10 things i'm grateful for

1. These cookies. The very best vegan chocolate chip cookies I have ever had in my life. For those of you who don't know her yet, Chloe Coscarelli is a vegan rockstar!

2. My new like (not love yet, but baby steps are good!) of exercise. It's foreign, it's brand new, and it's pretty wonderful to actually look forward to taking care of my body.

3. When Julie takes a two hour nap all by her self. Amazing!

4. Gel pens. Quite possibly the nerdiest thing I've ever admitted to, but they make writing a pleasure. Good journalling, I'm convinced, comes down to the perfect pen...

5. There is a brand new camera on it's way to me. I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait! The art of photography is something my Dad passed down to me--he's always been quite the photography enthusiast. I'm so grateful that he supports this passion of mine, and that we can bond over this. Shared artistic bonds are the best!

6. I got a flat tire the other day, and on the heels of my other car accident, any car mishaps make me incredibly nervous. But I'm grateful to my sweet husband who stayed on the phone with me, during a busy workday, and kept me calm. And I'm thankful for the nicest AAA man who came to change my tire. He had this peaceful presence that put both me and Julie (who was exhausted and hungry) at ease. There are angels everywhere, I'm convinced.

7. I get all frazzled when we have guests, and we have to undertake a massive cleaning/overthrow of the apartment. But then, we are left with sparkling floors, and space for energy to flow, and we always end up being so thankful that our guests came to visit :-)

8. That moment when the sun has just began to rise, and I am the only one awake, with both of my loves sleeping peacefully on either side of me.

9. When I realized that my little one is big enough to eat out--not just by me bringing all of her food packed up in a billion little containers--but off the menu of most places. Luxury used to look very different to me, but these days, this eating out at restaurants might just be at the top of that list.

10. Julie rode the slides all by herself today. She climbed the stairs, pushed herself off at the top, and slid down with the proudest look on her face. Before becoming a parent, I never would have understood the bittersweetness of such an accomplishment, or the pride I would share with my husband when recounting the moment to him.