30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 28

Nighttime

Ahhh nighttime ...

the time of day when work is over,

when Nate is home,

when the couch and a blanket call our name ...

Nighttime is a wonderful part of the day -

to me, it means that we had a day well spent

(most days, some days we like to be lazy)

and it means that it's time to refresh, unwind and relax -

and I am always grateful for the time to refresh, unwind and relax!!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 27

 DAILY ROUTINE

Have I mentioned how much I am loving my life right now?

Thinking about my daily routine has made me reminisce about my college life -

especially my very last Semester when routine was thrown

OUT the window and my schedule took over my life.

I hope that I have been able to convey just how much

I am loving my life right now, at this stage, here in Oregon!

I love that even though Nate's work schedule is varied,

our routine is pretty set!!

Our alarm clock (a.k.a. Rascal) goes off at

about 7:00 every morning. Some days we're up before then,

some days we're cursing the day we thought pets were good ideas,

but without fail - between 7 and 7:30 she wakes us up

so that we can feed her and give her her morning dose of medication!

 We have it worked out so that I take the 'morning shift' and

Nate takes the 'evening shift' (yes, we do this twice a day).

After Rascal is fed, I usually jump on the computer for some

'non' work time - you know - Facebook, e-mail,

blogging, pinterest ...(the really important stuff ;)

 During this time, if Nate hasn't gone to work yet or if he works a later shift,

he'll make his way down the stairs,

and we'll commence in our daily oil pulling.

(I'll talk more about that in a later post - we're not crazy, I promise!)

We get ready for the day, get some breakfast, and

then we usually get to work! 

 I try to keep my work hours within Nate's work hours

so that when he is home, I can be 'home' with him,

and we manage pretty well that way!

Some days I have errands to run or a house to clean,

but most days, it works out pretty darn good!

Somewhere in our days we manage to run our errands

in the very, very rainy weather (which we LOVE)!

  

Our end of the day routine includes dinner, snuggling on the

couch through an episode or two of something on Netflix,

giving Rascal her nightly dose of food and medication,

and then calling it a night!!

As you can see, my life is pretty simple right now!

On Nate's days off we'll go for a drive and explore the town

a little more, or we'll grab some lunch at a restaurant that

we have yet to try, or we'll make a candlelight dinner ...

we try to make his days off special somehow!

I am grateful for my simple, quiet life!

I know that in a few months when my job at the law office is up

my routine will change into a new one, that I'll hopefully love just as much!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 26

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

Today's topic is something that I am definitely grateful for

because since have moved here, I am hyper-aware of it!

We only have one car - which seems to work out well for us,

but it has become my best friend since moving here!

The days that I take Nate to work mean that

I have plans to get out of the house, and I'm 

definitely grateful for getting out of the house!

I'm also grateful for transportation because it has allowed 

me to see the world! I've been on trains, planes,

buses, shuttles, subways 

and I have seen some A M A Z I N G things!

Without transportation, those opportunities would not have

been possible for me or for anyone,

and I think that it is amazing that people have developed

those amazing tools to help us learn and be grateful for 

the beautiful earth that we enjoy!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 25

A r t w o r k

 

 This is another one of those prompts

that got me thinking more about the little things in my life!

I LUHV art!

I love photography (what? you didn't know? shame on you ;)

I love music!

I love crayon drawings from my nephews and nieces!

I love books!

I love painting!

I love crocheting and sewing!

I love sculptures!

I love good designs!

Art is such an amazing way for people to express themselves -

perhaps that is why I LOVE things like the Summerfest and Art Along the Rogue -

people put themselves out there to be admired, judged, critiqued

and appreciated by others who have the desire to express themselves as well.

 

Art is subjective, it is personal, it is theraputic,

it is beautiful, it is thoughtful, it is fun ...

I am grateful for the things that inspire my art,

for people who step outside of the box to produce their art,

and for the ability of the art that is produced by myself and

others to inspire me and my life!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 24

Interestingly enough, today's post is about 

G R A T I T U D E

I stewed and stewed over photo ideas for this prompt
and I came up with some really elaborate ideas,
but because I'm also grateful for simplicity,
I opted to cheat and have this be a no photo post ...

