bliss [blis]
supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment
Synonyms include: happiness, joy, gladness

These past few weeks have been, what's the word I'm looking for?...oh right -HELLISH. Work has been overwhelming, sleep has been scarce, energy has been low, patience and tenacity are tested daily and every time I try to "reset my system" to regain some power, I encounter malfunction instead. At the end of this very very very long 5 days, however, was the Friday commute home. 50 minutes after I pulled out of the parking lot at the office, I exited Colorado Blvd, thanked the Lord for getting me through the week and looked forward to laying down in bed and marinating in my fatigue.

I was sleepy and cranky - what a lethal combination. I was getting ready to lash out at the universe with the crying banshees trapped in my pen, but decided to check email and catch up on blogs first and what a serendipitous decision that was!

Nothing makes me happier than a smiling child and, even from across the miles, my nieces and nephews can provide the greatest joys to their whining aunt in Cali.My nephew, Holden, turned a year old last week. For this birthday, his parents (my Ate Cheryl and her husband Eric) took him to the zoo.
I looked at these pictures and just lost it! So cute! And just look at him, not a care in the world. Do you remember the last time you didn't have a care in the world because I dont. Aaaw, I wish he didn't live all the way in Boston. And then my cousin, Chrissy, sent pictures from Ohio. My Ate Sandy's kids, Bianca and Roman, are so big now (so is Sabrina, their baby sister not pictured)! Look familiar? They're the Dumptruck Duo (See January entries Haha!).

And if those weren't enough to make me forget about the crap that has been these past few weeks, I checked the blog that my cousin Brandon keeps about his son and I watched videos of my nephew Ethan stand himself up, explore his surroundings in his walker and laugh at every new discovery. You absolutely cannot listen to a child's laugh and not want to throw your cares away with hopes of feeling even an ounce of their bliss. Maybe I'll get sent to Michigan for a conference soon, then I could meet Ethan!
Thinking of Kelsoe, even though I miss him like crazy, makes me smile too. I think of how smart he is, how much he made us laugh, how much he has to look forward to in life - it makes you revel in the innocence of children.

We always talk about how easy kids have it, how they don't have any worries because they're not responsible for anything. I know sometimes we wish it were this way for our entire lives. But somehow I know that we never really lose our childhood, we just put it aside because we're too busy trying to be grown-ups.

Every so often, though, we're reminded that we were kids once, always ready to DO, never stopping to THINK TOO MUCH or WORRY. If we tapped into the Bank of Adolescence once in a while, I think we'd realize that we have more than enough riches to keep us happy; treasures of hope, jewels of honesty and love so golden you won't be able to deny its genuineness.