November: 30 Days of Thanks.

All month long, I have seen oodles of Facebook statuses giving thanks for various things.  I think this is a neat idea and something I don't do enough but really should.  Rather than clog up by Facebook wall though, I thought I'd just make a list of things I am grateful for and share it on my blog.

#1:  My faith.  "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1.  God is guiding me down His path and I will go where He leads; He is "my shelter from the storm."

#2:  I am thankful for my husband, Eric.  He's easy to be with and easy to love.  He is my calming force.  He goes out of his way to make us happy and even gives Isabelle all of the crunchies on his salad because they are her favorite.       

#3:  Isabelle.  When you look at her, you are looking at a miracle.  She still runs to me when I pick her up from school & holds my hand in parking lots, and she isn't embarrassed to do either. 
  
#4:  I am thankful that Isabelle loves school!  I am thankful for her teachers who feed her eagerness to learn and never seem to tire from her constant chatting and questions!

#5:  Eric's cooking.  He's the best!  We have an agreement: He cooks, I clean.  And that works perfectly, because he doesn't like me in his kitchen when he's cooking, and I hate when he (or really anyone but me) cleans it!  

#6:  Voting!  I'm not going to get into politics on here but I did vote.  There are a few political issues & policies that I am passionate about and I try to stay informed.  Yes, I am one of "those people" that only gets into politics every 4 years.

#7:  Today!  The weather was amazing; windows-wide-open-amazing and the colors seemed to be brighter, kinda like heaven was shining down a little bit more than usual.  I am thankful for days like today.

#8:  Payday!  I am thankful that Eric and I can provide for our kiddo.  We are able to prepare for retirement and put money away into our savings account & Isabelle's college savings account every month.  Nothing came easy to us, we work hard to give her a good life and I'm thankful that we can do that.  

#9:  I love lazy days!  And today, I'm thankful that I get to be lazy.  Rested, relaxed, and lazy.  I spent years in college as a single parent never getting a day off and almost never sleeping.  And since graduating college, lazy days are always appreciated and never wasted!

#10:  My job.  My job is what made not getting any sleep in college worth every step of that journey!  Dental Hygiene jobs can be hard to come by, the market is saturated and there is a lot of competition!  It's typical to work in 2-3 different dental offices throughout the week in order to get full-time hours.  Being a full-time hygienist in one spectacular dental office is a true blessing.  I am close with my co-workers & my patients and I will be sad when I have to leave. End of the path, the start of another.

#11:  Today, I am thankful for our veterans!  They do what I could never do and I couldn't be more grateful!  I am especially thankful for my hero, Eric, for his dedication to the military and for his commitment to our family.  "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die." -G.K. Chesterton

#12:  My planner/organizer.  I am thankful for a notebook!  If it doesn't go in my planner, it doesn't exist.  A life with a planner is a life with less anxiety, for real.

#13:  Unexpected niceness.  Eric and I went to get lunch this afternoon and I asked to order a small chocolate shake- the cashier said that they were out of chocolate (what?!) but nicely offered a different flavor, I just ordered a coke instead.  It was really busy so we had to wait a few minutes for our food, and out of nowhere, the same cashier came up to me, handed me a chocolate shake, smiled, and said that they did have chocolate, and then apologized for her mistake.  A FREE chocolate shake!  She didn't have to do this, I wouldn't have known any different whether they had chocolate or not- so today, I am thankful for unexpected niceness!

#14:  Brewsky, my silly dog.  We got Brew soon after our last miscarriage when I was deeply overwhelmed with grief.  Eric thought that getting a fur-baby would be the next best thing to our baby in heaven.  Brew has become my sidekick and our son, he has healed my sadness, makes me laugh, lets me cry when I need to, and never judges.  He's an angel on earth.  

Look at this face!!

#15:  Friends!  Eric & I have really great friends!  We have gotten older, have started families, and life sometimes prevents us from seeing each other as much as we'd like, but when we do get to spend time together it is always a blast!  

#16:  I am thankful for my education and that I had the opportunity to graduate from a university.  My education is something that I am really proud of!  I went back to school when Isabelle was just 11 months old and it was a long, tough journey.  I am sort of joking when I say that blood, sweat, & tears went into my degrees, but I'm sort of not. 

#17: Reminders from the universe that I am where I am supposed to be in life.  I am thankful for those little signs along my path that show me that I am right where I am supposed to be.

#18:  I am thankful that Eric gets to be at home with us during the holidays this year.  Being in the Army, I know that this is a luxury.

#19:  The comforts of my home.  My coffee maker, my bed, my blankets, a fridge full of food, etc...things that are so apart of our everyday life that we often take them for granted.  Today, I am not taking them for granted.

#20:  It is always nice when people at stores or people who answer the phone at doctor's offices are nice and helpful.  I am grateful for those people who seem to enjoy helping others and seem to like their job!  The lady on the phone today made my day a little brighter!

#21:  Apparently, I missed a very bad car accident on the same road, in the same lane, that I had been driving just a few minutes before.  I missed this accident by 5, maybe 10 minutes.  I am thankful that I was not involved and that I arrived safely at work.

#22:  My in-laws who host Thanksgiving dinner every year; A warm and welcoming place to go  where I feel comfortable enough to not wear make-up. 

#23:  I am trying to be thankful for the 30 years that I got with my Grandma Sue rather than be sad that she is gone.  My Grandma was apart of most every moment of my life and I am struggling with having future moments without her, there is so much I want to tell her.  Heaven gained an angel... a very beautiful one.

#24:  I am thankful that my mom sold her house.  End of this path for her, the start of a new one.

#25:  Naps.  I never slept in college and it has forever screwed up my sleeping habits.  I am an extremely light sleeper- I have to sleep with ear plugs because any sound will wake me up or keep me awake.  I just can't shut my brain off, so I usually go days without any real sleep.  On weekends my body forces a shut-down and I will nap most of the day.  I am thankful for these occasional & essential naps.

#26:  I am thankful for the internet.  Being able to keep in touch with family and friends is so easy!  We will be relying on Facebook/Skype/Internet/my blog a bunch when we move to Germany and we hope that this will help us not feel so far away and maybe even convince y'all to come visit! ;o)

#27:  Eric is the "Homework Helper" and I love it!  Once upon a time, he was a junior high & high school Science teacher so he makes the perfect homework guy!  He is so calm and patient, and he can grade Isabelle's homework in no-time-flat!  This makes my life so much easier!

#28:  Long weekends/short work weeks.  I have a really great job that fulfills me, but it is soooo nice to get a break!  

#29:  Today some of my morning patients cancelled so I got a long lunch break and decided to go shopping and I got a super cute pair of jeans.  I am thankful for my long lunch break and for my new jeans that make my legs look longer than they are


#30: I am thankful for this life.  God has blessed my path with love, friendship, family, and laughter.  I thank Him for everything he has given me, made me work for, and let me lose.

Honestly, I have a lot to be thankful for, 2012 has been a really blessed and gentle year for us.   Last year, I didn't think we were so lucky, this year, I am humbled by all of God's blessings.  Funny how life works....