The All American Dream

Two children, two dogs, a beautiful house in the suburbs, a life filled with God, and never ending smiles...to me, this is my version of the "All American Dream."  Spending this past weekend with my best friend Jennie and her family gave me that glimpse into that ever faceted dream, but also into the work and dedication it takes to not only keep yourself happy and healthy, but your family as well.

I must start this off by saying there were THREE adults in the house all weekend and only two children (ages 4 and 7) and two dogs and I'm left exhausted!!  I give so much credit to parents because I can't even imagine just how much there is to do on a daily basis and yet still manage to keep everyone happy, healthy and safe.  Saturday morning I was fortunate to sneak away for a two mile run through the beautiful Virginia neighborhood that they live in with one of their dogs.  I'm pretty sure he is happy to see me leave Virginia as about 1.5 miles into the run, he decided he wanted no part in it anymore and  would retire to laying in front of the cherry blossom trees.

Following our run, the remainder of the day was spent at sporting events with the kids.  Cheering their daughter along at her soccer game made me realize just how much I miss both coaching and playing.  Nothing is better than soccer shorts, a jersey and a soccer ponytail on a warm and sunny Saturday afternoon.  Post soccer was their son's basketball game and another hour or so spent cheering him on from the bleachers and watching his excitement as he dribbled down the court.  

After all of the official sports games were over, we went home and enjoyed an amazing evening in their neighborhood.  Their son (whom I consider my nephew) learned to ride his bike without training wheels!!  To witness that truly made my weekend and brought that innocent smile back to my face as much as it did his!  He was soooo excited and didn't want to stop so we all walked/rode around the neighborhood until the sun went down.  

We all woke up this morning and had quite the fitness focused start to the day.  From simon says workouts around the block, to another bike ride, a basketball game and chasing bubbles...we ran around and laughed until it was time for me to leave.  It was an incredible weekend spent with people who I consider family and one that brought me so much joy and happiness.  

Jennie and I spoke about how I was going to write this post before I left and about what I took away from this weekend and just how much it brought back into my life both spiritually and emotionally.  The All American Dream is different for all of us...for me it's what I witnessed this weekend but for others it's very different.  We all have our own version of what makes us happy, but the ultimate takeaway is that if you're so busy trying to achieve that "All American Dream" you forget to live in the moment and you lose sight of what's in front of you.  I might be one of the worst at doing this.  I'm constantly looking in the future at what I "want" but truthfully I'm missing what I should be THANKFUL for today!  

So this weekend I may have had 48 hours of living my "dream" but ultimately I learned how thankful I am to have friends/family that make saying goodbye so hard! Miss you all already!!

xoxo

Love, 

"Auntie Heather"

Fore!

Yesterday was anything but a typical Thursday for me!  After an early morning wakeup and a drive from Alexandria, VA out to the Raspberry Falls Country Club in Leesburg, VA, I found myself in the pro shop getting a brief tutorial on my brand new rented TaylorMade golf clubs.  I'm not sure how funny the golf pro found it that he was renting never been used clubs to the girl who barely ever golfs!  After bringing them out to my cart and giving me my pitching wedge, a driver, and an 8 iron he walked out to the driving range with me.  My first swing?!  A 200yd straight drive!  Rendering a man speechless before 8am...quite a priceless moment.  :)

The entire morning and early afternoon were spent golfing 18 holes with my good friend Connie and two of the gentlemen that work for Pepperidge Farms.  I tried to get my workout in running between holes to try and find my ball, because lets be honest...it didn't always manage to land on the fairway!!  6.5 hours of golf was quite the workout as my entire body is sore this morning!  From my shoulders and arms to my core, I can definitely tell these are not muscles I use very often!  :)

Albeit a very enjoyable day filled with a few drinks, lots of sunshine, and warm weather, the bigger cause behind the events of yesterday is what made it even more special.  Every year the Costco NE Regional Office hosts a golf charity classic with all of the proceeds going to the Children's Miracle Network and more specifically the Children's Hospital of Washington, D.C.  Yesterday between golfing, a silent auction and cash donations, they were able to raise approximately $780,000 for this amazing cause!  Not only was the check presented to the CMN representative but also to a family who personally shared their experiences of Children's Hospital with the 500+ attendees of the evening.  There was not a dry eye in the house when their two young daughters (one of whom is a Leukemia survivor and the other who donated her bone marrow to her sister) started singing "Let It Go" from the movie Frozen while their father played the guitar.

Sometimes slowing down and taking a step back allows us to see just how grateful we should be for our own health and happiness.  Yesterday was another one of those days that was emotionally and spiritually motivating to continue to make sure I play my own music inside of myself!