Weeks and weeks ago, I was tagged by the lovely Mummy Do That and Aussie Mum to write a meme about my 10 happiest memories. 

-Sitting in my Grandpa Goldin's house listening to him play 'The Entertainer' on the piano.  I loved that man so much and was lucky to be able to spend so much tie with him.  Now his memory lives on in ways I never could have predicted, like when Ellis is in trouble and his full name is rolled out.

-Running through the hills of my childhood home with my Scottish Terrier, Snickers.  We would go on grand adventures...hunting enormous bullfrogs, collecting flowers, fishing the day away. We were so free.

-Christmas with my enormous and crazy American family.  They are so loud and funny and welcoming and amazing cooks. From childhood to the present, I am always overwhelmed at the time, but look back at those events with a lot of love and gratitude.

-Getting the lead in the school play at the tender age of 14...a freshman in high school.  I'd competed against the full high school and I was picked.  That's an important thing when you are 14.

-Winning a scholarship to go to Germany as a foreign exchange student.  I had been sneaking out of school to go and check the mail box for the letter at lunchtimes.  I remember seeing the thin envelope and being certain I wasn't successful, then opening it up.  I couldn't believe that after a horrendous few years of my life, something was going the way I wanted it.

-After being dropped off at the airport by my mother to leave for India (a trip she did not want me to take at the time), she'd left me to go back to the car.  You see, we are both criers and we didn't want to make a crying, blubbering scene.  A few minutes later, I turned around and she had come back to say good bye again, and we were both sobbing. I have never felt so loved in all my life.

-Seeing the Himalayas in the distance when travelling in North India.  We thought they were clouds at first. Miraculous.

-Soho Square, London.  My first day in the UK to see Kevin after years apart.  I knew right then that I wasn't going to be going anywhere, any time soon.

-Staring out at the Indian Ocean, the first time I saw it at Zinkwazi beach in South Africa.  Awe and wonder don't even describe it.

-Gazing at my wee tiny boy as he slept a few hours after he was born and being in deep reverence of such love and perfection (of course, I could fill pages and pages of how happy my family makes me...picking E up from nursery as he runs to me with pure joy.  Finding out Kevin got his amazing job here in Stirling. Seeing the love that Ellis has for our friends over here and they love they have for him, but I have a blog about all of that).

I also want to thank Josie at Sleep is For The Weak for the Lovely Blog award.  Thank you and right back at you!

I'm not going to tag anyone, but feel free to join in if you wish.