Things I can appreciate about life

Last year around this time, I wrote a post on gratitude, and how I felt it was important to express it year-round. Well, a whole year has gone by, and here I am around the Thanksgiving holiday looking back at how often I really took the time to appreciate the people and things in my life. Appreciation is a funny thing. You can feel it, deep inside, sitting all warm and fuzzy within your body, but that doesn't necessarily mean you're showing it and/or expressing it openly. At least, such is the case for me. I'm working on that. The YouVersion app has a good reading plan on Thankfulness, and it's a quick read. When I fall behind, it's easy to catch up.

I wrote a post a little while back on the few things that made me smile that day, and I'm outrageously grateful for those moments. They may be small, but those moments are important. There's so much in my world I'm thankful for. No matter what's going on, I always have a laundry list of things I can appreciate about life - my life. As I sit here typing this post, my mother is in the background (all warm in cozy in my apartment), asking if I have corn meal in my kitchen. I tell her "no, probably not," and she takes it upon herself to check my cupboards to make sure. She's making quite a bit of noise, all while I'm trying to concentrate on writing this post, and lo' and behold she's found some.

"See! You don't even know what you have in this kitchen..."

I started to get slightly irritated because I wanted some time alone this afternoon, but I'm thankful to have her around and close, especially during the holidays when being near family just feels... right.

So, for the second time this year (and because sometimes you just have to encourage yourself)(and because I'm going to try to make this an consistent themed post around here)(maybe a link-up?), here are some things that made me smile recently.

• Shake shack has come to Atlanta. I used to write comments on their instagram pictures asking if/when they'd come to ATL. My foodie prayers have been answered.
• The love I get from my friends on a regular basis. Even the ones I take forever to call/text back. My inner circle is God-sent.

• The fact that my mom just found some corn meal to make her homemade corn bread. #Winning
• Cheering for the home team (Go, Pistons!) even though they lost against the Hawks last night. 
• This mug, from Spencer's. (I didn't buy it.)
• Pup-sitting Brody (pictured above)

*raises a glass of Malbec* Here's to more moments that make me smile.

♥