Now I feel like zip lining is a gateway to more dangerous adventures like sky diving, which is something I have said I would never do, but now am starting to reconsider. That adrenaline tastes so good.

“That will be fourteen forty-four,” said the teenage girl at the register. I handed her some cash.

“What did you get?!” my husband said, assuming I ordered the 12-scoop party sundae because three ice cream cones and a root beer float should not cost fourteen dollars.

“I got a medium vanilla soft serve,” I said defensively, waiting for my cone.

Just then, a long straight arm slowly eased out of the service window and attached to the end of it was the tallest ice cream cone known to man.

“Medium vanilla soft serve,” called a voice from inside the shack (I assume it was connected to the long arm holding the cone).

My husband and I burst into laughter at the sight of this cone which was - no lie - about 12 inches from the bottom of the (normal-sized) cone to the top of the ice cream. And it was FAT! It wasn’t just tall and skinny: this ice cream was at least 5 inches in diameter.

It must have been somebody’s first day on the job because the root beer float and kids cones were normal size. I can just picture the poor soul with the long arms at the soft serve machine in a panic “I can’t stop it! It won’t stop!” as ice cream continued to spiral out of control.
And then a co-worker comes to the rescue and pulls the lever as the cone is approaching maximum capacity.

We all took turns holding the cone next to our faces and pretending to eat it because it was just so ridiculously enormous. We laughed until it hurt. And then I had to eat it really fast before it melted.

After I couldn’t eat another bite, there was still about a half gallon of ice cream left on the cone, so I passed it around. The entire family couldn’t finish it so we ended up throwing it away. That laugh alone was worth $14.44.

I made an awesome quesadilla today with whole wheat tortillas, pepper jack cheese, onions, green peppers, diced tomatoes, and a dash of cumin and chili pepper.

I sautéed the veggies, put a very thin coat of butter on the outside of the tortillas, and toasted the whole thing up in a frying pan with some cheese.

Holy crap, it was so good! I didn’t have any salsa, but it didn’t need it. Maybe it was the butter that made it so tasty. Mmmmmm…butter….

2) I have been thinking about religion lately and how some people need it in their lives, and that is OK. I don’t feel comfortable with religion and since I have dropped it from my life have never felt more spiritually alive. I have Deepak Chopra’s book, “Life After Death” to thank for this. If I could point to one book that has awakened me, that would be it.

3) My doctor thinks I may have a hernia, but I have to go for a scan to confirm. I am 31 year old woman, in relatively good physical shape, and am 5′4″, 128 pounds. At first I felt like this was such an injustice! I eat whole, fresh, organic foods. Drink lots of green tea, don’t eat meat. How could I have this weakness in my body? Then last night I took a long, hot bath and meditated a little and realized that I will just do whatever has to be done to heal. I was also really inspired by this man who healed his hernia on his own without surgery. The mind/body connection is sometimes stronger than we think.

That is all for now. I am going to take my brother’s chocolate lab puppy for a walk later and enjoy this beautiful, perfect sunny day!

My promises of animation are all lies. I got distracted. It wasn’t meant to be. I used to get mad at myself for not doing something I set out to do. But I’m ok with it now.   Everything is as it should be.

Here is a list of my 5 favorite adventures:

1. Dog Sledding in Canada
2. Hiking Mayan Ruins in Mexico
3. Climbing Mt. Monadnock in New Hampshire in the rain
4. Whitewater rafting on the Penobscot River in Maine
5. Going to Disney World last year with my husband & kids!

While it wasn’t the adrenaline-rush type of adventure that I had been hoping for this week, we did manage to have a wonderful outing and spend time in a warm, sunny atmosphere loaded with tropical plants, butterflies, birds, fish, and turtles. I am speaking of our local butterfly conservatory - it’s a huge indoor tropical oasis with the sound of trickling water and gentle music filling the air. It was just what I needed to rejuvenate my soul, and the girls had fun and got to hang with mommy while she was in a good mood – we all win!

Here are some things we saw:

A really cool turtle named Randolph

Butterflies on Fruit

Orchids and Koi Fish

It was an awesome day filled with color and sunshine. We even stopped for ice cream on the way home in defiance of winter.

Here are 5 Things I will do as soon as the weather warms up:

1) Take daily walks and breathe in that thawed, earthy-smelling springtime air.

2) Wash the car in the driveway.

3) Clean up all the sticks in the yard and take them to the dump (my youngest loves going to the dump – we actually found her a bike there; it was all shiny and brand-new. I couldn’t believe someone was throwing it away!).

4) Bundle up and go hiking with my husband and the girls, then trot down the mountain in the sun with our sweatshirts tied around our waists because all that walking made us sweat.

5) Thank God that spring is here and that I survived the winter without going completely insane. This happens every year. I’m like a person lost at sea who was just about to give up hope and jump overboard to feed the sharks. But wait, there it is: I can see the land – and it is glorious.

We’re almost there…

Here is a list of things that are difficult to do in February:

1. Get out of bed in the morning
2. Carry on a conversation with anyone (including my husband)
3. Play with my children and pretend to be happy

I do realize that I am complaining, and that I need to kick my own ass and get out into the sunshine (even if it is a toasty 25 degrees out there). I also know that this too shall pass (as my mom is so fond of saying).

SO, this week I am promising myself some sort of adventure. I’m not sure what it will be yet, but it will have to be something that gets my adrenaline pumping. Stay tuned…