Grateful Friday

Today I give thanks for...

A moonlight walk with Lily last night. It was a perfect 70 degrees. We brought our ear buds, but we didn't use them. Instead we chatted and how I cherish these conversations.

I've been solo at work this week so I've been catching up on projects that have been put off. One task I so dislike that I convinced Lily to come in and help me by promising a little shopping after. It was a win win.

We are whittling away the list of dorm room needs.

Tomorrow we are throwing a birthday bash at Windmill Beach for our water loving lady. It's going to be in the 90's so Lake Michigan here we come. In true Lil's fashion, she wants the event to be understated. So much so that there will be no cake, or balloons or mention of turning 18. It will just be a bunch of friends enjoying time together before going their separate exciting ways.

Teddy found his phone. Lollapalooza was pricey without the added expense of a new phone. I resisted the mama bear instinct to fix and that motivated him to track the phone down from the last Uber he took Saturday. We both experienced some personal growth.

Lily came back in one piece from her 24 hours in Chicago. She took the train down on Friday because Teddy treated her to see her favorite artist that night. Then they went to the beach on Saturday. She reported that Lake Michigan was swimmable in Chicago. She came home sun kissed, tired and hungry. Apparently Ted's fridge was rather sparse and eating was not a priority.

An 82nd birthday celebration for my father-in-law who recently moved into a memory care facility. It was my first time seeing his new home and I was most impressed by the space and the staff. He's still getting adjusted as it's only been a week, but I know he's being well cared for and he was happy to see us, get presents and eat his favorite pineapple upside down cake.

My mother-in-law is getting a much needed break from being a round the clock caregiver. While I know this was and is a difficult decision, it was the right one. After our visit, we went back to the house and had a leisurely swim and a yummy dinner. It's so good to see her be able to relax again.

Crossword puzzles. I've been on a role.

Sister Hazel. At 7 a.m. she decided she wanted to play fetch. She brought me a favorite ball in bed and yowled at me to get my attention, or more like wake me up. I find it impossible to resist this sweet girl so I obliged her by throwing the ball every time she brought it back to me until she was satisfied to just snuggle. 

Finnegan has been so playful this week as well. Talkative too. And snuggly. He curled up in my lap the other night and went to sleep. He hasn't done that since the warm weather set in.

And what can I say about Gus except he's the cutest little stinker. The other day I was making a sandwich. I turned my back for a minute and he licked the butter off my bread. Only he can get away with that.