November 30th - Thankful for

Well, today is the last day of November and the last day I will post my "Thankful fors"...  But I want to let everyone know how truely blessed I am each and everyday.  I may not share a "thankful for" on my blog, but I will try very hard to express my gratitiude to the people I am thankful for as often as possible.  My life is full of amazing friends and family members whi inspire and lift me constantly.  I am thankful for every person who touches my life, from Nick, to my family, to total strangers who share a smile or who's misfortune reminds me to be thankful for the blessings I enjoy.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to give Thanks for the blessings in your lives.

November 29th - Thankful for...

Today I am grateful for my 5 senses.  I have terrible eyesight, but I am glad that I can fix it with contacts. I have seen and hope to see some really amazing and beautiful sights.  

Nick likes to tease that I could hear an ant fart.  I can hear pretty well. I love music and the sound of laughter and rain drops on the roof.

I am also glad that I can taste.  I love the taste of food and sometimes enjoy it too much! 

I love that I can smell.  This time of year is full of wonderful smells!  I love to smell pine trees and Christmas cookies and banana bread.

And I love that I can feel things.  I am wearing a soft sweater today.  I love the feel of my sheets on my comfy bed.  I love it when Nick holds my hand and I can feel him squeeze it.  I love a cool breeze on my face. 

I am glad for all the things I experience because of my senses.

November 26th, 27th and 28th

November 26th - Today I am thankful for lazy Saturdays.  By lazy, I don't mean we didn't do anything.  We just didn't overbook ourselves.  We slept in, then went to John and Kathy's to check out Kathy's pretty new car.  We got to visit with them for a while and then we headed downtown.  We walked around Circle Center Mall for a while and had dinner at PF Changs.  I got a new outfit for some of the "nice" things we are doing this month.  I got a nice sweater dress and leggings with a pretty scarf.  I get to wear it this Friday to a nice dinner I get to attend with Nick for the Allstate managers.  We had a nice day with no stress.

November 27th - Today I am thankful for modern technology.  I had to write a big paper for school today as part of a group project.  I am very thankful that I can do all of my research on my home computer and I don't have to spend hours in a library trying to find information.

November 28th - Today I am thankful for warm clothes.  It was very nice on Saturday, rained all day yesterday and it's very cold today.  I am thankful for my sweatshirt and my coat! 

November 24th and 25th - Thankful for...

November 24th - Happy Thanksgiving!!  Today I am thankful for so many things...  I can't even begin to describe how blessed and rich my life is.  I have an amazing family of talented, supportive, thoughtful and loving people.  I have the best in-laws anyone could ask for.  They enrich my life and I love them as my own.  I have the greatest husband and best friend I could ever have asked for.  I have a good job, a comfortable home, 2 great fur babies, and nice vehicles.  I have wonderful and beautiful friends who lift me and build me.  I am a lucky girl through and through.  I am glad to have today to refect on these blessings.

November 25th - I am thankful for challenges and accomplishments!  Our good friends, Matt and Trina, Nick and I comleted a 4.5 mile marathon yesterday morning.  It's called the Drumstick Dash and it benefits the Wheeler Mission, a local food pantry.  It was great to see so many out for a great cause.  We finished the race in 1 hour and 15 minutes.  That was our goal!  We wanted to maintain 15 minute miles.  It was pretty cold, but we had a lot of fun!  Here are some photos.

Here are the 4 of us before the race.

 Here are Nick and I before the race.

And here are the 4 of us after the race.



November 23rd - Thankful for...

Today I am thankful for the relationship I have with my husband.  Nick is very sincerely the best thing that's ever happened to me.  My life changed when I met him and I am so blessed to have him in my life.  He encourages me to be the best I can be, while being true to myself.  He encourages me to maintain my sense of individuality and my own independence.  He is my partner and lives by the standard that he always gives more than he gets.  He doesn't look at his part of relationship as being 50%, he always says that he considers his part 60% and he honestly does always make sure he's putting me and us first. 
He is very strong, but very sensitive at the same time. He is brilliant but humble.  He is so much fun and so outgoing, but never obnoxious.  He is the emitome of balance.  Nick is my very best friend.  I know I've had blogs dedicated to him in the past, but I felt compelled to mention him again today.  I am grateful for Nick in my life every single day and I am grateful for every day I get to wake up in my life with him.

November 22nd - Thankful for...

Today I am Thankful that I work inside.  It's raining pretty hard today and I am so glad I get to sit in a nice, warm, dry building at a nice, comfy spacious desk.  I always wonder what it would be like to have to stand outside all day, regardless of the weather.  I am glad I don't have to do that.

I hope everyone is having a great week so far!  Thanksgiving is very quickly approaching!  :-) 

November 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st - Thankful for...

Wow!  I have some catching up to do!  It's been a busy couple of days...

November 17th - I am thankful for my 1 year surgiversary!  One year ago today I was taking a major step to change my life.  I had Roux En Y bariatric surgery on November 17th, 2010.  To date, I've lost 168 lbs from my starting weight.  I am in a size 12/14 pant and an XL shirt down from a 28/30 pant and a 5 XL shirt.  I have completed multiple 5k run/walks and I feel wonderful!  It's the greatest thing, other than marrying Nick, I've ever done for myself.

November 18th - I am thankful for good friends that touch my life.  I have been blessed with many friends along the journey I've travelled. Some friends came and went quickly, but left a lasting impression on my heart.  Other friends are still a part of my life and I love any time I get to spend with them. I don't get to see many friends as often as I like, but there's amazing beauty in being close enough to someone that weeks, months, or years can pass between visits and you will always be able to pick up where you left off. 

November 19th - I am thankful for close family ties.  I got to visit with my darling in-laws for a bit today and I am thankful for the relationship that Nick has with his parents.  I am also thankful for the bond I have with John and Kathy.  I adore them and they are my family as much as my own family is.  I also got to visit with my Mom and Dave, my Grandparents, Jake and his family and Chris.  I love that Nick feels close to my family and I love that through all the ups and downs, we have remained close and in many ways, have grown to be closer than ever.  I am thankful that my Grandparents are still with us and we get to visit with them often.  I am so proud of my brothers and the lives they have created.  I am so happy for my Mom and the place she's in in her life.  I am thankful that she has David to share her journey with.

November 20th - Today I am thankful for sleeping in.  I slept in sinfully late today, but still managed to get a lot done!  I cleaned the house, did all my laundry and spent several hours doing homework.  Tonight, Nick and I were able to hang out and watch some TV together.  It was a nice day at home and I never even changed out of my jammies!

November 21st - Today I am thankful for my back up at work.  Nicole has been a great help and relieves a lot of pressure from me at work.  I will have her help this week and it's a huge weight off my back.  It's nice to have a good working relationship with her.

November 15th and 16th - Thankful for...

November 15th - Today I am thankful for modern medicine.  I have been feeling especially drained for quite some time now and I have been having dizzy spells along with some other weird stuff.  I found out why.  I am severely anemic.  My iron level is at a 5 and I'm told my hemotologist likes that reading at over 100!  Yikes!  It is good to know that there is something going on and I'm not just crazy!  I am getting an iron infusion this week, Thurday.  It will be a 6 hour infusion and I am hoping it helps pretty quickly.  As the doctor put it, I have no reserves.  I am worn out!!  lol!

November 16th - Today I am thankful for my co-workers.  We have our ups and downs, but I do enjoy my co-worker friends.  At least one person everyday does or says something that makes me genuinely happy.  I am a lucky girl.

November 12th, 13th and 14th - Thankful for...

November 12th - Today I am thankful for having a family full of friends.  I went on a fun "girl's" day with Ashley, Chris' girlfriend.  We went to the mall and had lunch and chatted.  She is a good friend and I am so happy for her to be in Chris' life.  The truly bring out the best in each other.  In the evening, we went to Isak's birthday party and had a lot of fun catching up.  I  love that I can always pick right up wherever we left off with my family.

November 13th - Today I am thankful for sleeping in and relaxing days at home.  Nick didn't have hockey today and he was off work, so we stayed in most of the day.  We did run to Target and we grabbed lunch, but we were lounging at home the rest of the day.  We don't do lazy days all that often, so it was nice.

November 14th - Today I am thankful to have my beautiful new car back.  It was in the shop for almost a month and I really did forget how much I love this car.  I know that sounds silly, but I am thankful for it!

11-11-11 - Thankful for...

Today I am grateful for Veterans.  There are a lot of very selfless men and women that have fought and continue to fight for our freedoms.  I am proud to call myself a military brat.  I have been able to travel the states and live in Europe while my step father served.  Randy served in Somolia as part of Operation Restore Hope and didn't talk much about his time there, but even in his position (not on the front line) he had several close calls.
My father in law served as a Marine in Vietnam.  My good friend Therron did two stents in Afganistan.  My Grandpa served in WWII. 
The time I spent on military bases was humbling and powerful.  So many strong men and women dedicated to protecting what we so often take for granted.  I will never forget the sacrifices made and encourage all to honor these brave soldiers today and everyday.  Be glad you don't have to walk in their shoes to reap the benefits of their sacrifice. 

