I have sooooooo much to be thankful for, yet I am struggling to actually put it down on paper, er, in cyberspace. I guess one needs to be in a grateful mood to express it and I have been so busy and preoccupied with all the little things in life that I haven't really stopped to REALLY think about what I am grateful for. So here goes ...
Day 21: Horses. I am thankful we have horses. Not only are they beautiful and majestic, but they bring a lot of happiness into our personal lives, more specifically, into the lives of my husband and son. It's not unusual for them to saddle up Missy and Pretty Girl and take them up into the mountains for a long ride. The time they spend together as well as with Grandpa is fun, peaceful, and even therapeutic.
Day 22: I am thankful for people with artistic talents. I was not blessed with an artists touch but I sure do appreciate the beauty it brings into peoples homes. It amazes me how someone can create such masterpieces with a simple pencil or chalk, or whatever. This goes for crafty people as well. I cannot make a cute craft if my life depended on it. I can, however, paint a piece of wood and glue stuff to it and call it a craft.
Day 23: I am so thankful for a sense of humor. And I have that! I use humor daily and can find humor in almost anything. One drawback is that I tend to use humor as a defense mechanism, but at least I can laugh when life can get tense. Let's face it, I like to laugh, I like to laugh loudly and I like to laugh A.LOT.
Day 24: Forgiveness. I am grateful I have a forgiving heart. Sometimes things take longer to let go, but overall, I am a VERY forgiving person.
Day 25: On that note, I am not easily offended. Thank goodness! It takes a lot to rile me up and when one does, well, s/he is lucky that I easily forgive! I am pretty easy-going (in general) and I am grateful for that. Otherwise I would be stressed out all the time about every little thing that was said or done-I cannot live like that, nor will I.
Day26: I am grateful for what little peace and quiet that I get to enjoy. Usually it's around 10pm, but I will take it.
Day 27: I am grateful for the days I get to pamper myself-which is usually about once every 6-8 weeks or so. Those are the times I get my hair done. Ohhhh, I love that time to sit and chat with Rachel while she makes me glamorous. Something about a fresh 'do that makes me feel like I can conquer the world.
Day 28: Eternal families-I am grateful for the knowledge and faith I have in knowing that my family will be together forever. I am grateful for the peace I feel knowing I will see loved ones again. Though parting is sad, I know a reunion will be inevitable.
Day 29: I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I am thankful for the sacrifice He made on my behalf so that we all can return again to a Father in Heaven who loves us and wants us there. I am thankful for His example of living and His example of loving everyone. I am thankful the knowledge I have that He willingly laid down His life for us. I am thankful for His Gospel, for His Church and I am thankful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Day 30: I am grateful that we have latter day prophets on the earth today. Just like in the Bible and the knowledge of the Ancient Prophets, I am grateful that Thomas S. Monson has been called today to lead and guide us. I am grateful for the power of prayer. If you want to know and have the confirmation of what I know to be true, all you need to do is pray with a sincere heart and you will get an answer. I saw a billboard once that said, "Do not pray about the Book of Mormon. That's how they get you." Well, no kidding. If you pray about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you will get a confirmation. I am grateful for this and I testify of all these things.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Conversations
Day 20: I am thankful for my conversations with my kids. Unless you are there you cannot fully appreciate the value of them, or how funny they are. Zman and I had just left the gym and this was our conversation...
Me: Hey Monkey, how was the nursery?
Z: I-uh-know.
Me: Did you go down the slide?
Z: Yip!
Me: What else?
Z; I-uh-know.
Me: Did you have fun?
Z: Yip!
Me: Tell me more...
Z: I-uh-know.
One day he is gong to be a fantastic orator....or a politician.
Me: Hey Monkey, how was the nursery?
Z: I-uh-know.
Me: Did you go down the slide?
Z: Yip!
Me: What else?
Z; I-uh-know.
Me: Did you have fun?
Z: Yip!
Me: Tell me more...
Z: I-uh-know.
One day he is gong to be a fantastic orator....or a politician.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
More thanking
Day 14: Have you ever seen or read, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid"? Well, what I am grateful for is that my kids aren't cruel to one another. They do fight and argue, but they are not down.right.cruel. Rodrick should be kicked!
