1. Being able to run 8 miles without a walk break.
2. Getting to see old friends more often. (Can't wait until you guys move to Baltimore, Carla!)
3. Great Harvest apple scrapple bread... yummm!
4 Finding the perfect "insurance" against wedding day rain. (4 umbrellas in our wedding colors... keeping the receipt and my fingers crossed).
5. Adam coming back home tonight!

1. Surviving my incredibly rainy commute today (forecasters calling for flashfloods, people!) without incident.
2. Thursday night spinning class with my favorite instructor.
3. Banana softserve.
4. Catching up with my brother on the phone.
5. Finding a swim suit I might actually feel comfortable wearing.

(First in this series can be found here.)

This series was actually inspired by Slynnro's post on how she has a tendency to start things and not finish them on her blog. I could totally relate to that... I've done that sooo many times. Updating resolutions, reading challenge, weekend recaps, 101 in 1001 challenge (although I've been pretty good at this one, for once!), heck... even starting a separate workout blog that I am terrible at updating (and am still unsure how I want to handle).**

And then, as I was reminded by Jodifur last week, there's also Grace in Small Things.

I love love love the idea of Grace in Small Things... "a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook." Problem was, I thought it was too difficult, too demanding. I couldn't do anything daily with this blog. I couldn't come up with 5 new things each day.

Well, who says that I had to? There's no rules for things like this. But just because I couldn't do it "right," I abandoned it altogether. (Hello, theme!) So new rules... try to do Grace in Small Things more often. Who cares if I find grace in the same things every day... that doesn't mean those things shouldn't be acknowledged on a daily basis.

Grace in Small Things: 19/365
1. Having one of the most perfect months of weather ever this September.
2. New work opportunities.
3. Being able to commute on back roads, instead of having to take one of the terrible highways around here.
4. Apple brownies. (YUM!)
5. Living in the same city as the "Rally to Restore Sanity." (So excited to participate in that craziness!)

** These shall be the subject of future posts in this lack-of-follow-through series, you know, assuming I actually follow through on that.

1. Stringing garland while listening to Christmas music.
2. Snow!
3. Online Christmas shopping. (Only three gifts left to buy!)
4. Baking birthday cakes. (Can't think of what makes a home smell better than something sugary in the oven.)
5. Xhiliration tights from Target. I had NO IDEA there were low rise, comfortable tights out there. One textured pair I bought today feels like socks, only as pants, but with feet! (In other words, super comfy.)

1. Having perfect driving weather yesterday.
2. Good company on long road trips.
3. Not sitting in a solid three hours of traffic and making it home in less than 7 hours. (Not too shabby for a holiday weekend.)
4. Thanksgiving leftovers!
5. Not completely bombing my football picks for the first time in several weeks.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily (um, occasional?) reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Beautiful fall days, even in the third weekend of November.
2. Gorgeous, colorful leaves.
3. Cozy sweaters.
4. Lazy, Saturday afternoon naps.
5. $4 wine happy hours!

(Grace in Small Things is a daily (er, occasional?) reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. A sweet baby boy named Jonah arriving healthy (and surprisingly punctual, right on his due date!) to Adam's sister and brother-in-law.
2. Being able to stay home sick all week from work and not have to worry about losing my job.
3. Having someone to take care of me while I'm sick.
4. Taking a work phone call in my pajamas.
5. Catching up on the DVR.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily (er, occasional?) reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Outdoor movie nights!
2. A weekend free to do whatever I want.
3. Still staying on track with my 10-miler training. (Up to 3.5 miles with no leg pain!)
4. Going on a 20 mile bike ride and not falling... when it's been about 15 years since I've really ridden a bike.
5. Getting lots of great ideas from friends for our California trip.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Perfect running outside weather.
2. Staying on track with my 10-miler training... 4 for 4 on workouts this week; zero leg pain.
3. Removing my ingrown eyelash myself, without having to spend money/time at the eye doctor. (Seriously, people, Google scared the crap out of me on this one.)
4. Cold-brewed iced coffee.
5. Warm enough to wear a dress to work.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Summer dresses.
2. Cute new shoes.
3. Blackberries and yogurt.
4. Impromptu barbecues.
5. Comfy new pillows.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

(First off, whew, sorry about that last entry. Like how I had been all "I'm gonna make this a happy place!" one day, and then I went and complained and bitched and moaned the next? I realize things aren't all that bad, and thankfully I had saved all of my holiday bonus so I can afford to have the work done without putting it on a credit card. Although, honestly, I keep a credit card with such a low limit, it wouldn't even cover 1/4 of the cost, so I'd have to possibly get another line of credit just for my TEETH had it not been for the bonus. Oh, and for my awesome parents, who immediately called and (1) apologized for passing along my mom's dental genetics, and (2) offered to help pay for the dentist bills. I made a deal that they are only allowed to contribute if I need a root canal, in which case they can pay for that.)

