Well, I’ll admit that I’m feeling a tiny bit better this week.  Not a whole lot better, but I’ve stopped bawling every hour on the hour.  I’ve found it really helpful to think about the things that I’m grateful for, and the things that have made me smile.  This week, I love:

– Emails from long-time readers that touch my heart.

– Booking in to sit the test to get my learner’s permit.  I had a permit that expired last year, and I never learned to drive because a) I was scared to and b) I didn’t really need a car when I lived in Melbourne.  Now that I’m in the country, I really need to pull my finger out and learn to drive, so I’m taking my test in two weeks.  Wish me luck!

– Skype chats with Ross.  He got in touch with me a couple of times this last week, and it was so good to chat with him.  I really miss him, and even though I have no idea what’s going to happen it was still so lovely to talk with him.

-Pin-curling my shorter hair.  I tried a pin-curl set a few nights ago and it worked pretty well.  I went for a kind of Lauren Bacall-inspired look. The finished product wasn’t as awesome as it could have been , but I am still pretty happy with it.

I didn’t use any setting lotion because I wanted to see how my hair would curl without it.  Next time I really do need to use a little, because my curls weren’t as strong as I would have liked.  I also need to practice making the curls a little smaller than I used to when my hair was longer.  I think smaller, tighter curls would have a bit more buoyancy.  I do really like this look though.  My hair has so much movement now and a curl makes it look even fuller.

– Sleeping with both of my cats in the bed, under the covers with me.

– Lunch dates with my nana.

– Dinner dates with my dad.

– Finishing the second Game of Thrones book and having the third one arrive at the library less than a week after I placed a hold on it.

-Finding this Frida Kahlo documentary on Youtube.  I’d never seen this one and it was really great.  It gives a brilliant analysis of the symbolism in some of her most famous paintings. I just adore Frida, and my favourite of all her paintings is The Two Fridas, although at the moment, I’m in love with Portrait with Cropped hair.

– Catching up with Ross’s mum.  She’s such an awesome woman and she will always hold an important place in my heart, no matter what happens.

– This quote from Janis Joplin.

 

– Catching up with friends that I haven’t seen in ages.

 

What about you sweetheart?  What do you love this week?  Leave your Things I Love Thursday list in the comments or send me a link if you post it on your own blog.