Thankful

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my sister’s house in Charlotte with my parents, my sister + her husband and my brother. Unfortunately, the schedule gods had Matt working this holiday – but off on Christmas, so we’ll take it. He stayed in Winston and held down the fort, and Zac + Jamie kindly took him for some turkey and stuffing on Thursday. Bo basked in the cuddles and extra attention, and loved getting bedtime lullabies played on the piano for him by his Aunt Katie. I tried to give him a little taste of squash and mashed potatoes but he doesn’t quite have the tongue thrust reflex out of the way yet. I overslept for our turkey trot and ate myself silly, so all in all it was a successful Thanksgiving. I only wish Matt could have been there with us.

It goes without saying that we have so much to be thankful for this year. Our sweet little boy is healthy and (generally) happy and he is so, so loved by his family. I am so thankful for this season in our life.

Thankful Thursday

I haven't done a Thankful Thursday in forever - way too long. Today's page from my page-a-day Happiness Project calendar was a great reminder... so here goes.



Today I am thankful for:

- my health
- my sister (who drove up here on Saturday JUST to see me. No other reason than that. Love.)
- one of my besties, Jessie K, moving to Charlotte!!!
- that my parents (and the kitties) are okay after a huge tree fell on their roof and shattered two skylights over their kitchen table. So thankful no one was sitting there eating their bowl of rice krispies when the glass shower rained down!! (Although I am trying to block out the thought of my Dad climbing up on a ladder in 72 mph winds to put a tarp over it. Again, thankful for safety.)
- in that light, that a year ago *right now-ish* one of my uncles had a traumatic injury when a tree branch fell on HIM while he was out cutting wood (yes, my family and trees apparently don't get along). It's a miracle he survived after passing out in the snow, it's a miracle he was found, it's a miracle he is walking and talking today. I am so thankful for his health, and that a year has passed between that scary time and now.
- that guy I married (he's the best, yall)
- sleeping in with no alarm clock
- Twitter friendship and especially the ones that turn into real-life friendships
- wonderful in laws
- library books
- having friends who I can talk to for hours on the phone, over coffee, during run, over IM... I am so blessed in the friendship department
- Boden clothes
- the bizarre mild winter we are having
- the security of having a job and knowing I can pay my bills
- snuggling with a sleepy Spuds
- a clean house that lasted more than one day
- salt bagels
- dance trance, Steph, and dance trance friends
- having positive upbeat coworkers (hi Susan and Heather!)
- homemade mac and cheese
- scarves
- a peaceful heart




What's on your list?


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Friendsgiving

Going through residency together makes you feel like a family, so it was only fitting that we shared a Thanksgiving meal together as a family.  Anne and Locke hosted, and everyone who was in town due to husband work schedules came with their hands full of dishes and their bellies ready to be full.  One meal turned into card games turned into a second meal as the day stretched on.  At one point, I walked outside to check on Buddy and I just sat there for a minute while the sounds of my friends in the kitchen washed over me – baby giggles, friends chatting and laughing, plates clinking, dogs prancing around – and I couldn’t help but whisper a quick prayer of gratitude for the friendships we’ve been blessed with in residency. 

Thankful Thursday

• Clean house
• Snuggly pup
• Blogs to write
• Crisp wine
• Stove cooked popcorn for dinner
• New episode of Glee on DVR
• Relaxing after a challenging but rewarding week of work

Thankful for this moment.

On a related note, on this particular episode of Glee, Britney asks the Irish exchange student Rory (who she thinks is a leprechaun) for an entire box of Lucky Charms marshmallows.  When I was in high school, my best friend Krissy did exactly that – picked out all the marshmallows from a Lucky Charms box (my fave cereal) and gave them to me as a birthday present.  I ate the entire thing on a flight to Puerto Rico and immediately gave myself a stomachache.  But I still look back at that as one of the sweetest things a friend has done for me. 

Lucky and thankful. 

Thankful Thursday: Anniversary Edition

Today is our FOURTH anniversary!  I can hardly believe that it has been four years.  Since our wedding anniversary falls on a Thursday, what better way to honor it than with a TT post dedicated to my husband?

