Days of Thanksgiving Session 5

So here it is! The final session of the countdown to Thanksgiving! (Sorry I was too lazy to add pictures!)

#21- I am grateful for Birthdays! (I guess mine to be specific) Today is my birthday & I am 25 years old! (I can't believe it!) I am so blessed to still be alive! I love spending my birthdays with friends & family. My most favorite part of celebrating is probably the cake! :) I have a major sweet tooth! This year Dad came to visit & spendt my Bday weekend with us. We had a great time! He took us out for my Bday dinner on Saturday night & man it was SO delicious! (I've been wanting a steak for quite some time but Kyle isn't a big fan & we've been on a tight budget so Dad took us out. I loved every bite of it!) I love looking back at pictures from each birthday. I laugh when I see the pictures from my 8th birthday because I was missing my 2 front teeth & of course there are the awkward teenage years. Anywho! I enjoy celebrating life & feeling so much love from family & friends! I am very blessed!

#22- I am thankful for Holidays! My favorites are Thanksgiving & Christmas! I love celebrating with our families & remembering 'the reason for the season.' It's great gathering around for some food, fun & family time! Since we've been married we spend Thanksgiving with the Ensigns & then Christmas with my family. I love decorating & getting into the spirit of season. I also love listening & singing Cmas carols! What a fun time of the year!

#23- I am grateful for Netflix. Silly you might say but it's true. Kyle & I have watched some pretty awesome shows thru Netflix! We like to watch documentaries, movies, tv shows, etc. Don't get me wrong-we spend a little more time then I'd like to admit watching everything but at least we enjoy watching the tv together right?! Some of the fun shows we've discovered thru Netflix: Arrested Development, Everest, American Pickers, No Impact Man, Man vs. Food, & more! Thank you Netflix for being cheap & easy! :)

#24- I am thankful for the Future. I am so blessed to share my present & future with so many amazing people in my life-especially Kyle! I can't wait to see where we are in 10 years. Where will we live? How many kids? Will Moose still be with us? (oh I hope so!) What will all of our nieces & nephews be up to then?! It's neat to think of what all is in store of Kyle & I. I love having the future to look forward to! :)

Days of Thanksgiving Session 4

#16- I am grateful modern transportation! How great is it to know that you can be ANYWHERE in the world in just a matter of hours?! Hop in a train, plane, boat, or car & you're there! I know I talk A LOT of junk about my car BUT I really am grateful that I have it! I love being able to visit friends & family, run errands, & more with a my trusty old car. I enjoy being able to go on a fun vacation on a cruise ship or fly in an airplane to explore a new part of the world. Can you imagine taking a horse & carriage from Charlotte, NC all the way to Guadalajara Mexico?! How about walking? Many thanks to the inventors of easy transportation! :)

#17- I am thankful for life experiences that have made me who I am today. I can't say that I've been thru "a lot" (who's the judge of 'a lot?') in my almost 25 years of being on earth but I have learned so many valuable lessons! I've had a couple of what I thought were 'hard times' in my life & I am grateful for the understanding & the knowledge I have gained from them. Obviously at the time they weren't fun but in the end we aren't given more than we can handle. I like to learn from other's perspectives by gaining a new understanding thru their trials they have overcome. I think of all the great knowledge & experience my grandparents have & I hope to one day have the same! Hopefully my grandchildren will be more eager to learn & grow from me then I was from my grandparents. (not that I don't/didn't listen to them-I just wish I would've asked more questions & realized they do know more & it may have prevented me from some of my many mistakes)

#18- I am grateful for MUSIC!! Who doesn't love music?! I love how moved I can be by just a few notes & words. One of my most favorite parts of church each Sunday are the hymns & now listening to the primary & nursery kids sing. I most definitely can feel the Spirit thru music. I also love being able to belt out lyrics with Kyle. Not a day goes by that we don't randomly break out into a song or a beat. Usually we are making up silly lyrics to a song & we're singing about Moose being the crazy dog she is. I enjoy most types of music but I'd guess Country is my favorite. Some of my favorite artists at the moment are: (no church music included) Jimmy Buffett (oh I heart his music!!), Sugarland, Grateful Dead, George Strait (my old man crush), Phish, Norah Jones, Lady Antebellum, Jason Aldean, Allman Brothers, the Format & MANY more!

#19- I am thankful for forgiveness. I have done a ton of dumb things in my life & continue to mess up therefore I am so very grateful for the opportunity I have to be forgiven-whether it is by others, myself, or from Heavenly Father. I have to remind myself that if I want to be forgiven for my mistakes-I have to forgive others. There are lessons to be learned thru our trials & mistakes & even from forgiving others. I am grateful for the opportunity to be forgiven & to forgive others.

