Weekend of Gratitude.

•I am grateful for the person(s) who had the thought to recycle the barn whose wood is currently gracing the presence of our backyard.

•I am grateful for The Reuse Center of Minneapolis who sold me the barnwood and gave me some pretty sweet glass doors too.

•I am grateful for Handsome Randy, my handsome husband, who is always willing to trust my visions, such as barnwood on the walls & ceiling of our soon to be 3 season porch.

•I am grateful for our neighbors to the south for being patient with my late night wood sanding. Sorry if I disturbed you - I was so focused on finishing that I didn't think about it until I was nearly done with the task at hand.

•I am grateful for the motion light on the garage of our neighbors to the north; the moon wasn't quite enough light for me to finish that last coat.

• I am grateful to live in a neighborhood in which I feel safe working on a project in my driveway at midnight with no second thoughts about it.

•I am grateful for my mom from who I inherited the ability to persevere so that I can do anything, like shellack 500 square feet of barnwood by myself over a weekend.

•I am grateful for the my mom again, she not only brought me dinner, she brought me Jung's Chicken Chow Mein for dinner.

•I am grateful for the quite perfect patio table given to us by Tim. Yay!

•I am grateful for my cat, Cyrus, who seems to have come around again after the loss of his companion of 9 years, Asha.

•I am grateful for my neighborhood Taco Bell being open late. The thought of a Cheesarito is really what kept me going during the very last stretch of sanding & shellacking.

•I am grateful to have a house and the resources to build a porch for it.

•I am grateful for the bathtub that I will soon sink into filled with hot water & epson salts. I will soak my aches and pains away while reading and dozing. Can't wait.

xoxx

2010: Year of Gratitude

My college chum, Jenny is doing a Year of Gratitude on her blog. Another college chum, Camille, has followed suit. I love this and feel it is important, especially in the wake of what seems to be so much madness going on. My aforementioned lady friends are dedicating their entire blogs to the cause in the coming year, this is not my plan...once a week or so, I think. I encourage you to also incorporate this reflection into your own routine whether it be in your blog, journal, or daily conversations.

I am grateful to have made it to 2010 and feeling good to boot! I have so much hope for what is in store for me in the coming months, I cannot wait to see how it unfolds and look forward to writing about it as it does. My partner, our house, my family and friends, my job, my health...even my cats. I look around at all that I am a part of and grin, I am so very lucky. As my excitement grows, I keep in mind those who are struggling and perhaps already looking ahead to 2011 for relief. Luck in life ebbs & flows. I am currently flowing with luck and feel very grateful for it.

xoxx