I have gratitude today for...
* the email I read this morning that Kerry sent last night.
* taco dinner for Andy's birthday.
* bringing a ton of the leftovers to Viki. It made me feel good to share with them and I knew they'd truly appreciate it.

I have gratitude today for...
* breakfast at Jeff & Megan's. It was nice to spend some more time with Chris, Kem and the kids.
* time at the playground with all of the kids. Seeing Chris, Andy & Jeff running around with them was so sweet.
* such a gorgeous day.
* sitting around the table talking about all of the good times last night, the wedding and lots of random this and that.
* Molly's response when Andy asked her to be our flower girl. She asked "Can Edie help me?" I thought that was so cute. We decided to ask them both, so we will have two beautiful little flower girls in our wedding.
*Andy asking Chris to be one of his groomsmen.
* laying down and watching "The Last Song". It was the perfect movie for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
* watching the Academy Awards tonight; I've only become interested over the last few years. I was glad The King's Speech won Best Picture.

I have gratitude today for...
* getting up early and getting my share of the cooking done.
* the gorgeous $90 black boots I got at JCPenney for $20!
* the favors Chris & Kem surprised us with for the engagement party. M&M's with our wedding date, picture, "Andy & Christine" and champagne glasses imprinted on them. They were a hit!
* Mom & Dad arriving early to help get ready for the party and for ALL of the fantastic food Mom made!
* the fun party dress I wore tonight. I love getting dressed up.
* my garlic chicken w/broccoli pasta being one of the favorites of the night---I love cooking for people and sharing the gift of food. It's a bonus when others like what I've made.
* Mom & Dad, Kelly & Alex, Mrs. Roth, Jeff & Megan, Chris & Kem, Copley & Bert, Chrissy & Ray, Kerry & Jim, Donna & Bill, Pat & Joyce, Kristen & Tim, Leslie & Terry, Brian & Sharon, Wendy & Ed, Cookie & Dean, Mike & Susan, Arlene & Don, Erin & Bill and Matt & Brittany coming to celebrate our engagement with us.
* good times in the basement with the late night gang (Mom & Dad, Copley & Bert, Matt & Brittany, Kerry & Jim, Kelly & Alex). Some of us were up until 2am.
* such a wonderful engagement party. So many people helped bring it all together and I think everyone had a really good time! We are so lucky to have the best family and friends.

I have gratitude today for...
* lunch at OOKA with John and Brian. They have the best hibachi and we were able to use an old gift card from the LifeStyle days.
* a great meeting this afternoon with Kevin from Simmens Landscape and another sale!
* going to the store with Andy to get food and supplies for tomorrow.
* getting a lot of stuff done around the house for the engagement party tomorrow.

I have gratitude today for...
*cancelled sales meeting this morning.
*lunch at Dublin Diner with Paul from Penn Renewables & John.
*hitting my goal for the first time since November!
*taking the time to go to the Oaks home show to prospect. I was there for over 4 hours and was tired of repeating myself over and over again but hopefully something will come out of it!
*leftovers from Nectar for dinner.

I have gratitude today for...
* lunch with Michelle at Nectar. It's hard to believe it's been about 3 years since we've seen each other. It was nice to catch up and learn more about her new interior design business.
* meeting with Chris from Keystone @ the new Wegman's in Malvern. It's beautiful and it was a great meeting.
* the email I received from Paul Arsenault asking me to come in to speak with marketing students at WCU.
* an easy pizza dinner.
* watching American Idol tonight. That show makes me :-)

I have gratitude today for...
* lunch with Brian and Bill @ JB Dawsons. I had my favorite---bruschetta chicken pasta.
* a great meeting and sale with a landscaper today. I didn't expect it which made it even better.
* catching up on Oprah while working from home this afternoon.
* going to a new yoga class with a different instructor tonight. He (Richard) was the 5th instructor I've tried and I've liked them all!
* talking with Mom tonight about the engagement party menu. She also told me she thinks she knows why her eye has been bothering her and it's being taken care of.

I have gratitude today for...
* being able to push back my meeting from the morning to early afternoon today.
* feeling motivated to put a little more effort toward my work after today's sales meeting.
* having a somewhat early dinner and Andy being home.

