1,700+ Gymnasts in the House

Or in this case, Fifth Third Field, home of the Toledo MudHens baseball team!

This post will feature Day 1 of our awesome trip to the YMCA National Gymnastics Meet in Ohio last week where Miss O and seven of her Flyers teammates "Rocked the Gym!"

After about five hours in the car, with just one brief pit stop, we arrived in Toledo just in time to check-in at our hotel, pick-up our meet passes and tickets, eat a quick bite (in the car), and head on over to the line-up for the opening ceremonies.

Here are three highlights from the opening day festivities:

1. The venue: Fifth Third Field. It's located right in the heart of downtown Toledo. The atmosphere was fun and festive with a steel band and the MudHen mascots entertaining the crowd before the spectator gates opened up.

2. The gymnasts: Aside from a torrential downpour during the middle of the march-in, it was awesome to see Miss O, her teammates, and nearly 2,000 gymnasts from 18 states parade into the stadium Olympic-style. (Please excuse the choppy video, and note how Miss O doesn't even notice that we are cheering for her - typical tween!)



3. An inspirational Olympian: 1984 Gold Medal gymnast Peter Vidmar gave an excellent key note address filled with enthusiasm, motivation, and appreciation. One of my favorite parts is when he asked the gymnasts to stand up and applaud their parents because "Mom could be doing something else" instead of driving you to practice.

Afterwards, Peter signed autographs and took photos with the gymnasts including Miss O. Awesome - especially to us as parents who strive to find good role models for our kids.



Three good things from one great day! More highlights of our road trip to come. Stay tuned.

The science behind the smiles

Think, think, think.
My husband says I think too much. So does Brian.

I do
and I think it's a good thing.

I also think it is a good thing to share how this blog came about, starting with an article I read in the Chicago Tribune about the science of happiness. You can find it here . To sum it up, the article states that researchers have found that people who list three good things every day actually become happier over time by doing so - imagine that!

Next, I had to convince Brian that this would be a good thing for us to do because we are both going through some trying times in our lives right now. That was the tricky part because I had to bug him about it - a LOT! After lighting a small fire under his you-know-what, he agreed, and perhaps now he's glad I did (maybe, kinda, sorta?)

Although I'm not sure if I can measure the happiness in my life, I do believe that scientists are onto something. Here are three good things about writing this blog:

1. Distraction: As a thinker (and a worrier, too) having to come up with three good things each day is a way for me take my mind off troubling things like the bills, the broken lawnmower, or my next doctor's visit.

2. Inspiration: I love to write. I was a journalist for a bit before becoming a teacher, then a mom. Sometimes I think I'm pretty good at writing, sometimes not. This blog inspires me to work on my writing skills. It gives me a stage, and hopefully an audience, too.

3. Connection: After 25 plus years, Brian and I have formed a new friendship. We are connecting with each other, and with others through this new-age medium. It's enlightening, refreshing, and fun!

or it's just as simple as two kinds of ice cream . . .