Happy Birthday Boobaloo!

I define self-control, in the beginning of life, as the choice of achieving what I really want by doing things I really don’t want to do. Once this becomes a habit, discipline becomes the choice of achieving what I really want by doing the very things I now want to do! I really believe that a disciplined life becomes a joy–but only after we have worked hard to practice it.–John Maxwell

I just returned from a three day mini vacation to Atlantic City.

The occasion was my daughter Abigail’s sweet sixteenth birthday.  

There is nothing my daughter loves more than shopping, dining out and fine hotels.  She and her best friend, the fifteen year old Alyssa,wanted to catch the end of season sales at the Atlantic City outlets so I made reservations for the three of us and off we went.

What does my Atlantic City trip have to do with the quote above?  

I should tell you that I absolutely despise Atlantic City.  When I step inside the casinos and am surrounded by the lights, the phoniness, the crowds of overweight people … I become claustrophobic.

Whenever I try gambling I always get the strong feeling that I should just light a match to my money – watching it burn would take longer than losing it in a slot machine and might be more entertaining to boot.

And, alas, unlike the vast majority of American women, generally speaking I do not like to shop.  

Browsing in a new wave “General Store” seeing Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cake mixes does not inspire me to want to spend $15 on a baking mix … it does make me long for my own cozy kitchen where I can make up Ina’s recipes from scratch.

But despite my aversion to gambling and crowds and overpriced malls, this weekend I did a lot of things that I don’t like doing.

For the love of Abigail.

Happy Birthday boobaloo!!!  I will always love you!

One Response to “Happy Birthday Boobaloo!”

1. atlantic wave says:

   March 24, 2010 at 4:16 pm

   [...] as seen through the eyes of the cutting-edge photojournalists who risk life and limb to document …Happy Birthday Boobaloo! | The Life Changing ProjectI define self-control, in the beginning of life, as the choice of achieving what I really want by [...]