1,000 Gifts

An attempt to bring more JOY into my life.

Inspired by Ann Voskamp  and her must-read “One Thousand Gifts,”  I’m working on intentionally listing daily blessings in my life, however big or small.

• Reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers
• Maria’s dreamy photos of South Korea
• Holding a baby pink piglet
• Betting at Canterbury Park
• Writing about Bristol
• Making the perfect chicken pot pie
• Runs around Lake of the Isles with Hope
• Holding baby Hunt
• Marveling over the Harry Potter series for the first time
• Catching a rare matinee with B (The Hundred Foot Journey, I highly reccommend!)
• The best homemade meal: grilled aspargus and Halibut
• Booking tickets to New England
• A little shopping spree
• Early evening bike rides through the city with B
• A brand-spanking new job!
• A new look to this blog
• A new book: Paris, Paris
• Paris in Color
• Remembering London together
• Discovering the best Italian deli with B
• Gus at the dogpark
• A great, much-needed workout
• Fresh-cut orange flowers
• Trader Joe’s
• Evening walks with Aya my Aya
• Brady for being patient

• My wonderful aunts
• Visiting Texas for the first time and meeting family I never knew I had

• A new dress for a hot Texas wedding
• Making homemade caramel rolls for my family
• Gigi and Nanie in their pink polka-dot bikinis
• A weekend at Howard and Magaret’s cabin
• Lap swimming on a Monday night
• Brady Mark
• Reading S.H. together before we fall asleep
• Cranberry scones that turn out perfectly
• Downton Abbey (Hooked at last!)
• Sleeping in with my honey
• Baking birthday cakes for friends
• A beautiful stack of thriftstore novels
• Women in Love’ by D.H. Lawrence
• Frosted brick cake
• The Card Game with Ben, Maddy, and Brady
• DQ with my honey even when we’re not hungry
• ‘You’re just not in the fast lane’
• A new blog:)
• Being pleased with my first dissertation mark. (!!)
• The Help (i.e. time to read at long last)
• A Nespresso machine…so spoiled
• Finally making my very own wall of travel photos
• Seeing Brady for the first time on our wedding day
• Walks around our new neighborhood with Audrey
• Golden piggy bookends
• Chalkboard menus
• Making chicken tortilla soup for my husband
• Couponing!
• Brady giving Aya an extra blanket because she was cold
• Thanksgiving in the city with my new family
• A warm November
• Pumpkin Spice egg nog (mmmmm!)
• Choosing paint samples with pretty names (Ice folly, Ocean Kiss, Aegean Blue, Rain Washed…yep, we’re going with blues!)
• A long overdue and much needed conversation with a dear friend (with one lovely British accent and fiery red hair)
• Mason jars and tea lights
• Pumpking and vanilla cupcakes with cream cheese frosting
• Endless wedding planning
• My (hopefully) last minimum wage job (thank goodness for generous tippers)
• Finding **the dress**!
• Finally choosing bridesmaid dresses (champagne colored with black heels and baby breaths boquets!)
• A new apartment with my very own bay window with a terrible view
• A stunning yellow gold solitaire on my finger
• Leisurely drives through the city with the windows down
• Dundundun BATMAN with Brady!
• 4th of July with the entire Gotta crew (Daddy, Mommy, Maria, Lukie, Joey, Gina, Drewby, Jackson, Natalie, Brigette, Sophie, and last but not least, Aya and Weenie)
• First trip to the LAKE!
• A safe flight home and a good lookin’ fiance waiting for me at the airport
• My little Aya
• Train rides through the Italian countryside
• Sand between my toes
• Sunburns
• Did I mention PESTO??
• Fresh from the sea anchovies in Cinque Terre
• Gelato and more gelato
• Maria’s visit!!
• My gorgeous dark haired, blue-eyed Momma who turns 50 this year
• Little baby Sophie (even when she does her ‘arm thing’)
• Early mornings drinking copious amounts of coffee and dissy writing
• Sitting on Hardy’s very desk!
