"If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change." - Buddha

I have gratitude today for...
* Andy driving Mrs. Roth & me to the airport this morning, especially because he had to work an extra long day today.

* making our connecting flight even though we took off 40 minutes "late." Good thing US Airways builds in a half hour into their travel time for delays; that's how they always depart "on time" and arrive "early."

* the gorgeous weather in FL today. 75 degrees feels real nice!

* no hassles at the car rental place.

* the hour I spent outside before the sun started to set.

* a really good BBQ dinner and nice conversation with Mrs. Roth

* the end of A Time to Kill. One of my all-time favorites, we caught the last 45 min. on TNT

"Be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love, to work, to play, and to look up at the stars." - Henry Van Dyke

I have gratitude today for...
* having the time to get organized today. Finally cleaned up our room and spare bedroom after two weekends of traveling and clothes thrown everywhere.

* going through a mountain of paperwork and purging.

* American Idol---that show just makes me :-)

"What we call the secret of happiness is no more a secret than our willingness to choose life." - Leo Buscaglia

I have gratitude today for...
* getting a good nights sleep last night--it seems so hard for me lately.

* deciding to invest my time in a Tastefully Simple party @ the Phi Sig house tonight. I really wanted to just spend some time with Andy since I'm leaving on Wed. but they thought it would be a good idea to have the party before Easter. It went really well and I'm now confident this fundraiser will be a success!

* watching Marley & Me again--I want a doggie!!!!

* yummy pizza for dinner. (Need to get back on the health kick quick...)

"The person who tries to live alone will not succeed as a human being. His heart withers if it does not answer another heart. His mind shrinks away if he hears only the echoes of his own thoughts and finds no other inspiration." - Pearl S. Buck

* feeling pretty good when I woke up this morning considering I was out until after 4am with my new rock star friend Sam (she loves DMB too.)

* more quality girl time with Erin & Deig on the way home from AC

* my friendship with Erin

* Andy. I really missed him this weekend!

* our filet mignon dinner tonight. I needed a good meal after eating like crap all weekend.

"The truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is dull without it." - Pearl S. Buck

* the lazy, college-like Saturday morning/afternoon we had today. Recuperating from last night and gearing up for tonight's festivities. 3am nights are killer these days.

* the best French Onion soup I've ever had from St. George's Pub, it was simply amazing.

* Sweet Tea Vodka--I've finally discovered all of its greatness.

* walking into the Irish Pub in the Trop to find an AMAZING band playing. They played the best songs and were so much fun. Nothing makes this girl happier than a good band when I go out!

* being able to dance in the shoes I wore tonight---I've never worn them out before.

* feeling good about how I looked tonight---thanks Deig!

* all of the awesome girls I met this weekend. I love meeting new people!

"Life resembles a novel more often than novels resemble life." - George Sand

* a great massage at the massage school in Lansdale. I had the same woman as last time but no horrible plastic gloves today!

* the pictures my mom sent of my Mom-Mom and some other family members from a long, long time ago. The picture of Mom-Mom made me think about how much I miss her and how I wish she was still here.

* my drive to Atlantic City with Erin & Deirdre---good quality girl time

* Andy being awesome, and being cool with me going to AC for the weekend even though I was away last weekend and I leave on Wed. for FL

* such a fun girls night out in AC. Drinking at the house, going to the neighborhood bar, Karaoke!! Good, good times!!

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on." - Robert Frost

* that I took the time to think about a friend that I (and so many others) lost 13 years ago today. It seems impossible it's been this long, I remember that day so clearly. I can still see her smiling face.

* my fun trip to Lowe's and BJ's with Viki. We looked at all of garden stuff at Lowe's and I bough my first strawberry plants! So excited it's SPRING!

* my date night with Andy---we went to the Flyers game and had a good time together even though they lost :-(

* the Buca di Beppo leftovers I had for lunch

* another great 3 mile walk/run with Viki

"Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed." - Corita Kent

* choosing to go to a 7am networking meeting to try to market my Tastefully Simple business. I'm not sure if I'll get any sales/parties out of it but it was a good experience.
* getting a lot of work done this morning.
* the 5 mile walk in Valley Forge with Viki. We even threw in some running!
* walking around good old West Chester for a while this afternoon.
* my great meeting with Lauren to discuss the Phi Sig fundraiser.
* yummy Chicken Marsala from Buca di Beppo
* a relaxing evening watching Entourage with Andy.

