thankful thursday #191

I repaired paid for an air conditioner compressor in my car this week. That was a shock to the (bank account) system, people.

It happened, of course, the day after I bought myself a couple of pieces of furniture, for which I'd been saving.

Darn you, Murphy's Law.

And seriously, who can imagine being in Alabama, mid-summer, without an air conditioner in her car? Not this girl.

Anyway. I'm not thankful for that.

Of the furniture I purchased, I had to engage in the "some assembly required" for two of these guys:

The first one went okay with the roommate's help. The second one gave me high blood pressure, because furniture assembly instructions are laughable. 

I'm grateful no one can see those extra screw holes I drilled. Oops.

Just prior to the AC outage and the furniture assembly struggle, I was zip lining for my birthday (you can see photo highlights here). There was an unexpected "obstacle challenge" (read: terror on a tightrope): a rope bridge that I nearly died on.

This is how I sketched it for a friend, while describing my horror.

I'm grateful to have survived that unwelcome birthday surprise.

And, as the birthday celebration continued even through today, I opened up this gem from a friend who knows and loves me well:

I will wear this one out.

I'm grateful for a good chuckle at the end of a week where appreciation was hard to find.

Have you exercised some thankfulness this week yet? Go on, be grateful!

birthday round-up

The beauty of Birthday #36 is that it went on forever. I have so many wonderful people in my life who celebrate with me; it just never happens in one place at one time.

After this start to my day, the foodie in me got the best present ever when I ate here in Atlanta.

We had the most eccentric variety of dishes to share family style, the craziest of which was cow cheek (what?).

Aside from the culinary experience, the company was even better.

I get to work with some of my greatest friends, but they don't normally get to be a part of my birthday dinner. How fortunate am I?

After this fun dinner and a legitimate work meeting the next morning, I skipped off to my annual weekend in Highlands, North Carolina, with one of my childhood friends. We ventured into Franklin, North Carolina, for the day and we stumbled on this.

Couldn't resist that photo op. Never mind that it's a children's clothing store.

Once I settled back down in Birmingham, I have local friends who love me so well and treated me to a very fun dinner here.

The whole menu is made up of creative takes on grilled cheese. What is not to love about that? Our appetizers were pimento cheese dip and queso, for goodness sake.

Our table had a killer burger, a chicken salad melt, a four-cheese classic melt, a ham/grilled pineapple/jack cheese combo, and a turkey melt.

Happy Birthday to me.

Today capped off my birthday fun with a trip down some zip lines (and across one terrifying rope bridge, which I'm still trying to forget).

Thanks to Evan (aka, Evs, Grizz, and Mountain Man) ...

... I zipped in safety ...

... and had dear friends with me to swing through the trees.

It's been noted that my helmet is tilted in every photo. So hip.

If my birthday celebration is any indication of the coming year, I think it's gonna be a good one.

thankful thursday #190

Sometimes you just feel buried.

Buried in work, in routine, in life, in challenges, in circumstances.

And frankly, I'm usually not-so-smiley about being buried like this guy:

Thankful tonight for that grin to remind me that really, being buried is only a matter of perspective.

Getting out from under the rubble this week? Go on, be grateful!

hello monday (an iPhone photo purge)

When all else fails, go to the iPhone for some blogging material. Here are a few recent photos to help me greet the week:

------------------------------------

Hello, long work days.

They're why my blog is suffering.

------------------------------------

Hello, sweet treats.

Menu tastings are such a job perk.

------------------------------------

Hello, beautiful skies.

Even when they are unfriendly and turbulent, they do radiate glory, don't they?

------------------------------------

Hello, temptation at the Birmingham airport.

It had been a long day.

------------------------------------

Hello, opportunity to learn.

These guys know what they're doing. It was awesome to soak in some knowledge.

------------------------------------

Wishing you a very good week ahead, friends!

thankful thursday #189 (it's my birthday)

I love birthdays.

I don't think it's this way for a lot of people. And I probably wouldn't be so keen on them without treasures like this to make me grateful:

Dinner with Dad last night ...

... homemade chocolate poundcake from Dad's Aunt Joy (yummo) ...

... happies from the bro and the roomie that greeted me downstairs this morning ...

... a glorious morning run in 60-degree weather ...

... balloons on the office mailbox (I don't think I've had this since I turned 7!) to welcome me to work ...

... a fun breakfast at our conference room ...

... a couple of rounds of Heads Up ...

... this present (because I need an intervention) ...

... sweet texts, cards, voicemails, emails, and phone calls ...

... and an upcoming weekend in the mountains.

It's a good way to ring in #36. I'm thankful.

And you? What're you appreciating this week? Go on, be grateful!

thankful thursday #188

I had a brake light and a tail light replaced today. I suppose I should be grateful that this week's car repairs were minimal compared to two weeks ago. Yish.

Or I could be grateful that I wasn't completely embarrassed at my tennis lesson today. I wasn't sure there for a while.

But I can do better.

This week has been one in which my mind has been challenged at work. To analyze. To problem solve. To think hard. To consider hard choices. To balance personalities. To make decisions.

I'm not even saving people's lives, and it's exhausting, frankly.

But it makes me grateful for a mind that works (for now), and for the opportunity to exercise it. That's a good position to be in, and one for which I should be more thankful than I usually am.

Have you had a good brain challenge this week? Go on, be grateful!

thankful thursday #187

On vacation this week, we've had a surprise visit from a special guest. His name is Arthur, and he wasn't invited.

He rocked our rental house a bit, to the point we felt its subtle sway. Porch furniture was picked up by his winds. Screens were torn off windows, and shingles peeled away from the roof. The rain was torrential.

It did not, however, compare to the fear I felt awaiting the wrath of this storm, some three years ago.

For that and more, we've had much to be thankful for this week:

We did not lose power.

We were still on the beach the morning of the storm.

We played in monster waves.

When that one monster wave took me off at the knees, I didn't break a finger or lose my sunglasses.

I heard Little Man say things like, "Oh! That is so cool!" and "That is wonderful!"

Our family was all together.

The heat was down ten degrees from the average we usually have in Florida.

We dominated endless rounds of Heads Up. (If you don't have that app, get it fast.)

I did not get sunburned.

My aunt joined us for a few days.

I played tennis for the first time in forever.

Wimbledon was on all week.

Arthur did not win.

Appreciating today a great week of relaxation in my world. How about yours? Go on, be grateful!