Lightning Strikes!

I have waited all summer for a good thunder storm. I even did a little rain dance in my backyard with Colin a few days ago. Low and behold we actually got rain the next day (explain that to Colin who dared debate his mother on the silliness of it all :) I love the thunder. I love the lightning. And I absolutely love the smell of rain. Sheesh, I even sleep better! So last night to celebrate, I force fed my kids popsicles so that we could race the sticks down the gutter. Yep, you heard me right. We played in the gutter. Something that naturally a mother works very hard to teach her kids NOT to do. But hey, it's rain! We haven't seen this stuff for almost 3 months. The streets were full and the gutter was overflowing. Who in their right mind could resist?
After a few solid runs down the street, and building a little jump for a waterfall that we were quite proud of, Chloe ended up loosing her stick that she had painfully carved her name in (so we could keep track of who was who) to the ominous grate on the corner. No sooner had our game started, than the life was sucked-literally-right out of it from us. So what do we do? Well, they ran in the house and I thought, "What better time to weed?" The dirt was wet and those little buggers didn't stand a chance. So there I sat, on the curb, pulling weeds in the dark-like it was the last thing I could possibly do before bedtime.
We all wish at some point in our lives, some of more than others and some of us daily, that we could be in a different place, live another life, be another person. But tonight as I made my way home from work and came into the Valley, I was awestruck by the sunset over the lake, the clouds rolling in and the lightning making it's way north and all the lights in the City. It was postcard perfect. I couldn't wait to get home to my children and just soak it all in. And most of I realize that where I am is ok. I don't want to be anywhere else. I had a small sense of what my little sister was feeling as she packed her car to move far away from the only place she knew as home.

Oh I still plan on loading up that van and heading to the beach one day, don't get me wrong. But right now, right here, it works. And thank you Cord, Chloe and Colin....for allowing your Mom to be kid once in awhile. Even if I embarrass you, you are all good sports.