October 31st

Today I'm grateful for no scary events this Halloween.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm a big chicken and don't like scary things. Hence, Halloween is probably my least favorite holiday. I celebrated by trick-or-treating and going to a house party. I saw only a few kids dressed with masks and no one had scary costumes at the party. I didn't attempt any haunted houses or mazes. And I didn't go downtown where there are usually scary characters. Now I have Thanksgiving to look forward to!

October 30th

Today I'm grateful for sunrises.

I got an early start this morning and was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise. This photo definitely doesn't do it justice. The colors, light, and clouds made such a beautiful display. I wish I could have captured the moment better.

October 29th

Today I'm grateful for discovering new things.

I was walking through campus today and saw this plant: 

I had never seen it before and still don't know what it is, but I thought the colors were super vibrant. And I was shocked to notice it for the first time as it's outside a building I frequented and I pass it twice a day on bike. Glad I finally spotted it and I'll look for it again next year.

October 28th

Today I'm grateful for my new heating pad.

I purchased this from my chiropractor today. It can be used hot or cold, but I'm supposed to microwave it and then put it on my neck/shoulder to help loosen the muscles. I used it and it works great!

October 27th

Today I'm grateful for northern coast exploration.

Since I'm from the south coast I typically spend time at the Pacific when I go home. However, since moving to Eugene, which is more central, I've had more opportunities to explore the north coast. I think I like the south coast slightly better (I may be biased), but the north coast is pretty rad too. We only had a day to explore, but we fit in quite a bit! And there's still more exploration to do! 

Not pictured is the Astoria Column, The Tillamook Cheese Factory, or Oceanside, OR.

Sunken ship at Fort Stevens State Park. 

Hay Stack Rock, Cannon Beach, OR

(The beard is a result of the recent tournament and handy in keeping my face warm.)

October 26th

Today I'm grateful for king size beds.

I stayed in a hotel tonight with a king sized bed. I was so wiped from a weekend of ultimate, I didn't use it to its full potential, as I slept so hard I don't think I moved much. However, it still felt special and luxurious.

October 25th

Today I'm grateful for the Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

This was our team theme for this tournament. Everyone played their part and we went 4-1 for the weekend. Frisbee, sun, friends, and costumes--those are ingredients for a fun filled weekend!

October 24th

Today I'm grateful for driving partners.

We traveled to a frisbee tournament that is almost 6 hours away. There were three of us in  my car and we all took turns driving. The person who took the first shift drove through rush hour traffic in Portland and through some heavy rain on the freeway. I pretty much despise both of those driving conditions and was very grateful that I had help and company on the trip.

October 23rd

Today I'm grateful for perfect finds at Goodwill.

'Tis the season for costuming. Since I can't make my sister design ALL my costumes sometimes I have to rely on Goodwill. And I do appreciate when you find exactly what you envisioned.

Dressed as a mom ready to go to a Christmas Pageant. 

October 22nd

Today I'm grateful for hot showers.

I played a very, very rainy and wet game of ultimate tonight. If you stopped moving you got cold quick. By the time I got home I was freezing and hopped in the shower right away. It was lovely to warm up in the shower and then put on dry, soft, comfortable clothing after. 

Ocotber 21st

Today I'm grateful for my own personal spellchecker for this blog.

I received an e-mail today from my mom with some spelling errors she found in one of my posts. I'm grateful she saves my online presence from looking like a fool. Too bad she can't save me IRL too... ;)

October 20th

Today I'm grateful for the chiropractor.

My neck and shoulder have been bothering me off and on for over a year. I went to a chiropractor hoping to learn more about what was hurting and why. Turns out it's muscular and with stretching and heat I should be able to alleviate some of the pain. It was nice to get some answers and some strategies to be able to help it.   

October 19th

Today I'm grateful for the Rising Suns.

I've been playing with this team longer than any other team. We have the most positive spirit and always have a good time. Our captain consistently sends out fun and funny e-mails to get us prepped for game time. We've had another great season of purple sunshine.

October 18th

Today I'm grateful for well timed walk signs.

I mapped a run today but made a potentially fatal mistake by ending the run one block after a major intersection. I realized my error a few blocks from the end and was worried about having to stop one block from the finish line if the lights weren't in my favor. As I approached the intersection the walk sign was still on and while I was in the intersection it started flashing the red hand. I sailed through and was grateful I didn't have to stop. 

October 17th

Today I'm grateful for decorations.

It was homecoming week on campus and we were encouraged to decorate our offices. Our office looked quite festive and I appreciated the school spirit. The decorations at my office inspired an idea to surprise decorate for a birthday. We decorated overnight so in the morning when the birthday girl woke up there were decorations everywhere. It was fun planning the surprise and it being a success!   

October 16th

Today I'm grateful for my flannel duvet cover.

It's cold enough that I've switched my duvet from cotton to flannel. This makes my bed extra cozy and warm. I'm also grateful for it because my mom bought it for me out of the blue. She sent it in the mail when I was still living in my (very cold) previous house and it was such a thoughtful gift and a welcome surprise.   

October 15th

Today I'm grateful for greeting cards.

