Gratitude List 11/14/11

I am SO over-due for this...

* I am grateful for my continued health. Met with oncology this week and Dr. Paul said everything looks good. They took my blood to do the regular bloodwork looking for cancer markers and I haven't received any phone calls, which means they didn't find anything. No news is good news.

* I am grateful for my two regular massage clients that come to me every other week like clockwork. I haven't been seeing a whole lot of clients lately but these two are keeping me alive at this point. No idea what I would do without them.

* I am grateful that my sister is still sober, like 130+ days or something. It has been so fucking amazing to actually have a little sister in my life, really for the first time since we've been "adults". She was MIA for so many years, I just never knew what it was like. And it's really awesome.

* I am grateful that I have the sweetest, cutest, funniest, most chill nephew in the entire fucking world. I am NOT someone who likes babies or even kids very much. At all. I never want to hold people's babies and never really play with kids, not even my cousin's kids. But I could not love Aiden any more if I tried and I play with him constantly, can't stop kissing those cheeks. Oh. My. God. LOVE HIM.

* I am grateful for the friends that continue to stand by me through thick and thin, through arguments and misunderstandings and life and change. You go through shit, you deal with it like adults, and you move forward. Thank you for that.

* I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to go across the pond and experience Europe for the first time. Prague is an amazing city that I intend to visit over and over, and possibly move there eventually. Met some kick ass people (looking at you, Jan, Michel, Thibault, Majda, Edita, and Vladimir) and fell in love with the Czech Inn. And although Paris wasn't my favorite place on earth and London left something to be desired (though I did have the best lay of my life in Jolly Old England...), I will ALWAYS be grateful that I met Allie and Bez in that disgusting bedbug-infested hole of a room on our first night in Paris, and even more grateful they were moved into the 2nd non-bedbug room with us. I don't think I've ever felt closer with a couple of friends who could not possibly live farther away from me, but I am SO grateful for the day we spent in London (still need to get that "London is okay, I guess" jumper...). You girls are so kick ass that you actually have me toying with the slightest idea of moving to Australia.

* I'm grateful that I've already been to two Avs games this season and have tickets to two more this month, going to possibly another early next month. Would be even more grateful if they'd fucking WIN one of 'em.

* I'm grateful for my job, my students, my staff, and my coworkers. And though I'm super duper sad that my boss has been promoted to a corporate position, because she's the best boss I've ever had, I'm also super excited that one of my co-managers has been promoted to director and will be my new boss. I'm pretty excited to see what's gonna happen at the school and what direction he takes us in.

* I'm grateful that the student I've been pouring SO MUCH of my time and energy into, hounding and harassing and calling to wake him up and texting to make sure he makes up class or passed a final, has been completely kicking ass and taking names and is definitely going to graduate on-time with his class in December. And I'm even more grateful that he absolutely blew me away today when I finally had a chance to get on his table and evaluate his bodywork. I could not possibly be more proud of him and I was in tears when I got off the table today. The boy has some mad skillz and I am just so grateful that he didn't fall through the cracks and drop out.

* I'm grateful to own my beautiful townhouse with my comfy couch and my heavenly bed and all my creature comforts. I know there's so much I take for granted (like my beautiful granite kitchen that I barely use...) but I am so lucky to have what I have.

* I am grateful that my family is in the middle of planning my grandma's 90th birthday bash. Not a lot of people get to have a 90-year-old grandma, and mine is totally kick ass. Did I mention she got hit on 2 weeks ago by some dude in her retirement home? Hells yeah. My grandma is the bomb diggity and her party is gonna reflect that (we hired a DJ for her 80th so I'm sure 90 is gonna be a kick in the pants too.)

* I'm grateful that not only do I have the best tattoo artist in Denver but he's become a good friend of mine along with his hysterically funny, super hot ass wife. And he still lets me pay partially in massage trade for top-quality work even though he's got a 3-4 month waiting list and definitely doesn't need to be doing any favors. And getting invited to their wedding in Vegas was one of the coolest things ever. Not sure I'd ever had so much fun in 36 hours. I love going into the shop and I think that might be half the reason I can't seem to stop getting inked, cause I just love being in there for four hours at a time...

* I'm grateful for my family, of course, though I so rarely see them anymore. My weekend schedule still makes it hard to get to many family functions, but I'm so grateful the holidays are coming up, which includes 2 weekends of the clinic being closed for xmas and New Year's. Need to fill up on cousin time!

* I'm grateful that my cat didn't run away when I discovered my carport door was apparently open all night last night. Also pretty fucking grateful that my laptop/PS3/ANYTHING ELSE wasn't stolen. But mostly just glad Loki is still here cause I would have been DEVASTATED without my little boy.

* As always, I'm grateful to anyone who took the time to read this and see what sorts of good things are going on in my life. Hopefully it inspires you to write your own list so you can look at the sunny side with me. :)