This past week was a strange one. It was one of extreme mixed emotions that felt like a roller coaster with many more valleys than peaks, but rather than dwell on the bad, I’m going to focus on the good in this post.

On Tuesday – JB, VD and I went for a walk at Onondaga Lake Park with the Roxmeister and Black Olive. It was such a beautiful night, with a beautiful sunset and it was warm enough for short sleeves! I was very appreciative for good friends that forced me to get out of the house & enjoy the weather!!

OLP on Tuesday – Upper Right: Rox and Olive, The rest of the pics are scenes of OLP as the sunset.

Wednesday started with Roxie trying to come to work with me and then ended with a last-minute work dinner at Joey’s… Which under normal circumstances, I would have been pumped about but sadly it forced me to miss the annual St. Patty’s dinner at JB’s house. 😦

The Rox:  Trying to sneak to work with me Wednesday AM – this is the inherent problem with having my company car broken down, Rox thinks it’s time for a road trip since I’m driving my personal vehicle!

Thursday was a low point again, but rather than dwell on that, I did manage to discover that some of the spring bulbs had appeared in my backyard!  This is the best gift that the previous homeowner left me.  Each spring and summer it is always a magical adventure as the various flowers appear and welcome the new seasons.  I love seeing them come and go, the beauty of them always makes me smile.  

The first sign of spring – Crocus blooming in my backyard on Thursday.

This weekend I had a chance to get back to eastern NY to visit my family. It had been far TOO long since I’d been home and able to visit with my cousins. Saturday morning I visited my cousin JH and her 2 daughters – JH and I even got to escape for a 45 minute run while her husband watched the girls. It was so nice to go running with someone! After we got back, we played outside with the girls and then watched the SU game (go ‘cuse! – way to beat Kansas!).

In the afternoon, I headed north to my other cousin’s (MB) house to hang out with her and the G-man! I hadn’t seen MB since Christmas and I cannot believe how big the G-man has gotten! He’s walking and starting to talk now! It was a relaxing afternoon, inclusive of a 2 mile jog with MB and G-man, nail painting, hot air balloon sightings and then dinner from El Mexicano!! Yes, I realize it was St. Patty’s day but we started talking about mexican food, which started an unstoppable craving!!! Definitely a good way to spend a Saturday and unwind from the events of the week.

I’m so appreciative of my family and the fact that I have a close relationship with my cousins. 

The G-Man!  Driving the tractor – although he still doesn’t understand that cell phone usage while driving is illegal…. What a Rebel!

Sadly, it is now Sunday and my weekend is already over since I flew out this morning for a work trip in KC… But keeping with my goal of focusing on the good in life, I won’t complain and I’ll actually be grateful for being stuck on planes since I was able to complete my reading for grad school for the next 2 weeks!

Now I’m just ready to look forward in hopes that this week will be better than the last!

One of the Hot Air Balloons that we saw at my cousin’s house Saturday evening.