*the trees lit up and golden against a grey sky this morning
*2 adorable chickadees near our suet feeder, calling "chickadeedeedee" very emphatically
*a junco hopping along the edge of our roof
*an unexpected gift from a friend
*the pansies I planted in the planters at work blooming bravely in the cold

As the days get shorter and things get busy, I am concentrating on joy dots and food. Yesterday, I was unexpectedly asked to attend an event we were holding for parents for the Early Head Start program I work for. The plan was to attend a storytelling event at a museum, and then go to a pizza place for work. I brought along the lunch I had packed for work, so while people were eating pizza, I had a pork chop, stuffed grape leaves, and cucumber salad.

After work, I had plans to exercise with my personal trainer. An hour before leaving work, I had chicken, a cheese stick, brown rice with olive oil and steamed summer squash. Right after my workout, I had a scoop of Restore in almond milk. When I got home, my husband had grilled chicken thighs, so I had some chicken, some steamed baby potatoes, and steamed green beans. Then I spent time relaxing, knitting while watching a detective show. I sit on the couch and usually have at least 2 of the 3 dogs on the couch with me. Sometimes all 3 pile on.

Allison