Thankful Thursday 06-30-11



4th of July wreath

• Buying $92 worth of stuff for just $17.  I love saving money!
• Finding some old Christmas stamps in the bottom of a desk drawer.  They may have teddy bears wearing holiday sweaters, and only be worth 41¢ each, but I'm going to stick two of them on a graduation card and send it out...6 weeks too late.  It's coming Nathan!
• Brian.  He did not hesitate when I asked if he could help Troy with a flat tire late at night.  The next day he took the time to get us a new tire and even put it on the car for us.  He somehow even found time to mow our lawn in between all the tire changing.  Thank you Brian!
• We constantly struggle (emotionally) because we live so far from where we work.  Jobs are not easy to find, especially in a small community, and so we are still at our jobs 40 miles away from home.  We would be in a better place, financially, if we sold our house and moved back into an apartment in the city. This was a great reminder of why we give up so much so that we can live close to family.  They replenish our emotional tanks and keep us going.  We are so blessed!  Thank you Brian giving us many reasons to smile on a very stressful day!
• We have always let Mya have free run of the bathroom while we are at work.  Yep, the bathroom.  She tore up the house if we let her have it all, and we just couldn't leave her in the kennel all day.  So she gets the bathroom with it's linoleum (just in case), some toys, and a heated bed to nap on.  This past week we decided to experiment with letting her have the whole house to herself again and she has surprised us and done amazingly well!  We feel much better knowing that she can roam around the house and soak up the sun as it moves from the back of the house to the front of the house during the day. 
• Stuffed jalapeno burgers at church on Sunday! 
• And those amazing baked beans!  I don't even like baked beans, but I went back for seconds!
• The amazing group of volunteers that miss out on getting fresh hot food (or sometimes even getting food at all) so that they can be outside grilling, or in the kitchen organizing and refilling.  Every time we have a meal at church (which is often, because we like to eat) there are people busily working away while the rest of us sit back and enjoy.  I appreciate all of you!
• Listening to the "quiet" at 6:00 in the morning while most people are still inside their homes.  I enjoy this time of day.
• I am not organized in my personal life, but sometimes I pretend to be.  This week I did a good job at making a whole hearted attempt at organization.
• Laughter.  Someone that tends to get on my nerves surprised me with a great reason to laugh.  I laughed way too loud in a place where I should have been quiet...and it felt great.  Don't judge a book by it's cover.