Some things to be thankful for...

Have you ever had a "lovely" day? It doesn't have to be exciting; it doesn't have to be exquisitely beautiful; heck, it doesn't even have to be particularly interesting... It just needs that perfect balance of good company and peaceful activity that leaves you feeling satisfied. Saturday was such a day. And (as should probably happen more often) it left me thinking about the incredible blessings I have in my life. So, in honor of my "lovely" day, here are some things I am thankful for:

1. My hot husband. Isn't he adorable?!?!

Even more impressive is that he not only bought me a fancy new camera so that I can attempt to learn to take decent pictures before our son arrives, but he even allowed me to practice on him, a sacrifice for this man who doesn't particularly like having his picture taken. He is so patient!

Not only that, he allowed me to practice in a public place - Les Halles Park:

After this one, I "got the picture" and decided to give the poor man a break:

2. Our peaceful neighborhood. In a city with millions of people: old, young; rich, poor; owning, renting, and homeless; French, foreign... all living in very close proximity... Needless to say, it can be difficult to find some peace and quiet. But I am SO thankful for our neighborhood with its park at the end of our street (at the trees):

And multiple bakeries to choose from:

And, my favorite, the stylish flower shop on the corner which displays its flowers out front in different geometric arrangements every day:

Plus the quiet, tree-lined streets:

A gem!

3. My HUGE baby belly. Although I cannot say that I don't complain about it (probably all too frequently), I am thankful for our son growing in there, thankful that he's already made it full term, thankful that he will come soon and be yet another reason to praise God.

Since we haven't been very good about taking belly pictures (and many of you have complained about that to me), I gave Chris the camera and told him to take a few... He got a little carried away, but I thought you might like to see some anyway:

4. This beautiful, historical city. There are not many places where I can take such pleasure in just snapping photos as we wander out of the movie theatre (which happened to have a special deal where all movies were only 3.50 - I'm thankful for that, too!). The tiny streets of the 1st Arrondissment:

The Seine River, complete with Bateaux Mouche (the tour boats) and the Tour Eiffel in the distance:

The beautiful flowering trees of Paris' springtime:

The view of the Conciergerie from Pont Neuf:

Antique-looking boats lined up along on the Left Bank:

All that to say, "Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!"