Happiness is . . .

. . . having your brother in town for an entire week! Makes me think of the You're a Good Man Charlie Brown song he and I were a part of in high school (I won't give the number of years between now and that production) I played Lucy, he played Linus (type casting? hope not, I don't think I'm THAT pushy ;)  Anyway, looking over these lyrics, they kind of capture how I felt having him here, and really kind of wish we lived much much closer! We took so many pictures, and had such a great time, I think I'll just upload a few, and let you peruse to the lyrics of one of the songs that occasionally slips out of my mouth 'cause it's stuck in my head.  

Oh, just as a bit of an intro for those of you who don't know, Benjamin is my younger brother by a little less than two years.  He has a gorgeous voice, loves walks on the beach, reading children's stories with all the voices, and, oh wait, I'm starting to sound a bit like a singles add or something ;) Needless to say, he's a great guy, and we loved having him here! Enjoy the lyrics, and if you want to hear the song in it's entirety, go here.(song lyrics in blue)

HAPPINESS IS FINDING A PENCIL.
PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE
TELLING THE TIME.
HAPPINESS IS LEARNING TO WHISTLE.
TYING YOUR SHOE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

 Growing up, we picked strawberries in the summer for our family, and to earn a bit of pocket change from time to time.  Always a strange experience to not glean the entire row, and only taking 15 minutes to pick our two buckets worth is great!

HAPPINESS IS PLAYING THE DRUM IN YOUR OWN SCHOOL BAND.

AND HAPPINESS IS WALKING HAND IN HAND.

HAPPINESS IS TWO KINDS OF ICE CREAM.

I think two kinds of great Loco-pops counts as ice cream too :)

KNOWING A SECRET.

CLIMBING A TREE.

HAPPINESS IS FIVE DIFFERENT CRAYONS.

Kind of funny that the there was a couple on a run, who ran across this wobbly-Indiana-Jones-ish bridge, and as they were bouncing it around, the kids said, "hey, didn't they read the sign?" Obviously not, but they survived, and so did we.

CATCHING A FIREFLY.

SETTING HIM FREE.

Always love going to farm settings, brings a calmness to my soul.  Love the fact that this one is surrounded by city, but without any indicator, other than the sounds of roads in the distance.  Someday . . . 

HAPPINESS IS BEING ALONE EVERY NOW AND THEN.

AND HAPPINESS IS COMING HOME AGAIN.

 Windy, chilly day at the beach, but the water is warmer than the swimming pool we went to earlier in the week.  Just takes it out of you faster than when it's warm.  Only a couple more weeks, and the water should be just right!

HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,

DAY TIME AND NIGHT TIME TOO.

FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL

THAT'S LOVED BY YOU.

 Grace, and all of us really, didn't really like the feel of sand pelting our legs with the wind, so she got as high as she could whenever possible.  We did enjoy playing in the surf, and had a few good games of bocci, too.  Benjamin said he needed to get a beach closer to his house, hmm I wonder how that could happen? ;)

HAPPINESS IS HAVING A SISTER.

SHARING A SANDWICH.

GETTING ALONG.

HAPPINESS IS SINGING TOGETHER WHEN DAY IS THROUGH,

AND HAPPINESS IS THOSE WHO SING WITH YOU.

HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,

DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.

FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL

THAT'S LOVED BY YOU.

 One of my favorite things we did, was to sing together.  It's kind of what my family does when we get together, music gets involved somehow, and just seems like home.  I wouldn't trade my family for anything!

Thanks for coming by Uncle Benjamin, know that you are loved!