This week, I am thankful:
for some lovely sunrises and sunsets
It’s been low-humidity weather here this week, so I’ve been making a point to watch some sunrises and sunsets at local parks.
![pink blossoms.](https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/img_3733-600x800.jpg)
at the sunset park 🙂
The days are getting a bit shorter now, which means it’s more feasible to catch a sunrise these days.
Isn’t this just impossibly beautiful??
![sunrise over the water.](https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/img_3740-600x800.jpg)
At the sunrise park. I think the moments just before sunrise are some of the best!
Also, I have to add that these lower-humidity days feel like such a gift in August. A couple of my walks this week started in dry 66-degree weather, and that made for a happy me!
that today feels better to me
Today is August 15th.
I got married on August 15th, 1997.
When this date rolled around in 2022, the year I’d left my marriage, I drove to a trail to walk and instead I found myself sobbing in my car for an hour first.
(I remember this because I mentioned it in an Instagram reel that day.)
I knew I’d made the right decision, but still, I was filled with sadness over all the hurt I’d endured. My marriage was not remotely what I had expected when I walked down the aisle and the date had just brutally reminded me of that fact.
In 2023, my dominant emotion on this date was anger, partly at the role cultural forces play in my marriage*, and partly because I was still not divorced! And I didn’t have a lot of hope that a completion date was even on the horizon.
*Sexist, misogynist systems that keep women in harmful marriages will probably always make me angry.
This year, 2024, I feel more at peace. My divorce is done! I am freeeeeee!
I still cry sad, hurt tears sometimes because there is still more to process and grieve. But there’s less than before.
I still am angry sometimes as I work through the hurts. But there are fewer left to process now, and the anger moves out more quickly these days.
In 2022, the hurt felt sharp. Today, it feels more muted, like it has faded in the sunlight.
And probably every year, it’ll fade more.
that I can renew car registrations online
Zoe’s car registration and mine both come due at the end of this month, and while I don’t love paying for this, I do love that I can do it online! We used to mail these in, and I like the ease of doing it online.
It took me maybe ten minutes to get both Zoe’s and mine renewed. Easy peasy! And now I just gotta wait for the new papers to come in the mail.
(Happily, I renewed ours promptly, so there are no worries about the registrations expiring before the stickers and papers get here.)
that I have a Toyota and a Honda
I know nothing is ever guaranteed with cars, but my Sienna and Zoe’s Civic buy me as much car peace of mind as you can hope for!
for all the learning I have done at my job
When I think back to where I was when I started in June, I am amazed at all I have learned.
I have become so much more competent at bladder scans, EKGs, blood sugar tests, vital signs, catheter-related tasks, documentation, and even blood draws, among other things.
I was so nervous to do my first blood draw (and I still do need a lot more practice), but mostly I have been having success on my first try with patients.
I don’t know exactly how much all of this is going to carry over into this semester, but at a bare minimum, I’m going to feel more at home when I walk into clinicals this semester.
that I’m still not grossed out at work
Let me tell you, I have seen some things (!!!!!) and still, I’ve been fine.
(However, I could probably gross a lot of you out with my stories, if that didn’t violate HIPAA rules!)
Some people’s first PCT job helps them decide nursing is not the right field, but my experience has been the opposite.
for how happy Lisey’s cat makes her
And for how happy it makes me to see pictures of her cute self. 😉
![gray and white kitten in a box.](https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/img_3980-600x800.jpg)
Her head tilt kills me!
that I’ve been making good progress on my before-school to-do list
I’m faithfully practicing my head-to-toe assessment, getting tasks done around the house, eating my freezer down, and more. Yay me!
The deadline of the first day of school is a very helpful motivator.
for all the trees in my neighborhood
I took a little stroll after dinner the other evening and this one street always reminds me of the type of road that leads to a state park…it’s just so green all over!
for tomatoes + cottage cheese
I am forever indebted to the reader who suggest this combo. Tomatoes, cottage cheese, lots of freshly ground black pepper, and fresh basil = a 10/10 combo.
It’s a little like a riff on a Caprese salad, except with a lot of protein.
for the joy of freshly ground black pepper
I know it’s simple and basic, but freshly ground black pepper is so so good.
The stores near me only seem to sell peppercorns in disposable grinders, so I order this big container.
It’s mainly just me using the pepper, and still, I go through that big container in a timely manner. 😉
I have this slightly bougie pepper mill, which I bought in 2012. Even though it’s expensive, I would guess it’s paid for itself when compared to buying peppercorns in disposable pepper mills.
If you want a cheaper option, Sonia has this one and she says it works well!
Connie
Monday 19th of August 2024
Hi Kristen,
Iโve followed you on and off over the years but even when I hadnโt touched base for a long time, I found that when I did, it felt like connecting with family. I am so impressed with the way you have soldiered through some rough times and have come out of it, thoโ battle-scarred, victorious. Well-done!
I am going to try the cottage-cheese-tomato salad. It looks yummy.
I think you may be the frugality queen instead of the frugal girl. I think a person who needs a frugal solution to an economic problem would be wise to ask themselves: โWwKD?โ What would Kristen do?
Keep up the great work and best of luck with the upcoming school year. I am sure you will knock it out of the park!
Martha O.
Monday 19th of August 2024
Iโm so thankful that my husband is healthy and strong. We had a scare last Tuesday morning when he awakened to a racing heart with heartbeat at 180 and pressure in his chest. His dr brought him in for evaluation. EKG was normal (and heart rate had gone back to normal after ten minutes of the high rate at home). But Dr says it was a reaction to a cortisone shot my husband had received in his knee the day before all this happened. Heโs wearing a heart monitor just to be sure nothing else is going on but weโre so relieved that all seems well. Iโm thankful for a good Dr checkup with my oncologist this morning. Iโm thankful for slightly cooler temps today, a good walk with my husband and the great aroma of potatoes baking for our dinner tonight.
Angie
Friday 16th of August 2024
I am late on this but I am posting anyone to be faithful to the weekly exercise. For the safe, uncomplicated birth of my great niece and her sweet parents who allowed me to come and hold her, Pray over her and gaze at her precious little face. For rejuvenating sleep last night after being awake for 24+ hours to go and see my great niece. For a husband who took on all the chores of the evening yesterday cause my bedtime was 5PM. For a new workout routine that is not painful but energizing and healing in so many ways. For therapy. It teaches me, changes me, encourages me and never fails to put more tools on my belt that help me deal with life. Not ashamed to admit the need for it and proud of myself for the work I am putting into it so that I can grow and be the best version of myself. Not everyone's life is a Norman Rockwell painting ;-)
Isa
Friday 16th of August 2024
* You make me reflect on my past and current marriage. And I am grateful to not still be with my ex. He was not a bad person, but we didn't "connect" in many ways. I really connect with my current husband (14 years anniversary yesterday!) and we now (after many hard years) are in a really great place in our relationship.
* Being able to pick up extra shifts at work when needed. Or choose to stick to my regular schedule of 3 days/week.
* The people I work with. Patients and colleagues. I work with seniors affected with dementia and cognitive behaviors/mental health issues, and I enjoy this population. I'm very protective of my patients, and I love working with seniors. And I have nice colleagues in my rehab team (I work in physical and occupational therapy)
* The ability to read and write. In French and English (second language).
* My weight loss so far (63 pounds). I'm feeling SOOOO much better, physically and mentally. I would like to lose another 20-40 pounds but, hey, if it does not happen it won't be the end of the world.
Susan_SFl
Thursday 15th of August 2024
I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday! It has been a long first week of school, and I really need the weekend to regroup!