...chillin with Gillian.

An hour off with a friend makes the world of difference to a day :)

...heart gifts.

I had lunch with Lisa yesterday and she gave me these to help with study/thesis writing. Such a small but thoughtful thing. Now I think of her every time I take a snack break :)

...bed.

I don't even care if I've blogged this before, or what the world thinks of the fact I didn't make it properly this morning... I am SO thankful for my bed tonight.

...a change.

Not that my hair looks any different, but it's fun pretending.

...the bedside book stack.

Some of these books have been there all year. Some I've read before, others are new. Some are mine, some are borrowed from friends. But I'm thankful that they're there, a wide variety to greet me when ever I have a few minutes to spare for them. I can't wait til the holidays - I have plans to spend many warm days with these friends, sitting in the sun with a cup of tea and a notebook to record my thoughts.

...mood-improving weather.

You wake up and look out your window to find that the weather is nasty. Sad face. You dress/coif based on the fact that you will be getting saturated and/or blown away just walking to your car when you have to go out at lunch time. But then, fantastically, when midday comes the clouds are gone and the tshirt you have on under 2 other layers turns out to be sufficient for the enjoyment of the beaming sunshine.
Your mood magically improves. Birds are singing. Life is great. You take a photo and spend the car trip to Kingston writing blog posts in your head.

...youth leaders.

Having a leadership team makes such a difference. I'm so thankful to have co-leaders this term.

...Mt Wellington.

It's such a constant. I can see it from practically everywhere I go. I love the view and the bushwalks when I go up there. It reminds me of a sermon I heard ages ago about the difference between wishing and hoping. I can't really describe exactly why I'm thankful for Mt Wellington, but I am.

...social soccer.

It's so nice to get outside and run around for an hour or so. Especially now that the weather isn't completely icy-freezing and it's light for at least the first half of our game. I'm thankful for the time away from my computer, from uni and honours. It's nice to forget for a bit.

...moments.

I was running early (shock-horror) to a meeting today so I went to the beach, sat down, took off my shoes and squidged my toes in the sand for ten minutes. It's been a pretty good day, but I think this was the highlight. I'm thankful to live near the ocean. I'm thankful for sunny days and fresh air. I'm thankful for a moment to sit and reflect and breathe.

...days warm enough for Chacos.

Today was such a promise of things to come. A reminder that there's a whole summer coming where I won't have to wear closed shoes or sit inside huddled against my heater. Beautiful :)

...my pretty little car.

Life would be so complicated these days without my car. I can walk to uni, but somehow I end up needing it almost every day. I spent a car-less year in America, so I'm also thankful that I can help my friends out by driving them places like my friends did for me.

...shared food with friends.

It's kinda powerful really, when you think about it. Jesus did it, although maybe not with cupcakes.

...parents who know me.

Mum says they saw this at a market and knew instantly I'd love it. Cupcakes on a teapot... what's not to love!? I'm so thankful to have such awesome parents.

...warmth.

...notes on the whiteboard (to myself).

Sometimes I just need a friendly reminder/kick.

...a bargain.

To think that I was about to spend $2.79 on a loaf of bread when I spotted this! Yummy too.

...Skype.

Makes keeping in touch with friends so much easier. I printscreened a call this morning, but forgot to save the picture, so thanks also to Alan for this replacement.

PS. these totally count as photos.

...email.

Haven't been very organised lately. Turns out we have a presentation due tomorrow. Thankfully the lecturer emailed us and we checked.

...a hijacked oven.

It's so nice to be able to put something in the oven, set the temperature and walk away knowing it'll cook but not burn.

...leftovers and The West Wing.

My first Friday night home in ages. I'm exhausted. Apologies for the unimaginative post/photo. I'm thankful that I can be exhausted.

...Jess.

This girl brightens my day. She is a joy and a delight and I absolutely love hanging out with her.

...complexity.

The world is such a fascinating place. I think we miss the wonder of it.

...sunglasses.

I'm triple-thankful for my sunglasses today - they keep the sun out of my eyes, hide the lovely dark circles around my eyes and are useful for keeping my hair out of the way when I'm inside.

...an evening at home.

It's so nice to come home from uni and not have to rush off anywhere. Today has been such a day of rushing that I'm skipping small group to work on my thesis. Even deciding to do that has made me feel about a million times calmer than I did a few hours ago.

...my access card.

This little piece of plastic lets me into the engi building on the weekends, specifically those Sundays when I realise I have an assignment due Monday. I'm so thankful for it!

...ANZAC biscuits.

Egg-free since World War 1 :)

...a few hours off.

For once I'm not running around like a headless chicken trying to organise youth group stuff for tonight. I should try and get ahead for next term, but instead I'm chilling in the youth room with a book I liberated from Steve's bookshelf. I'm thankful for a quiet afternoon before the craziness begins!

PS. I'm not as tired as I look in this photo. Promise.

...plastic containers.

Because I am incapable of cooking for one, I always have a lot of leftovers. I'm quite thankful for my collection of containers (mostly 'borrowed' from mum) so I can put said leftovers in the fridge and take them for lunch/dinner the next day.

And sometimes the day after.

...drains.

Welcome to another episode of "you don't appreciate what you have until you don't have it any more". And then you appreciate it a lot more when you get it back. Like our shower drain, which finally actually drains the water from the shower again.