30 Days of Thanks: Little Things

Today, I’m thankful for the wonderful comments I’ve been receiving from friends, family, and readers on my blog, Facebook, and via email about selling (or not) our car.  I really appreciate getting a third party perspective on all this, plus it’s so nice to know people are reading my writings and that they aren’t just lost in the depths of the internet.

I’m thankful for the lovely weather that facilitated grocery shopping the old school way, sans car plus wagon.When we first moved to Nantucket and I was so thrilled to be less than a mile to the grocery store, this is the only way I went.  Now if we don’t drive, grocery trips usually happen with the bike and trailer or the stroller.  It was fun to pull her up and down the aisles in attention-grabbing red again.  But, oh, how did she get so big?  Was it really that long ago?  I guess it was.

Even if I do sometimes miss my sweet chubby baby, I’m also incredibly thankful for Nora’s amazing little girl personality.  I can’t get over how excited she gets about tractors and excavators and don’t-even-get-me-started about fire trucks.  We can’t pass a single one without stopping to investigate and admire, and, you know what, that’s OK.  Today it was all about the tractor behind the high school.

Her joy is contagious, even Dada got in on the excitement.  (I’m thankful too that Chris rallied and came along for a second walk this afternoon. I’ll take as much family time as I can get.)

I’m thankful for Skype.  For the quick hello I just had with my Uncle Chuck, who just wanted to say “hi” because he saw that I was online.  Thankful for how much Nora enjoys it and is able to stay connected with our family across the country.

Last night, we played a fun little “game” with Grandpa Derick and Grandma Shari — drawing names for Christmas gifts.  We are really excited (and thankful!) that my parents bought us tickets to visit them in Dallas over the holiday.  My mom’s entire close family will be there and most of my brothers, several of whom have not met Nora yet.  It will be a wonderful time and a nice change of pace from island life.  I’m also thankful that everyone agreed to a name drawing so we don’t have to stress about getting/making gifts for such a large crowd.  My mom came up with the clever idea of drawing names via Skype.  Nora chose a name of a person and then Grandpa Derick chose the name of the person getting the gift for them.Nora loved it.

The last thing I’m thankful for might be a little bit of braggery:

I’m thankful for my increasing ability to make something yummy and appealing out of nothing.  I used to have a really hard time cooking without a cookbook or making something up out of thin air, but in the last few months, I feel like I’ve been getting much braver and better about trying new things, and that they’ve actually been working out well!  I’m thankful for the food we have and that even on a limited budget I’m able to try new things.

Lastly, I’m thankful that it’s 10:30 and I’m getting off the computer and going to bed!