Spring Fever

Today was so, so beautiful... from beginning to end. I loved every second of today.

Since yesterday was my last day of work and I don't start my new job until Monday, I have myself a lovely little 4-day weekend here. This morning, Michael woke me up to tell me he was leaving for work a bit before 8:00. After he left, I tried to get back to sleep, but was disturbed by the BRIGHTEST SUNLIGHT EVER shining through our bedroom window. It was shining at just the right angle to render our blinds ineffective. I snuggled with Tess and watched TV for a while to see if I would drift off to sleep again, but alas... I just could not wait to get up and enjoy the day.

I "recorded" my day with a series of cell phone pics. Those of you who follow me on Twitter have probably already seen most of these!

First, I ate breakfast, browsed the web, and then relaxed on the couch and watched some morning television. I opened the blinds for Tessa so that she could look out and enjoy lying in the sunshine. My view:

(Notice my Christmas pajama pants? Awesome.)

After a while, I got up and baked a cake and a batch of cupcakes for Logan's birthday party, which is Saturday. I won't decorate until tomorrow, but I figured I'd get a head start by getting the baking done today. While I did that and a lot of other things around the house, Tess continued to enjoy the sunshine:

She was in her version of heaven, I think. (Notice the doggy nose marks all over the window. A good Windexing is in order. Sheesh.)

After everything was baked and some of my "chores" were done, I threw on some workout pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I broke out my iPod and a pair of SUNGLASSES (yessss!) and asked Tessa if she wanted to go for a walk. "Walk" is a magic word in Tessa's world. She totally understands what it means, and when you say it, she will jump all over you like you just told her she won the lottery.

We set out for our walk and I was even more pleased with the weather than I thought I would be. It was 60 degrees and perfectly sunny and I loved it so much. I kept closing my eyes and just breathing in the fresh air, feeling the sun on my face and the (relatively) warm breeze. Ahhhh. Days like this are just what I need after what has felt like a substantially long winter. Still, I was reminded that winter is not quite over:

There was still plenty of snow to be seen on our walk. And I know this day is just a spring tease, but I DON'T CARE.

We took our extra long walking route, as I really didn't want to go back inside. Like, ever. It felt so good to be out and getting some outdoor exercise. Although she is a complete trooper and will keep walking as long as we do, I could tell little Tess was getting pretty tired after a while. It's a long walk for her little legs!

She stuck it out, though, and we finished our route. When we got home, Tess collapsed into the sunny grass and rolled over for belly rubs.

Unfortunately for her, it was then that I realized just how dirty her belly had gotten from our walk, so it was straight into the bathtub for her. But I did grab one last photo, of Tessa and her mama enjoying the sunshine:

After a bath for Tess and a shower for me, we both were ready to relax for a little while.

Someone was super tired.

In the late afternoon, my sister-in-law, Cristina, came over and we played Super Mario Brothers Wii until Michael got home from work. From there, we walked to a restaurant close to our house to treat her for dinner, since she's home from college on spring break.

I loved today.