I have gratitude today for...
* sleeping in until 10am and not feeling bad about it.
* pancakes for breakfast made by my favorite guy.
* watching another season of Entourage---love this show!
* walking around 69th Street for a bit this afternoon.
* the birthday gift I found for Mom at one of the shops on 69th Street. I love browsing shops for unique gifts. I shop for people all year long and keep a "gift bin" in my closet.
* the fantastic chicken marsala dinner Andy made tonight. It felt weird not helping and made me realize what a control freak I can be sometimes. I know I need to let go, especially with all of the wedding planning ahead that I won't be a part of (shower, bachelorette, etc.)
* a wonderful, relaxing, no agenda, TV watching, junk food eating weekend in Avalon with my fiance.

I have gratitude today for...
* the movies and two seasons of Entourage we checked out at the library today.
* beautiful views from the beach house as the 50 mph winds gusted outside all day.
* catching up on hours and hours of Entourage.
* Leslie stopping by to say hi with Mikayla & Aiden.
* spending some more time on our registry.

I have gratitude today for...
* getting a small sale in today for the March issue. I really needed something else to come through this week.
* lunch with John today at Plaza Azteca.
* the much needed warm, sunny day.
* enjoying the ride to Avalon with my sunroof open and music blasting. I didn't even mind the horrible traffic.
* pizza from Via Mare. It was the first time we've ever tried it and it was sooooo good!
* reading some more of The Year She Fell, the book on my Kindle I started almost two months ago.
* a relaxing evening in Avalon with my wonderful fiance.

I have gratitude today for...
* Ed bringing in bagels and donuts for today's sales meeting.
* lunch with Viki at YangMing. It was fantastic!
* meeting Jack at Love & Care Senior Day Center. We learned a lot about the center and why hes opening it. It's a wonderful place for seniors to go and socialize; I am going to try to volunteer at least once a month. They are only open Monday-Friday.
* the stories from South Africa that Maura is sharing on her blog.
* doing some work this afternoon in the backyard. What a beautiful day!
* watching the episode of Oprah with Roseanne. It brought back great memories of watching Roseanne with Lori in our Neilds St. house.
* watching Dinner for Schmucks with Andy. It was probably the dumbest movie I've ever seen but I still love Steve Carell. We did have a few good laughs.
* talking with Kelly for a while after the movie. We were hysterically laughing about some of the events of Saturday night.

I have gratitude today for...
* getting a ton of work done today at the office. I made a ton of calls and felt like I had a really productive day.
* trying a new class at the gym tonight. It was a yoga-pilates-ballet class and it was hard as hell. I got through it (barely.) I know the more I do it, the better I'll get. I'm sure I'll be super sore tomorrow.
* watching American Idol and another Flyers win tonight.
* going up to bed early and watching an episode of Nurse Jackie.

I have gratitude today for...
* being able to afford Invisalign to fix my messed up teeth. I wasn't too happy today when I went for my new trays and they had to put "buttons" on. Then I reminded myself I'll be happy with the results and I'm fortunate to be able to do it.
* lunch at Charlotte's. French Onion soup and a turkey club.
* the new yoga mat I bought at Ryah Yoga today. It's a professional mat and I can't wait to use it in my classes!
* the email from Mom telling me Grandpa's surgery went well.
* talking with Kerry tonight and asking her to be in my bridal party. She said yes :-)
* trying out one of the Exercise TV yoga programs.
* the awesome roasted chicken dinner Andy's mom made us tonight.
* watching the Flyers game tonight against Tampa Bay. They had a great win in OT!

I have gratitude today for...
* my wonderful Valentine and fiance.
* deciding to still go to pilates tonight even though it's Valentine's Day.
* watching Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps with my Valentine; it was worth watching after recently watching the original.

I have gratitude today for...
* reading the "Butterfly Kisses" book Dad finished for me in time for my 30th birthday. I was only about 10 words in before the tears started flowing. Every word meant so much to me and I really appreciated the time and thought that he put into his part of the book.
* being able to spend the day lounging around on the couch. Now that I'm 30 I needed pretty much the whole day to recover from partying the night away on an empty stomach.
* Tastefully Simple's Perfectly Potato Soup, Papa John's pizza, Maggiano's take-out---the perfect diet for a lazy Sunday. The real diet starts tomorrow, right?
* Jeff, Megan & the boys coming over for dinner tonight.
* Carvel ice cream birthday cake!
* talking with Grandma & Grandpa tonight. I thanked them for my birthday gift and wanted to wish Grandpa luck on his spinal surgery tomorrow. Turns out it was pushed back to Tuesday.

