Thankful Thursday

Halloween party this week? Awesome. Nolan and our friend John did an amazing job decorating (which I didn't really get a picture of, sad!), and we had great food, drinks, and a fantastic turnout. I want to say 40-50, though you can't tell at all from this picture taken early in the evening. That's Nolan in the front with the fake beard.

 At the party, I introduced myself to one of the applicants...who was someone I already knew! It was bizarre and awesome. I've known this guy since like 7th grade, and here he is randomly showing up in our garage to woo Nolan and his colleagues. I'd apologize for the picture quality, but it was N who left the flash on. Oh well.

 Here's our little treat table too! Most of the food was over by the grill, and of course the sangria and the apple cider had their own set ups...but these s'more pops (left) and pumpkin pie cupcakes (back) took forever to make! So I wanted a picture for posterity. You can ignore the bowls of bread and spinach dip in the front - those just happened to be on the same table :)

Later that night sometime, my mountain bike was stolen. Someone literally crept through our gate in the back, looking for something to steal, and my bike was closest and probably easiest. So sad! And creepy that someone was back there while I was sleeping literally 15 feet above (I could've seen it happen through my bedroom window). A friend described a guy she saw creeping around the neighbourhood late, and I sent it on to the police. But I seriously doubt anything will come of it. At least they're aware.

I was really sad about it at first, and Nolan helped me figure out why, because even though it was just a thing, it represented a lot that I won't go into detail about here. But I also had some great times of reflection that day on how my bike being taken was a good thing. I mean, it could have been Nolan's bike, and that would have been much worse. Or it could have been all the bikes! We had all 5 out there that night because we needed more space in the garage (we usually have them locked up inside). Or there could have been nothing out there and the guy might have tried to come into the garage or into the house! Or he could have walked around to our neighbour's area in the back and taken her stuff or gone inside her house. So really, it could have been so much worse. And it made me realize what's important. Because even though symbolically that bike was really special, when I think about other things that have made me feel really sad like that, a missing bike is nowhere NEAR as bad as some of the other situations. So I'm saying my goodbye, and we'll start looking for a new bike sometime in the future. Sigh.

So with that:

1. I'm thankful it was just my bike that was taken. And thankful for our safety.
2. I'm thankful the Halloween party went so well! But I'm also thankful it's over, haha. A lot of work!
3. I'm thankful for fun new things happening at work! I like to be challenged, so this is good.
4. I'm thankful we're in "The Holidays" now. At least, I like to think of it as the time between Halloween and New Year's. It's my favourite time of year, and I feel almost giddy!
5. I'm thankful next week is recovery week for my workout cycle. It means I'll get a little bit more rest and sleep, and I could use some of both!

What are you thankful for?