This week I'm thankful that I got time to finish three books. I'm especially thankful for my relaxing weekend (that I mentioned a couple days ago) that I spent reading in a calm, quiet house :) Sometimes things get so hectic that I don't have a chance to just sit back and relax. If I want to read, I have to sneak it in between whatever obligations I have. This week, I got some genuine "me" time and it was fabulous! I'm so thankful for the free time I have right now. Love S & B and Gossip Girl so I chose this pic :) I'm also thankful for the girl time I had this week. So far, I have had dinner with two friends (my friend Kristen made me dinner - isn't that sweet??? and my best friend came over last night to catch up and eat with me!). I also had lunch with a friend from college on Monday (whom I hadn't seen for YEARS and it was great to catch up!) and yesterday, I had lunch with Erin, my old college roommate. I mean, seriously, this has been a great week! Who else gets to see THAT many friends throughout the work week??? Lucky me!! Speaking of girls (and friends), I'm thankful for lasting friendships as well as those that come back after many years. Each of the friends I spent time with this week have been in my life for years. Some of them I lost touch with for a few years but have reappeared recently and some have been there all along. I think it's incredible when you can have friends with history. Whether you went in different directions for a while or you grew WITH them, it's amazing to stay connected to people. When looking back, I don't know what I had expected for this point in my life, or who I expected to be a part of it, but either way, I'm thankful for the blessings I have today! Lastly, I'm grateful to work with Husband and have the opportunity to go to lunch with him when I want and share downtown life with him. His mom and brother came in town last week and met us for lunch downtown. We got to show off our office and give them a taste of what it's like to work in a big city (they are not from a big city!). Husband's mom took this pic of us waiting for them to meet us! Aren't we cuuuuuuute????
0 Comments
Gretchen and me enjoying a Syracuse blizzard! This week, I'm thankful for my friend Gretchen and her creative support in my life! Haha. She's an amazing artist (if you don't believe me, check out her website here or the post I did about her a couple weeks back!) Gretchen has been helping me brainstorm ideas for my Sicilian kitchen and she's even going to do some of the artwork for it! She's so incredibly creative and I love everything she makes! She's also bubbly, free spirit that always puts a smile on my face. Today, she has an interview for an amazing job and keep your fingers crossed that she gets it! Today I had a "girly lunch" with a couple of my coworkers and it was so much fun! There were three of us and one found this pic that doesn't totally look like us but shows off the good time we had! I love girly lunch dates - they give us a chance to relax and talk about things that the husbands probably wouldn't care about! I mentioned that I'm nursing a strained IT band and by the end of the day, my knee is usually aching. My doctor prescribed this anti-inflammatory gel that you can apply directly to the injury and it's great. Now I don't have to take Advil every four hours and upset my stomach. Instead, the medicine can start working directly where it's needed. Lastly, I'm thankful for Pinterest. It sounds shallow, I know, but it's not the site that I'm thankful for, it's what it provides! I can look up something funny if I'm feeling down or I can look for decorating ideas (been doing that a lot this week!) or crafts or presents to make for people. I can also find delicious recipes and learn cool tricks about my new gardening endeavors. Today, my friend Kim and I were sending each other laughs back and forth with all of the hilarious pins we found. Sometimes it's nice to just laugh out loud (for real) and then share it with a good friend. This week I'm thankful for the two free books I've won from goodreads. My friend told me to join and I've had a blast on this social network for readers! You can discuss books, rate books, see what your friends are reading, and even apply to win free books (signed copies or early releases)! My first signed book should come in the mail today and I'm excited to get started on it. Since I spend so much money on books every week (yes, I read at least one book a week usually!), it's nice to get some for free so I can save a bit of money! The book I'm getting this week is a crime mystery. Hope it's good! I'm so thankful for the relationship I'm forming with Caitlin. My Uncle Steve, who