• Road trippin’ with Ash, Gen and Maddy to Thomas Hardy’s cottage
• Exploring Clifton Village with the one whom my soul loves
• Sending out Save the Dates
• Marrying the man of my dreams on October 27th, 2012
• These leisurely, happy days in Bristol
• Postcards
• Honeymoonin’ in five months!
• The sound of rain (falling harder and harder)
• Catching a film at the Odeon with Mad, Bev, Ash and Gen (i love nicknames!)
• Audrey in desperate need of a haircut
• Sophie’s smiles
• Gigi and Nanie’s little voices heard over Skype
• The venue is ours: the Plains Art Museum
• The Guest List is nearly complete (at last)
• A string of sunshine-filled days
• Picture-taking
• Watching the Olympic Torch cross the Suspension Bridge first hand
• Hebrews 12:1
• My very first tin of English biscuits
• Strolling through Cambridge University
• English summers
• Last month in Bristol (bittersweet days)
• Finishing A Pair of Blue Eyes, The Return of the Native, Two on a Tower, and A Laodicean all in one week
• I’m so excited I could WEE it’s the Queen’s Diamond Jubliee
• Meeting with Ralph
• The Happily Ever Begins: October 27th, 2012
• Choosing the most darling flower girl dresses for Brigette, Natalie and Olivia
• Long runs through Ashton Court and right on to the harbor and home again
• Holding the Olympic Torch
• Running into a darling Scottie dog en route to the gym
• Dinner at The Lido with the love of my life
• Cream tea in Bath (is there any better place in the world for cream tea?)
• A proposal on Clifton Suspension Bridge
• A studly fiance (brown eyes, broad shoulders, and he’s all mine)
• Italy (Roma, Cinque Terre, and back to Venice) in five days
• The keys to Ashleigh’s lovely flat in the heart of Clifton Village
• Maria arrives in two days
• Dress shopping with Gen in Cabot Circus (matching £ 10 denim shirts…by mistake)
• A rainy Saturday night with chinese food and mozart (and Prince Charles’ tribute to the Queen on BBC)
• Salmon and quinoa and too much wine and chocolate with Ashleigh Joanna
• Clevedon Beach (another world ten minutes from my doorstep)
• A yellow gold solitaire (yes, an engagement ring!)
• His faithfulness
• Morning yoga
• My first macaroons in the Tulieries
• Seeing the world & still preferring home
• Brady visits in 18 days (!!)
• Yogurt-covered banana chips (a Leah & Em Goteborg tradition)
• Fresh laundry
• Seeing “The Birth of Venus”
• Piazza Michelangelo
• Two scoops of gelato
• My first Italian ‘cannolo’
• Being alone!
• Seeing Sophie’s chubby face via skype
• New pictures of Coop and Olivia
• Hearing news that Audrey got an Easter bath
• The warmth of sunlight on my skin
• Celebrating Easter with family
• Finally seeing “The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood”
• Arriving in Scandinavia and having it feel like home
• Brady’s voice when it’s been so long
• Strolling the streets of Venice
• The best prosciutto and mozzarella I’ve ever tasted in Florence
• Experiencing the Med
• New pretty scarves (two for one at Lindex)
• Saturday morning coffee with honey and cinnamon in the studio of Vintage Invites
• Impressionism (!)
• Cute dogs on walks ’round Bristol (look, don’t touch!)
• Unexpected care packages complete with Funfetti frosting and sprinkles
• ‘Your voice over the wire came leaping’
• Rediscovering my love of Thomas Hardy
• Hearing Gigi and Nanie’s little voices via Skype
• The idyllic cottage of Anne Hathaway
• Little British children in coffee shops (“Would you like a biscuit?”)
