Things I am Thankful For

I am tired. There is no better way to say it. I am ready for this semester to be finished. I have two very sick relatives and am very far away from both of them. Friends have had great tragedies in thier lives recently. Following good examples set by friends recently I have decided to list things that I am thankful for instead of wallow in things that I have no control over. So here I go. I don't know where this will take me or how long the list will be.

1. I am healthy
2. Jimmie is healthy
3. Ella is healthy
4. We have a wonderful house with a roof, air conditioning and windows to watch the beautiful spring 
arrive
5. We have two healthy, fun and playful dogs
6. We have a wonderful, kind and supportive family, better than most could hope for
7. We have very good friends, again better than most could hope for
8. We have working legs, lungs and hearts that allow us to run for our enjoyment and relaxation
9. Jimmie and I have grown closer together during this trying last year
10. Jimmie is DAYS away from defending his dissertation and finally reaping the rewards of his hard work over the last 5 years
11. I have a flexible job that allows me to be with my daughter more often than not
12. For the first time in my life, I have good friends at work
13. We live in a country where people don't tell us how to believe or live
14. We are about to embark on a crazy adventure to an unknown land, full of fun possibilities
15. Thanks to Dave Ramsey and some hard work, we have no debt and few bills
16. Toddler laughter, I love that Ella cracks herself up
17. I wake up in the morning (sometimes) to "I just love you so much!" followed by pudgy armed squeezing hugs.
18. I live in a town where I can go outside and not worry about breathing in horrible toxins. I can see the blue sky on this beautiful day instead of smog!
19. I get to teach new moms how to impower themselves every night that I am at work.
20. I get to snuggle new babies each night while those moms are getting some much needed rest :)
21. I live in a town where I can walk many places instead of driving my car
22. My drive to work is a pleasant one and I have time to catch up with friends or listen to music on the way to work and decompress on my way home.
23. Purple. I love purple.
24. Candy. I also love candy.
25. Music. My life would be incomplete without it. I would listen to music every moment of every day if that were a possibility. I can speak to God through music. I understand myself better through music. I understand those around me better through music. To say that I like music is a gross understatement.
26. I get to dance around and play princesses all day long if I want to
27. I have a husband that loves me and treats me very well.
28. Sometimes Ella calls me Ruby.
29. I get to watch my daughter grow and learn daily. It's one of my favorite things.
30. Ella took her own shoes off and put them back on at Security at the airport the other day. It's the little things people!
31. I have a daughter that loves to read just as much as I do! We read A LOT!
32. I have a new found love for puzzles because of my daughter's new found love of puzzles.
33. I come from a family that values education. I have a husband, sister and brother in law all graduating with doctoral degrees in the next few months and a father, father in law and sister in law that already have doctoral degrees. My mother has her Masters. I am VERY PROUD of each of them!!
34. I go to a wonderful church with a very forward thinking pastor that is not afraid to say the hard stuff.
35. Tulips. They are so pretty and they are blooming everywhere right now!
36. Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper. It keeps me awake and it tastes so good.
37. I don't want for anything. Well let me rephrase that. I don't NEED for anything.
38. I am learning Italian!
39. I am going to Italy this summer with my family.
40. I don't live in pain daily.
41. I can breathe without difficulty.
42. As opposed to many right now, if my husband or I lost our jobs, while it wouldn't be fun, we wouldn't be in deep trouble. We would survive.
43. I can call my mom or sisters and talk to them almost any time.
44. I feel like I can be myself. I don't feel like I need to change for anyone around me.
45. Crayons. I get to color with Ella frequently.
46. We are in close running/walking distance to 3 parks.
47. We have a fabulous swing set in our own back yard.
48. I have very few regrets about my life.
49. I had the priveledge to live in India for two months during college. That changed my life.
50. Because of things like Facebook, I have been able to reconnect with good friends from different times in my life.
51. I have lived a pretty cool life in my short 28 years!
52. My family supports each other and takes care of each other. When I am so far away from them and feel out of control, I know they are taking care of each other.
53. My cousin Lane is serving in the Air Force doing all that he can to keep us safe
54. I have a washing machine at home and don't have to go anywhere else to wash my clothes.
55. I have very strong people around me. I have learned from the heartache and tragedies that friends have had recently and feel that they have helped unknowingly make me a better person.

There are so many more things that I am thankful for. I could go on all day. This was helpful. I must go now, because Ella is waking up from her nap. Have a good day!!

Rubber Ducky, You're the One...

This weekend we celebrated my nephew Will's first birthday. We had a good time and Ella enjoyed being with her cousin. She had fun playing with toys that were new to her. She helped Aunt Gina put together an "Easter Tree", much like a tiny Christmas tree with Easter decorations. It all went well until one of the frogs ended up in Will's mouth. The Easter Tree then found itself sitting on the mantle.

My mom helped me make some ducky cupcakes and a small cake. It was my first time to make homemade fondant and I think that it turned out alright. We learned a lot about making and using the fondant and have some things to try for the next time. Overall a good experiance for my first try. We used fondant for everything, which was good, because I forgot to pack my frosting bags and tips!

Will enjoyed the fondant bubbles.

Ella really likes her Cousin Will!