Thanksday #20

1. Birthdays, birthday cake and birthday blessings. I had a most blessed birthday complete with wonderful voice mails, emails, ecards, Facebook greetings and more. And two birthday cakes. And a great blessing you can read about here.

2. My sweet Jaana. We've been spending our Saturday and Sunday afternoons either on the paddle boat or laying in the sun, and it's become a special and sweet time. She's growing up too much for my taste. So to try and temper the growth a bit, I just told her she can only watch animated shows for awhile. 'Cuz that makes sense.

3. Our pediatrician. Poor Paxton has just been my sick one and now he has RSV. But our pediatrician is so wonderful and really takes his time with us and explains everything. He gives us options and lets us choose the course of treatment, never claiming to know our kids better than we do. And he's a dad with kids about the ages of mine, so he's not out of touch with reality, either. Nothing could be finer than to be in Caroliner with a great pediatrician.

4. Discovering that new friends also adore your favorite movie which is a bit random and obscure, and not many people have seen it. Then laughing over hilarious lines from said movie.

5. Sweet Valley High. Do you remember this series? I'm not talking about the horrible short-lived TV series, I'm talking about the books. (And the original books, not the updated books with the "I wanna be relevant" covers.) The books about life in utopian Sweet Valley, California, and two identical twins Elizabeth & Jessica Wakefield? I read every single book. Let me reiterate that in case you missed it - I READ EVERY SINGLE BOOK. My favorites were the Super Editions like Spring Fever when Liz and Jess have to go to Podunk-ville for spring break and Jess is jealous that Lila is in Rome.

SVH was our 90210 before 90210 was 90210. Once in high school, my best friend and I went to a restaurant and had to give our names for a table and we said we were Elizabeth & Jessica Wakefield. It was a deep love, y'all.

I got the best birthday surprise in the mail the other day. The newly-released Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later. It was a gift only a high school best friend could send. I laughed out loud in the post office as I opened the package and read the card. And later that night, tore into it with the book with all the nostalgia of my early teens:

I won't spoil it for you, because I know you're going to run-not-walk to get your copy. But let me just say, as of chapter 1 (which is as far as I made it because, hello, Memaw) Liz & Jess have capital Grown. Up. They aren't in Kansas anymore. (Which of course they wouldn't be, they were just there for a week over spring break, remember?)

6. A house - question mark? Supposedly, we're closing on a house next week. If it goes through, you'll hear a shriek of joy across the land, similar to Cameron's in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Stay tuned.

7. Pe-Paw. My dad's long visit had him with us for the past week (now he's in Georgia for a few days then coming back here). It's been so nice to have him here! He's stayed home with Paxton in the mornings while I took Jaana to school. I went for a couple runs. It's been adorable watching Paxton toddle around calling, "Pe-Paw!" If we postpone moving into our possible new house, maybe we can get him to really extend his stay.

8. Running for fun. I'm conflicted about this. On the one hand, I really want to sign up for a race so that I am forced to get out and run, regardless of how I feel about it. On the other hand, my most favorite runs are the one where I don't need the exercise, but just need the run, ya know? But I really should sign up for something, because I don't want to lose the momentum and endurance I built up. So I'll find one. It just might take me awhile.

9. Something Borrowed. Love this book by Emily Giffin, and the movie comes out tomorrow! I have no idea how I'm going to get to a theater to see it ('cuz you know, no theaters nearby and all), and I really need to see it with one friend in particular who lives forever from here. But it'll happen. And if you see it before me, please leave a comment to tell me what you thought!

10. Atkins Protein Bars. Specifically the chocolate and peanut butter. For one, they taste pretty good. For two, they have 19 grams of protein. However, they aren't cheap. But man they are great for a grab-and-go snack. Mmmm.

What are you thankful for this week? Leave a comment or link up with Candra for the weekly attitude of gratitude. It'll change your perspective. And Lord knows, some of y'all need it! (I kid.) (Or do I?)