May 31st

Today I'm grateful for garden progress.

I've been tending to my garden and excited to announce that my plants are growing! The only thing that hasn't popped up yet are my carrots, but I'm still feeling optimistic. 

Beets.

First strawberry.

Cucumbers.

May 30th

Today I'm grateful for surprise visits!

I was at work on my computer when I turned to greet what I thought was going to be a client, but turned out to by the one and only Lindsey! I was able to take a break and we went on a walk through campus. It was such a lovely surprise to see her and briefly catch up on things that have been happening in our lives even in the short time we've been apart. Totally made my day!

May 29th

Today I'm grateful for kickball.

I'm playing in an adult kickball league and having so much fun. So far our team is 2-0 and the weather has been nice and having a laid back but spirited kickball game is such a nice excuse to hang out in the sun. It's also a nice substitute for softball, which I've been missing lately.   

May 28th

Today I'm grateful for Susan B. Anthony's.

Today was the last game for my draft team the Susan B. Anthony's B-Makin'-it-Rain. This was the first team I drafted and one of the best teams I've played with. We stayed positive and cheerful even when we lost and really grew as individual players and as a team. Such a great season and with wonderful teammates.   

May 27th

Today I'm grateful for naps.

My body was just exhausted from a very fun long weekend. I managed to get through most of work but left early to take a nap. I slept for four hours felt much more refreshed. I'm grateful for flexible and compassionate co-workers, who are willing to pick up my sleepy slack.  

May 26th

Today I'm grateful for limoncello.

I purchased some limoncello impulsively a few weeks ago and I finally drank some of it tonight for a friend's birthday. For me limoncello has positive connotations of summer, sun, Italy, and the movie Under the Tuscan Sun. I was so inspired that I looked up recipes and might make my own batch. Cheers to a good night!   

May 25th

Today I'm grateful for Ski to Sea.

Ski to Sea is a race that a group of friends and I have been doing since 2008--so this year was our seventh year competing! I did the kayak leg this time around and while I should have trained at least a little, I had a lot of fun racing and being part of a team. I enjoy this annual tradition with this group and hope we continue to do it for years to come.

May 24th

Today I'm grateful for exploring.

A large group of friends and I are staying in a house during our annual Ski to Sea weekend and I had time yesterday and today to do some exploring. I took a book and just wandered around the neighborhood. I found all kinds of cool places and beautiful views!

May 23rd

Today I'm grateful for AAA.

I got in my car this morning to drive to Portland and my battery was totally dead. I recently purchased AAA as a precaution and I'm so grateful I did! They came out and gave me a jump and I was on the road less than an hour behind schedule. Just this one experience was well worth paying for a year long membership. 

May 22nd

Today I'm grateful for documentaries.

Documentaries aren't my typical go to genre, but I watched one this evening as part of a work event. I found this one, and most other documentaries I've seen, to be at times challenging to watch but also incredibly thought provoking. I left feeling kind of heavy but also grateful to be exposed to important issues.  

May 21st

Today I'm grateful for good conversations and friends who bike.

I hosted a meeting at my house this evening and was very impressed by everyone's willingness to communicate openly, share concerns, and be respectful of one another. I also noticed that almost everyone came by bike and I had quite the collection in my back yard. 

May 20th

Today I'm grateful for haircuts.

I impulsively got a haircut today since I hadn't had one since November. I went to a place that accepted walk-ins and it felt great to get rid of dead ends. And of course my favorite part is getting my hair washed in one of these fancy contraptions. The lady gave me a nice long shampoo complete with a scalp massage and it was magnificent!

May 19th

Today I'm grateful for my garden.

It's official! I finally planted it! Thanks to all the help and advice I've received from my garden consultants I planted some starts from the Saturday Market and some seeds. From starts I'm growing three different kinds of tomatoes, a tomatillo, kale, lettuce, and strawberries. And from seed I'm growing cucumbers (which I hope to pickle!), beets, carrots, squash, and basil. I hope I did everything right and I can't wait to harvest! I also planted some flower bulbs so we'll see what happen with those too.    

May 18th

Today I'm grateful for the Columbia River Gorge.

I went on a classic gorge hike, Angel's Rest, today with a friend. The weather was threatening rain so there weren't too many other hikers which made the trail and time at the top more secluded. The view from the top was stunning. Over the years, I've done a few hikes in the gorge and I'm never disappointed. And I know there are so many more hikes to do there. My new goal is to do a hike every time I visit Portland.

