Thankful Thursday

I need to pause a moment to rewind to Whiny Wednesday… not that I want to go back in time and not that Wednesday was anything other than lovely. I just need to whine and who would whine on Thankful Thursday?
Let me see what I can do.

I'm thankful that the watermelon that burst in my backseat overnight was contained to just one side of the backseat. I'm thankful that I was able to remove it in tact, for the most part.

Yes. I should have removed the watermelon from my car on Tuesday when I received it. It was heavy. I was tired.

I'm thankful that my life has been so full lately as to justify true fatigue. Not just lazy, out of shape fatigue. Although there is plenty of that as well.

My nieces are so cute. I'm thankful for the precious things they say and do. Jamie has this thing lately where she likes the way my arm smells. I'm not sure what she's smelling… maybe since my hair is long enough to go to my elbows, she's smelling my hair. Maybe she's smelling lotion. Maybe deodorant. I don't know… she's always wants to sniff my arms. It cracks me up! The other day she was smelling their loveseat and said, "mommy… our couch smells like Aunt Heather's arm!" Last night I was buckling her into her car seat and grabbed my arm and held on to it so she could smell it.

As I dropped them off at their house with their babysitter last night, Sarabeth very maturely remembered that my sharpies were at their house. "Aunt Heather, why don't you go ahead and take your sharpies home tonight?". She sounded just like her mother! I said, "oh, thank you for remembering!"

I'm thankful that I'm around the girls often enough that they are comfortable digging in my purse. Last night as we drove to church Sarabeth said, "can I look in your purse for gum?" I handed it back to her. And I'm thankful that we're close enough that she's comfortable saying, "did you know WE'RE out of juicy fruit? Who chewed up all OUR juicy fruit?" I'm the aunt who not only always has gum… I always have JUICY FRUIT!

I'm thankful for how unreserved they are. Last night at dinner Angie split a bean burrito and rice between the two girls. Sarabeth (the beanpole) wasn't hungry - she had two muffins and a handful of apple jacks before dinner. Jamie, bless her little heart, finished her plate and then scooted over to Sarabeth's chair (Sarabeth was dancing around - it's a restaurant where we go often) and ate Sarabeth's dinner. It cracked me up! It was soooo the kind of thing that I would do! Sarabeth took her little styrofoam to-go cup of water and finished it on the way to the church. I had my cup - still full - and she said, "Are you going to give me yours since mine is all gone?" I suppose that's how it works.

I'm thankful for living in a small town. The waitress at dinner last night was initially a little haughty to me when I first sat down… they get a lot of tourists, I'm sure… she just wasn't particularly friendly… nothing I could put my finger on, she just seemed less than thrilled to wait on me… maybe I look high maintenance "no tomatoes…sauce on the side"… then Angie got there and she lit up and was much more friendly… turns out that the ladies at the church had thrown this particular waitress a baby shower when her last child was born. They ate there a lot… noticed she was pregnant… and just took it upon themselves to surprise her with a shower there at the restaurant.

I'm thankful that I go to that kind of church.

As I drove the girls home last night, it was a perfect summer evening… we rode with the windows down and since the last little bit of sun was setting in the sky, they asked for sunglasses. I dug a pair out for each. I'm thankful for the precious sight in my rearview mirror of two little red-haired girls with their hair whipping in the wind, wearing sunglasses that were way too big… and smiles that were just as big!

I miss Austin but I'm also thankful for a respite.

I'm thankful for the rain and the big magnolia tree outside my office window that is glistening with raindrops, like someone polished it.

I'm thankful that the price of gas isn't as high as it was last summer.

I'm thankful that there is gas in my car, air in my tires, that my car runs, that I have a job, that I like my job (although it is sometimes stressful).

I'm thankful for McDonald's iced coffee and fruit and yogurt parfaits.

I'm thankful for blogger babes who have stuck with me for 4 1/2 years.

I'm thankful for the little ticker on the side of my blog that shows me the vast reach geographically of my little blog.

I'm thankful that three hours of my day have ticked by already.

I'm thankful for motivation… to get out of bed in the morning, to keep moving, to get back on track weight wise… life goes on.