"I have found life an enjoyable, enchanting, active, and sometime terrifying experience, and I've enjoyed it completely. A lament in one ear, maybe, but always a song in the other." - Sean O'Casey

* feeling pretty good getting up at 6:30am since I didn't sleep at all last night.
* another great day of observing at UMHS. I observed several different teachers today. I can't wait to start teaching!
* the great little dress I got at NY&Co for $5 since I had a $15 off any purchase coupon---woo hoo
* going to bed early.

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard

* not being as sore from skiing as I thought I would be.
* the great night's sleep I got last night--it was much needed!
* finally catching up with Erin today, we've been playing phone tag for weeks.

I've Fallen Way Behind...

One of the things I challenged myself to this year was seeing things through. I always have the greatest ideas and then I never stick with them (thus, the name of my blog.) It appears as though I totally let my "Thankful" blogging go out the window, but I am proud to say I've been jotting things down in my daily planner every night and now I will catch up on my blog. These last few weeks have been really busy and it's amazing to me how many good things you can find in your days when you really look.

A note about the things I'm thankful for: I realize there is something that relates to food almost daily. It may sound repetitive, but I truly enjoy cooking and eating good food (and the occasional treat that may not be so good for me.) I'm not your typical "salad" girl that tries to downplay my love for eating. Guys love me for it and maybe I help girls realize they're missing out when they count calories during every meal.

"Lives, like money, are spent. What are you buying with yours?" -Roy H. Williams

* Brian coming to the mountain to ski with the other chaperones and me. He is an incredible teacher. The first couple of runs were a little scary but after some practice I was doing pretty well with the whole skiing thing.
* being able to get down an intermediate slope without killing myself. I had a few moments where I picked up too much speed but I made it. The feeling of accomplishment was amazing!
* the awesome chicken quesadillas I had for lunch at The Sitting Bull restaurant. They were the best I've ever had!
* it being another beautiful day. My legs were pretty sore from yesterday and this morning so I decided to take the afternoon off from skiing and enjoyed being on the mountain in the warm sunshine.

* my Carvel Hot Fudge Sundae I got at the rest stop. I haven't had one of those in years!
* LIFE on Discovery
* getting home earlier than scheduled
* my car being safe in the high school parking lot over the weekend.

"Whatever is at the center of our life will be the source of our security, guidance, wisdom, and power." - Stephen Covey

* the gorgeous weather we had today in Vermont. Skiing in 70 degrees and sunshine was so awesome!
* having the courage to take a beginner's lesson all by myself. I was so nervous about trying to ski again and felt funny not knowing anyone.
* the incredible ski instructors at Okemo Mountain. They made me so comfortable and were excellent with everyone in the class. I was excited when they asked "you've really never skied before?" (first time doesn't count--see my blog entry for the year 2000.) They were impressed with how well I was doing, it made me feel great!
* meeting Jen in "ski class." We became instant buddies and both picked up skiing quickly. We took a second lesson together in the afternoon and made it down a real trail!
* our bus driver Gary. He was so nice to us and all of the kids, just a super friendly southerner. 

"The principle of life is that life responds by corresponding; your life becomes the thing you have decided it shall be." - Raymond Charles Barker

* being able to fit in a 3 mile walk today.

* the beautiful spring weather we've had this week!

* Direct TV on the bus to Vermont! We were able to watch all of the games.

* 40 high schools kids being so well behaved on a 7 hr. trip up to Vermont.

* Facebook. Found out my friend Brian works at Okemo Mountain because he saw my FB status! How weird?

"Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." - Will Rogers

* my trip to the playground with Brooke and the boys. Jeffrey is saying soooo many words now, he's so much fun.

* Acme's fresh baked sandwich rolls.

* Andy coming home early today to watch NCAA Tourney games.

* Villanova pulling out the W today--I was worried about Andy's heart.

* Josh & Lauren coming over for a few beers and to watch the games with us.

* the baked French Fry recipe I found--they were yummy and healthy!

* the orders that came through my Tastefully Simple website from the fundraisers I've set up!

* talking with Steve. Something very scary happened to him the other day and I am so grateful he is safe and ok.

"We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life." - William Osler

* Andy's alarm going off at 6:45AM since I messed up my cell alarm and almost overslept!

* the great experience I had observing in a high school today!

* feeling confident I am going to make a great teacher.

* the opportunity to work with a student individually that normally gives the teacher a hard time. I was able to work through the assignment with him and he had it completed by the end of class!

* the trip to Produce Junction Viki and I took this afternoon. Windows down, sun shining, good company and tons of fruits and veggies at great prices. Awesome!

* the 4 mile walk Viki & I took at the park after Produce Junction.

