A Welcoming Happy June

Hey, hey, hey. It is still June and I am posting my second list of gratitude post of the month. I do better this month already than the previous, I think.

I cannot fail to mention Father's Day. I special mention, Paul, who's been a great father: a tennis dad to a varsity teen who won doubles for the state of Colorado, a basketball dad to his son playing varsity this summer for his school, a math tutor, a life skills coach, and the sole financial provider to two lucky kids. Look at him enjoying his Margarita on his night. I thought he would order something hard but with just a lady's drink he had a smile from ear to ear.

I thank the thoughtful people who brought cupcakes and cookies in the nurse's lounge one day. I don't even know who brought them. Sometimes, I'd see a card or a sign who the treats are from. But on days we are so busy on the floor to take a coffee break, my hungry tummy, sure, is glad to find quick snacks I can stuff in my sugar hungry mouth, and run back to the busy floor. 

I found this free app on iOs (also available on Android) called Text to Jesus. I write a word or two about what I am thinking about. And then it responds in a form of a short reading from the bible. One time I sent the screenshot of the reading to my teens. I did not get any response but maybe a picture is worth a thousand words? Oh well, I sent this, 

Do to others as you would have them do to you," Luke 6:31. 

No text back from my teens. But I am thinking, it is not me nagging at them. These are words from the Bible so maybe they would listen. This app is for me as well. If I need an inspiration or a reading, I use the app. Half of the times, it is right on and it eases my mind. I don't carry a Bible around but my phone, I carry most of the times. The app comes handy.

My city had a ten-day art fest. My daughter and I participated in painting a mural to be displayed later. Look at her posing proud in front of the piece.

I finished a 5K on a 100-degree weather. The fact that I finished it is an accomplishment on its own, never mind my speed. Heck, I still earned a medal even though I walked all the shady areas. When I said, "I walked," I slowly walked. A friendly dog on my way gave me a slobbery lick on my hand. Maybe it thought I could use some hydration. Anyway, I helped raise funds for heart and stroke patients. It is a good sacrifice to make.

My family discovered a nearby Mexican restaurant that was pretty good. We passed it by many times before but it is away from the road that we did not notice it until I read the reviews in Yelp. We will eat there again.

Snowball looks like he posed for the picture but my poodle was just resting on a hard medicine ball. I don't know why of all places he rested there but he looks so cute.

And lastly but the greatest gratitude of all--my son loved the Welcome Home cake we got for him from being away for high school for a year. He is back home full time. The cake is Tres Leches cake which is a light, wet-whipped-creamy cake we all enjoyed. It is a sweet ending to the sort-of-boot-camp-high-school of one year. He is 18 now and I realize his move may not last a long time. I am hoping he'd go to college but he may move out of our home before then as he is working a lot these days and saving up for a car and an apartment. No matter what, I wish him happiness and self sufficiency.

And that concludes my post for the month. Next time I will write about our vacation to California. 

Have a good rest of the month, my friends.

Click the picture to read more gratitude posts by my blog friends.

Growing Teens This Spring

A month has passed, and I have not posted anything! Did you miss me? LOL. I am alive and doing great.

Here are my gratitude list and the reasons why I am occupied.

1. My first born just graduated from high school. Two years ago, I did not even imagine this is possible as he was skipping days and sometimes months of school. He turned around and took extra credits to graduate on time on top of working full time as a new young manager at a pizza chain.
2. He requested to eat at Red Lobster. Where we are, I was not too impressed with their lobster and shrimp, but this night, it was awesome. The seafood including mussels was fresh, we had a blast for his graduation dinner. He even apologized that the meals were expensive. I was like, where did this teen come from? It was his graduation night.
3. My house got hit hard by golfball-sized hail last month. It is not to be thankful for. My siding and roof are damaged, but I just got my first check from my insurance yesterday to pay my contractor for replacement.
4. My son, yes the one who's behaving so differently got me a mother's day card with his artsy work all over it. He even thanked me for being his mother and father. I was so touched. His dad is almost non-existent, especially after our divorce. I feel so appreciated.
5. Look at my handsome son in his senior picture!
6. Paul has to be silly in our dinner picture, of course.
7. My son on his graduation gown makes it more real that he really did graduate. LOL.
8. He gave me a long-stemmed rose for the first time on Mother's day. It also marks my 18th year of being a mom. The only other time he gave me a flower was when he was six. He was so proud to give me a dandelion. I reminded this to him, and he just laughed.
9. What's more from my son? He gave me a Teddy bear for Mother's day!
10. My daughter, of course, as sweet as she is, gave me a gift and a card for Mother's day. This is the first Mother's day we were all together in the last few years. It was indeed very special. I think the used-to-be defiant teens left the house for good.  I have my teens and my home back!

Read more gratitude post through TToT blog.