Skip to main content

Ten Things of Thankful: Here, There, and Everywhere Edition

 

a photo of me tipping sideways, with my arms out, framed by a big piece of driftwood on the beach

The last time I posted, I was in Oregon helping my parents after my mom's fall. I'm back home in Utah now, via Alaska. John and I went on an Alaskan cruise we had booked months ago (with the original intent that my parents would join us, but obviously that didn't work). The day we left on the cruise, my sister arrived at my parents' house to take my place. When we got done with the cruise, we returned to Oregon, stayed with my parents for one night (and got to see my sister!), then drove to the Oregon coast for two nights, then drove home to Utah. Did you know it takes three times through the top 100 Beatles songs countdown on the Beatles satellite radio station to drive from the Oregon coast to my house? I didn't, but now I do. Hence, the "Here, There, and Everywhere" in the title of this post. 

The cruise ship had an amazing Beatles tribute band--BeatleStory--onboard. We ended up going to see them 4 or 5 times, including standing during a standing-room only late performance. Attending a show that starts at 9:30 p.m. is a huge endorsement from me! Anyway, both John and I have had Beatles songs stuck in our heads for the past couple of weeks, and we probably will continue to have that "problem" for a while. 

So, now that we are all on the same musical wavelength after that lengthy intro, let's jump into the Ten Things of Thankful for today:

1. I'm thankful my mom is continuing to heal and feel better.

2. I'm thankful my parents had travel insurance.

3. I'm thankful that John's sister and her husband were able to join us on the cruise.

4. I'm thankful my sister was able to help my parents.

5. I'm thankful for the incredible beauty in this world. 

view down a mountain canyon shows snow-capped mountains in the distance across a bay

Mendenhall Glacier, with its reflection in Mendenhall Lake. Nugget Falls can be seen to the right.

The white-capped creek that runs down Creek Street in Ketchikan, Alaska

6. I'm thankful to have been able to stop and see my great-grandparents' grave sites. I don't know why, but I had never visited them before. 

Two grave markers. The one on the left reads, "Dad Joseph L. Kimes 1869 At Rest 1943" and the one of the right reads, "Mom Edith L. Kimes 1881 At Rest 1964"

7. I'm thankful for safe travels.

8. I'm thankful to come home to blooming flowers.

Yellow, pink, and red peonies bloom in my backyard

9. I'm thankful for the sweet surprise of baby birds in a nest on the wreath on my front door. Neighbors, I'm sorry if the Easter-themed wreath stays up well past the holiday (not to mention the fact that it is now covered in bird poop), but I'm not about to kick those baby birds out! 

10. I'm thankful for John, the world's best husband, friend, and travel companion!

What are you thankful for today? Leave a comment, feel free to link up your own post, and be sure to check out the other entries in this week's Ten Things of Thankful blog hop! 





You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Comments

  1. messymimiMay 25, 2025 at 8:28 PM

    We were able to go to Walt Disney World a couple of times when a Beatles tribute band was at the UK area of Epcot and we couldn't pry my Sweetie away with a crowbar.

    I'm so glad your mother is healing and you were able to take the cruise. Maybe they can come with you the next time you travel.

    ReplyDelete
  2. clarkMay 26, 2025 at 8:25 AM

    What a fun TToT! pictures and scenery and time travel!*
    Good to hear you mom's on the mend. Tell her the Doctrine says Hey!

    *there was a joke in my initial reading of your post that I would swear referenced time travel! Now I can't find it. (My future self probably altered it to avoid paradox problems, oh well)
    Have an excellent week










    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

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...
3 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: I Should Blog More Often

  Tall red poppies bloom against the brick remains of an old homestead A couple of weeks ago, John and I hiked in Alpine, Utah, to see the poppy gardens near the old Lambert homestead. We knew if we waited, we would miss the peak of the flowers. One minute, flowers are blooming, and the next minute, that particular floral show is over until next year.  The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop runs every week, but sometimes I miss the boat and don't get a post composed. I find, though, that those weeks that I do join in, I'm more apt to look for (and find!) the good in life--regardless of whether it was a "good" week or a "bad" week. Just as taking time to hike pays off with a beautiful view, taking the time to share ten things I'm thankful for pays off with a feeling of peace, satisfaction, and gratitude.  The past three weeks have been spent at home. It's been so nice to catch up on things here. The air conditioner cools the house again, we've taken ...
3 comments
Read more