Friday Gratitude on a Wet Day

Life is full these days.

Things happening in my world:

• Holiday weekend! I just like saying ‘holiday’. Last night when I got home from work, I made myself an amaretto sour just because.  I’m saying ‘Happy holiday weekend!’ instead of ‘Happy Fourth of July’ or ‘Happy Independence Day’, because hi, my husband is British.
• My nephew graduated high school last weekend. I still can’t believe it. I’m sure my sister is more in denial than I am.
• Next weekend is my family’s annual Lobster Party! And it’s at my parents’ new home! I’m sure Andy and I can squeeze in a visit to the beach while we’re on Long Island, too.

Of course, I’m mostly looking forward to the Lobster Party desserts.

• Remember when I talked about everything I appreciated about my town? We’ve lived in Kingston for two years now and it’s another summer of change for us: we’re seriously looking at apartments up in the small city of Hudson, forty-five minutes north and on the other side of the Hudson River. (I’m so ready mentally! Keep your fingers crossed for us!)

Warren Street in Hudson, NY

•  I’ve hinted at an upcoming trip lately. Here’s the terrible news: I’m going to Cancun, Mexico for TBEX North America in September! I consider travel a part of maintaining my mental health- last year, I went away to San Francisco for a few days, and when I saw the early-bird price for this conference in the spring, I decided to jump on it. A few weeks ago, I bought my plane ticket using Airfare Watchdog and Orbitz (I’m paying for the low cost with multiple layovers…oh boy) and I highly recommend both sites if you’re planning a trip any time soon! Enough nitty-gritty, though– I’m going to Mexico! I can’t believe I’ve never been. Part of me thinks it’s kind of funny that my first trip there will be to a resort-y area, but I am beyond excited to connect with other travel lovers, bloggers, and brands at TBEX.

So this isn’t Mexico, but it is the last time I was in a Spanish-speaking + tropical locale: Costa Rica in early 2010.

So that’s what’s going on. It’s summer, we’re apartment hunting and sorting through all the things we’ve accumulated in two years, and it’s a holiday weekend.

How about a nice Friday Gratitude Friday list?!

1. Making things happen for myself. We create our own realities and our own happiness. If you’re ready for a change, change something up! If you’re experiencing wanderlust, plan a trip! It could be a day trip, or a travel conference in Mexico, either way you’re probably going to be re-inspired.

2. Hang-out time with the wifey/best friend this week, and more today!

3. A deliciously cold pool! My four-year-old charge started swimming lessons this week in Woodstock, and we hung out in the pool afterward two days in a row (which just so happened to be the two most hot & humid days of the year). So nice!

4. It’s berry and stone fruit season. I have plums, strawberries, and blueberries in the fridge and the wild raspberries on our street will be ready to pick soon. Yessssss.

5. My commitment to regular exercise. I’m feeling good in my body, this only-body-I’m-ever-gonna-get and I’m so grateful for everything I ask my legs and arms and hands and feet to do.

To finish things off, here’s a nice happy shot that Andy took when we rode the Brooklyn Water Taxi two weekends ago. That’s me, with the Williamsburg Bridge behind us:

What are you grateful for today? Looking forward to hearing what’s good for everyone lately!

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Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the blue sky, is by no means waste of time.      –John Lubbock