You, Me, and Us: November 2009

This is going to be a long one, I wanted to take some time and jot down one thing for each day of November that I am grateful for. I guess it's more for me than any of you, but here goes...........

1. My house to come home to each and every day after work. I love my house. I wish I didn't have the sticker weeds in the back yard, and I wish I didn't have to clean my house, but I really do love it. I love decorating it for the holidays.

2. My car-although it only be a Malibu, it runs and it gets me from point A to point B. It has air conditioning, heat, a radio and I can’t complain. Although I have a few issues with it, I really am grateful that I have a safe car.

3. My camera. I carry it with me everywhere I go. I never know when I am going to need it, so just in case I have it with me always. I love the memories from pictures. I love looking through my pictures because of all the memories.

4. My phone. It helps me feel safer having a phone so I can call people when I need them. I wouldn't be able to talk to my family back home if I didn't have my phone. I would miss them all a whole lot more if I wasn't able to just call them when I needed to talk.

5. My love for music. I love music! I have been blessed with a love of music from my dad. Music soothes my soul more than anything. I always have music on. It just makes the day go by much better when I have music to sing along to.

6. My heritage. I come from a strong background of pioneers. If I only had the stamina and patience that they had I would be in better shape. My ancestors had to endure through so much more than I have had to and for that I am grateful.

7. My education-although it's not completed, I loved going to school and I really like to learn. I someday hope to be able to go back to school, but for now, I am grateful for the school I was able to get in-and not only that, but the people I met at college and the things I learned about life being a college student.

8. Country Care Homes-this is the Assisted Living that Dad built and that Mom runs. I was so blessed to have country care to live at for several years while I was starting out as a single mom. I learned alot about the medical field as I was being a mom with two little girls at my feet. It was such a blessing to have my kids with me while they were so little instead of a daycare. Now-if there were only a Country Care down here in AZ.

9. My brains- I really am grateful I have the knowledge I have. What if I didn't remember how to do even simple things like tie my shoes, write my name, type on the computer, etc.

10. My hair-crazy, but I like my hair. I wish it was longer, but for the most part, I like the fact that I can change my hair alot and it still somewhat looks cute when I take the time to do it. Some people don't have as much hair as I do, and I really am blessed to have all of it that I do!

11. My health-for the most part, I am really healthy. I have been trying to take better care of my body lately because of some health issues, but I can get up each day and do what I want to do because I am healthy. What a blessing!

12. My job-I don't think I would still be living in AZ if I didn't have the awesome job that I have that pays me to do what I love to do. Math has always been easy for me and that's what I do even now 25 years after I learned how to add.

13. My clothes-not the size, but all the clothes that I have. I think about people that don't have as much as we do. They have to wear the same clothes days in a row.

14. My scrapbooking "stuff"-I love to create things. I have so much scrapbook stuff to do fun things with. The kids never have to buy paper-they just go to my corner and pick what they want. It's so fun to have it all on hand to make cards, handouts, fliers, etc.

15. Water-I drink water all day long. I don't like warm water and I don't like ice, but I like cold water. I'd much rather have water than a soda-which is a good thing I guess. I love being able to shower whenever I want in warm water. I hate dirty hands, so being able to wash my hands is a good thing.

16. My Computer-I love technology. It's awesome that I can take pictures and instantly see them on here and send them home for mom and dad. I love all the things that I can do on the computer, and I will someday get to all my pictures and digiscrap them all.

17. My sisters. I don't get to see them nearly enough, but I love spending time with all my sisters and sisters-in-law. There is nothing like sisterly love. I love talking to my sisters on the phone though since we are so far away.

18. My Scentsy warmers-I know-kinda funny, but I love all the scentsy warmers I have around my house that make it smell SO good. I love a good smelling house.

19. TV-although I rarely watch TV, I have one night a week where I HAVE to watch my 2 shows. Steve has school late one night and I get to cuddle with the kids and then put them to bed and then I lay in bed and get to watch my shows while I wait for my husband to get home.

20. My Iron-I have to iron my clothes every single day. I feel so out of it when I can't iron my clothes. Yes-I even iron my jeans. My kids iron their own clothes as well. Since they were babies, I ironed their clothes-but then a few years ago back up in Utah, the girls loved to have WARM clothes, so I would iron them right before they put them on so they would have warm clothes when it was so cold outside.

21. My Saviour-I am so grateful for a merciful Saviour. I am far from perfect and I know I make alot of mistakes in my life, but I am grateful for the plan of happiness and the opportunity we have to repent and better ourselves because of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for us.

