This week, I am thankful:
for a cooler week
I have not needed to be thankful for A/C this week. Ha.
That’s because this whole past week has been a wonderful break from the usual hot August weather we get, and I am super thankful!
that this is my last year teaching math
I get my kids through Algebra 2 and after that, I hand them over to the community college.
Zoe’s doing Algebra 2 this year, so this is my very last year of math with my very last student.
And I personally do not need any more math credits for my degree, so I really am done with math classes after this year!
for my van
I might not need its eight-seat capacity like I used to for hauling my kids and their friends.
But it is still extremely useful! We use it to carry kayaks, to carry bikes, and to haul camping gear.
And this weekend, we will use it to help Lisey move into her rented room.
I hope to keep the van until it dies because even when we are empty-nesters, I can still see it being useful to us.
that the weather looks good for helping Lisey move
Mid-80s and no rain makes for good moving weather.
for eBay textbooks
I got all of the books for Zoe’s British Literature class on eBay for a total of $20. Woohoo!
And you know I will put them right back on eBay when she’s done. 😉
that Sonia’s American Lit book finally sold
It’s been on eBay for over a year, but lo and behold, someone bought it this week. Sweet.
for healthy bodies
Mr. FG and I have been having adventures while Sonia and Zoe are at my uncle’s cabin; we’ve done two 30 mile bike rides, a 6 mile hike, and lots of walking, and I have been feeling grateful for bodies that can do these things!
for a partner who likes to do active things
Usually when we go on trips by ourselves, we end up doing, at bare minimum, a lot of walking. And I appreciate that.
for help from a guy at Dick’s Sporting Goods
When we got to our biking spot last Saturday, we realized that one of the girls had been the last one to use Mr. FG’s bike, so his seat was way too low.
And his is the type you need a tool to adjust.
Luckily, across the street there was a Dick’s Sporting Goods store, and the guy in the bike department let Mr. FG borrow his tool. Whew!
Riding 30 miles with a too-low seat would have been pretty miserable.
that the girls have been enjoying themselves on their trip
Only Zoe went last year, but she talked Sonia into going along this year. And as it turns out, Sonia has been skiing, surfing, tubing, and knee-boarding, which is sort of surprising because she is not usually as adventurous as Zoe.
I’m delighted that they’re having fun doing water sports with their cousins.
What are you thankful for this week?
EngineerMom
Monday 9th of August 2021
I was just thinking about the "healthy bodies" thing - we went to visit my parents last week, and I did two 20+ mile bike rides with my dad.
He's almost 68, a type 2 diabetic (diagnosed at 50), had a heart attack that required open-heart triple-bypass surgery at 55, and has had ongoing heart issues since (lately, atrial fibrillation, for which he has an implanted loop recorder to monitor and he's had ablation surgery).
I'm so, SO grateful that not only has he put in the hard work to keep his body in pretty damn good shape for his age and health issues, but that he's even been ABLE to put in the work (already had a lot of the equipment to continue riding at home until he was deemed safe enough to ride outside again, very supportive nurse spouse (my mom) who advocated hard for him with his various doctors when he wasn't able to and just generally supports the time he devotes to his health, etc.)
Being able to do these rides with him is such a gift. We've been riding together since he first started taking me out on "serious" rides when I was in middle school, and now my son is in middle school and coming with us on some of the (shorter) "serious" rides - we did a 15-mile ride with him on this trip!
Kristen
Monday 9th of August 2021
I am so glad that your dad is doing his best to keep his body as healthy as possible, and yes, what a blessing to be able to ride with him. Yay!
Joanne in the U.K.
Monday 9th of August 2021
I’m thankful that after a fall at work where I broke my left arm I have the amazing NHS who have looked after me really well. That my family have rallied round and helped. That my friends have been messaging and visiting and my boss has been so understanding. It’s a relatively simple radial head fracture not needing a cast but the bruising was spectacular!!
Dicey
Saturday 7th of August 2021
Oh boy, so much to be thankful for right now.
My Aunt is turning 91. Covid cancelled the planned family reunion to celebrate her 90th.
Without much of a plan, we decided to be there to surprise her.
We packed the car, including snacks and headed 400 miles south.
1. Night #1. Stayed at a Holiday Inn at the midway point for 10k points + $37 cash.
2. On the drive down, I was trying to find a Holiday Inn property in a convenient location that had availability for the next two nights. (We have 3 free nights and tons of points with IHG.) Nothing was working. Finally, I remembered I had a few Marriott points left over from my career days. I called and discovered I had enough points to pay for TWO nights in a posh hotel in a great location. Manna from heaven!
3. The website said parking at this hotel was $27/day, so I was resigned to it, because, otherwise free room. Surprised to learn at check-in that there would be no parking fee!
4. My deal-finding buddy knew I was looking for 91 of Something for my Aunt's last-minute birthday gift. She found luxury chocolate bars 2/$1 at Grocery Outlet and grabbed them all for me. Hooray for frugal friends! My aunt will share her 92 (one to grow on) Lindt chocolate bars with her many friends and donate the rest to the food bank, where she still volunteers every week.
5. Her daughter (my cousin) is disabled. We are providing her transportation. We also had her make a list of everything that needs to be repaired around the house. DH packed up his tools and is going to fix everything on the list while we're here. ♡♡♡♡♡
(Sidebar: Besides being able to fix anything, DH's adventure gene is bigger than mine. On a recent camping trip, he suggested we go Ziplining! It was so much fun, I can't even remember how expensive it was, lol.)
I am so, so glad we decided to take this trip on a wing and a prayer. Thank goodness our lifetimes of frugal decision making allow us to do things like this trip without spending a fortune. Thanks to DH's adventure gene, he was willing to go along with the plan, even though when there wasn't much of one.
Oh, and when we had an hour to kill yesterday, my cousin suggested we pop in to the Cerritos, CA, Library. Absolutely amazing, including a 15,000 gal. saltwater aquarium. If you're a library fan, Google it. If you're ever in striking distance, go there! An hour was not enough. We will go back. Beats the pants off the Mouse House!
Kristen
Sunday 8th of August 2021
Oh, I really want to try ziplining sometime!
And what a wonderful collection of trip-related things you have here.
isa
Friday 6th of August 2021
Grateful for...
* To be able to get extra shifts on top of my part-time position, when needed * To see my long-time friend tonight, after about 3 months * AC!!!! * My daughters having friends * Having friends!
Becca
Friday 6th of August 2021
I’m thankful for the nice weather. We’ve had a stretch of really enjoyable days and in Wisconsin that is something you never want to take for granted.
For YouTube and the content you can find on it. I’ve been listening to some really helpful videos about parenting and I’m grateful to have free quality parenting advice. It is a hard job but having free help makes it a little bit easier.
For our cars. They still work (I hate to even type this and jinx myself) but they are very old and every year we don’t have to replace them saves us so much money.
I’m thankful for a new dishwasher. Ours broke and we had to buy a new one, but while it was on it’s way I had to hand wash all our dishes. Whew I am so grateful I don’t have to do that any more.
I’m thankful for my husband working hard so I can be home with our boys most of the time. I know sometimes he probably wishes he had nicer electronics or cars that we could afford if I worked full time, but he doesn’t complain and is willing to make do for our family.