Thankful Thursday

The week has flown by- that always seems to happen on holiday weeks. Even still, I am looking forward to the weekend.

I am missing my parents right now- they are still in England and although they were able to send e-mails earlier in their trip, I haven't heard from them all week. They will be back in the states on Monday so I don't have much longer to wait. Sometimes, you just want to talk to your mom...not really about anything specific- just about everything! I am thankful that I have such a loving relationship with my mom. She's so great (even if she's wearing a crazy scarf in London as I type!)

I had the best experience tonight. I went to deliver a birthday present to my god daughter. She turns 5 tomorrow and we aren't able to go to her party this weekend. I bought her a fun beaded necklace/bracelet set and some crafty "Klutz" books and thought she'd be pleased. At the check out counter, I noticed these magnetic earrings and thought that they might be fun so I added them to the pile. I can be a bit of a freak about kid stuff at times (it's true). I wanted to be sure that my friend Angela approved before I gave them to her since they were sort of an edgy item (edgy in an appropriate for a 5 year old sort of way). Ang gave me the go-ahead and so I tucked them in the top of the present and gave them to her. I never expected the type of reaction that I got- her face was priceless...she put them on and ran to the bathroom, climbed up on the stool to look in the mirror and said- "I think I'm going to cry!" How great is that? I am thankful for the innocence and joy that surrounds children and makes them so endearing.

Today I attended a "Leadership Brown Bag" session at work. You bring your lunch and an executive gives a talk on a particular topic. The topic today was career development. a) I love the executive that spoke- she's always honest and super real and just a good person. b) I've been having my own personal struggles with development and what to do next and this was so relevant c) Her message made so much sense to me- and validates some work that I've been doing recently. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to learn/grow in an environment that is safe and comfortable. I love feeling like I'm normal (well, for the most part!).

After reading an e-mail exchange between a group of friends, I picked up the phone and called one of them. I've never spoken to her on the phone before- but it was such a helpful conversation and it made me laugh. We both laughed- and it felt so good. I am thankful that God sends people into your life when you need them most.

Jon picked Cooper up today from a playdate. He said that the other dad commented to him on how impressed he was with Cooper's manners and how he was always so polite whenever he observed him. I am thankful that Cooper realizes the importance of the lessons that we're teaching him- some days it seems easier to let things slide but in the end, I'm glad we work at it.

Happy Weekend to you....