**Please read the following in the voice of the father from the Carousel of Progress at Magic Kingdom**

Well, it looks like we made it through another month of the Covid-19 Pandemic. We’re still staying home, wearing masks, and social distancing. What year is it? Still 2020. Positive cases are on the rise, even breaking records. We spent 4th of July without big fireworks shows, and vacations are cancelled for the foreseeable future. With all this complaining, I’ve worked up the need to practice gratitude.

There’s a great big beautiful tomorrow….

**Alright, you can go back to your own voice now if you want**

I couldn’t pass up a perfectly good excuse to pretend 2020 will be featured in a future version of the Carousel of Progress, but in all honesty, I am extremely grateful. Here are 31 of the hundreds of things I am grateful for this month.

1. Rainy cozy days

2. Pot roast cooking in the crock pot all day

3. Fancy coffee

4. America, and all of the work happening right now to ensure access for all to the privileges that should come with living here.

5. Lunar eclipse

6. Rainier cherries

7. Family time

8. Lucy snuggles

9. Grilled pineapple

10. An afternoon nap

11. Play time with Kimber and the nieces

12. Fazoli’s bread sticks

13. Seeing a ton of deer

14. A labyrinth walk

15. Hanging out by a pretty creek

16. A wine flight and meeting a vineyard dog

17. Exploring an old mill

18. A really nice week exploring Abingdon, VA with my parents (socially distanced of course)

19. Hugs from our nieces

20. Another year of Josh

21. Having two dead trees professionally removed

22. Our new fridge was finally delivered!!

23. Spice cake

24. Banana Splits

25. Having a “spa day” with my nieces

26. Pool day with the nieces

27. Candles

28. Fresh flowers

29. My plants

30. Home Chef

31. Hilarious people on TikTok

I hope you’re finding things to be grateful for in this upside down world we are living in.