I just gotta dance.

My friend Michelle flew in last week for a quick visit. It was, perhaps, the best and most fun 46 hours I've had in a long time! Michelle wanted to see the sights of Chicago, so we took the train downtown and chased the landmarks she wanted to see. We walked Union Station, toured Navy Pier and rode the ferris wheel, saw Wrigley Field, had a drink at the Cubby Bear, stalked cupcakes in Lincoln Park, cruised the Mag Mile, passed Millennium Park and "the bean", then landed back at Union Station to say goodbye. As we left the cupcake place (Molly's, which was AMAZING and seriously everybody should go there!) we passed a cute little boutique with a hand painted decorative sign in the window that said, "Life isn't about waiting out the storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain." and I loved it. It made me realize that is what I've been doing lately. I'm trying to not stress, I'm trying to just enjoy life. Who knows what job Tim will get next. Maybe he'll have to travel a lot. So, I'm just trying to enjoy the family time that we have together. And right there, on the spot, as I read that plaque and it spoke to my core, I vowed...next time I rained, I was going outside to dance. It was Wednesday.

Last night, we were grilling out when I realized I had run out of barbecue sauce. Mon horreur! I zipped to the store, grabbed a couple bottles and ran out to the car. On my way back to the car, it started raining. It was one of those perfect, gentle spring rains that stopped as quickly as it had started. It just kind of cleaned the air and left that unmistakable fresh scent behind. As the rain kissed my cheeks while I dashed to the car, I remembered my promise to myself. So I did what any other perfectly rational, responsible 34 year old mother would do. I slipped into the car behind the wheel, turned the key, cranked up the radio, opened the windows and the sunroof and as I cruised home in the rain...I danced.