"See the past days were rough."

I was cleaning an old box and happened upon a candid snapshot of me that was taken in 2001 - eleven years ago now ... there were several things that struck me about said picture, but there was one in particular:

I was letting loose with a belly laugh !

It was a genuine leaning backwards, mouth open exposing my missing teeth on both back sides, eyes in sideways parentheses, belly laugh ;)~~ 

And here's what struck me :

I have to actually sit and think when I laughed like that, last time.  I'm suspecting it was probably around Christmas, or very shortly therefore, so - 7 months ago.  I do smile just about every day (I still have Miss CoCo!), but feel so bubbly about something that I burst?! 

I know this is a rarity because when I do let loose, CoCo runs over and checks me, its so rare for her Mommy to make such a noise anymore.  And that's saying something, too, because that picture (according to the date stamp) was taken in 2001 : my father was quite sick, and the world cleved with the attacks on American soil,

and yet, I laughed like that.