I have gratitude today for...
* waking up early. I'm like a little kid on my birthday. I watched the latest episode of Private Practice and put together a fun photo slide show for tonight.
* going to Bridaltown with Megan to show her my wedding gown.
* Jen & Ella stopping by for a quick visit early this afternoon. They brought me an adorable Valentine's cupcake for my birthday.
* the awesome new bra I treated myself to at Victoria's Secret.
* Vanessa & Keith arriving safely from Long Island.
* Mom & Dad, Kelly & Alex, Jeff & Megan, Vanessa & Keith, Jess & John, Lora & Ed, Bethany & Eric, Erin & Bill, Copley & Bert, Missy & Paul, Viki & Gooch, Kerry & Jim, Adrienne & Dan, Popejoy and Mrs. Roth coming to celebrate my 30th birthday tonight.
* the thoughtful cards and gifts from my friends & family.
* Dad completing the Butterfly Kisses book I have him 9 years ago. I can't wait to read it tomorrow.
* Dan, our awesome limo driver. He was patient and flexible and didn't give us a hard time about going over our time.
* Ben, Rachel & Rob meeting us out in the city. Good times at Tir Na Nog!
* Vanessa, Kelly & Kerry telling everyone I was done with drinking, especially doing shots, towards the end of the night!

I have gratitude today for...

* Viki lending me her BJ's card so I could pick stuff up for tomorrow. 

* getting the roast beef, meatballs and baked ziti made tonight. 

* Andy cleaning up the house. 

* leftover Carrabba's for lunch. 

* new Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice episodes from last night. 

* watching the last episode of Friday Night Light's with Andy. I am so sad that show is over, it's one of my favorites ever. 

* not feeling depressed over turning 30. So many people get all worked up about it---it's really not bothering me at all. I've had a great life so far and I'm looking forward to learning more about the person I am and all of the great things the lie ahead for me in my 30's!

I have gratitude today for...

* the email Mom sent with thank you notes scanned from the children the McTague family sponsored this year for Christmas. They are such cute kids, I make me wish they didn't live in such a dangerous and impoverished area (Camden, NJ.)

* finding a unique Valentine's Gift for Andrew.

* two good presentations today.

* Trio's hoagies before the Flyers game!

* seeing another Flyers victory tonight in Philly.

I have gratitude today for...

* lunch at Yang Ming with John Groden. We met up to talk about advertising and ate some yum Chinese food for lunch as well. 

* meeting up with Megan at the Corner Bakery in Suburban Square this afternoon. Between me working full time and her being in FL we haven't seen each other or talked much. It was nice to catch up with her today while she had a babysitter watching the boys. 

* making the smart decision to skip the gym. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold and really don't want to be sick this weekend. I went home, laid down and watched Oprah until Andy got home. 

* dinner at Carrabba's. We had a $20 gift card that expired tonight so we decided to go even though I wasn't feeling that great. Their minestrone soup hit the spot though, and I'll have it for lunch one day this week. 

I have gratitude today for...

* spending the day out of the office. We took a car into Philly to deliver magazines to the marketing departments of several hospitals. It was a nice break from making phone calls and sitting in front of a computer. 

* lunch at Marathon Grill. The food was excellent, especially the tomato basil soup!

* a good networking meeting after work. 

* watching The Social Network with Andy. I thought it was interesting and very well done; it's amazing how Facebook has changed our society and the world! However, I do not think it's deserving of Best Picture.

I have gratitude today for...

* lunch at Totaro's with John & Brian. It was a nice change and their chicken marsala is sooo good!

* making myself go to Pilates even though I was feeling really tired. It was kind of stressful in the office today because of our sales numbers for this month and I was drained by 6pm. I told myself to go and it was the right choice. I was able to get through the class this time without wanting to walk out. I know the only way I'll improve is by doing. 

* time with Jeffrey & James tonight. We were baby-sitting and it was fun to have them around. Jeffrey & I watched part of Shrek (until he lost interest) and hung out in the basement. 