Day 15: Family-I am grateful for my family-the one I grew up in. We are not perfect, we don't always see eye to eye, but when it comes right down to it, we are there for each other. We enjoy being in each other's company, we like to play games with each other, and we like to just hang out. I also like the fact that my brothers can and will call Trevor to go on backpacking trips or fishing trips-they treat him like he is a brother (or they feel sorry he's married to me and want to give him a break -lol). I am just grateful we can count on each other for anything. I am also thankful that we all live pretty close-the farthest we have to travel is about 20 minutes, depending on traffic. It just feels good knowing I have a good family.
Day 16: I am grateful for Trevor's family. Again, they are not perfect and family get-togethers are always entertaining, to say the least. I appreciate Roger and Annette and all they do for not only us, but for the entire family. We get to have Thanksgiving at their home this year, and although I will miss my family, I am grateful for the time we will spend with Trevor's family. There's nothing like good food to bring a family together.
Day 17: I am thankful for my kids' friends. My kids are good kids and they have some really good friends. I listen to them when they are over at our house and I can't help but smile and think of the good, fun times that lay ahead for them. So far they've made some good choices when it comes to friends and I know those choices will help them later in life when peer pressure will be strong and I will not always be around to help them in some situations. Good friends make all the difference in the teenage years (outside the home, that is).
Day 18: I am thankful for good music. Spiritual music, fun music, uplifting music, classical music, etc. I was listening to Peter Cetera and 1) belting out all his tunes, and 2) just thinking about life in a positive manner. I know, I am a dork-PETER CETERA. Come on, Chicago is awesome! But Peter Cetera in concert is even better! He's just one example-have you heard "Apple of you Daddy's Eye" or "One Clear Voice"? Inspirational. The kids have some fun play music that we play in the car and sing to, such as "I'm a Nut" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"-music rocks, literally!
Day 19: I am thankful for beautiful days, even if they are cold. The sun is out and shining and God's creations are abundant!
Day 15: Family-I am grateful for my family-the one I grew up in. We are not perfect, we don't always see eye to eye, but when it comes right down to it, we are there for each other. We enjoy being in each other's company, we like to play games with each other, and we like to just hang out. I also like the fact that my brothers can and will call Trevor to go on backpacking trips or fishing trips-they treat him like he is a brother (or they feel sorry he's married to me and want to give him a break -lol). I am just grateful we can count on each other for anything. I am also thankful that we all live pretty close-the farthest we have to travel is about 20 minutes, depending on traffic. It just feels good knowing I have a good family.
Day 16: I am grateful for Trevor's family. Again, they are not perfect and family get-togethers are always entertaining, to say the least. I appreciate Roger and Annette and all they do for not only us, but for the entire family. We get to have Thanksgiving at their home this year, and although I will miss my family, I am grateful for the time we will spend with Trevor's family. There's nothing like good food to bring a family together.
Day 17: I am thankful for my kids' friends. My kids are good kids and they have some really good friends. I listen to them when they are over at our house and I can't help but smile and think of the good, fun times that lay ahead for them. So far they've made some good choices when it comes to friends and I know those choices will help them later in life when peer pressure will be strong and I will not always be around to help them in some situations. Good friends make all the difference in the teenage years (outside the home, that is).
Day 18: I am thankful for good music. Spiritual music, fun music, uplifting music, classical music, etc. I was listening to Peter Cetera and 1) belting out all his tunes, and 2) just thinking about life in a positive manner. I know, I am a dork-PETER CETERA. Come on, Chicago is awesome! But Peter Cetera in concert is even better! He's just one example-have you heard "Apple of you Daddy's Eye" or "One Clear Voice"? Inspirational. The kids have some fun play music that we play in the car and sing to, such as "I'm a Nut" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider"-music rocks, literally!
Day 19: I am thankful for beautiful days, even if they are cold. The sun is out and shining and God's creations are abundant!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Thankful
Day 12: I am grateful for modern conveniences, such as electricity, heat, chicken nuggets, etc. Let's face it, you wouldn't be reading this if it weren't for modern conveniences.
Day 13: I am grateful for good books. It's no secret that I am a Harry Potter fan and I thoroughly enjoy the books. They are very entertaining, so I think I will start them again after the new year. Right now I am reading the Biography of Thomas S. Monson and WOW, what an incredible man! This is a must read, I promise.
