Pleasing By Reason of Comfort

Today I am grateful for amazing tasting foods. Went to dad and cheryls for dinner with Lindsay Russell and Will. We grilled and watched a movie together. Thank goodness for a healthy and happy family. We got out dad and cheryls and Lindsay and Wills wedding cakes...they looked a little scary almost two years later. Cannot believe they have both been married two years! One last photo of our sweet family cat, Emma. She's getting up there but she still loves to catch 'chickmunks' as Lindsay called them and eat vanilla ice cream. Tomorrow to work at the hospital. Grateful I have two jobs when some have none. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: St Charles Ave NE,Atlanta,United States

Today I am grateful to have Noel supporting me. I went to visit dad in the hospital and he stayed by my side for four hours. Mama Liz, Papa Joe, Lee, Declan and Patrick all came by and chatted w dad too. I'll be back in the morning to spend the day with him. I am grateful to work in a field and an office which understands that parental care can be just as important as child care. I am glad I could relieve Cheryl for a little bit. We ate Jimmy Johns for dinner as dad ate his hospital dessert of (not so warm) apple pie and vanilla ice cream. One of his favorites. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: St Charles Ave NE,Atlanta,United States

Today I am grateful for good surgeons and fresh strawberries. Dad went into and came out of surgery yesterday. It's scary to me and I think everyone to see him in the hospital. I'm just so thankful that everything went okay. I'll be seeing him tonight and I can't wait. He called Lindsay yesterday and said drunkenly, 'it's yor birfday. Allllll day.' I meant to get up and cook Lindsay breakfast yesterday on her birthday, but i woke up feeling terrible so I shifted it to today. Got over there around five and made her some delicious pancakes, eggs, and strawberries with hand whipped (by yours truly) cream: The shapes on top are supposed to be the numbers 1 & 9. She said yesterday that this would be her last birthday. So I accidentally took ten years off of her life so that I could continue celebrating it with her. For at least another ten years. We'll see how she feels at 39. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: Normal Ave,Athens-Clarke Coun

Today I am grateful to afford unnecessary items. I cracked my iPhone screen today...but in order to put a positive spin on it...I have to realize how lucky I am to afford silly things like iPhones. Many people struggle to eat...iPhones are the last item on their wish list. Wanted also to post more photos from the beach. Beautiful atalaya. Amazing birthday ice cream cake. Most beautiful little girl. This is my cousins daughter, Lily. She is so precious and sweet. Joseph always got that tan when we were young and i was always a pale freak. Oh well. At least he passed the genes on. Grateful also to see Noel tonight. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: Mall of Georgia Dr,Buford,United States

Today I am grateful for my family. They are always going out of their way to see each other and I love that I see my cousins that live in Paris at least once a year. Yesterday I left around 5:45 AM and got in around 12PM. It wasn't a bad drive at all. I even drove through Manning and saw the crazy party that is going on for this Greene character. Here are my cousins after we went kayaking in Georgetown: Afterwards we went to dinner in Georgetown and now I am grateful for herb-crusted goat cheese. Yum. I got to drive the cousins (oldest is 10 years younger than me) around all night which was fun. Kids can be kinda fun sometimes! My cousins are pretty fun to hang out with. We came back and made an ice cream cake for Katie's 12th birthday:

Today I am grateful for Stephanie Arp Carte! Tonight Stephanie and I ate a lovely dinner at Choo Choo and then went over to her house to make blueberry jam. I've never made jam before...so needless to say I was excited! Below you will see a nice collage of the steps we went through to make this jam (which will taste delicious....even if it doesn't....): Today I am grateful to have wonderful coworkers and friends like Stephanie.