• Less than two weeks till Paris
• Warm, sunshiney days in Clifton Village
• Discovering a new short-cut
• The view of The Sound In Plymouth, UK (beauty so immense I lose words)
• The vivid morning sunshine of Cornwall glittering over the ocean
• Messages waiting for me in the morning from Brady
• Making dinner (even chopping onions relieves stress)
• Learning so much from the first Romantics lecture on William Blake
• The feeling of empowerment when I find most of my books for term (which is no small task)
• Making homemade Valentine’s
• Finishing Mansfield Park (Somehow I still like Henry Crawford)
• Falmouth, Cornwall-my favorite little sea village
• Trial and error
• Walking and walking and walking some more
• Getting home safe
• Needtobreathe, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, JJ Heller
• Ashton Court
• Moment 1:20 of  Coldplay’s ‘Princess of China’
• Accidentally overpaying my TJMaxx bill (why yes, I could use an extra $185.08)
• Upcoming plans for Paris (what?!)
• His Grace (when I’m so far from deserving)
• Seeing Audrey via Skype
• The Quay at Exeter
• Sunshine and rain and sunshine and rain, rain, rain
• My lovely flatmate Molly
• An adorable (maybe two) dress from Top Shop (’twas a killer sale)
• Trafalgare Square
• Navigating the Tube like a pro
• A plush hotel in London (felt spoiled indeed)
• Soclose to finishing Mansfield Park (a small start to my reading list)
• William Blake (never remembered liking him and then! o!)
• The beauty of Cathedrals (St. Pauls, Bath Abbey, Exeter)
• The handsome British manager in Exeter who left his post to show Maddy, Gen and I the old secret vaults
• New mornings with new grace
• A lovely three-course dinner shared with Maddy at The Waterfront
• The stunning view overlooking The Sound in Plymouth, UK
• The start of a new year
• Fish and Chips in Clifton Village with Molly
• Delicious naps after zero winks on the flight
• Meeting little Zoe (she and Audrey will be buds)
• Farewell dinner at Monte’s
• A Minnesota Christmas with little or no snow (simply unheard of!)
• Driving with my Grandmother
• Hilarious messages from Caro
• Lovely nude Mary-Jane pumps
• Meeting a lovely Jewish woman on the flight from Newark to Brussels
• Running out of gas right outside the Raddisson (Hello, airport shuttle!)
• A pretty Christmas pearl bracelet
• Cuddling with Audrey every night
• Studying at the Hilton Inn compliments of Momo
• The Finnish Bistro in Saint Paul (I was suddenly transported back to Lillehammer)
• The excitement and familiarity of home
• Moxie Java coffee compliments of my girl Amee
• The girls’ birthday cards to Brady (I want to make you a ‘chock-it’ cake with boo and pink ‘frost-in.’ I want to give you a yiddle dalmation. I want to give you a kiss)
• Celebrating Brady’s birthday in person!
• Bridgette asleep in the family room in her pink leopard print pajamas
• Holiday baking and having access to a proper kitchen
• Dairy Queen!
• Gingerbread house making with the girls (Hope, why does yours look like a cardboard box?)
• Christmas Eve at the Johnsons
• Dollars go so much farther than pounds
• Study days at Ikea with endless Swedish kaffe
• Finishing the Aphra Behn essay (a miracle indeed)
• Cooper and Olivia, the most gorgeous blonde children alive
• The luxury of driving a car (what! I don’t have to walk to the grocery store?)
• TJMAXX (Yes, I did have a couple Becky Bloomwood moments)
• Date nights with Mr. Brady Mark
• Long walks with Audrey (and her love affair the basset hound, poor chap!)
• Trips to the pet store with Gigi, Nanie, and my Mother
• Homemade caramel rolls on Christmas morning
• The excitement of going home
• Packing and listening to Christmas music
• A signed first edition of ‘Keats and Hellenism’ (Thank you, Dr Punter!)
• Seeing the babies THIS WEEK
• Seeing my baby Aya THIS WEEK
• Seeing Brady TOMORROW
• Christmas presents from friends
• Holiday baking
• Pomegranate seeds
• Sleeping in (till just before noon)
• Knowing I’m returning to Bristol after Christmas
• Looking forward to wonderful things
• No make-up days

• Ray LaMontagne
• Mulled wine and mince pies
• Romanticism lectures
• A new reading list
• Clifton Christmas ‘Fayre’
• ‘It’s the holiday season…’
• Home in nine days
• Going to the cinema
• Finally getting warm enough to sleep
• Christmas onesies that make me feel four (all I need now are stick-on earrings)
• Listening to Josie Vanders
• Pictures on my wall of Gigi, Nani and the rest of the crew
• Salisbury Cathedral
• Swans on River Avon
• Battered cod and chips
• Oil and water
• Tiny coffees that leave you craving more
• The view of Cabot Tower from my window
• Audrey’s someday sibling
• Two weeks till home
• Hot showers and grapefruit soap
• Hyperion: A Fragment, “O, aching time! O moments big as years!”
