Thankful

For the past few years I would write one thing I'm thankful for as my Facebook status for each day in November.  It was something I always looked forward to and something a lot of people thought was somewhat annoying (although why this was annoying I've never understood). I've been such a slacker lately with a lot of things (aka why I haven't blogged in FOREVER before this week) and I didn't start up my thankful statuses.  I felt weird starting it in the middle so I figured I'd forgo this year and pick back up next year.  And after seeing all of the thankful post on facebook (my news feed is filled with them) I'm kinda bummed I didn't do it.  It was a nice exercise for me to start my day off in the right frame of mind for the day.

But this doesn't mean that I've given up on being thankful this year and what better day than Thanksgiving to talk about thanks.  I have been so blessed this year.  It's unreal.  Sure, I've had some rough patches but overall, I'd say this year was a good one.  A blessed one.

First and foremost, I'm thankful for the blessings of each day.  For the ability to wake up, see all the miracles right in front of me, and to be able to share this with my family.

I'm thankful that God blessed me with the Hubs.  Yes, most of the days I'm left wondering why I married him or why haven't I killed him yet, and frankly, there are times when I wonder why I'm hanging around.  But at the end of the day, I cannot imagine my life without him.  We have highs that are extremely high and lows that are VERY low.  But every day we make the important choice of one another.  I love him with all my heart and soul. And every day I choose him.

I'm thankful for my most precious blessings, my children.  My sweet boy Noah and my angel Emily.  My life was completed when I saw their sweet faces.  Any reason for living I had was erased the minute I knew I was pregnant.  They are the loves of my life.  My purpose in life.  I strive to be the best mother in the world and while I know I fall short of this goal on a daily basis, I know I'm doing the best I can for them and I'm being the best mother I can be for them.  They are the reasons I get up in the morning. They are my world.

I'm thankful for my family.  I have had the best role models as I've grown up.  My parents are amazing and continue to be.  My brothers are turning into outstanding men.  My family has rallied together as we said goodbye to my grandfather.  I've witnessed my grandmother finally put one foot in front of the other, in order to begin figuring out how to live without the love of her life.  I'm thankful that I have such amazing memories with my family.  And I'm so grateful that I have been fortunate enough to have my grandparents be with me until this time in my life.  Not many people my age could say that they lived 29 years of their lives with all of their grandparents.  

I'm thankful for my health and my children's health. Every day I go to work and see how horribly cruel our bodies can be to one's self.  I have seen how quickly lives can change and how much we are not in control of anything.  While I've been dealing with health issues of my own, I am not facing a horrible disease or fighting for my life.  I cannot begin to imagine what my life would be like if either of my children were sick or if the Hubs were sick.  I thank God every day that we are healthy.  It's truly a blessing we take for granted.

I'm thankful for a job that I am so passionate about and love so dearly.  I am blessed to be one of the very few who can say they have found what they are meant to do with their life.  Being a nurse is who I am.  I have been told by many parents that they are thankful that I do what I do but it is the complete opposite.  I'm so thankful that every day I get to go to work and be a part of so many different families's lives.  I am truly blessed to know each and every one of them.  I'm grateful that they are willing to let me join them in their journey through treatment.  Grateful to witness the bravery, strength, and the faith that exudes from my patients.  They are more of a blessing for me than I am for them.  There's no doubt in my mind about that.

I'm thankful that I have amazing friends.  I've been blessed throughout my entire life with beautiful friendships.  Some of those friendships have stood the test of time.  Some of them have faded and some have been rekindled.  There are some I'd like to mend.  But no matter what, I can confidently say that I have the best friends a girl could ask for.

I'm thankful for my faith.  I'm thankful for the awesome presence of the Lord in my life.  I might not be as active in the Church as I'd like right now but I'm slowly becoming renewed in my beliefs.  I'm starting to feel the Lord's presence again.  Starting to hear His voice again.  I'm starting to see the path He's chosen for me.  All of this brings me to the most peaceful place I've been in a long time.

While we're all sitting around the table, probably on our second helping of turkey, remember all the blessings in your life and say a little Thank You for all the amazing things in your life.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!!
     

What a weekend....

