Thursday Thirteen #86: Why I Am Happy Where I Am
Hello, Thirteeners!
Would you like to move away? Would you like to stay where you are? Does the Caribbean sound good? How about Paris? Yeah, same here. However, we are stuck in River City, Ore. (aka The Other Portland) for at least a year due to circumstances beyond my (our) control. So I am wracking my brain to come up with:
THIRTEEN REASONS I AM HAPPY, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW:
13. The weather is okay at the moment. Even though it’s spring break and this usually means seven days of rain in this part of the country. It was sunny and clear today — the kids even colored with chalk on the sidewalk and played with the neighbor kids.
12. My husband and kids are happy, thus I am happy. I am happy where they are.
11. Chocolate chip pancakes.
10. Good friends, a good community, a women’s group I just joined and already love, and goodness — my yard looks great.
9. I mowed the lawn, the cherry tree and dogwoods are blossoming, the iris and peonies are ready to make an appearance, the hazelnut tree is out of control, the daffodils are still blooming away, and the yellow tulips (that I forgot I had planted) reappeared. This weekend I’ll go and get all my hanging baskets.
8. Midnight at the Dragon Cafe, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (the book I referred to here), The Long Approach, The Little Book of Prayers and this, my favorite poem ever. So much good writing and reading, so little time. And I’ve been writing in my journal again and getting acupuncture. (Always two sure-fire cures for stress and blues.)
7. Waiting to move cross-country gives us more time to work on the little projects we need to do to sell the house (paint the interior, fix up the scenery Wacky Dog spent a lot of time chewing up, all that).
6. Speaking of woof — I miss my dog a lot still, every day, but I am getting over the regrets. (Maybe if we’d tried this, done that, figured out if…) No regrets. Only love and memories.
5. Wherever you go there you are.
4. The kids are on spring break and we’ve been having a lot of fun — movie nights, playing games, Chuck E. Cheese (which, you know, while I don’t always enjoy the large rodent, they always always always love it. And if you go in the morning it’s not too crazeee. This was news to me). (Also, Chuck E. was not present. “Maybe he’s sick,” Wacky Boy offered up. Oh, son — how right you are.) Hockey God is taking the next couple of days off, I can’t wait. We’re going to go swimming, and to the movies. And like I said earlier, sunshine and tulips: a winning combination.
3. Wacky Boy’s birthday is coming up (five?????? What???), and my sister’s, too. (I am not at liberty to disclose her age.) And my in-laws are coming to town, yay! so we can all celebrate.
2. I can handle four more seasons here. Well, five seasons, technically. Spring just started, so I guess that would be spring-summer-fall-winter-spring again and then move in the summer of 2008. Which is not that far away. (Doesn’t 2010 sound so space age, though?)
1. I am applying for jobs here and hoping to go back to work soon. Keep myself busy and all. And I found a great daycare today for both kids. (Keeping fingers crossed — this is a huge deal.)
Byeeeeeeeee! Happy Thursday, y’all!
, 
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I would stay wherever they served chocolate chip pancakes – YUM!
March 28th, 2007 | #
hooray for perspective! Some pessimists say it always rains in Portland. It doesn’t ALWAYS rain. Sometimes it’s just very cloudy! :)
I, too, saw something very bright today in the sky – I think I recall seeing something like that last August. Yippee for sunshine.
March 28th, 2007 | #
Chocolate chip pancakes and blooming trees would definitely make me smile too!
Happy TT, and thanks for stopping by my blog.
March 28th, 2007 | #
Isn’t it great when kids are on vacation? It’s a like a mini vacation for us.
Hey, at least you have grass to mow right now. At least staying another year does give you time to fix up and enjoy life rather than rushing.
Positive list! Enjoy your husbands time off.
March 29th, 2007 | #
A great list. I hope the year passes quickly for you, but it certainly sounds like you have a warm, loving family with you, which makes it all worthwhile.
March 29th, 2007 | #
Ooooo, pancakes. Great list, I think it’s so important to be happy where you are, why waste the year on what might be?? Happy TT!
Lisa – Lil’ Duck Duck
March 29th, 2007 | #
that chocolate pancake – yummy!
March 29th, 2007 | #
Excellent way of looking at things! I keep trying to come up with 13 things I like about this house, but it always degenerates into sarcasm. Whoops. Maybe I should expand it to outside of the house. Germany isn’t ALWAYS rainy, either–we had 5 minutes of sunshine just this morning! :)
March 29th, 2007 | #
This is a 13 that I should probably think about myself. Perhaps it would make me feel better about my surroundings.
Excellent list, and enjoy your last 5 seasons there. You never know, you may have some outstanding memories before you move!
March 29th, 2007 | #
mmmmmm chocolate chip pancakes….I also love Hockey and Dogwoods in bloom are really something to behold. We go on a train ride through the country sometimes when they are in bloom. Well it sounds like you have alot to be happy about until you move… Enjoy your Spring!!
Happy TT
March 29th, 2007 | #
Choc. chip pancakes…..oh yea! Saw the Bradford Pear in bloom in Georgia last week. Dogwoods have another couple of weeks though. It’s truly a blessing to be content with what you have and where you are at….
March 29th, 2007 | #
I have a theory that we who have lots of grey days enjoy the sun more when it does make an apperence. This morning my 22-year-old daughter, here for spring break, did a “Happiness-Sun Dance”.
Tells us more about your Womens Group – that sounds intreging. Have you read “The Saving Graces” by Patricia Gaffney? It’s about a Womens Group.
March 29th, 2007 | #
As someone who can not stay in one location more than about nine months, I totally appreciate your list. :-)
March 29th, 2007 | #
I’m with Lib. I miss liking sunshine. Now I hate it. Too bright, too glary, too hot, hurts my eyes, gives me wrinkles, makes me grumpy. And I’m sooo jealous of your dogwoods and daffodils! I tried again this year to force bulbs in the desert and again it didn’t work. I’ll try ONE MORE TIME and then I’m gonna give up! Cuz maybe there’s a reason it doesn’t work, like it’s too hot here.
On the bright side, our bananas are ripening nicely. Donn made banana choc-chip icecream with the first lot. It was yummy, almost as good as his famous Camel Coconut with Ginger.
March 29th, 2007 | #
Aw, what a cute list. Wish I could have some of those pancakes!
March 29th, 2007 | #
I am happy where I am too although I miss the thunderstorms of Alabama where I lived the first eight years of my life. I don’t think I’d want to be anywhere else.
March 29th, 2007 | #
Thank you for sharing such a happy post with us. It makes me smile and look on the bright side!
Thanks for visiting my TT.
March 30th, 2007 | #
Yum. Chocolate Chip Pancakes!!
March 30th, 2007 | #