Practicing Gratitude: Gifts 751-780

Oh so many gifts! It has been a wonderful month.
751: Finding old pictures on my cell phone.
752: Christmas lights.
753: I finally got around to making this craft with Crumpet. I've had it on my list for the last several Christmases...
754: Seeing this cat so happy when we set up the tree every year.
755: Seeing this cat so happy with Christmas wrapping every year.
756: Mellow cats who have been through so much in their years with us that nothing phases them anymore.
757: Crumpet has been a crafting maniac this month. We made LOTS of Christmas crafts.
758:Christmas cards containing photos of friends.
759: The joy of a 5 year old at Christmas time.
760: The fun of pulling out all of our Christmas ornaments and remembering where we got them.
761: A chance to go on a cruise.
762: We have seen all of the Hawaiian islands that we wanted to visit during our tour here.
763: We got to ride in 2 helicopters.
764: We survived our helicopter rides.
765: We saw flowing lava.
766: All you can eat buffets.
767: Towel animals.
768: Dolphins.
769: Hot tubs.
770: Wrinkled mountains.
771: We saw silversword plants. These are extremely rare.
772: I don't live in a cold climate!
773: Crumpet is a great traveler.
774: Accidental meetings with acquaintances in unexpected places! I ran into my yoga teacher at a bathroom in a wildlife refuge on Kauai!!
775: Double rainbows.
776: Finding this one morning:
777: The endless giggles caused by living with a silly 5 year old, AKA Christmas Dude:
778: The world is full of interesting places to explore.
779: And fabulous sights to see:780:So many creative people - this was a Christmas village made out of gingerbread that contained all of the beautiful buildings of downtown Honolulu.

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 651-675

Wow, where have I been?? We had visitors a few weeks ago, and it's taking some time to get back into the swing of things...
I have so much to be grateful for:
651: Visitors!
652: I finally got to hug the good friend who lost her mother in May. It was SO good to spend some time with her.
653: Having a friend who understands me and has the same thoughts at the same time even though we live thousands of miles apart. I could not live without this friend.
654: We got to visit some tourist sites that we had not been to yet.
655: Hand feeding wild birds.

656: Great books and time to read them.
657: My dad is out of the hospital.
658: I've been married 8 years today!
659: The fall t.v. season has started.
660: Netflix is not splitting into 2 companies.
661: An all in one copier-scanner-printer- fax machine. Who knew how much I needed that?
662: Fresh macademia nuts.
663: Great, crazy tour guides.
664: Caramel flavored calcium chews.
665: I gave up Facebook, and it feels good to be free!
666: Friends gave us an ice cream maker - I'm excited to use it!
667: Unlimited texting.
668: School is easier these days.
669: New swim fins for Crumpet - he can swim across the whole pool with them!
670: Leftovers.
671: Exciting vacation plans for December!
672: Another visitor will be here in November!
673: Good chats with my mom.
674: My grandparents just turned 85 (on the same day!).
675: Discounted gym classes.

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 626-650

I've been writing down my gifts for a few weeks now, and it's funny to look back over them. It seems like forever since each thing happened. I guess I'd better post before they are ancient history...