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!  I know I did.  Our Thanksgiving involved me not cooking ANYTHING!  My sweet mother did all the cooking.  We all went to my parents this year (we're usually at John's dad's...well not me...I usually work Thanksgiving) to spend our first Thanksgiving together without my Grandpa.  My grandma did rather well I must say.  It was a little hard for me but I didn't let anyone see that.  We feasted on turkey, stuffing, veggies, fruit salad, and squash casserole.  Let me just say....my pants had to be unbuttoned, and not because my post-"rip your gallbladder out of your belly button"-inability to wear buttoned pants for long periods of time.  I ate that much.  Then came dessert....homemade pecan pie (my fav) and a bunch of others.  Then I watched the NFL for the first time this season.  All in all, great Thanksgiving!

Who did Black Friday shopping???  I did!!!  I decided to hit up Bealls at midnight so I could pick up a new UF shirt for the game on Saturday.  I think stores opening at midnight meant more people shopped since they didn't have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn.  I've never seen so many people at Bealls in my life.  But I got my shirt, refrained from buying more USF goodies, and headed back home for a quick 2 hour nap before round 2.   I was at Mom's at 3:30am so we could head to the mall for an amazing deal on boots.  $120 boots for $30....yes please!!!  JCPenney's shoe department was a zoo and I found a pair of boots that I liked.  We headed to the checkout line and it was like the heavens opened.  The most amazing boots!!!   Out of line we went, found a cute holiday saleswomen, and the ultimate pair of boots were mine!!!  I did pay $40 but still...they were originally $120.  Happy Black Friday to me!!!  A quick trip to Old Navy for the perfect pair of jeans for my boots and a pit stop for a Peppermint Mocha and this girl was a happy camper!!!  We headed home so I could get another 2 hour nap before having to wake up to go to the USF game that started at 11am (who starts a game at 11am on Black Friday???)

The Hubs likes to call this weekend the Ultimate College Football weekend.  He lives for college football.  We went to 2 games in 2 days.  Almost the best weekend in his life.  A few years ago, he and a buddy went a UF game then drove back to Tampa to make the USF game by kickoff at 7:30.  2 games in 1 day....the Ultimate Day in College Football History...I think that's what he calls it.  But anywho....USF has had a rough time this year in the Big East (that's as nice as I can put it....I'm so disappointed this season) but I thought Friday would be different.  But it wasn't.  The Bulls were leading the whole first half and gave the game away in the second half.  So the Hubs and I left with a few minutes left in the 3rd, grabbed lunch at Cheesecake Factory and watched the end of the game on our phones.

The Hubs even wore green!!! 

Go Bulls!!!  Yes the stadium was that empty...sad I know

Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake....this is how I drowned my sorrows after the game

Next up....our day in the Swamp!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  When November rolled around, I had planned on doing my daily "I'm thankful for..." like I did on FB last year but I was way too busy to even blog very much.  So instead, I'll take the opportunity today, on Thanksgiving, to recognize everyone and everything that I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for....
~My kids.  Noah and Emmy are the 2 greatest blessings in my life.  While there are times (a lot of times) that I question how good of a Mom I'm being or how on Earth I was allowed to have children, I cannot imagine my life without them.  They are the reasons I get up every morning.
~The Hubs.  We've had our ups and downs but through it all, we've hung in there and made an amazing life together.  He's the best Daddy to our kids.  He's my best friend.  He's wonderful.  I love you!!!
~My family.  I have the best family, hands down.  My mom is my best friend.  My dad is amazing.  My brothers are great (don't tell them I actually said that!) and their girlfriends are amazing women.  I don't know how many families can still sit around a dinner table for hours, talking and laughing about anything and everything, and truly enjoy it.
~Health.  The health of my children and my health.  Working in oncology like I do, I've seen the worst of things.  It's also turned me into a crazy person because every leg pain or additional bruise my kids have automatically sends me spiraling down thinking they have leukemia....true story...my pediatrician thinks I'm crazy.  Every day I'm surrounded by families who have been rocked by a cancer diagnosis and every day, I thank the Lord that the Hubs and I are not in their shoes.  We have 2 healthy children.  It's a blessing in itself.
~My job.  While we're talking about cancer, let's just say I love my job.  I never wanted to be in oncology but stumbled into it and fell in love.  It is the most rewarding work I've ever done.  But it's also the hardest.  No matter how hard I try, I can't help but fall in love with my patients.  I know that makes me a better nurse to them.  But it also makes me hurt with the families when the patients don't fare so well.  To all my angels, thank you for everything you've done for me!

I hope everyone has a great day!  Enjoy the parade (I have it on right now).  Eat lots of turkey.  But most of all,  give thanks!