Thankful Thursday.

Today, and this week, I am thankful for:

-- Tomato Art Fest in our neighborhood, and a most enjoyable time by our whole family.

-- My child's father, for (happily, enthusiastically) getting up early and running hand in hand with our son in the boy's first fun run at the Tomato Art Fest. Such sweetness.

-- Luke, Melanee and Bobby's sweet boy, for being such a good friend to Ziggy, and such a fine role model (good folks are raising him, and it shows!) In particular at this time, for waiting and encouraging Ziggy on the Fun Run each time he slowed or grew tired. The pride the kids had in their accomplishment was delightful.

-- Boy clothing from Grandma and Grandpa, and also Nina. The more to sort and share the smaller things!

-- The ability (at last) to pay to have my cracked months and months long duct-taped side view mirror at the dealership. Also, the folks at the dealership for working with me and making it affordable, relatively fast, decidedly pleasant.

-- An enjoyable walk with the family at Stones River Greenway.

-- An unpleasant tiff with the Mister defused.

-- A paying job that I enjoy.

-- A new lawn mower. (Though now it seems we need to purchase a shed of some kind to simplify things.)

-- An endorphin releasing exercise session at the Y.

-- The Mister tending my badly blistered toe and ailing hip.

-- One full week (plus) of our Ziggy starting the night in his big boy bed!! So proud of him.

-- Gaining some time in the evenings to visit with my husband, complete projects, wash the supper dishes before it gets terribly late.... oh, and the sweetness of our boy joining us in the big bed middle of the night.

-- A package from Papa.

-- The restoration (less 20%) of the funding for Jolie's TEEN Reach, ACE Afterschool and Summer Success programs!! Which, as Jolie puts it, "is 80% more than we expected," so yay and hurrah and wahoo!!

-- Beautiful vegetables from my garden and from our CSA with which I'll be making meals of ratatouille and vegetable enchiladas to feed people I love.

-- The imminent gathering of my oldest and dearest friends and our children for a few days. My heart may burst with joy! One last blow out as summer winds down, before work and school school schedules become run-away trains of productive earning and learning, making it that much harder to gather regularly.

-- My friends. Seriously: they are among the finest, dearest, lovingest people on the planet. They make my heart sing. And I've been fortunate that I have them from all the different places of my life, from all the chapters....