WanderingAmylessly 2.0

1. I got a hot tub. 2. People were nicer. 3. Fred Phelps weren't around. 4. Little kids weren't homeless and/or hungry. 5. My kid would learn to flush and to put his dirty clothes in the hamper. 6. I had my birthday off work. 7. I could knit for hours every day. 8. I liked my job more. 9. My family stayed healthy. 10. We had a huge snowstorm soon.

I was inspired today by circumstances. Mine. This week. I am thankful because: 1. It's a three-day work week. 2. My boss is out of the office. 3. The work flow's going well enough we might get off early on Wednesday. 4. I bought wrapping paper on sale during my lunch hour today. 5. That pomegranate blueberry tea I just drank was terrific. 6. I managed to go to the gym two out of the last three days. 7. I changed the fish's water this weekend...and he didn't die. 8. Pink released an awesome song I bought on iTunes this a.m. (not so thankful for the fact it is stuck in my brain) 9. The Thanksgiving grocery shopping is done. 10. Black Friday is only four days away!

I love my mom and dad! Mom just had cataract surgery on one eye, and Dad isn't driving much anymore...as my mom likes to quote "old age isn't for sissies". I think they're doing terrific, just wish we lived closer.

I drove to work at 5:30 a.m. today. No sign of sun. Temps in the 20s. I sipped my peppermint mocha from Starbucks and tried to remind myself...only five workdays until a four-day weekend. And that's a four-day weekend that starts with my very most favorite holiday. I can't wait. I think I'm in a holiday mood earlier than usual this year because I need SOMETHING to look forward to. If I focus on the day to day -- and mostly it's just a getting-through-the-day mentality -- I feel too sad. Another bright spot -- Henry has no after-school activities for more than a week! We don't have swimming or gymnastics next week. It's nice to be free of obligations like that for a bit. We can come home from school and play Wii and do homework and play legos. But for right now, I'm just thankful for the headlights. I got to work safe and sound. Now to count the minutes till quitting time! I leave early tonight to get to H's parent-teacher conference. I'm sure I'l...

My covenant group. It's a group of about 10 people from my church -- Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City -- who get together once a month to chat about a predetermined topic. I've called it bible study without the bible, but some people take offense to that. I mean no offense. It's just difficult to describe what we do and how we grow as individuals when we share. One of the key elements of our group dynamic is that it's run as a sort of "what happens here, stays here." We don't share what we talk about with anyone outside our group. That makes it a safe place to open up and reveal our deepest thoughts and feelings. It's my favorite part of being a member of my church. Someday, if we would ever get a new minister, I might actually enjoy Sunday Services again. Maybe tomorrow I'll be thankful for the search committee.

I could not live without coffee. Especially this time of year, when the creamer companies release their holiday flavors. I am a sucker for Peppermint Mocha, whether it's Coffee Mate or Starbucks. Yesterday, I drank sumatra with my healthy splash of peppermint mocha while sitting in front of the semi-roaring fire (note to self: we really need better firewood). It made my day. I also baked cookies, cornbread, and cranberry-orange bread. I'm surprised I'm not in a sugar coma. But what a way to go...

Today, I take back all the moaning and complaining I did about UI Quick Care, the minor emergency center that had my wrath a while back after closing at an odd hour for lunch. The odd hour being the exact time I needed care. But today, they saved me. I met them at the door when they opened at 7 and was diagnosed and out the door to the pharmacy by 7:20. I have a bladder infection that was swiftly becoming a kidney issue. Now I'm on cipro, the antibiotic they give people who have been exposed to anthrax! So I'm sure I'm well on my way to, well, wellness. I also get a great little pain pill that turns my pee orange. Fun times. I'm dealing with all this while working from home, as I have no sick days left. I have to be better by tomorrow, because I have the day off with Henry, whose school is closed for conferences. I'm excited to spend the day with him. We're going to see Megamind (a Dreamworks movie) and do Christmas shopping.

