This weekend was my favourite kind. Full of family, creating recipes to share with you all, and of course, an awesome run! Let’s jump right in because this week there was a lot to stop and be grateful for. Here is my Nourished Life Gratitude List 2016 – Week Thirty-Seven. 
On Tuesday we had a challenging yoga class with lots of back bends and a camel pose series. My back and neck are areas of my body that hold tension and stress so this opening and stretching class challenged me and encouraged me to breathe and let go of the tension. I was grateful to feel my body freeing itself of the demands of every day life and surrendering to its own power and potential. 
I met up with Caroline for lunch on Wednesday night and we ended up talking non-stop for about three hours! I was grateful to spend time relaxing and catching up and solving the world’s problems with my oldest friend. 
I got to enjoy quite a few lunches at home this week. I love being so close to home that I can pop home and have lunch with Penny. I’m grateful that my schedule allows it. I certainly return to work feeling calm and centered and ready to concentrate for the rest of the day. Taking time away from the screen for lunch is so important, and I’m lucky I have a cute furry lunch companion to share it with! 
On Friday night Chris and I travelled up to Toowoomba to have dinner and sleep over at his parent’s home. We were doubly lucky because Chris’s brother, Tim, and his wife, Ash were in town too (they live in Roma). We enjoyed a delicious Indian take away dinner and I provided some brownies for dessert (definitely sharing soon). Penny was in good company with Ben (Chris’s parent’s dog) and Jetta (Tim and Ash’s pup). She might be the smallest, but she certainly had them all playing like puppies again! I was grateful for a fantastic night catching up with the other half of our family and watching the dogs play. 
On Sunday morning we were up bright and early because I was running the 14km at the Logan Running Festival! Saturday had been truly gloomy and rainy and I was afraid that we’d be running through a storm on Sunday. Instead the heavens smiled on us and we were met with beautiful blue skies and perfect running weather. I had such a good run too! I finished in 1:32:11, which was much faster than I was expecting given my general lack of interest in long running sessions lately! The course ran through the wetlands near my parent’s home and it was gorgeous and shady and picturesque running territory. I had my own cheer squad too! Mum and Dad joined Chris to wait for me and cheer me on. When I crossed the finish line I was so happy to throw myself into Mum’s and Chris’s arms before we headed back to Mum and Dad’s place for breakfast.
I am grateful that I have such a dedicated family and that they would get up at 5.30am on a Sunday because their daughter/fiance thinks that running through the bush for a few hours sounds fun. I was grateful too that I made myself stick with it. There were a few times over the past few weeks that I thought about pulling out, but I decided to just show up on the day and see how I went. Then, something magic happened. I remembered that I love doing this. I love the burn in my lungs, the pump of my heart, the grinding of my legs. It makes me feel alive. It reminds me to love my body for what it can do and how far it can carry me. I am grateful for the run. 
Tell me, dear readers, what are you grateful for this week?