4:50 am

Yep - that is when the alarm rang - 4:50 am. The kids slept all night, I felt rested, didn't even need to hit the snooze. I hopped out of bed, brushed my teeth, put on my running gear and headed out the door.

It is so peaceful outside that early in the morning - during my 3 mile trot I saw 8 bunnies, 1 stray cat with 1/2 of a tail, 2 cars driving, and 5 old dudes running (not together). It was so muggy out there I broke a sweat before I even started running - hopefully that resulted in extra calories burned:) I'm not sure how the old dudes were able to tolerate it. Anyhow, enough about running...

This morning on the train I read an essay in this month's Real Simple magazine by Jancee Dunn titled "You've Got To Read This" and it was just so sweet - (I thought so anyhow). It is about parents whose kids are grown and have moved away. They give advice to their grown children by clipping and mailing them newspaper articles. Maybe it is their way of keeping their kids close - trying to protect them - or just letting them know that they are thinking of them, which as a parent who could see herself doing this very thing thinks is just precious.

Enjoy!