Day 13: I am grateful for good books. It's no secret that I am a Harry Potter fan and I thoroughly enjoy the books. They are very entertaining, so I think I will start them again after the new year. Right now I am reading the Biography of Thomas S. Monson and WOW, what an incredible man! This is a must read, I promise.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Veteran's Day
Day 11: I am thankful for all those who serve in the Armed Forces. The sacrifice they make for me and for the people of the world is incredible. I cannot even fathom what they do on a day to day basis to make life as we know it go on in existence. With that said, I am going to shift gears and thank their families. It must be incredibly hard to let a loved on go off to battle and not know if s/he will even make it back. It must be incredibly difficult to go hours, days, weeks, or months without knowing what s/he is doing, if s/he is healthy, sick, safe. It must be incredibly difficult for the spouse left at home to be both mom and dad to one, two, or even more children for long periods of time-years even. It's hard enough being a parent with your spouse, let alone do it by yourself. It must be agonizing at times to take care of a wounded soldier who has lost limbs, mental capacities, or other injuries which require so much time, effort and money. So, I thank all those spouses, parents, and siblings who also sacrifice for our country. Our men and women of the Armed Forces are blessed to have you and so are we!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Day 10
Day 10: I am thankful for family prayer. Especially the funny ones. Let's face it-when you have small children, family prayer is not always the most spiritual. Sometimes it's stressful, sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's all out disastrous. But the key is to continue and press forward.
Well, tonight was a funny night. Z-man said the prayer in his little voice, not very audible, and one cannot fully understand what he is saying. However, we could hear "temple, church" and then he blessed the food (remember, we are having bedtime family prayer). He stops and says, "oh, no food" and then continues on with the rest of the prayer. I will be honest, I have NO IDEA what else he said because I was silently laughing too hard to pay attention. Trevor was busting up too, but he was able to hold his composure much better than I could. That was thee funniest thing I have ever witnessed-he blesses the food and then realizes that there is no food, so he back tracks-kind of a "just kidding" while praying. So cute, so sweet, and it just made me realize how precious our kids are to our Father in Heaven. So I am grateful for family prayer and the memories we gain from it (and of course the blessings!)
Well, tonight was a funny night. Z-man said the prayer in his little voice, not very audible, and one cannot fully understand what he is saying. However, we could hear "temple, church" and then he blessed the food (remember, we are having bedtime family prayer). He stops and says, "oh, no food" and then continues on with the rest of the prayer. I will be honest, I have NO IDEA what else he said because I was silently laughing too hard to pay attention. Trevor was busting up too, but he was able to hold his composure much better than I could. That was thee funniest thing I have ever witnessed-he blesses the food and then realizes that there is no food, so he back tracks-kind of a "just kidding" while praying. So cute, so sweet, and it just made me realize how precious our kids are to our Father in Heaven. So I am grateful for family prayer and the memories we gain from it (and of course the blessings!)
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Too early for Christmas
Day 9: I am thankful for Christmas music. I know, I know-it's technically too early for that, but DANG IT, it makes me smile and it just makes me happy!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Day 8
Day 8: Bottled water. Soooooooooooo thankful for a storage room full of it. Our fridge water (that is filtered) is not working at the moment and I REFUSE to drink the tap water-it's disgusting. Seriously, it is. So I am thankful for bottled water that is getting me through this little crisis.
Also, this little inconvenience we are experiencing has been an eye opener for how much water we truly need in case of a real emergency. Let's just say I need to start stock piling!
Also, this little inconvenience we are experiencing has been an eye opener for how much water we truly need in case of a real emergency. Let's just say I need to start stock piling!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Some more of the same
Day 6: I am grateful for examples, both good and bad. The good so I can emulate them; the bad so I can HOPEFULLY learn from them.
Day 7: Chapstick. Crazy? I seriously have an addiction to chapstick. Since I can remember I have always had a tube (or 10) either in my pocket, purse, night-stand, sock, diaper bag, cup cupboard, hoodie, or robe-or all at the same time. For whatever reason I.NEED.CHAPSTICK. In high school I would keep one in my sock while I played basketball-even during games. It was never a problem until my senior year when we played in a playoff game. The girl I was guarding didn't like how I guarded her so she TATTLED to the ref that there was something in my sock. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him what it was and why it was there-"my lips get chappy." He made-no, MADE-me get rid of it. I turned to the opposing player and called her a "tattle-tale" and then proceeded to whoop on her as..I mean, our team beat them pretty good and advanced in the state playoffs. Chapstick rocks!
