July 31st

Today I'm grateful for:

• the cool air coming through my window early this morning
• sleeping in
• getting a callback for Curtains at TMP! (Which is scheduled for Aug. 10th)
• Food Network. It's my go-to when I want/need to chill out. There's something really relaxing about watching people cook.
• puppy shampoo. Gidget is not a fan of baths, but now she smells good.
• being in downtown Tacoma in the beautiful weather this evening. I lovelovelove that area of town, with all the little shops and restaurants. I wish we had spent more time there, maybe gone to the Tacoma Art Museum or something.
• Panang curry at Indochine. YUM.
• dessert at home - fresh raspberries topped with a mixture of vanilla yogurt, honey, and cinnamon. Oh my god, so good! Would make for a delicious breakfast too.
• "ghost shows" on Travel Channel, my friday night guilty-pleasure.

Short, but still here.

Today was tough. For a couple reasons, nice in some ways, but in some ways emotionally exhuasting. But I'm still going to make a short quick list before bed.

• Amazing quiche at Sidney's for lunch.
• Reading for fun (even when I should be doing NOMT reading)
• Getting thoroughly sucked into a book by page 20.
• Pooka. Always, every day. Even when he tries to attack me when getting in the shower.
• Yellowstone, even when I miss a day. Soon, I'll be in again soon.
• Juice feasting. Which I may or may not start tomorrow.
• Having five weeks of summer left. I'm determined to focus on that!

Done and Done

HOLLA! Just finished moving all my shtuff...which was quite the adventure, especially since the girls that live there now haven't finished moving out yet and so the house is in major, major chaos. But it's cool cause I'M GOING HOME TOMORROW!!!!!!! If my hands didn't hurt from cleaning I'd put like ten million more exclamation points. So, ya know. Anyhoo...I got some pretty kick ass books from the library for the trip home (if I don't pass out from exhaustion) and plan to read as much as possible when I'm not visiting with the fam or seeing friends or stuffing my face at Farrelli's. (Seriously, nothing compares to Farrelli's out here in FoCo. Like what does it take to get a kick ass happy hour menu where I can get a lemon drop and artichoke dip for hella cheap? Seriously.) So I cannot wait for said stuffing of face...if only I also had time to go to the Ring Cycle at Seattle Opera! (There's also NOTHING that compares to Seattle Opera. Seriously CO, pull yourself together. You're disgracing opera with those child-like sets, hideous costumes and lip syncing. Ugh.) But enough negativity, cause I'm in a stellar mood. For reals.

I've finished moving, eaten a mondo burrito from Chipotle and no longer have to deal with my crazy Polish land lady anymore! WOOT.

I'm especially grateful for:

• Friends who work for airlines so you can fly cheap! (YES!)
• Chipotle for their amazing burritos.
  
• Friends who help you move (I've said this before, but SERIOUSLY. It made life so much easier)
• Trying to clean a rug, getting stung by a bee (twice) and having some random person also cleaning in the house have a handy remedy for it! (It is this: Baking soda and a little water to make a paste and put it on the sting---it "neutralizes it" as the lady said. Thank you lovely stranger!)
  
• Having one of many BFF's pick me up from the airport tomorrow! Insta-friend-bonding-amazingness shall commence the minute I land!
• Getting random videos from my aunt starring my wee cousin. She's frakkin' adorable. Cannot wait to give her a bear hug.
  
• Learning all about D & D thanks to the show I'm doing currently (and...wow).
  

So that's it for now--but obv I'm super excited and Can.Not.Wait to get on an airplane.

Day 14: Fifteen Feet

I got in to Philadelphia last night after entirely too many hours on the road. (My trusty Ipod having kept me entertained along the way.) I was so excited to see Nate and his new city. This must be how I was when I was about ten because I'll do anything that Nate wants to do as long as I get to be with my big brother. I wonder if he ever got annoyed by that when we were younger...

This city is absolutely beautiful. I forgot what it was like to be in a big city, and Philly is a big city. It's densely populated by people and architecture, and there are a million little shops and restaurants. I feel like I could be super touristy here, taking pictures of all of the cool buildings and all of the amazing murals. There's just so much beauty that I feel the need to capture, but I don't want to focus so much on remembering it that I forget to experience it. So we'll see if the camera makes an appearance today.

With that, my list of gratefulness goes like this:

• seeing my brother (Obv I priority lately.)
• the single blow up mattress (and pump) my brother bought so I don't have to fit myself on his couch - Being 5'10'' does not lend itself well to sleeping on couches.
• breakfast at Sabrina's (Cholla French Toast stuffed with cream cheese, topped with banana and drizzled in vanilla bean maple syrup) - Oddly, it was good enough so that I feel no guilt. It was an experience. An amazing one. Besides, Lauren, Kelli and I have a rule against exercising on vacation. (Seriously, it's a written rule.)
• air conditioning - It's only about 85 degrees, but living on the Ark has me used to air conditioning.
• the amazing murals in this city

"It's like air conditioning for my insides."

Okay, first, I have to say how incredibly awful I feel for completely dropping off the face of the blogosphere these last few days. I made a promise to myself and to you that I'd record my offerings of gratitude every day (because, as I've already discussed, I truly believe it lightens and brightens the spirit) and I've been quite remiss lately. Sorry... things have been crazy, what with moving back to Puyallup and all.

But hey... this is not a place for excuses, right? Right.

These last few days have consisted of packing, packing, cleaning, packing, MOVING (during the hottest day on record, I might add), cleaning, cleaning, unpacking.... helping host a party for my dad in honor of his retirement from his church job (we had 40-something people at our house)... taking care of my puppy.... and etc. Needless to say, I'm a little tired.

It's weeks like these, when I'm spending a good chunk of my time grumbling about the heat or having to haul another box, or when I'm trying to put on a polite face to answer, for the 15th time, that I don't have an immediate job out of college, that it's really important for me to stop and remember all the things I'm grateful for. It's so easy to be ungrateful when you're sweating in places you didn't know you could sweat or when you're constantly being reminded how difficult is it to succeed in your industry. In situations like that, and whenever you catch yourself thinking negatively, I think you have to stop and consider why you're holding on to negativity instead of thinking of the positives. (As Kelli pointed out, that doesn't mean thinking of what "could be worse.")

So tonight I'm grateful for a number of things. Though moving back in with my parents after college isn't what I envisioned myself doing when I graduated, I'm grateful that I have parents who welcomed me home instead of kicking me out at the age of 18 to fend for myself. I'm just grateful to have a roof over my head and modern conveniences when so many people don't.

I'm grateful that my bedroom here is finally starting to feel like a grown up's room and not a child's room.

I'm grateful that the weather has cooled off tonight; I'm grateful for the two oscillating fans moving the warm air around like a tropical breeze.

I'm grateful for popsicles ("air conditioning for my insides.")

I'm grateful for beautiful henna tattoos and being able to show them off.

I'm excited that I discovered a yoga studio in downtown Puyallup, which means I can take classes regularly again (provided my bank account allows for it, of course) and do something about my extremely un-toned midsection.

I'm excited about all of these new ideas for journaling that are milling about in my head. (Oh, and by the way, if I'm going to start a personal journal here, I need a title for it. And I'm stumped. Suggestions?)

Perhaps most of all, I'm grateful for witnessing just how many people genuinely care about my dad and appreciate how he's served that church for such a long time. He works so hard, and he kept that extra job so that paying for my schooling wouldn't bankrupt our family. My dad's one heck of a guy.

So. I'll close with a question: What negativity are you holding onto today? What kinds of things are you forgetting to be grateful for?