Finding our personal joys

We went on a beach excursion yesterday. With beach buckets, sippy cups and towels in hand, we took Little Man and his cousin A to savor the salty air and sand between their toes. In reality, it wasn't as poetic, but it was still fun. Both boys were skeptical of the water but as the afternoon wore on, Little Man had his toes in the itty-bitty waves that lapped the shore and was yelling "wah-tur!" out into the great blue sea.

A day before we were in East Hampton, parking along the street to attend a free fair for the local library. We just happened to park by Ina Garten's house (how do I know where she lives, you ask...she was listed in the phonebook in 2002 when I first discovered her coconut cupcakes...right before her show began airing on Food Network). My heart raced as we stood outside her hedges. What would I say if I saw her? Thank you for giving me blueberry crumb cake, grilled lemon chicken and the best guacamole recipe ever? Thank you for helping me feed family and friends for all of my married life and then some? Thank you for butter? All I could whisper was "turkey meatloaf" before turning away.