thankful thursday: 10

1.the weather
This is my FAVORITE time of year. Flowers are in full bloom as the weather dances around the seventy/seventy-five degree range. The sun shines more days than not and there's usually a light breeze (that is nowhere to be found come August). I just want to bottle up this time of year, store it in my cupboard and then bathe in it in January.

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2. margaritas!

I've been on a margarita kick lately. There are a few good looking recipes floating around pinterest. Here's one I'm super excited to try:

Grapefruit Margarita

Ingredients:

· 2 ounces tequila
· 1 ounce orange liqueur
· 1 ounce grapefruit juice, preferably freshly squeezed
· 3/4 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
· Garnish suggestion: wedges of grapefruit and slices of lime
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with crushed ice. Shake and pour into a stemmed glass with salted rim over ice.

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3. Debbie Ford books

I love a good book, especially one that opens you up to thinking about life in a different way. Ms. Ford's writing has a way of gently nudging you to look inward for answers instead of constantly searching for outer distractions and "fillers." She offers such practical advice for making peace with all the parts of yourself (yes, even the angry, sad, whiny parts...and we all have 'em!) as well as accepting the present moment. I've read just about every book Debbie has come out with. The way she speaks just makes sense in my busy little brain. I'm so grateful I've found her writings. I've learned sooooo much. I just pre-ordered her new book, "Courage." I'm waiting on the edge of my seat until Tuesday when it gets here!

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4. Draw Something App

I kind of love this little App! I get to play pictionary with my friends and people I've never met on my phone.It makes me giggle. love. love. love.

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5. popsicles

My mom always used to make homemade strawberry yogurt popsicles when I was little. They were a healthy, super yummy treat. I'm going to try my hand at making a few frozen treats this summer. These look like a good place to start. 

Strawberry Popsicles

Ingredients
•2 cups fresh strawberries
•1/4 cup frozen white grape juice concentrate, thawed
•2 tbp sugar
•1 tbsp fresh lime juice
•3 tbsp water

Instructions
1.Combine strawberries, white grape concentrate, sugar, lemon juice and water in a blender and process until smooth.
2.Pour the mixture into 8 individual popsicle molds. Freeze until completely firm.

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What are you thankful for today?

trusting...

 

Any injury or illness that changes your quality of life has the potential to bring not only physical pain, but a fair amount of emotional turmoil as well. Historically, my first instict has been to ignore or gloss over pain of any kind. (What? No, I'm fine. Do we have margaritas?) However, I'm finding that if you ignore what your body and feelings are telling you for long enough, they will crank up the volume...until you have no other choice but to listen. Pain is there for a reason. It's there to teach you something. Always.

In the midst of the storm, it's not always easy to understand the lesson. (And who wants to search for pearls of wisdom while they're getting pummeled, anyway?) In the meantime, we cope however we can. During the downpours, there are always a million and one ways to react. Some of my favorites: kick and scream, pretend it's not happening, throw a lavish pity party, ask for help, talk to no one, wish things were different, pray things get better, accept things as they are, find the humor, find distractions, worry and then worry some more...just to name a few.

Lately, I've been playing around with a new concept: to let go and trust. Trust that it's going to be ok. Trust that everything happens for a reason. And trust that I will grow and learn (when, and if, that's what's meant to happen). I'm hopeful that my latest trip to the hospital was the last stepping stone on my road to recovery. But I'm starting to trust that even if things don't unfold exactly as I imagine, everything is happening exactly as it needs to. I realize that trusting may not always be easy or what I choose to do, but knowing that I was able to trust at this moment, somehow makes me hopeful that it will be easier to find my way back.

-via Pinterest

thankful thursday: 9

This thankful thursday is going to be short and sweet. I just got out of the hospital an hour ago (so I can't be held responsible for anything I say for the next few hours due to the anesthesia hang-over...or operate heavy machinery). I'm told the procedure went well. They injected the steroid directly into the piriformis muscle.The hope is that the muscle and surrounding tissue will become less inflamed and decontinue (that's not a word is it?) eliminate the compression on the sciatic nerve. And therefore, stop the shooting pain that runs from the pelvis/tailbone area down my leg.

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After a week or so, I should be able to start stretching out these muscles and hopefully heal this area once and for all! I don't know if I'll need to see another physical therapist to ensure this is done properly, or what exactly the next steps will be, but for today I am SUPER thankful this procedure is over. I'm grateful everything went well. I'm trusting that this was exactly what I needed to begin to heal. Now I'm going to take a nap and dream about my soon-to-be pain-free, graceful, agile, and strong new body.

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Thank you for all your prayers and support. I'm grateful. 

What are you thankful for today?