This is probably my all time favorite picture ever!   And it almost didn’t happen.  I remember it like it was yesterday.  We were in Cambodia at the ancient Angkor Wat temple.  The grounds were covered with tourists.  This was no surprise to us as it is Cambodia’s most visited tourist destination.  We quickly secured our guide for the day and began our tour of the sacred grounds.  The bright blue sky began to transform into light shades of grey and we knew that the fast changing sky would soon open up and pour out buckets of heavy rain.  Rain storms in Cambodia came fast and rained harder than any storm I have ever seen in the states.  We were no stranger to these storms and just like all of the other tourists on the ground took heed to the warning and quickly secured covered shelter.  Seconds later it rained… and rained and rained.  Typically the storms come fast… hit hard and then leave as quickly as they came.  But this storm was somehow very different. It never let up… it went on and on.  Anyways… you get the point it was really rainy and really wet.  I am running out of big words to describe this crazy storm we were caught in.

Carter was sitting at the stone window and was quietly watching the rain.  Slowly he began to put his hand out the window and watch as the puddles quickly filled his cupped hand and then he would effortlessly let the drops of water go.  It was cute…really pretty precious… I could have watched him do it for days.  The grounds were empty.  Not a person in site.  Finally I had enough with the storm… the big puddles and glossy stoned path were calling our names!  It only took 3 simple words but just like that we were all on the same page and begain our next adventure… we all locked hands and we began to dance in the rain… the kind of dancing like no one was watching us.  Like there was nothing holding us back… not a care in the world.  When we got tired of dancing we backing jumping… splashing in every puddles our bright eyes could see.  For that moment time stood still.  I could have lived it every day for the rest of my life and my life would have been complete.

It was perfect… unstaged… unrehearsed… real… just real.  After we could dance, laugh and jump no more we began to climb.  We climbed to the peak of the temple grounds.  Although we certainly not higher than 30 or 40 feet I swear we were on top of the world.  It was there at the top of the temple that I got the picture of a lifetime.  I was across the world on sacred ground with the love of my life in a temple …. a real ancient temple…just us…. it was real… it was in the moment.. crazy spontaneous and it almost didn’t happen.  I can pretend like I am the Mom who splashes in the water with my child when it rains but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.  I wear rain boots when it rains because they are cute… but I also wear them on perfectly sunny days when I feel like them too.  I go the long way around things to avoid getting my shoes dirty or wet.  I hate dirty water… dirt or basically another thing that could have germs or leave me sticky so the whole dancing in the rain this was new… very new.

I got lucky… really lucky.  For once I lived in the moment and followed my heart.  I was the exciting one with the crazy idea!  I danced in the rain!  It almost didn’t happen… I usually stay in the safe.. dry… predicable place.  I absolutely HATE (yes the H word again) the crane machine.  You know the one that costs $.50 and makes you think that you will win a prize (super crappy and not cute) stuffed animals.  Somehow and there is absolutely no supporting evidence my boys think they can win them.  Their photographic memories become very very clouded and they conveniently forget they failed the last 20 times they attempted before.   OK… I clearly have gotten a little off topic but I am really good and wrapping up my off-the-wall comments and bringing them home. I hate the crane machine because it’s not a sure bet.  I hate the unknown.   I was the girl who ran for class treasure every year instead of something cool because I knew I could win.  I hate taking risks but somehow don’t think the crazy I pull daily isn’t risky at all.  I am more comfortable buying and selling real estate then I am at getting a new cell phone plan… not even kidding.

Back to the story… Oh yes… The dancing part.  Dancing in the rain was magical and it wouldn’t have happened had I not let go and lived in the moment.  There are many moments in life that sneak up on us and can either be crazy amazing or just as easily pass us by.  The little things in life that make it magical… not the big miles stones like first words, graduations and first place wins but the ones that will someday just be gone.  Like Carter getting of the bus and running to me as fast as he can for a hug even though his friends can see, or hearing his little foot steps run up and down the hall or blowing Carter kisses and having him furiously blow them back.

It could have been a rain storm that I waited out and then along with everyone else took the tour when it was again dry and sunny.    I would have gotten a good picture… there would have been people in the back ground but it still would have been pretty great.  I would have looked better and not been drench from head to toe but I would have only had a picture and not a moment.  Life is capturing moments … making memories one picture at a time.  It is  just doing something because you feel like it.  It’s drinking a milkshake because your hungry, it’s buying a new shirt because you had a bad day, it’s turning up the radio when your alone and jamming out to it, it’s singing in the shower really loud when you know you can’t sing at all.  It’s taking time to enjoy the moment and not prepare for the next one.  Case and point I can’t tell you how many dodgeball fights or nerf gun wars I have missed out on because I was making sure the kitchen was clean and there were no dishes in the sink.  Just let them sit there.

If you only had today you would savor every last minute with the ones you love.  You would make every moment count.  You would shout your love for your friends and family from the roof top…. you would wear your heart on your sleeve and live in the moment not for the moment.  So here is your homework… just let the dishes sit there and join the dodgeball fight.  It will be worth every minute of it.  And I cross my heart that the dishes will patiently wait for you.  Hint: If you stack them neatly on top of each other in the corner of the sink you will almost forget that they are there…. almost!  😉 We need to be making moments people… we need to be thinking less and living more.  Life is good… really really good and YES some pictures can just be so perfect that they can’t even be real but they REALLY are.  Cheers to a new day! XOXO

FULL DISCLOSURE:

*Carter recently won a crane machine toy on our last cruise.  He was bribed with the crane machine whenever we needed him to do something.  It was usually to get my an ice cream cone that was 11 levels up from our state room.  So he did win but tried 25-30 times.

*I had a swim suit on when I danced in the rain or I would probably not have been so spontaneous… but I did never intend to get wet.

*Although I LOVE the pic from the ancient temple I will never again visit Cambodia.   That dang city almost killed me and my little man!  Carter and I got crazy… crazy…crazy sick!  Our Doctor had to give us two different strings of antibodies to defeat whatever disaster infested us.  Ty ate all the local faves… (the yucky street stands) and we ate room service EVERY DAY to be safe….. ha ha story of my life! YOLO!!!!  Golden rule:if a food venue does not have running water there is no amount of money that could ever get me to eat there… not even kidding.   Seize the day people! XOXO