As is the tradition on my birthday, I will list the forty-two things I’m grateful for (well, the tradition is not forty-two, but the number each year that corresponds to my age).
To help me celebrate, I feel like giving something away. But birthday gifts should be a surprise, so I won’t tell you what’s up for grabs! To enter, add a thing or two you’re grateful for in the comments and on Friday, I’ll draw a winner!
If you want, take up the tradition on your site, you should! It’s fun. I believe I first got the idea from Sarah Dessen, but I’m not certain.
Forty-two things I’m grateful for – in no particular order (they’re all important)!
- My wonderful husband.
- Trees, and living amongst them.
- Getting a new computer before the old one dies.
- My family
- My agent
- My husband’s photos
- Music
- Sarah Tradewell and our wonderful story (and her family!)
- Writing
- Good books
- My treadmill desk
- Lovely friends
- My critique group
- My editor
- Holding my real book in my hands
- The kitties
- Walking
- The garden
- My cooking students/friends
- ARCs
- The opportunity to teach at the school
- Tea
- The wood stove
- My bike
- Living on an island
- Sunday Soup
- The internet
- Good food – preferably homegrown and homecooked
- The deer in the yard
- Our neighbour
- A fantastic well (very important on an island without much water!)
- Baseball & Cubbies
- Fresh fruit
- The Enchanted Forest
- Book bloggers
- The Debutante Ball
- The big blue reading chair
- Our library
- My husband playing guitar
- The number 18
- My birthday!
Here is my birthday pressie! Hand-knitted alpaca wool slippers from Paradise Island Alpaca Farm right here on the island.
Happy Belated Birthday.
A wonderful list indeed!
Beautiful comfy slippers
Happy Birthday Joelle!
I’m grateful for:
Friends and family
Having a job
My hubby and the dogs and cats
music
good books
and much more
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOELLE!!
I have to say my 7 year old son. He really keeps me grounded and my husband who keeps me in good supply of books for my reading obsession.
Joelle,
Happy Birthday!
I am grateful for:
My home office and that I get to work there every day.
That I can thus take off up the road when the school calls.
That my son seems to be feeling much better already.
Good coffee
Dark chocolate
My knitting and crochet
My darling husband who sometimes makes me leave my wonderful home office.
LOVE these kinds of lists! The fact that I would include many of those on your list made me smile. A few more of mine would be:
1. Emerging spring (tho’ fall best of all)
2. My chocolate Lab puppy, Jazz
3. My three Ragdoll cats
4. A heritage which encouraged the passion (the necessity!) of reading and the pure pleasure of being always surrounded by books
It’s hard to stop! I’m so grateful! Hope your birthday yesterday was perfect in every way, Joelle. All the best to you in your next year!!
I am thankful that Joelle and I are still friends after all these years. Thanks Technology!! Happy Birthday Joelle. If I had a list of top ten friends, you would still be on it. I was gonna make a list of the top Ten awesomesteses things about Joelle but someone already did a top ten. So instead I am counting the days to your Portland Book Tour and looking forward hearing you read from your lovely Book.
<3 Brad (GO SCOTS!) :+)
Happy Birthday!
I am grateful for books and stories that bring me to another world so I get to experience multiple lives (albeit vicariously!).
Happy Happy Birthday Joelle! May this year be even better than your last.
I am thankful for my amazing hubby, my adorable children and my awesome friends. I also and thankful that I have faith and that God has given us all free will to be the best that we can be!
Happy Birthday Joelle.
I am grateful for all the encouraging people in my life, the ones that support me, the ones that help grow and the ones that tell me I can make a difference.
Happy Birthday!
Today I am grateful for my sister, who is staying with us and has made our life so much lovelier.
I’m grateful that cantaloupes are in season again, because all this yardwork is making me both hungry and thirsty.
Happy Birthday! May it be full of cake!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOELLE!!! I’m grateful for you, my dear friend and mentor (whether you want to be my mentor or not, you get the honor of the title).
I’m grateful for loads of things, but today I’m especially grateful for my faith–faith in many things, but today, in particular, my religious faith.
I’m grateful for the (sadly not-updated lately) Sunday Soup, which has inspired many, many wonderful meals for our family.
And I’m grateful for getting requests for partials and fulls, and even for the agents who have [foolishly] decided to pass because they said good things about my writing!
And I’m grateful for good health despite (ah-choo!) a bumper crop of tree pollen this year (itch itch rub rub where-are-the-eyedrops?)
And for the 27-year-old washing machine gasping its last just a few weeks before the Energy Star rebate money ran out!
I’m grateful for a beautiful day in West Virginia and hoping you are having a beautiful birthday where you are!!!
Those are some NIFTY slippers. I bet the cats will love them. : )
I am always grateful for good friends and family. I’m grateful that I married someone who can help me with all my IT needs and that spring has arrived.
Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful, star sprinkled day.
I’m grateful for my husband, baby, family, friends, critique group, email and chocolate!
Also that I don’t have twins whatever your subconscious may think 🙂
I am grateful for family, good friends, new friends, wonderful books and the amazing authors who write them.
Happy Birthday to one of those amazing authors. Have a wonderful relaxing and special day. And may this year be filled with incredible things, a great adventure, much love & peace & joy.
I am grateful that, despite everything, people still like to read! A most splendid birthday to you, filled with wonderful words, music and cake. (Or ice cream. Or balloons. Or pointy hats. Kitties in pointy hats!)
Happy Happy Birthday to You
lets see I’m grateful for
1.For my amazing supportive family
2.My friends who are crazy just like me
3. and all the authors out there who give me the joy of reading
Again Happy B Day
I am grateful for my family, fiance, and doggie! 🙂
Happy Birthday, dear Joelle! I love your list. As for me, I’m grateful that your talent will soon be out there in the world, in the form of a beautiful book!
And I am also grateful for this beautiful springtime in Tennessee, with redbud trees blooming simultaneously with dogwoods, apple trees, wisteria, royal palonia trees, and all sorts of flowers–and I can see all of them from my front porch. But I must say that I wish that I could also see your enchanted forest from my porch, because it is magical indeed!
I am thankful/grateful for…
1. The fact that I have a job when so many are being cut
2. I have someone to come home to
3. My love of reading
4. My gift of imagination
5. Good books that can magically transport you anywhere
6. Writing
7. My parents are alive and together
8. I have a car! Car=freedom
9. Not to have to worry where my next meal is coming from or if someone will attack me.
10. I am not in the middle of a disaster i.e. earthquake, tsunami etc
Thank you for this post, it really helped give me perspective and realise that I am lucky in a lot of ways. Also, thank you for the contest 🙂