Grateful for the +20•C afternoon spent in Barcelona November 12th. Nevermind the downpour of rain on the following two days of my trip there, it was still a real treat!

The little things like getting to check a bag for free today when checking in to my flight to Barcelona. Nice.

Glad to have a couple of girlfriends who are crazy enough to join me for 6:30AM runs through the Hague when it is still asleep!

This morning I found a voice mail from a dear friend who told me she loves me. My day is made. :o)

Up before work to run through The Hague with two other crazy fools! I'm grateful about that for two reasons. One, I CAN run and move and am healthy! Two, I'm in awe of the history of this city and checking it out in the early morning hours on a quiet, still morning is really special!

Grateful for so many wonderful friends' good spirit and creativity at this year's Hallowe'en party. I am lucky to have so many warm hearted people in my life. It's starting to hit me that I'm leaving the NL soon though!

I was able to be there for a friend having a hard time. She turned to me and I was able to give her two shoulders to cry on and a couple of listening ears. Distance be dammed. She was in the middle east and I was exploring Luxembourg.

Trying to look on the bright side today so here's my attempt: one day, years from now when I'm lucky enough to be surrounded by a loving family, I will look back on this time of loneliness and be grateful that I don't have to endure weeks on end without hugs or affection again.

Clean bill of health from the doctor today. I don't take that for granted!

Sherrin leaves tomorrow for Vienna and her new adventure. I am grateful to have had her in my life to the extent I did while we were in the same city. She and Jocelyn have made such a difference to my Hague experience; they are real gifts!

"Popped" over to London for the weekend...because I can! Saw a musical, caught up with friends, shopped, drank cocktails, explored Kew Gardens and saw the Tower of London. Life does not suck! ;o)

It all came together today. I get to leave the NL at Christmas and start my new job on July 1st. I get a 6 month sabbatical in between. That's everything I asked for in May and for that I really am grateful! I feel so fortunate.


Now...to keep hoping my request for a boyfriend might get filled sometime soon...

When the phone rings in the middle of the night I worry something must be wrong. I don't know why, I just do. In any case, at 6:20 this morning the phone rang but I couldn't get to it in time. Only family has my home number. Uh oh...I thought initially, what could it be. I had to call home to find out.

Mom answered the phone and sounded cheery and told me it was Susan who'd been waiting to call me. At that point I was pretty sure what it was.

Confirmation that I'm going to be an auntie again (around my birthday) was a great way to start the day. Hurrah and congratulations to Susan and Jimi!!!

A string of green bikes (lights) got me home that much quicker tonight. Score!

I turned off my iPod on my walk into work this morning to listen to the birds. There's something special about bird songs in the mornings. (Exception=seagulls!!!)

I get to bike to work! What a luxury. It's one of my favourite parts of living in the Netherlands.

Feeling grateful for my promotion back in Feb/09 particularly after hearing about promotion struggles today from colleagues. Kept my mouth shut and appreciated how fortunate I was to get it at a time when the company was laying people off! I don't take it for granted.

Puttering around the house in my PJs by myself, catching up on TV shows and generally being lazy after being on the road for pretty much 5 weeks. Ahhhh....

Great dinner last night at the Daily Review in Houston with Ken and David. So glad for the wonderful company and the novelty of sitting outside at night without a jacket!

Dinner at a great restaurant in Houston called Tony's.  Wow...never been to a valet only restaurant!  Fancy, schmancy!

Grateful for so much today.  Flags at half mast for the anniversary of 9-11. 

Got my leave of absence approved for next year.  Holy crap!  Do I ever feel lucky.  Begin 'Operation Penguin 2012'!!!  HUGE DAY!

-Gigglefest with Fideo. I love hanging out with him. We are so silly together. What a precious friendship.

-Dinner with Robin and Mike and their adorable girls tonight. It's so nice to have friends that I can visit as if i'd seen them yesterday, not a couple of years.

-I'm Canadian! I love being in the customs line at the airport with my Canada logo facing out for the world to see