BLACK Friday

I went shopping at 12 AM Friday morning.
Yes, I am crazy.
No, it wasn't worth it.
Yes, there were a million people.
Yes, I stood in line for ONE HOUR in Hollister,
My LEAST favorite store EVER.
All to save a few bucks.
THAT is why today I am grateful for
ONLINE SHOPPING.
No crowds.  In fact, no people at all!

TURKEY DAY

Today, the day of turkey and all things delicious!!

And I don't have a camera.

And I am so sad...No pictures!!!

I hope everyone have a delicious, fabulous day.

And I have been a horrible slacker.  No grateful posts the last few days.



Today, I realize how blessed I truly am.
I have a wonderful family.
Nice cars to drive.
Too much food to eat.
Money to buy things I probably don't need.

I feel very blessed and grateful for all that I have.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Funny Boy

This is Cam.  He is a funny boy.
He comes up with the most random,
hilarious things.  I can tell he really
takes his time and thinks about these things!

Here is our most recent conversation:

Cam:  Hey mom, you know God Bless America?  You know, the song?

Me:  Yes.  What about it?

Cam:  Do you think God blesses all of America?

Me:  I think so.  Why?

Cam:  Do you think he blesses Las Vegas?  You know, because they have all those pictures of naked people??

Me:  Pull over, I have to pee from laughing so hard!!

For today, I am grateful for the funny, imaginative, wild things my darling boy comes up with!

HAPPY ALMOST TURKEY DAY!!!

SNOW!!!

This is the snow that fell the day before Thanksgiving last year

When we lived up North.

This year?  65 degrees, blue skies and sunshine.

I am grateful for snow.

It provides the water in the lakes that I boat on.

I don't like to shovel it.

I don't like to drive in it.

I don't like to look at it when it turns dirty and dingy.

But I do love boating, I and LOVE having water to 

bathe, shower, flush the toilet.

So for today, I am grateful for snow.

And I am grateful to live in a place where I don't have to shovel it!

A Home of My Own

Today I am grateful for a home to live in.

As most of you know, my family recently

left our home in SL and headed south.

It was hard to leave the home we had spent

the last 7 years in.  It made us all

a little sad, a little lonely, longing

for the familiar-ness of our old home.

But we found a house

we like well enough.

I dare say it is even

starting to feel like home!

When I start to complain

about what my house DOESN'T have, I try

to remember I am lucky to have

somewhere to lay my head at night

(and it has indoor plumbing - see this post...)

My home is good to me. It puts up with my

endless vacuuming. It stores all of my

crazy "stuff" and keeps me warm. It

lets me walk around in my undies, if I

so choose to do. It doesn't care

what I look like or what I wear.

So for today, I am grateful to have a home!

Technology

Today I am grateful for technology.

Back when I used to be a runner,

I lived with my iPod on.

I still LOVE my iPod, even though

I don't use it a lot to run.

Now I use it to drown out extremely noisy 

(and a few obnoxious)

dental hygiene students while

I am trying to study.

So for today, I am grateful for my 

iPod technology!!

Which makes me think of one of my favorite movies...

"I love technology, but not as much as you, you see...

but I still love technology, always and forever"

-Kip from Napoleon Dynamite

Another Crazy Thing

Here's another crazy thing I am thankful for.

Indoor plumbing!  I can't imagine

having to go outside in the freezing weather

to use the bathroom

(especially in the middle of the night!)

So for today, I am grateful for 

INDOOR PLUBMING!!

Without it, two crazy girls couldn't have

a swim party in the bathtub!

Sleep

Today I am grateful for sleep.  I think sleep is highly UNDERRATED.  

3 tests this week.  Not much sleep for me.

And when I do sleep?  I dream about TEETH!

Last night I dreamt of occlusal surfaces, in particular.

You know, the area you chew with.  Sigh.

It must be the end of the semester.  

All my stress is being manifested in my dreams.

