Today we met friends in Chicago and the day couldn’t have been better. There was a warm up and it was nice enough to be outside without a winter coat. We went to a beer festival then had a Greek dinner at a friend’s apartment. I’m thankful for our group of friends that make it is easy to get together.

It’s so good to get to Friday knowing there’s a couple days break to look forward to. While I’m grateful to have full-time employment, I do enjoy the days off, especially when there are fun things to look forward to.

Today I’m thankful for the kindness and generosity of friends and family.

I’m thankful today for ethics, massages, quick soup, good friends, and wine.

I’m thankful for this meal today and for the man who made it.

I continued the slow down trend by not leaving the house today. That is very much NOT me, as I typically need a change of scenery. Instead, I focused on some of the crafts I’ve left sitting undone in the basement. Patrick built a fire and I painted by it. I was thankful to have the day off of work since it snowed most of the day. And in a small nod to King Day of Service, Patrick and I shoveled our neighbor’s drive…

We started re-watching Downton Abbey. I don’t know what it is, but there’s something calming about that show. For all the splendor and wealth it portrays, it seems homey and simple. Maybe it’s that they don’t seem rushed. There’s very little running. Literally. There’s no social media and constant news feeds, and dinner is the highlight of the day. It makes me want to slow down too. And dress better. It’s nice to have a reminder, no makes where it comes from, to step back a little and slow things down.

It was a low key day which included breakfast at a diner, antique shopping, a wedding reception with the fullest wine glasses EVER and lounging in front of the tv with the dogs. I’m thankful for slow-moving Saturdays.

It’s Friday!! And it’s a long weekend! That should be enough to be thankful for. However, today I’m also grateful that even though I didn’t feel well this morning, I felt better as the day went on. The flu has been going around (again!) and I really don’t want it. Even though I got a flu shot this season, I got one version of it already this year. Once was enough.