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Holy cow!  That’s me!

A surprise can be a good thing or a bad thing. It can take your breath away or make you feel like you were sucker punched. It can make your smile as wide and as bright as the sun or bring torrential tears of sadness.

Today I got a surprise that stunned me to my core.  I woke up to a notice of a photo of me posted on Facebook. Not only was it a photo of me…. I was the front page of the Shamrock Shuffle Website! The photo was one that I had never seen before and made me smile from ear to ear!

When I ran that race, it was my first race wearing a tutu. I have since run every race wearing one and love that I am keeping a promise to my Girls on the Run. I wrote a post after tat race about what it means to me to run wearing a tutu. Tutu Spirit is what carries me through each and every run. what began on that day was a surprise. The feeling of being a powerful princess continues to surprise and delight me each time I put on my tutu. 

After i recovered from the initial shock of the photo this morning, I realized that several friends had shared this with others on FB. One of my favorite running buddies posted this:

“One of my running mentors and great friends is featured on the Shamrock Shuffle sign up page!!! This woman pushed me through so many miles when I ran my first marathon, has seen the smiles and seen the tears that running has brought me. Sign up is open today for one of Chicago’s greatest races.”

I was moved to tears. It is my goal to motivate people to be their best self and push themselves beyond what they think is possible. I want to encourage people. I want to empower people. I want people to believe in themselves…and I will believe in them until they can do it on their own. If I can do it anyone can!

Surprises. Life is full of them. Surprise yourself today! Peace.

Today I am grateful the first trimester is done…. At SCHOOL! Report cards are finished and sent home. The majority of my conferences are Done. I am grateful for a break from the stress of school for even a few days. I love teaching but taking a break allows me to return refreshed and a better teacher. 

Today I am grateful for water. It us my beverage of choice for most of the day. It is essential for the making of coffee,  the taking of long, Hot showers and replenishing my soul. I often take for granted that it is there at the twist of a handle. I find my greatest peace at the waters edge. Simply put, I can’t live without water. 

Today I am grateful for social media and the internet. Through FB and Twitter and other means, I have been able to reconnect with old friends, meet new friends and develop so many more meaningful relationships in real life. I am also able to keep up with my kids via social media thus not feeliing like such an outsider. I love my ‘creepy internet friends’ one and all!

Today I am grateful for music. I love music as there is something for my every mood. I love that my children love music as well and that most times we can agree on something to listen to together. My kids introduce me to new music and keep me ‘hip’. My son is learning to play the guitar and longs to play “Blackbird” by the Beatles someday which warms my old heart.  Music feeds my soul and fills me up.