100 Things for Which I Am Grateful, Part 1.

Inspired by a recent post on Mostly True Stories of K. Renae P. (which was inspired by a post on a blog she follows), I present to you my own list (also in no particular order):

1. My husband, Joe, who despite driving me crazy a lot of the time also manages to keep me sane (go figure)

2. Snuggles with Scout (a.k.a. the World’s Most Adorable Dog)

3. My friends, who have always been my family

4. My job at IRA, not only because I believe in the organization’s mission but also because I genuinely love the work that I do

5. My co-workers, who are some of the smartest, funniest, most creative people I know

6. The fact that people still want to pay me to write books

7. My editor, Kristen, who believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself

8. Friday dinners with the Rosens, especially when my cousin Josh is in town

9. My family in general

10. Weekends with Sadiepants

11. Writing dates with Carolee

12. Excellent health insurance coverage

13. Sync, the thing that allows me to make hands-free calls from my car (what did I ever do before it?)

14. Taylor Swift (don’t judge)

15. Facebook (ditto)

16. The Paderno World Cuisine Tri-Blade Plastic Spiral Vegetable Slicer (oodles of zoodles!)

17. My Koncis garlic press from IKEA (on sale this month for $2.99)

18. The Superior Auto mode on my camera (I want to be a world-class shutterbug but am not sure if I’ll ever get there)

19. My iPad

20. My iPhone

21. Google

22. LIBRARIES

23. Audiobooks in the car

24. Date nights with Jen and Brian

25. The Delicious Dishes

26. Fuzzy slipper socks

27. Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Rooibos tea

28. MAGAZINES

29. Smart, funny sitcoms like The Mindy Project and Parks & Rec

30. Smart, poignant and/or thought-provoking dramas like The Good Wife and Parenthood

31. My DVR

32. Friday night scrapbooking sessions with Wendy

33. Xyron sticker makers

34. The three years I spent as a Girl Scout co-leader

35. The time I had with Marian, even though it ended much, much too soon

36. Coupland Campers

37. The self-confidence I’ve managed to cultivate, even if it took me 38 years to get it

38. YNAB

39. Alton Brown

40. The fact that I can do 4o push ups (!)

41. Natural peanut butter

42. Grandpa Witmer’s Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Mixer

43. My mentor and friend, Cruce Stark

44. My education

45. Online banking

46. Lip balm

47. K9 Advantix II

48. Tim Horton’s Decaf K-cups

49. Days I can sleep in

50. Nights I can stay up late

To be continued…