I'm handing out smiles

The past week was one of those weeks.

And by one of those weeks, I don't mean what you think. It wasn't bad; or frustrating; or filled with all those sorts of things that make you sigh a little bit and say, "How long is this week gonna last?" (Well, there was that 45-minute span on Saturday night that was a little bit like that. But I'm just considering it an abnormal blip on the radar screen of the past week.)

Nope, it was one of those weeks. The ones filled with so many happy days and moments and thoughts, that you say to yourself, "I wish this week could last a lot longer." The ones where time seems to flit by on floaty wings. It was just a week filled with stuff that made me smile.

I, then, am handing out smiles to you by re-hashing and sharing some of the good moments from my past week; and then hoping you can find some things to smile about too!

To start off the smiles...

I totally enjoyed watching the Olympics during the past week or so. Snowboarding was awesome (Shaun White? Amazing!); I loved Apollo Ono and speedskating; hockey was great; and, incredibly, I got totally hooked on curling (there, seriously, was an afternoon that involved Gary and I screaming in unison, "Yes!" over a wonderfully-made curling shot; even though I had no idea about scoring or the rules or pretty much anything about the sport, I knew it was exciting).

My favorite winter Olympics sport, though, has always been figure skating and there was a lot to get excited about this time around (my personal favorite was seeing Evan Lysacek beat the Russian; I kinda got this 1980s vibe when watching it, as if the Cold War wasn't quite yet over).

The most smile-inducing moment, though, was having Sydney by my side as we watched the men's finals. She didn't seem too concerned about triple flips and lutzes (I relied on Scott Hamilton for that), but did have a lot of fashion commentary to make. Her best take: "That boy's shirt looks like a sweater made by a grandma. A really old grandma." (I'm with her; some of the costumes were quite interesting.)

More smiles came from...

McKenna and I had some wonderful times last week looking for that "perfect" dress for her senior prom (which is coming up in just a little over a month; time is just absolutely flying by!).

Some of the cool mother-daughter bonding time surely evolved from the fact that we were shopping and I was purchasing for her (the Mall is usually a happy place, right?); but I think most of it came with her anticipation for the prom this year.

It didn't hurt that she picked an absolutely goregeous Jessica McClintock dress that she wears like a dream. (And even better? We came home and Gary told her to get the dress she wanted, no matter the cost.) She told me later that she felt like a princess in that dress. That absolutely made me smile.

Also smile-inducing...

Last weekend was one of our most anticipated weekends of the year. Family retreat weekend. A time when we can go together, as a family, to one of our favorite spots in the world (gorgeous Camp Sumatanga). We spend time together, and with some of our best friends. We get away from technology (no computer! no television! no cell phone service!) and instead enjoy conversations, and games, and walks in the woods, and reflection by the lake. We get in touch with our spiritual selves too.

It's truly a wonderful weekend.

This year, though... because of other engagements and responsiblities...we were only able to be there for a night and half a day. Still, that one night and half a day settled my soul and engaged me with nature.

The week also included...

McKenna getting word that she had been accepted at her college of choice and she was receiving an academic scholarhip to attend. Smiles.

My leading a writing retreat on magazine writing, and getting to meet a wonderful group of aspiring and insightful writers. Smiles.

The beginning, in earnest, of sofball season. Sydney's team at our local girls ballpark (with Gary as her coach) began practicing and getting ready for their opening games (which start this weekend). And Delaney's middle school team have already started their season (we have pretty much frozen ourselves in the stands, cheering them on) and are 8-2 so far. Delaney is playing well and having a great time! Yep, more smiles.

Good books to read (The Thirteenth Tale). Good television (Lost, of course!). Good food (pineapple upside down cake. red velvet cake.)

Smiles. Smiles. And more smiles.

So, now, I'm giving you permission to smile. (As Dolly Parton proclaimed in one of my favorite movies, "Smile. It increases your face value.")

Life's too short not to.