626: I get the majority of my Vitamin D from the sun.
627: Hubby had a colonoscopy, and they found a precancerous growth. They removed it all.
628: I was able to share some baked yummies with friends, rather than eat them all myself.
629: We saw Harry Potter!
630: Crumpet had his first sleepover, and it went well!
631: Crumpet has been very snuggly lately and tells me loves me constantly.
632: I'm getting lots of sweet kisses too.
633: 'Girls only' shopping trips.
634: Clean hands!
635: School started for the neighbors. It is SO much easier to do schoolwork ourselves with no one ringing the doorbell to play at 8:15 am.
636: We have met Crumpet's new teacher twice now and she is amazing!
637: I bought lots of shorts for Crumpet before "winter" starts in Hawaii and they no longer sell shorts til "spring"... (It's ridiculous, but last year, I could not find shorts and we were desperate.)
638: I bought myself a swimsuit before they no longer sell swimsuits for 'winter'.
639: Crumpet had an ear infection, and we saw a doctor the very same day. Wow.
640: The ear infection is gone now.
641: Hubby had his shoulder surgery, and it went well.
642: Hubby has been home healing for almost 2 weeks, and we are not driving each other too crazy...
643: Dreams for our future trip around the world.
644: The kitty only has arthritis, not something disastrous..
645: I'm enjoying my photography class.
646: We explored a new botanical garden this weekend, while taking pictures for my photography homework.
647: Crumpet is doing better with handwriting!!
648: My first ever broccoli from the garden.
649: My first ever eggplant from the garden.
650: It's corn on the cob season!

Practicing Gratitude: Gifts 576-600

A very good week, indeed:
576: Cheap flights to Hawaii! Tickets for fall are suddenly half price!
577: At least 2, and hopefully 3, good friends will be coming to visit thanks to the cheap flights!
578: One of the visitors who will be coming is the friend whose mother just passed away. I am so grateful that she now has something to look forward to, instead of spending too much time looking back.
579: State Fairs
580: Ferris wheels
581: Deep fried Twinkies!
582: Huge smiles on my little boy while he zips around on amusement park rides
583: Rereading favorite old novels
584: Sesame Street put on a free live show for military kids
585: Smoke detectors
586: Friends with a boat!
587: Four day weekends
588: A strong marriage.
589: A chance to help some newlywed friends having trouble.
590: Cheap summer movies for kids at Regal cinemas
591: Crumpet's new and improved attitude
592: Affordable strawberries
593: A new bed, before our old one completely self-destructed...
594: Summer reading programs
595: A new pregnancy for a dear friend
596: It looks like we may have visiting dogs for most of the summer
597: We finally visited the playground known as "The best playground on Oahu". And it was awesome!
598: A clean floor
599: Fresh zucchini from my garden
600: I finally found a tomato plant and added it to our garden.

Praciticing Gratitude Gifts 551-575

This was a week of near misses, that ended pretty well!

551: My thyroid disease is officially in remission!
552: I danced with a dolphin!
553: After months of work with one of my meals on wheels recipients, I managed to get her social security and medicare reinstated.
554: We have a real live babysitter. She is the daughter of a friend of ours, and Crumpet loves her.
555: Hubby bought me a fancy dancy new phone for Mother's Day.
556: The phone is still a pay as you go, so it fits into our budget.
557: I have internet access on my new phone. Is this good, or actually bad? Not sure yet...
558: I now own a food processor! A whole new world of recipes has opened up to me.
559: Bounce houses at the mall on rainy days.
560: We found an Italian restaurant we like. I've missed that..
561: Hubby is recovering well after a Friday the 13th trip to the ER for diverticulitis.
562: Crumpet stayed with a neighbor for the first time while we were at the ER, and it went well.
563: We had a lovely, if short, visit with my aunt and uncle.
564: A good friend of mine got the job she wanted.
565: Crumpet's first good fall from a swing resulted in scrapes and bruises, but hopefully, no other problems.
566: Nice dinners out with my husband.
567: Two girls' nights out in one week.
568: We continue to earn money from the housing association by conserving energy.
569: The first zucchini from my garden.
570: The massive sunflowers are about to open.
571: A fun day with Crumpet at the Honolulu Book and Music Festival.
572: Getting to see some of our favorite PBS characters.
573: Crumpet does crafts his own way. This is supposed to be a Clifford hat with ears that hang down...
574: Goofy cats.
575: Millions of pictures to document Crumpet's childhood!

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 526-550

Two weeks ago, my friend's mother was told that her tumor was shrinking. The next day, she got an infection in her chemo port. She deteriorated rapidly, and was moved into hospice yesterday. Today, she passed away. This post is dedicated to her.

