I had the joy of going downtown for the official Pride parade.  It was an awesome time trying to catch rainbow beads being thrown at your head and being around happy people celebrating the right to be themselves.  Love yourself, and be nice and accepting of everyone.  I'm grateful for my amazing GLBT friends for having the strength to be themselves.  Closets were meant for shoes!

Grass-fed hamburger, sauteed onions, and goat cheese...need I say more?  This is the beauty of my diet; I've learned how to make creative and delicious food.  Served with roasted brussel sprouts and a side salad, this was exactly what I'd been craving after two days of deep cleansing (which means no eating except a small chocolate snack each day).  I'm grateful that I'm learning more about food and what is actually healthy.

During one of my and Isabelle's walks, I noticed this little butterfly fluttering about my neighbor's beautiful yard.  I had to go back and capture it with my camera.  I just sat and watched it for a few minutes waiting for it to come a little closer.  I really love butterflies; they are beautiful, youthful, and independent.  Plus a bonus bumblebee!  I'm grateful for this little butterfly that flitted across my path today.

The Loop is one of my favorite neighborhoods in St. Louis.  I love the people, shops, bars, and architecture.  We came here on a search for cakes, and ended discovering so much more.  It was an afternoon of pictures, shopping, tea, and fascinating people.  I'm grateful for its funky vibe and to be able to have fun capturing it!

I couldn't resist picking up a bunch of these bright blooms during my after work trip to Whole Foods. The cashier promised they would make me smile to see them in the morning, and it sure did make me smile seeing them sitting the windowsill with the sunlight shining through them.  I don't buy fresh flowers very often but when I do they make me happy.  I'm grateful for the little things that make me smile.

I survived 30 days of no sugar, artificial sugars, alcohol, fast food, and processed foods....so a splurge seemed necessary to celebrate.  I can't think of anything much better than St. Louis's famous custard mixed with hot fudge and cookie dough.  Luckily it was just a one time splurge.  I'm finally in control of my health and nutrition, and it feels great.  I'm grateful to have control of the food cravings.

Our mini vacation continued today with a trip to St. Charles Main Street, one of my favorite places in St. Louis for shopping.  Charming little shops, cobblestone street, great patios...perfect place to spend a beautiful afternoon.  Especially when you've got your camera, Mom, and a friend for even more company!

What's better than a 3 day vacation?  A 3 day vacation where your Mom comes to visit!  We started off our staycation with a trip to the Botanical Gardens.  I really never get tired of taking pictures there, and it was wonderful to share it with my Mom since it's one of her favorite places.  I'm so grateful to share some time with her.

The sky last night stopped my coworker and me in our tracks.  Seeing those rays of light spreading out from a bright ball of sun made me think of a heaven on Earth.  I love seeing these incredible sights...what a beautiful planet we live on!

After a tumultuous day weather wise, and a somewhat hectic day work wise, I was delighted to see a gorgeous sky.  It was definitely worth making a pit stop in Creve Couer to capture the blue sky peppered with white clouds, and a golden field blowing underneath it.  A great end to my day!

I kinda forgot about my Mother's Day daisy on my window sill until I looked over at it a few days ago and noticed a small pile of soft fuzz next to the beer bottle.  Even in its dead, wilted state it all seemed so beautiful...like it shed all its soft, lovely petals revealing its inner core.  I'm grateful for all things beautiful, inside and out.

Ripe, juicy blackberries make a delicious and healthy dessert.  Especially when shared with a sweet friend.  I'm feeling grateful that my tastebuds have adapted to my healthy lifestyle, and these taste as good as salted carmel gelato.  Well, almost.

So anyone that has been around me or talked to me in the last two weeks knows how much I've been craving Chinese food.  All of the other cravings have dwindled...but there's been a couple times when I have almost caved in and ordered orange chicken and cream cheese wontons.  Unfortunately, it's about as unhealthy as you can get.  So I set out to find a recipe that was healthy and Paleo-friendly, and tonight I made it happen.  It tasted amazing, and so did the curry roasted cauliflower!  I love cooking again, and getting creative with healthy cooking.  I lost my love for cooking in the divorce...but I'm finding it again.

I love seeing rainbows.  I know it's all science....sun, water, refraction, reflection.  But there's still something magical about seeing one.  After leaving work, I drove through a 30 second downpour and chased the rainbow down the street until it stopped raining enough to be safe to take my camera out.  The best part was when I was taking pictures, a guy mowing the yard across the street shouted out to me, pointed to the rainbow, and made a thumbs up sign.  Everyone loves seeing rainbows!

I was finally able to make it to the Tower Grove farmers market for the first time this year...and it was a mecca of all kinds of delicious foods.  Fresh red strawberries, crunchy sugar snap peas, juicy tomatoes, fresh farm eggs and grass fed beef, unique flavored teas...it makes me feel healthy just looking at all the fresh produce I picked up.  Even better was getting to share my delicious finds with a great friend that I haven't seen in a bit.