is thankful for a break.

It's amazing how much of a difference three hours away can make. I feel so much more rested and ready for the coming week. Being in Sisters was a breath of fresh air. I always love going to visit.

I'm also thankful for my cousin's daughter Olivia that we brought along with us. She is a lot of fun to play with. Here is a video of Olivia playing a game where we throw a ping pong ball down the stairs and she goes down and gets it. I've never seen a two-year-old get down the stairs so fast!

is halfway!

One more thing...

TODAY IS MY MISSIONARY'S HALFWAY MARK!

Just 11 months, 52 weeks, and 364 days to go...

is thankful for Sisters.

Sisters the town, that is. I am going away for the weekend to my aunt's cabin in Sisters, Oregon! Whenever I am there I buy ridiculously expensive quilt fabric, browse in cowboy-themed shops, and eat glorious baked goods from the Sisters Bakery. Right now, after a week of rainy muck and working late, it's exactly what I need. More on Sisters when I return...

is thankful for spaghetti and downpours.

At work today I had lunch with the most fascinating woman. She is an Old Believer, one of the Russian-speaking immigrants who came to America almost 100 years ago to escape religious persecution in Russia. As we sat together, I in my business casual slacks and and cardigan and she in her beautiful homemade dress and kerchief, in Old Spaghetti Factory it felt like we were old friends. We found much in common in our beliefs and morals. We laughed and joked together. It was one of the most rewarding conversations I've had in quite some time.

Here's my thankful post for yesterday too. It just got too late last night and I didn't get a chance to post it. I'm thankful for visiting teaching! I went last night during an endless downpour to search out the houses of my teachees with my companion and found out that it is a lot of fun to get lost (repeatedly) and get distracted during the lesson while we talked about our lives instead.

I think there is a theme here. What I'm really grateful for is my sisters, whether sisters in the gospel or otherwise. These good women fill my life with beauty and joy.

is thankful for Veteran's Day.

I was griping that I had to work today, but after a frantic twenty-minute-drive I found out that I don't! Don't you love those days? You run to class and you're not prepared and then there's a note on the door or you don't want to teach Sunday school and it turns out that someone else is teaching. Yay! Today I am going to go get some pants altered and pick up my newly refurbished high heels. And I'm going to relax. That's the point of today. We get to relax in a peaceful country because of what Veterans did (and continue to do) for us. Thank you so much.

is thankful for puppets!

This is the new video for "Can't Go Back Now" from the Weepies. It's so CUTE! It brightened up my workday. :)

is thankful for shoes.

Every year for the past three years I've gotten a pair of sassy heels for my birthday. They are impractical and I wouldn't buy them otherwise, but birthdays are all about those kinds of things, right? Actually, I lied. I buy impractical shoes about weekly. Anyhow, two years in a row I've gotten black heels, but this year I wanted RED! Check out these precious heels from Steve Madden. They were on sale at Nordstrom...

Since I didn't get a chance to post on Saturday, I'll do a double thankful post today. I am also thankful for roller skating. Yes, after a three-year-hiatus I went roller skating at our local rink Oaks Park. I am sore all over, but it was fun to zip around the rink on four wheels. I even remembered how to take the corners fast! I only fell once, but I'm not too injured--just a little knee bump.

is thankful for apples.

At work every day I stare at a blank, sage green wall all day. It was starting to depress me. On Monday I got a new coworker, Irina. Today she brought in two beautiful, still-life paintings to brighten up the wall. The first is of green apples, spilled across a long, white table. The second features mandarins and two glass bottles on a red table. They somehow complement the wall perfectly, which once seemed hideous. Thank you so much Irina. It's amazing what a difference two paintings make.

I am also thankful that I'm leaving work one hour early today (I racked up a little overtime) and I'm actually going out with some friends tonight. Yes, my social life is not completely dead.

Goodbye ugly green wall!

is starting NaBloPoMo!

I missed national blog posting month last year, but this year I'm going to do it. I really am. I have decided to post one thing I'm thankful for each day until Thanksgiving. I think it'll do me some good.

Today I am grateful for lunch with my mom and my brother in the middle of a rainy, busy workday. We ate at Pastini. Yum!

recommends a movie.

The Secret Life of Bees was a beautiful movie. I knew I needed to go see it after I saw the cast, but I didn't really know what to expect out of it. It has renewed my faith in the movie industry once again. The cinematography was gorgeous. I love rural America and this film captured that sun-soaked, country feeling perfectly. It also addresses issues like racism and domestic violence in a touching way that doesn't feel too heavy. It made me cry in a couple of places and I am glad that there are films like this that incite feelings beyond a typical moviegoers expectations. The soundtrack was nice as well. I think I might buy it. I usually don't pay a lot of attention to soundtracks, but this one had a mix of both folksy tunes and soul. Mmmm.

Go see it!

enjoyed Halloween.

My dogs didn't, however. Mollie was a bumblebee and Paisley was a ladybug, but not for long. They quickly pawed their hats off and rolled around, growling, until we finally removed their sweet, little costumes. Oh well.