Grateful...

I am grateful for the following this week:

1) Having Jill, Jessica, Christie and Jordan over for dinner on Sunday. It was potluck and everything tasted yummy. I cooked a turkey and it was so moist and delicious. Wish I would have kept the packaging so I could buy the same brand again. After dinner we played a new game called "Ticket to Ride." I came in last, but it sure was a fun, strategic game to play.

2) Jeremy fixing my computer. I got a spyware virus over the weekend (from a hotel website I visited). I tried to fix it, then gave up and called the computer techs at work. They told me to bring the computer in on Tuesday and they would work on it. It took Jeremy two days and a complete reinstall of all my software. Fortunately I didn't lose any files. Now my computer is clean and virus free. And the best part, it only cost me one batch of snickerdoodle cookies.

3) Dinner with Ally at Terra Mia. The food wasn't quite as good as I remember from Italy, but the gelato came pretty close (maybe because I ate more gelato than anything else in Italy). We had a great girls night out just talking. I ordered the vegetable lasagna and it was tasty. The thing I liked was the next morning I didn't feel like it was still sitting in the bottom of my stomach. That is a good sign. As Maria said, the ingredients are all very fresh.

4) My brother coming to help me again on Saturday. He finished pulling out the last board from the deck that was wedged against the house and used his grinder to remove the chain link fence from the cement. Now if the siding people will just show up next week to put the new siding on-- maybe then I can relax and stop looking at every house I drive by wondering if I made the right color choice. My brother also fixed my light in the office. The wires had become loose and it wouldn't turn on. In the process he replaced the dimmer switch with a regular switch. I swear the light is brighter without the dimmer switch. Yeah!!
I am always amazed at how much my brother knows. Seriously, he knows how to fix everything. I don't know where he learned it all. Perhaps it comes with the genes. My mom said her dad was like that too-- just knew how to do this and that. By necessity, I have become pretty self-sufficient, but I have to say, it has been so nice to have him come the last few weekends to help me. He can do things in a quarter of the time it would take me and with half the effort. I am so grateful for him! We went to lunch at Terra Mia. This time we shared a pizza and it was pretty good. I only had pizza once in Italy and the pizza at Terra Mia reminded me of it. Yum.

5) My younger brother. His birthday was this week. He has always been the one with the sense of humor in our family. I wish I had a little more of his personality in me. Also, he has always been the one who cheered for and befriended the under-dog. Happy Birthday DR!

6) Sunshine. There have been a few hooky days, but I've resisted the temptation. My niece reminds me that it is only 23 days until vacation. Hallelujah!

Life is Good!