Thursday 13: 13 things I'm looking forward to

hat's better on a windy, rainy day, than to look ahead to days that will involve sunshine and family and garden-fresh produce?

Hence, my Thursday 13 this week: what I'm looking forward to. Some are practically immediate, others are a bit far off... but still, just stating them out loud makes me joyful.

1. Lunch with a girlfriend today. Pho!

2. Seth's first tennis match on Friday. I won't be there--an hour drive both ways? Um, no, especially since he'll be on the bus with his buddies--but he'll do great and I can't wait to hear about it. (He had a super-close challenge match yesterday. Came down to breaking a 6-6 game tie with an 8-10 victory in his favor. I got there for the very end, and it was great to see him prevail.)

3. The weekend. Of course. And our weekend breakfast traditions, which are legendary. (Well, to us they are, anyway!)

4. Apricots on the apricot tree this summer. I know, that sounds a long way off, but the tree is blooming just beautifully right now, and I'm crossing my fingers we don't get a hard frost, since that has killed off the crop the last two years. I'm ready for a 400-pounds-of-apricots year, I am.

5. Spring break. I am feeling very "cabin feverish" about not having left town since December. Itching to go somewhere! And I will sneak in a long lunch with Jen in PDX too, which makes me smile just thinking about it. Will it involve fondue, she asks, hopefully?

6. Some work issues to be ironed out next week. Good things are happening, but next week should be pivotal, and I'm eager to get there, and beyond!

7. The garden. We have our little seed packets ready to go and are going to start seeds inside this weekend. Nothing makes me more anticipatory for spring and summer than plotting and planning the vegetables, herbs and flowers!

8. Family visit in April. So looking forward to having everyone here together. Makes my heart so happy just thinking about it, planning, getting goofy about Easter stuff for the nieces...

9. Summer plans that involve girlfriends, food, good times, Outstanding in the Field, laughter, music, sharing, more laughter and probably more food. (OK, I will probably sneak in a little crochet time, but they can handle it. And if there's a crochet intervention need, I am sure I can handle that too!)

10. Summer eating. Follows naturally from summer garden planning, but can't help but mention that I'm hankering for fresh basil, garden-grown tomatoes, peas, beets, carrots, kale, arugula... and the list goes on... yum.

11. Extra time with Seth. It's magically delicious that we have all of next week with the lad too, and I savor Every Moment. (And then spring break too, wa-hoo. I may have mentioned that already?)

12. Weather that is consistently more than 50 degrees, at night. Is that too much to hope for, long for? You'd think we'd had a hard winter, but that's not really the case. It's the dragging out of this in-between spot that's killing me. Snow, sleet, rain, hail. Please.

13. A visit to Grandma this spring. Not quite sure which weekend Seth and I will sojourn north, but we'll carve it out in May, I'm thinking. Ready for my Tim Horton's fix! Well, and seeing Grandma too, of course!

That's it for today... but I'm sure as the spring progresses I will find more and more to look forward to.  Thinking about these items has definitely brightened my morning; I hope you have some fun things to look forward to this spring and summer, as well! Care to share?

For more Thursday 13s, go here. And have a great Thursday!