Thank you, thank you, thank you!

What a week! 

Since last week, we've had many adventures and many places to be grateful. Here's a smidgeon of what I'm grateful for today.

1. Independent woman

I took both kids to Wal-Mart this week. I had my list and Claire had a few items she wanted for a recipe she was working on. I left her on the baking aisle with her list and told her I'd be right back. When I returned, she was consulting with a Wal-Mart employee about her list. She had located this giant, at least 6' 5" male employee, and wasn't intimidated at all. She confidently told him what she was looking for and he was helping her find it. He told me how impressed he was with her confidence and intelligence. He said she was as smart as the kids on The Parent Trap. I took it as a compliment.

2. Coffee study break

I have a few unscheduled hours on Thursday mornings. It's dedicated homework time. This week,  however, I took the study session to Avoca coffee shop. The shape of the steamed milk alone makes me happy.

3. Laughter, again

Although, frankly, I laugh all the time, there were three times this week that I laughed so hard I lost my breath. I am lucky to have so many funny people in my life. (I'm married to one of them.)

4. Cute kids

Claire has two American Girl dolls, (Thanks, Grandma!) so she and Paul split them up to parent them one on one. Paul was super cute being a dad and Claire was super cute being a mom. Notice how Claire's glasses match her doll's? Totally coincidence. 

5. Wheel of Fortune

I love watcing Wheel of Fortune with the kids. We work as a team to solve the puzzle. Soon, they will be better than me.

6. Staying afloat

Mid-terms and papers are on the horizon, and I anticipate having to crawl into a hole until those get done, but for now, I am staying afloat with all my responsibilities. Family, jobs, homework, home stuff. It's all in balance right now and I'm grateful.

7. The Pope

This week at the gym, I have been grateful to watch all the exciting Pope press coverage. It's much better than the violence usually covered by the media. I'm not Catholic, but I'm a fan of this Pope. Even his car is cool!

8.  Family time

Last weekend we had some long-lost cousins in town. They haven't been lost, but they haven't been around the DFW area since I was a kid. We had an unofficial family reunion and we all had a great time! Swimming, talking, and hanging out at another cousin's new coffee house. It was awesome.

9. Private Coffee House

My cousin Maddie just opened up a bakery and coffeehouse in Waxahachie. It's called the Back Porch Coffee House. It's been her dream to open a bakery, and now she's got one. The whole family filled the place up on Saturday. You can check them out at the super long link. http://waxahachietxcoc.weblinkconnect.com/events/Ribbon-Cutting-ForBack-Porch-Coffee-HouseTuesday,-September-22,-2015,-1000-am-4156/details

10. Weird illness

Poor Paul missed a day and a half of school this week for a weird illness. He had a fever the first day, but the second day we just kept him home to make sure he was okay. He was. Instead of nursing him, I supervised his Lego playing and reading. I'm grateful he just had a fever and wasn't miserable at all.