Thanksgiving 2011 #16 - Everything!

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Well, today is the day. Thanksgiving is finally here. There is so much to be thankful for today. Here are just a few things, as I run out the door to my parents' home for dinner.

• Good food
• Family
• Friends
• Gorgeous weather!!
• A fun 5K this morning
• My cutie-patootie little dog, Sallie (she's curled on my lap right now)
• My awesome husband

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day full of love, friendship, and good food.

Thanksgiving 2011 #15 - Mixer

Today, I am grateful for my red KitchenAid mixer.

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I love the bold color!

I use it for almost all of my baking. I was asked to make dinner rolls for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and my KitchenAid saved me from having to knead the dough by hand. Yeah!

The rolls are still baking, but hopefully I'll get a nice picture of them tomorrow.

What were you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #14 - Unexpected

Today, I'm grateful for the unexpected.

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I've been working as a temp at the same company for just over a year and a half. As a temp, I'm used to not getting paid for holidays and not having paid vacation time.

I'm used to not getting any of perks of regular employment.

So, imagine my surprise when I got into work this afternoon to receive an envelope from my boss. The company sent a letter to everyone one thanking them for their dedication and hard work.

The letter also included $50! Now, that was unexpected!

And naturally, I spent most of it after work at Target.

Thanksgiving 2011 #13 - Phew!

Sorry, I missed over a week of posting my daily gratitude. I should be better this week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Today, I am thankful to completing my MTLE.

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It was four intense exams.

My head was swirling after I finished.
Mostly I had a headache.
There was a bit of relief, but I think that won't really come until after I get the results in a few weeks.

If I don't pass, I probably won't be able to student teach.

I had to do a lot of guessing, but I'm hoping my guesses were at least mostly correct. :)

Thanksgiving 2011 #12 - Beauty

Today, I am grateful for beautiful places...

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And beautiful photography.

What were you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #10 - Vets

I know I'm pretty late to the game, but today I'm grateful for all the soldiers who have fought for our country.

Especially my two brothers.

Corey, the marine.

Chris, the army national guard soldier



Today, Chris shipped out to Kuwait where he'll be supporting the troop withdrawals from Iraq.

Happy Veterans Day!

What were you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #9 - Snowflakes

I'm not much of a fan of winter at all.

I dislike the cold,
the bare trees,
the late sunrise and early sunset.

I don't like to ski.

However, I do LOVE the snow.

I love to watch it peacefully fall around me.

And above all I love to run during a snowfall.
It's gorgeous.
It's peaceful.
It's quiet.
It's comforting.

Today I'm thankful for the tiniest of snowflakes that were falling when I went for my run. I wasn't really feeling the run, so these delightful little flakes really helped me get through it.

They were infrequent and barely visible, but it made me just a wee bit excited for the upcoming winter.

Thanksgiving 2011 #8 - Fall Leaves

Soon, all the leaves will be gone.

Today, I am grateful for the beautiful yellow colors right outside my front door.

Every day the temperature is getting colder. The leaves are quickly falling and soon they will be all gone, leaving the bare trees of winter.

So, today, I'm thankful for this last bit of color to make me smile.
Also, I love the crunchy sounds as I walk through a big pile of leaves.

What were you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #7 - Custard-Filled Bismark

Yummy donut!

This morning I woke up to this gooey goodness waiting for me at my computer. It was delicious and a great start to my day (a little pre-run fuel).

Today, I'm thankful for my husband for thinking to bring me a morning treat. What a guy!

What are you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #6 - SparkPeople

Today, I am grateful to have rediscovered SparkPeople. I was looking for some new exercises to do in the weight room to strengthen my core. A simple Google search reminded me that I had a great resource at my fingertips that I hadn't used in a very long time.

It's been months since I even looked at the site (yeah, I had to really think hard to even remember my user name), so I'd forgotten how useful it can be.

I even discovered today that they have developed a very handy app for my Android-based phone. Yay! Now I can bring my phone to the gym with me and actually record my sets/reps/weight without having to try and remember it on my own. I have a terrible memory when it comes to these things.

Right now, I'll probably concentrate on logging my workouts, but eventually I hope to get back to tracking my food, too.

Baby steps, right?

What were you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #5 - Halloween Cheesecakes

Today, I'm thankful for how great my cheesecakes turned out!

We're having a Halloween party tonight at my parent's house Yes, I know Halloween was last week, but for the past few years we've celebrated at my parent's house the following Sunday, and I was asked to make a dessert. I hope these taste as yummy as they look.

What are you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #4 - Creative Friends

I'm barely going to squeak this one out. :)

Today, I'm thankful for the creativity of others. I have a great friend who has wonderful card-making creativity skills. She makes all these fun designs, and I just have to show up, stamp, adhere, and give away.

Here are the cute cards I made today.

What were you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #3 - Kleenex

Ugh.
I hate this time of the year.
Not the month of gratitude.
Or the holidays in general.
Not even the cold weather. (ok. that's kind of a lie. I do not like the cold weather. At all.)

