30 Days of Thanksgiving 2011

One of the most popular Facebook trends at the beginning of November this year was for individuals to post what they are thankful for each day of the month. Any who knows me knows that Facebook is one of my guilty pleasures.  However, I didn't participate on FB.  Instead I decided I would save my "thankfulnesses" up so I could put them all in one place (a place like our blog) where I could go back and appreciate them more often.  I, like most of the people I know, have so much to be thankful for but just don't take the time to recognize those things like I should.  I spend way too much energy grumbling about what I don't have instead of appreciating the things before me on a daily basis. So here it goes....my 30 days of thanks.

Day #1 - I am thankful that I have found a church that is, for the first time in my life, actually teaching me.  I feel welcome there and know it's the right place for me because I truly miss it when I can't attend.  I have never been one to push religion on anyone and, for those that know me well, you know I fall from grace...often! I feel comfortable there, feel like my children are taught well there, and can see little changes in my life, I think, because of my involvement there.

Day #2 - I am thankful for my husband, Garett.  Even though we have our moments I know in the end he gets me. He is a great daddy and husband that always has his family in mind.  I never have to worry about where his heart is and even though I take him for granted a lot, I love him with all of my heart.  I need to do better to be sure he knows that.  Relationships are hard work, but I can't think of anyone else I'd rather do that work with...TEAM!

Day #3 - I am thankful for my firstborn, Braydon.  You change when you become a mommy and I believe he changed me for the better.  He is smart, handsome, has such a sense of humor and is one half of my everything! I can't believe he started school this year!  I want to savor every moment with him..just since starting kindergarten I can see him grow every day.  He looks like such a big boy, but he is a great 'nuggler and adores warm blankets and a cold cup of chocolate milk. He is getting so big, but I tell him often, he will always be my baby!

Day #4 - I am thankful for my baby boy, Rhett.  I always knew one baby wouldn't do and have talked about him even before he was born.  He, too, is smart, handsome, with a wonderful sense of humor and has an individual flare that has been present from day one.  His little dimple in his right cheek stole my heart from the very beginning.  He is the other half of my everything! He just turned three and I am none too eager to let him grow up.  I love his baby talk, his sweet stuttering, and his mischievous ways.  He and Braydon are very different, but they are both our "best".

Day #5 - I am thankful for my Mom.  She is very quiet and reserved, but one of the best moms in the world! A great cook, wonderful at giving advice just in time, and loves her children and grandchildren unconditionally.  She has some big changes coming up in the next year with her health and I only hope I can be there to comfort her even half as much as she has for me.  You never realize what all a mother sacrifices for her children until you become a mother yourself.  My mom has made many but never complains or makes a fuss.  I love her lots!

Day #6 - I am thankful for my Dad. He is the opposite of my mom, not quiet and not reserved. He is a hard worker  and opinionated and even in retirement he is busier than most.  He battles cancer and despite clear scans continues to battle the thought of it.  He wants nothing to slow him down.  He too, loves his children and grandchildren unconditionally. He always has advice, sometimes when you don't ask for it, but you always know he only wants what is best for you.  He is smart and has a great sense of humor, especially when he's the one playing the joke.  I call him and my mom now everyday and wish I had started doing that a long time ago.  I value the time I have with them and pray for many, many more years together.

Day #7 - I am thankful for my sister, Kelly.  It's true..we used to despise one another, but now I can truly say she is my best friend.  She does more for me and my family than I could ever repay her for in a million years.  She is a second mother to my children...boy do they love their Aunt KK! She is always quick to our side if we ever need a thing and even when we don't..she's there. She is the most generous person I know and I can't imagine how our whole family would function without her behind the scenes.  She is getting lined up to give my Mom a very special gift...the gift of a better quality of life and I pray that all goes well.  I plan on being there for them through it all.  I love her lots!