I am grateful that:

526: She treated me like her daughter from the day she met me.
527: She sent awesome care packages in college.
528: She made the best carrot cake in the world.
529: She gave me the recipe as a wedding present.
530: We spent many hours chatting over cups of tea.
531: She had a great, no-nonsense attitude.
532:I knew her for 20 years.
533: She knew how much I loved her.
534: She provided wonderful care for soldiers through her work for the USO.
535: She always picked me up at the airport and spoiled me rotten.
536: There were always great parties at her house.
537: Her family became my family.
538: She raised the most incredible daughter, who has gotten me through many hard times.
539: Her daughter was there for her til the end.
540: She had an incredible love of family.
541: She got to be the day care provider for my friend's son, who was the light of her life during difficult times.
542: My last care package made her smile.
543: She had great faith in God.
544: She waltzed in the living room with her husband.
545: She cared for her husband at home through a long struggle with Alzheimers.
546: They are together again.
547: I am grateful for hospice care.
548: She is no longer suffering.
549: Her family can have peace now.
550: I am grateful for rain on days that deserve rain.

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 501-525

501: My best friend's mother has cancer. She is like a second mother to me. It has been killing me to be so far away during her treatment, which is proving to be very cruel. However, we finally got news that the tumor is SHRINKING! :)
502: By homeschooling, I am already learning so many things that I either never learned or forgot I learned in public school...
503: The garden already has sprouts! (Rotten picture taken into the sun, but the zucchini is sprouting, the ancient tomato plant from the fall finally has little green tomatoes, and the sunflowers are gigantic! Stuff grows fast here in the spring!)
504: Everyone I know in the south has checked in and is ok after the tornadoes..
505: A great school plan for the fall.
506: Pitcher plants for fly control.
507: Royal weddings.
508: A second cup of coffee the day after staying up all night for a royal wedding!
509: A belief that everything is meant to be the way it is.
510: Funny one liners from my little man.
511: Beginning to understand what has been wrong.
512: Free activities for military families.
513: A beautiful view during dinner out.
514: Instant replays on the computer.
515: Sweet little surprise gifties.
516: Time to read.
517: After 2 months of no yoga, we had the easy teacher as substitute the night I went back! If it had been the regular teacher, I wouldn't be able to walk right now... I'm sore enough as it is.
518: Crumpet's teacher for the fall is lovely.
519: Car alarms don't honk forever...
520: Adorable birth announcements
521: A husband with a great attitude about a challenge we are facing.
522: You can choose to be happy.
523: Flax seed
524: Memories
525: Dustbusters

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 476-500

Crazy stressful week... But it's all as it is supposed to be:

476: Honolulu Theatre for Youth
477: Our little dog friend is visiting again for 3 weeks.
478: Wet cold dog noses.
479: Tiny dog growls when we play tug - so goofy.
480: Patience.
481: Hand soap
482: Short lived fevers
483: New wall decor created by us
484: Multiple stressful projects are progressing. I thought they were done, but stuff keeps coming back to haunt me. But we are making progress...
485: My naivete didn't land me in jail this week. Don't ask...
486: Wild chickens
487: A possible homeschooling group to join
488: A really enjoyable chat with a stranger at a meeting.
489: Educational events at the library
490: The most comfy flip flops EVER
491: It's curriculum shopping time! Love it!
492: An interesting school opportunity.
493: A good friend who poured me a glass of wine and just listened.
494: Temporary peace for a friend in the middle of a struggle.
495: Silly greeting cards
496: The garden is planted.
497: Airplanes
498: Unifix cubes
499: An extra long, solo walk
500: I'm half way to my 1000 gifts!

Have a lovely week!

Practicing Gratitude: Gifts 451-475

Wow, we've had a wonderful few weeks. I am so very lucky.

