Memorable Moments: One

One thing I realized from November's gratitude month: focusing daily on looking for the positives is 100% good for my soul.

So I've decided to repackage this same concept and call it Memorable Moments. Over the course of a week, a day, a month, I'll add things that made me smile, items that made me laugh, things I just plain appreciated, or things/people/etc that I'm grateful for.

So without further ado, memorable moments from the beginning of January:

---First time I've ever actually seen Anna drool....and over a baked potato no-less, three little droplets on the carpet and pretty hilarious actually.

---Major's taken to sitting on a cushion in the entryway until I get home. Before I even make it around the corner, I hear him hollering at me to hurry it up to let him inside to his food!

---Sunshine streaming through the windows while the ground lays frozen and frosty outside!

---Being stopped by a stranger in the Albie's parking lot who needed me to look up the number to Verizon at the mall. Sometimes it's just nice to help a stranger....

---Watching my nephew show Granny his Ipod during the visit from my sister and her kids.

---Standing out on the porch with my aunt getting in a few last snip-its of conversation....and having her tell me at the very end just how proud of me she is.

---Evening conversation over hard cider in the kitchen with the housemate while I made sticky buns. Random bonding over celebrity aversions, ultramarathoners, similar cooking styles.

---Hosting book club and having many of my favorite ladies all hanging out in one place. Roxi's excitement at so many potential people to pet her. The fire roaring, the house cleaned, the living room cozy, and good food laid out to indulge. And....a baby to come and a new engagement!

---My gal N made the absolutely most perfect pair of earrings for me: long dangles, seashell charms in the middle, and seafoam green accents---GORGEOUS!

---50 degrees being enough for my favorite casual "uniform:" just jeans. tank/shirt, a cardigan, and flats.

---Running errands with the housemate and treating us to Burgerville milkshakes so I could use my 2for1 coupon (seasonal hazelnut milkshake w/o the chocolate---DELISH!)

---Picking Major up and having him settle in my lap for a good 15 minute petting--something that hasn't happened in what felt like a really long time.

---A cozy evening around the fire in the still rearranged living room with the housemate...and every single animal in the house hanging out as well.

---Jogging past the baby boomer age gentleman from the MIL cottage down the street who was walking his German Shep and realizing that he was going out of his way to wave and acknowledge me since he's gotten used to me running by his place on my routes.

---Homemade soup cooking in the crock pot. Baking sticky buns and having them turn out pretty decently. Putting the crock pot and bread maker to use. Developing lists for food and slowly inching my way toward overcoming some of my food hang-ups.

---Giving the case of oil in the garage to the across-the-street neighbor who is always working on his car...and really feeling how much he appreciated the gesture...and finally feeling like I was trying to be a friendly neighbor-period!

---Accomplishing the little things on my own: clipping the dogs nails, rearranging furniture, cooking, navigating driving and rentals on the mountain, cleaning the garage, making decisions about the future, etc.

---Quitting Facebook...at least for a while, but FREEing.

---Salmon cream cheese dip--Enough said. I think I might be pushing my current free pass to increase protein, cholesterol, and fat in my diet....but DELISH!

---Canned apple or pear butter. And the amazing sunshine mid-winter burst from summer canned peaches--amazing!

---Creating to-do lists and making schedules!

---Many check-ins with my gals spread all over the US, a phone call with M&D, and evening visits with Granny.