I’m Just Really Grateful

I feel like I complain a lot. Not to you, but in my head for sure. Probably to my close friends and family, too. Even I wouldn’t venture to say I necessarily complain too much, but I do think that sometimes I don’t accurately portray how grateful I am for, well, my life. Because it’s actually pretty great.

After reading a couple blog posts on gratitude lately, and after a really excellent weekend, I want to reflect on the things I’m most grateful for – and I want to hear what you’re grateful for, as well! I think this is an awesome exercise for anyone, anytime. 

So, let’s start with the weekend and see where we end up. Sound good?

I’m grateful for…

…this weekend + my mom + my relationship with her

I’ve said it before, but it’s kind of been a hard quarter. It’s not a huge deal, and when I’m past midterms and have words to explain, I will absolutely do so. For now, I just feel lucky that my mom was able to come and make this weekend a little less “hard” for me.

On Friday after she arrived, we went downtown for dinner. We left early enough that we might’ve been able to go to Au Cheval if there hadn’t been traffic, but it was Friday night in Chicago. Instead of waiting three hours to get those delicious burgers, we walked down the street a little bit and ended up at Little Goat Diner.

Per usual, we didn’t really want to decide what to eat, so we ordered a bunch of appetizers and made dinner out of them.

{Hot Crab Dip}

{Not Chinese Broccoli}

{Smoked Fries}

{Crisp Shrimp ‘Cocktail’}

{All together now}

I 100% recommend all of these things. The dip was creamy and rich, and the fries smoky and addictive. I need to learn how to season broccoli that well, and the shrimp wrapped in the crunchy noodles and crisp lettuce were sort of life-changing. Go there! Eat the delicious food!

We finished off the evening at the hotel with New Orleans Praline Pecan ice cream from Kilwin’s because there’s no better way to end a day. It’s a fact.

Saturday was shopping day. After trying on about half of four different stores and asking my mom’s opinion on every single item, I ended up buying a few nice new pieces for work that can do double duty as casual wear, a pair of cute shoes, and some groceries from Target.

It was a stunning day and I didn’t want it to end. That said, both my mom and I had work to do, so we headed back to the hotel mid-afternoon to be responsible adults. After I did some reading and studying, we grabbed Chipotle for dinner and Kilwin’s (again) for dessert. Yessss.

Sunday morning, we headed to The Bongo Room for breakfast.

 I got the Tomatillo Salsa Scramble (egg whites, chicken, tomatillo salsa, spinach, and a pile of avocado) with sourdough toast and tomato slices, plus some of my mom’s fruit. It was great. After a quick stop at Trader Joe’s, we went back to hang out at the hotel and watch Gilmore Girls until she needed to leave for her flight.

So? It was a wonderful weekend. It filled me up with love and smiles and strength. I’m grateful that my mom was able and more than willing to come visit and take me shopping and listen to me and wait for me to take 293573 pictures of our food before we could dig in.

{Presentable Ellen}

{Awkward blogger Ellen}

I’m grateful she painted my nails and helped me relax a little before midterms. I’m grateful for her love and her time.

… my dad + my relationship with him

He couldn’t come this weekend, but both my parents are visiting in a couple weeks. We share so many of the same beliefs and the same sense of humor, and I can tell him anything. I can always count on him for level-headed advice, essay-editing and math tutoring. He supports me in everything and never fails to make me feel better about myself on not-so-great days. He’s great at keeping me up-to-date on everything from world news to bad headlines, hockey stories to his Words with Friends and poker successes. Basically, I don’t know what I’d do without him.

… the rest of my family

Hi, I have an aunt I text regularly, grandparents who send me notes and care packages regularly, and a whole bunch of cousins I adore. And lots of other awesome people I can’t wait to see when I’m home again 🙂

… my high school friends

I’m endlessly grateful to have met some of the coolest people ever when we were all probably in the most awkward stages of our lives. They made me smile daily when I had classes with them, and they still do in our texts and oddly-named group messages. Love them.

… a study group I trust

Coming into college, I never thought I’d be a person who wanted or needed a study group. Let’s just say I was completely wrong, and I’m grateful I found the people I found early on. On the whole, we usually find a way to get the right answer and I still usually manage a reasonable amount of sleep (read: we aren’t generally scrambling to finish our assignments).

… the opportunity to be here

UChicago is hard and you’ll never hear me say otherwise. (Please hit me if I do.) But on the whole, it’s made me a lot stronger and probably a lot smarter, though it usually makes me feel less intelligent.

… a really cool blogging community

I’ve “met” some of the most amazing people through blogging. I never expected it, but I couldn’t be happier with the outcome – and I’m excited to meet more!

… general health and food and a beautiful world full of simple pleasures

How was your weekend? What’s happening in your life?

What are you grateful for?