Please feel free to stop reading if the schmoopy gets to you.

Dearest Husband,

I am thankful that...

- you mow the lawn.  I did it once and it took an extremely long time and was hot and not much fun.  Thank you for sparing me from that, even and especially when I forget to tell you.
- you are unequivocally the hardest working person I know and yet at the same time, the least likely to complain about how hard you work. 
- you learned to snowboard and you taught me to wakeboard.
- you respect your parents & your grandparents.  And my parents and grandparents. 
- you built me a bed.
- you always tell me honestly how an outfit looks. 
- when I was unhappy at my job last year, you told me to quit complaining and do something about it.  I needed that.
- you have an insatiable interest in new adventures and traveling.  I am 100% certain we will never, ever be bored.
- you don't internalize your work, but you're never cynical or callous about the things you see every day and the patients you treat.
- you know how to shag dance.
- you are decisive.  (Luckily you decided you wanted to marry me!)
- you drive on long trips and late at night, and don't give me too much crap about always falling asleep on road trips.
- you rarely get stressed, and even when you do, you never take it out on me. 
- when I told you I wanted to write a book, you said "So write a book."  You've been my cheerleader ever since, as well as encouraging me with my coaching practice.
- you love the Spuds as much as I do.
- you humored me by going with me to the Gary Chapman talk before our wedding.  I don't think I ever told you how much that meant to me.
- you put your laundry in the hamper and your dishes in the sink.
- you love 90s rock music as much as I do - if not more.
- you value health and taking care of yourself.  And to that end, you'll eat whatever I cook... even when I'm "experimenting." 
- you wanted to grow old with me.
- you asked me to marry you.

****

I am in danger of letting this list go on and on... and though this is basically a "reasons why I love my husband" list, it really is a list of gratitude.  I think gratitude and appreciation are a cornerstone of a solid marriage, and I know that every time I stop to take stock of what I am thankful for my husband and my marriage top that list.  I am, simply put, blessed.  I know that every day, but I am especially reminded of it today.  Happy Anniversary, Matthew.  I am thankful for us.

Thankful Tuesday: Caden Edition

My friend Donna delivered her sweet baby boy early this morning.  Welcome to the world, Caden.  I’m thankful you are here, I am thankful you are healthy and I am thankful your momma can drink wine with me again.

Thankful Tuesday

Thankful Thursday

And for the traditionalist… Thankful Thursday.  Short list, big things.

Thankful…. Wednesday?

Because I was suffering from post-vacay blues and needed to cheer myself up…

and the more I wrote, the happier I got….

so I just kept going!

And what do you know?  Ok, so I still miss vacation.  But it definitely improved my mood.  As always.

Thankful Tuesday

Thought I’d shake things up a little bit around here with a Tuesday post.  Eh?

Thankful Tuesday

A hodgepodge of things that popped into my head in a few minutes at work.

Thankful Thursday

Sometimes I just don’t even know where to start with this list… or how to finish… every since I started doing gratitude journaling, I feel like I could just go ON and ON and ON about the things in my life that give me the warm n’ fuzzies. I’m not always obnoxiously happy or anything like that, but being tuned into the good stuff has just given me an overall general sense of calmness and peace in my life. In other words: gratitude journaling = good. Off the top of my head, today, in this moment I am feeling blessed by…

• my hubby and 1,328 happy days of marriage. (yes, I calculated that today. For kicks.)


• waking up to doggy breath in my face and sweet brown eyes wondering why on Earth anyone would want to sleep past 5:30 am (to be clear: this is Buddy, not Matt)


• my Uncle’s incredible recovery (still a ways to go, but progressing amazingly)


• my mom & my aunt, who have been through a stressful last few weeks btwn my Uncle’s accident and my Grandpa’s on-going health challenges. They’re becoming way too familiar with the halls of Strong Hospital, and if I shared a zip code with them, I’d show up tomorrow with Starbucks and a hug, but since I don’t I’ll just tell ‘em (again) how amazing they are.


• Swap.com: free books in my mailbox and sending my books to someone else who wants them.


• Glee Cast Volume 4 on Grooveshark. (Maybe one of these days I’ll suck it up & pay for the album)


• Afternoon naps on the couch.


• Long overdue phone calls with far-flung friends – I’ve had 3 this week (Hi Jen! Hi Jared! Hi Mallie!) and it makes me thankful the days of paying for long-distance calls or waiting for letters are over. Instant gratification.


• A job I : enjoy, am quite good at, have flexibility with, and an opportunity to talk to and help people from all walks of life, all over the country, all ages. And all sorts of… philosophies about life. (It's never boring.)


• Making an entire meal out of roasted asparagus.


• All my friends who are pregnant right now are healthy (6! Babies coming in June, July, Aug, Sept, Oct & Nov!)


• In-laws that I love & get along with so well.


• Tuesday night dance trance classes. I’m not by any means a great dancer, but 9 years of cheerleading dies hard. I missed dancing.


• The strength and depth that someone can tap into when called to their limits. Moved & inspired by a powerful blog post I read yesterday, and adding a too-young-for-this amazing woman to my prayer list.


• Cooking dinner for a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile & chatting into the wee hours of the night (10 pm, in case you’re wondering what “wee hours” is these days.)


• Planning 2012’s vacations with my hubby. We looooove vacations.


• The teensy hint of bleach smell that lingers after a load of whites towels have been washed.


• Prayers.


• Best friends.

What’s on your list?

A little blurry but Buzzcut-Buddy always makes the list.

Thankful Thursday

Today I am grateful for:

- a number of small miracles that occurred after my uncle sustained severe injuries from an accident while cutting wood: that he woke up after being unconscious in the snow, had a cell phone on him to call someone, that his ATV tracks were fresh enough to be found, and for the doctors who have overseen his care. Thanking God a hundred times over, and praying for his ongoing recovery.

That's the big one. And my heart is overwhelmed when I stop just to think about it.

But I am thankful for small things today too. Things like:
- free music download of Adele from Starbucks this am that is making my ear drums happy
- library books
- doggy daycare webcam
- that my baby Sis is getting married in 92 days
- my precious wino niece Claire
- 90s bands
- that I enjoy what I do and have the flexibility to work 4 10s and have an extra day off each week
- my car's mpg
- my happy marriage
- that I get to see my family (at the beach!) in 30 days
- clean water to drink whenever I want
- being Irish on St Patty's Day (although I failed to make my fave, corned beef and cabbage. Wah!)
- Spring. Warm air. Green grass.
- Trader Joe's hummus
- prednisone
- a peaceful heart and a quiet mind
- girlfriends, moms, sisters and aunts
- skinny vanilla lattes
- Pandora music

It's a good day.

What's on your list today?

Thankful Thursday

I woke up in a mood today. Not only that, but I woke up in that mood 40 minutes late. I tried to curl my hair, but the rain made it go blah. Everyone, and I mean everyone, on the road must have failed their driver's test sixteen times before they were finally allowed to drive. It was just that kind of day. I arrived at work frumpy as all get out, opened my calendar to see my tasks of the day and just.... stopped.

Caught my breath. Realized where this was headed. Before I could go any further, I did something I hadn't done in a little while: a thankful thursday list.

I can't say that I immediately started tap dancing and breaking into song like my gal Rachel Berry, but it did serve it's purpose: it stopped the runaway train of a no-reason-bad-mood and put things back into perspective. Not every day is a 4-star day, but every day of this life of mine has things to be thankful for... just as it is. I needed that reminder. In fact, I need it daily.

Here's what lifted me today, in no particular order:

- Library books on CD that make my commute much easier
- My wonderful hubby
- sleeping in on Saturday mornings
- knee high boots with a skirt
- Heather's visit on Monday
- having an office with windows
- hearing Better than Ezra on my drive in to work
- tomato soup with croutons
- my parents, both my real ones and in-lawed ones
- 4 day work weeks, starting in 2 weeks
- that bad moods always pass
- that after 3 months of doing my "real job" (after all that training), I feel like I finally know what I'm doing and that I'm making an impact with the people I talk to each day
- blog friends: making connections with people through their words and their photos, learning about the lives of women I would probably not cross paths with in real life. I heart the internet for many reasons, but this is a major one.
- that when I went to go pick my doggy up at daycare late on Wednesday, he was behind the desk with the woman who told me he had gotten nervous in the room with all dogs and no people so she brought him up there with her. When I left, she reached down and said "Bye Buds! I love you!" And my heart melted to know that my doggy is in a good hands there.
- 7 weeks until I'm going to the beach
- 6 years ago, I had to go change the registration on my car from NC to DC. When I had to pay taxes on it, I called my Dad in tears because it was more than the sum total I had in my checking account. I went to the DMV on Wed to title my formerly leased car in my name, and it was nice to be able to handle that same situation with less stress, more abundance and zero tears. I bet that goes on my Dad's TT list, too.
- Pregnant friends, who are healthy, and anticipating babies that I will get to cuddle starting in June
- warm weather will be here, has to be here, soon. To stay.








Happy. Blessed. Thankful.

Thankful Thursday: 4th of July Edition

I am thankful for every minute of the sun soaked days on a flat as glass lake spent with the best of friends.

I am doubly thankful that said friends welcome us (and our doggy) into their family-filled holiday weekend with open arms and room on the boat and the biggest platter of chicken salad I’ve ever seen.

I am thankful that after 200 failed attempts at wakeboarding, I didn’t give up, I stood up and finally experienced the thrill of *boop* going over the wake.

And with regards to that, I am thankful that Craig starts the boat slow enough that I actually *can* stand up.

I am thankful for the experience of watching Donna and Matt make their first attempt at wakeboarding, and specifically the smile that erupted across Donna’s face when she got it.  (On like the 3rd time.  Jerk.)

I am thankful for SPF 50.

And on this holiday, I am thankful for the freedom that living in this country bestows upon me: the right to pray to my God, to speak my mind, to choose my spouse and to get an education.  To name a few basics.

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th.  What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday: In Pictures

I was cleaning pictures off my cell phone and noticed that most of the pictures I took were things that made me happy in the moment I took them.  So what better way to “save” these pictures than a Thankful Thursday, picture edition? 

Today, I am thankful for….

• Patio furniture, warm nights, dinner on the deck looking out into a huge backyard…. and thankful that no one has bought the lot behind us yet.
• My wonderful Hubby, seen here in his Ninja scrubs, who has worked countless days in a row and is getting closer and closer to his well-earned vacation in May!

• Buddy, seen here as a burrito.  He is one hot mess of a dog, but he has most definitely found a permanent spot in our hearts.

• Annnnnd, on our bed.

• Meepcakes.  (Well, cupcakes of all varieties, I have a thing for cupcakes.)  These are my Twitter-friend Allison’s cupcakes that she sells at the Krankie’s Farmers Market.  They’re GF, but they’re also stinkin delicious.

• Smooshy faces.

• Two doglets, one car.  Way better than I ancipated.

• Boats, lakes, dogs.  (This may as well be TT, Dog Edition.)

• Little kid umbrellas.  Barely covered my head but SO cute.

• Jammin in the car.  Probably one of my favorite hobbies of all time.

• Libraries.  They make me feel 12.  (I snuck into the YA section.  I think I’ve read every book there.)  (This is an old pic.  I did not break my Reading Resolution and check more out!)

• My baby, my sweet, my lovely, my precious.  My sweet beautiful Rebel.

• Orla Kiely.  Specifically, Orla Kiely at Target.

• Wegmans.  Best darn grocery store in the WORLD. 

• The beach, where I will be spending my birthday in just 3 short weeks!

• Lazy Sunday afternoons.  My two favorite guys.

• My gorgeous bed that my Hubby built.

• Friday morning routine: chai tea latte + perfect oatmeal.  {Although slightly worried that I was greeted by name last week.}

• Online grocery shopping.  Not an exaggeration to say it has changed my life.

• Seeing my old car in traffic in Winston, at least once a month.

• My sister.  Who is, in fact, reading in a sports bar here while we watched a WFU football game.

Happy Weekend!  What are you thankful for?