I am honored to have some incredible friends. These are friends who trust me with their deepest thoughts, their most raw emotions, their guarded secrets, their intimate moments. We laugh and cry and share our lives. We blab about our spouses and significant others, our kids, our pets, our parents, our politics, our favorite recipes, our adult beverages of choice, our meds, our therapies, and...most delightfully...about a whole lot of nothing at all. I'm so thankful for my friends. I wish I could spend more time with each of them.

Pets! I've adored every pet I've ever had. They become such a part of the family. I miss my sweet baby Ansel every day. And Dolce was the sweetest cat ever. Fitting name. And every day I quietly thank Tim for letting me get our Scottie puppy, who is such a perfect fit in our family -- even the Westie girl begrudgingly thinks so. We even dig the new fish, a male betta named Gyrados who's pretty like a peacock and eats like a small horse. Just this weekend, Henry reminded me that we need to get Eisie a stocking for the mantle at Christmas. He wasn't with us this time last year. Only question is...have the dogs been naughty or nice? With Eisie, doesn't matter. If he got a chunk of coal....he'd just chew on it!

My kid. I'm so thankful every day that he's turning out to be such a great kid, smart and witty (he understands sarcasm and will call me out on it EVERY time). I'm really thankful he's adapting to first grade so much better than kindergarten. And I'm glad, from what we see so far, he hasn't inherited all the crazy genes from me. Maybe a bit of an anxious nature. But maybe he'll grow out of that. I'm proud of his increasing interest in athletics -- specifically gymnastics and swimming -- which make him strong and healthy. I'm thankful he made me a mom.

My husband is the most terrific person on the planet. And I'm not just saying that because it's getting close to my birthday and Christmas in an attempt to properly suck up. I mean it. Without him sticking by me, I'm a looney single parent whose kid ends up in the Wayward Home for Boys. He's funny. He's smart. He's reasonable. He likes math and pays the bills. He shares my love of wine, chocolate, and sushi. Not necessarily all at the same time. But maybe. Even though he looks like Brett Favre, I'm thankful he's not Brett Favre. Tim would never want to come out of retirement, I betcha. And he'd refrain from sending pictures of his junk to anyone. I'm thankful every day to have such a wonderful partner and best friend.

I got on this a couple days late. Thought I might write something each day for all of November, focusing on being thankful, what with the holiday and all... Better late than never. What I'm thankful for: mental health pharmaceuticals. It sounds like I'm going for the cheap laugh. But I'm completely serious. I can't function in my life without my cocktail of lithium, sertraline, and the newest drug to join the group, ativan -- a lovely little chill pill, designed to curb anxiety or at least take the edge off. I'm not sure how I survived without my meds. I'm glad now I don't have to.

10 unfinished projects hanging over my head 1. Knitting -- I could do a whole list of knitting projects alone that I have left to finish. A couple pairs of socks. A baby blanket. A shawl. A hat. A scarf. So much yarn, so little time. 2. Finish the basement -- First we have to clean the basement. And then we have to make it look like a real living space. 3. Clean my closet -- What a pit. 4. The floor -- Actually the floor's finished (lovely Pergo) but we still have no moulding around the base in many spots, and the stair edge is still raw. 5. Christmas shopping -- This is so unfinished, it hasn't even begun. 6. The book -- I keep saying I'm going to write a book. I keep writing a bit every few months. And yet it's still hanging out there... 7. Quilt -- I still need to do the border/edge of a quilt I started what feels like a decade ago. 8. Brownies -- I need to bake brownies for a coworker's birthday. That'll get done tomorrow night. One thing to check off the li...

It's been about a month since I posted anything. I could grumble and cry and rant about the past month and what a downer it's been. But I'll skip that. Instead, I'm going to enjoy this month and try to adjust my attitude. I started by getting up at 4:45 and going to a spin class. I had to leave early to make it to work by 7 a.m., my new ungodly start time. But the 45 minutes I spent on that bike started my attitude adjustment off in fine fashion! November is one of my favorite months. Henry's birthday. Thanksgiving. The start of the Christmas shopping season. McRib is back at McDonald's. Who could ask for more.