Thankful: Days 6-10

Day 6: Starbucks fall and holiday drinks.

Does your heart do a little pitter patter when the fall drinks finally arrive?  Mine does.  Pumpkin Spice Lattes are my standby favorite.  But this year Starbucks upped the anted with Salted Caramel Mochas.  Oh. My. Word.  They are uhmazing and so worth some extra runs up and down the soccer field on Monday nights.

Day 7: A thoughtful husband.

The school week got the better of me.  As Monday morning approached I was not ready to go back.  I was overwhelmed and up to my eyes in grading.  I had a full on melt down.  Crumple up and ugly cry because there is nothing else to do.  When I got home from school on Monday afternoon, Marshall told me to call in sick to soccer and go to the bathroom.  People magazine.  A bottle of wine.  And the bath tub.  So that's exactly what I did.  Sometimes we all need to be taken care of when we cant take care of ourselves.

Day 8: Voting.

I am so thankful to have the right to vote.  I desperately wanted to vote in the 2004 election and even lead a mock election at our high school.  After turning 18 in 2005, I haven't missed an election from local politics to school levies to the presidential election in 2008.  I think it is my duty as an American to be informed on all the candidates and their platforms and to vote whenever the opportunity presents itself.  We are so fortunate to have the right to vote as Americans and as women.  This was a right fought for and earned.

Day 9: Cinnamon pinecones.

I am a sucker.  Every single year I buy a bag.  I stand in the entry to the grocery store and just smell the amazing cinnamon air.  I must have memories attached to cinnamon.  It is my go to smell and those pinecones always get me in the holiday spirit.

Day 10: Travel.

So thankful for the opportunity to travel.  We have taken some big trips: New Orleans, Dallas, and Europe and smaller trips like Seattle, Sun Valley, McCall and Baker City.  Regardless of where we go, we love to travel.  This weekend we get to go visit our two best friends in Seattle.  It is so nice to be able to pick up and go, to finally have weekends off and to not stress about a trip financially.

Thankful: Days 1-5

Day 1: My teaching position.

It is a challenge.  It is a blessing.  It is overwhelming.  Everyday I have the opportunity to impact the lives of my students, to change our city, our state and our world with the words and thoughts I choose to express and teach.  I am so incredibly grateful for this gift.

Day 2: Soccer and community.

I wanted to push myself to get to know other teachers besides my mentors.  And I needed to commit to some any form of exercise.  So when I got the e-mail to join the women's soccer team The Bullshooters, I replied with "yes!" before I could second guess myself.  It has been a great way to exercise, socialize and work through my stress.  (And a bonus for the Mr. smooth legs every Monday)

Day 3: My health.

I don't always make the best choices when it comes to what I eat, drink or how often I exercise.  I don't always take care of myself and listen to my body.  But I am so thankful my body is healthy.  Today one of my students lost their mother from an illness they only found out about three weeks earlier.  I cannot even imagine that kind of weight at such a vulnerable age.  Health is often something I take for granted.

Day 4: The garden.

Thankful to finally have a space to garden.  I love time spent in solace with dirt under my nails.  Today I put the garden to bed.  Harvested the lavender and the herbs.  Pruned the bushes.  Dug up the bulbs.  I can't wait for the spring to start the garden again.  But I'm also happy to spend the time I would have gardening, curled up with a good book.

Day 5: Good friends.

{Matt and Shira at their beautiful wedding 10.15.11, Marshall and I were both in the bridal party}

Grateful for new friends that are quickly become great friends.  Our friends Matt and Shira have been such a blessing to us.  Tonight Matt and Marshall watched football while Shira and I got our nails done and made book paper dahlias.  It is so nice to have friends who are also a married couple, that we like individually and together.

Thankful

I'm joining the bandwagon of thankfulness (inspired by her, her and her).  I'd been planning to do a daily post in November about thankfulness, but several days had already passed and I thought I'd missed my bloggy chance once again.

But I miss blogging...a lot.  I miss writing something other than lesson plans or parent e-mails.  I need adult interaction, even if it's only on these internets.  And I need to express some gratitude.  Public education is in a very strange/challenging/awkward phase in Idaho right now, kind of like the majority of my students are in life.  As a result, most of the words and thoughts I'm surrounded by for 40+ hours of my week are less than thankful or positive.

So I'm going to be thankful and gracious...even if it's already day 20.  So bare with me as the posts come rolling in.  I want to be able to look back year after year and remember all that makes me thankful.