November 9th and 10th - Thankful for...

November 9th - I am thankful for my pets.  I have a very fun doggy named Peyton.  He's a German Shephard mix and we've had him about 7 years.  He's the best dog!  We adopted him from the Humane Society shortly after moving in to our house.  He's been a really good friend.  You can normally find him laying around somewhere close to Nick.  He just loves Nick and follows him everywhere he goes!  We just recently got a kitty named Sasha.  She's about 5 and has been a fun addition to the family.  We've only had her a couple of months and she is really warming up.  She sleeps on my feet every night and keeps me warm.  You can always count on Peyton coming to meet you at the door and it's always so nice to see him after a long day.  Pets are so neat.  They just love you no matter what else is going on in your world.  They are always happy to see you!

November 10th - I had a powerful dream last night.  I dreamed that Nick and I had to move to a homeless shelter.  We walked around our new home and noticed awful cots we would be sleeping on, dirty community bathrooms, and some pretty mean looking people we would be sharing close quarters with.  It was very scary.  I was very happy to wake up in my nice soft bed in my very nice house.  I spent a few minutes this morning reflecting on how blessed I am and I am so grateful to live so comfortably.

November 8th - I'm Thankful for...

November 8th - I am thankful for my opportunity to go to school.  I started taking classes this year and I am working towards my associates degree.  I am glad to have the chance to gain an education and increase my knowledge.  It's a lot of work, but I am having a lot of fun, too.  I really like my study group and I am enjoying the challenge (for the most part). I am also very lucky that my job pays a decent tuition reimbursement, and I am really crossing my fingers that I will still have that benefit moving in to next year.  It's on a freeze at the moment.

Happy Tuesday!  Make it a great day!

November 5th, 6th and 7th - I'm Thankful for...

November 5th - I am thankful for my amazing family.  I am so blessed to be close to my family. I see my immediate family pretty often and I am also blessed to see most of my extended family on more than just the holidays.  Today was my niece, Makayla's, 5th birthday party.  I got to see my Dad and his lovely wife Claire, my Grandma and her wonderful husband Dan, my Brother Jake and his awesome wife Jenny, my beautiful neice and nephew, Makayla and Nathan, My Mom and her terrific husband David, my really neat younger brother, Chris, and then my sister-in-law's fun family too!  I am blessed with an awesome support group that extends to aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and so on.

November 6th - I am thankful for weekends!  I love weekends, especially weekends Nick gets to be home!  I normally have my weekends filled to the brim with stuff, but this weekend was a little more relaxed.  I was able to sleep in, do my homework, do some Christmas shopping, have dinner with my Grandparents, Mom and Dave, Nick and Chris.  Then we did some more shopping and vistited with my Dear in laws.  A good day!

November 7th - Today I am thankful for my doctors and my weight loss journey.  I had my one year check up today.  I am down 80% of my excess body weight and as far as the doctors are concerned, I am "done".  I am not there by my standards, but they consider 70-75% weight loss a "sucessful" surgery, so they are pleased with me.  :-)  They are a little concerned with my anemia as it's not getting any better, so they've referred me to a hemotologist and I may need to get an iron infusion.  I will meet with my new doctor on Nov 15th to see what I need to do. 

November 3rd and 4th - I'm Thankful for...

November 3rd - I am so thankful for my amazing husband and the man that he is.  He is a source of tremendous strength and support in my life.  He holds my hand firmly and guides me through life, right by my side the whole way.  I could not be any more blessed.  He is a wonderful friend and partner in life.  I love him more and more everyday.

November 4th - I am thankful for FRIDAY.  I know it sounds silly, but some weeks sure are longer than others and I am always so happy for the weekend.

November 1st and 2nd - Thankful for...

I am shamelessly stealing this from my DMIL and lots of others that have started this fun tradition.  I will "TRY" to post everyday in November with something I am thankful for. I am starting a day late, so I will catch up...

November 1st - I am thankful for modern medicine!  I have been fighting a cold for about a week and I am glad I've had medicine to help me get through it.

November 2nd - I am thankful for my warm bed.  I am very tired today and all I can think about is being all tucked in to my warm bed.  I am very thankful to have a warm comfortable place to sleep every night.

Have a great day!