I will never take a good night's sleep for granted again.

So for today, I am grateful for sleep - 

anytime, anywhere, anyhow I get it.

Food...Yum...

So I realize I missed yesterday's post.

I feel horrible.  No, terrible.  Like a failure.

To remedy this situation, I am going to be grateful for TWO

things today.

The first is food.  YUM....

Now, I'm not a discriminatory person.  

Not at all.  I like all types of food.

No one particular kind is my favorite.

If I had to pick a favorite?  It would be...

Yep, you guessed it.  The kind you eat!

(Which would explain these pesky extra 20 lbs)

I especially love candy and sweets.

So for Today, I am grateful for food.

Which brings me to my next gratefullness.

I spent all afternoon writing a research paper for school.

I DO NOT like to write.  In face, I dare say

I HATE IT 

Which reminds me of my favorite movie, NACHO LIBRE...

(I hate all the orphans in the world...)

But I digress.  As I'm finishing my paper, I realize I haven't posted

my gratefulness today.  Or yesterday!  Shoot.  All because of this darn paper.

But then I realize I have gained a lot of knowledge

from researching and writing this DARN PAPER!!

(And you thought hygienists just cleaned teeth...WRONG!!!!!)

So, for today, I am grateful I have the knowledge

to write a research paper.

(No, I'm not kidding.  I really am!  

Kind of a glass half-full type thing for me today.)

Ahhhh, the countdown to fabulous turkey-day food.  

Only 11 days until the ultimate pig-out!!!

Taylor M

l

I'm so late posting tonight!

But I have a good reason.

I was at our HS football game.

And we won - we are on to the state championship game!

I forgot how much fun small town football can be.

AND we got to sit outside in 60 degree weather!

St. George is awesome.

But I digress. Today I am grateful for Taylor.

Or Taylor M as her grandpa calls her.

She is my oldest.

My very first baby.

And now she is driving and hanging out with friends

More than she hangs out with her parents.

Oh, the life of a high schooler (is that even a word?)

I couldn't be the insane, neurotic student I am

without the help if this girl.

She keeps our house running!

She also ROCKS at playing the piano.

I have to brag - she gets up at 5 AM

every morning to practice. What a girl!

So today, and everyday (almost - just kidding, but not really)

I am grateful for my darling daughter, Taylor.

My Ashlie

This is my beautiful Ashlie.

She is a sweet, sweet girl.

She is always so obedient.

I ask her to do something and she says "okay".

Never argues.

She is my child most like me.

(Not always a good thing...)

She has a spitfire personality

with a temper that flares!

(Hmmmm, where have I seen that?)

She has my sweet tooth. We both love

ANYTHING sweet!! 

(she does most my baking nowadays)

I'm grateful to have this beautiful, funny

feisty little girl (if you can call a 12-year-old little)

as my very own!!

What a fun week of thankfulness it's been.

I hope all my readers out there have

some super wonderful things to be thankful for!

Stay tuned...more thankfulness to come!

(between my studying for all these tests I'm so thankful for!)

DH

Today I am grateful for my DH

(short for Dear Husband)

 He takes me on super awesome vacations

(Like Cancun, my favorite place to visit)

He stays pretty calm, even when I get feisty

(I know, me, feisty?  Never!)

I have pretty tender feelings towards this guy.

He moved our family to sunny St George so I can go to school.

He takes care of everything for me around the house.

He doesn't even complain about all the stuff I ask him to do!

AND he is an excellent cook!  

(He makes dinner EVERY NIGHT!!)

I feel pretty darn lucky he picked me.

And he's still with me after all these years.

So for today 

(and everyday, I just don't always mention it)

I am grateful for my dear husband.

The Boy

Today (and everyday) I am grateful for my little boy.

This little boy that is ALL BOY

(for those of you that don't have boys, all boy means dirty,

disgusting, general stinkiness, yet very loving)

He's not so little anymore - closer to 9 than 8

We share a birthday.  Is that why he's my special little guy?

