Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

Making the time to come here today. I haven't felt much like writing lately. I have felt much gratitude. Today thankfulness won.

Last weekend I celebrated my 50th again at the insistence of two of my oldest, dearest friends. It was a beautiful night to enjoy the W's patios with some of my favorite people. We caught up on our collegiates. They both have daughters who are freshman. O, is a couple days older than Ted and Cate is a month to the very day younger. We've all grown up together. There is something so beautiful to be going through life together...to be celebrating the same milestones and facing the same trials with people you love and respect. People who get you...get it. They served up my favorite entree: surf and turf and dessert was my fifth and final birthday cake of this turn around the sun. 

Cake! Five decades five cakes. Sounds about right.

A date day. One of the gifts my thoughtful guy gifted me this year was a cooking class. Sunday we made sauce at Appetito. Sunday Gravy and Mushroom Marsala are sauces we already have in our repertoire, but it was a fun and delicious experience. It also kept us from being couch potatoes all day after a late night the night before. Of course, after a couple glasses of montepulciano and a pasta lunch, we came home in need of a nap.

Leftovers. We also came home with enough Sunday Sauce to freeze a container and have a nice, already prepared dinner during the week.

It was a girl's week as Mike had to travel so Lil and I had a couple dates of our own. One night we ordered our favorite spicy Chinese takeout and watched a scary movie.

Later in the week we went to see the China Lights exhibit at Boerner Botanical Gardens. It was a perfect night: not too hot, not too cold. It also wasn't overly crowded. We enjoyed the impromptu midweek adventure as well as the illuminated displays.

A care package for Ted. The first of many. Inside a loaf of his favorite banana bread, a batch of peanut butter cookies and a sweet note and treat from the little kids across the street. Yash had never had banana bread. He's a fan now.

Several early morning walks no sweatshirt needed. 

Another season of Family Secrets to keep me motivated while I log miles.

The way my brother and sil so warmly welcomed the kid's friends when we were on vacation. I wasn't worried about it, but to say that it went better than expected is an understatement.

The Peanut saga continues, but he seems to have less anxiety lately. He actually sought out my lap a couple nights this week. He's so small he looks like a kitten now, but he's as sweet as ever.

And Tigger is just as sassy as ever. He refused to come in despite my insistence. He wasn't done chasing chippies.

Here he is watching bees on the hosta.

A mid-week stop at the apple farm to stock up again. Nothing makes me happier than a frig full of apples full enough to last through the rest of the year.

This girl is already a good driver and she has a whole year to practice.

I get to see Ted this weekend! I can hardly wait to feed him and do his laundry and ask him as many questions as he'll tolerate.