November 23, 2010

I am thankful for families.  You can't choose to whom you're related, but it builds character.  :) My Mom is visiting from California this week, to spend Thanksgiving with me.  She's only been here two days, but we're having a good time.  Tomorrow and Thursday I have all day off, and we'll go around buying Christmas presents, looking at furniture, eating at my favorite burger place, and maybe seeing a movie or going to the Cider Mill.  All Fall-esque sorts of things! 

My Dad and stepmom will be here in a few weeks, right before Christmas for about a week.  It'll be fun to see them too!  We have a brewery tour planned, as well as a few awesome dinners out.  :)  After that, I'll fly to CA to see my Aunt, Uncle and Mom for a week, and then off to the East Coast to play a show with some friends. 

Anyways, families are forever, and I'm am very thankful for mine.  :)

November 21, 2010

I am especially thankful for Susie and Duke tonight!  :)  I have many lovely friends, and I'm sure I'll be naming several of them in the upcoming days.  Tonight, after the concert we had dinner plans and went to an awesome El Salvadorian place.  Afterwards, we went to 12 Baltimore for drinks (and met Mark Grace!!).  I stayed longer than I planned because I was having a great time, but I had to leave to clean up the guest room for my Mom who is arriving tomorrow.  BUT!!! Susie and Duke came back with me to my apartment, with a bottle of wine, and chatted with me as I cleaned up the apartment!  Who DOES that?  Great friends, that's who.  I didn't want to stop hanging out, and they were so sweet to hang out with me until after midnight! 

AND.  They left a glass of wine in the bottle.  Love.  Them.

November 19, 2010

"In the end, only kindness matters."

I need to be more kind to people.  I realized this last night.  I was babysitting this wonderful three year old.  We were having a great evening, and things were running quite smoothly (I attribute this to her great attitude, AND to the fact we were having pizza, candy and movie night.).  She hadn't gone to the bathroom all day, and despite being potty trained, had a HUGE accident.  We're talking, soaking of ALL layers of clothing, a towel, a rug, and having to run a bath to make sure we were all clean, big accident.  She knew she had done something wrong, and I knew I could have been upset, but there were no feelings of anger or frustration, only sympathy.  I gave her a hug and a kiss, peeled her out of the clothes, grabbed some bath toys and continued bedtime as usual.  Even when I have to say no 15 times, finally take something away from a child, and screams fill the air, no anger or ire fills me.  However, if the same situation, or something much less frustrating happens with an adult, I instantly get REALLY incensed and lippy.  Why is it that I assume adults can be more perfect than a child?  In some instances, of course, but in life in general? 

So, today, I am thankful for the gift of kindness, and the hope that I can remember to be more kind to others.

November 15-16, 2010

November 15th

I am thankful for pilots.  We are commonly thankful for doctors and other professionals who are present in saving lives or being careful with them.  Pilots are navigating a steel missile hurling through the air at 500 mph with hundreds of people aboard.  We hear about plane crashes, but rarely realize how few and far between these really are, and how safe flying actually is.  (I say this in all earnest because I'm slightly terrified of flying even though I do it often.)

November 16th

I am thankful for naps.  I was able to take a three hour, uninterrupted nap yesterday on my couch.  It was cool in the apartment, and small rays of sunshine were beaming in.  Lovely.

November 9-14, 2010

So I guess I've missed a whole week in my life.  I literally came on and thought that it was the 11th, and that I only had two days to catch up on.  Maybe being sick and going to orchestra rehearsals makes you miss your life?  What?

I'm thankful for so many things.  I am sitting here watching two friends make jewelry and have a great time.  It's a blessing to have friends.   I have seen so many friends who I haven't seen since the summer this trip back to the East Coast.  Playing in the orchestra here has been so much fun!  Sometimes we forget how much fun it actually CAN be! :)

I am thankful for having a job that pays the bills and that allows me time to go see my aforementioned friends.  We get to play with great soloists and live in a nice city.  With so many people struggling and unemployed, I sometimes forget how fortunate I am.

I am thankful that I got to spend a lot of time with my grandparents growing up and that I still have grandparents living.  As a kid, I spent many hours with my maternal grandmother since she lived in the same town, but my parents made a big effort to go visit my paternal grandparents and my stepmom's family as well.  I love them all dearly, and never really know how much until you grow up, or until they aren't there anymore.

November 8, 2010

I am thankful for animals.  I am staying at a house with the cutest little dog.  Dogs are always happy, no matter what happens in their life.  They live in the moment, and find joy in the smallest things.   Every time you come home, no matter how long it has been, it is the happiest moment in their life.  Even playing with a sock is joyful!  I had the best dog in the whole world for 15 years.  I miss her terribly every day.  She was my absolute best friend, and knew everything we were thinking.  God created perfection by creating animals.

November 7, 2010

I am thankful for modern medicine.  How COOL is it that you can go to a random place and get stuff that makes fevers decrease, and snot magically disappear from your sinus cavities!!!!  I am fighting a cold at the moment, and without DayQuill, I would be so miserable.  I'm not exactly a happy camper anyhow, but I would be LOST without over the counter medicine.  :)  I'm not going to even embark on the technologies of hospitals and the REAL medicine they can give.

Thankful Project

Many of my friends are doing this 'exercise' as well, and I think it's a great way to bring perspective during the holidays.  :)  I get really caught up in getting the 'perfect' gift for people, scheduling visits with family, and quite often forget to stop for just a moment and breathe.

I've missed the first five days of the project, but it's never too late to start a good thing, right?  I am always thankful for my friends and family, for they ground me, make me laugh and give love. 

Today, I am thankful for electricity.  I was talking with a friend last night about how everything is done with electricity.  Can you imagine life without electricity?  It's such an amazing invention that we take for granted every day!  We don't even think twice about writing an email to keep in contact with friends, having bills paid automatically, or simply picking up the phone to call your family.  Even the smallest act of being able to turn on the side lamp when more light is needed at night is incredible.  I still love writing letters and make a point to send a few cards to people each month, but even the post office uses electricity now!  It may seem like our mail takes the pony express route, but can you imagine how much longer it would actually take if we did use horses and only worked when there was enough sunlight?

"God gave you 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say "Thank You"? ~William Ward