My New Favorite Holiday

It's official, I have found my favorite day of the year! Even though it snowed all day and never got above the the 30's today, I still loved it.

It started with Cally sleeping until almost 7:30am and John jumping up to do the morning routine (changing diaper, dressing, and feeding her) while I slept in. I awoke to the two of them greeting me in the bedroom-- New York Times and a steaming cup of coffee in tow. After reading the paper for an hour, I came downstairs to this:

Eggs benedict, home fries, and a garnish of grapes.

After a raucaus dance party at the Ganzenmuller's the night before, Cally was ready to take a morning nap (which she hardly ever takes anymore) and went down for two hours! So, after eating a delicious breakfast, John and I jumped back in bed to read a few more sections of the paper. It's rare that we ever stay in bed past 7am, so this was a real treat!

By mid-afternoon, after Cally put in some time at the new table that we got on Craigslist, recently we decided to get outside and do something active-- if not for us, for Zephy.

After all, I sort of feel like a mom to Zephy and Lobster, too:

So, we dressed for a run only to decide it was too windy and cold for that. In the end, we decided to go for a hike. We'd put Cally's winter jacket and boots away, so I had to dig them out for the weather. Fortunately, Cally loves going "outside" no matter what the weather.

Half way through our hike, disaster struck! Zephy came running up to us with dozens of quills in her face and paw. Having only heard about this happening to friend's dogs, I immediately prepared myself for the worst-- an ER visit to the 24-hour vet where they charge you $100 just to walk through the door or getting bit by the dog. That happened to a good friend's dog who has been quilled 4 to 5 times and after the most recent encounter, her husband decided to take the quills out himself, only to land 9 stitches on his arm from the dog attacking him. So, it was with much hesitation that I even touched Zephy, a she can be a pretty anxious dog. However, she was amazing. She sat quietly as I pulled each and every quill out of her mouth, lips, and paw. I didn't get a picture of her face, but when I recently googled "porcupine" to show Cally a picture, this image came up:

That's when I realized it was an even more special Mother's day than I thought it was. Not only did I get a rare morning to be totally lazy and was treated to delicious food, but we averted what could have been a very expensive and time consuming disaster.

And this is why I love this day. It's the day that I'm reminded that I'm a mom-- the best role I've ever been given in life. I've had a lot of roles to play..... sister, daughter, friend, teacher, team player, coach, partner and wife. I've always taken those roles seriously and done my best to be all that I can be, but I've never felt the satisfaction that I feel about being a mom. Both "catching" John and then having Cally truly have brought a light to my life that I had never known before. Both have made me feel like I'm really good at something for the first time in my life. It's an incredible feeling and I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to be a part of this lovely family and take on the role of mothering this little spirit: