30 Days of Gratitude - Day 21

Fall is my favorite season, I love the rain, the falling leaves and the brisk chill in the air.  Today as I work at my desk I am cozy and warm.  The wind blown trees divert my attention outside and it makes me smile.  Fall signals the approaching end of the year and with that brings change.  I think of it like a flower bulb, we are heading into a dormant time and will emerge with new energy and vigor.  Fall is the winding down and a time to reminisce and reflect on all the year has brought.  Time to think about what lies ahead and how to affect the change we want to see in our lives.  I am grateful for this tumultuous fall day and how it forces me to sit back and reflect.

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 20

Eight years ago we bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress and it's still the best bed I've ever slept on.  The prior mattress was plush pillow top type and was only seven years old.  The last few years of its life it had become horribly uncomfortable.  Not sure if the springs were worn or if it was just a defective mattress but we had to get rid of it as neither of us were sleeping well.  We really debated about the additional cost of a Tempur-Pedic and if it was truly worth it.  There is no doubt in my mind, it's one of the best investments we've ever made.  The bed is just absolutely perfect.  Even eight years later it's still as comfortable as the day we got it.

And being gone last week and a busy weekend I am looking forward to my super comfy bed. So grateful I have this wonderful bed to sleep on!

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 19

Today I had a very nice phone conversation with Kristin.  She had just gotten her haircut and was walking home.  We chatted about her day, her evening the night before, her grad school applications, her haircut, Thanksgiving and whatnot.  It was a very nice 15 minute phone call.  Sometimes our conversations are tense and leave me feeling frustrated.  But this one was different and it was a very welcome spot in my day.  She seemed happy and it made me smile.  Because isn't that what we ultimately want for our kids, to be happy? I am thankful she called just to chat.

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 18

I am very grateful that my mom's shoulder is healing well.  She fell and broke it last month and thankfully does not need surgery.  She has been very good about wearing her sling and limiting her activity.  When I talked to her about it she really seemed relieved that it was healing just the way the doctors wanted.  She got the OK to not wear the sling around the house and I know she is happy about that!  Glad she has strong bones!

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 17

Today is my sisters birthday and I was grateful to be able to spend it with her.  She is 3 years and 4 months younger than me so I've known her all of her life.  She is an amazing person and my best friend.  Don't get all weird thinking, what about your husband?  He is a dear too but the sister/sister relationship is different from the husband/wife relationship.  I can tell her anything and she always seems to know just what to say or not say, she is wise, humble, gracious, loving, empathetic.  She is beautiful both inside and out.  She has a positive attitude and almost always has a smile on her face.  She is an awesome mother to two wonderful boys.  She is so nurturing and always makes me feel welcome and loved.  I adore her and sometimes I secretly wish I could be just like her - she is beautiful, funny, skilled at putting on makeup, classy...many of things I sometimes feel I am not.  She is family.  My blood.  Someone who has known me almost all my life. 

I am blessed to be her older sister.  We choose to spend a lot of time together, well, as much as we can with families and living 300 miles apart.  Our families spend time together and I love that the kids are close with their cousins.  We have gone on vacations together, we spend holidays together, we make time to be together as sisters and as families.

We got along as kids and only a few times do I remember distinct fights.  I remember friends having horrible fights with their siblings and I didn't get it.  Maybe we were lucky?  It was when I went to college that we became even closer.  Campus was about a 15 minute drive from home and she visited me often in the sorority.  She joined the same sorority I was in and that further strengthened our bond.  She was a senior in college when my twins were born and though she was about a month away from graduation, she drove three hours south four weekends in a row to visit and help.  My husband and I were busy and overwhelmed with twins and she was a godsend.  We moved to another state when the twins were five weeks old and of course being poor and foolish young we decided to do it ourselves.  I drove the car with the twins, my husband the behemoth (uhaul) and she drove the pickup truck with the cat.  We trekked 400 miles in one very long day.  She never complained even when the cat was screeching.

"A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life." ~ Isadora James

Here are some pictures that I like.  I have a lot more at home, but since I am at her house and not mine I am relying on facebook for these photos.  But from the smiles on our faces, I am sure you can see just how close we are and how special our sister bond is.

At a young age c. 1968

In Mexico

At a Mariners game

A fun night out

The beauty of our friendship is that we are there for each other. I truly believe we would be friends even if we weren't related. And that is a wonderful feeling.  We are friends by choice and I love her dearly.  I wish my sister a very happy birthday and all the best today and always.  I am so grateful to be her sister, her friend and glad we could spend the day celebrating HER!

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 16

Today I am thankful for Shnoo frozen yogurt.  The original flavor with strawberries and mini chocolate chips is heaven.  At 130 calories for 5 ounces of frozen deliciousness, it's a great non-fat, healthy treat with lots of calcium.  The sprinkle of chocolate chips gives me my chocolate fix and combined with the strawberries is a win-win combination.  It was a long, wet, complicated day and dish of frozen yogurt added the perfect amount of sweetness to end the day on a high note.

What are you thankful for?

30 Days of Gratitude - Day 15

I have this nifty app on my iPhone called Nike+GPS which keeps track of my walks and tracks my progress.  It tells me how many calories I'm burning, my pace, maps my route and even encourages me when I am finished.  I'm not kidding, this voice who calls himself Dirk Lewinsky (very silly name) shouts at the end of my workout various motivators.  "Good job, you ran more miles this week than last", "Good job, you ran the fastest pace yet", "Good job, you ran 3 days in a row".  When I hear his voice, it makes me laugh because I have an image of this guy in my head and then wonder what he looks like but then I realize it's just a computer voice which makes me laugh some more!

This app has different options -  to listen to music, run against the clock or run for miles or a basic run, which is what I select.  I turn it on and head out the door and after each mile it gives me a recap of pace, time and distance.  When I am finished, it takes me back to the main screen and recalculates my total distance.  This is a snap shot of where I am at as of this morning.  130.4 miles in 45 runs walks.  I can look at the history and see all the different routes and details of each one.  I love knowing that I have burned 16739 calories and walked for 37 hours 17 minutes and 35 seconds in these 45 difference walks.  Pretty nifty, huh?  I am grateful for this app, it's motivating and a fun way to log my workouts.

What are you thankful for?