May 17th

Today I'm grateful for Portland.

I'm in Portland for part of the weekend and they don't call it the city of roses for nothing! I went on a few walks through cute neighborhoods and saw so many beautiful flowers and little urban gardens. The more food I eat and the more exploring I do I like Portland a little more each time I visit.

May 16th

Today I'm grateful for Spencer's Butte. 

I've climbed Spencer's well over a dozen times and I've enjoyed it every single time. It's one of my favorite Eugene activities and today my friend and I hiked the north trail. I'd never done this trail before, so I am grateful to have experienced the hike in a new way. Still need to hike it for sunset, in snow, and during a rain storm!

Photo Credit: Fellow nameless hiker.

May 15th

Today I'm grateful for Lindsey.

I said see you later today to a very special person. Lindsey and I's friendship has been forged through being RAs together, being undergraduates at the UO, half marathon training runs, countless social events, early morning walks and late night talks, and living together. We've shared a lot, especially in the last three years, and while I'm sad to see Lindsey not be in my life in the same way she has been, I'm very excited and happy for the new opportunities and experiences that she'll have. If I could describe Lindsey with one word it would be ebullient. Her personality is full of life, energy, charm, positivity, and grace. Obviously, she'll be missed.

May 14th

Today I'm grateful for gentle reminders.

I commonly read articles from a site called Thought Catalog. (I use the term "article" loosely as some of them are just lists of life hacks, advice, quotes, etc.) One of the "articles" I read today was called 17 Things People Born In The Late 80s Are Currently Experiencing. The last item on the list was: Slowly recognizing that you’re no longer developing into someone, but you’re identifying the someone you’ve developed into. Now, I believe that I will continue to develop over my lifetime, but this just reminded me of a bigger reality that REAL LIFE IS RIGHT NOW. I sometimes get stuck in thinking that some future event or circumstance has to happen in order for me to participate in "real life" or to "officially be an adult." Maybe that was a big leap to make, but I appreciated the reminder to live and enjoy myself in the present.  

May 13th

Today I'm grateful for friend catch up time.

My dear friend and roommate and I managed to squeeze in some awesome quality time this evening. We ate dinner and drank a bottle of wine sitting on our westward facing balcony watching the sunset. This was our first opportunity in what felt like way too long time to catch up. I'm especially grateful since I know she had a very long to do list and she chose to ignore all her tasks to hang out with me. Already looking forward to our next bottle of wine together.     

May 12th

Today I'm grateful for Hendrick's Park.

I walked/hiked up to Hendrick's Park on my lunch break today to check out the rhododendrons. I haven't been up to the park in years and never in spring when they're blooming. It was a quick hike since I only had an hour, but it was beautiful and such enjoyable way to spend some time in the sun!

May 11th

Today I'm grateful for my mom.

I'm grateful for my mom every day but today she gets special recognition. My mom is a wonderful woman who has always been there for me. From driving me around to sell Girl Scout cookies, to traveling to numerous soccer and softball games, to letting me cry on the phone through stress and heartbreak, to giving me perspective (and sometimes that means telling me to get a grip), to always taking me out to dinner or planning special menus for me, to paying hospital bills after completely avoidable injuries, to always being my emergency contact, to reading this blog, to buying me clothes I don't need, to unwavering and unconditional support and love. Thanks, Ma. I love you.      

May 10th

Today I'm grateful for wine tasting.

As part of my weekend with my mom we went wine tasting. I took her to a vineyard she hadn't been to yet and we had a great time sampling new wines and eating fancy cheese and bread. We enjoyed the sun, and endured the rain, and then enjoyed the sun again, and then endured the rain again, etc. As a result we did get to see some pretty awesome rainbows. 

This was taken during one of the sunny times, but you can see the rain in the distance.

May 9th

Today I'm grateful for the lack of access to cable television.

My mom was visiting this weekend and she treated herself to a hotel room. I checked-in to her room before she arrived and had a couple hours to myself before she got there. I indulged and spent my time watching a couple shows that I would categorize as "trash TV." I've grew up without cable TV and get sucked into shows quickly and easily. It was entertaining for the few hours I indulged, and definitely a guilty pleasure, but I'm glad that it's an every once in a while activity rather than a habitual activity.  

