Thankful Thursday | I feel rich! (in data)
This week, I am thankful:
for Mint Mobile
I am seriously reveling in having so much cellular data available each month. I feel positively rich in data!
Even though it feels to me like I am using SO MUCH DATA, I am barely scratching the surface of the 4 gigs I get each month.
And it's only $15/month, which is amazing.
(We used to be with Ting, and you have to keep your data super low with Ting in order to keep your bill down. That's why I feel rich now!)
for the window light by my desk
I am seriously still so delighted to have all this light when I am at my computer!
that I do not have to choose nursing based on salary
One of my classmates was telling me this week that she wants to do lip injections as an R.N. after she graduates because you can make a lot of money doing that.
And that made me think how glad I am that I have the privilege of choosing what I want to do without considering pay so heavily. Mr. FG and I will probably be empty-nesters by the time I graduate, and God-willing, he will still have his job with all the associated benefits.
Plus, we are solidly in the middle of adult life, so we already own cars and a home and such.
Basically, this means that I can choose a nursing path that feels important and fulfilling to me even if it earns me less money; I don't think there's anything wrong with doing cosmetic work, but I would not be motivated to do all of this school if lip injecting was what I had to do at the end!
that I hear from Lisey so regularly
I'm happy we get to text and call pretty often!
for Lisey's volunteer hangar gig
My aunt and uncle introduced her to someone local that runs a mission that rehabs old planes, and she's now volunteering there. I'm not clear on the details, but this mission is somehow involved with Russia, and some people that work there speak Russian!
You may remember that prior to aviation mechanic school, Lisey was pursuing a degree in Russian, so the fact that there is a local place that combines her love for airplanes with her interest in the Russian language is just....wild.
And I am thankful that my aunt and uncle were so kind to think of this for her.
that I am feeling better about my muscle assignments
I have another exam on Monday, this time on muscles and muscle movements. I spent a bunch of time yesterday reviewing, filling out worksheets, and making flashcards, and I am feeling more confident now.
Identifying the muscles is not the hard part; it's remembering all the various movements!
But after another few days of review, I think I should be all right going into Monday's exam.
that the kitten Lisey rescued is doing well
She and a friend found a bedraggled little kitten on the side of the road.
He definitely needed medical care, so they brought him to a no-kill shelter, and apparently he is doing much better now.
that I've made friends with lots of classmates
On the first day of class, it seemed like this was a class of 100% quiet people.
But, I've initiated conversations with quite a few of them now as we wait in the hall for the lab to open up each week.
And it's also helped that our professor has broken us into smaller groups; I think it's way easier to get to know people that way.
Since literally every other student in this class is young enough to be one of my kids, I felt a little out of place at first. But apparently, you can bond over long lists of anatomy terminology regardless of your age, so, yay!
for the sun today
Two days of zero sun come afterward, so I am making sure to appreciate the sunlight today.
And tomorrow I will try to appreciate the coziness of a rainy day. 😉
that Mr. FG can always fix my computer problems
I'm sure I could figure this stuff out if I absolutely had to. But I am not remotely interested in learning how, and since I am married to him, I can stay blissfully ignorant of how to fix broken CPU fans and such.
I will stick to learning how to fix broken human bodies.
(which is a topic that he is not remotely interested in!)
We are in a rainy day right now -- I woke up to pouring rain and drove through a downpour to work. But, I'm thankful that:
1. The rain keeps me from having to water my seedlings today.
2. That yesterday was cool enough that I got to wear my new (company provided) dressy work shirt to work. The last time I ordered my two free Lands End shirts, I selected ones for cool weather.
3. That it looks strongly like one of the grandkids is going to be a lefty. My mother was and my husband and his nephew are lefties, so this is a neat thing to see pop up in another generation. Oh, and I'm thankful that it's no longer considered appropriate to try to force lefties to switch hands. Both my mother and my husband had a couple of teachers who tried to make them switch.
4. That the knock on the door after I got home at dark last night was just my neighbors checking on me to see how I'm doing.
