After losing my dad in October, my poor mother had looked forward to coming to our home for the holidays. She hadn’t traveled since his heart attack in 2009 and thoroughly enjoyed her trip to our house over Thanksgiving.

She wasn’t feeling well last week, but packed her bags. My family had driven to ski Breckenridge when I got the call. She was diagnosed with shingles. GAH!

I had to go into hyperdrive to gather and send her gifts.

While preparing for a Wild day, I caught up on blog posts. Darla from She’s A Maineiac posted 50 Things to Be Grateful For. I told her that if there was a Christmas miracle and there was no line at the Post Office, I would post one too. What were the chances?

I scrambled to put together a package for her and my brother and then drove to the Post Office. As expected, cars lined both sides of the street. There would be a long wait. I sighed and grabbed my box.

When I entered, my eyes widened. A line did NOT exist! It was a Christmas miracle.

$28 later, I am praying for another one: That my package is delivered by Christmas Eve and my mom recovers quickly.

I’m setting my timer. Here goes nothing, Darla…

I Am Grateful for These 50 Things:

1. My family. I know. It’s so cliché and yet I would be nowhere without them and that’s not because I’m directionally challenged.
   

   

   

   

   

   

   
2. My husband. I held on tight through my health setbacks. (Sorry about those bruises, Danny!) He is my super fan and my rock. Mostly he rocks. Not literally. That would be weird.
3. My dog Roxy because COMIC RELIEF and she is fearless.
4. My friends. They have been there for me and continue to inspire.
5. My blogging friends. I have been so lucky to meet some in real life. One of my dreams is meet many more of you! They lifted me up and saved me. I will always believe that.
6. Coffee. Without it I wood meek alot more erors in comments then I alredy do.
7. Chocolate because chocolate.
8. Colorado because there are unlimited adventures right outside my door. I think Roxy read my mind.
9. My health. For those of you who read my blog, I’ve had a few surgeries in the last few years. Yes. My boobs are bionic, but after two years, I am cancer-free. *happy dances around kitchen*
10. My new knee parts. Yep. The cartilage in my left knee is metal and a plastic disk resides behind my kneecap. It’s all good. I went skiing yesterday.
11. Our mountain house. We bought it during a fire sale. No. It wasn’t on fire, but they sold it like it was.
12. Our remodel. After owning aforementioned mountain house for nearly twenty years, the first floor is gutted. It’s another big art project. Right now it’s riddled with landmines of nail heads. You have to keep your head down or YOUCH!
13. Snow! Nothing gets my heart beating faster. Well that’s not true, but where there’s snow out here in the West, there is…
14. Skiing! I found out yesterday, I started skiing earlier than Danny. Ha! Wait. How come I’m not as good as him? *scratches head* 
15. Hiking, biking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, sledding, tobogganing because more adventure.
16. My Christmas cards, because they are done.
17. Fleece jammies. Santa brought them last year and they are snuggly soft.
18. My laptop. It is so much easier to carry around.
19. Cell phone. No explanation needed.
20. My home in Boulder County. I can look out any window and enjoy the views.
21. Traveling. I really have enjoyed our trips around the US and hope to make it back to Europe one day.
22. My friend, Wendi’s, cookie exchange because it wouldn’t be Christmas without it and I don’t have to spend a week in the kitchen baking. BONUS!
23. Discovering my passion. I always thought of myself as an artist. Now I tell people I’m a writer. My happy place is sitting anywhere while typing.
24. MUS – Making Up Shit, a term coined by my husband who indulges in MUS too.
25. My Highlander. It is a beast in the snow.
26. Driving in the snow. Yep. Love it!
27. My lookout tower office. I had to move my desk to face the wall in timeout or I’d get nothing done but daydream out the window because it’s so beautiful and I can see the mountains and little rabbits hopping around and an occasional coyote and neighbors and dogs walk by and…. look at the time!
28. My bed. There is nothing softer.
29. A good book. I love being swept away into another world especially one with tons of suspense!
30. Parties. Being a party girl, I always look forward to them. NOTE TO SELF: host a few in 2016.
31. The New Year. I love the do-over, starting fresh kinda feeling at the beginning of the year. I’m already pretty much over the top optimistic, but the first few weeks put me at a whole new manic level.
32. Being spiritual. I was raised Catholic, but am open-minded about all religions. Hey, I could swear I was a ballerina in Paris in one of my past lives.
33. My blog. I love my Wild Ride and having a place to spew my thoughts.
34. CARBS! Should have been higher on my list. WHAT WAS I THINKING?
35. Speaking of higher on my list – DANCING!
36. My camera! Whether on my phone or my digital SLR, I love taking pictures.
    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

     

37. The Force Awakens! I was super pumped after that movie.
38. Homeland. Carrie is the bad-ass I want to be without terrorism, guns, explosives or bi-polar disorder.
39. Music from alternative to pop to classical to house.
40. My imagination. My brain holds a pretty crazy environment, but it is so entertaining. Danny often hears me laughing and asks, “What are you laughing at, now?”
41. My imaginary friends. I wrote half of Funeral Beenes then death happened. (That sounds very ironic.) I needed to quit for a few weeks. I was putting books away two weeks ago and BAM! An idea for a new novel popped into my head. I wrote the first chapter on my phone while waiting for a hair appointment. The main character doesn’t play well with others, but is hugely fun to hang out with.
42. Drawing. Sometimes an illustration is the only way to convey the voices in my head. 
43. Challenges. I’m always up for them like trying to find an agent. Know anyone who wants to represent a Wild Rider?
44. Going out for breakfast. That is my favorite! Bring on the tators, fruit and eggs Benedict and I am one happy girl.
45. Sparkly things. Wait. What was I saying? See! There it is again!!!
46. My out-going personality. I’ve tried to fit in as a writer and be an introvert. Wait. I can hear you laughing. I know. I only lasted 45 seconds. Okay. 15. OKAY. 5 SECONDS!
47. My own or anyone else’s sense of humor. I hate cracking jokes and only hearing the sound of crickets. Lighten up people.
48. Slang. Even if I have to use the totes adorbs Urban Dictionary to understand it. Slang is my bae. I even make some up every January. (see #24. MUS)
49. Talking to strangers. I HAD to approach the costumed families eating dinner together before The Force Awakens. We made new friends in NOLA too! Why is my mouth always open in pictures?
50. My Wild Life. It keeps surprising me and gets WILDER every year!

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