Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

30. Living in the USA. As much as I dislike certain aspects, there is no other place in the world that I would rather live and raise my children. If there is, I haven't found it yet.

29. Puppy breath. No we don't have a puppy. I'm not even sure what made me think of this. I do love puppy breath though and I'm thankful that when God designed puppies, he gave them that certain smell.

28. Grace and mercy extended to me. Now, if I could only grasp the concept of extending it to others....

Thank you for joining me on this journey of thankfulness. I hope it's made you think about some of the things you are thankful for in your life.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

27. Our favorite after Thanksgiving breakfast/brunch- potato pancakes and fried turkey with gravy. Mmmmm. Tyler loves the potato pancakes and he wanted me to tell you that! :) 26. My friends. Impossible to mention them all, but you know who you are. Bonus points if you read my blog. Double bonus points if you comment. :)

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

25. Great food and family. The perfect combination.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

24. Ole Kirk Christiansen- Creator of Legos. They are the first thing my boys get out in the morning and the last thing they play with at night. The ONLY toy that has stood the test of time. Of course, stepping on his invention while walking through the house has made me want to swear. 23. My house. Not my dream house by far, but it's exactly what I need and then some. I have been so blessed.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

22. My digital camera. Blog posts sure are more exciting with pictures....aren't they? I love being able to take unlimited pictures. Photography makes me happy!


21. My church. Good solid Biblical teaching going on. Challenged and convicted almost weekly. It's making me become a better person in spite of myself.


20. My church family. Wasn't quite sure we would ever "fit in" or make friends, but almost 3 years later some wonderful friendships have been/ and are being made.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

19. Having the freedom to home school my kids.

18. New beginnings every day. Thank you God!

17. Late night "me" time when everyone else is asleep.

16. My small town library. It's like "Cheers". They all know my name and they're always glad I came.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

15. Sunny days with blue skies and clouds. 14. College Friends.

13. My favorite sister in law. The one who had a marathon freezer cooking session with me this past weekend.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

12. My brother- rock climber extraordinaire and all around good guy.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

11. My husband. He is the perfect man for me. He is not perfect. Just perfect for me. I once read a saying that basically said "what if marriage is more about refining you, than making you happy?". It was worded better than that, but the meaning really stuck with me. I love that thought.

Today's society puts so many ideas into women's heads about what marriage should look like. It is hard work. It's rarely (if ever) flowers, expensive jewelry, and hot steamy "you- know -what" day and night (hey, this is a family blog-ha ha). A good marriage takes refining of your character over time as you grow with the other person. I hate being refined. Thankfully God and Tim know that I have potential to grow and be better and they won't allow me to stay at "average" or "status quo". I can be so much more (through Christ who gives me strength)! This could probably be another discussion/blog post all on it's own!

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

10. That today is over. Yes. I AM thankful for that.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

9. The beach. My absolute favorite place on earth.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

8. Fried food. Yes, I know it's bad for you. But how can something so bad taste SO good? Funnel cake in the fryer and mozzarella cheese sticks on deck.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

7. That my father in law still loves me (I think) even after I used HIS cell phone to call him from another room in HIS house to tell him that I needed a refill on my water...and it cost him $1 because that's the kind of plan he has on his phone. Ooops. :)

Tim, Tyler, and my wonderful father in law!

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

6. That my house is inhabited by 3 boys. Imaginative, creative, and yes- many times messy boys... ... and the occasional rescue guy being chased by a dinosaur.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

5. Ice cold diet Coke.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

4. That there was only one perfect person that ever lived on this earth and it's not me.

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

3. Three boys who crawl into our bed in the morning without waking me up (not all at the same time). Or, three boys who play quietly and let me sleep in. :)

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

2. Pizza (especially Pizza Hut stuffed crust Supreme pizza) Words cannot convey how thankful I am for pizza. :)

Thirty Things I'm Thankful For

1. Grandparents that are involved and totally invested in my boys lives.

I couldn't ask for better grandparents for them. For that, I am truly thankful!