Thankful Thursdays

Okay, okay. I realize I have missed a few Thankful Thursdays lately.  It's not that I'm not being thankful, but life has been a little busy and Thursdays are generally extra busy.

But tonight, no more delays. I'm declaring my thankfulness publicaly, once again!

Today, I am thankful:

That I am laying flat on my roommate's couch right now.

I'd show you a picture, but sometimes I think its better for you to use your imaginations.  Just picture me. Except horizontal. And on a yellow couch.  And it's super comfy. There you go.  Way to imagine!

This may only be a four-day work week for me, but something about taking vacation days every month really makes your work life a little crazy.  Thus, my appreciation of the couch in my non-work life.

For a completely awesome trip to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

This past weekend, my friends and I went to see Hogwarts and Hogsmeade and meet some wizards and other cool stuff at Universal Studios Islands of Adventure. As we are some of the biggest HP nerds around, it was a BIG deal for us.  Plus, we got to stay at our friend Erin's awesome in-laws' guest house and visit Disney. Life goal of visiting the WW of HP, achieved!

For Butterbeer

Butterbeer, for you non-HP nerds out there, is the drink of choice for Harry and his friends at the Three Broomsticks pub in Hogsmeade, and it was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.  I've been wanting to try it for ages and ages.  Let me tell you, that first sip I took was so tasty, it literally* made me close my eyes, smack my lips and say "Aaahhh."  It tastes like cream soda and butterscotch. Also, it is non-alcoholic, which I mention because I get a lot of questions about it.  I find those questions strange.  I mean, Harry starts drinking it in his third year at Hogwarts, people.

That my BFF Amie got chosen at Ollivander's.

Ollivander's, for the non-HP nerds, is where wizards go to purchase wands.  At WW of HP, they bring about 20 people into the wand shop at a time and only one is chosen to actually shop for a wand.  And everyone knows that the wand chooses the wizard.  As we were a group of four adults, none of us really had hopes of being chosen.  But magic was in the air, and Amie, the biggest HP nerd of us all, was selected by Ollivander to test several different wands before one worked for her. I can not even begin to capture her joy with words. It was off the charts.

That I got my portrait painted yesterday.

I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that this was happening.  It was such fun, and I really love how mine turned out. I'm planning to write a whole blog about the experience soon.  There's going to be an exhibit at school in April with all of the portraits that were painted of faculty and staff on display.  So, I'm basically going to be famous.

That my cold is finally starting to subside.

Am I the only one who, when I feel a cold start to come on, know I will be hacking and sneezing for weeks?  I'm approaching my third week of sickness and I'm finally starting to feel better.

That my I took my car to get her oil changed today and they didn't want me to do super expensive things like buy new tires or replace "brake shoes" or something equally ridiculous.
Enough said.

For slightly cheesy rhyming poems that make people smile.
I especially like writing these myself.

For Good Shepard Church's choir.

We sing this Sunday and, friends, it is going to be great.  Two of my favorite songs, "Salvation is Here" and "Cornerstone" are on the playlist.  

For Downton Abbey

I don't care how much they crank up the drama on that show. In my mind they can do no wrong.  Of course, what I am not thankful for is the fact that the season just ended and we'll have to wait who-knows-how-long for season 4.

For the Mindy Project

While we're on the subject of TV, can I give a little love to the Mindy Project?  I can not explain it well in words, but during the 23 minutes that show is on, I am always smiling with a kind of ridiculous ear-to-ear grin.  I want to be Mindy Lahiri when I grow up.  

For my friends who ask me do trendy-yet-ridiculous things like create a Harlem Shake video.

Happy Thankful Thursday! What's floating your thankful boat this week?



*When I say literally, I mean literally. That is my promise to you.