Thankful Thursday

The last time I wrote a gratitude post was March 24. I'm not going to attempt to make a list today that encompasses all the time since then, but here are a few of the things that I'm thankful for today.

1. My ankle has improved SO much!!! I can walk as much as I want to. The only time I've had pain over the last couple of weeks has been when I stand for too long. I'm not sure why standing bothers me and walking doesn't, but I'm so grateful that I can walk for miles a day again!!! I've been taking Milo for multiple walks a day as long as it's not raining, and I've been walking an average of probably around 3 miles per day.

2. I hadn't attempted to lose any weight since August of 2020. I lost some in 2019, regained some of it, and lost it again in 2020. I started dieting again last Wednesday, and in the first seven days I lost 2.2 pounds. I'd like to lose 21 more. I really, really, really, really hope I do a better job of keeping it off this time around! I'm thankful I'm headed in the right direction.

3. Typically I haven't done a good job of inviting other people to our home for a meal aside from relatives. My goal is to have 12 couples or families come over for dinner in 2022 (not counting relatives). We've had three so far, and three more families or couples are already scheduled to come over sometime this summer. 

4. I'm so thankful that the family who lives across from us is always willing to give food and water to our guinea pigs when we're away. They'll be doing so this weekend when we're in Delaware. I'm also very thankful that another neighbor family takes care of Milo when we're away. After this weekend I don't think we'll need to ask for their help again until September, but it's a huge blessing to have someone who lives so close be willing to help us out. Some of the times they've even turned down the money we've tried to give them! 

5. Faith's mom helped me out a few times last week with taking Nadia and Ian to Bible quizzing practices which was a huge blessing. Her son, Xandir, and Oliver enjoyed playing together at our house during the practices. Yesterday the quizzing practice was held at Macey's home and included swimming and dinner. I served as the scorekeeper during the individual competition and quizmaster during the team competition. Oliver had a blast playing with the coach's three youngest children during the practice. 

6. We had a lovely vacation last month. Aside from being a little hotter than we prefer at the start of the trip, the weather was ideal. No bones were broken!!

7. I'm thankful for people who set up field trips in the area. We toured a snowboard factory yesterday, and on Tuesday we had a 90-minute tour of a courthouse that included a demonstration by a K-9 dog.

8. The candidate that I voted for Governor in the primary election won. Unfortunately, the person I really didn't want to win for Senator won by a very narrow margin. If I could go back in time, I would have voted for the man who was neck and neck with the winner instead of the woman I voted for although she did come in third place among the seven candidates. It's tempting to vote third party for Senator in the general election, but considering the make-up of the US Senate right now, I'll probably end up voting for the one who won and hoping against hope he'll be better than I think he will be. I am very thankful for the freedom to vote! I'm really glad I didn't live in the era when women were excluded from voting.