Well. Noel finally took the plunge today and bought a car. After wheeling and dealing...he finally got it down to a reasonable price. Today I am grateful that Noel has a house and car again. Less stress hopefully is in the future. But on a lighter note...I got in the car to drive him to the rental place to drop off his rental car and I found a TAPE from 1994 of Garth Brooks. Yea. What's even more awesome is that this new car of his HAS a tape player. I thought this tape might be from the previous owner...turns out it's noels. Yes. He owns a Garth brooks tape. I am grateful for that because it's hilarious. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: Piedmont Rd NE,Atlanta,United States

Lindsay and I went shopping all over town last night for various things. We finally got home and got to make our first pomtinis since she's been back. This is another one of our favorite pastimes. :) I sat and watched as she unpacked the various photos and art and masks that she has collected over the years. Today I am grateful to have sight and see the beautiful art that is around us at all times. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: Sunset Dr,Athens-Clarke County,United States

Today I am grateful for Marble Slab ice cream. A delicious combination of chocolate swiss and amaretto ice creams with peanut butter cups....really puts a nice end to the evening. I don't go for ice cream very often, but it's an old pastime of Lindsay's and mine...so we indulged ourselves today after eating a huge bowl of buttered pasta (also another favorite of ours) and then going to the vet school to get some samples done on Toby's (seen here) arm. Tomorrow is back to work again, but today was a productive day for the most part. I'm excited about several projects that we're working on and loving working with coworkers to get them done. I'm grateful for my job and the people that work there with me. Go ACCA!

Today I am grateful for the people who support me every day, every week, every year, and especially those who have been there for me for the last 11 years. Of course, this isn't an all encompassing list of those who have been there for me...but merely a start. I have had so many women in my life who stepped up to the plate when they didn't have to, but just because of the love they had for mom and my family and me and my siblings and my dad... Lindsay, Lynn, Karen, Mama Liz, Grandmama Boozer, Cheryl, Lou Ann, Teri, Kathryn, Kelly, Kathy...and more. At this point I consider myself to have at least 10 mothers in my life. I am so grateful to have so many amazing women supporting me throughout my life. I can't forget about the men who have supported me through life either, namely Dad. But there are so many more... Sitting in the Whatever It Takes meeting I had many thoughts about a successful childhood and what it really takes. I am amazed at how lucky I am that, even though I

Yumm. Made with my new espresso maker and frother. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: N Highland Ave NE,Atlanta,United States

Today I am grateful that I have a car that gets me back and forth to Atlanta every weekend. Noel and I went to IKEA and he bought me a pretty new espresso maker just like the one I had in Italy. All I'm missing is coffee and then I'm on my way to a delicious espresso. He also bought me a frother so I can make my Yerba mate lattes again. I am grateful that I have him in my life again. Tonight I hope to see Kat. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone Location: Georgia 8,Atlanta,United States

Today I am grateful for the many resources that have been provided to me so that I could get to where I am this very day. I went to a great high school and college and have now stumbled into an amazing position at the Athens Community Council on Aging. I know that I would not be here today had my parents not brought me up with the understanding of how important an education is. Daily I am aware of what amazing opportunities have come across to me and I am so grateful that I am afforded those opportunities. I know that many others, many many others, are not as fortunate as I in this arena. I hope that someday my financial standing and education will allow me to give back and to help those who, just by luck, are not as fortunate as I.

I was sitting in a recent talk given by an old professor of mine, Dr. Elaine Cress, and one of her suggestions for those who want to age gracefully was to begin keeping a gratefulness journal. My journal was born. Today, the day after my mother's birthday, I am grateful for everyone that I have in my life. I have seen loss, just as everyone else has, but I have so much more to be grateful for that the loss is somehow lessened. I watched last night, on the Fourth of July, a family gain a new member. They were all sitting in the waiting room together, happy. Today, this is what I am grateful for. I have two amazing siblings and we are now all in the same state again, all living 1 hour away from each other at most. This has not been the case for quite some time now, and it has already begun to make my life better. Aunt Karen, my mother's sister, texted me last night to remind me of her love for me. I am grateful for all of my extended family, especially the seemingly 16 mothers I