Good #30

Kismet. 

I love this feeling. The one where everything feels like it is going the way it should. You walk out into the world, get into the car, turn it on and the radio is playing just the song you want to hear. It is the strangest feeling of peace and excitement that gets into your soul and takes you to all the good places. Warm and happy and a smile on your face. 

Good #29

Being Pushy.

As I have gotten older, I have earned that I can work my way into any situation or meeting that I want to participate in, even if I have not been invited. I did so today and learned a ton about what the future holds, and even got to influence that future. I love that feeling of confidence upon walking into a meeting and participating when you know you have something to contribute but can also just sit and observe. Cool. 

Good #28

My Transition Team.

I love them. They are an amazingly intelligent and vocal group of hard working individuals who have come together to do something that has never been done. They are opinionated and vocal and awesome. I love working with this group of dedicated and really cool people. 

Good #27

Support.

The principal of one of my schools stepped up and gave me some great support today. I really needed her guidance and she was right there for me. I sometimes feel like I am out here doing things on my own, and I know I don't always ask for help when I need it because I feel like it wouldn't come anyway. But this time, I asked and she delivered. I really appreciate and treasure this feeling of not being so out on my own.

Good #26

Nachos.

The school had a party for us today, apparently it is also the day of the teacher. I had brought my lunch, and so went to just play along with everyone else. Instead, I got to have some amazing homemade nachos. They were yummy cheesy goodness. I only had a few, but they were really good. 

Good #25

Morning Walks With The Puppies:

I let Bucky sleep in this morning, and walked with the puppies up to get the paper. They get so excited when we go anywhere, and the morning newspaper walk is one of their favorite sunday morning traditions. It was a beautiful morning and one of the best ways to wake up. 

Good #24

My Katie.

My beautiful sister Katie was tremendous today. She went with me to try on wedding dresses and was awesome. She has been going through this whole process with me and has been such an amazing companion. I bought my dress today, and it turns out that the one I choose was not the one I had originally wanted. Instead I picked Katie's favorite because it was the one that looked amazing. In wearing it I feel like a princess and never want to take it off. Katie was worried I picked it just because she loved it. I didn't, but it wouldn't have been such a bad thing if I had. 

Good #23

Feeling Fabulous.

I got my hair cut and colored today. I feel gorgeous and sexy and amazing. I love a good haircut and the woman who cut and colored my hair also straightened it out and it just swings. I love the way this feels. Everyone should feel this way as often as possible. 

Good #22

The Hidden Treat.

If you look hard enough, and are very lucky, in life, as in mixed nuts, you may find the hidden treat. I got a handful of trail mix from a co-worker today, and in the mix of sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds was a single m&m. I think that my life is so much this way. If I look hard enough, I can find the hidden treat in any situation. Sometimes it takes some looking for, but other times, it is as obvious and as sweet as this little chocolate morsel. I love these sweet hidden treats.

Good #21

Doggie Toys.

The puppies have a new obsession. These neon stick toys from costco. They love them and keep shaking them to hit each other in the head. I love our puppies and how excited they get when there is something new to shake and play with. It is the simple pleasures that make life so good. 

Good #20

Job Interviews.

I had another job interview today. I love them. I feel so smart and awesome interviewing for jobs. Whether or not I am going to take them, it is good to talk about what I feel is important and what is meaningful in what we do. It is always good to see what other professionals in the field are doing in their practice and what people see as the role we can take in doing what we do. I love that feeling of being smart and prepared for what is coming at me. It is awesome to interview and feel that way and I am lucky that I have this much experience and expertise in my field, that I can feel so good when people question what I do every day. 

Good #19

Dog Beach.

Our puppies LOVE to go to the beach. They can't believe their luck when, after getting into the car for what they think is a typical ride, the car stops at a place where there is sand and water and they get to run off the leash and just be the happy and sweet dogs they are. They can't believe that the world is so awesome, but they are happy to celebrate such luck by running around and peeing with abandon. I often watch them at the beach and wish that I could find a moment in every day when I am that absolutely happy. 

Good #18

Weddings.