I can get overwhelmed by trying to find the perfect card to send someone. I had to purchase three cards today, and at first perusal I was feeling doubtful I would find what I was looking for. However, with patience and time I was able to find a card for all three occasions! I love finding the perfect image and message to tell someone I'm thinking of them.

October 14th

Today I'm grateful for milk siphoning and movie night.

So speaking of texting...my sister texted me this photo with the caption "I just found Evan siphoning milk out of the fridge..." This cracked me up. What kid does this?! I enjoyed hearing about his latest shenanigans and getting a good laugh. 

I also went to the David Minor and watched a very silly movie. I rarely go to the theater since it's so expensive but there's a deal on Tuesdays so it was only $2. It was fun to do something different than the normal week night routine.

October 13th

Today I'm grateful for texting.

I use texting every day as a way to communicate with many different people in my life. Some people are far away and we only text every once in a while and some people I text on a regular basis. I appreciate the technology as it is an easy and fun (especially with emojis and picture texts) for of communication that keeps me in touch with friends and family. It's also super convenient, quick, and oftentimes more efficient than making phone calls (although I value those too).

October 12th

Today I'm grateful for time to read.

After a day like yesterday I took it easy and spent the morning sleeping in and reading. I made quite a bit of headway in this book which I've slowly been reading for the last few months. I used to read a ton as a kid but though school, especially college, the amount of time I have to pleasure read has severely decreased. I'm enjoying have more time to read things for fun. 

October 11th

Today I'm grateful for pumpkin picking and wedding receptions.

I had a very busy day today filled with lots of fun things. I started out having a yummy breakfast of french toast and bacon in order to sustain me all day. We went to Lone Pine Farm to get pumpkins. We spent a few hours out there selecting our gourds, feedings goats, playing tag in the maze, eating ice cream and playing on the playground.

 

After I cleaned up real nice to attend a the wedding reception of two co-workers. The reception was in a beautiful setting. There was great wine and food. And I discovered that all my colleagues know how to boogie!

October 10th

Today I'm grateful for free shots.

I work right above the health center and they work with our insurance company to offer free flu and Tdap shots for faculty and staff at this time of year. I've actually never gotten a flu shot before but since it was free and convenient I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. No sickness for me this winter!

October 9th

Today I'm grateful for the Bier Stien.

I've talked about their nachos before, but now I'm just generally grateful for them, and especially their proximity to my house. I was famished after going for a run and not in any sort of mood to prepare food for myself, so I decided to splurge on a meal out. I called in my order and watched an episode of How I Met Your Mother to distract myself for the 20 minutes they said it would take. Then I walked over, picked it up, brought it home and inhaled it while watching another episode of HIMYM.  

October 8th

Today I'm grateful for Ophelia's Place.

I volunteered tonight at an annual fundraising event called Gems. Gems raises money for Ophelia's Place, an agency I did my practicum work at during grad school. This is my third year helping out and OP does a good job of showcasing the amazing work they do by bringing girls to the event. It's a nice reminder that there is support for young women in our community. The women who work there are almost as cool as the girls they serve. 

October 7th

Today I'm grateful for lunar eclipses and early morning waffles.

A couple of friends and I committed to getting up at very, very early in the morning to watch the lunar eclipse. In order to entice us out of our beds we also committed to making and eating waffles after. We succeeded at both watching the eclipse and eating waffles.  

Photo by Faizan Makhiawala.https://twitter.com/GetUrFAiZON http://instagram.com/geturfaizon

October 6th

Today I'm grateful for matching cribbage hands.

With fall starting, we've also started our weekly cribbage night. There were only four of us tonight but my partner and I went 2-1 and even managed to get matching hands one round. I'm excited we successfully brought back cribbage night and I experienced another cribbage first! My partner got one more point than me since he had knobs (not pictured).

October 5th

Today I'm grateful for mountain biking.

I went on my first mountain biking trip today at Whypass. A friend was kind enough to not only let me borrow his bike but let a newbie join the trip. It was fun to get out in the woods and the area we were in reminded me a lot of where I used to dirt bike. I think I did okay for my first time. I was able to apply some of my skills from dirt biking but it's a lot harder when it's self powered. I'm grateful that folks were willing to let me tag along. 

October 4th

Today I'm grateful for two person sleeping bags.

I didn't even know these existed until recently. I Googled them to see if they could be purchased and sure enough they can! They must be a cozy camping option.    

October 3rd

Today I'm grateful for a clean(er) office.

I've moved into a new office but haven't really unpacked yet. One of my coworkers popped in earlier this week and mentioned that my office looked like a "storage room." That comment motivated me to finally take some time today to go through some boxes, bags, and piles of papers. It's not done yet but it's much better!  

October 2nd

Today I'm grateful for bunnies.

My sister is adding bunnies to her little homestead. I'm lucky enough to live in between the person she purchased them from and her house so she stopped for a visit and I got to hold the softest bunny ever. We had a little impromptu picnic and played with bunnies during my lunch break.

October 1st

Today I'm grateful for Anne of Green Gables and October.

It's feeling more and more like fall. Leaves are changing color and dropping rapidly. The air is crisp and it's getting dark earlier and earlier. I plan on watching Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea one blustery weekend afternoon.