Grace in Small Things: 39/365

1. Fish tacos (homemade, no less)
2. Washed down with Pacifico
3. Watermelon...sweet, juicy, cold, delicious!
4. Cooler temps
5. Camping at the beach in less than a week! Yeah!

Grace in Small Things: 38/365

1. Shrimp on the barbie (literally)
2. News is good about my friend's eyes
3. The gorgeous weather (not too hot, not too cold, not too windy)
4. Last minute ad lib opportunity to present at conference (until the real presenter arrived, after sitting on Hwy 17 for 3 hours!)
5. Reading Annals of Dyslexia until my eyes crossed

Grace in Small Things: 37/365

1. Maeg's ability to see the humor in all things related to pregnancy, despite throwing up every single day for 15 weeks
2. Despite contracting dengue (pronounced deng-gay) fever, she and the baby are apparently healthy
3. Flannery and Ryan's visit next week to Nor Cal
4. Another day of learning at the Online Teaching Conference today in beautiful Aptos
5. A luxurious shower after camping at the beach (cold and windy) for 4 days earlier this week (photo above taken at Sunset Beach)

The joys of Sunday

Grace in Small Things: 35/365

1. A leisurely Sunday bike ride through the bike trails of Mountain View and Palo Alto
2. Working up a powerful thirst that even water can't quench
3. Stopping at a neighborhood microbrewery to sample some of Mountain View's finest
4. Having absolutely NO schedule to adhere to
5. Tumbling into bed after midnight knowing I will sleep soundly

Grace in Small Things: 34/365

1. Camping at the beach! Yipee!
2. Little Johnny Camper for his packing abilities
3. The semester is F I N A L L Y finished
4. No computers, no cell phones, no electronics at the beach
5. The humor in all of us

The impending trip to Mom's to celebrate Mother's Day

Grace in Small Things: 32/365

1. Meeting Raquel tonight
2. Having a mother to visit for Mother's Day
3. Having a patient, helpful brother to take along on the visit to Mom's
4. Having a newly repaired car to take on the road trip to Mom's (very expensive repairs)
5. Seeing Taylor looking so happy (and thankful for his proofing talents)

Grace in Small Things: 31/365

1. Day at the Green was successful!
2. Even the normally grumpy people smiled today
3. The semester is almost over
4. Blackberries (not the electronic device, the fruit)
5. My dean, with her spunky attitude and effervescent energy

Spring break is really all about the food

Grace in Small Things: 26/365

1. Hobee's Blueberry Coffee Cake
2. The trip to the gym that will help me take off Hobee's coffee cake
3. The very expensive and yummy wine we drank last night
4. The trip to the gym yesterday as a preemptive strike for the wine and delicious food at Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi's
5. Steve's pre-trial hearing results

Good things really do happen to good people (sometimes)

Grace in Small Things: 25/365

1. My So Cal friend got a new job (just in the knick of time, now that she is sans husband)
2. My very best guy friend in Florida, Steve (he's a psychologist, so I call him Dr. Feel Good), who called me last night just to catch up after a very lengthy intermission in our communication (not for bad reasons, just busy raising his son and growing his successful business, and also going through a divorce)
3. My friend and workout buddy, who is a very good listener and goes to the gym almost every single day, and has a birthday tomorrow!
4. My friend and yoga partner, who managed to call me during a layover in Chicago (his birthday is today!)
5. My parents are celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary today (whew! Is that some sort of record, or what?)

Life without arms

A colleague sent me this video of a woman who was born without arms. Lest we feel bad or sorry, though, we shouldn't....she doesn't! Watch this video for a wonderful example of inner and outer strength, as well as this individual's relationship with her dog. It's inspiring, heartwarming, and just plain great!

Grace in Small Things: 24/365

1. My body, with all its parts, lovely or not, working well or not
2. A massage from a friend
3. Little Johnny wonderful
4. Pasta, a little or a lot
5. Gravity (as in the pull of)

Grace in Small Things: 23/365

1. Scouting out terrific camping spots on the coast in Nor Cal with my friend, Bonnie
2. Being introduced to Gayle's Bakery in Capitola
3. Having a gym buddy who is patient with my aching back and useless hands
4. My adult children, who still believe I have some wisdom about some things
5. My friend Judy; we have sustained a long distance friendship for over 30 years!

Grace in Small Things: 22/365

1. I haven't eaten anything from the "10 Worst Foods of 2009 list
2. Clever items for the office
3. I can call Cathy and still raise a tiny bit of mischief, even if it's only for 5 minutes (which it almost always is... just 5 minutes every week or so)
4. My search for vintage fabric yielded such great results (pricey, but great; no buying, just looking)
5. My trip to my parents will be filled with good deeds and lots and lots of patience (a few cocktails on the veranda won't hurt, either)

Grace in Small Things: 21/365

1. I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, and a job
2. I also have friends and family that I love!
3. Sunshine, after lots and lots of rain (glad to have the rain, glad to have it sunny!)
4. My Starbucks connection that brought me Starbucks today, unsolicited! (Remember, I'm not buying Starbucks anymore, but if I get it for free, yeah!)
5. One of my favorite days, St. Patrick's Day, is coming soon! Yeah for all things green!

Grace in Small Things: 20/365

1. My appointment with the vampire (every 56 days)
2. Every drop the vampire gets from me goes to babies born prematurely!(I'm CMV negative, which very few adults are)
3. P.F. Chang's
4. Downtown San Jose in the evening
5. Sweet Soleil gelato and frozen yogurt

Grace in Small Things: 18/365

1. The Farmer's Market, with all the great smells, sights, and sounds
2. My car doesn't smell anymore because I left all the veggies in a closed, warm car for so long
3. Taylor, for his patience in teaching me about things tech related
4. John Wooden's Pyramid of Success
5. Again, celebrating my mistakes

Grace in Small Things: 17/365

1. The day off work!
2. I can do my homework in my p.j.'s!
3. Nasreen, for her patience with all my questions!
4. Janet, for following my blog (almost everything I have learned about blogging has come from following her blog!)
5. I had the nerve and guts to say what I needed to say yesterday

Thank you, Janet, for your help! I hope that you don't mind that I, due to lack of creativity, unlike YOU, have incorporated some of your stylish and clever ideas into my blog. I actually credited you in my old blog, Irish Eyes of Green, but had to start a new blog for a technology class I am taking. I appreciate your wit, sense of style, ab fab creativity, writing style and intellectual interests!

Grace in Small Things: 16/365

1. Payday, coming this Friday
2. A day spent learning instead of teaching
3. Yoga, even when I don't think I want to do yoga
4. A clear mind (every now and again)
5. A very well developed sense of humor about most things

Grace in Small Things: 15/365

1. Students stopping by to tell me what's working!
2. Seeing a handsome, friendly, intelligent instructor that I have a little, itty bitty crush on
3. Knowing that my crushes (I currently have two) are innocent and harmless because I would never act on them (I think these guys are married; not sure, but pretty sure)
4. My imagination
5. My restraint

Happy Monday!

I was looking on Google images for some pictures of angry people for a presentation I am developing for a retreat, and I found some very silly pictures, and some very, very angry looking people. I'll let YOU decide for yourself how you would label these images.

Grace in Small Things: 14/365

1. The ability to laugh at myself
2. The really crisp, juicy apple I had today at lunch
3. Taylor, for his calm demeanor
4. Maria Elena, for her caring, her humor and her questions
5. I am a passionate person

Grace in Small Things: 13/365

1. Rain, again!
2. Mr. Handyman
3. My very first cup of coffee in the morning
4. Weekend naps, especially immediately after lunch
5. Margaritas, for no reason at all