So, we are trying to figure out the wedding thing. It is more difficult than even I had imagined. You have so many choices to make and so many things to do on a strange and preset timeline. We are going to a bridal fair today, in the heat, and I am reminded how lucky I am to have a fiance who is willing to go and participate in the decisions we are making about our future and this huge party that we are throwing for our friends and family. 

Good #17

Parties.

Our friend had a birthday party tonight. There was sangria (and how amazing is sangria.....) and companionship and good friends that we hadn't seen in awhile. We are so lucky to have friends and parties and sangria. The world would be a much better place if everyone could say that

Good #16

The Ability to Cook.

I began learning how to cook in my teenage years. My grandmother and mother began teaching me the basics. I really believe that it is true, if you can read you can cook, despite the fact that I seem to be unable to bake. I think it has something to do with the ability to follow basic directions. I think I cook by smell. The idea of being able to look at a recipe and say. "hmm, that smells like it needs..." is such an amazing skill and I am lucky to have it. Baking precludes this option, because by the time you get to smell it, it is all over. I am lucky to be able to cook amazing dishes and to be able to serve us incredibly good and often gourmet food.

Good #15

Clean Cars.

I got my pretty car washed really well today. Gone is at least 75% of the dog hair and noses that usually decorate the seats and windows of what was a new car a little more than a year ago. I really can't complain. The puppies, sweet man and I have had many adventures over the past year in that car. We have gone up the coast of CA and to AZ many times, but I just can't resist that sweet smell that means your dashboard is all shiny and turning on the air conditioning doesn't mean that a plume of dog hair threatens to take out the backseat. Hurray for clean cars and comfortable dog hair free seats. I love a clean car.

Good #14

Our Neighborhood.

We live in a funky old area of San Diego. We love the culture and people we get to live near. There are a really eclectic group of people who live around us, including the guy who talks to truckers and somehow captures all of our radio waves. The guy who rescued Apple when she ventured out on her own, but who she attacks when she sees him walking his dog on any other given day. The farmers market and the ghetto drug store. The little coffee houses and the bustle and urban sidewalks that we walk down daily. I love where we live!

Good #13

Sunsets.

My sweet man called my name as we were sitting around after dinner tonight. He had stepped out into the back patio and was looking over the fence at the sunset. The sky was an amazing set of colors, and he had stopped to take a moment to notice this thing of amazing beauty in our world. I am constantly amazed and grateful to have such a man in my life. A man who notices sunsets and things of beauty. Who considers me to be one of those amazing and beautiful things in his life. I am awed as he speaks of beauty. I am overwhelmed by his love and understanding and support. I am so lucky to have found such a person and to love him in return. I celebrate his appreciation of the beauty that surrounds him, and feel unbelievably blessed to be included in the counting of his beautiful world. 

Good #12

My Sense of Humor.

I often find things funny when there is no other option... like when I was 12 and the doctor was stitching up one of the numerous cuts that a tomboy child gets living an active life. It hurt, it really did, but the only option was to laugh. The alternative was to cry and not be able to stop. I always choose laughter. It seems like the best option. The ability to smile and laugh even when things in this world seem overwhelming and unavailable for other solutions. You can always find the humor in the situation. You can always laugh rather than cry. It is the great triumph of the human spirit. We laugh in the face of some of the worst things that we can imagine, and in doing so, we defeat the worst and substitute the best we can imagine and face life with a sense of humor. 

Good #11

Sunday Dinner.

My sister and I started a tradition when she moved out here. It is a tradition started by my Grandmother when we were young and lived across the street from her. It is the tradition of Family Sunday Dinner. Whatever you are doing on a Sunday night, you stop and try to spend the evening meal with family, recounting the week and celebrating the joy that is your connection to each other. I am so happy that my sister has chosen to live in the same city that I do. I am further blessed that she enjoys spending time with me and the man I have chosen to spend my life with. This connection we have made with each other as adults, finding a grown up relationship with the person you grew up with, is an incredible gift. It is something that I give thanks for every day and hope that I get more of as I grow older with her