Anyway, back to my attempts at making this a happy place... with another installment of Grace in Small Things.

1. Ordered a brand spanking new laptop today! (Part birthday present from my parents, part my gift to myself from my bonus.)
2. A break from the rainy days just in time for the first of five Friday 5Ks tonight.
3. Date night tonight (after the 5k) to go see I Love You, Man. No, I love you, Paul Rudd.
4. A break from the rainy days just in time for the weekend!
5. Starting a Sunday Brunch Book Club. I am SO excited for this.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Settling into the new apartment.
2. Matchbox pizza... yum!
3. Leftover Matchbox pizza... deja vu yum!
4. Lobotome notepads... I want to buy them all (except "SitME," obviously). (I've limited myself to just one for now.)
5. Having the option to take two different metro lines home from the city.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Birthday week!
2. Moving week!
3. 70 degree days with NO rain... falling on a weekend! In March!
4. Fancy dinner dates with TS! (At CoCo. Sala. YUM!)
5. Days that make you want to use exclamation points!

:-)

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Tomato and onion salad... yum!
2. Actually getting my butt off the couch and to the gym despite impending doom... I mean, snow storm.
3. Getting an email from a friend telling us how much she loved her very unique birthday gift. Success!
4. Lovely, lazy, recharging weekend.
5. Fat, wet snowflakes.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Dark chocolate.
2. Re-runs of the Office.
3. Cozy flannel cupcake pajamas (for lounging, not sleeping).
4. Trader Joe's finally having vegetable gyoza back in stock.
5. Reading newest issue of Body + Soul magazine.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Receiving our apartment application approval letter!
2. Spending a fun weekend away with friends.
3. Not breaking any bones while snowboarding.
4. Hot chocolate with Baileys and Kahlua.
5. Snowtubing! (And snowtubing races!)

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Apartment/house hunting with TS.

2. TS and I agreeing on what we want in an apartment/house. :-)

3. An 80% chance I'm going to be able to go on my ski trip after all!

4. Remembering an obscure case and its holding out of nowhere, potentially saving hours of research.

5. Kicking this cold in less than a week.

(Hey, I did it without referencing food! Finally!)

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Having a clean apartment again. (Finally.)

2. A gorgeous, sunny, warm weekend in the beginning of February.

3. Banana Bread with Chocolate and Cinnamon Sugar (To die for, people. Go make some immediately.)

4. Grilling in February.

5. DayQuil... to help me survive today (and possibly this week).

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Trader Joe's Instant Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (I wonder if I'll ever do a GiST that doesn't include a food or beverage on the list.)

2. Zicam.

3. Receiving multiple compliments this week on clothing I wore. (I am by no means a fashionable dresser, or have any sense of what one might call "style," but apparently I am very good at choosing colors that look good on me.)

4. Flats. (Seriously, why did I spend so much time in heels when I could essentially wear slippers to work?)

5. Discovering TWO perfect gifts for friends on Etsy this week.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

1. Frosted Mini Wheats.

2. Floaty, airy snowflakes.

3. Argyle.

4. White out.

5. Submitting a termination letter for my lease in anticipation of the BIG MOVE.

(Grace in Small Things is a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook.)

This idea is brilliant. Brilliant! What is Grace in Small Things? It is, according to Schmutzie (who came up with this idea), "a daily reminder to take notice of the positive things we tend to overlook." Something we all could use more of in our lives, really.

Now, I'm not going to promise to do this every day for 365 days straight. In fact, I can't promise that I'll do it 365 times at all. But I'm going to try. (Well, the latter, anyway.) And I'll start here...

1. Eating the craziest burgers and the BEST macaroni and cheese ever at Kuma's this weekend. (Seriously, awesomest macaroni and cheese on the planet.)

2. My very warm snow boots.

3. Potbelly's oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

4. A boyfriend who gives the best massages, so that I never, ever will have to pay for one again.

5. A random 50-degree day in the first week of February.