May 8th

Today I'm grateful for friends that feel like family.

I was in the dining room at a friends house playing Catan with three other friends, a couple other friends were in the living room watching the Blazer game, and one more friend was in the kitchen baking cookies when somebody mentioned that he felt like we were a little family. I've been thinking about this comment and the more I ponder the more it resonates.

In the past year I feel like I've been through some pretty major transitions, specifically from full-time student to full-time employment. I had to make a big choices about where I wanted to live, what field I wanted to seek employment, and how I would spend my time between 5:00pm-8:00am and on weekends. There have certainly been challenging moments but I'm overall I'd say I transitioned fairly easily and successfully. It's been helpful that I chose to stay in Eugene and my friend group didn't have to be rebuilt. In fact, I've been able to spend more time and energy on friendships since I don't have the constant stress of schoolwork pressing on my shoulders. I'm so grateful for this as I feel like I've had the opportunity to create, deepen, and maintain some really meaningful relationships.

In recent months, I've been going through some minor ups and downs and I have multiple friends, from different circles, and from literally around the world who have showed support and encouragement. I have such a wonderful community of people who I can lean on and it makes me feel very fortunate and grateful.

Perhaps another reason I'm feeling grateful for my dear friends, especially lately, is I am anticipating some significant losses as a few close friends are moving away toward important opportunities. I wish them all the best and I think they are making good choices, but a teeny tiny part of me wishes they would stay forever just so things wouldn't change.

Since starting this blogging project, this is not the first time I've been grateful for different friends and friend groups and it certainly won't be the last.

  

May 7th

Today I'm grateful for comebacks!

My draft team played our fifth game today and going into it we were 1-3. All our losses have been really good games and I'm having a great time on the team, but I also like winning so I was really hoping today would be the day. Our game didn't start off that well and we were quickly down 5 points. Another teammate came on the line and encouraged us to just focus on the point we were about to play. One point at a time. That was our mantra for the rest of the game and we ended up beating our opponents by one point! It was really awesome for our team to work so hard and well together and to see that success on the scoreboard. And I have high hopes heading into next week.  

May 6th

Today I'm grateful for cookies and milk.

I enjoy baking and cooking but don't do either very often due to my busy lifestyle. However, today I spent my time after work doing errands and chores and decided to bake some cookies for a few friends as a thank you. I had a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip and peanut butter cookie with milk before going to bed and it totally hit the spot.   

May 5th

Today I'm grateful for when two of my favorite things collide.

I was doing some internet searching for something totally unrelated, when I stumbled upon a Tumblr (I don't even know what that is) that combines the Ryan Gosling Hey Girl meme with ultimate frisbee. MADE. MY. DAY. (Okay, maybe my week.)

May 4th

Today I'm grateful for puns.

I'm a huge fan of clever humor and puns always get me. Today is May 4th and from a previous post you all know I'm also a fan of Star Wars so this is one of my annual favorites:

Also, this one was brought to my attention recently as we transitioned from April to May. Gets me every time! :)

May 3rd

Today I'm grateful for waterfalls.

My friend and I went on an adventure today to find Kentucky Falls. This is one of many hikes around the Eugene area that have been on my bucket list since I moved here. The hike was awesome--we definitely found an Oregon rainforest.

May 2nd

Today I'm grateful for exciting sports moments.

A small group of friends and I got together to watch the Blazer game tonight. All of us were rooting for them to win, but none of us are diehard fans or had a ton of investment in the game. We were enjoying ourselves throughout the game, but in the final 0.9 seconds left things got real interesting. When Lillard made the three point shot to win the series for the Blazers the living room ERUPTED with excitement. It was a cool experience for all of us to react in such a similar way over the same event. I've had other moments like this before (for the Ducks, Rising Suns, etc.) and I find them really meaningful. 

May 1st

Today I'm grateful for neighbors playing loud music.

I had a long, stressful work day today (12+ hours) and a birthday event immediately afterward. I didn't get home until after 10pm and went straight to my room to get ready for bed. As I was getting ready I faintly heard music playing. I wandered out to my living room to find the source and realized that it was our neighbors across our backyard moat (who are generally pretty sketchy). I sat down in the dark, on my couch, and just listened. I'm glad I took a few moments of slowness and peacefulness. This is the song that was playing.