Day 7: Chapstick. Crazy? I seriously have an addiction to chapstick. Since I can remember I have always had a tube (or 10) either in my pocket, purse, night-stand, sock, diaper bag, cup cupboard, hoodie, or robe-or all at the same time. For whatever reason I.NEED.CHAPSTICK. In high school I would keep one in my sock while I played basketball-even during games. It was never a problem until my senior year when we played in a playoff game. The girl I was guarding didn't like how I guarded her so she TATTLED to the ref that there was something in my sock. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him what it was and why it was there-"my lips get chappy." He made-no, MADE-me get rid of it. I turned to the opposing player and called her a "tattle-tale" and then proceeded to whoop on her as..I mean, our team beat them pretty good and advanced in the state playoffs. Chapstick rocks!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thankful for...
5. I am thankful for.....birthdays. Not necessarily mine, but birthdays in general. We were able to celebrate my nephew's 3rd birthday today at McDonald's, and boy was he happy. In fact, pretty much all the kids were all smiles the entire time. I watched my own kids' faces when we sang Happy Birthday and you could see the light in their eyes. It doesn't matter whose birthday it is, people are just happy to be apart of the celebration. Well, usually... But, my point is, people are happy, people are smiling and that makes me happy. I hope this carries through to next month when I turn the big 3-4....
Friday, November 4, 2011
I am all ready behind...
Can you believe that November has crept upon us? NO-freakin-VEMBER! OY! I actually love LOVE Thanksgiving. I can't put my finger on the exact reason why, but it is a very enjoyable time for me. Maybe it's all the family and all the "gratefulness" I am feeling... Ah who's kiddin-it's the food. I love to eat. :)
On that note, here are the 4 things I am grateful for, well, so far...
1. My health. Other than my crappy allergies, I am in perfect health. I see others around me suffering from neurological disorders, autoimmune deficiencies, Parkinson's, etc, and I have to thank my Father in Heaven for not giving me that type of trial in my life-at least not yet. I have to add that I admire those who are affected by these sicknesses-they handle it with such grace and dignity, at least from my perspective.
2. Trevor's job. It's no secret that teachers are underpaid, but believe me, I will take it any day. I am so thankful that every month that deposit is there and we can pay our living expenses and buy food. I am also thankful for our business that makes it possible for me to stay home with our kids and it supplements our income.
3. The mountains. I live at the base of the mountains and their is nothing like looking up and seeing the beautiful colors and now the skiff of snow that has dusted the mountain side. It's very relaxing and breathtaking. It's also wonderful to ride our horses on the trails and take it all in.
4. My friends. I have some the most wonderful friends who are always there to listen, go for a run, help narrow picture choices down, and so much more. They probably don't even realize what a positive influence they have on my life. Some of these friends I have known for over 25 years, some I have just gotten to know better while serving in the PTA. The world has a lot of evil, but the world has a TON of good-all in my friends!
On that note, here are the 4 things I am grateful for, well, so far...
1. My health. Other than my crappy allergies, I am in perfect health. I see others around me suffering from neurological disorders, autoimmune deficiencies, Parkinson's, etc, and I have to thank my Father in Heaven for not giving me that type of trial in my life-at least not yet. I have to add that I admire those who are affected by these sicknesses-they handle it with such grace and dignity, at least from my perspective.
2. Trevor's job. It's no secret that teachers are underpaid, but believe me, I will take it any day. I am so thankful that every month that deposit is there and we can pay our living expenses and buy food. I am also thankful for our business that makes it possible for me to stay home with our kids and it supplements our income.
3. The mountains. I live at the base of the mountains and their is nothing like looking up and seeing the beautiful colors and now the skiff of snow that has dusted the mountain side. It's very relaxing and breathtaking. It's also wonderful to ride our horses on the trails and take it all in.
4. My friends. I have some the most wonderful friends who are always there to listen, go for a run, help narrow picture choices down, and so much more. They probably don't even realize what a positive influence they have on my life. Some of these friends I have known for over 25 years, some I have just gotten to know better while serving in the PTA. The world has a lot of evil, but the world has a TON of good-all in my friends!
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