Sunny Side Up

So many blahs lately - miserable weather, a sick household, cancelled plans due to inconvenient weather. Winter is really beginning to get me down, I suppose. However, since seasonal affective disorder (you can call it SAD) is not a valid excuse for calling out of work to stay home and play with Baby Friend, I'm going to look on the bright side and celebrate eight things completely worth getting out of bed for. I couldn't think of two more and I'm at work so time to brain storm is limited. To avoid hurt feelings and petty arguments, the following list is in no particular order except for (spoiler alert) Number 1, which is Maggie. Obviously.

8. Cheerful and Charming Co Workers: When you work in a five person office, personalities can make or break the dynamic. That's why I'm so flipping lucky to have two of the most amusing colleagues a girl could want. We work in a high pressure environment where our clients want answers yesterday and our bosses want results now. Although we spend a lot of time discussing lunch options and after work plans, I have two solid supports behind me when I screw up and valuable resources for information when I start to drown in paperwork. When I say I couldn't do this job without them, it is not an understatement.

7. Gold Sparkly Lanvin Flats: The only good thing about February is that I was born in it. Period. Valentine's Day skeeves me out, groundhogs are gross, and the Super Bowl belongs in January. February is for drowning your sorrows in Miller Lite bottles and daydreaming about streets without slush. That's why my sister hit a grand slam home run with her extremely generous and totally flipping amazing birthday present this year - yes ma'am, she did get me gold sparkly Lanvin flats. I might be dimunitive in stature but my larger then life personality does not lend itself to the wearing of heels. As glamorous as I wasn't pre-baby, now that I tote Maggie almost everywhere with me, sensible shoes are my only option for the time being. And as incredible as the past year has been, it has been unimaginably difficult in other ways. My personal petty cash fund went from negligible to non-existent. Don't get me wrong - Maggie was, is, and always will be worth it. But luxury goods that were previously a possibility quickly fell into the impossible column. That's why these shoes... oh man, they're fantastic. They were unexpected and undeserved and unbelievably generous. They are the definition of a thoughtful present - they were something I would have drooled over, fantastized about, and maybe even bought a cheap imitation of. But my lovely sister went above and beyond and got me the perfect birthday present. And I love them.

6. My sister, Caitlin: As much as I love my shoes, they pale in comparision to my affection for my beloved sister. Only 13 months older then me, she has been my closest friend and chief rival for as long as I can remember. In fact, she is the sole reason for my existence - my parents decided that Caitlin should have a sibling and then there was me. There are days when I hate her. These days are not infrequent. There are days when I adore her. Almost everyday. She tells me to shut up when no one else will, bails my ass out when I get completely up a creek, and even braved her fear of hospitals to help me deliver my daughter. My husband loves her. She cracks my friends up. Maggie swoons when she walks into a room. And, in case she is getting a big head while reading this, I still hold many grudges from our childhood - don't you worry. That's why you're at number 8.

5. My mom: The most extraordinary thing of all the extraordinary things that have happened to me since the birth of my daughter is the understanding of a mother's love. It's an indescribable and entirely transformative process that has changed me in so many ways. It is the reason why my mother did not kill me when I was a teenager. It is awesome. And so is my mom. She was older when I was born, the second of her two miracle children, and she was the primary (okay, sole) caregiver for me for my entire life. My mom wasn't a stay-at-home parent - she was the chief executive officer of our house, the head bitch in charge of my life. Soccer games, PTA meetings, carpool - the woman had it on lockdown, even after she lost both of her parents in the same week her divorce was finalized. She was - and is - a bedrock of support to me and my family and I treasure her invaluable advice. Funny, warm, no nonsense, my mom takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I feel very lucky to have her as a parent - and as a friend.

4. Maggie's Daddy - We got married four months after we started dating, head over heels in love and deadset on starting our lives together. If either of us had any idea of what lay ahead, we might not have taken the plunge. On September 16, 2006, we both recited vows that were meaningless at the time but have taken on new life in our brief marriage. For better... could we ever have imagined our love would result in a person like Maggie? Did we know how much joy and comfort we would take in each other? I had no idea that his accomplishment would feel like my own personal triumphs, that his happiness went hand in hand with mine. For worse... who could have predicted he would lose his job just as we found out we were expecting? Did we know his parents would meddle and mine would pry, that we would be so scared and so angry at ourselves and each other for decisions we did - and didn't make? You can't go backwards and I wouldn't if I could - looking at my wedding pictures, I see a girl far more confident then I am now, who knew exactly what she was doing and why she was doing it. And I remember exactly why I fell in love with my husband. I call Maggie's Daddy my partner because I feel that term holds much more weight then husband. Husband is a legal term - it's a result of words we recited and forms we signed. He became my partner by being there, day in and day out, in whatever capacity I needed, whether I deserved it or not. From changing diapers to sorting laundry, midnight feedings and come what may, he is not only the love of my life but the single most helpful person I know. I would be lucky to have him as a friend - I am truly blessed to have him as a spouse.

3. SFS - Long-term friendships have become my speciality. Later on in our broadcast, you'll meet one of my oldest friends. But let me take this opportunity to introduce you to one of my dearest - SFS. Living her dreams in Manhattan, her schedule is as a crazy as her outfits. If you know her, you like her - everyone does. Always willing to lend an ear or an accessory, we traveled to Paris together - and didn't see the Eiffel Tower. We still have sleepovers. At her parents house. She is always welcome, no matter what the circumstance, wherever I am, whoever I'm with. She drives me crazy, cancels at the last minute, oversleeps, overschedules. She's there when I need her, I'll tell you that much. I love her. SFS is very special to me.

2. Whitney - My oldest friend. She was there before my memory starts and she'll be there after it goes. She lives too far away - I blame her parents. Her older sisters baby-sat me, her father escorted me to Father/Daughter Square Dances, her mother and I have wrestled. She won. We raised an electronic baby together as an alternative couple in health class. She was a great mom. Whitney is moody - I celebrate her feelings. She's particular - hey, I like things the way I like them, too. Her hugs are infrequent but always sincere. Unsurprisingly, she's in the public service world. She will make a difference. I love her.

1. Maggie - Um, look at her picture. She's awesome. Plus she can't speak so that means no back talk. She made me a mother and she makes everyday just a lotta bit better - I'm obsessed.