Day #8 - I am thankful for my brother, Daran.  Not many people have one great sibling let alone two.  I know I can call him for anything.  Despite the nine years between us he has never made me feel "little". He is a hard worker, a phenomenal Dad, and a wonderful Uncle to my boys! They think Uncle D hung the moon and stars. I do wish we hung out more, but I know he is pretty content being on his farm in his down time.  Over the past few summers we have made some great memories.  I especially love to hear his fire pit stories that he shares with my boys while eating S'mores :)

Day #9 - I am thankful for awesome in-laws.  I was truly blessed when I married into the Hager clan. They have welcomed me with open arms from day

one. My mother-in-law and father-in-law are wonderful...wonderful parents, grandparents and friends.  My sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws are great friends and we always enjoy our time together.  I'm gonna throw my brother-in-law, Steve in this mix as well. He being the only in-law on my side...he is a keeper too!  He is a good role-model for many.

Day #10 - I am grateful for grandparents.  My grandmother, Dorothy aka "Mamaw Means" or "Great Granny Green Beans", as the boys call her, Garett's grandmother's, Maxine aka "Nemo"  and  Alice aka "Old Nanny".  I love to hear their stories..stories of how things used to be, stories about us when we were younger, stories that they have shared over and over.  They make me smile.  I just don't think they make them like that anymore. I can't cook without a recipe, but these ladies can just make to die for biscuits and gravy to die for out of thin air.  I do wish we had those grandparents that have past away with us to see our children and share them with us, but I am thankful for the lesson, stories, and memories they left us.

Day #11- I am so grateful for my three best friends from high school!  We have been friends for over 25 years and I can't imagine not being able to call them up.  Unfortunately I moved the furthest away, but it really isn't too bad.  We are all so busy that we have to schedule time to be with one another, but when we are together it is just like it was when we left off. I trust these girls with everything! As a matter of fact they know so much, we could probably never split up..it would be too dangerous for us all.

Day #12 - I am grateful for my new friendships since college.  The girls that I have either worked with, shared common threads with or have met in my adulthood.  Being a friend is much more difficult when you are a wife and a mommy.  I am so glad that these ladies take the time to keep in touch with me and I hope that I am as considered as much as a friend by them as they are to me.

Day #13 - I am thankful for my job and the folks I work with on a daily basis.  I complain a lot about not having enough money but really I couldn't ask for a better job.  I love that I get to work with children, I love that the same thing never really happens twice, and I love that I can make a positive difference.  The people I work with really are like a family and where I have met some of the most inspirational, creative people I know.  I can count on them for anything and I rely on them a lot.

Day #14 - I am thankful for my warm home.  I see first hand how some families barely get by...don't get me wrong..we barely get by some months but we rarely have to worry about the roof over our heads.  It is where our most precious memories are made and where our boys will remember their "wonder years".  It is just big enough for us at this time in our lives and it is lived in.  Someone once told me "small houses make close families" and that is true for us..I really wouldn't want it any other way.  (Well..maybe a basement for the boys to romp in wouldn't be that awful ;0)

Day #15 - I am thankful for my nephews and niece.  I have two waves of generations...my two older nephews I consider more like brothers.  They are adults now and I am very proud of the men they have become. I know they will continue to grow and make me proud.  My other nephews and niece are all under the age of four and one on the way.  I hope I can be a good Aunt to them; one that they will have great memories of when they grow up.  It is harder with them because now I have two young boys of my own..but I want them all to grow up knowing what it is like to have close cousins and and aunt and uncle that adore them.

Day 16 - I am thankful for random acts of kindness.  I, myself, am not that good at this concept, but it is certainly something I would like to improve on.  I have been the recipient of some of those acts and it seems like they come just in time.  "Thank you" to those people that make an effort to do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return.

Day 17 - I am thankful for my health.  I complain too much about how I look, feel, or can't do things the way I used to, but the truth is I am very lucky.  I take my and my immediate family's health for granted.  With my parents both having significant health issues I am constantly reminded that I should do more to enhance the health I have been blessed with.  This has sparked many bursts of "do betterness's" that usually takes a backseat once things get hectic again.  Not only am I lucky but I am lucky to have two very healthy boys and husband.  There is little we can't do because of health reasons. 