22. My calling in church-I always though the Activities Chairman was just an "extra" calling for those who really don't have anything else to do, well, I am the Chairman and I LOVE IT! I love planning parties. Right up my alley. They didn't know that when they asked me, but I really like to plan stuff like I do for the ward.

23. The changing of the seasons-something I think I took for grantide living in Utah. The seasons don't really change much here in AZ. You have warm, hot, and really hot. Sometimes I can wear a sweater-in the winter. Ok-I LOVE the changing of the seasons. I LOVE the snow, falling leaves, new flowers in the spring, and the sunshine in the summer.

24. A/C and Fans-I have a fan in just about every room of my house and they are on constantly. I can't stand it being so hot here, and therefore I keep my house at 71-73 degrees all year long. Yes I have to pay an arm and a leg for it in the summer months, but being cool wasn't something that I was going to sacrifice when I moved down here to AZ.

25. Home Teachers/Visiting Teachers-although we haven't really built a relationship with any here in AZ, when I was a single mom living in Lehi, UT I had one of the best home teachers and visiting teachers that I could have ever had. It was a really rough time in my life and they always knew when to come visit. They knew when to call and when I just needed a hug. They knew that I was wavering in my testimony and they were there to catch me when I was falling.

26. My senses-what would I do if I couldn't taste my favorite carrot cake that my mom makes, or I couldn't smell the pretty roses in my dads rose garden? What if I couldn't feel the soft texture of my kids' blankets when they come and snuggle with me? What if I couldn't hear the melodious sound of music? What if I couldn't see the sunrise in the morning on the way to take the kids to school or what if I couldn't see the sunset in the evenings with all the beautiful colors? I am so grateful I have all my senses.

27. My daughter Halle. There is that special bond with Halle being my first child. She is such a caring little girl. She loves to help people. She has such a sweet spirit and is very tender hearted. She always wants to cuddle with me-I love it. Halle is a mini-me. She tries so hard to be just like me and I have to be careful and set a good example for her. She is so creative and crafty just like me.

28. My daughter Lizzie. She is so fun. She loves to play and goof around. She loves me and is so forgiving. She loves her sister and is a chatter box just like her mommy. Lizzie loves to read with me. She would bring every book to me if I let her every night to read. She just can't get enough. Lizzie and I have a special bond as well. She came at a challenging transitional time in life, but she came for a reason and I know why. I LOVE BEING A MOM.

29. My parents who have raised me to be who I am today. I am so grateful for their unconditional love and support. I have had such a good example of love, patience, kindness, hard working, and understanding all throughout my life. I know I can call them up and cry when I am sad, vent when I am struggling, and laugh when I am happy.

30. My husband whom I married for time and all eternity on May 3, 2008. We struggle at times, but I love him and I am grateful for all he does. He took on a hard challenge when he married someone who already had kids. It's been a rough road, but the end of the road will come and we will look back and laugh at all the bumps, detours, wrong-ways, U-turns, stoplights, and construction zones that we came to in our journey together.

So, Halle won this goldfish at a Halloween Carnival we went to. She was SO excited to have a pet, because they have been begging us to get them a pet, so I figured a fish was ok, although I really don't like goldfish because they do die so quickly and I'm pretty sure this fish was all traumatized because of the kids trowing ping pong balls at it at the carnival and then shocked when we moved it to it's new home in the fish bowl, etc.

I was down in the kitchen yesterday and Halle came running down the stairs sobbing saying in the saddest voice she has ever said "My goldfish is dead". SO SAD! As much as I didn't like the fish, I felt really bad for Halle. This was the first time that anything has died around Halle. She was really really sad.

Anyhow, for the next few hours, she was grieving. She was crying and then she would stop and a few minutes later start crying again. I felt bad. She decided she is going spend her birthday money on a new fish, but is wanting one that will "last a little longer". Had to explain to her all about life and death and everything. Let her know there are no guarantees in life and there was no guarantee her new fish would live any longer.

It was so precious. She asked if she could call a few people. Her Grandpa Wright was the first one. He talked to her about her fishie being up in heaven now. Her best friend Audrey was next. She tried not to cry-but she did a little. Her friend Audrey said she was going to color her a picture of her fish and they could get flowers for it. Audrey's brother came home with a goldfish from the same carnival, but his is still alive. Next was her dad. She cried and cried, but got off the phone feeling a little better.

Poor Halle. She was so sad. So, for Family Home Evening, I think we are headed to the store to buy a new fish.