November 30th

Today I'm grateful for a four day weekend and the coast.

I feel rejuvenated after the long weekend. And to top it off a few friends and I went out to the coast. We visited Hobbit Beach and Cooks Chasm/Thor's Well. We had some incredible views. 

November 29th

Today I'm grateful for the Civil War.

Since becoming a Duck, watching the Civil War has become a tradition. This year a whole bunch of gathered with Thanksgiving leftovers and watched on a super nice TV. The Ducks won for the seventh year in a row. Go Ducks!

November 28th

Today I'm grateful for Friendsgiving II and leftovers!

I was invited to a second Friendsgiving tonight. It was another full Thanksgiving meal. So much good food in the last two days. I was also able to spend the day being productive but not rushing. I could get used to four day weekends.

November 27th

Today I'm grateful for Friendsgiving.

I decided not to travel home this year for Thanksgiving. I'm a little sad about that but also super grateful that since I'm not traveling home to be with family I have such good friends here that I still really looked forward to today. Everyone brought at least one dish so we had more food than the ten of us could eat in three days. We also had plenty of wine and sparkling cider. In between servings we played games. It was a great day.

Forgot to mention, that I also ran a Turkey Trot!

November 26th

Today I'm grateful for successful baking.

I'm in charge of a few different dishes for Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving tomorrow. This is only my second Thanksgiving away from family and the first that I've been away and had a kitchen. I made my mama's famous rolls (AKA: Rolly rolls). They didn't turn out as good as hers but they definitely weren't bad. I also made a turtle cheesecake that is very rich, but very yummy. It's probably better to eat it with a little ice cream to help reduce the richness. (Not pictured is the stuffing I also made.)

Rolly Rolls

Turtle Cheesecake

November 25th

Today I'm grateful for feminine care products.

Trust me, I'll spare you details, but I'm so grateful I have access to disposable, comfortable, and relatively inexpensive feminine care products.  

November 24th

Today I'm grateful for boozy hot chocolate.

I've had a bottle of Bailey's in my refrigerator for quite some time and every time I see it I think, "I need to remember I have that on a cold day and make some hot chocolate." And I finally remembered! I cleared room in my fridge and had a yummy treat.

November 23rd

Today I'm grateful for Black Butte.

I spent last night and today at Black Butte. It was filled with kind, generous, people, wonderful food, and good times. We spent the morning eating, drinking coffee, and playing Catan. In the afternoon we ventured out via snowshoe and hiked through forests and to the top of some rocks to get a view of the Cascades. Upon return we had another fantastic meal and then hit the road back to Eugene. It was a brief trip, but I'd go back in a heart beat.

November 22nd

Today I'm grateful for Les Schwab's lobby. 

I took my car into Les Schwab today to get it checked out for winter weather and to get a set of chains. I planned to walk to Starbucks to do some work but when I realized that they had free popcorn and coffee, a television to play the Ducks game, and free wi-fi there was no reason to leave. I was able to get some work done, watch the game, and get caffeinated all at the same time. AND I didn't get caught in any of the multiple rainstorms that occurred.

November 21st

Today I'm grateful for having a presentation partner. 

I do presentations regularly at work but I've typically done them solo. Today I had a partner and it made me so much less nervous. It was nice to have someone else to field questions and to bounce back and forth with to present the information. I think it helped keep the audience more engaged which really feels like a win-win. He was also just a great presenter and I learned a lot from his style. 

November 20th

Today I'm grateful for dark rooms for sleeping.

Let's just say I needed some extra sleep today and I'm grateful for a room that didn't let in a lot of light. I don't normally like such a dark room since my body will think it's night all day, but today I'm grateful since I took two three hour naps. 

November 19th

Today I'm grateful for my birthday.

Today is my 27th birthday and I'm so grateful for all the people who helped me in celebrating my day of birth. It always means a lot to me when people take the time to wish me a happy day whether it's in the form of a text, phone call, card, buying me a drink, sharing a meal, singing me happy birthday, or coming out on a rainy night to see me. I felt very special today thanks to all my family and friends. 

November 18th

Today I'm grateful for Laughing Planet.

I already talked about burritos this week but I had one tonight at Laughing Planet and it was so good. I was very hungry and my meal just hit the spot. I like this restaurant for a number of reasons, the first being that they have toy dinosaurs for adults and kids alike. Their food is also delicious and comes in good sized portions. Another reason is they had ginger ale on top. All in all a very satisfying dining experience.

November 17th

Today I'm grateful for a my warm-but-light-enough-to-be-active jacket.

It's been bitterly cold and alternating between wet and dry. A normal rain jacket wouldn't keep me warm enough and but a snow jacket would be too warm. Luckily I have this jacket that is the perfect combination of warmth and dryness.

November 16th

Today I'm grateful for Mt. Pisgah.