* Jeff, Megan & the boys coming over for dinner.

* Jeff & Megan loving the gift card to Sullivan's and wine we gave them to thank them for sharing their FL house with us.

"It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living." - Oliver Wendell Holmes

* the "genius" feature on my iPod. I've been using it a lot lately and it's helped me discover new music on my iPod. Gotta love the 160gb!

* having time to clean out my car.

* the gorgeous day! I did all of my reading and paper for school outside.

* Rice Works chips- made with real brown rice, gluten free and very yummy!

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do." -Mark Twain

* the Avalon library

* discovering the show Felicity all over again on DVR. My new workout show!

* how hard Andy works. He had to stay at work until after 7pm and has a long drive every day. I appreciate everything he does.

* the show Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all." - Oscar Wilde

* lazy Sundays.

* our crazy party animal neighbors finally going to sleep at 4am so I could finally fall asleep for a few hours.

* no rain today!

* the HBO show Entourage--we finally started watching this series from the beginning.

* my cuddle time with Jeffrey

* the trip to the playground we all took this afternoon.

* WaWa French Vanilla Cappuccino

* leftovers! Although I love to cook, sometimes it's nice to have dinner already made.

* the time Andy spent trying to fix my computer.

"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver

* getting to spend the weekend with Andy, Jeff, Megan, Jeffrey & James in Avalon!

* spending the morning with the boys.

* Our $200 cleaning job :-)

* running into a bunch of friendly people while we took Jeffrey out on his bike.

* seeing the crazy beach erosion. Not that I'm happy this happened, but it was incredible to see the beach completely GONE!

* Apple Martinis!

* the fantastic chuck roast dinner and drinks.

"You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." - Zig Ziglar

* the National Academy of Massage in Lansdale, PA. Their student massages are only $30, which makes them affordable for me. They do wonders for my well-being.

* having the courage to tell the therapist that the plastic gloves she was wearing while giving me a massage was making it unenjoyable for me instead of being annoyed for the entire hour.

* the Chinese food and Pepsi I treated myself to for lunch to celebrate my success on the PPST.

* the fantastic Tastefully Simple party I had at Alexis's house. Everything was set up so nice and I had almost $400 in sales!

* my friend Courtney coming to Alexis's party. Although we didn't have much time together it was great to see her.

* arriving to Avalon safely, it poured the entire drive.

* the pizza Andy saved me from dinner, I was starving by the time I arrived!

"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself." - John Dewey

* getting myself up early to look over the PPST review book. Not sure if it helped or not but it helped calm my nerves (a little.)

* discovering that Genaurdi's makes excellent hoagies and they're only $4.99! Much better than WaWa and you get way more for your money!

* not having a heart attack during the test.

* being able to find out my Math & Reading test scores immediately after the test.

* PASSING BOTH PARTS!! WOO HOO!! I was so scared I'd have to take them again.

* having the time to take a walk around the neighborhood with Megan, Jeffrey & James before class.

"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." - Emily Dickinson

* Megan inviting me to walk Valley Forge park (5 miles) today. We haven't spent a lot of time together lately and I really enjoyed having that hour to catch up with her.

* the PPST Review book that was available at the library. I am feeling like I need to study some more tomorrow before I take the exam.

* having a great experience at Dave's Jewelers in Hamilton, NJ. Nice people, great service and the fairest prices! Only $3 for a watch battery--the price has been the same for at least 10 years.

* my visit with Missy and baby Dane. He had his shots today and was a little sad but I was so happy they came to say hello.

* the time I had to talk with my Dad before leaving for dinner with the girls.

* the fun night with my Mom, Cookie & Wendy. Something is so fun about old friends, people that have known you FOREVER. We had wine, great food, and a ton of laughs. We picked out the pictures for Wendy's wedding video and Tina came by with Alyssa. It was such a great night, so glad I made the drive home for it.

* getting home early. Mom and I watched the end of American Idol and then I went to bed. So nervous for the PPST exam tomorrow!

"The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge." - Bertrand Russell

* the fresh grapefruit I had for breakfast from KB & Jenn's tree

* the 3 mile walk I took with Viki. We enjoyed the gorgeous weather and had a great talk.

* going to class when I really wanted to blow it off. I was able to finish my assignment for tonight's class, I thought I was going to run out of time.

"Love life and life will love you back. Love people and they will love you back." - Arthur Rubinstein

* being able to get lots of stuff done around the house today
* getting some things that had been bothering me off my chest
* Kelley coming over and going for a 3 mile walk together. It was nice to catch up!
* My chat with Kelly tonight.
* the stew that I made being as good as it was last time!
* the email from my professor saying I got another A on last week's paper. Woo hoo!
* finally attacking my closet/drawers and getting rid of stuff I don't need/wear anymore. (Thanks to the March issue of O Magazine!)

