Well, I managed to stretch my birthday celebrations over four days – presents on three of them, cake on two of them, friends and family on all four.  Now, it’s Monday, back to the daily grind, and I’m kind of cranky about it. I guess the only risk of getting really excited about a finite event is that when it’s over, there’s a slight feeling of loss.

You may have noticed a few changes in the site design: an extra sidebar, a few pages missing (they’re actually now just links in the About page) and a link to the Snippets of Gratitude store.  The store is still closed to the public for a few days.  Those of you on the mailing list should’ve received the password this morning – enjoy your sneak preview.

Since I always vowed never to use my blog as a complaining ground, I’ll type through the foul mood and make a list of things worthy of gratitude.

• fun birthday jewelry to wear
• ski-worthy temperatures
• yoga on Saturday (and hopefully today)
• no where to go but up from my terrible bowling scores on Saturday
• getting enough sleep
• a fun visit to the map library in UW’s Science Hall
• surpassing my goal of 30 people on the mailing list for my 30th birthday
• yummy vegan cookies mailed from a friend
• Diene’s home from work today, in between personal appointment
• enjoying the Superbowl at my parents’ house:  good company, good food, good laughs,
• the satisfaction of writing a list with a really good pen
• the way dry skin drinks up body cream in the winter
• my new haircut, new hair products, and the way they smell so good
• Finishing my latest 30-day challenge: pushups every morning for 30 days