• Scones with clotted cream and jam. Nothing more to say.
• Quiet mornings at Cafe Nero in Clifton
• British Mums with their British babies in prams
• The James Blake concert
• Ashley, Gen and Caro
• Pear Cider
• November in Bristol
• His mercies are new each morning
• Christmas surprises
• Postcards
• Letter writing
• A bit of Christmas shopping in Clifton
• The X Factor (o, BBC iplayer!)
• Laughing with Leah
• Strolling through castles
• British children named Lily
• Quince jam
• Turning in my first essay
• Finishing Keats’ biography
• The magic of the Cotswolds
• Exploring charity shops
• Holding spaniel puppies on the street
• Skype calls with Brady (this counts as a hundred gifts. at least.)
• Grey days to appreciate the sunny ones
• Experiencing an Anglican church service in a parish built in the 15th century
• Learning to make a proper cup of British Tea (always say yes to cream and sugar)
• Chalky white cliffs of Sussex
• Old friends with familiar faces
• Train rides through the English Countryside
• Love letters
• Pints of cider
• New friends
• Window shopping in Cabot Circus
• Sending postcards
• Sophie
• Thinking of my baby sisters
• “The Guilty River” by Wilkie Collins
• Filling up my calendar
• Polka dot dresses that fit just right
• Daytrips to Bath, England
• Keats
• Numbing throat spray (my throat may be sore, but I can’t feel it!)
• Blush wine
• Emails from my Momma
• Love notes from Brady
• Grocery shopping in British grocery stores
• Reading all things Romantic
• English Breakfast Tea
• Cream tea (o, sweet clotted cream!)
• Library dates with Caro and Gen
• British television (the luxury!)
• Walks home in the rain
• Meeting Judith and Jenny
• Trips to Windsor Castle
• Walking tours
• Getting to know Tom and Stu
• Molly
• Bristol:::I love this city
• Jetlag
• Late nights and early mornings
• Ivy on old stone fences
• Manor Hall
• A new mobile
• Brady Mark
• British Accents
• Curry for 19pence (thank you, Sainsbury!)
• Falling head over heels for Bristol
• Scotties in the backyard
• Free tea and scones
• A new city
• Cobbled streets
• English classes
• And Then There Were None
• Visas coming through
• Booking flights to England
• Closing a chapter
• His mercies are new each morning
• Celebrating and dancing and weddings
• A newborn niece fresh from the hands of God
• Time freedom (even if it’s just spent cleaning)
• Being home for a month
• Sleeping in (such a luxury!)
• Christina’s homemade chocolate cake
• Silly dreams
• Eating one too many ribs
• Swimming!
• Reading by the lake
• Thank goodness for mascara
• Falling deeper in love
• Letters (instead of bills) in the mail
• Pinterest (I’m an addict)
• Beautiful Ugandan babies
• Mornings I make it to work on time
• New music to get me through the day
• A lovely cubicle friend
• Tiny grey kittens
• Baby twin sisters
• His mercies are new each morning
• Tiny shopping sprees
• Audrey kicking up her heels
• Brady cooking delicious dinners
• Looking forward to something
• Outdoor weddings
• Orchids
• Sleep
• Interesting conversations with strangers
• Little girls stopping to pet Audrey
• Warm glow of house lights at nighht
• A water fountain in the park
• Arranging bouquets
• Bubbles
• Shark Week
• Couples that simply ‘go together’
• Afternoons at the beach with Gigi and Nattie
• Turning into a puddle at hot yoga
• Soft pillows after a long day
• Long walks with Audrey
• Strawberry blonde hair on little girls
• Coffee with cream