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! 

I love fall weekends!

It's FRIDAY!!  Yay!!  I am looking forward to this weekend!  Tonight is my class bonfire.  I am excited for Nick to meet my classmates and I am anxious to meet their families, too.  We spend a lot of time together and it will be nice to get to know them more as "people".

Tomorrow is an up-in-the-air kind of day.  We have some chores to do, but we are hoping to get to join the Matis for Zoo Boo or a pumpkin patch!  It's supposed to be a beautiful day!  We are also celebrating my Dad's birthday tomorrow night and that should be a lot of fun!

Sunday I have a free day from homework!!  YAY!  I have an off week this week, so no homework!  :-)  I will get to go to my Mom's for dinner and then to my cousin, Vincent's, Eagle Court.  That will be neat!

YAY for weekends!!