Winter Storm Reflection & Thanks

I am being thankful. Simply put however true. After reflecting on the last few days, being without power, and being pregnant there is a lot I have taken for granted lately. So, I decided to take this allotted time without a schedule to just be thankful.

Thankful for Baristas & Flexibility
 Eli and I are both internet workers. Not that we are proud of our monitor tans, however we are deeply appreciative of being able to work literally side by side throughout the day. What is also nice is that we have extreme flexibility. When the power went out Thursday morning, we were oddly stuck. No just because of the eleven inches of snow, ice on the road ways but because of trees that had buckled, and fallen under the weight of the ice glued to their branches. Eli strapped on his winter gear and headed out to help neighbors remove trees and debris. After hours of working outside trying to figure out a plan to get out of the neighborhood we ended up being unable to work. Friday, we sneaked out and cafe hopped until we found a Starbucks with power and internet. We were internet refugees. I was thankful for the warm smile of the Baristas. Friendly conversations with strangers, especially when it can to startup companies and of course babies. Silly, to say as I was sipping on a delicious hot chocolate and thinking "I am blessed". Being able to spend the whole day with Eli, even if it meant working out of a Starbucks was a treat.

Thankful for Times that Bring People Together
We are the youngest home owners in our neighborhood. Some of our neighbors remember when our house was being built in the late 70s. We have really enjoyed our little country farm house. However, the house wasn't as much of a home as it is now. For three nights Eli and I slept light as were heard the crack and fall of trees. Some easily tall enough to topple down upon our house had us a bit jumpy. So, when we woke up to see our neighborhood tossed a bit upside down with broken trees, debris, broken fences and of course tons of ice, we both signed. The amount of work just to get out of the area was a bit overwhelming. I was proud to witness our neighbors coming together to help remove down trees, and debris. Each one generously gave kind words to one another and without hesitation offered help, warm homes running off generators. We even received a few check-in calls to see if Eli and I were OK.

Thankful for a Wonderful Husband
Friday evening with our house two degrees warmer than outside, which worked out to be about 39 degrees we needed to do something besides be cocooned in blankets on the couch. Eli decided that going to see Sherlock Homes would warm us up and give us something to do for a few hours. Saturday morning after dreaming about some of the dramatic scenes I became ill. I got to praying to the porcelain god by candle light. Decided it was time to lay low, skip going to a CPR/First aid class. Eli suited up, and stepped up. He took care of all the critters so that I could squeeze in a few more winks. He ran to the store to get me a bite of something hot to eat and coordinated with my Mom for us to come over and warm up. I sat there, like a lump on a log snuggling the dogs. A tad nervous being sick and without power, Eli reassured and took excellent care of me. Once again, I couldn't ask for more.

Thankful for BLTs
We reached the 26 week mark. This is not like watching water boil at all! Even with counting the weeks they seem to fly by faster and faster. I will soon be writing about our little girls arrival! I haven't had the ravenous appetite that some women say they get when they are pregnant. However, a go-to favorite has bee BLTs. A simple sandwich that is delicious. I feel very thankful to being able to choose foods I like. Food is a tough subject. Especially in times of storms and emergency. That is why Eli and I donated to Food Lifeline. They are a fantastic local organization that 96% of all funds donated go directly to feeding people. I am an advocate for donating funds vs actual food as groups like food banks and Food Lifeline are able to get deep discounts buying in large bulk quantities that we as consumers can't get.

Thankful for Weekends
Today, was indeed a rest day. Got a slow start to the day, enjoying and appreciating the power that came on late Saturday evening. Just before Eli and I ran out the door the power went back out. Puget Sound energy crews must have had to take us offline to fix other issues as there was a good crew of them at the bottom of the hill. We sat at another one of our favorite cafes, Cutter's Point in Covington and even saw an old friend for a moment. The two of us typed away, Eli working on Claratii and me day dreaming about our little girl. Thankful that the two of us have these days off to relax and store up some energy to approach the next week fresh and energized.