Thanksgiving.

Idea for this post from this blog.

1. Who do I appreciate? , my Heavenly Father, my family and friends

2. How am I fortunate? so many ways. my job. other job offers. that we have practically everything we need and want

3. What material possessions am I thankful for? home, working car, iphone

4. What abilities do I have that I'm grateful for? being able to listen to people yell at me quite often and not care -- maybe this isn't a great thing, but today, especially, I am grateful for it.

5. What about my surroundings (home/neighborhood/city/etc.) am I thankful for? the mountains!, snow falling, no humidity

6. What experiences have I had that I am grateful for? College Education, growing up in NY, being married young(er), lots of work experience, to make my own decisions, to be able to help others

7. What happened today/yesterday/this week/this month/this year that I am grateful for? Successful job interviews, being able to work in the nursery, playing the organ in church, spending quality time with family and friends

8. What opportunities do I have that I am thankful for? nursery (most of the time...), organ, having a job that allows me to interact with others, the chance to have new ones in different places

9. What relationships am I thankful for? my marriage! and my wonderful family and friends.

10. What am I taking for granted that, if I stop to think about it, I am grateful for? wayyy too much. sadly. but isn't that what Thanksgiving is for? 

Hooray for Fridays!

Fridays are my day off.

Best.Thing.EVER

I didn't even write myself a to-do list for today. 

Plus David is back from Seattle and isn't going on a plane again without me! 

(we leave for NYC together in 34 days!)

Thanksgiving is only 6 days away and I am just feeling so grateful right now!

Grateful for David getting interviewed.

Grateful that they went well (or so we think)

He did get to stay in some pretty swanky places - like Hotel 1000 in Seattle.

via

Grateful I could spend time with his family while he was gone. 

Grateful he is home. 

It was bad enough without him for one night. Even more would be awful.

Happy Friday!

in my perfect world.

As of right now, my perfect world contains ZERO finals. But is that what I really want in my perfect world?

No, I can handle the finals. I think I want something else instead.

in my perfect world, I would devote more time to appreciating God's hand in my life.

I would savor and cherish the good times.

my pride would never come first.

i would apologize more. and so, so much sooner.

i would be more understanding and try to listen more.

communicating my love would be the most important.

be forgiving, gentle, and unfailingly kind.

the people i love most would always know it and know it because of my actions.

And as hard and frustrating as finishing my finals seem right now, this perfect world sounds even farther away. And as impossible as that sounds, I am comforted by the fact that everyday is an opportunity for me to become a better person. And take one step closer to that perfect world.

what are YOU thankful for?

What I am thankful for today:
1. for the Church. and the Atonement.

2. for real salt lake winning the mls cup. for being the underdogs and for fighting their way to the top.

3. for friends to be nervous and scream and celebrate with when we do win.

4. for delicious food to fuel frenzied enthusiasm.

5. for being able to find the hilarity in having a dating seminar during sunday school instead of a lesson

6. for vacation days and short school days

7. for a cozy bed that is warm and snuggly.

8. for gchat. and skype.

9. for hopes and dreams and plans and wishes and goals.

10. for people with whom i can share all the hopes and dreams and plans and wishes and goals

"Happiness cannot be travelled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude." Deni Waitley

'Tis the season, I suppose.

It is almost Thanksgiving. And I'm starting to think I need to start taking a healthy dose of gratitude every day. Sometimes being a grump is so strangely satisfying that it is hard to get out of the slump.

I should be grateful I have at least one exam every week because it gives me more points to help my grade (theoretically speaking).

I should be grateful for the long hours at work despite the slowness because it means a bigger paycheck with less stress.

I should be grateful for my education because it is almost over and I am starting to get the feeling I might actually miss it.

I should be grateful for my busy days because it means I am actually doing something with my time (and hopefully those things are worthwhile)

I should be grateful for the time I get to spend with friends because very soon we will all be doing different things with our lives and going in different directions.

I should be grateful for planes that can fly me home for Christmas because it means I do not have to take a 176 hour train ride or 5 day bus ride.

I should be grateful for this blog because it gives me SOME PLACE TO RAMBLE on about things and not waste someone else's time by making them listen to me.

I am grateful for family and soon-to-be-family.

I am grateful for winter. Because it makes springtime even better.

I am grateful for photographers who can capture the incredible beauty of the world we live in. And make us realize how precious the little moments are.

I am grateful for twinkly lights, pumpkin rolls and hot chocolate. Because being happy inside makes you happy on the outside and then the happiness spreads like warmth.

I am grateful for professors who tell you everything they are asking about on their exams. Because it is nice to know that they aren't trying to kill you and that they want you to do well.

I am grateful for fashion. And the pops of color that have been carried over from summer. And ruffles. For some reason, I really like the femininity they create.

I am grateful for the Honor Code. For the ways it helps us be better.

I am grateful for weekdays. They make the weekends so much better.

I am grateful for bloggers who are willing to share their creativity and imagination with the world.

I am grateful for emails from across the world. Because somehow reading someone's words brings them that much closer. Even when they are really FAR AWAY.

I am grateful for my best friend.

And, I am grateful for hope. Because sometimes things get overwhelming. And that is okay. Because I can handle it. At least, that's what I keep telling myself. Maybe if I keep repeating it, one day I will believe it.

I guess that's enough gratitude for the day. I apologize if you made it to the end of this post. I think I needed to write this more than anyone else needs to read it.

Maybe next time I will just make a thankfulness tree like this one: