Skip to main content

Ten Things of Thankful: Summer is Waning Edition

Temperatures are still in the 90s, but autumn is on its way, and that makes me happy. With no more of an introduction, here are things that made me smile this week:


1.  I filled up the car and was delighted that the gas was so inexpensive!  Paying under $3.00 a gallon is so rare, but to be a whole quarter (I'm disregarding that "9") under is really amazing! I'm thankful for a light-on-my-wallet fill-up.
Photo:  Gas pump displaying $2.75 price
2.  El Niño is the talk of the town, as we received rain again this week.  It was The Rainiest Day of the Year in Los Angeles, according to the newscasters.  My Facebook feed was filled with this video:

I'm thankful for the rain.

3.  Monday night, we sat down and watched another episode of Studio C.  Finding good, clean, smart, funny comedy isn't always easy, but Studio C delivers each week--even when Wonder Woman uses more strength than intended:


I'm thankful for laughter.

 4.  BYU football!  John and I are headed to the Rose Bowl this afternoon to see if the Cougars will end yet another game with a Hail Mary pass. 

 I'm thankful for dates with John, and cheering on our alma mater. 

5.  My lost-then-found diamond has returned to its proper place.  
Photo:  My wedding ring on my finger
I'm thankful to have my ring back.

6.  Two weeks ago, my face had a mid-life crisis:  it decided to relive teenage years with a vengeance.  I'm happy to report that I think I can now venture out in public again without eliciting any questions about my appearance.  AND, I'll be able to get my driver's license renewed on time--I've been waiting until I looked more my age!  

 I'm thankful that it's easier to deal with teenage problems as an adult--but I'm thankful for a reprieve, too!

 7.  I took my granddaughters to The Happiest Place on Earth yesterday.  You wouldn't necessarily know it from the photos, but we had a great time!
Photo:  One granddaughter cries, while another looks away
We even got to meet Mickey Mouse!
Photo:  One granddaughter chews on her hand, while another looks down while meeting Mickey Mouse.

 And Minnie Mouse.
Photo:  One granddaughter looks away and another nervously twirls her hair while meeting Minnie Mouse.
We even went on really fun rides!
Photo:  Granddaughters look around nervously while on the Alice in Wonderland ride
I'm thankful to be able to share my love of Disneyland with my granddaughters.  
8.  After months of being called GrandPA, I am now GrandMA! I'm thankful my granddaughter has that figured out now. 

9.  My sister coming to visit later this year--and we've already got plans to visit Disneyland.  Hopefully we'll be able to have as least as much fun as I had with my granddaughters!  

 I'm thankful for my sister.  

10.  And, as always, I'll end this list by saying I'm thankful for John.  No matter what last minute change of plans I throw at him, he's game.  I appreciate his support in my church calling, guide dog puppy raising, and mom and grandma roles.  He's just an all-round great guy!  

What things are you thankful for this week?  Write 'em down, link 'em up, and join in the fun!  (We're having some issues with the code this weekend.  Click the blue frog button below to see the posts and to link yours up!)




Pin It




Ten Things of Thankful


 Your hosts

Join the Ten Things of Thankful Facebook Group

Comments

  1. UnknownSeptember 19, 2015 at 9:26 AM

    I found it absolutely hilarious to see that picture of your two pouty looking grand-daughters at the "happiest place on earth". I love it because it's just the way real life works.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 19, 2015 at 9:45 AM

      It cracks me up, too--particularly because we really did have a great time. We had lunch right after that first photo was taken, and sitting in the shade and re-hydrating helped the mood a lot!

      Delete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2015 at 12:15 PM

    I know Disneyland is your happy place, much like the beach is mine. Good news about your ring, it's lovely. Those granddaughters are adorable. Gas in NJ is $1.85 and that is fine with me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownSeptember 19, 2015 at 1:25 PM

    Isn't Disney more for grown ups anyhow??? lol...I LOVE it. Wow....you have expensive gas where you live...we're down to around 2.10 here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:06 AM

      It's either for grown-ups or kids who just never grew up! :-)
      California loves to tax gasoline, so our prices our higher than most other states.

      Delete
    2. BiancaSeptember 21, 2015 at 10:44 PM

      Not to brag or anything, but in the Netherlands y'all would have a heart attack about the gas prizes..... We pay around 9 dollars a gallon..... Our Dodge Ram runs on LPG (don't know if you even have that in the US??) and is the most cheap way to run a car but still about 3 dollars a gallon.. Cars on LPG pay double the road tax though, which, in our case, comes around 700 dollars every 3 months....
      Can I get a whoopwhoop for Europe?!!!!

