Count your blessings - August 2023

1.  Setting that out of office
2. Making a bad move with my back, blocking it entirely but finding a doctor's appointment and physio therapy right before we have to leave on vacation.
3. No customs spotting or questioning the load of heavy pain killers in my hand luggage.
4. Returning to Canada, my 2nd home country
5. Spending time with my host families again
6. Meeting my 2nd cousin
7. Hugging my host sister and feeling that she is just as emotional as I am about our short reunion
8. Spotting a mola mola during our whale watching tour
9. Sea otters....so many wild sea otters in the sea.  My cute friends
10. Pick-nicking next to the most gorgeous lakes
11. BC wineries
12. Giant red cedars and mild rain forest and rough coast lines. 
13. Being home in Creston
14. Lunches or drinks with old friends and hanging out with my host families
15. Observe the boys playing and interacting with my host sister's boys.
16. Swimming in Kootenay Lake to beat the heat wave. What a gorgeous feeling
17. Attending a Rotary meeting again
18. Soaking in our hot tub outside our log cabin with view on the mountains at night
19. Spending time in the national parks at high altitude where the smoke conditions were slightly better and didn't drive us from all views
20. Being lucky with road closures and wildfires that are out by the time we arrive or flare up at the destination, we did not choose 
21. No friends that are personally affected by the outrageous fires that were out of control in the central BC valleys (and we found a good, safe detour route to return west and managed to drive on to the next destination due to the travel ban). 
22. Spotting a mommy black bear and 2 cups crossing the highway and spotting 3 more on our vacation
23. The discovery of cheezies
24. Our boys chatting to waiters and hotel personnel without issue etc.
25. A week of no driving to end our road trip and staying in a little apartment that can start to feel like a little home.
26. Marmots chilling in front of our lens
27. Kayaking or canoeing on the lake and feeling so Canadian.
28. An hour of quiet time with a latte before the rest of the house wakes up
29. Being jet-lagged with no plans in the agenda.
30. Neighbours that took care of our house and plants so well and our cat being spoilt at his cat hotel like the king of the house.
31. Eating tomatoes out of the own garden
32. The children being enthusiastic to return to school for a discovery evening for their new class. 

This is a monthly list of simple things in my life that make me happy or that make me smile.  

As the world often seems full of negativity and disaster, I want to pay attention to these small things that make me happy in my daily life and be grateful for them. You can find all of them via this link