29. This blog. I love writing, sharing, and hearing from readers. Thank you for reading! It's a fun creative outlet for me, but the fact that people care enough to read (and continue reading) triples the fun!
28. My favorite TV shows. I love that simple comedies can brighten any day. Currently I'm binge-watching Parks and Rec. (Again.)
27. Beach views and lovely walks, a short drive away.
26. Wonderful friends. I feel as though this year, when I wasn't working full time, I made more time for friends. I visited my friend Amanda in Vegas and my friends Fay and David in D.C. I made more phone calls and put forth more effort to connect and stay in touch with people I love. It brought me so much joy!
25. My body. It would be so easy (SO EASY) to complain about my body and how it looks and feels different now, but I am grateful for my body. It grew our healthy baby and has healed quite well from the C-section. It has continued to help our baby thrive through breastfeeding, and it has helped me feel normal again as I start to get back in shape. I can list a million little flaws that I see, but it's important for me to celebrate what this body can do.
24. Smart phones. Seriously, how did moms survive late night feedings before these existed?
23. This guy.
22. Alcohol. I assume it's probably taboo to say so, but I do enjoy a drink now and then even though I'm nursing. It's purely a personal choice, and for me, a glass of wine or beer here and there is totally okay. I haven't had caffeine in about six months, but alcohol is still on the table.
21. The One Hundred Push Up Challenge. I'm still only on Week 3, but it's a nice way to ease back in to strength training.
20. Ben & Jerry's.
19. Family. Marshall is so lucky to have wonderful grandparents, uncles, aunt, and friends. Terry and I are beyond blessed to have such generous family to have helped us get started on the right foot with parenting.
18. Weird Al, for being hilarious.
17. Whole Foods. I always know I can trust the food I buy there. I've been shopping there more frequently, and I've even found some great deals!
16. Terry's job. It has been stable and secure for the last 5+ years, and I am so grateful that it is currently supporting us both (plus Marshall!) as I stay home with the little guy. Every day I feel lucky to spend so much time with my son, and I know it won't last forever.
15. Modern comforts of parenting. We live in a time with more research, gadgets, and tools to help with parenting than ever before. It makes life easier than it was for our parents!
14. Celebrating friends' love. I'll recap Jenn and Justin's wedding this week, but it was so wonderful to celebrate their love this weekend! We also celebrated Ian and April's wedding earlier this year and Fay and David's wedding this summer--what a treat to be present for these beautiful days!
13. Google. I just love Google.
12. On that note, Google Maps. I still haven't figured out how to get to Target from my house without navigation.
11. Making a wish at 11:11 whenever I catch it. It's just a fun part of the day.
10. My dog nephews, Achilles and Tango, the cutest dogs in all the land. I love hearing stories about them. Today my brother told me about how they went camping this weekend, and at 8:30 pm, Achilles stood up from the campfire and walked straight over to the tent, pawing at the screen to get in. He was ready for bed! Silly boy. :-)
9. Baby nicknames. I rotate among Marshmallow, Bug, MT, Silly Boy, and about 12 others. I wonder which ones will stick!
8. Massages. I'll be cashing in on a much-needed massage this weekend, and I can't wait! One of my favorite indulgences.
7. Random meet-ups with friends. On our way home from Jenn's wedding we stopped to say hi to Heidi and Ed and Katie and Corey and their kids, and it was so great to say a quick hello at lunch. I wish we lived closer to all our friends, but we appreciate the time we do get with them!
6. Outgoing people. I want to meet more people and find new local friends, but it's hard to do. Last week a very friendly guy stopped Terry at the beach and commented on his "My girl is stronger than you" shirt, and we chatted for a while. He runs workouts in the area, so we may check one out. It's fun to get to know new people!
5. Silly tabloid magazines. I don't subscribe to any, but my mom usually brings some for me when she visits. My favorites are People and US Weekly.
4. Easy meals. They've been a lifesaver lately! We make simple stuff like soups, sandwiches, bruschetta, salads. At least we're eating at home, right?
3. Weekends. They have a whole new meaning now, even though I'm not working during the week. When Terry is home, all is right with the world. We go out more, check out new places, laugh together at our silly boy's faces, run errands. It's just wonderful when he's around.
2. Terry. He's truly the greatest. I can't say enough about how wonderful he is, so I'll just leave it at that.
1. Marshall. You knew this one was going to be #1. I'm thankful he's here, I'm thankful he's healthy, I'm thankful we're all not only surviving but truly loving this precious time.
A very happy birthday, indeed!
happy birthday! itz my birthday today too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list! You have a lot of things to be thankful for at 29! I wish you lived in Omaha so we could hang out, I feel like we'd have a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday! Great list! It's nice to stop and think of all the things we are thankful for because it's so easy to go through our days on autopilot and not think about this kind of stuff.
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