5. That I was able to reverse a charge for a movie I ordered accidentally through Prime, and that I remembered to go ahead and put a pin number on my purchasing, so that shouldn't happen again. Oops.
Mr. FG and I are both lefties, as is Sonia! And my goodness, yes, thank heavens they don't try to force lefties to use the other hand now.
@JD, I believe my first-born grandchild is a lefty, too. His baseball-loving dad was salivating at the idea of a left-handed pitcher who also batted left. Alas, left to his own devices, it appears he may bat right but throw left (this severely limits the prospects in baseball, though he is still hoping for a left-handed pitcher). But he's just-turned-five, so who knows? I do wish we could teach him how to properly hold his pencil as a lefty. Right now it is downright painful to watch.
@Kristen,
I thought you would appreciate that one!
@JD,
We were so excited that our oldest turned out to be a lefty since my Mom and my father-in-law are both left handed.
@JD, We have 4 lefties in our household of 10. I'm one, and it's fun 🙂
@Kristen, we have no lefties on either side of our family and our oldest is left-handed, right from the time he picked up a spoon or crayon. 4-5 of the other boys he played with as a child were also lefties! Hmmm… was it in the water?!?!
I imagine not needing to worry about money also means you can have more flexibility on schedule too and how much you work. My neighbor is a labor and delivery nurse but also is home a lot with her kids (I think the 12 hour shifts also help with that)
I’m grateful for the rainstorm we had over the weekend, very much needed here for both the drought and to end the wildfire season! Plus we didn’t have to go anywhere on the stormiest day so it was nice sitting inside and watching the storm.
I’m grateful that my son is feeling well enough today to go to school given that it’s their Halloween party today! He was sent home early on Tuesday for having an excessively runny nose and it was still runny yesterday so we kept him home. It seems to be better today though, I think I’m more excited than him since this is his first time being in school so first school parties!
1. For the unbelievably beautiful weather this week. Sunlight, high clear blue skies, changing leaves, breezes…glorious is the only word to describe it. Gosh I love the fall!
2. That my husband and I were able to chaperone our son’s first field trip yesterday to a pumpkin patch. This was a chance to play with kiddos all day in the sunshine and we had so much fun! So grateful for the chance to see the world through children’s eyes.
3. For some rain for my garden today because I have been too busy to be diligent with watering and there is nothing like rain water for a garden.
4. For a well stocked pantry and freezer leading to ease in putting together meals for my family and takes away the hectic vibe from my evenings week over week.
5. For my love for gardening and the knowledge that we have gained each year as we plant. I love that we can grow so much of the produce we eat and enjoy each year. It is satisfying and healthy and a wonderful hobby that I never feel badly about investing time into. Even when we are busy I can still look out of our windows and see that my garden is continuing to grow and gives me lots of opportunities to learn more and do more.
Happy happy Thursday!!!
Wow on the Russians and planes connection!
And your comments on what kind of RN you wish to be (other than a great one!) are certainly something to be thankful for.
Today I am thankful for things to laugh at, especially with my sister as we are reminded of things from our childhood.
I am thankful for a warm and dry house.
I am sort-of-thankful the weather is getting colder, and I am definitely thankful I live where the seasons change.
Lots of thankfuls mostly around one not-frugal incident this week - my purse was stolen while I was pumping gas on the other side of the car. **A heads-up to anyone like me that kept their handbag on the front seat near them to maybe consider popping it in the floorboard behind you. It might save you a headache later on. ☹**
1. Thankful my son and I weren't hurt and all they took was my purse. Everything they took was replaceable in time.
2. Thankful I was holding my credit card and car keys (apparently it's common to steal keys and go straight to the homeowner's house)
3. Thankful for the kind strangers who found my intact wallet that the thieves tossed nearby and hunted down a contact number. My identification was all in there, so no replacing the government ID needed.
4. For finding some of the other contents of my purse near the wallet, including some gift cards my kids had given me to 'keep safe!'
