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Ten Things of Thankful: From Sunrise to Moonset




Cars and trucks on a highway travel toward the rising sun
                                  

John and I made a quick, task-oriented trip to California last week. We wore our masks and stayed at an acceptable social distance from others (which is hard for grandchildren to understand, but we mostly succeeded.) We're now home, and at the "I need a vacation to recover from my 'vacation' " stage, which makes sitting down to compose a TToT post a bit of a challenge. However, I know that I will feel better by the end of this post, so bear with me if you will. 

1. I'm thankful that we had no problems with traffic going there or coming home. We left our hotel at about quarter to four on Friday morning. The early start, fewer families traveling this year, or, most likely, a combination of the two, made for an easy drive. 

2. I'm thankful for books to help pass the time. We haven't actually finished yet (as I was reading aloud, and my voice can only last for so long), but we started the abridged version of The Princess Bride. It is quite entertaining!

3. I'm thankful for a trusted kennel for Drexel to stay in while we were gone.

4. I'm thankful that Drexel isn't bothered by fireworks, so I don't feel too guilty about having him stay in a kennel over the 4th of July weekend.

5. I'm thankful for fast food. Even though by the end of a road trip I crave real food, it's nice that I can find quick, easy choices that allow us to just keep driving. (I'm looking at you, Subway Veggie Delite and Burger King Impossible Whopper.) 

6. I'm thankful for music. We rented a truck, so were treated to the fancy satellite radio stations. 

7. I'm thankful for internet access on our phones. When each song came on, we played the "What year did this song come out?" game. It's really quite fun, especially when the song came out during the years John served his church mission. I have a definite advantage then, because he has about zero first-hand knowledge of pop culture during that time. 

8. I'm thankful to be home. Baby quail scurry in the brush, strawberries are ripe for the picking, and the yellow squash are big enough to harvest, but not too big. 

9. I'm thankful for a comfortable bed. The hotel wasn't uncomfortable, but nothing beats home.

10. I'm thankful for John, who is the best adventure-partner there is. 

The full moon sets over the mountains

I feel better now! I was confused as to why I was feeling a bit jet-lagged after only crossing one time zone, until in writing this post I remembered I woke up at 3 a.m. on Friday. I still feel jet-lagged, but at least now I realize the feeling is understandable (I didn't exactly take it easy yesterday; I was busy all day long.) Today is thankfully the Sabbath, and a day of rest followed by a good night's sleep tonight should make for a great week. 

I'm not sure that the TToT should have a motto of "Feeling down? Write a TToT and figure out why!" but it is true that I always feel better after listing those things I am thankful for. You're invited to join us! What are you thankful for today?

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Comments

  1. I am thankful that you had safe travels and that you didn't have to do a guilt trip leaving Drexel in a kennel during over the 4th. Socially distancing from little grandchildren would have been hard to do, not something little ones would understand or even remember for long, if they did understand. Reading Princess Bride sounds like the perfect way to pass the time while traveling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The second-oldest grandchild just might have touched me on the arm a couple of times. We were outside, though, and I was masked up and tried to remain 6 feet away (obviously she managed to get a bit closer a couple of times).

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  2. So glad it went well, and that you are back and safe.

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  3. Thankful you had safe travels! We listen to public radio often while traveling. Love playing Wait, wait don't tell me.

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    Replies
    1. I used to love it when Prairie Home Companion would be on when we were traveling!

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  4. I'm writing this comment on Monday. The holiday had an interesting scramble effect on the days of the week.
    Una does not enjoy fireworks (or thunder) but our window ac is noisy and we pull the blinds, so she did not have a bad 4th.
    Have a good, return to routine, week.

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    Replies
    1. Glad that Una survived unscathed. Even though Drexel doesn't get bothered by anything, one of our previous dogs did not like loud noises at all. We would make sure she was inside during the 4th. (She also, incidentally, alerted me to the morning the Space Shuttle landed at Edward's Air Force base. She was trying to climb into my bed--something she never did. I was puzzled momentarily until I heard the tell-tale double sonic boom, and I remembered that the base was a secondary landing place that morning.)

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