Grateful and Joyful...

I've got two weeks of entries from my gratitude journal today since I was on vacation and didn't post last week. For my sixtieth birthday my husband and daughters helped to make a dream come true for me.  I've always wanted to take my girls to Maine to see the beautiful place where my Mama grew up and to meet some of my relatives that are still living there.  While my husband and I have been able to take a couple of trips there, my girls have never been.  So, on the night of my birthday my daughters and I, (and our two month old breastfeeding grandson), hopped a night flight to Boston, rented a car when we arrived there the following morning, and drove to Maine!  We spent a week sightseeing, visiting my 89 year old aunt and some of my cousins, eating lots of lobster, and soaking in the beauty of one of my most favorite places!  I am bubbling over with deep gratitude to God and my family for making this deep desire of my heart come to pass!

****************

Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks

piling up gratitude day by day

in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#10,086-#10,143

7-31-17-

-my second-born's weight loss and good health journey-(she's lost 100+ lbs!)

-God's constant care and blessing in my life

-a beautiful new potted plant for my patio from a sweet friend

8-1-17-

-August!

-my hubs was able to get the airline to change our seats so we are seated together

-God's provision for this trip

8-2-17-

-God's faithfulness and goodness to me for sixty years!

-getting a new flight after our flight was cancelled due to stormy weather in Boston

-a nice birthday dinner out with my husband before going to the airport

8-3-17-

-a safe flight-(and the baby slept most of the way!)

-a safe drive to Maine from Boston-(YaY! We're in Maine!)

-wading in the Atlantic on our stop in Kennebunkport

-a beautiful room with a view in Portland

8-4-17-

-blueberry pancakes at Becky's Diner

-a beautiful drive to Fort Popham

-Mama's hometown-beautiful Bath, Maine

-lobster dinner at JR Maxwell's in Bath,

 (our oldest daughter's first lobster-

she had promised my mama she wouldn't eat lobster til she had it in Maine)

-our fun and quirky AirBnB in Bowdoinham, Maine- (it's a two story apartment built inside a barn)

8-5-17-

-we all slept over nine hours!

-coffee and quiet time on the deck overlooking the Maine woods

-going to the little farmers market in Bowdoinham and buying a fresh chicken and some veggies

-meeting up with my cousin and his wife in Freeport and going to a free concert sponsored by 

LLBean-(it rained, but it was so fun!)

-our baby grandson discovered his hands today

8-6-17-

-from Psalm 119-"Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning"-so true!

-introducing my grandson to our French AirBnB owner-"Bonjour, Monsieur!" she said to him

-seeing more of Mama's hometown with my cousins

-a lobster and clam feed at my Aunt's house, (Mama's last living sibling of nine)

-text from my husband that we had more new people at church today

8-7-17-

-God is good and does good-Ps. 119:68

-seeing my Aunt one more time to say goodbye again

-my oldest daughter making the most delicious meal out of the chicken and veggies we bought at the farmer's market-(roast chicken with roasted potatoes and radishes, a beautiful salad, and sautéed swiss chard-

 set up beautifully on the deck of our AirBnB on our last evening there)

8-8-17-

-a safe drive along the Maine coast to Bar Harbor

-a fun meal at an Irish pub and a good time spending some time in the little shops 

-an AMAZING sunset nature cruise along the shoreline of Acadia National Park

8-9-17-

-a beautiful morning in Bar Harbor

-a safe drive to Boston, (with stops in Hallowell, Maine and Portsmouth, NH)

-our baby grandson's first swim

-belly laughs with my girls

-a free hotel room upgrade to a large suite!

-ordering dinner into our room-(two of us had Italian and two of us had sushi)

8-10-17-

-our youngest daughter driving like a pro through the narrow and crowded Boston streets

-walking the Freedom Trail, seeing where our nation's beginnings happened

-lunch at Cheers

-a safe evening flight home sweet home

-the baby literally slept the whole way!

8-11-17-

-waking up at home in my own bed next to my guy

-writing down memories from our trip so I won't forget

-my helpful nephew who put the bottom trim around our cabinets for me

-sunny yellow mums with green centers in the milk bottle I brought home from Maine

-enjoying my husband's day off with him

8-12-17-

-waking up in the wee hours since I'm still on east coast time,

 giving me extra quiet time with Jesus and time to write a blog post

-help from our friends to get our cabinets ready for painting

-watching our three year old grandson for a couple of hours and him falling asleep holding my hand

8-13-17-

-my big sister's 70th birthday

-a refreshing rainy morning after two very dry months

-a fabulous message at church, and more new faces!

still following,