After a slow, easy morning of sleeping in we finally decided to do a quick hike up Mt. Pisgah. It was cold, but clear and at the top there was a ton of frozen plants. I took some pretty cool pics with my phone, but I wish I would have had my good camera. It was so neat to see everything frozen over.

 

November 15th

Today I'm grateful for Costco socks.

I went to Costco with my mama today and the first thing I saw was a giant bin of wool socks. They were 4 pairs for $12.00. There was no way I was passing that up! They are so comfy, cozy, and colorful. :)

 

November 14th

Today I'm grateful for a fancy dinner.

My mom is town this weekend for my pre-birthday celebration and some shopping. She took me to dinner tonight at one of my favorite restaurants that I would never go to on my own. We had a really pleasant dinner and really delicious food. Thanks for the special meal, Ma!

November 13th

Today I'm grateful for my bike fender.

I'm borrowing a fender to use on my borrowed bike, but boy oh boy, did it come in handy today. It's been pouring so the ground is wet, and it's STILL raining so without this fender I would have been soaking wet from my bike commute even wearing rain gear. So grateful folks are letting me borrow bikes and gear!

November 12th

Today I'm grateful for support from coworkers.

I'm dealing with a tricky situation at work and my coworkers have been very supportive. Earlier this week they took extra time out of their day to meet with me to brainstorm and prepare for a meeting we had today. I don't think the issue is resolved yet, but I really appreciated their support prior to, during, and after the meeting today. 

 

November 11th

Today I'm grateful for veterans.

I'm grateful for all the men and women who have served. Whether at home or abroad, active duty, reserves, or retired, I say thank you for your service.

November 10th

Today I'm grateful for mason jars.

I was inspired to make soup tonight because of the chilly weather. I made enough for multiple meals so I decided to store the leftovers in mason jars. I don't trust regular Tupperware with liquid to transport soup to work in my bike bag. Plus I figured I could heat it up directly in the jar. My roommates and usually just use them for extra drinking vessels, but they worked so well for this I may continue using them as Tupperware.    

November 9th

Today I'm grateful for reading with Evan (and a cat).

I went to visit my sister and the kids today. My nephew has started Kindergarten so every time I see him now he tells me what he's learning about. Today he told me he had learned to read and wanted to know if I want him to read me a story. OF COURSE, I did. So I sat down with him, a book, and a cat. He did an excellent job of sounding out words and read me an entire book. I was so impressed with how much he's learned and how quickly! 

November 8th

Today I'm grateful for a fall neighborhood walk.

I've been wanting to go for a walk around my neighborhood but hadn't gotten around to it until today.  I went with a friend and I enjoyed catching up with her, being outside and moving around, and looking at all the changing trees. So pretty! 

 

November 7th

Today I'm grateful for burritos.

Burritos are my go to food. They are easy to make if doing them at home, usually pretty cheap if you are buying them, and taste pretty good if they're frozen. They are usually decently healthy and I always feel satisfied. Yum! (I feel like eating one now.) 

November 6th

Today I'm grateful for laundry being done.

I'm actually not a huge fan of the process of doing laundry. I hate that there are so many steps: sorting, washing, drying (sometimes multiple times), folding, and putting away. I like tasks that I can complete all at once. I feel like I need to commit 2-3 hours to the chore of laundry. However, I do feel a greater sense of accomplishment when I spend an entire afternoon cleaning my wardrobe. It makes it much easier to get dressed in the morning. 

November 5th

Today I'm grateful for trivia.

In the off season my frisbee friends and I try to attend a trivia night. Individually none of us are very skilled but there are categories that a few of us excel in. We've never won, or really even came close, but we have a good time and we never lose hope that we'll win some day.

November 4th

Today I'm grateful for mail in ballots.

I've never used another voting method, but all my Oregonian friends who have moved out of state say it's the best.

November 3rd

Today I'm grateful for the Safeway app.

I do most of my shopping at Safeway due to its proximity to my house. I discovered the Safeway app a while ago and use it every time I go shopping as I can download coupons from the app to my card. I love seeing my total reduce at checkout and the app makes it super easy and convenient to keep track of my coupons.

November 2nd

Today I'm grateful for my Grandma Alice and her 80th birthday.

I traveled to Bandon today to surprise my grandma for her 80th birthday. My grandma is a very spunky, active, and caring woman who I admire and aspire to be. I can only hope that I'm as spunky and outgoing as her when I'm half her age!

November 1st

Today I'm grateful for Silver Falls State Park.

I did a run at Silver Falls State Park this morning. I've heard great things about this park for years and it's been on my bucket list since I first heard of it. I'm so grateful I was finally able to visit. Even after all the positive reviews the trail and the waterfalls exceeded my expectations. Since I was running I wasn't able to capture any of my own photos or enjoy it at at the pace I'd like. So it's still on my list to go visit. And I think it would be beautiful in any season. Hopefully I make another trip soon.