Gratitude Friday
It’s time for a three day weekend! I love these. Chris will be traveling with some kids for a contest tomorrow so I’ll have a day to myself. We’ve got a new church to visit on Sunday and we’re going to see “Narnia”. Monday is completely open so we will likely rest and relax. Those are the best days. So here are some of the things I am grateful for this week!
1. Emails – This morning I got a laugh-out-loud email from a friend at work in OKC. She told me she’d had the honor of running on my favorite treadmill at the gym this morning. Made me laugh to hear her talking about her run but it also made me very grateful to have email. These little messages we write to our friends and family may only take a few minutes (unless it’s an email exchange between me and Mrs. JT – those take hours) but they sure can bring a smile. Really, we have no excuse not to stay connected. I know I can be the worst at sending cards and presents but email… that I can do all day long.
2. Fancy Tee Shirts – So realizing I am likely behind the curve on this, I have recently discovered the wonders of fancy tee shirts. You know the ones with some sort of embellishment like ruffled sleeves or a buttons in the center. I’m completely addicted. Here’s why: They look great dressy and they look great casual. My wardrobe is fairly one sided. If I can’t wear it to the office or it’s not trouser jeans, then I likely won’t purchase it. I can’t wear jeans of any kind to work but trouser jeans are the exception to my must-be-able-to-wear-it-to-work rule. Anyway, these tee shirts look great with my suits and they give me an updated look. I can buy 3 or 4 (or 10) with this season’s colors and styles without spending a lot of money. Of course, they look great casual too but they aren’t sloppy or lazy casual but cute and coordinated casual. I highly recommend “Forever 21” and “Charlotte Russe”. You can even shop online.
3. Chick Lit – Somewhere, there are English professors gasping in horror at what I’m about to say. I love Chick Lit. Yes, it’s complete fluff. Yes, it lacks serious narrative skill. Yes, it’s printed in large type on huge pages with 3 inch margins. But I love it. I just finished reading Love the One You’re With and I have to say it was wonderful. A pretty simple story and one we’ve all heard a million times and yet, I almost couldn’t put it down. I closed it just as I was flying into Birmingham last Friday. As I looked out the window at our hometown, I thought about the heroine’s dilemma and about my marriage and ex-boyfriends. The truth is, I married the guy who game me butterflies. The guy who I obsessed over. The guy who challenged me. I couldn’t think of a single person I dated before Chris who even comes close in comparison. So although Chick Lit has not a single literary merit, it did make put a smile on my face just thinking how wonderful my precious husband is. For that, I am most grateful.
4. American Idol – Season 7 has now come and gone. For 5 months, Chris and I watch as the massive amount of crazies get narrowed down further and further until we have “The American Idol”. Or “Your American Idol” to quote Ryan Seacrest. We don’t see every week especially in the beginning. It seems like they do more “making fun” then than really looking for talent but once we’re down to the top 24, I’m hooked. Its not Randy’s “Dawg” or Paula’s positivism or even Simon’s harshness that keeps me coming back but it’s the stories of the contestants. I’m a sucker for a sappy story or just a hopeful story. This year was full of those. I was genuinely disappointed when the girl from Chicago with the disabled little girl didn’t make the top 24. Likewise, I was equally excited to see Brooke White make it. And although I was pretty certain whatever she released, I’d be the first to buy, I am now 100% convinced of that after her duet with Graham Nash. Loved it. And so now we have our latest Idol, a 25 year old rocker who cried, brought the other 11 finalists with him to sing the new song at the end and thanked his brother for making him audition. Oh Idol, I will miss you these next 7 months.
5. Fruit – Strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, apples, pears, raspberries, plums, peaches, blackberries, bananas… Yummy. I don’t particularly care for melons, of any kind, although I have some great memories of sitting on our deck with the family on a Sunday afternoon eating gigantic slices watermelon covered in salt. And of course there were the canned peaches Mamaw used to make. We would defrost a batch to serve with ice cream in the summer. On top of the sheer delightful taste and the family memories, fruit is the best antidote to my IBS. Its simple sugars and fiber in pure form. I eat at least 2 to 3 serving a day which is down significantly to the 9 servings I was eating. I realized that was a little over kill. The taste of ripe strawberries for breakfast in the mornings is so purely perfect. So while I firmly believe God sneezed when He created the Mousse, fruit, by contrast, is the nearest thing to perfection I have ever found.
We hope everyone has a relaxing and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! We are so blessed not just in the small ways I write about each week but in the big ways too. We are blessed to live in this country, blessed to have family and friends we love and who love us back and blessed to be a child of God who cares and guides us. Love to you all!!!