Another reason why I thought I could get away
with posting no photos is that this blog is where I share
pretty much all of my photos, so you see them anyway!!

 Anyway ... back to gratitude ...
It's true that my life is not without it's challenges,
but I am truly grateful for all that I have been blessed with!
I have the best husband and Rascal in the world,
I have truly loving and wonderful familes and friends
and all in all, my life is pretty good right now! 
     

A Glimpse Into Our Thanksgiving ... 2012

We attempted our first real Thanksgiving Dinner this year -

the turkey, the taters, the sides ... we did it all ...

and I dare say it was a success!!

 Both Nate & Tom experienced their first pie making this year

and they were delish! Nate made apple pie - homemade crust and everything,

and Tom made a tasty banana cream pie!

We relaxed through the afternoon and then taught Tom our

traditional Thanksgiving game of Hand & Foot!

We also went for a drive down town:

This morning before Nate headed off to work and Tom left to go back home

we went to the 6th Street Coffee and Deli for some yummy breakfast -

We had a wonderful day and we are so glad that Tom could come

down and spend Thanksgiving with us!

We feel so blessed and we have so much to be grateful for!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Days 22 & 23

So today I'm totally basking in my post-Thanksgiving

day of rest! I finally have a substantial amount of time off of work,

we have had our wonderful meal and we had a great time with Tom,

and we got to sleep in this morning (which means Nate is closing tonight).

I'm currently wrapped in a blanket with a chai at arms length,

a Rascal snuggling by my side, and my special FRIENDS Thanksgiving

DVD (thanks DUTSONS) in the Blue Ray Player!

I thought about pulling out the Christmas Decorations,

but I've still got two more days of this weekend to fill, 

so I'm just relaxing, taking care of my achy feet!!

On Nate's next day off, we are getting our Christmas Tree

and watching 'ELF' to kick off the new season!!

(By the way, Grants Pass has some AWESOME Christmas

Decor - I'll post more about that another day!! ;)

Anyway, I'm combining yesterday's and today's prompts because

they kind of go hand and hand ...

Clothing AND Your Closet

In a previous gratitude post, I mentioned that our new place

is much bigger than our old place - and that includes our closet,

which holds all of our clothes,

plus some blankets, plus some journals,

plus some other things ... it's amazing how much room we have in there!

It is getting chilly here, so I have been extremely

grateful for my sweaters, sweatshirts, long sleeve tee's and jackets ...

and I'm definitely grateful for all of the closet space in which to store

these snuggly clothes!!

The Art of Giving Thanks For Ourselves

 

Today is the big day!

It is weird for us to be so far away from the family that

we usually spend Thanksgiving with,

but we still have much to be grateful for!

Through my teenage years, I picked up a habit of collecting

thoughts and quotes and papers that were inspirational -

(although I really think that this habit is genetic - thanks ma!)

I've been cleaning and organizing all of my papers since our move

and earlier this month, I stumbled upon this little thought -

It was a good reminder for me, so I thought I'd share it with you, too!

Enjoy!

'At this Thanksgiving season it would be good for you and me

to sit down in a quite spot and give thanks for our selves.

Our selves are our most precious possessions. Your self is you.

It is the center of your being, your open door to the Infinite.

It is you, made in the image of God.

Through your self you live and move and have your being.

Love begins with your self; to love others you must first love your self.

Be thankful for your capacity to grow and to serve. 

Be thankful for the riches of the spirit that are yours.

Be thankful for eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand.

Be thankful for all the beauty in the world.

Be thankful for personal peace and joy.

Your future depends upon your self,

upon realization of your potential,

upon the development of your skills and talents,

upon your dreams and your attitude toward life.

Stand tall in the glory of your unique selfhood.

Give thanks for all that you are and all that you  may become.'

- Unknown

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 21

... where you sleep ...

Our new place is gigantic compared to our last place,

and we are L U H V I N G it!

One thing, however, that we have yet to do,

is get our bedroom set up and decorated the way we want it!

Someday we'll have money to purchase our dream bed

and to make our bedroom fancy - 

but for now, what you see is what we've got - laundry and all!

