My Heart is Happy ❤️
Happily Back Home
To say my heart is happy is quite the understatement. I'm now back home from my favorite vacation. I made notes throughout the trip in hopes I might journal about it all. I didn't journal each day this time. And I'll not be journaling about the details today...LOL I feel well rested already, though. I slept really well my last night in California. And I slept well my first night back home. It feels good to be at peace. That's why I think I sleep so well now. I didn't sleep as long as usual the other nights on the trip. But I did sleep really well when I did sleep. So I was doing great the entire time I was in California. The vacation was beyond what I expected from all our planning. We had so many serendipitous moments throughout the experience. Especially the last day at the Disneyland Hotel garden and the Discovery Cube museum. Although there were several moments I would typically call my favorite, I took a different approach this time. I decided to just look at the experience as a whole. There were going to be so many firsts this time as we planned. There truly were so many more! I loved it all. Alas, all things come to an end. It was bittersweet when it was over. I'm grateful for all of the memories and just being with my best friend for three days. I'll cherish this experience for the rest of my life. Just like I cherish all of our memories together. Thank you, Cherie, for my favorite vacation. You make my heart happy and our time together is so special to me ❤️
Happiness Routine Check
It's mostly back to normal for me this week. I don't really have any plans. Today, I'm mostly resting. But as I said earlier, I already feel rested. I just didn't want to do much today since I've done so much each day for the last week...LOL I'm doing laundry and going to the grocery today. But that's about it. Tomorrow, it's back to work. I don't really know what to expect upon my return. That's usually a good thing. Not hearing from work at all while on vacation means nothing broke that needed my attention...LOL But I'm actually looking forward to being back to work. I'm on an exciting project that is finally taking flight...hehehe I'm also glad to be resting today, though. I was reminded how important a Sabbath is. Not just for rest. But also for intimacy with God. It's good to take a break from distractions and truly focus on my relationship with God. I need to be more intentional about that. Today's reminder is very welcome. I think I'll be reviewing my routine this week. Before vacation, I was settled into a lovely routine. I just want to keep being intentional about the various things I'm doing. It's an important part of my personal growth. If I'm not careful, I could slip into bad habits again with my time. I also don't want to make spiritual things a task to check off a list. That is so easy to do...LOL But over all, things with my routine have been going really well. That makes my heart happy ❤️
Happily Sad
I was a little sad on my way home yesterday. It was a good kind of sad, though. The best and favorite vacation was over and I had to say goodbye. It was a bittersweet goodbye because the good news is that plans are starting for the next trip in November. The next trip is for Dapper Day. We always dress up for Disney. But this will be our first official Dapper Day together. The excitement for that helped with the sadness yesterday...hehehe But the trip home was very pleasant. I've been reading a biography about Walt Disney. So that was nice on the planes. And I had my new pal, Bingford! LOL I'll write more about him sometime soon...hehehe Yesterday was my first time in Texas. I had a layover in Austin. It was a nice mid-travel break half way between Southern California and Tampa, Florida. And it was a pleasant airport. I'm glad I had time to explore because I came across a fake gate where they had flights to fictional places. I'll probably write more about that sometime soon too. Like I said, I made notes about everything so I could eventually journal. I just don't feel like it today...hehehe So, yesterday was a good day over all. By admitting I was sad is just me being real with myself. I'm content and very happy. But I won't deny my other emotions. I listen to them all now. I have hope in the sadness. It has reminded me how precious these moments are. And that makes my heart happy all over again ❤️
Happy Wild Life
It was so nice to see Cherie on our call today. We hadn't originally planned to do that today. We took a break from our devotionals last week for our vacation. Plus we had just spent three days together...LOL But I was missing her and also wanted to check in before we both went back to reality tomorrow...hehehe It was also nice to be back outside for a sunset walk tonight. Although we did a lot of walking last week, there's just something special about my walks at home. It's a bit hot here now. But it was still a lovely evening for a walk. I'm glad the stormy weather wasn't an issue tonight...LOL My little duckling friends are still here. I thought they might finally fly away while I was gone. Nope! They and their mommy remain. I also enjoyed some of the other birds here. Aside from the random birds at Disney, I didn't see much wild life on my trip...LOL So it's good to be home to see that again. Speaking of wildlife, for my first time since moving here, I saw an alligator cross the street as I was driving to get bread for breakfast this morning. It was a little guy. Bigger than a baby. But smaller than the ones I typically encounter. I was excited to see it. I had to go around him...hehehe The wildlife and the evening sky made my heart happy today ❤️