A Year of Thanks - Jan. 16

I'm thankful tonight that an old friend was willing to break out of her comfort zone and try something new with me.  She may have only taken baby steps, but she took the steps nonetheless. She wouldn't know it, but that willingness helps me to find courage as well. I'm only as bold and outgoing as she thinks I am because I see that she's willing to put herself out there, and I'm willing to try and support her by making her as comfortable and at ease as possible -- even when that means stretching beyond my own comfort zone. She gives me an excuse to come out of my shell as well, and that's something I am truly grateful for in a friend.

A Year of Thanks - Jan. 19

I'm thankful for friends who care enough to ask the tough questions, and who want to pray for me with details.

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I'm also thankful for unlimited messaging and data plans.

Trying to coordinate multiple events tonight, and my phone is burning up! If only I had unlimited battery life to go with it...

A Year of Thanks - Jan. 14

I am thankful for naps.

After days and days of going strong, sometimes it's nice to just lay down in the middle of the day and pass out for a while, and let the world go on without you for a bit. Especially if it's a good nap, such that when you wake up, you're ready to take on the world again.

A Year of Thanks - Jan. 11, 12, 13

I'm thankful for a really great weekend.

Though emotionally difficult, this was one of the best weekends I've had in a very long time.

On Friday, I picked up my last paychecks from my previous job. As this included my vacation pay and overtime worked, it was a great start to the weekend. Although I'm saving the bulk of it for responsible stuff, like bills, I did treat myself to a little shoe-shopping (clearance, of course!) and a pretzel at the mall.

Even though it was a beautiful weekend weather-wise, Friday's football was played indoors, razzle-dazzle style (kind of like flag football meets ultimate frisbee). Saturday morning I met up with a local adventurer's group for a nice long outdoor hike. This was my first time with this group, and I met some neat people. We had a lot of fun, and a great lunch together afterwards. By the time I got home, I was more than ready to collapse for a nap in the hammock in the backyard. Afterward, sis and I took the dogs for a walk at the park. Once we returned, it was time to get ready to join a friend for her birthday celebration.

If there's one thing I really love to do, it's to get together with my dance girls. We always seem to have more fun than should be allowed, and Saturday night was no exception. The company sponsoring the karaoke was great. Good drinks, a little singing, a lot of dancing... let me just say this: when we closed down the bar, they made us promise we'd come back at least once a month, because they'd never had as much fun before!

Although I was pretty disappointed on Sunday that plans fell through to reunite with an old friend, I was still able to make the most of the beautiful weekend with a good hike with sis, a friend and her wee little one, and our combined four dogs. Maybe not the best little group to try to herd up a mountain, but we managed alright. Afterwards sis and I had dinner with the dogs on the patio of a good Mexican restaurant near the park, enjoying the last of the warm weather before the cold and rain come back this week. There's something about enjoying a drink on the patio on a balmy night that always makes me feel like I'm on a vacation somewhere.

To top it all off, my A-town team won the playoff game today, in what turned out to be a very close 4th quarter. There was a little nail-biting involved there at the end, but they pulled it through and are one step closer to the Super Bowl!

Great fun with friends, meeting new people, time with family, getting outdoors...  weekends like this don't come around often. I am so thankful for this one.

A Year of Thanks - Jan. 10

I was incredibly thankful today to learn that I would in fact be receiving a paycheck for overtime hours that I had accrued at my last job.

When I left, there was a bit of dispute over them, and they were trying to pay me only a fraction of what I was owed (I had quite a significant number accrued -- and recorded! -- for which I had never been paid).  I am so thankful to have learned that I will be receiving the full amount owed to me, and that I will not need to proceed any further with the employment lawyers I'd been speaking to. That was not a battle I wanted to get into. Thank you, Lord! 

A Year of Thanks - Jan. 9

I am thankful for my diverse tastes.

If not for them, I wouldn't do/have done/had the opportunity for so many of the activities that I've enjoyed in this life.  I have been wonderful places, met incredible people, done some pretty nifty activities, and acquired diverse skills -- all because I have been interested in and willing to try new things. Certainly, I've sometimes allowed my shyness and insecurities to hold me back from trying something I would have really liked to do, but I try to overcome that as often as possible.  Usually, it's just money holding me back from the really fun stuff!  

A Year of Thanks - Jan. 8

I'm thankful to have found a new activity to do close to home.

Living in the suburbs of a large metropolitan area, it always seems as if the good stuff takes place downtown. However, I recently found salsa classes being taught at a studio on my side of town.  Those in the area who know what it can be like trying to cross town for anything in the evenings can appreciate how big this is. I would not have been at all likely to sign up for classes were they taking place somewhere else.  Now, I have a fun opportunity to get out and meet people while learning a new activity, without using all of my gas to do it. And for that I am thankful.