in the mood for gratitude

It's been two weeks back into the routine.  Zombies are going down, sun's been shining on the melting ice, we all wake up way too early and stuff a tremendous amount into each day.  While I tend to zonk out too close to nine o'clock for my taste and while, perhaps, meltdowns seem to be a bit more intense when our days are full, it sure is lovely to be back.  The awesome thing is, it sure was lovely to be gone.  I'm working towards harmony as I approach my fourth decade.  This transition seems to be a good place to start.  I did find a gratitude list from my journal when we were gone that I wanted to share:

The biggest highlight:

Spending so much leisure time with kiddos -- Soli's kisses, Elie's observations, being present with them, moving through adventures as a foursome...

And in other highlights:

• A fortunate thing is when a trip has too many highlights to recount.  Each day was full of blessings, of adventure, of old friends and family, of holidays and nature, of sunshine and the winter wind that whips through NYC, of Soli's fist movie and the happy tears I cried watching how much they loved, "Frozen", their faces during the opening of, "The Lion King" on Broadway, the giraffes and elephants lumbering majestically down the aisles (way more happy tears...), their faces pressed to glass, looking down on the wilds of Times Square, safe on their bellies above, the haunting harmonies from, "Pippin" as I grip the hand of an old and fabulous friend, the mellow comfort of Jeff's mama's home in NJ, the date the two of us had for sushi while the kiddos slept safe, sound...Then...the sunshine!  The ocean!  Green parks and noodles drowned in rice vinegar and shoyu, a Christmas cookout, tank tops and bare feet, wet grass, the leisure of an afternoon with my family, the laughter between cousins, beach sunsets, playing baby dolphins and baby turtles and baby foxes, digging our sandy den, Eliana on the boogie board in January in just a swimsuit, the wave pushing her forward, watching my sisters get to know my kids, cheap and fabulous burritos, Solomon helping my mom up and down the steps, their budding connection, late night shenanigans with my dad over enchiladas and really good conversation, an impromptu game of volleyball in Mark's backyard, cousins and brothers connecting together outside.  
• I love how while I intended to use bullet points, my tremendous sentence seems to have thwarted my ability for further organization.  Some things I just want to put down, excessive commas and all.