Thank goodness it’s Friday! At the end of yet another intense week and adjusting to another new routine, it feels good to take a moment to share the things I’m thankful for from the past week as a way to appreciate the big things and the small things.

1. I am thankful to be learning more about photography with my photography class, which began earlier this week. I am starting to understand what aperture and shutter speed mean on my camera, along with all the other settings that can be adjusted for the best possible pictures.

2. I am appreciating the importance of composition in all things, from taking a picture to drawing with agraphite pencil.

3. I am thankful for lunch with one of my longest-lasting friends. We live close to each other, yet we don’t see each other as much as we used to, the result of busy lives. It was good to see her!

4. I am thankful for beautiful summer days. I used to be such a winter lover that I hated summer. Crazy, I know.

5. I am thankful for my collection of souvenir coffee mugs from different places.

6. I am thankful for the weekly postcard I receive from my sister.

7. I am thankful for scrap paper because I make a lot of lists.

8. I am thankful for the sound of chirping birds at dawn and dusk. They bring the outdoors inside, which makes me feel connected.

9. I am thankful for the jar of homemade salsa a friend of mine gave me. There’s nothing better than fresh food!

10. I am thankful for the articles my mom always sends me. She is an avid reader, sometimes reading FIVE newspapers a day, or something crazy like that. She is so good at spotting and saving articles I find interesting.

Hope you have a few things to be thankful for this week.