thankful!

Camping on our trek through eastern Nepal, very close to the site where we spotted endangered red pandas. We stayed here for a couple days because our fearless leader, Brian (Exec Director of Red Panda Network) became sick!
Copyright (c) 2007 Wendee Holtcamp

I wanted to post again since days are passing... lately I've been feeling very grateful, and have felt joyful again as well. It's not any one thing in particular, but just a spirit that seems to have come over me. One one level, I've always felt grateful, and have kept a gratitude journal on and off for years. But this feeling is different. I will see something very simple, like the t-shirts hanging in my closet and think, I am so glad that I have these clothes. I will make dinner for my kids and think, I am so blessed to have this opportunity to feed and nourish these beautiful, wonderful kids! I will wash dishes and think, I love a clean kitchen! Maybe that sounds silly, but it's true. I'm not sure where it came from, but it's yet one more thing to be thankful for - my thankful spirit right now! Here are some of things I'm very grateful for right now, in no particular order.

• Christy Nockels' and TobyMac's new songs, No Not One, and City on a Hill.
  
• KSBJ Christian radio and specifically the way they're apolitical and loving to all
  
• My Animal Planet blog gig - come visit!
  
• I am truly enjoying cooking more again!
  
• I love and have always loved food, and the diversity of flavors!
  
• I am loving this mango sherbert I bought recently...
  
• I am excited that I have started running again!
  
• I love the cooler weather that we're starting to see
  
• Doug and I are getting along beautifully and are stepping gradually back together in love
  
• I am so grateful for my two amazing children
  
• My good health
  
• I love hot water!
  
• I sooo enjoyed my trip to the Pacific NW and the friends & family I reconnected with
  
• I love that I can sleep in (on days I don't take kids to school that is)
  
• I love that I can work whenever I want, day or night... and take breaks whenever, too
  
• I love my life!
  
• I have a truly awesome career and love it!
  
• I am grateful for our free country and the ability to dissent and disagree
  
• I am so grateful for our change in political leadership, and the positive changes that are occuring; slow and steady turns the ship...
  
• I had an awesome Saturday hanging out with my best friend Daline!
  
• I am grateful for all the diversity of wonderful friends that I have!
  
• I love how Facebook allows me to connect briefly here and there with so many more people than I ever could otherwise
  
• I'm so happy for my dad to have found true love!
  
• I am thankful that Jesus was who he was. The way he lived, the things he said and did, and the selfless love embodied in his life blows my mind.
  
• I'm sure there are zillions of other things but these came to mind!
  

In other news... I'm taking Sam and a friend of his camping and tubing the San Marcos River for his 13th birthday! Another bohemian adventure!! The cool thing is that I haven't been tubing since I was in high school, which is longer ago than I care to admit... I used to love it though! The original idea was just to go camping and fishing but it evolved.... We're staying at McKinney Falls State Park, just outside of Austin. It's one that I haven't been to yet but it looks pretty cool. There's a neat video of the park here.

I honestly can't remember if I've ever tubed the San Marcos. I am pretty sure my previous expeditions were on the Guadalupe. Due to a drought here, the water level is better in the spring-fed San Marcos and also the Comal compared to the Guadalupe right now. All three rivers are in close proximity to one another. Sam has been to the San Marcos River with me before when I was researching this story, Lives of a River, for Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, published in July 2004. He helped me and some biologists seine the river for fish and aquatic invertebrates and remembers it quite clearly. He's mentioned in the article, too! I leave you with a few relatively recent photos...
When I went to Dallas this summer with the kids, I visited a friend of mine who I went to high school with, Nikki. She is 7 months pregnant here with her second child which is due any day! She looks great doesn't she? My daughter is holding Nikki's daughter Abby. Sam never smiles for photos - he really is a happy kid!
A photo Savannah shot of me at Nikki's. I like this shot!
A photo I took outside my house of cool cloud formations.
Another shot of the weird and cool clouds.
Daline and I when she came to visit the other day! Check out her blog, Pixie Dust World Tour, and I especially encourage you to listen to the song "Here and Now" she has linked from the video at the top of the blog, which will blow you away - her voice and the song is truly beautiful. She's an inspiration! You can listen to her songs from the thingie below - click on the "songs" tab and then - my favorite "Here and Now."