Valentines

For the month of November (and Thanksgiving), many people choose one thing, each day, that they are thankful for. For February (and Valentine's Day), I am challenging myself to pick something that I love each day. In addition to expressing gratitude, it will hopefully help me on days when I'm feeling less than loving (or lovable).

As we are already three days in, I'll start with three today.
1) The Island Family. Of course I adore my family. Island Dad complements my personality in ways I never imagined possible. He calms me when I'm worried, and, more importantly, puts up with me when I'm worried. He keeps me going when I think the Island Kids might have me being carted off to the mental health ward any minute. He has brought adventure into my life. He convinced me to go sky-diving with him when we'd been dating a little over a year. Since then, I've moved to "The Island" with him (talk about adventure!), embarked on the journeys that are married life and parenthood with him, and taken up SCUBA diving so we could have further adventures together.
Island Boy, being "two....almost three!" is constantly making me take a second look at things, both good and bad. His language and the things that he comes up with have me in stitches a lot of the time, even when he's supposed to be in trouble. I mean, how can I not turn my head and stifle a laugh when I start to "count" him and he looks at me and says, seriously, "Don't worry about it Mommy." Of course he still gets sent to time out, and I rarely let him see me laugh about it, but it is really funny.
Island Girl. Dear, sweet, Island Girl. I already am envious of just how fearless she is. She is so driven to get her way that she is inhibited only by the fact that her body is still developing. This drive will serve her well in life, I know. I also know that it may cause more than a few gray hairs for Island Dad and me.

2) Our amazing extended families. Many people stationed on The Island do not have families who are willing to come visit here. It's a long flight, and a very expensive one. We are lucky enough to have my mom (Island Nanny) who has come to visit TWICE in the nearly eight months we've been here, my dad (Island Grandpa), who hates flying but loves his family enough to want to come visit anyway, and Island Dad's parents (Island Opa and Island Opa's wife, Island Dad's step-mom). Island Opa's wife doesn't love flying, either, but also was willing to make the trip out here. I can only hope we have adequately expressed to all of them how much we don't take their coming here lightly or for granted, and how much we love them.

3) The Island. It's not always easy or fun to live on a tiny island, distant from anything familiar. But as I watch those back on "The Mainland" dealing with the blizzards this winter, I'm increasingly grateful that our "weird weather" for this winter was rain outside of rainy season. Rain boots trump snow boots any day.