passed away in March, always called me his daughter - till he had a beautiful girl of his own. He still called me his daughter till the day he left this earth but I know I never stood a chance compared to Caitlin. We knew each other when we were young but never got to know each other very well. In honor of Steve, we decided to focus on getting to know each other and become close friends. The more I get to know her, the more special I realize she truly is. Caitlin is an amazing girl with a good heart. She will make a huge impact on this world and I can't wait to get to know her even better. Sometimes Husband's patience truly amazes me. Yesterday, I updated my software on my new iPhone and it wiped out EVERYTHING on my phone. I couldn't even turn it on! After a slightly immature fit, I calmed down and 3 hours later, my phone was running again. I was so grateful for the patience Husband showed during my mini-meltdown. He was so great and willing to go out of his way to help me get a new phone today if necessary. Thank you, Sweetheart! Christine is in the middle of our "triplet" group This is my friend Christine's last week at work :( :( :( She is moving to California for a few months because her husband was transferred out there and she's taking her gorgeous little boys with her. Even though I'm sad that she won't be here any more, I'm thankful for the fun times we have shared at work and the times we have spent outside of work as well! She is a blast to be with and I can't wait for her to move back! This week was Sarah's birthday (well yesterday was) and I'm thankful to have such a wonderful friend! She has been there for me since the day I met her in law school and I've been blessed to have such a good-hearted person in my life. I'm glad she had a good birthday and I wish I could have shared it with her! I'm so grateful that Hermano has been feeling well enough to hang out with friends lately! His medicine seems to be kicking in a little bit and, although he still has a long way to go, he has found more energy and he's been able to go out to see people. I really hope he continues on this upward trend and heals up soon! (p.s. Sorry, Hermano, for facebook stalking to find this pic of you and random people I don't know!). I'm sooo thankful for my hairdresser, Tessa. My hair is at that point that I can' t do anything with it and I'm glad I'll get it cut this weekend. Tessa is such a good person and has saved my hair so many times! Not only does she do my hair, but she's also a friend. I'm just grateful for her! I'm also thankful for this little man. He is absolutely adorable and great to talk to on the phone! I talked to him last night before his t-ball game and he promised he would win for me (which he did!). He is such a cutie and can always bring a smile to your face :) (I'm thankful for his mama, too!) There are so many things to be thankful for this week such as my anniversary with Husband and the extra year we got with my Uncle Steve before his passing. I've already talked about this week, though, so I'm going to try to keep to some different things for today's thankful list. I am so, so blessed. This week, I have been thanking God for all of the special blessings he has given me. I always seem to run into wonderful people and I'm given opportunities that I could only dream of. I'm thankful for all of the blessings -- big and small -- that I have in my life. God is truly taking care of me. I'm sooo excited/thankful for the vacation Husband and I are taking to celebrate our first year of marriage together. We made our reservations last night and I canNOT wait to get away and spend some carefree time with just us. I'm thankful that The Hunger Games are finally here!! I've been looking forward to seeing the movie since I read the books and Husband and I are going on a date to see it this weekend. I heard it's spectacular! Can't wait to share the story with Husband! I'm thankful that I got to spend some time with Salice this weekend. I took her to the Aeros game for a (belated) birthday present and we had such a good time! We have a hard time coordinating our schedules so we seldom get to see each other. I was actually quite surprised that the game worked out for us. One year ago today, I married my best friend. I was surrounded by friends and family who had come from all over the country to watch me say "I do" and I was and still am so blessed for all that I have. I can't believe how quickly time flies! Husband and I were talking this weekend about how crazy the year has been and all that has happened. One thing's for sure, though - we are more in love today than we were a year ago and I hope that trend continues over the next 60+ years.