      Delete
    3. KristiSeptember 22, 2015 at 10:05 PM

      I had to look up what LPG is--propane! We fire up our BBQs with propane, but not our vehicles. I think I will whoopwhoop my California gas prices--I knew gas was expensive in Europe, but I had no idea you paid road tax on top of those high prices! I hope your roads are smooth and wonderful to drive on!

      Delete
  4. Clark FarleySeptember 19, 2015 at 2:47 PM

    It must be such a strange job, those who put on the Mickey and Minnie uniforms and interact all day long with strangers....wait a minute! I'm a blogger in the blogosphere.. so I guess it's not so hard to imagine.!

    lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:07 AM

      Hopefully you don't make children cry, though.

      Delete
  5. UnknownSeptember 19, 2015 at 3:10 PM

    Wow...you guys are really getting hit with gas prices!

    ReplyDelete
  6. KerrySeptember 19, 2015 at 10:45 PM

    I panicked when I heard there were issues with the linking for this week. I'm still having trouble locating it, but that's okay, because my post isn't completed yet. :-)
    I have only been to Disney World, but hope to visit the original one of these days. I did happen to see a documentary, on PBS this week, about Walt and his idea and opening of the first Disney park.
    It's funny the ways it is said. My nephews are still working out how to say my mother's name. One calls her Ganny and I guess that is a variation of Granny and the other says Dama. Haha
    I loved going to Disney World with my family, but, being visually impaired, those silent Disney characters always made me nervous. They didn't speak like the Mickey and others on TV. It was a little disconcerting for me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:12 AM

      To link up, click the little blue rectangle under the words "Join the Ten Things of Thankful Facebook Group," and another page will open, where you can enter your url. I hope that helps! We co-hosts are a little lost without Lizzi, who always fixes our tech. issues.

      I could see how the Disney characters would be disconcerting with their silence.

      Delete
  7. Pat BSeptember 19, 2015 at 11:58 PM

    Glad your ring is back where it belongs. :-) That is funny about you being called GrandPA first.
    I think your body is just thinking you are much younger because of all your fun adventures at Disneyland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 20, 2015 at 8:13 AM

      I still have to remind her sometimes that I'm GrandMA, but at least now she'll correct herself. :-)

      Delete
  8. GirlieOnTheEdgeSeptember 20, 2015 at 5:36 PM

    You must be so relieved to have your ring back Kristi. I would be frantic! Beautiful ring btw :)
    Thanks for posting the vids Kristi. When it Rains in LA was hysterical. I liked the second one too!
    They don't call it the Magic Kindgom for nothing. How special to be able to take your grandaughters to Disneyland. In spite of the pictures, I've no doubt they had a terrific time.
    Congrats on getting rain!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 20, 2015 at 6:46 PM

      Thank you. Both of those videos cracked me up! Studio C has their own youtube channel, and there are plenty of hysterical sketches--they have one about a weather forecast that I also considered posting. Yes, the girls had fun, even though you can't tell it from the photos. They talked all day about seeing Mickey and Minnie!

      Delete
  9. UnknownSeptember 21, 2015 at 11:15 AM

    Yay, Kristi, for the diamond, for your skin (mine's still terrible), for a great day in a happy place. Have a good week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 21, 2015 at 10:12 PM

      Thanks, Sarah. Hope you have a good week, too!

      Delete
  10. BiancaSeptember 21, 2015 at 10:48 PM

    Know all about the "youthfull look" your face went through... Have it quite regularly. My face doesn't acknowledges the 40's my body is in I guess....
    Had an up and down week, but like you, my rock in any kind of week is my hubby. My ten of thankfulls would be very boring if I would join every week. Henk would be half of them each week.... Hooray for Husbands!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. KristiSeptember 22, 2015 at 10:06 PM

      No, not boring at all! I hope you do join in sometime!

      Delete
  11. UnknownSeptember 22, 2015 at 5:00 PM

    Disneyland really is a magical place but those characters can be a bit frightening when you're little! I am thankful for that rain and sure wish we would have gotten more.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago.  I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon.  (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall  Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...
4 comments
Read more

What a Wonderful World! (An #AtoZChallenge Post): Z is for Zion National Park

  Visitor Center sign in Zion National Park My husband recently re-retired, and we are front-loading travel. My #AtoZChallenge posts this year will explore our adventures--some pre-retirement, some post. Today's location: Zion National Park in Utah.  Zion is a bit of a shibboleth. People from outside of Utah (or those who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) tend to pronounce Zion as "ZIE-on." Locals (or tourists who are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) use more of a schwa sound, pronouncing Zion to rhyme with lion. However you choose to pronounce it, it is an amazing, beautiful national park and has some amazing hikes. The last time my husband and I visited Zion National Park, we entered from the east, and traveled through the mile-long Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel. It is an engineering marvel, completed in the 1920s. Before we passed through the tunnel, though, we spotted a group of bighorn sheep, including some babies...
8 comments
Read more