Expect Nothing...

and you will never be disappointed but you might be pleasantly surprised.

My mom used to say that to me.  A lot.

For good reason.

I tend to plan and think and hold ideas about how things will go.

And they rarely do.

At least how I think they will.

My first years of teaching.

My engagement.

My honeymoon.  (The wedding was actually what I pictured for the most part :)

Motherhood.

Mother's Day.

I really don't try to dream up stuff.

It just happens.

My mind is always going.

And I am a romantic at heart.

Gifts is one of my love languages.

So when I knew Mother's Day was this weekend, I had in my mind how it was going to go.

A hiking trip away, planned by anyone but me :). (We have hiked a lot of the trails here; there are others around the state I am itching to try) With or without kids.

Maybe a new camera.

Instead, yesterday late morning, hubby asks, "Wanna go for a hike today or tomorrow?'

My heart sank.

Don't get me wrong, I like hiking.  It just wasn't a weekend away.  And it wasn't planned.

To top it all off, one child wasn't sure she really wanted to go and seemed to be going just because she felt like she had to. Another one rolled out of bed right before we left and insisted there was no reason to go.  And the ones who did end up in the car with us argued. A lot.

Happy Mother's Day to me.

I actually said at one point, "Let's give up and go home..."

But we didn't.

We drove out to the middle of nowhere.

And we hiked.

And it was nothing like I had pictured for "my weekend".

Nothing at all.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

We had fun.  (A post/tons of pics to come)  One child, after claiming to not be a "girly girl", fell into the mud...right at the beginning of the hike.  Another one, tripping over a tree branch or his own feet, hopped up and said, "I am okay!" and took off running.  Marley pup had a ball.  She is fearless on a hike.  Rocks, water, logs...they don't stop her. Oh, and she can outhike us (even with legs mere inches long) any day.  The kids got along MOST of the time.  In fact, it was one of our better hikes.  We even decided to do one more hike and there were no complaints. I think we got about 4 miles in all together.

It was a beautiful day.  We were surrounded by beautiful scenery. And we saw no snakes.

When we got home, we grabbed some pizza from one of my favorite places.  And devoured it.

This morning, Child 2 brought me breakfast in bed.

Child 3 gave me a beautiful booklet all about me.

I think Child 4 had a gift for me from school; I just haven't seen it yet.  He will think about it in a few days.

We got to have dinner with MY mom and dad which is always a treat.

And then Child 1 bought me a shaved ice.

Oh, and I got a gift certificate for a pedicure. 

Nothing like I had "planned" or expected.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

Maybe those moms know a thing or two after all...

Reba