November 2012 Gratitude List

1.  I am thankful for my dog, Ajax, who is sweet and smart, and who understands the phrase "let's snuggle," and is always willing to do so (at least for me).

2. I am thankful for my chiropractor, who is not only helping my back feel and move much better, but suggested writing in a "gratitude journal" as the last thing I do at night to try to help with insomnia (you know, having your last thoughts be positive ones, instead of worries).

3. I am thankful for people who tell me my baby is beautiful. I already know this, of course, but it's nice to hear. (Even if my grocery shopping takes three times longer than before because EVERYONE wants to stop and comment on Lana's cuteness.)

4. I am thankful for new opportunities for the youth in our church to serve missions. What an exciting prospect!
I am also thankful that I never felt conflicted over whether or not I should go on a mission; from the first time I asked myself the question, I simply knew my life would take a different direction. And I am therefore thankful that the Church continues to emphasize that young women do not have the "duty" to serve full-time missions.

5. Today I am thankful for Calvin & Hobbes, and how something as simple as this can have me laughing until my sides hurt.

 

6. I am thankful for eyeliner. Everyone else will be saying they're thankful for our right to vote, etc., etc., today. So I'm mixing it up. And eyeliner is definitely on my list of things to be thankful for. :)

7. I am thankful that I learned Latin. Although my skills are uber-rusty, I still know what the phrase is on the back of all our coins.
I got a nickel back today (love no sales tax!) and noticed the phrase "E pluribus unum." Immediately, I checked every other coin, and they ALL included that phrase.
For those of you who didn't learn Latin, it means, "Out of many, one."

8. I am thankful for public libraries, especially ours which is quite nice. Free books, movies, internet, classes, etc. Amazing!

9. I am thankful for Monkees. Enough said. http://momastery.com/blog/

10. I am thankful for Starbucks' vanilla-hazelnut steamed milk. BEST winter drink EVER.

11. I am thankful that Anthony has a job that can support our family, and allow me to raise our baby girl at home. And when our bank accounts dip low, and I start feeling a bit crazy, I just have to remind myself that he goes to work every day so those numbers will go back up, and our heads will stay above the water.

12. I am thankful that I found a matching stocking with the letter "L" embroidered on it, and that this year, we get to hang THREE stockings at Christmas. (And they'll look good because they MATCH! Thank you, Target.)

13. I am thankful for Colleen, and Candice, and Caroline, and Katherine, and Julie, and Dawn: my new friends. None of them have ever met me, and yet they LOVE me. :) Wow! And for this quote, which Dawn shared with me: “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: "What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” ― C.S. Lewis

14. I am thankful for socks. Without them, life would be much colder and uncomfortable.
Particularly the warm, fuzzy socks meant to be worn without shoes, since I avoid wearing socks and shoes simultaneously whenever possible. Drives my husband crazy.
Amendment: Today I am thankful for the warm, fuzzy kind of socks you can wear with no shoes; they make life warmer and more comfortable. :)

15. I am thankful for my hand-me-down laptop. Because even though Lana ripped off an arrow key and the all-important "J," I'm still able to work on writing my book from the comfort of bed.

16. I am thankful for the beautiful woman who learned WIC was dropping our assistance one month before Lana can drink cow's milk and immediately sent a $50 gift card so we could buy formula. Love wins!

17. I am thankful for the way my husband loves me. I started dancing to a song that came on the radio and said, "I like this song." Anthony grinned at me and said, "I like it better when you shake your bottom." Aww, true love!

18. I am thankful for people who play peek-a-boo and pick-up-the-toy with my baby in church. Especially the pick-up-the-toy game; that one lasts forever and is much more taxing on the pick-up player than the dropper.

19. I am thankful that Anthony has taught me never to pass a bell-ringer without dropping some change in the bucket. Even though sometimes if feels like my widow's mite, I know we are always blessed for giving.
And in turn, I am thankful for Anthony's parents, Bonnie and Frank, who taught him this principle.
Give what you can, even when you can't.

20. I am thankful that my home county has a free service for all premature babies--a nurse comes to our home regularly to weigh, measure, and give advice for our baby. We are assigned to one nurse, Daneen, so we know her and she knows us. It's wonderful to have a resource like her; I can call anytime with questions or concerns. And SHE comes to US!! For FREE! AMAZING!!
Thank you, Washington County, and taxpayers who make something like this possible.

21. I am thankful that on this day, last year,  one of the best OBs was on-call and could appropriately make the call to remove my ovary and do so successfully. I am thankful for the miracle that my baby and I both made it through that surgery. I am thankful for the many doctors and nurses who paid special attention to us during that critical time. And I am thankful that Anthony had miraculously secured a job with benefits that would cover our $160,000 hospital bill almost entirely. (I have a lot to be thankful for!)

22. I am thankful that THIS YEAR, I get to enjoy all the wonderful food on Thanksgiving! (Unlike last year, when I feasted on IV nutrition, a magnesium drip, two blood transfusions, and a morphine pump.)

Pennies

Today upon returning to my car, I found pennies littering the asphalt, hidden among fallen leaves. Of course, I immediately stopped to pick them up, and penny after penny I felt richer. By the end, I excitedly presented them to a bored Lana exclaiming, "Lana, we have like 15 cents here! Do you know what we can get with that?"
She looked at me with that same, deadpan expression.
"You're right," I confessed, "not much at all." But I couldn't help a smile returning to my face as I slipped those 15 pennies into my wallet, feeling just a little bit richer.
Thank you to whomever dropped all those pennies. If it wasn't intentional, I'm sorry I didn't hunt you down to return them. But like Lana implied, 15 cents isn't much. But they made my day.

Lana keeps us busy!

You know that "KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN" label that's on EVERYTHING?
Yeah... that isn't going so well.

 

I've said it before. I don't "lose" my keys, the baby steals them. Proof!

Another chore that takes exponentially longer to complete than it used to.

Mystery solved: THAT'S where all our money is going... (She did this while I was posting picture previous.) Sigh.

Look what Lana did the in five minutes I wasn't looking. She just couldn't figure out how to get out.