Love is definitely a lesson and every day I feel like I learn more from Husband. I think we each have learned a ton this past year about patience, love, kindness, forgiveness, strength, etc. And we have grown together. It's more than I could ever have hoped for! I look forward to the many years to come and hope they are full of love, joy, passion, family, and life! Our wedding day was filled with so many people that mean so much to us. It's wonderful to know I was surrounded by those who truly care for us as a couple. We have even received cards and anniversary presents from some of my bridesmaids and their husbands! How thoughtful is that??? I wish I could put a million pics on here from our wedding day, but I can't choose. Here are just a few to capture the evening. This week I am thankful for the beginning of March Madness. I love this time of year and it's always so much fun to keep up with the craziness of upsets and Cinderella stories! I already filled out my bracket and I can't wait to see how I do!! I'm also thankful for my cat who always makes me laugh. We caught her watching tv the other day. Apparently she likes the show Grimm and sat watching entranced for 10 minutes. Glad we got this pic on camera! I'm sooooo grateful for the new fridge we are getting this weekend. A friend of mine upgraded her fridge and is giving us her old one. We are truly blessed with the people around us. It's so nice to have decent appliances as a newly married couple. This week I am thankful for the beautiful Baby Kash who was born on Tuesday morning. I've been so blessed to share my friend Kim's journey through her second pregnancy and her delivery of a healthy, beautiful baby boy. We have been anxiously waiting for him to get here and it is wonderful to finally hold him and hear his adorable little cry. He finally gets to go home today and I can't wait to spend more time watching him grow! I'm thankful for this Lenten season. For some reason, I feel a very deep connection to the season of Lent and I feel this time of year always allows me to grow a little more in my faith and feel closer to God. It's a time to reflect on your relationship with Him and take in the blessings around you. I am grateful to have a church that also feels the importance of this time of year and I'm excited to share it with Husband. My Hermano always brings a smile to my face and I'm so grateful to have him in my life. Lately, he has been sending me funny pictures each day and I'm excited every time I see a new text from him because I know I'll get a good laugh from whatever he sent me. I know he is struggling so much with his disease and I pray he heals quickly. I'm also grateful for my best friend, Salice, who celebrated her birthday over the weekend. It has been an amazing 12 years with her and I'm so lucky to have a wonderful friend who is the perfect match for me! I'm always thinking about how lucky I am to have someone who compliments my personality so well. This week I am thankful for LOVE. Yeah, I know, it's cliche since it was valentine's week but still... I'm thankful for the love around me. For family and friends and the people who care about me. I'm so blessed and I am grateful for all that God has blessed me with. And I'm thankful for all the love that was shown this week (and posted all over facebook! haha). It makes me happy to see others feeling so loved by those around them. Husband the night of our wedding rehearsal I'm also thankful for Husband. He has been so sweet lately and I've noticed that he has been making an extra effort to do little things around the house and be more patient. (Something we both need to work on!). I'm so blessed to be with him! It has rained so much lately and I'm very grateful for it! Though I'm probably not quite as grateful as my trees are! All this rain has really brought the life back to my fruit trees and those that I thought I'd lost during the drought are now beginning to grow new leaves and flowers. It's wonderful to watch them spring back to life! This week I was very thankful for my Crock Pot. I made dinner Tuesday and we still have some leftovers for tonight. It's very nice to come home and not have to prepare dinner every single night. With this handy little kitchen tool, I could prepare Tuesday's dinner on Monday night and not have to worry for the rest of the week. This week I am thankful for the Barnes & Noble date I had with Husband. One of my favorite things to do is walk around B&N and browse through the books while sipping coffee from the Starbucks there. Ever since college, I've used B&N to destress and clear my head. Sadly, Husband doesn't really like to read and will usually only go into B&N to buy a magazine during fantasy football draft season. (Or to buy me Christmas presents). On Sunday, Husband agreed to go with me for a B&N date and it was wonderful! Though we didn't spend too long, we did find a book on marriage that we are going to read together. It was so nice to share something I truly love with him. Immigrants arriving at Ellis Island I am thankful for all the sacrifices my family has made in previous generations so I can live the lifestyle I have today. I am currently reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. It is a fabulous book that talks about some of the realities of living in New York City in poor, immigrant neighborhoods during the early 1900s. My grandparents were children of immigrants who came over from Italy in the 1910s. They lived in The Bronx in neighborhoods very similar to those discussed in the book. It's interesting to look at my grandparents now and think about how much they have made for themselves when they came from so little and I know they have my great-grandparents to thank for that. The opportunities my family has are because 90 years ago, my great-grandparents decided to move across the world to a place where they didn't understand the language or the customs but they knew a better life was available for their children. If they had never made those sacrifices, I think life would be very, very different. I'm also thankful for the 5 extra minutes of sleep I got on the bus yesterday. One of the nice things about riding the bus is that when you're really, really tired like I was yesterday, you can catch a few extra minutes of sleep before heading in to the office. You just have to hope you don't sleep through your stop! For some reason, I haven't been able to hold my eyes open the last few mornings. The bus ride seems longer than usual and halfway through the commute, I want to close my eyes and wander off to dreamland. I resisted this morning, but I may regret it come early afternoon! Finally, I'm thankful for the TV show Whitney. I know, it sounds shallow that I'd be thankful for a TV show, but Husband and I truly look forward to watching Whitney together. It's so funny and so easy to relate to! I always get excited when I realize we have a new one recorded and I get to share some quality laughs with the Hubs. If you haven't seen it, you need to check it out! It's perfect for anyone that has ever been in a long-term relationship. |
AuthorLoving and learning a little more each day. Archives
June 2015
Categories
All
|