5. For phone insurance and cloud storage. Replacing it has been a hassle, as my phone was my 'brain,' but it could have been much worse.
6. Grateful that God cares about the little stuff too, like a purse snatching.
7. On a sweet side- for a son that cares enough about others to come donate blood with me for the first time this weekend. He's 16 and I was so proud to be there with him!
Thanks for the sweet reminders to rejoice, Kristen!
@Amanda P., I continue to be appalled by people who leave their children in their unlocked cars while they run inside a store for “just a minute.” I have made myself learn to lock my car even while I’m pumping gas.
Oh, I'm so glad you guys are safe and also that you did not have to replace any of your government IDs. Those are such a headache to replace!
Yay that you both donated blood!
@Amanda P., I am glad that wasn't worse for you. Years ago, someone tried to steal my car at a self-service car wash while I was drying it off. The only thing that stopped him was that I outran him and jumped into the driver's seat. Ever since then, I lock the car while getting gas and use the kind of car wash where I stay inside while it's pulled through the wash.
@Amanda P.,
I am so glad you and you son were not hurt during the theft. What a scary incident!
@Jennifer J., please don’t ever lock your kids in the car while pumping gas…it’s very dangerous! Ideally you should get gas without the kids, but if you have to have them with you, they should be out of the car (or at least unbuckled from their carseats) in case you have to make a hasty exit.
@Jules the First, wait, what? Take toddlers out of car into dangerous area with chemicals and moving vehicles? How would the hasty exit work? Am I missing something?
I cannot personally imagine doing this. I filled my car up with gas with my kids in it on the regular when they were small and were always with me.
I'm thankful that Lisey and her friend showed compassion and rescued that poor baby kitty. I'm thankful he is doing better now. Now he has a chance.
I'm thankful that this very morning, I was able to assist my little sister with her dairy-free ice cream quest! She lives in a different state, in a rural area (just the basics are an hour away, and specialty items are 4+ hours) and is allergic to dairy. She'd basically given up on finding ice cream since alternative milk already requires an expedition. I checked Target on a whim and found the very brand I had suggested* to her--Cado Avocado Ice Cream**--for $3 less than Whole Foods, where I discovered it! (Mind, I only bought it during WF's summer 50% ice cream off sale, because yeowzer, is it pricey otherwise.) I sent her photographs of the ingredients list, and bingo, we have a winner! She actually has Targets within the 4+ driving distance and can check via the app whether her local stores have the ice cream in stock for her next big shopping trip. We are both very happy! Ice cream is a true simple pleasure that one shouldn't be denied.
*I've no need to be dairy free, but 1) I'm happy to try new things on sale and 2) I want to know I'm bringing/suggesting tasty things to friends and family who do have to be careful. When I worked at a hippie grocery store and was able to try write-off items for free, I was shocked at how many alternatives for dairy, vegetarian, etc. just tasted AWFUL!
**Oatly, Tofutti, and CoolHaus are also good brands to look for.
Yep, that's been Sonia's experience too...some of those dairy alternatives are just flat-out not worth eating!
She really likes the Chobani oat milk, so I am hoping Chobani continues to come out with some more dairy-free items.
@Kristen, oooh, I’ve not seen or noticed the Chobani brand oat milk—I’ll keep a look-out. Thank you for the suggestion!
Sonia says it is by far the best non-dairy milk that she has tried!
@Kristen, I’m dairy free for some years now and I found after a while if I retry products that I previously deemed awful that my ever changing taste buds felt differently the second time around. I actually (dare I say it) like violife cheese and cream cheese and tofutti sour cream! Oui has a great DF yogurt but sadly it’s loaded with sugar, as is all the DF ice creams and bars but they are nice to have as a treat. I hope your daughter will have the same experience with finding acceptable alternatives to dairy products. I say acceptable because honestly there is NO perfect replacement for cheese!
Oh, I am so glad that little kitty is doing better. That poor baby definitely needed help.