Or could it be he is the only boy and it took a long time to get him here?

Either way, I am grateful to be his mom!

Here he is, doing what he does best, being silly.

He was trying to take a picture of his muscles

(which I must say, are quite impressive for an 8 year old!)

 

Who doesn't make a Senor Jose on their belly
with wonderful mustchases our dear friend Macy brought on her visit?
Cameron keeps his sisters grossed out,
his dad busy with his sports and dirt bike riding
(which is AWESOME at our St George house -
empty fields next door +  lots of red dirt = two happy boys)
And is always first to hug his mom and tells her he loves her.

I dare say he is the best boy (and cutest) in the whole world!
And yes, I am extremely biased.

Quiet Moments

Today I am grateful for quiet moments.
I don't have many of them anymore.
I used to have several quiet, reflective moments
back when I used to run (pre-bladder and surgery nonsense)
Sometimes I forget (ahem, don't make the time...)
to stop and enjoy the quiet moments.

So just for today, I am going to stop and be grateful
For the small, quiet moments that God gives me...
A sunset, a rainbow, a sunrise, a quiet morning run,
Having all the kids at school or out with their dad...

Education

I am grateful for EDUCATION

(No, really.  Not even kidding right now!)

Education is hard.

But nothing that is worth doing is ever easy.

So today, I am grateful for education and educated people.

People to teach me the things I don't know

(which is A LOT)

I remember when I was a teen, I seemed to know everything.

Wish I was still a teen to know everything.

Seems I've forgotten an awful lot as I've aged!

Education is good. The process of education is good.

Not always easy to remember why I'm doing it.

But I know it will be worth it.

Some day I will get to say

I AM A COLLEGE GRADUATE!!
And for that, I am grateful.

Friends

Today I am grateful for Friends!

I know, friends come and go.

Some friends know everything about you.

And they still love you!

(Like the time I messed myself during a race.

My dear friend didn't leave me.

She stayed with me, even though

I'm sure it was kind of gross.

Then we laughed pretty  hard about it later.)

Some friends are friends forever, no matter where either 

of you go, no matter what stage of life you're in.

Some friends stay for a while, then move on.

Either way, my life has been blessed by good, good friends.

The kind that make you a better person for knowing them.

 My kids have also been blessed with good friends.

What mom doesn't want good friends for her kids?

Ashlie and her two "besties"

 Cam and his friends (love these boys like they're my own!!)

 My BFF Tara who still calls me every Sunday to make sure I'm alive.

She makes me a better person.

She encourages me as much as my  husband does!!

I love you, Tara!

 Taylor and "Crazy" Maize.

A true friend dresses like a nerd with you and walks the neighborhood.

(Love you Maize!)

 Morgan, Taylor's BFF.

Morgan is the kind of girl that makes you feel like a better person

because you have been around her.

We miss our dear Morgan 

(I love her like my own, too!)

Friend Michelle who spent several races

(and training runs) watching me slip behind a bush

to go to the bathroom.  

And she loves the Twilight

series as much as I do!

Ah, what would life be without our good friends?

I love all my friends, past, present and future.

Grateful For...

Football! Especially UTAH football!
(Also grateful for GAME DAY GRUB!!)
Sad they aren't doing so well this year.
BUT
Grateful I get to watch it every Saturday!
And Grateful for a BEAUTIFUL niece
that loves to tease me with her rival BYU team.
Go Red!!

Gratitude

Celebrating the month of November and my 2nd favorite holiday
(Who doesn't love a holiday all about FOOD????)
(And Christmas is first, of course - all those gifts!)

I am trying to blog gratitude each day.  Here is my first one!

Gratitude for a beautiful world.

This is a pic of the ocean in Playa del Carmen. 

One of the most beautiful places (I've visited thus far)

In the world!

What are you grateful for??