Thankful Thursday

Who doesn't love watching the sun rise over the water? What's not to love?
Taken from the deck of our hotel room on the Isle of Palms earlier this summer.


1. I'm glad it's Thursday; the weekend is approaching.

2. On Saturday, we celebrate Daniel's 11th birthday. My baby is turning into a little man.

3. In less than half an hour, Kristiana and I will head out for our first overnight field trip: Sunset Beach, North Carolina.

4. It's going to be raining the entire time we are there. On the agenda: reading, journaling, making collages and, when there's no thunder and lightning, walking on the beach in the rain.

5. Unfortunately, none of that rain is expected to make it here to Charlotte - where we need it desperately.

6. No ants have been spotted in the kitchen in days. Forget all the sprays and traps: cover every flat surface with bay leaves and douse the spots where they have been spotted with pure organic peppermint essential oil. They don't like either scent. It may look a little leafy for a while, but it smells fantastic. And best of all, the ants head for a new spot to forage.

7. I've begun to read Eat, Pray, Love. Why did I wait so long? Sheer pleasure to read. Right up my alley: travel for a year, reflect on life, and figure out what matters most. I ask you: what matters more than to eat, to pray, and to love? Don't most of the best things/relationships/situations in life involve these three acts in some way, to some degree? I look forward to making much progress in this book on our rainy adventure.

8. Speaking of travel, I must talk about travel a lot because everywhere I go, when I run into people I know, when I talk to friends on the phone, and often when I am exchanging emails, I am asked, "So when will you be off to Spain again? Do you have any trips planned?"

Nope, no trips to Spain planned yet. Hoping to put one together in the spring. A short adventure being planned for early November, hoping to hit some favorite spots in the northeast. And always, always, dreaming about finding a job that pays me to travel, journal, take photos, and report on my adventures.

9. I'm off to make a large travel mug of coffee to take on the road. Nothing like a hand-mixed, homemade batch of spiced coffee from Oaxaca, Mexico. Gracias, Abby, por el cafe de tu bendita madre.

10. Speaking of how much I love to travel, I'd better go get dressed, throw our stuff in the car, and hit the road. Yeah for us both!!!