It’s time for a three day weekend! I love these. Chris will be traveling with some kids for a contest tomorrow so I’ll have a day to myself. We’ve got a new church to visit on Sunday and we’re going to see “Narnia”. Monday is completely open so we will likely rest and relax. Those are the best days. So here are some of the things I am grateful for this week!
1. Emails – This morning I got a laugh-out-loud email from a friend at work in OKC. She told me she’d had the honor of running on my favorite treadmill at the gym this morning. Made me laugh to hear her talking about her run but it also made me very grateful to have email. These little messages we write to our friends and family may only take a few minutes (unless it’s an email exchange between me and Mrs. JT – those take hours) but they sure can bring a smile. Really, we have no excuse not to stay connected. I know I can be the worst at sending cards and presents but email… that I can do all day long.
2. Fancy Tee Shirts – So realizing I am likely behind the curve on this, I have recently discovered the wonders of fancy tee shirts. You know the ones with some sort of embellishment like ruffled sleeves or a buttons in the center. I’m completely addicted. Here’s why: They look great dressy and they look great casual. My wardrobe is fairly one sided. If I can’t wear it to the office or it’s not trouser jeans, then I likely won’t purchase it. I can’t wear jeans of any kind to work but trouser jeans are the exception to my must-be-able-to-wear-it-to-work rule. Anyway, these tee shirts look great with my suits and they give me an updated look. I can buy 3 or 4 (or 10) with this season’s colors and styles without spending a lot of money. Of course, they look great casual too but they aren’t sloppy or lazy casual but cute and coordinated casual. I highly recommend “Forever 21” and “Charlotte Russe”. You can even shop online.
3. Chick Lit – Somewhere, there are English professors gasping in horror at what I’m about to say. I love Chick Lit. Yes, it’s complete fluff. Yes, it lacks serious narrative skill. Yes, it’s printed in large type on huge pages with 3 inch margins. But I love it. I just finished reading Love the One You’re With and I have to say it was wonderful. A pretty simple story and one we’ve all heard a million times and yet, I almost couldn’t put it down. I closed it just as I was flying into Birmingham last Friday. As I looked out the window at our hometown, I thought about the heroine’s dilemma and about my marriage and ex-boyfriends. The truth is, I married the guy who game me butterflies. The guy who I obsessed over. The guy who challenged me. I couldn’t think of a single person I dated before Chris who even comes close in comparison. So although Chick Lit has not a single literary merit, it did make put a smile on my face just thinking how wonderful my precious husband is. For that, I am most grateful.
4. American Idol – Season 7 has now come and gone. For 5 months, Chris and I watch as the massive amount of crazies get narrowed down further and further until we have “The American Idol”. Or “Your American Idol” to quote Ryan Seacrest. We don’t see every week especially in the beginning. It seems like they do more “making fun” then than really looking for talent but once we’re down to the top 24, I’m hooked. Its not Randy’s “Dawg” or Paula’s positivism or even Simon’s harshness that keeps me coming back but it’s the stories of the contestants. I’m a sucker for a sappy story or just a hopeful story. This year was full of those. I was genuinely disappointed when the girl from Chicago with the disabled little girl didn’t make the top 24. Likewise, I was equally excited to see Brooke White make it. And although I was pretty certain whatever she released, I’d be the first to buy, I am now 100% convinced of that after her duet with Graham Nash. Loved it. And so now we have our latest Idol, a 25 year old rocker who cried, brought the other 11 finalists with him to sing the new song at the end and thanked his brother for making him audition. Oh Idol, I will miss you these next 7 months.
5. Fruit – Strawberries, pineapple, blueberries, apples, pears, raspberries, plums, peaches, blackberries, bananas… Yummy. I don’t particularly care for melons, of any kind, although I have some great memories of sitting on our deck with the family on a Sunday afternoon eating gigantic slices watermelon covered in salt. And of course there were the canned peaches Mamaw used to make. We would defrost a batch to serve with ice cream in the summer. On top of the sheer delightful taste and the family memories, fruit is the best antidote to my IBS. Its simple sugars and fiber in pure form. I eat at least 2 to 3 serving a day which is down significantly to the 9 servings I was eating. I realized that was a little over kill. The taste of ripe strawberries for breakfast in the mornings is so purely perfect. So while I firmly believe God sneezed when He created the Mousse, fruit, by contrast, is the nearest thing to perfection I have ever found.
We hope everyone has a relaxing and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! We are so blessed not just in the small ways I write about each week but in the big ways too. We are blessed to live in this country, blessed to have family and friends we love and who love us back and blessed to be a child of God who cares and guides us. Love to you all!!!
We've finally made it to Friday! I'm grateful for an extra few days as well. We just saw Narnia tonight. Interested in hearing your thoughts on that.
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