Thursday, December 22, 2011

Dressember...half way there...

This has been so much fun! Thanks to my friend, Blythe for putting this together, I have been forced to get somewhat creative at times with my wardrobe.


I'm spending Christmas in Oklahoma with family, so it will be an interesting, more-layering-than-known, kind of week!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

..thankful for the simple things...

For the past two weeks, I have had health issues, debilitating at times, that have hindered my everyday life. I had to take three and a half days off of work due to pain and fevers, and therefore my life stopped; literally.

It was not really until tonight, as I was getting ready to get ready for bed, when I realized how much I am thankful for. About a week and a half ago, my dear friend Simone Knepper hosted her annual Thankful Brunch, in which we all come to the table (again, I'm being literal here) and share the things that we were thankful for throughout the year. Unfortunately, this was when my health issues began, so not only was I ill-prepared with my list, but in midst of pain it is difficult to remember exactly what I am thankful for.

In the next several bullet points, I will attempt to convey those things, simple or grand, that I am thankful for for the 2011 year...up to this point, at least.

*my family
(cliche, but simply stating I am thankful for them will never suffice to convey the depth of how thankful and grateful I truly am for them)
*my health
(it has been up and down throughout the year, possibly more than usual, but I am thankful for both good health and bad health - bad health because it reminds me to appreciate the small, simplest of things ~walking with ease, laughing without pain, etc.~ even more)
*my apartment
(especially throughout the past week of being nearly under house arrest, I am so thankful that I still love the small details of my house ~ the cups/plates I have acquired from Anthropologie, the pillow I so love from Pier 1, the small owl figurines and various bird salt and pepper shakers I have begun to, unknowingly, collect)
*my iPhone
*Instagram, Phonto, Diptic, the camera on the phone!
*sunrise/sunsets
*pain killers and antibiotics
*hummingbirds
*a smile from a complete stranger, or someone close to me that I can share their joy
*finishing a good book
*Pride & Prejudice - the book and movies
*Coke Zero
*the lamp I retrieved from my dad's childhood room that I use on my desk (which I am continually getting compliments on!)
*pictures
*my job (as a teacher and a coach)
*my computer
*friends that, though I may speak to them but once or twice a year, we pick up as if not time has elapsed
*living in a free country
*the ability to travel easily
*my car
*air conditioning
*after the rain...
~a leaf with raindrops still lingering
~puffy white clouds with a brilliant blue sky backdrop'
~the smell of wet dirt and wet asphalt
*a breeze that cools the temperature just enough to raise a slight goosebump..or the sun shining on my skin to raise that same slight goosebump
*the tree outside my front door
~and that though I often forget to water it, it is stubborn enough to keep on keepin'on
*my coffee cup from Anthropologie with an "M" on it
*Donut Shop coffee pods
*Peppermint Mocha creamer from CoffeeMate


This list could go on, and I plan to continue it. Right now, however, I must get some rest before I make the trek back to work tomorrow...of which I am thankful.