I considered changing today's topic, 

but then I realized that even though my bedroom isn't fancy,

it is still a part of my every day life, and really,

as long as I've got Nate and a comfy blanket, 

my bedroom is perfect the way it is

(you know, until we make it Perfect ;)

I am grateful for the happiness and the joy

that is found amidst the un-fancy bedroom

and the daydreaming of the perfect bed!!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 20

And today's prompt:

S E A S O N A L!!

Luckily, I grew up with a mother who LOVED

to decorate for every Holiday and season,

and I picked up that habit

(although her decorations put mine to shame ;)

There is something so wonderful about pulling out 

all of my decorations and decorating around the house for a holiday!

I love finding the perfect place for the decorations

and reminiscing about where they have come from!

  

I am so grateful for the seasons and the holidays

that help me remember the things that are important

and for the happiness that they bring

throught the little reminders and decorations

that are about during these times!!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 19

You know when you move to a new city

and then you undertake a photo challenge

that requires you to photograph people that

you are are grateful for ...

oh, and then you remember that those people

live far away from you  now!

Today's topic:

b e s t   f r i e n d (s)

(this is a picture from before we moved - call me a cheater, it's okay)

Here's the honest truth:

I miss my girlies!

I don't know how I got so blessed to have two of the best friends

in the history of friendship, but I did,

and I am so grateful for these two amazing girls!

We three have been through so much together,

and I really can't imagine my life without them!

Love you and miss you, girlies!!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 18

I'll be honest, it's been a rough day today.

I think I finally had my 'I can't believe how far away I am

from my family and friends' break down today ...

It might be because Thanksgiving is this week

and it's our first Holiday away from our families

and our typical Thanksgiving traditions ...

It might be because Nate is at work for 9 hours today

without time to come home for lunch so I am literally alone all day ...

It might be because I've been trying so hard to stay positive

and enjoy everything about my new life, but today I am tired ...

For whatever reason, after Nate called me on his first break,

something inside me gave in and I had a good cry, but

I think that it was something that has needed to happen since we got here ...

I let it run it's course, and this is where today's prompt comes in:

S O M E T H I N G   N E W 

When I was going to school, Nate talked about taking up painting.

We got him all the supplies, but he only pulled them out once or twice.

When we moved, I considered throwing them out,

but they were hardly used so we brought them along with us.
When I was looking for something to do to cheer me up
I happened upon Nate's paint supplies!

I pulled them out, turned on some quiet piano music,

and let myself go...
 in a new experience of 'painting my emotions'

(I've heard of this technique used with kids, so I thought, 'why not?')

 

I have titled it: 'Falling Blue"

As cheesy as it sounds, 'painting my emotions' totally worked for me!

I stepped out of my head and just started painting -

I had no idea what I was going for, and even though it will

never be worth any money, it is priceless to me!

I am grateful for my 'something new' experience

of using paper, paint and brushes to visualize how I am feeling,

and for helping me to transfer those feelings to paper

when words weren't doing any good!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 17

No picture for today because today's topic

would require for me to post every picture that I've ever taken:

MEMORIES

Especially now that we've moved, my memories are

one of the things that I am most grateful for!

I am a very nostalgic person and my memories are often

triggered by small things -

something someone says, a song, a smell,

a movie, a shirt ...

My memories of the places that I have been

and the people that I have met

and that I love are so precious to me!

I am so grateful for the memories that I have made

and for those who have made those memories special!

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 16

a n i m a l s

Seeing as how the only animal I associate with these days is Rascal,
you are lucky enough to get some more photos of her ...

she is sure a funny cat!

I am a definite fan of animals! 

I am pro pets in families because I believe that pets

teach responsibility, compassion and unconditional love -

and they truly are man's best friend!

 I am so grateful for the animals that are in my life

and the smiles they bring to my face!! 

30 Days of Gratitude Photo Challenge - Day 15

Today's prompt posed no challenge at all ...

T e c h n o l o g y

These days, technology is my life!

I work from our laptop,

I keep in touch through my phone,

I relax with our TV ...

It's pretty pathetic, but about 70% of my day in front of a screen

(again, I work from home, so don't judge too much)!

I am grateful for technology because it allowed me to make a 

smooth transition when we made our move,

it allows me to keep in touch with my loved ones

via texting, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and blogging ...

it helps me stay connected with the outside world

and it keeps me entertained and helps me relax!!