Thankful Thursday

Last week, Nolan informed me that his obsession with Babybels finally took its revenge. Lesson learned here: don't leave Babybel cheese wax in your car on a warm day. Oh yeah - this was really fun to clean up.

 One of my little treats recently was to summerize myself. Since the days are longer and the temperatures warmer, I decided I need to start dressing the part. So I tapped into my swimteam days and put a little sunshine in my hair. Best part was still the stylist washing and massaging my head though - I swear, I go to salons just for that!

Since we're in recap mode also, I guess I should write a little about our hunts. The house hunt has all but dried up. There is little to no inventory for us to even consider, so we're kind of just playing the waiting game until something comes on the market. It's an adventure, and I can honestly say that I view it that way. I'm learning to live my life with less grip on the reins, and this is one area in which I have almost no anxiety anymore. 

As far as the puppy hunt goes...it couldn't be more opposite! We're all but holding our little pet in our arms! I've been filling out forms and chatting with the breeder, but last week I went to a dog show and I got to not only meet her, but also meet the Sire for our pup-to-be. This is a picture of him from a recent show - isn't he handsome?! I can't even tell you how bubbly I was with excitement after meeting all 70ish Vizslas at the dog show. This is 110% the dog breed for us! The Sire (below) is named Riot, and comes from an ancient line of Vizslas that was actually stagnant (dead), and then re-started via frozen materials. The mother-to-be is from an imported family of Vizslas in Hungary...so our pup will be the cream of the crop! SO EXCITED!!!

After I went to the dog show, I drove into SF to meet Nolan and some of our friends for a late lunch at Burma Superstar. We've tried for 7 years to go to this place, and each time it just hasn't worked out for one reason or another. Finally going there was a small victory! I had the tea leaf salad and it is absolutely all that the Food Network and other ravers say it is :) Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture that day, so this is the best I got (see the orange sign in the distance...haha!).

As you can see, we stopped for Boba afterwards as a treat for the drive home. Haven't had that nectar in years! So.worth.it. 

Fortunately for you, my readers, I went BACK to Burma Superstar yesterday with a friend, and got the tea leaf salad again (and so did she because it's BOMB), and this time I remembered to take a picture. Mine is the mixed together one and hers was about to be mixed. Same thing though. They actually go to Burma to get the fermented tea leaves, because you can't get them here. Tasty!

 I started posting signs for Nolan celebrating his last shifts in residency! As exciting as this is, neither of us are on Facebook much, so when I started posting these each day and tagging him, he informed me that I need to stop. Hah! So...I'll just celebrate here at home so he doesn't get so many notifications :) I can't believe we're down to just 8!

And on that note:

1. I'm thankful there are only 8 (7 as of tomorrow morning!) shifts left in residency for Nolan. I can't for him to start working less hours and have more time to pursue other passions.

2. I'm thankful for the "7 year itch". Personally and also relationally, this has been a huge season of growth for us. It hasn't been easy, but the horizon is blindingly bright and we're so excited about opportunities for growth and getting to know ourselves and each other more! Who knew that such a wives' tale could be such a beautiful thing? Growth and struggle are always > complacency and mediocrity.

3. I'm thankful for 8 more days of me working out of the San Francisco office. I love working at Corporate Headquarters, and now that we're down to the home stretch  before I go to full-time working at home, it's sad and a little scary to think of leaving it. I'll have to find lots of excuses to make the drive to the city very often.

4. I'm thankful for things God's bigger plan. Even though we technically don't have an address to move to and need to be out of here by the end of the month, and even though there are a lot of unknowns in our near future, I'm learning more and more each day that all of these little things are known and planned and purposed. Why worry about tomorrow when today has trouble enough of its own? And such lovely troubles they are, when we're so blessed to have these types of "first-world problems". Seriously. Whenever I feel stressed or worried or pity myself I remember how many people I know or read about or see that have so much more on their plates and such burdens on their lives, and still reflect joy. This is like when Nolan told me he saw a patient in the ER who came in because she had a hangnail. A HANGNAIL. That's how I feel, with my little worries, compared to the person struggling in the next bed.

5. I'm thankful for graduation this weekend, because it means we have lots of excuses to celebrate, see family and friends, and really just enjoy our last times together with the other residents. Truly bittersweet, this whole "finishing" thing.

What are you thankful for?