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built." - Eleanor Roosevelt

* waking up without a hangover
* my leftover chicken parm for breakfast
* the bag of grapefruits KB & Jenn gave me to take home fresh from their grapefruit tree!
* our hilarious lunch at an Irish Pub with Kevin & Jenn. It was the worst service I've ever had, (or anyone of us have ever had for that matter.) It was so bad it went from really irritating to just funny--we actually discussed the possibility of being on Candid Camera or Punked, that's how bad it was. (Blog post to follow)
* our safe trip home from FL
* reasonable temperatures upon arriving in PA--no more snow!
* the tasty Papa John's pizza we had for dinner. Didn't feel like cooking and blew off the "healthy eating" for this meal

"Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy -- because we will always want to have something else or something more." - David Steindl-Rast

* our daily 5 mi. walk--it was perfect weather today
* being able to spend the afternoon outside reading magazines and enjoying the sunshine
* our visit to KB & Jenn's. We went to dinner at a local Italian restaurant, watched clips from SNL, drank in the hot tub and somehow stayed up until 3:30 AM. Good times!

"What everyone wants from life is continuous and genuine happiness." - Baruch Spinoza

* again, doing a 5 mile walk with Andy today.
* the grilled hamburgers we had for lunch. I'm not a huge hamburger person but today they were really good!
* being able to spend a few hours outside while it was warm enough
* a friend from school helping me out by emailing me the info I needed out of the textbook since I didn't think I'd need mine in FL.
* SELF Magazine---it is so motivating and makes me feel good about keeping up with my workouts!
* the movie The Wrestler. It reminded me how lucky I am to have a great relationship with my Dad.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." - Soren Kierkegaard

* sleeping in. Although it feels like so much of the day is gone when I sleep in, sometimes it's still nice.
* pushing ourselves a little and doing a 5 mile walk today!
* O Magazine. I really enjoyed laying in the hammock reading the March issue cover to cover. It made me excited to clean out my closet and purge stuff I no longer need.
* Andy letting me watch the Oprah episodes I DVR'd this week.
* my favorites surviving another week on Idol (silly, I know.)

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are." - Bernice Johnson Reagon

I feel like I've been repeating myself a lot because there's not a whole lot going on down here in FL. We're on vacation, we're supposed to relax, that's what we're doing. :-)

Today I Am Thankful For...
* getting up early and watching Army Wives for a couple of hours, I was going through withdrawl.
* the 4 mile walk Andy & I took together today
* a yummy homemade mexican dinner

"Life is relationships; the rest is just details." - Gary Smalley

* waking up this morning to pouring rain and making the best of it. It was a nice relaxing morning.
* Super Mario Wii- I finally played it for the first time and it brought me back to long summer days, playing Mario 1, 2 & 3 for hours, determined to beat them! I eventually beat them all, now I have a new one to conquer.
* the half hour of sunshine I was able to catch before the clouds rolled back in and the winds picked up.
* Carrabba's Chicken Marsala! Andy & I used to go there all the time but it had been well over a year since we were there last. It was a special treat (I took off from counting calories) and we both really enjoyed our meal.
* Edye's Fruit Bars---a great alternative to ice cream, and they don't make me feel crappy like ice cream does after I eat it.
* the really nice workers at Wal-Mart. Everyone knows I hate Wal-Mart, but our trip there tonight was actually pleasant. (I REALLY try not to go there, I don't support the way their owners run the business.)
* American Idol--I love this show, always have, always will.
* my nice chat with Debbie tonight. I really can't wait for my visit to CA in May!

"Everything you now do is something you have chosen to do. Some people don't want to believe that. But if you're over age twenty-one, your life is what you're making of it. To change your life, you need to change your priorities." - John C. Maxwell

* the 3 mile walk Andy & I took this morning in the FL sunshine. It felt great after not working out for 2 days. I ran 3/4mi. after the walk--I hate running so that's good for me.
* the pair of shorts I put on today that definitely fit me better than they did at the end of the summer. The exercise is working!
* the beautiful day we had today. It was warm enough to spend the afternoon on the beach and then we played Scrabble outside. I can't wait for winter to be over at home too.
* Pandora. We listened to it all night while we played Scrabble again, (Andy was determined to beat me).
* the beginning of a new month. It's March 1st! We're headed out of winter and into spring & summer!