Bear Hugs...

Every morning, the first alarm goes off in our house at 5:42, alerting Patrick to get up. What the routine has been for 5 years is that I am the one who controls the alarm clock and snooze, and I am the one who forces him out of bed. I am always able to fall back asleep until my alarm goes off at 6:20, but the excitement of coming home tomorrow has got me all wound up and I couldn't fall back asleep.

Patrick and I now have a routine in the morning that is a tremendous help during the day. We stand in the middle of the room and "Bear Hug" before he leaves for work. In that moment I am relaxed and protected, and nothing in the world seems that bad. When things get rough at work, I think back to those few moments in his arms and my problems fade away. I highly recommend a "Bear Hug" to start off your day. Even if things aren't that rough and you are content with life, there's a feeling in it that no normal morning routine can compare to.

Tonight is the Kenny Chesney/Gretchen Wilson concert. I paid a pretty penny for these tickets and all that matters is that Patrick is super excited about it. I could maybe sing ONE Kenny Chesney song, but that doesn't matter. (He's got paybacks coming since this is my 3rd Country concert in 3 months.:) ) We're going tonight with the Dawsons and Shannon's sister Jaimie. It should be a lot of fun. I am so thankful that the Dawsons are back in our lives. We have had our rough moments in the last few years, but being able to overcome that is a testiment to the fact that we were destined to be friends. Nothing is better than being able to sit around with your friends and talk about life and laugh outloud.

We are all packed and ready to hit the road first thing tomorrow morning. I can't wait to get home and see my family. Even thought it's only for a few short days, it's enough to rejuvenate a person.