1. fall weather reminiscent of autumn in colorado.

2. the music of tracy chapman.

3. hummus and squash and yoghurt.

4. mornings to sleep in.

5. coffee

1. theraflu for the poorly timed throat affliction plaguing me.

2. what can only be described as one gluttonous weekend, full of sushi, sangria, pizza, and nachos.

3. planning, with the internet to blame as my primary enabler.

4. days crossed off my calendar.

5. used car perusing. i'm allowing myself a 9 months' head start... you know, to establish confidence in appropriate price ranges and to tear up a bit while browsing each qualified candidate that surely won't be around come july 2010. this is one of my more masochistic and ridiculous rituals.

6. relative success in the overwhelming task of disciplining 4th grade blabber mouths.

7. anticipating stateside residence in a neighborhood/ block of apartments/ community where i can firmly and verbally assert (in english and without a brick through glass) my irritation with mr. audi's delicate car alarm firing off, repeatedly and at all hours of the night, as passersby breathe too heavily on it or a semi-truck cruises by too noisily on the adjacent highway. reigning in control of sanity via sleep is indeed something to look forward to.

8. on that note, sleeping in when said car is on vacation from my block's tiny mud parking lot.

9. travel-sized accessories, all of which are shockingly difficult to acquisition here.

10. a hearty morning tromping through rain puddles and annoyingly consistent rainfall to remind myself why i should, as a general rule, remember that 1 dollar umbrella when i leave my apartment.

1. blogs that make me laugh until i cry.

2. actually, blogs and the freedom to blog more generally.

3. having to work harder this year and not hating every minute of lesson planning.

4. angels who've touched down on earth as my 4g class.

5. vitamin c pills. the big ones. and on that note, clorox bleach wipes. thank you mom. thank you day.

1. there are only 9 more months of listening to boys screaming/singing "i'm living in america" at my apartment.

2. a solid, industrious, almost like new radiator to keep my ice block warm.

3. sarcasm.

4. frosted flakes.

5. students i actually enjoy teaching.

1. the friends i made last year in bulgaria.

2. the friends i've made this year in bulgaria.

3. candles.

4. halloween candy!

5. project runway.

1. grace and humor in the instance of an internet outage... on my end and from those involved in remedying my problem.

2. beautiful fall sunsets. tonight's was pink and orange.

3. rotisserie chicken.

4. a sense of release and peace with just enjoying these last 9 months rather than taking myself too seriously.

5. weekend travel plans.

1. textbooks

2. textbooks

3. textbooks

4. textbooks

5. textbooks

1. all sorts of wonderful prospects on the horizon including (but not limited to): chipotle, a deep/thorough muscle massage, acupuncture, a chance to go back to something familiar, travel in the u.s. of a., driving, driving a new (to me) car, travel outside of the u.s. of a., white fenced farm chicken, coleslaw and cottage cheese, ohhhhhhh cottage cheese, bubble tea, insulated buildings and indoor heating infrastructure, drinkable tap water, a bathtub, hunting for a new job, exploring new places, revisiting old ones, disney's halloween and christmas parties and a childish dream to attend both next year, coffee/lunch/meals/beer with old friends and family.

2. a chance to do something over again.

3. courage to keep at this.

4. time off to sleep and regroup.

5. patience. i am surprised again and again how much i am grateful for patience- my own and the patience of others.

1. hershey's kisses.

2. peanut butter and bananas for breakfast.

3. the relief i feel knowing i will have a better experience this year. day one of school down and i feel overwhelming peace with my decision to move here and the outlook for the year.

4. languages and the challenge of learning and using them.

5. the onset of fall.

1. people with senses of humor.

2. being held accountable.

3. beautiful fall days like today.

4. optimism.

5. text books.

1. the teacher who helped me sort out the cryptic class schedule this morning... without me even asking for help. wonderful.

2. fresh cauliflower.

3. internet recipes to put said cauliflower to use.

4. afternoon naps.

5. feeling at peace with the prospect of the next 9.5 months.

1. cinnamon.

2. my health.

3. music by maire brennan.

4. four day work weeks at school this semester.

5. clarification on lessons learned from last year.

1. ibuprofen. again.

2. solitude.

3. steel cut oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and fresh peaches.

4. my washing machine.

5. red toe nail polish.

1. ibuprofen.

2. courage.

3. a good book on a rainy day.

4. plus chicken soup.

5. a hot shower.

today, i am grateful for:

1. silly conversations.

2. this photo blog.

3. surprises!

4. taco seasoning and avocados.

5. unconditional love and friendship.

today, i am grateful for:

1. bandannas.

2. a new haircut.

3. peanut butter and bananas.

4. feeling organized.

5. the joy of new friendship blossoming.

today, i am grateful for:

1. my driver's license.

2. nescafe 3 in 1.

3. enjoyable trips to the cafe with colleagues.

4. motivation to follow through on a couple of tasks.

5. silence.

today, i am grateful for:

1. philadelphia cream cheese.

2. the opportunity to travel.

3. internet.

4. chocolate chip cookie dough.

5. cooler weather+a quiet stadium= perfect running conditions.

for sunday, 06 september, 2009.

today, i am grateful for:

1. lazy, rainy sundays.

2. apple cider.

3. funky and whimsical music from cirque du soleil.

4. calendars.

5. friendly neighbors.

today, i am grateful for:

1. my parents and the fact that they are not currently in mexico.

2. ear plugs.

3. lazy, sleepy days.

4. hot chocolate.

5. febreeze.