November Thankfuls

This year has been & continues to be deeply challenging in a number of ways...but I know the greatest warfare is gratitude, so I took the time this month to log my simple November thanks bit by bit:

Thankful for...

•my BFF Dalyce supporting & nurturing my yoga practice! Not only did she take her day off to come to one of my Yin classes, but she enrolled me in a 3-week Iyengar Yoga class with her, so we can keep learning & geeking out over alignment together!
•not having to sit in a stadium during 5” of rain - *not* happy Will’s last football game was rained out, but at least we were comfy at home that afternoon :-P
•finishing HOURS of online assigned annual learning & continuing ed that had been looming over me with flying colors
•blessed +80°F half this month
•getting the heat fixed in my truck for the couple cold snaps & chilly mornings
•the glorious heater in my room at night
•ginger oolong bubble tea
•sooo much LESS traffic the one week we had cold weather! No one running optional errands got me *everywhere* faster!!! #silverlining #ihateallweatherunder68°
•flu shots & blessed new health insurance that makes them free, again
•Delilah’s Christmas music with Annelise
•catching up with a BFF who always makes me dig deeper & fully articulate my feelings
•Annelise baking incredible treats (crème brûlée & cheesecake)
•doing my nails for the first time in over two months & loving the holographic flakes I used for effect! #neverenoughglitter #hololife
•Chiijohn & Shinjo-kun back on John Oliver!!!
•Bailey’s beagle ride-along joy!
•being able to put into practice what I’ve been learning in my Iyengar Yoga classes

•my teaching schedule being everything I need & want right now
•not freaking out over *7* different work “crises” (spread out across all 3 places I teach) in one week mid-Nov #focusingonnotfreakingout
•the incredible enthusiasm of my Pump, Yin Yoga, & PiYo class members who reset my heart with their presence five days a week
•the fact that my 15 year old son actually talks to me about a lot of his real life stuff

•Netflix binging “The Crown”, “Great British”, “The Spy”, “The Devil Next Door”, “Queer Eye”, etc. while finishing our last fam scrapbook & starting the next: https://castleblake.shutterfly.com/
•God orchestrating my days, even working out the stuff I’d rather avoid to fit into my schedule with minimal whining on my part
•holiday-week routine medical appointment openings, saving me from having to check out the kids during school!
•the Grateful Bowl with seitan at Local Table - maybe my fave restaurant meal right now, and I’m not even vegan! :-D
•my truck key remote suddenly consistently working, again, after being unreliable for months!
•holiday food competition shows
•a fellow instructor whom I greatly respect finding inspiration in *me* #confidence
•mountains of glorious sweet potatoes - orange & purple - on sale for my singular requisite Thanksgiving dish: diced & roasted sweet potatoes seasoned with ground ginger & Tony’s, tossed with pumpkin seeds & dried cranberries

•Thanksgiving morning heated yoga flow
•sharing an incredible family high school football experience (3rd round of Texas state playoffs!) at NRG (where the Texans play!)

•and then watching our Texans beat the Patriots on TV the next night in that same stadium!
•my Redskins finally winning twice, too! (Extra sweet that they beat the Lions & Panthers ;-)) #httr
•soufflé pancake for me & amazing desserts for the whole fam at Sweet Memes after NRG

•singing a gorgeous Lauren Daigle song (“Light of the World”) at church Sunday morning - such an honor!