I have gratitude today for...
* spending some time on our registry. We decided to go with Bed, Bath & Beyond, Macy's & Amazon.com. We figure between those three we can cover everything we need and give people lots of options. It's fun an overwhelming at the same time.
* talking with Mom & Kelly over gchat a few times today.
* getting myself off the couch and computer and onto the elliptical. I did it for 50 minutes while watching the movie Valentine's Day. Very cute movie!
* the awesome chili I made today. I love crock pots!
* a visit with Jeff, Megan & the boys. 
* a relaxing evening watching the Superbowl. We didn't care that much about who won but I was rooting for the Packers. Yay for them, I'm sick of the Steelers.

I have gratitude today for...
* watching Eat, Pray, Love this morning. Like most movies that are based off of books, I felt a lot of the story was left out. I found the book inspiring and it had a lot of really great messages that I think the movie didn't get across. I encourage anyone that watched the movie that didn't read the book to do just that.
* my awesome massage at the massage school. I've been sore from yoga and this was just what I needed.
* finding a cute outfit to wear for my 30th birthday celebration next week and a fun Eagles shirt for 70% off too.
* going to Bed, Bath & Beyond with Andy to register! We didn't have much time but it was fun to walk around and start thinking about what we need/want/like. We need much more than I realized!
* deciding to go to Celebre's for pizza before the Flyers game instead of waiting for an hour at Carraba's. We didn't expect there to be a wait. Even though we had pizza last night, Celebre's was awesome. I wish we had a place like that near us.
* a fun time at the Flyers game. We had great seats (10th row) and they won! We got to see a great game.
* Andy getting Showtime for us again. We watched a couple of Nurse Jackie episodes after the game.

I have gratitude today for...
* good laughs at the office and at lunch today with Brian, Bill & John.
* the good deals I got at the drugstore on some new makeup.
* dinner with Andy at Bertucci's.
* going to see The King's Speech with Andy tonight. It was a fun date night. We haven't been to the movies together since we saw Marley & Me.
* Friday Night Lights when we got home. Only one more episode---so sad :-(

I have gratitude today for...
* finding out Chris & Kem will be coming to our engagement party.
* an excellent meeting with an attorney in Phoenixville. John came along and was very happy with how everything went.
* lunch from Yangming. Although it was different from what I expected (not your typical "Americanized" sesame chicken) I enjoyed it. It is the "Best Chinese Restaurant in America" and one of my clients. Pretty cool.
* choosing to go to the power yoga class again this week. I found it pretty difficult last week but I know it won't get easier unless I keep going. I got through the whole class without stopping. I'm so happy I decided to join this gym!
* walking in the house after yoga and dinner being ready Andy picked up a Costco chicken and made mashed potatoes and a veggie. I was starving and had no idea what I was going to make for dinner.
* watching American Idol and a new episode of Grey's Anatomy tonight.

I have gratitude today for...
* having a productive day even though I didn't sleep well last night.
* meeting Kelley for lunch at a fun Mexican place. John came along and the three of us had a nice time.
* the nice comments some of my friends made about the pictures from Kerry's wedding that Leea took of Andy & me.
* another great workout on the elliptical tonight.
* a relaxing evening with Andy. I missed him last night!

I have gratitude today for...
* thinking back to three years ago when Jeffrey was born. We were so excited and didn't know if it was going to be a girl or boy. He's a little person now instead of a baby. It's hard to believe three years have gone by already!
* a great networking conversation with Will, one of Kelley's friends.
* lunch with John at UNO's. I wasn't feeling that great today so I had the broccoli cheese soup, yum!
* the french vanilla cappuccino Billl bought me this afternoon from WaWa. I've been craving one for weeks and finally caved.
* my 50 minute workout on the elliptical.
* Master Class on OWN. I watched the episode with Jay-Z today and thought it was excellent. I felt inspired after I watched it.
* JP Morgan getting Andy a hotel room tonight. Even though he didn't want to stay over, it made me happy to know he wouldn't be driving in bad weather tonight or tomorrow morning.
* the sweet message Mom left on our wedding website guest book.
* a surprise order from Alexis through my Tastefully Simple website.
* this feeling I have that good things are going to start happening for me at work. I'm starting to see results from the work I've put in over the last six months. My goal is to reach the level of success I once had when I was at LifeStyle.