Where to start?!
I am so thankful for everything in my life.
I am thankful for my family, my friends, my best-friends, my soon-to-be family member, the gospel, the knowledge of eternal families and the possibility to create one of my own in the future, my nursing license, my job, my paycheck, the roof over my head, the bed that I sleep in, the clothes in the closet, the shoes that cover my feet, my car, the country that I live in, the food in my fridge, washers and dryers, wonderful weather, the holiday season, movies and tv shows, seeing stars in the sky at night, the sun that gives us it's warmth, the little reminders of God's love for me, His tender mercies, the blessings in my life even though I am undeserving, the hobbies I enjoy, my ability to exercise, laughing, crying, people that come into my life- whether they stay or leave, lessons learned, lessons that I'm still learning, my critical thinking and problem solving skills, healthy children, my health, the lessons learned every shift on how not to treat my future children, spiritual strength of others, the ability to change, the scriptures, past relationships, relationships in the future, influences of others, the leadership of the church, my hope and faith in the future- the future of my personal life and of things to come, sacrifices of others, the ability to take showers each day, the freedoms that I enjoy each and every day, books, music, the changing seasons, all the worldly possessions that I have that make living just a little bit easier, Christ and His sacrifice of the atonement and His crucifixion, being able to be reunited with family members that have already passed on, the pets that I've had, modern technology, running water in my apartment, heat and air conditioning in the apartment...
That list could go on forever if I were to think of every little and big thing that I am truly thankful for.
There is so much to be thankful for...
So much of what we do every day goes without notice let alone words of gratitude.
Today I'm grateful for those that take time out of what they are doing to say "thank you". Those thank you's go a long way and sometimes they can make the day so much better.
Thank you for the "thank you's" and all the kind words.
After days like today I am so glad that I was able to go to 2 very distinguished schools for my bachelors degrees.
I prize my degree from BYU so much. I loved the classes that I was able to take and for the knowledge base it gave me to base my life on.
I may have to pay for my degree from Duke for the rest of my life but I realize that I am so grateful for the education it gave me. The teachers and instructors pushed me but I think it has made me a better nurse. You get what you put into it. If you don't ask for opportunities or get out of your comfort zone- once a real job falls into place it will be a rude awakening.
I will be forever grateful for the education these two universities gave me.
Today I am grateful for happy babies and their ability to blow bubbles.
Tonight I had to say goodbye to a baby boy that I have grown to love. It's so hard to say that goodbye when you become so attached. He has been my favorite to take care of. I will miss him dearly.
Today I got my last snuggles in and he made me laugh so much when he was blowing bubbles at himself and everything else around him.
Most of the fun things that I've done in my life have pictures to go along with them. Some do not.
Whether they have pictures or not, I am so very grateful for the memories I have. I may not have the best memory in the world but I can still remember the good times I've had on my birthdays, secret trips out of the state, concerts, boys, theme parks, Christmases, New Years celebrations, church activities, going out of the country, pets, church events, EFY, weddings, babies born and oh so many more things in my life.
Tonight I started scrapbooking some of these things and it brought nothing but joy and happiness to me as I went through picture after picture.
Because I don't say it enough, and sometimes I don't really think it, but...
I LOVE MY LIFE!!!!
Today Jennifer and I went out to see the Raleigh Christmas parade and then ran a couple of errands afterwards.
I love and am grateful for those impromptu shopping sprees that I can and do have with my sister on a regular basis.
At the end of shopping trip we went out to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner because they had a limited time only dessert- a pumpkin walnut custard thing! It was so good!! In the fall I'm so glad that I love all things pumpkin! :)
Today I am grateful for books.
I have always enjoyed reading books. Novels and the like more than textbooks but I will read pretty many anything.
If I could afford it I would have a library room in my future house.
I need to be better at reading more classics though.
I made a to-do resolution for this year to read at least 12 books for fun, I think I'm on track to read that many if not more.
I love books!
I may not always appreciate it but I am very thankful for the communication that I have with my parents.
To some they may seem over-bearing, but I know that they really just want to make sure I'm okay and that I'm doing okay.
It usually isn't more than 2 days that I go without at least texting my mother but it's usually a daily phone call. I'm so glad that I have a mom that cares and loves me enough to make sure that she hears from me once a day, at least.
I know that if she were to go a couple of days without hearing from me she'd be the first one on the phone contacting the local police department to do a well-person check to make sure I was okay. If she didn't do that then she would for sure drive or fly up here to make sure herself.
So thank you technology- cell phones, email, texts and all other forms of communication.
Tonight I am thankful that I made it home to my apartment in one piece.
On the way home from work I ended up running over a mid to large size something that looked like a leaf from a distance so I figured it wouldn't hurt to run over it. It turned out not to be a leaf but something much harder. Knowing that I had a drive home on the Interstate, every possible gone wrong story popped in my head.
My car may have a flat tire in the morning, which won't be fun either if that's the case, seeing as I have to work again tomorrow. But I'm thankful tonight to have made it home, along with my car, in one piece.
Thank you Fred for being such a good car to me!!
Tonight I am so very grateful for my heater in the car.
It's gotten down in the low 40's- mid 30's lately and even though that's not the coldest I've been in, it's still pretty cold.
I am glad that I have a heater in my car that works that combats that cold air for me.
Today I'm grateful for healthy babies and their cooing and babbling.
I even adore his monkey looking face. He's adorable. I'm glad that he's going to be going home soon but he will be one missed baby on the floor.
I feel so much gratitude that he's made such strides in his development- rolling from front to back, holding bottles and laughing at himself. He has us wrapped around his little finger.
Today I am thankful for the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
One of the great things I love about my church is that it resembles the original church that Christ himself established on earth during his ministry.
