Happy Happy Joy Joy

The day we got our bike – and the night of our engagement party

• Notice that you never see a motorcycle parked in front of a psychiatrist’s office
• Only a biker knows why a dog sticks his head out the car window
• Driving a car is like watching a movie; riding a motorcycle like being in one
• If you don’t ride, you just don’t understand.

Bikers? Goooood people.

There are no words I can use to describe the smile that comes across my lips as I think about getting on the back of our bike and just going. When my husband reaches his arm down to cup his hand around my calf or shin and I lean over to hug him while we’re going 80 mph down an open stretch of highway, I smile to myself and ask how I got so damn lucky. It’s a closeness without words. It’s a trust and a bond.

Poker runs, rides with friends, finding undiscovered roads – all part of the fun.  And wearing bad ass leather vests with pins and patches? Bonus!

2) The scale babies – our pet bearded dragon and frilled dragon

Years ago, I adopted a bearded dragon lizard named Pudgy. A two week favor to watch a lizard turned into a cross-country trip with a reptile. Now, in a million years, I never thought I’d be a reptile person. Well, folks. It happened. You would laugh at how spoiled my scale babies are!

Pudgy passed away two years ago and I still miss her. Then someone reached out to me on Facebook and Dr. Zhivago Einstein (aka Doc) came to me just over a year ago.  Glider was one of my Valentine’s Day presents (if you look at the fairing on our motorcycle – a Road Glide – you can guess where Glider got her name LOL). Lizards actually do have personalities. Doc is feisty, cuddly and hilarious. Glider is not so cuddly yet, but two out of three aren’t bad!

And if you’ve ever seen a lizard on a leash, you cannot help but smile.

    

3) My volunteer work

I do believe the saying “the gift is in the giving.” It makes me happy to give back to the community in some small way. I also have the privilege of meeting amazing people from all walks of life with whom I share a common bond.  Right now, working on Relay for Life I am constantly wowed by the generosity of others! Each time I accomplish a goal, whether it is meeting a fundraising milestone or securing  a donation for our silent auction I know it is more money that is going into education and research! I am honored to play a part in the fight.

4) My friends

I have a handful of very close friends. And for that I am the luckiest person in the world. My best friend, I have known twenty-two years! We can go a long time without talking, but we share a connection that goes unspoken. It is a very deep, profound and pure friendship we share. There are thousands of miles between us, but it doesn’t matter. Through the best and worst of times, we’ve been there for each other.

The friends I have made in San Diego – they have become like family to me. They have seen me go through the ups and downs of life. They’ve seen me in bad moments and still they love me unconditionally.

 5) This guy

My husband. Yes, he is gorgeous. The sexiest man I have ever seen, really. Of course, it goes so far beyond that. He is incredibly funny and smart. He is so generous. He is an AMAZING father. He knows when I need a hug and when I am in a bad mood, he is patient with me. When I have a brain lapse and screw up the car insurance auto-draft and set it up to be taken out of the wrong account (yes, I actually did that), he teases me about it rather than gets upset or pissed about it. He is hard-working and also the most patient person I have ever met. He encourages me. He listens as I read my blog entries to him; word.for.word. He makes me laugh until my face and sides hurt. I trust him to allow me to be myself with full abandon. He is rugged and gentle. He is a walking, talking, breathing, living happiness.

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I want to tell anyone reading this that I have lived through some really dark times; times I never thought I’d see the day I could easily write about good in my life. I feel so lucky that I had to choose from among many things making me happiest. This entry has been such a reminder to take pause and give thanks. I finally ALLOWED myself this happiness. It was worth the wait. SO WORTH IT.