The Thankful Post

Seeing how November is the month you're supposed to be thankful for stuff, I figured I'd write a few down on the ol' blog.

These are in no specific order, mind you.

I'm thankful for...

#1 - An awesome house, in an awesome neighborhood. I'm so grateful to live in a house that fits my family perfectly, and is in a neighborhood with so many neat people. I've made a ton of new friends, and it's been really fun getting to know people! It's nice to live somewhere where we're accepted and even welcomed.

#2 - An understanding and loving husband. I am so lucky to be married to someone that makes me laugh every day. Someone who understands that when I say "You're such an idiot" I really just mean "I love you." He's an amazingly smart and talented guy, and an fantastic father. I love Justin.

#3 - My hilarious and sweet little boy. My little dude is the highlight of my day. I love making him laugh, and watching him learn new things. He's almost one, and while I feel like time has absolutely flown by, I almost cannot remember what life was like without him. Honestly, I don't want to. He has changed me in ways that no one else could, and I hope that he knows that I love him with all of my heart, and I always will!

#4 - A family that is so awesome. My brothers and sisters are all amazing. They are my best friends, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Honestly, how many people want to hang out with their family on a regular basis? We're hysterical, smart, and amazing... if we're any judge. But the same goes for all my in-laws. I have the most thoughtful and sweet in-laws that anyone could ask for. I hope to one day reach their level of awesome.

#5 - Technology. I can't lie, I'd be lost without my cell phone, the dumb thing. And Netflix and Hulu.

#6 - Books. I love reading. I always have, and it's safe to say I always will. My kindle has been one of the best purchases that I have ever made. While it doesn't replace the real thing, it has introduced me to so many different books that I otherwise would not have read. Love my Mmmm-BetterNot! (That's the name of my kindle, thanks Lor.)

#7 - The Gospel. This by far doesn't fall last on my list, in fact, it's probably first. Without the gospel I would be leading a very different life today. One that I know would not be happy. I love the Savior, and all that he's done for me. His love for me, and understanding of my feelings has been a huge help in my life. Knowing that I'm not alone in my trials is an amazing thing. Unfortunately for me, I don't voice this enough. I was going to say 'One day I hope to work up the courage to tell more people this"... but I realized that I shouldn't be waiting for 'one day'. I've learned recently that 'one day' might never come. There is no point in waiting for something to happen, and I know that. But back to the gospel... I am so grateful for it's influence in my life. For the person it helps me to be. For the Atonement, and the chance it gives me to start over. I'm grateful for prophets and apostles who guide me. In times when I'm lost or confused, they offer words of direction and encouragement. Words that I love to hear. I'm grateful for my Father in Heaven, who knows me and loves me.

There are so many things to be thankful for each and every day! I think it's something everyone could work on.
If you need some help, this cute girl has tons of ideas.

Snow globes

I love snow globes. I only have a few, but I think they're just so fun and pretty and I could watch every piece of glitter settle to the bottom.

Well, for Mother's Day, Justin got me a Sleeping Beauty snow globe, which is WAY awesome. I love it. He knew I wanted it because it's on my Amazon Wish List. -anything we want, we put on there, and that way around Christmas and birthdays we're not pestering each other with 'what do you want' question- Well I was looking for some more snow globes to put on my wish list, and since The Little Mermaid is my favorite, I was searched for Ariel snow globes.

Who would have thought that The Little Mermaid -who literally lives in water (snow globes are FULL of water!) are so hard to find! There were some small cheap ones on Amazon, the same ones on the Disney website... and after googling, they only had ones that were no longer available.

WHAT?!

Family Pictures

So my side of the family hasn't had family pictures since I was 15 I think... So that had to change. My sister found a photographer (sorry Whitney! It wasn't me!) and we found a date that worked, and it was done! Easy enough. Here are some of the shots...

This is my whole family

My parents and the grandkids

HAHA! I saw an idea like this on Pinterest, so I wanted to try it... I looooove how it turned out. Especially the third shot.

I love my family!

Teething

Um, what happened to my happy, independent, smiley boy?

In reference to my last post

I'm doing WAY better.

I started thinking about why I was feeling the way that I was; that I wasn't 'enough' of something... thought I wasn't sure what. So I took a step back and did an evaluation of everything in my life, and the way that it affected me.

With the things I could control, I did what I could. I removed some things from my life, I added other things... both have been a big help.

With things that I could not control, I turned to the Lord. I fasted and prayed, and presented Him with a solution, and asked for assistance in reaching the solution. I feel this is personal experience, but I want to share, because you never know when this could help someone else... My husband believes that there are some things in which we need to come to our own conclusions, and then ask the Lord if he feels that's a good answer. I agree with this because I don't think the Lord is only there to give us answers. I think He is also there to encourage us in a choice we've already made, to love us, and guide us when we ask for it... among millions of other things. Continuing on though- I knew that the solution that I needed in my life, right now, was strength. The strength to choose to be happy. To choose to forget the things that don't matter, and the strength to only look at here and now. After figuring this out, I fasted and prayed, telling Heavenly Father I just needed the strength to essentially just be my old self. Happy. Confident. Strong. I would have days where I was my old self, but I was having more days where I wasn't feeling right. I would be quiet or mad or some unexplainable feeling that was just frustrating me further... So I simply asked for Him to help keep me strong in my choices. I WANT to be happy.

*quick disclaimer about being happy - I am extremely happy in my life. I love my husband, I love my baby, and I love my house. When I talk about being unhappy, that's referring to me struggling purely on the inside - with my self esteem, or my lack of craftiness (dumb, I know), or that my body wasn't the same, just dumb little things like that. But some days they'd all hit at once, and I'd feel pretty useless.

But I know that Heavenly Father has heard me, and He's helping me. It's really an amazing feeling, knowing that I don't have to bear my burdens alone.

I'm not sure what I would do without the gospel in my life.