Start #1: Gifts 549...

549. The gift of seeing my dad make a post and a shout out to me on Facebook that this is for me, with a picture of the famous expression, "A daughter holds your hand for a little while and will hold your heart for a lifetime..."  Such a touching gesture from someone who rarely makes his own status updates.  I'm so grateful to call such an amazing person my father, my dad, forever.

550. Lily finally starting to settle in with her new Daisy (Girl Scout) troop.  Her best friend and best friend's mom who was the prior troop leader moved  out of state after the last troop ended last summer.  Two moms took over and added quite a few new girls this year, and it has taken Lily a long time to start to feel comfortable and make connections.  Much like her mother, she is "slow to warm" so the lingo goes, takes a long time for us to feel comfortable, let our guard down, and open ourselves up to friendship.  But after her meeting last night, I could see a difference in her, in the glow on her face, and width of her smile across her face, that she is getting there.  Makes me so happy for her to open her heart.

551. Running my first mile!  I brought Molly again and walked/ran while Lily was at her meeting last night.  With my new pedometer, I can now see how far I've gone!  I know it was the farthest I've run, and turned out to be exactly a mile.  I felt amazing last night - not completely winded and felt like I could run more, but not entirely sure that I would be able to hold a conversation while running:)  I felt so victorious, so healthy.  And completely unexpected was how on top of the world I felt all day today for my accomplishment and excited to do more.  Contemplating my first 5K as part of a Daisy outing, the Thin Mint Sprint coming up on March 10th!

552. So grateful that Emmy has a little lingering toddlerness to her pudgy hand, despite her telling me tonight when grasping the "baby" fork I set at her place at the table for dinner, "Mom, this is a baby fork!  I'm almost three.  I'm not a baby any more.  I want a big fork!"

553. Getting to try fresh, Montana honey in my green tea this morning.  Thank you Danielle for sharing your family's honey with me!

554. Reading reader's responses in this month's issue of Real Simple (thank you, again, Danielle:) to the Your Words column question - What is the most important trait in a spouse?  This article made me stop mid-lunch and reflect on what my own answer might be, reminding me of the MANY reasons I am so grateful that Andy is my husband.  I feel like we are very lucky to have chosen each other as life partners. 

If you are reading this and have a partner, I invite you to pause for a moment and think about what traits you are thankful for in your loved one.  Andy reminded me of one of his just tonight; his undying devotion to me.  "I'll tear this house apart tonight to help you find your keys, if that's what it takes," he declared after we had both spent half and hour looking everywhere for my car (and work, and house) keys that I NEVER lose.  He did find them, and I got a warm embrace in return, how does that work?  My hero.

555. The elegant crane that was perched atop a telephone wire pole out my office window at work today for at least three hours.  A beautiful, serene sight to see this gigantic bird so still and seemingly at such peace with its stillness.

556. Pulling up to the house tonight to see our first fill bloom on our orchid tree out front, and taking in the many buds surrounding it that are just waiting to explode.

557. How amazing soft my skin feels after using a new facial scrub recipe tonight for the first time (and how deliciously enjoyable the experience was massaging it into my skin was!).  Read this excerpt below and you will get an idea of how heavenly the smell is - and the link to actual recipe here.

Here's what I used and why:
-White Sugar and Pure Dark Brown Sugar for exfoliators.
-Oatmeal, which also is a good exfoliant and helps your skin glow.
-Cinnamon which is a natural antiseptic
-Honey is also a natural antiseptic as well as an anti-inflammatory.
-Almond Oil smoothes and softens skin.
-Pure Vanilla is used for its aromatherapy properties.
-Water to get the desired consistency.

558. Exploring the satellite view of google images world map with Lily after her homework tonight.  We both audibly gasped as we zoomed in to the ridge of white that meets blue at the Antarctic.  Go ahead, try it!