My big thankful involves a dear friend who developed serious complications after heart surgery last week (a stroke from blood clots and then pneumonia). Although he has lost the ability to speak and swallow due to a partially paralyzed throat, his mind is intact and he's proven clever about communicating with hand gestures.
The other thankfuls are the routine things I never stop being grateful for: the power of prayer, my sweet family, my devoted, hardworking husband, and our wonderful gang of rescued critters whose antics keep the blues at bay.
I am super thankful that my daughter completed her nov 1st due date college apps 2 weeks ahead of the deadline. Her friends are scrambling this week while she’s already gotten 3 acceptances! She still has 3 to submit with later deadlines.
I am thankful for my husband who is so very family-centered. He’s always up for helping in whatever way any of us need.
I am thankful my mom’s move into a full service retirement community with step up care has gone so smoothly. Her house sale closes next week and while there have been minor bumps, nothing major!
I am thankful for my job. I worked part time for many years then went full time 2 years ago. This has taken some pressure off my husband who was our primary wage earner as we’re now more equal.
I am thankful for the Libby app, my community who supports our library and the authors that write the books I enjoy.
@Susan, I love Libby, too! My daughter downloads books suitable for the little ones to listen to. This helps my busy homeschool schedule so much because the little ones get some literature listening, and I have something to entertain them while I work with the older children.
@Jody S., I am a huge fan of audio books for kids! My kids are older now, but when they were young we always had a book going in the car. They all have excellent vocabularies which I do not think is a coincidence!
It’s been a rough week for many of the people that I love. My heart hurts for them, so this is a much needed exercise.
I am grateful for the wonder of cell phones. There are few things that I enjoy more than hearing from my adult children. They send photos, call me on the way home from work and text me quick questions. I appreciate this especially when they are so far away.
I am thankful, as always, for Rescue Pup and Calico Kitty who are much company when my house is temporarily empty. Also, I am thankful this emptiness is only temporary.
I am grateful to have a new paying project. As we approach retirement, there are a few things that I want to take care of before it happens.
Wishing you all the blessings of good health and peace!
How awesome that Lisey found an opportunity that combines her interests!
This week I am thankful for
1. All the wonderful words of condolences from this group following my Mother's passing. Even though I have never met you, your words provided much need comfort and support. Y'all are an amazing group of caring people and I greatly appreciate you.
2. For my wonderful supportive husband. He has taken such good care of me during these difficult days.
3. My son finally finding a job. He had put in so many applications but was getting little feedback.
4. Cooler weather so I can comfortably wear sweaters to work without roasting when I go outside but still stay warm in my very cold office.
5. Online grocery orders, while not really frugal they have been a blessing for these weeks when I have not felt up to going to the store. Having groceries in the house has kept us from ordering take-out so that kind of offsets the additional cost of online ordering.
@Beverly, Keep hanging in there; it does get better. It's been 2 years since my mother passed, and it is so different now. Earlier this week, I had a vivid dream of Mom, and I woke up just happy that I could spend that time with how my mind remembered her. . . .and not cry.
@Beverly, my mom has been gone for 21 years but I still have dreams of her ,now they bring her back for a while. I look forward to those extra times.
@Colleen Gold, I'm so glad I'm not alone in this. I felt so silly explaining it to others. Thank you so much for this.
I am thankful for the beautiful sunshine we have been blessed with the last couple of days and the gorgious colours of the leave changing.
I am thankful that my dog is always up and ready to join me for extensive walks.
I am thankful for a bucket full of apples from a friend's tree. They have been all turned into applesauce by me yesterday. I agree with Kristen that homemade applesauce is the best.
I am looking forward to a three day weekend (Monday Allsaints) and the plans and socializing I have for each day.
1. For an overnight trip to the mountains to get away this week when the kids had a couple days off school. The leaves were gorgeous and it was just a nice change of scenery.
2. That 3 books I had requested from the library a while back all became ready for me this week. All of them are ones I’m excited to read and looking forward to curling up and reading during the next few rainy days.
