Thursday, May 1-- My 35th birthday and being grateful

Today I'm 35. I've dreaded this day for a while. And so far it's not so bad. It's a beautiful day-- the first actually warm day in Chicago. The sun is out and it's supposed to hit the 70s. People have already been texting and emailing and calling birthday wishes. And I've got a fancy, yummy dinner to look forward to with one of my favorite people in the whole world. So I'm feeling grateful. I did a little exercise and I wrote down things that I'm grateful for. I was as general and possible and still came up with 50 things. There's a lot more. But this is what popped to mind. In no particular order:

1. My health;
2. My insane family;
3. My rockstar circle of friends;
4. My amazing job;
5. Sarcasm;
6. Chicago;
7. NY;
8. Wisconsin;
9. Princeton;
10. The Yankees;
11. College football Saturdays;
12. Tailgating—actually any excuse to drink all day long;
13. Alcohol (except tequila—I could live w/o tequila);
14. Cheese;
15. Sugar;
16. Bacon;
17. OK, food generally;
18. My ipod;
19. My dvr;
20. Crap tv;
21. Good tv;
22. Old movies;
23. The internet;
24. Books that express something I’ve been fumbling to say or hoping to hear;
25. Plays that make me feel connected;
26. The change of seasons;
27. Peonies, tulips, lily of the valley—ok, flowers generally;
28. The ocean;
29. Zoos;
30. Maps;
31. Fleece;
32. Comfy pajamas;
33. Live music in small venues;
34. Every song that I love so much that I HAVE to sing it even though I can’t carry a tune or dance to it even though I do the white man’s overbite;
35. Rhett Miller and every other guy in a band that gets me hot and bothered in concert;
36. My Pocket Rocket;
37. Still being able to do dirty things when I get the chance;
38. Smashbox foundation;
39. Good hair days;
40. Even suntans;
41. Rides on someone else’s boat;
42. Long baths;
43. High heels that look hot but don’t hurt;
44. Marshalls, Target, Old Navy, H&M, etc.;
45. Millie and all sweet doggies;
46. Generosity;
47. Forgiveness;
48. People who laugh at my jokes;
49. Houseparties and bbqs;
50. My backyard (both literally & figuratively).