Day 18 - I am thankful for my hobbies.  I don't think I'll ever have to worry that I don't have enough to do....that I'll get bored. Recently I have taken my favorite hobby to a new level. I love to take pictures and I have been able to dabble in doing photography for others.  It must be working for I have photographed over ten families/events since February and it seems to be something that may stick around.  Besides photography I have a ton of other projects...Garett gets so tired of my "stacks" around the house I know, but at least it keeps me busy (as if I don't have enough to keep me going already).

Day 19 - I am thankful for my "raising". There was a time when I couldn't wait to get away from where I grew up, a rural community in Bath County, Kentucky.  But recently, with every trip I make back there to visit I become more and more proud.  Not necessarily of the place itself, but of the way that I grew up.  On a farm, with lots of time to romp and play and a family that worked hard and loved one another.  I see a lot of families at my work that have a hard time knowing, understanding, or much less being proud of their roots and it's hard for me to imagine not having that foundation. 

Day 20 - I am grateful for patience.  Some who know me best may think I don't really have them, but I feel that I'm getting better with time.  But it's not only mine that I'm thankful for...I am thankful with the patience of those around me.  I mess up a lot and without their patience I'm sure some would have already given up on me.

Day 21 - I am thankful to be an American...I know..it sounds like I'm about to break out in Lee Greenwood's lyrics, but honestly I can't imagine living anywhere else.  Part of that is because I haven't traveled abroad, but from what I can see on the nightly news we have so many freedoms to be thankful for compared to our international neighbors. I am not political in any shape or form, but I appreciate the fact that men and women risk their lives daily to keep my family out of harms way. I also appreciate the fact that I can walk about, say what I feel, and have the rights that I do each and every day.

Day 22 - I am thankful for some of my favorite things; hot chocolate, quiet nights, awesome photographs, summer days that last forever, snow days, naps cuddled next to my boys, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes it's the little things that make you appreciate life the most.

Day 23 - I am thankful for technology.  Yes..I am an iphone, facebook, pinterest, blogger nerd.  But technology is what enables me to keep in touch with those I love most, keep up to date on my curiosities, keeps me learning new things, and helps keep me "with it".  It's hard for me to go unplugged..I know it's necessary sometimes but I do love my techno gadgets :) (probably not as much as my sister...but I do)

Day 24 - I am thankful for children...not just mine, but children in general.  They are innocent and precious. If only we didn't lose that as we get older... If I had it my way I would have a house full, but that isn't going to happen so I will be thankful for the two that are my own and the many I get to work with each day.

Day 25 - I am thankful for modern conveniences, besides my techno gadgets. For example, microwave meals, instant whatevers, lunchables, disposable contacts, paper plates, artificial trees, and the list could go on and on...I know it's not very "green" of me, but let's face it...these little things that save time sure do help this working momma out. I know I would not have survived "back in the day".  It's not that I am always about quick and easy but it seriously reduces my stress on a regular basis.

Day 26 - I am grateful for humor.  You know the saying "If couldn't laugh about it I'd cry.", well that sums up many of my days. I love a good belly laugh and the only day that is a good day is a day that I have laughed.  Sometimes I probably use humor when it is not appropriate...so if I have offended someone I am sorry, but honestly it's the best coping mechanism I have going for me.  If Garett reads this I have a feeling he will disagree with me (I get the feeling he thinks I need a better sense of humor about a lot of things) but sometimes husband/wife issues are not funny, especially if I'm upset ;0.

Day 27 - I love music and I am thankful for being able jam out to the radio, even if it just the short trip between home and school drop offs. I love every genre (minus heavy metal) and usually a song pops in my head many times over the day.  It's nothing for me to bust out a lyric at awkward times because the situation reminds me of a song (I don't always get the lyrics just exactly right, but in my head they sound right).

Day 28 - I am thankful for the seasons.  There is something about each one of them I love. I love that we live in an area that gets to see all four of them for a somewhat equal amount of time.  They each have their own beauty and strong points and I always find myself looking forward to the next. 

Day 29 - I am thankful for my experiences ...good and bad.  That's what builds character right? Enough said.

Day 30 - I am thankful for the path my life has taken.  Boy does that sound cheesy! But it's true.  I can't imagine being anywhere else.  I really do believe things happen for a reason and we are all part of a bigger plan than we can even start to fathom.

Here is to another year full of amazing blessings!