451: Two great weeks with my mom
452: Crumpet adored his Grammy.
453: Crumpet was willing to let me leave him with Grammy so I could run errands all by myself!!
454: For the same reason, Crumpet Sr. and I got to go on 2 lovely dates!
455: We discovered a couple of great restaurants.
456: The forecasted rain did not make an appearance until my mom's last night here.
457: 2 nights in a great cabin on the beach. This was my big surprise for my mom. The view from our patio:
458: Crumpet learns everywhere, even at events that we felt turned out to be a waste of time.
459: Our garden is ready to plant.
460: No cavities.
461: No government shutdown. We get paid!
462:New caulking for the bathtub.
463: We found a great new pool to hang out at.
464: Crumpet is beginnning to be ok with getting his face wet in the pool.
465: Tie dye hats.
466: Silly neighbor cats.
467: Rainbow cupcakes.
468: An awesome surprise for Crumpet's birthday - we're going to get in the water with dolphins and rays at Sea Life park! I can't wait!
469: A cute new purse.
470: Sweet neighbor kids.
471: Funky new vegetable finds... Okinawan sweet potatoes. Purple and awesome!
472: Financial stability.
473: The kids went on a snail hunt tonight and couldn't find any - that could be a good sign for my garden... Maybe something will grow??
474: Lots of fun plans for the next few weeks.
475: A really long, nice phone call with an old friend.

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 426-450

So it feels like forever since I started this week's list. I'm not terribly consistent. The top of the list I've been scribbling on was of course, this:

426: We did not experience a tsunami!
427: We were remarkably prepared for the evacuation.
428: My husband and I are a phenomenal team in an emergency. Not always at other times, but in emergencies, we rock!
429: Our cats have learned much in 12 years of moves and chaos, and didn't even bat an eyelash when we dragged them 'camping in the car' overnight.
430: Crumpet, too, handled the experience without a blink.

Onto other good things in my life.
431: I finally finished the Maui blog posts. I don't write that many posts usually, so 3 in a week was overwhelming.
432: Having visiting dogs here means I get more exercise.
433: Having visiting dogs means Crumpet gets more exercise.
434: The dog beach. So fun.
435: A stack of new library books.
436: A new job for my brother.
437: A chance to help a very lonely elderly lady who was in dire straits.
438: Being told by the elderly lady that she loves me.
439: Crumpet is learning so much from Meals on Wheels.
440: A new book that is making a huge difference in my relationship with Crumpet.
441: My mom will be here in 2 days!
442: I have a plan for Crumpet's birthday cake.
443: We've decided NOT to have a big party this year for his birthday.
444: Dogs in the bed.
445: Tax refunds.

Practicing Gratitude Gifts 401-425

Many things to be grateful for this week. First and foremost:

401: The amazing opportunity to take a vacation on Maui!
402: No need to cook for a week.
403: My new snorkel mask didn't leak and I got to see amazing underwater critters.
404: Happy hour mai tais.
405: Swimming in our clothes.
406: Waterfalls
407: New adventures.
408: Magic shows.
409: Whales, whales and more whales.
410: We survived the flight home in a tiny 9 seater plane in the pouring rain. I really wasn't sure we would...

Non-vacation blessings:
411: Scrap paper.
412: A dentist who let me in the exam room with Crumpet. Pediatric dentists in Hawaii are completely against this for some reason...
413: No cavities for my little man.
414: Silly sights like roosters being shipped at the post office.
415: Flexibility in schooling.
416:Being there for a friend on a bad day.
417: Fun new recipes.
418: Finding shoes that Crumpet will wear.
419: Living on an island where we CAN'T drive very far when gas prices are so high...
420: The plastic bag ban on Maui - I think it's great and I hope it spreads to our island!
421: A lovely Pay It Forward package in the mail!
422: Baby toes.
423: Crumpet is experimenting with new foods.
424: Being able to help a Meals on Wheels senior in desperate need.
425: Puzzle Buzz magazine - great for meals out and airplane rides!!