#20- I am grateful for Black Friday! haha It's true! I really enjoy the excitement of it all! Kyle & I just started joining in on the crazy day like 2 years ago. We spend Thanksgiving with the Ensign crew so we have fun planning out our routes & all the night before. We don't end up buying much but it's we have a great time running around & helping other's in the family grab what they want. Kyle gives me a hard time because every year I HAVE to buy a set of sheets! There are always 500-700 thread count sheets for sale at a price we can afford. I love it! BF is so close & we can't wait!

Days of Thanksgiving Session 3

#11- I am so very thankful for veterans! I know freedom never has & never will come free. I am in debt to all of those who have, do, & will serve in the armed forces. My heart goes out to all of the military families-they sacrifice so much & are so strong! I am grateful for my Grandpa & my Papa that served. They are amazing! I have extended family members that have & still serve today. I am amazed at the willing sacrifice of these men & women for ME & everyone in our country. I love where I live. I love my freedom. I love all those who serve to keep us safe. Thank you!!!

#12- I am grateful for sleep! There isn't much better than a great night of sleep-am I right? I love getting into a cold (but not too cold) bed & snuggling down into the covers. This is one of my favorite part of the day-cuddling up to Kyle & just talking, laughing, winding down from the day. I love taking a little nap after lunch (could also be called falling into a food coma-ha!) & waking up so refreshed! I always have the most random dreams when I sleep. I wake up in the middle of the night & think "I've really got to remember that dream in the morning so I can tell Kyle!" I usually forget. Sleep is amazing. I'm blessed to be able to go to sleep every night in a safe & warm home next to the one I love (& sometimes with Moose on my feet).

#13- I am thankful for Saturdays! Who doesn't love Saturdays? Or the weekend for that matter?! I love the weekends because I get to spend some quality time with Kyle. Lately our Saturdays have consisted of camping, hiking, frisbee golfing, football, going out to eat (such a special treat for me since I don't get out much during the week), & napping. Sounds amazing right? I love the new adventures Kyle plans for our weekends. With the recent time change & the whole getting dark at 5pm-I know Kyle loves taking advantage of ALL the daylight on Saturdays! "Saturday is a special day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday!" We also take time to prepare a lesson for our fun little nursery class. :)

#14- (my favorite number!) I am grateful for Kyle's job! It makes me so happy that he has found a job that he loves! Georgia Pacific rocks if you ask me! I know Kyle enjoys a good challenge & he gets a healthy dose of it now. We are so blessed that his job provides for our little family. Kyle works so hard & I know he is a great asset to the GP team. The only con is that in order for him to work this great job-we have to live here in ATL. :P Thanks GP for seeing the greatness in Kyle & hiring him!

#15- I am thankful for traveling & vacations! Kyle & I have been blessed enough to do a good amount of traveling since we've been together! We have so much fun discovering new places! I love that Kyle is a major planner & wants to make sure we get to the most out of each trip. (sometimes this makes me feel like I need a vacation from my vacation but I love it!) Some of the places we've been (some are new locations & some are old): Mesa AZ, Orlando (Disney) FL, Savannah GA, Asheville NC, Tybee Island GA, Wilmington NC, Hilton Head Island SC, Guadalajara, Tlaquepaque & Manzanillo Mexico, Nashville & Memphis TN, Nauvoo & Freeport IL, Nassau Bahamas, Key West FL, Salt Lake City UT, & Atlanta GA (before we actually lived here)! We joke that all of our pictures from our vacations are taken from an arm's length away because we don't have anyone to take pictures of us. (If only we had a personal photographer to follow us around-NOT paparazzi though) We LOVE to travel. We are so blessed!

Days of Thanksgiving Session 2

#10- I am grateful for Skype. This awesome program allows me to speak & SEE my family located in different states! Skype also allowed Kyle & I to see each other when we lived separately for a month+ earlier this year. (I'm glad that's over with!)

#9- I am eternally thankful for my Grandparents. My love and admiration for my mother & my father's parents is unmeasurable. I wish I had had more time with Grandma & Grandpa (my father's parents) before they passed away but I carry their love in my heart & I know I will see them again. My Mama & Papa (mother's parents) are still going strong. They truly are amazing examples of unwavering love and devotion. I could never list all of what all they have taught me by their examples. Mama & Papa have been married for over 62 years. Amazing. I only hope that I can one day live up to their example of love & dedication. I also include my (great) Aunt Mary in this realm. She is not only my name sake but so graciously helped fill the void that was left when my Grandma passed away. One of the great things-she kept the Grandma Starburst tradition alive. :) I love her dearly! (I do not have a picture scanned in of my amazing Grandma. Ultimately I don't need a digital picture-I remember her like she was just here yesterday, her laugh, big brown eyes, her perfectly curled out hair, & her most amazing hugs. I miss you Grandma!)