Many years ago Christ walked this earth. One of the many things He did was to establish His church among His followers. He called 12 men to be apostles. Together with these 12 men, Christ proclaimed His gospel. After Christ's crucifixion the apostles continued to teach and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ until their eventual deaths. The deaths of the apostles and of Christ himself, lead to what we know as the great apostasy.
Years later great men like Martin Luther, John Calvin and others were inspired to question and try to reform what the churches had become. This all lead to some great religious excitement across the world. It was even felt in a small town located in upstate New York.
Joseph Smith Jr. was just a young man at the time but he felt very torn on what religion he should choose to be apart of. He read in the Bible, James 1:5 "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Joseph knowing that he lacked wisdom needed to ask God which church to join. He did just that. He went to a near-by grove of trees and started to say his first spoken prayer. As Joseph recounts, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it rested upon me... I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, This is My Beloved Son- Hear Him!"
As the years went by, Joseph found himself in the middle of some persecution. But he knew what had happened and he knew that God knew and he could not deny it. Joseph continued the work of the Lord, he received the records of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and began translating what we now call the Book Of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ, one that works hand in hand with the Bible. He had the Aaronic priesthood conferred upon him which gave him the authority to perform baptisms. He later received the Melchizedek priesthood. He established Christ's church again on the earth in the spring of 1830. The church was after the same order of Christ's church. Temples were constructed just like they had been in the past.
Today Christ's church is still on the earth. It continues to grow. Temples continue to dot the earth. The church has a Prophet and 12 apostles that lead, guide and govern the church- just as they did when Christ was on the earth.
I am eternally grateful that I was born into this church. That I have the knowledge and the blessings it gives to me each and every day. I am grateful for the sacrifice of the atonement, crucifixion and the resurrection that Jesus Christ did in my behalf. I'm grateful for the sacrifices of Joseph Smith Jr. during his life and making sure to restore, or bring back the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Today while at work I sliced open 2 of my knuckles.
I'm thankful for my ability to bandage up my own fingers (even if they are on my right and dominant hand) and for working on a pediatric floor where there is never a shortage of Avengers band-aids! :)
It may not be fun all the time but it's not bad.
Today I'm thankful that I have the ability and self-discipline to run. I may not be able to run far but I can still do it. I'm hoping that as I continue to do so my ability will increase so I can enjoy it more.
Today I'm grateful for spontaneous dinner dates.
Dinner dates with my sister that is. I really wanted some sushi and that's what we got. It was so very good.
I'm grateful for her and her ability to put up with me most days.
It may seem like a little thing but tonight I am thankful for the stars in the sky at night.
I've always loved looking up at night and seeing a black sky full of little stars dotting the vastness.
I love to look for shooting stars. Sometimes I feel like their presence is just for me. I love to find the north star that is usually the brightest, positioned at the north celestial pole.
I think I like the stars so much because it's a reminder to me that we're not alone in this universe. There is a larger force and reason as to why we're here. There is a God that is watching over us and knows us individually. He knows our needs, our wants, desires, heartaches and our defeats. We are numbered, just as the sands and the stars.
Genesis 15:5- "And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be."
It's election day.
Today I'm grateful to live in a country where we can vote for who we want to run our country for 4 years at a time. I'm grateful to live in a land of liberty and a free land.
We have the gift of agency as well. We can choose to vote or not to vote. Remember if you don't vote- you have no room to complain about how the next 4 years goes. We have the ability to vote for that person who we think can do the best job for our country.
I did just that. I voted. I don't have a sticker to prove it but I did. I'm excited and nervous to see the results roll in tonight.
Today is my brother's 29th birthday!! Happy Birthday Jorden!!
Can't believe that he's turning 29.
It seems like just yesterday we were sitting on the floor in his room playing with matchbox cars. We had a piece of wood that had a town and roads drawn on it. We would play with cars for hours. There were times that we would even build buildings for the town out of legos.
We haven't always gotten along but he is a great older brother. I couldn't ask for a better one.
Research shows that music has an affect on you. The type of music matters.
I'm grateful for the many artists that are very talented in music that I can pop in a c.d. and immediately feel uplifted.
I've had a rule to only listen to Sunday music on Sundays. On Sundays when I work, like today, it's no different. I've been playing a c.d. lately by Jenny Phillips and I love it. The music is clean, uplifting and it always puts me in a better mood. It reminds me that there are bigger things in life than the small things I seem to be going through at the time. I love that music can do that for me.
I love music. I swear that half the capacity of my brain is made up of song lyrics.
This has been one of my favorites lately. It's been on repeat.
I'm grateful for friends.
For friends near and far.
I'm grateful for friendships that have remained solid even though there is distance, marriages, life changes and everything else that seperate us.
As much as I love my sleep and the idea of not having to do anything, I am so grateful for the fact that I have a job and a career.
I have worked very hard to get to where I am. There were lots of prayers from many people in my behalf, prayers of my own, difficult decisions, long nights, tears, cramming and a long overdue walk across a stage.
To some people the fact that I have my life already figured out may be intimidating but I am 25 years old and I have figured out my life. That is something I am very proud of. I worked hard, studied hard, put my schooling before much else and have landed a great job.
I'm grateful to be a pediatric nurse. It's not what I thought I'd end up doing but it's great. I'm grateful to be off orientation and to be doing my own thing. I'm grateful to be employed. I'm grateful for working on the pediatric floor that I do.
For the first day of November I am very grateful for sleep.
After working night shift I was able to come home and sleep until whenever. Had an alarm set but didn't wake up to it. I slept for 12 hours. 12 hours of un-interrupted sleep.
Both Jennifer and I worked Halloween night- the one night that we don't have to wear our blue scrubs. We decided to dress up as Sophia Grace and Rosie. It was so fun to run around the unit in a tutu!!