3. That Halloween looks like good weather for my son to trick or treat.
4. For the beautiful changing leaves. Many are turning colors on the roads I travel and it always makes me smile.
5. That my family and I are safe, healthy and have all that we need.
That is so crazy about the Russian and airplane thing. What are the odds of that?! How wonderful!
I am grateful:
For my son’s school and teacher. He really likes it and that is a blessing.
For my mom’s group. I didn’t go last year with covid and then my kids were sick so I finally got to go this week and it was so nice.
For our couple friends with little kids. We are going to see them for Halloween and it is so nice to get together with people going through the same phase of life, and the kids have fun playing together.
For our big discount grocery store in town. They have tons of awesome bulk deals as well as tons of specialty products and international products.
And they clearance out their old-ish produce into big bags for just a dollar.
For the fall colors. Nature is so beautiful and fall is by far the most enjoyable season in Wisconsin.
Kristen: After being a nurse for 28 years I have a few suggestions for you. Work casual to make better money and have all the flexibility you want. You will not like other people telling you when they need to work. Of course you can work as much ch as you want, but nursing is so volatile. I would suggest not going into a hospital setting. It is a nightmare with Covid. There are so many outpatient settings. Lots of speciality clinics, outpatient surgery, dermatology etc that would have only week day hours with no weekends or holidays. If u do decide hospital work is for you just know that weekends, holidays and 12 hr shifts will consume your life. Since family is high priority for most of us I am glad I work 4 days week while my kids are in school. As nurses we are in the drivers seat. We can set our own pay rate, hours we want to work and have a clear voice in what we will do and not do. Nursing has been a great career, but I am glad I am seeing the path to retirement.
Yes, I figure the fact that my income will be supplemental will work in my favor. I can be pretty picky about what shifts I want to work and how many hours.
I am seriously grateful that your daughter and her friend were so kind-hearted to stop and find help for that sweet little kitten! As a longtime cat rescuer, that warms my heart this morning. 🙂
I am thankful that we just got pre-approved to buy a house! We've been saving for years so it was really exciting to hear someone officially say it was time.
That I got a lot of work done this week. I've had days where the stress of what needed to get done made me almost physically ill. But things are improving as the deadlines are met.
I'm in a good place with my classes. Federal tax law has turned out to be super complicated, but I'm getting by.
That I get to take some time off this weekend instead of studying or working my side job.
That my friends surgery wasn't postponed.
Oh my goodness, federal tax law sounds very overwhelming. Kudos to you!
Just so you know, Kristen, I found muscle and bone anatomy to be THE HARDEST part of anatomy in medical school. I found almost every other aspect of anatomy and physiology to be easier. And the fact that you're doing it before nursing school means it'll be a breeze when you re-encounter it in nursing school!
Ooh, well, that is good to know! I keep hearing how terrible the nervous system unit is, so I've been feeling some dread.
@Kristen, yeah, the nervous system is also hard, but somehow I found it more interesting, which really helps!
First, a big shout-out to Lisey for all her wins, especially rescuing the kitten. You raised her right, Kristen.
Now, my TT:
(1) Thankful for my summer yard guy/winter snowplowing wizard, who not only did his usual efficient job of mowing/leaf removal today, but paid my NYC BFF a nice compliment. I'd introduced them when BFF visited here in August, and they'd chatted for a few minutes (the yard guy is originally from the Bronx). YG said to me today, "You know your friend from New York? When you said I was your 'indispensable helper,' she gave me a really big smile. That made me feel good." I grinned and said, "Well, now you see why she's my bestie." I'm fortunate beyond words to have them both.
(2) Thankful for a normal result on this year's mammogram. Since I come from a family with a breast cancer history as long as my arm, I'm grateful for every year I can keep kicking this can down the road.
(3) Thankful for a clear, dry day today, which enabled me to get some necessary yard work done.
(4) And thankful for my recently widowed friend up the street, who not only had me and several other friends to dinner on Sunday for what would have been her DH's 71st birthday, but encouraged me to take several full and partial bags of compost and potting soil that were the DH's. She's serious about not doing houseplants or gardening any more. (This was the household where I took away all those houseplants back in the summer.)
