Gratitude Call

Yesterday I received a beautiful message from a dear friend, Charles. He was making his "gratitude calls". How amazing is that, seriously!

I thought about how warm his call left me feeling. The call wasn't just about thanks for the fun projects we are working on together. He actually thanked me for being me. Can you imagine? Profound. It left me thinking about the people I am grateful for just because they are: Jon, Robbi, my mom, Brian. The list is long and if you are reading this, I'm grateful. Guess I need to make a few calls.

Beyond the love that surrounds us, I'm grateful for the simple things.

Dylan and I are on a mini-vacation at his grandparent's in Portland. Yesterday, we spent a beautiful morning at the farmer's market. Do you see how grateful Dylan is for the banana bread his papa purchased for him (see picture)? I took my camera and shot a few pics of colorful, fresh veggies. Wow, how lucky we are to have such simple beauty in our lives. I'm grateful for that and so much more. Life is good.

Harry Hogwart Tacoma

Magical beasts, crystal amulets and the kids made wands too. Wish someone could've put a spell on me. Kids parties are dizzying and Dylan's 9th birthday was a Harry Potter bash. There were fifteen or more kids running round the backyard of the historic fire station we call home (North I ST behind Dave's Meat and Produce). At the end of the day the count of wounded soldiers was not high. One little girl will have glitter in her hair for at least a week, another had a muddy pant seat and my condo neighbors were kind about the a new mythical hiding spots in our hedge.

The childish good time turned into one of urban legend when my friend Josh delivered a gag gift to the birthday boy. What does a preteen want more than a Pokemon or the latest Transformer? Well, it is NOT a My Little Pony. Dylan's reaction was hilarious and he was a trooper-even in front of his little dudes.