Thankful Me

I was going to spend the evening thoughtfully composing this post, but had a last-minute change of plans. I'll be headed to CA tomorrow bright and early to spend some time with my daughter and her children, so this post is going to be quick (at least in theory). I'm thankful: 1. That we spotted the rattlesnake in our backyard. (Of course, it would have been better if he hadn't been there, but if he was going to show up, I'm glad we noticed him.) Photo: A rattlesnake curls up in the green grass 2. That John was able to successfully dispose of the snake.  3. For cute baby quail (which are a whole lot more enjoyable to see than a rattlesnake--and a whole lot harder to photograph!) 4. That at least one room in our new house is completely unpacked and decorated.  Photo: A bathroom with a Mickey Mouse theme. A Mickey Mouse poster is on the wall, Mickey Mouse towels hang on the rack, and Mickey Mouse shower curtain hooks hold a white ruffled shower curtain...

As Josie Two Shoes announced on the Ten Things of Thankful blog this week, she is going to be stepping down from hosting the blog hop. She has done a great job, and though I cannot fill her shoes, I did agree to do my best to keep our blog hop hoppin'.  I recognize the power of gratitude. I named my blog, Thankful Me, to brand myself as a thankful person. Then Lizzi started the Ten Things of Thankful blog hop, and soon had gathered a vibrant community of others who expressed gratitude--even during challenging times. The internet brought together a diverse group of people from all over the world who found common ground through the power of gratitude. The simple act of expressing what we were thankful for brought strength to us individually, and connected us as a community. I believe strongly in the benefit of this blog hop, and knew I had to volunteer when Josie Two Shoes announced she needed to step down.  This week, as I've thought about the importance of this blog hop...

Back in the old days, before some of you were born, people used film in their cameras; digital photography hadn't been invented yet. Sometimes that film was developed into slides rather than photos, and friends and family would gather together to watch a slideshow of their vacation.  I thought I'd take the slideshow approach to this week's Ten Things of Thankful post, but while I get the slides loaded into the projector, let me set the stage. Feel free to pop some popcorn and find a comfy spot on the sofa while I give the background.  On May 25, my oldest daughter carried a suitcase with her to her final exam of law school. As soon as she finished her test, she flew from Seattle to Salt Lake City. We met her at the airport, slept for a few hours in the house we are moving into, then returned to the airport and flew to Orlando. We spent the next week at Disney World, then hopped back on a plane bound for Seattle. The next day, John and I (along with some other family memb...