends, I came to my senses. Speaking out loud about Ben's successes with his freshman year under his belt and the funny stories of my two youngest rejoining forces brought a smile back. Time to get over myself and enjoy the ride.

It is interesting how we humans get used to new routines and quickly move on. But getting too stuck in our ways can be a barrier to the potential joy that sits right in front of us.

As my girlfriends often say...live.laugh.love. It's really that easy. No over-thinking it. Welcome home, Ben. We really did miss you. And note that your aunts and cousins ALWAYS have your back :)

Ben's Aunt Robbie, Aunt Kori and Aunt Leslie