Catching up on gratitude

As I sit in my parent's kitchen waiting for my cup of tea to steep (second one this morning, oh how I'm needing caffeine!), I'm wondering how I let so many weeks go by without posting my gratitude. My consulation is that I haven't neglected my gratitude journal altogether, but I haven't kept up with my posting of that gratitude. So, forgive me, this may be a long list....

September 27th
443. energy to attend worship when we got in from Hong Kong
445. (yes, I accidentally miscounted in my journal :)) time with my sister-in-law
446. beautiful fall weather in Madrid
447. meeting up with distant family in a distant country
448. "Brand New Serrano"
449. a weekend roaming around Madrid with my husband and daughter
450. always perfect weather for helado
451. yum! dulce de leche helado
452. continuing to provide for Charlotte's medical care in our transient life
453. sweet, sweet baby news from friends!!
454. watching our baby girl toddle around the apartment
455. Charlotte's facination with telephones
456. the time (however short) that we got to live in Madrid and how my faith has grown because of it

September 28th
457. sleeping until my alarm went off!
458. precious, quiet minutes/hours in the dark morning
459. my sweet baby girl taking a bowl off my head and putting it back "on" - me getting bonked in the head in the process!
460. reflecting on mine and Charlotte's first visit to Parque Berlin - 7 months ago - how my baby has grown!
461. leftovers
462. double dessert surprises (I surprise husband with cake, he surprises me with pastry :))
463. ironing Brendan's work shirts..and enjoying it
463. listening to the Spirit to hold our stuff lightly, and be willing to give how He leads us
464. green snot almost gone! (not mine, Charlotte's)
465. excitement rather than dread for the coming day after reflecting on God's gifts this day...what does He have in store for tomorrow?!

September 29th
466. our friend, Riley, watching over our house and possessions in Raleigh
467. no more ammonia smell in the kitchen! (cleaning supplies were picked up today!)
468. Brendan totally surprised us and came home early
469. getting Charlotte ready for bed with Brendan...on a weeknight! Yay!
470. Charlotte pulling clothes out of the washer while I'm hanging them out on the line...she's so easily entertained!
471. the cool evening air that smells like fall

September 30th
472. Charlotte toddling around and dancing to worship music - in only a diaper!
473. embracing Charlotte's "cause & effect" learning stage :)
474. smell of winter squash roasting in the oven
475. thinking I lost Charlotte's shot records - the Lord reminding me where they were!
476. Charlotte playing with all her stuffed animals in her crib...it sounded like she was giving them names :)

October 2nd
477. enjoying a TV show (Castle) with my husband
478. our daughter sleeping in on a Saturday morning
479. a family "nap" on the grass on Castellana
480. watching our daughter walk (and run!) around like a big girl at the playground
481. carousel rides and Corte Ingles on Serrano
482. having fun together as a family to celebrate Charlotte's birthday a little early
483. so yummy nachos! (wish we'd tried this restaurant a little sooner :))
484. tarta de Oreo for Charlotte's early birthday sweet
485. baguettes
486. people - families - enjoying beautiful weather outside on Madrid terrazas
487. an old man in his cardigan reading the paper and sipping some coffee drink on a terraza
488. leaves falling down around us as we walked down Castellana
489. iron gate balconies
490. a husband and daughter to walk down Castellana with...my little family

October 4th
491. chasing Charlotte around the park
492. my tooth temporarily fixed
493. a timely bonus to cover the cost of permanently fixing my tooth
494. clothing for 2 "ladies" in 1 suitcase
495. changes becoming the "norm" over time
496. Brendan's sweet competitiveness
497. playing games with my husband
498. this question: "Do you think Charlotte will notice I'm gone?"
499. this response (from Charlotte): Upon seeing a picture of Brendan, she says "Dada"

October 5th
500. feeling ready for travel
501. positive news about Daddy Jack's cancer
502. anticipation of seeing friends and family SOON!
503. 9 months in Madrid (interestingly, this time - Feb-Oct - is the same 9 months I was pregnant with Charlotte last year)
504. walking home from work with Brendan
505. Brendan killing the ants under the kitchen sink
506. our air "smooches"

October 9th
507. empty seats next to us in all 4 of our flights home
508. surprising my grandparents

October 12th
509. being home
510. my grandmother's wonderful gift of hospitality
511. Brendan's safe flights to Hong Kong
512. seeing old friends
513. relaxing in the country
514. seeing my family play with my almost-1-year-old daughter
515. God working in hundreds of small ways during our travel to TX last week - even if I don't remember every single one
516. friends in Raleigh picking us up and providing us a place to stay the night
517. Charlotte recognizing Daddy's voice
518. Charlotte understands and says "no" :)
519. little girl giggling as she plays on the floor with pillows
520. yummy food I've missed
521. tortillas for Charlotte
522. looking at old pictures of my brother and I
523. adjusting to jet lag

November 6th
524. amazing colors in the West Texas sky in the minutes before sunrise - and being able to see the whole sky
525. time to really talk to my brother
526. family meals at my grandparent's house
527. catching up with an old friend and watching our daughters play together
528. spending time with family - even if it means weeks away from my husband, who I really miss
529. Charlotte chasing the kitties at Papa and Popo's house and saying "Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi" to them
530. a new homemade enchilada recipe - yummy, yummy, yummy!
531. pumpkin spice doughnuts
532. Charlotte spending the afternoon with her great-grandparents

Ah! Cup of tea is finished. So is this really long gratitude post. :)