Memories….

Life isn’t about what you have or what you spend….  It’s about the memories that you make.

As a single mom who constantly feels one-upped by my daughter’s father because he has greater financial resources than I do, I can state with great certainty that the above statement is true.

It’s not always easy to make memories that are amazing, especially when you’re on a limited budget AND you’re dealing with a four year old…   But I do try.

This weekend, I succeeded.  The look in her eyes told me I had succeeded.

That’s all that matters to me.

This weekend was full of fun.  Saturday we made Fairy Jars to give to her friends that are coming to her birthday.  A very girly and very wondrous thing that will help little imaginations take flight; if even just for a second…  That thought alone made the mess and the cleanup totally worth it.

And then we had an early dinner….

And then we had a movie night with snacks….

And it was great.

Sunday…  Sunday was amazing.  We stuck well within our budget and we went to the Western Fair and she had a blast.

Thanks to Jeffrey for coming with us…  And for ‘winning’ her Purple…  She loves that fucking thing more than anything.  I swear we could have left then and that memory alone would have been enough to carry her through till next year when the Fair comes to town again.

 Say hello to Purple everyone.

But we didn’t leave; we stayed…  We bought some silly hats that were on sale…  we played more games…  we saw the animals…  we rode the rides…

And then we ran into one of her best friends and the day was off the charts better for her!! Thanks Melissa and Jon for saying hi and letting the girls hit the rides together…  It made her day…!!!

And then we went home…  and she couldn’t stop talking about EVERYTHING that she saw and did.

And her words to me tonight on the way to her bed:
“Mommy, I love Purple.”
“I know Dude.”
“It was nice of Jeffrey to win him for me.”
“Yes, it was…  very nice.”
“I had the funnest day today Mommy.  Hanging out with everyone made it the best day of all.  We have such great friends.”
“Yes we do dude…  We’re very lucky.”
“You’re right Mommy, this Fair was way funner….  cause our friends were there and you went on rides with me and our friends were there are I got Purple and you went on rides with me and my best friend went on rides with me.”
“I’m glad you had fun Dude…”
“I love you Mommy.  Thanks for the best day ever.”

The look in her eyes was all the thanks I needed.

Because I know the memories of this weekend are going to stick around for a long time.

And THAT’S what matters to me.