I'm grateful for electricity! We just had a major storm pass through, and so many homes in my town and the surrounding area lost power. Some areas are expected to be without power for up four days. I'm incredibly fortunate to have power and no storm damage.
My colleagues and I had the chance to spend part of the morning just stand around chatting due to our phone and internet service temporarily going down. Many times, we still do Zoom meetings even when most of us are in the office. This was a nice opportunity to take a break and have human contact.
I'm grateful that my younger puppy is recovering well from her spay earlier this week. Both dogs are so energetic that it's hard to keep her resting.
I'm grateful for overnight oats. They've become a staple of my diet since I returned to work on site. This morning I was able to resist the amazing cinnamon buns my coworker brought to share because I had filled up on my healthy and hearty oats.
I'm grateful for autumn. I love the cors, the tastes and the crispness of the season.
I'm thankful that:
*I made a playlist on our computer a couple of days ago, and I'm enjoying listening to it as I make supper.
*my husband and sons were able to help a friend with hauling some wood today.
*my son's college applications are done.
*my father's health has improved since he moved in with us.
*my youngest son gets REALLY excited about "doing" book club with me and his siblings.
*my children help me remember things.
*all my children have all the clothes they need for winter. I think.
*I really love the new clothes my husband ordered for me. And that he likes to buy me brand-new clothes sometimes.
*I have more things I'm thankful for than I have time to list! (Thanks for the practice, Kristen.)
Oh my goodness... What an amazing volunteer opportunity for Lisey!
This week I'm thankful:
* That the fall colors have arrived! They were so delayed with the warm October we had that I was afraid we'd miss them entirely, but this last week they've really popped and it's gorgeous.
* For nice weather today! My oldest is off school today and tomorrow and today was a beautiful day to go to the zoo! Also thankful that my brother gives us a membership for Christmas each year.
* That my youngest is happy again! She's been pretty mopey or depressed the last 2 months (I think a major routine change was really hard to cope with when she doesn't remember life before COVID) but she seems to have turned a corner a week ago and is doing SO much better! I had kind of forgotten what it was like to have her as a happy, lots of giggles, lots of playing little girl. I'm so glad she's back!!!
Thankful for:
The guy who flagged down our car as husband and I were pulling out of the parking lot, to hand us my husabnd's wallet that had fallen out of his pocket as he climbedinto the car.
Our attached garage, so our vehicle is always warm these days when we have freezing temperatures every night and snow on the ground.
A new book by one of my favorite authors came out so I have hours of delightful reading in front of me.
My recliner, which my husabnd purchased when I was at my sickest and which includes a heated seat feature that I just love on cold evenings.
The norhtern lights, still out almost every night.
Grateful for life today! I'm a hospice nurse practitioner and see many said circumstances!
Oh yay! I was headed back to school like you when my triplets were 2 yo. The younger students realize you are the steady one and it’s like your the school mom friend! Making friends in nursing school is a lifelong relationship. And necessary. I felt just like you at community college and soon enough, I was chatting up with groups all the time. My hubs is in IT so we are in a similar boat. Also, if you are going into nursing to make “bank” you will easily be burned out and fizzle out. You have to have a passion behind it. Or it’s all for naught. I’m proud of you!!
I’m thankful for your blog! Truly, I enjoy listening to your perspective on life and even though we live different lives day-to-day, I really value your wisdom. You’re a great role model for your children and others that it’s never “too late” to learn something new.
Aww, I am so very happy to hear that my blog brings joy into your life. Thank you for taking the time to tell me!
Kristen, A number of super TT things in your list but the image of the bedraggled kitty and Lisey's help for him/her tugs at my heart. It kinda makes my day because in this time of so many grumpy, outspoken people I look for people who remind me that quiet kindness still exists.
I'm so happy that she was able to help him too! She's going to try to go visit him today to see how he's doing, and I'm hoping she will send me a photo. 🙂