Gratitude- Edition SPRING

93. Today, I got home from being gone for 3 days, and jumped back in the car to buy mulch. I LOVE mulch!! It smells amazing, looks beautiful, and covers a multitude of wintered over garden sins.
94. Fat robins. They are cute and waddle-y and pregnant. Adorable.
95. Being outside. If it made logical sense, this would be #s 95-905. I love the outdoors. It brings so much joy!
96. Vitamin D. (See #95!)
97. Chacos!! I am IN LOVE with my chaco flip flops. I've been wearing them every spring, winter, and fall, for the last 7 years. (This is my 3rd pair in 7 years, they last forever.) If I can manage it, I am in them 24/7!!
98. Picnics- especially impromptu ones. Peanut butter and jelly+clementines+a towel for a picnic blanket+my kids+the patio in the backyard. Bliss.
99. Walks in the park. No cliche here, I mean it!
100. THE PLAYGROUND!! Go! Get rid of that energy!! Do it somewhere that doesn't require me picking up 1000s of small pieces of toys/crafts!! YAY!! Its the outdoors!!
101. Prepping the garden. Loooovvveee this. Not happening this year- but maybe next year!!

And now, a few springtime memories.

102. Kentucky springs. They were SO early and SO beautiful!!
103. Kentucky spring- baby horses! It was so fun to drive past the same farms season after season and see the foals come in the spring! Amazing to see that kind of life.
104. Kentucky spring- meeting Billy & Kelly randomly in the neighborhood and walking or whathave you.
105. Kentucky spring- When Billy called to tell us he'd found us bikes, and we bought ghetto old bikes and road them around town. Good times.
106. Kentucky spring- Our first garden. We dug up that rental property (shhhh! don't tell) and acted like we knew what we were doing. We moved  before the majority of our produce was mature, but we got lettuce, peppers, herbs, onions, and raspberries from that garden. It was amazing!
107. Kentucky spring- walking to downtown wilmore.
108. Kentucky spring- the green and beautiful rolling hills. With the white fences.
109. Kentucky spring- the baskets of petunias that were hung on every lamppost from downtown to the edge of town. So small town, so beautiful.
110. Kentucky spring- photo shoots for seminary families. I loved photography in Kentucky!! It was so simple, relaxed, and beautiful. Such joy!!
111. Our daughter was born in spring of 2008. That will be a gratitude post all of its own.
112. Our son was born in spring of 2010. This will also be its own gratitude post.
113. March of 2009, meeting Billy & Kelly in St. Louis. Spring break, people. St. Patty's day parade. City museum. Italian restaurant.
114. My nephew was born in spring of 2007. I loved becoming an Auntie! Yay for Adrian.
115. Pre and post kids, I love spring walks. Its brisk, its edgy (so fancy and new after a long winter!), its too cold for my chacos, but I wear them anyways. I love every memory from these moments.
116. Stephanie & I jumping in puddles for hours at the little white house in Lincoln. Pink/green/black umbrellas. So awesome. Circa 1991?
117. Ketchikan springs. I don't remember them too well.... but what I remember was perfect.
118. Ketchikan springs. Finally warm enough to play outside in the rain. Yay for no more cold rain! :)
119. Ketchikan springs. I remember being so happy to find bugs in the yard. So much has changed. :)


Okay. Memories over. More spring gratitude.
120. Opening the house windows. I love the breeze. In this house, some of the windows are crappy, but we open the front and back doors, and a beautiful breeze goes through the house. What is better than airing out your house for the first time since the fall?
121. Opening the car windows. Evelyn complains its too cold, but I make her "suffer" for at least a few moments. When the kids aren't in the car, its possible that I roll the windows down and turn on the heat. Only for a little while, I promise, Scott! :)
122. Walking outside without a coat on...and not freezing to death. I hate coats. Its true.
123. Spring clothes! Hello cute crop pants! Hello skirts! Hello cardigans and skirt combos! Happy colors!! Yay!
124. No snow. There I said it. Goodbye snow!!
125. Discovering which plants wintered over for the winter.
126. The first buds on trees. I always pick one or two off and open them up to see the green inside.
127. Discovering the first bulb plants peeking out of the ground. Our irises, succulent somethings, and tulips are peeking out already!! I gave them some mulch today to keep them warm. :)
128. The weather forecast. I LOVE looking ahead on the 10 day forecast and seeing 10 beautiful days.
129. Spring rain in Nebraska. If you've never experienced it, you are missing out. I love standing in the garage or the front door and smelling the rain. Its such an amazing smell! I swear, it might add years to your life. So get outside Nebraskans, and smell the rain! If you aren't here, then I'm sorry. But your spring rain does NOT smell as good as Nebraska spring rain.
130. Rain boots. I don't own any cute ones, but I dream of them. A size 8.5 pair of black & white polka dotted wellies? I dream of you!! In the mean time, I'll wear my industrial-type yellow rain boots. They aren't cute, but they stomp in mud puddles just fine, thank you!