Where Would I Rather Be?

As I sit here at home tonight in my pajamas I found myself wondering...is there anywhere else I would rather be?  So I gave it some thought...

Possibly Happy Valley.  I am, of course, watching the Penn State game, and they have looked fantastic tonight.  Watching Penn State is one of life's great joys for this geographical transplant.  The bumper sticker "If God wasn't a Penn State fan, why did He make the sky blue and white?" was as much a feature of pick up trucks where I grew up as the exhaust pipe, and I have a deep, abiding love and respect for Joe Paterno.   Yet I have never been to a Penn State home game.  Someday I want to sit among that throng of crazy kids all decked out in white - heck, I'd even like one of those Joe Paterno masks to wear!  Happy Valley...yeah.  That would be great.

Or how about the upcoming Garth/Trisha concert coming up in Nashville?  Boy, I could get jazzed about that!  They are coming to do a benefit concert for the Nashville area to help with flood relief (one of the greatest natural disasters to ever hit our country...did you know that?).  I saw Garth in concert nearly 15 years ago, and it was life changing.  Really.  I have my fingers crossed that my not so subtle cyber-hinting will help nudge Mark into getting tickets for a Christmas gift.  Sitting in the audience singing along to "Friends in Low Places" and "She's In Love With the Boy" would be fantastic.  I want to go there.

I'm not going to lie.  You could twist my arm to go back to Ocracoke.  Last weekend I spent time sitting in the sunshine listening to the rhythm of the ocean waves, reading a good book and laughing with an even better friend.  I got a tan, enjoyed fresh shrimp, and met some really cool people.  It is always hard for me to leave the beach - it is a soul reviving place for me.

You are probably thinking Latvia.  And you would be mostly right.  This time next week I will be on an airplane going to pick up our girl.  I cried this morning, just soft, silent tears of joy.  I know there will be challenging moments on that trip and at times in our future, but we are all so very thankful and overwhelmed by the blessing of this amazing young lady.  We love our Elsie Kate!  So yes, I am anxiously anticipating being in Latvia.

But you know what?  Tonight, sitting here in my pjs, watching Penn State, my dog snoring softly next to my chair, and my husband laughing at my game-watching antics, I am most content to be right where I am.  Life can get crazy busy, and I have been swept up in the frantic pace of all that is going on.  I am so thankful for this quiet realization tonight.  I am content.  I know I won't always be, but in this moment, there is nowhere else I would rather be.

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