#8- I am grateful for Food! Seems a little crazy-I know-but it's true! I love food! I'm grateful for the easy means of obtaining food here in America & I know that in itself is a true blessing. I may be 'selective' (that's what Kyle calls my picky-ness) when it comes to certain food but I love it! Some of my favorites are: extra sharp cheddar cheese, my aunt's potato salad, pizza, brown rice, grandma rolls, funeral potatoes, mama's peach pies, auntie ann's lemon pies, pat's pretzel salad, & the list could just go on & on! :)

#7- I am thankful for my health! As I get older I realize more & more how blessed I am to have been given such a healthy body! (sometimes it's a little too healthy to fit in my fav pair of jeans but that's another story! haha) I definitely don't take care of it like I should-sometimes eating what's best for me just isn't appealing so I'm glad my body kicks it into overdrive & takes care of me anyhow! I know I have much more of my life to go & many things can & will go 'wrong' but for now I know I am blessed!

#6- I'm grateful for everything that keeps me WARM! I'm a wuss when it comes to winter so bring on the blankets, sweaters, wool socks, jackets, down comforter, heaters, etc! We experienced a couple of rather cold days last week (30s-40s were the highs) & I realized how much I love fall but NOT winter! We've been living on the coast of SC for the last 6 year so this winter will most likely be a rough one! (I don't know how much it snows in ATL but I can only handle the white stuff for a couple of days-then I'm done!)

Days of Thanksgiving Session 1

Well I think that's what this is called... Anywho! I felt like I had enough time on my hands to jump in on the whole-everyday name something you are thankful/grateful for up until Thanksgiving. Obviously I am behind but I didn't feel the need to post something every day so I thought I'd compile 5 days in 1 post. So here it goes.

#5- I am thankful for our humble abode. We were excited to upgrade to a 2 bedroom/2 bath condo when we moved to ATL! I love having not only the extra bathroom (when ya gotta go you can't always wait for someone else to finish!) but I love having the spare bedroom & closet. We've enjoyed having the extra space to store our junk & it's nice to have a real room for guests. We love how the big (to us) kitchen opens up to the living room-although it is sometimes odd not having our dining room table-it's in storage (there's not a dining room or a kitchen nook for it).

#4- I am grateful for Moose! I can't believe she will be 4 years old in March! She's such a joy in our lives. We love having her around to brighten our day & get us moving when we're feeling rather lazy. I'm sure she's had to adjust to having me around all day now but she doesn't seem to mind. :) Most of her day is spent going from one pillow to the next-napping. (she has a pillow in the living room & one in the bedroom) We go on walks during the day but then it's back to the pillows or on my lap for another nap. Moose starts getting antsy in the late afternoon because she knows it's time for Kyle to get off of work. We go on a walk & meet Kyle just outside the train stop. I love watching her tail wag with excitement when she recognizes him from across the road. She definitely keeps us on our toes & we love her dearly. I wish I knew what went on in that little head of hers. :)

#3- I am thankful for friends! I have been so blessed to have so many friends that are dear to my heart. Some new & some old. I love being able to have girl time with these lovely ladies even if it's only thru a phone call. I miss many of my old friends & it's so hard living further away from them. (a bonus thankful: modern technology that keeps us connected) You ladies know who you are & I could never repay you for all you've done for me!

#2- I am grateful for the Gospel! I love the comfort I feel, knowing that I am a daughter of God & that He knows & loves me. I know He hears & answers my prayers- I couldn't ask for a more comforting thing in times of need. I've had to lean on Him a lot this year & I am forever grateful for the love I have felt & for the blessings he has poured out for me. I am grateful for the prophets of old, especially for Joseph Smith & for our loving prophet today, Thomas S. Monson. It's amazing how deeply we are loved & that we are always being guided-we just have to listen & obey. Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for me. I can't even begin to put into words what that means to me so I try (not always my best-I know) to show Him by my actions. I could go on & on about the peace & comfort I have be given thru being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but I know you don't have all day! ;)

#1- I am eternally thankful for Kyle. He is my best friend. He is my rock. I truly do not know what I would do without him. I love him so very much & I can't wait to be with him for forever. (hopefully he feels the same about the whole forever thing. ;) haha) I am so grateful for all he does for me. I've had to rely on him so much this year & especially the last few months. Kyle is an amazing priesthood holder & is a great example to me. He works so hard to provide for us & I am so glad he has a job he loves! We love making each other laugh-what more could a gal ask for?! I am always amazed by his creativity-he built our bed, sewed a quilt & many blankets, made a mosaic table, put together a few family & funny videos, & made magazine bowls-just to name a few. I love spending every day with him & seeing the amazing traits that have been passed down to him from his parents. He is so great with Moose. I can't wait to see what an amazing father he will be to our future family. "Come grow old with me, the best is yet to be!"