things i'm loving today...

it's quiet around the house this morning... my sweetheart has yet to come home from night shift, my girl had the barfs this morning and though it did not stop her from enjoying her breakfast she took herself back to bed immediately afterward.

since that means i have not had to quickly dress and take her outside to play for a while, as we usually do... i've had some time to do a little reading, catching up on friends' blogs and such.

and now, it's time for a quiet moment of gratitude before i start the laundry and dishes and the myriad of other daily things i do...

here's a little list of things i'm loving (and grateful for) today:

~ my sweetheart has decided it's time for him to get in shape, so he got a gym membership... for both of us. and for the last couple of days we have spent an hour or more sweating it out together. last night as i was making dinner and he was getting ready for work, we were both groaning and laughing about sore body parts. i am grateful for all of this. not only will it make us both physically healthier, but being active together creates space for new growth in our relationship.

~ in spite of her occasional upset stomach and the tumbleweeds of hair that i cannot keep up with even if i vacuum every day... i just love my dog. when i walk in the front door and that little tail is wagging at a million miles an hour, how could i not feel joy? when she carefully and deliberately curls herself up on the couch just so... with her face pressed against me, how could my heart not just melt a little? when we go for a walk and there's snow on the ground and she leaps and frisks and snorts with pleasure, how could i not also feel engaged and awake and in love with the world around me?

~ the hawk is back... s/he spent all afternoon yesterday screeching and circling around the neighbourhood. the trees around our yard still seem to be a favourite location. so far, it appears to be just one... but with luck there will be a nesting pair here in the spring.

~ i have new shoes. i'm not really someone who gets excited about clothes and accessories and such. don't get me wrong, i'm always happy to have something new and pretty, but it doesn't excite me to go shopping. in fact, i usually dread shopping for clothes. i have one of those bodies where if it fits in one place it is inevitably too small or too large in another... which makes me feel crappy about myself. but shoes??? i love shoes. you're probably nodding your head and thinking, what girl doesn't love shoes? but, the kind of shoes i'm talking about wouldn't likely give most girls a thrill. i can't wear heels, as i broke my foot when i was 14, and it just doesn't bend that way. but, i went in looking for a new pair of trail shoes... you know, that kind that are good for easy hiking or running on trails. and found a pair of sexy dark grey & cherry ones :) and some new caramel coloured Clarks slip-ons.

my feet are so happy.

~ i stopped at the library the other day, on my way to pick my sweetheart up from work. i only had a few minutes to run in, find something i might want to read, and run out... so i picked up To Kill A Mockingbird, which i hadn't read in years. i cozied up in bed with it last night, and read til i couldn't keep my eyes open. i love nights like that. and i love that book.

~ i found these awesome snacks at World Market the other day. i am a three solid meals a day kind of girl, though i will snack if the meals get spread out too far apart, or if i'm really active. but my sweetheart could happily skip breakfast, often forgets about lunch... and then grazes from mid afternoon until midnight. sometimes he wakes up in the night to have a snack. his preference being cookies. i always try to keep them at least somewhat healthy (ie oatmeal cookies) but, in his new zest for getting back in shape, i've been instructed to stop buying sweet snacks. so, back to World Market....

i found these little bite sized crunchy sunflower seed snacks called Somersaults. they are delicious and satisfying, low in sugar, high in fibre and protein... and we both love them. win/win.

laundry calls... hope you all have a lovely day.