Ahhhhh.

You hear that? It's the sound of quiet satisfaction. Over the last few days, things just seem to be working out.

- Our house is basically done: the two blue rooms are painted, Dare (bless his heart) painted all the doors and trim downstairs (did I mention they were an ugly mushroom brown?), all the boxes are unpacked, and we just feel Settled (with a capital S).

- I'm starting to get the hang of this gardening thing. My Aunties Val and Dawn got me a couple great gardening books, and I've identified most (okay, about half) of the plants in the front and back yards. The only things that I'm still worried about are: roses, fruit trees, and vegetables. But those will come.

- I have found immense satisfaction in harvesting food from our yard, and serving it. The apples from our tree are delicious, and we had grilled zucchini the other night. The plums (now done for the season) were yummy, and the grapes are amazing. We can't wait for the cherries next year!

- Work is going well. I'm really starting to feel like I know what I'm doing! My manager is giving me more tasks with more responsibility, but leaving me to accomplish them independently. I just finished a training course that, if we can apply even 1/5 of the principles, will help move my career in the direction I've always know I wanted to take. If only we can find the time! We've always been very reaction-oriented (day-to-day, tactical), and the ideal in Product Management is to be proactive (long term, strategic). It seems like our parent company is committed to applying the theory and practice we covered in the course, so hopefully we will begin to make the transition.

- Potty training is happening. It's two steps forward, one step back, but I think we're making good progress.

- We've had some good weather, and were able to visit the Pumpkin Patch with some good friends. Then we had them over for a simple dinner. The kids had fun, and we had a nice visit. Photos to come!

- Dare's dad, Roy, is visiting for a few days, and it's so wonderful to see how close Chloe is to him. He lives in Nanaimo, but we see him every few months or so. He'll be here for Christmas this year too!

- Chloe is at such a wonderful age. Okay, we've really loved every age, even though they all have their challenges, but this one is certainly a lot of fun. We can have complete conversations with her, and she has such a unique perspective about things. She asks lots of interesting questions, but is still just a fun little girl, who loves a book about poop. She's now 2 and 3/4 years old, so I will do our usual update (and photos) soon!

- I love being within five minutes of Dare's mom, Donna, and three of my Aunties. And my mom is only a 20 minute drive away!

- My nana (dad's mom) is settled in the suite in my dad's house (our old house). She seems really happy there, and is just putting her finishing touches on the place. I'm so glad that she's close with my stepmom, as she's just a flight of stairs away.

- We have become good friends with several couples who also have kids Chloe's age. We see each other often, and the kids really enjoy playing together!

Anyway, those are just a few of the things for which I am thankful. And I just realized that I am writing this post at 12:13 am, so it's technically Thanksgiving Day! I didn't start out to write that type of list, but that's what it became. I'd love it if you would leave a comment with your own reason(s) to be thankful!