For me, this is the beginning of the bloody nose season.

I've gotten spontaneous bloody noses most of my life, but they always seem to be worse at the season changes and worse still moving from fall to winter.

This morning's was bad.
Took me 20 minutes to finally get it to stop.

But it made me very grateful to have a box of Kleenex handy.

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So much nicer than using toilet paper.

What are you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #2 - Hat

We've been very spoiled this fall. Gorgeous temps!

But I fear that is quickly coming to an end. It was barely 30°F when I went out running this morning. So, today, I am grateful for my new running hat.

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It kept my head and ears nice and toasty warm. Plus it's lightweight and thin enough that as it gets colder, I can easily add another hat and/or the hood of my jacket. Today I didn't wear a jacket, though - just this hat, a long-sleeved running shirt, long pants, and gloves. It was cold to start out, especially my face, but I warmed up nicely and was pretty hot when all was said and done.

What are you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #1 - The Gym

So, I'm starting this a day late, but here it is anyway. I'm going to try to post something that I'm grateful for everyday.

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This isn't a picture of my gym, but I'm sure grateful that my gym is right across this street. This means that my warm-up/cool-down are built in because of the sheer fact that I have to walk to get to the gym.

Perfect.

Also, it's super convenient now that the weather is getting much colder, and soon I'll be wimping out on running outside.

Tied into this, I'm grateful that I'm physically able to workout in the gym. I'm grateful that I don't have too many body image hang-ups that keep me from going to the gym. Of course, I haven't been very good about doing anything other than cardio for months. This week, I decided to change that and have visited the long neglected weight room twice this week.

It. Felt. Good.

What are you grateful for today?

Summer and AC and Running with Friends

I missed posting my Gratitude list last week. :-(

This week, I'm thankful for:

It's been HOT, HOT, HOT this summer.

And I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!

I've always been in the "I'd rather be hot than cold" camp, so this summer have been delicious for me!

Even though I like it HOT, I'm still also grateful for AIR CONDITIONING, so I don't have to do this all day.

I'm also grateful to be able to RUN! I love running. There were a couple years when my shins would hurt too much to run, but that has been changing, and I've been forcing myself to run a few times a week. Today I had the wonderful opportunity to run with my friend, Tacy. We ran further and longer than I normally do on a morning run, AND I made it to work on time. Whoo hoo!

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What are you grateful for today?

Cool Mornings, Skyways, Gyms, and Baptisms

This week's gratitude list:

Cool breezes in the morning

Perfect for taking my Sallie for a run before work!

Minneapolis Skyway System

Nothing beats the skyway system when it's raining...or snowing...

or too cold...or too hot!

PLUS, they look really cool, too.

L.A. Fitness

Nothing like money to be the perfect motivator for working-out!

I'm grateful it is meeting our needs.

Suzanne's Baptism

My niece turned 8 on Saturday, and I'm happy I was

around to attend her baptism.

That's my dad (her grandpa) in the picture with her.

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What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursdays

Man, it's been quite a day!

Work was busy and LONG and tiring. My run this morning left me with a nasty headache most of the day. Blah!

Still...

There's got to be something to be thankful for, right?!

How about my cutie-patootie, Sallie Sue?

This is her through my dad's screened porch. Who couldn't love that face? She's adorable and such a great snuggler. She always makes me happy.

Or my awesome YW Camp Leaders

They did such a great job last night at our pre-camp meeting, teaching the girls First Aid.

They make me excited for camp.

And I can't forget my wonderful husband

I know I listed him last week, but I'm especially grateful for him when I'm feeling grouchy.

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What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursdays

Family Home Evening Group -- Jeff and I initiated an FHE group a few weeks ago with some couples in our ward. We've only met twice so far (had to take off Memorial Day), but it's such a blessing to gather with others to have a gospel-centered discussion.  I know that we'll get to learn a lot about the gospel and one another!

My husband -- This past week at FHE one question that was posed was "What do you appreciate about your spouse?" It really got me thinking about the things that Jeff does for me. Here is a short list of a few of the reasons I love him so much.

• He is so supportive the things I want...my dreams.
• He is a great storyteller, and he has so many fun stories to tell.
• He is always willing to go do things with me that aren't necessarily enjoyable.
• He helps keep me informed about world events and politics (topics I normally do not enjoy)
• He always treats me with love and respect and would never talk bad about me to others.

My Grandma Gertie -- I wasn't particularly close with her, but she still holds a special place in my heart. She lived far away in AZ most of my life. She passed away this past Saturday, and I am off her to funeral this morning. She leaves behind  8 kids, and many grandkids, great-grandkids, and, I think, even a couple of great-great-grandkids. She lived to be 89 years old. I remember her wild red hair. Tomorrow's Flashback Friday will be devoted to her. So check back for a couple of pictures.

My family -- We can really rally for a funeral. It's too bad that such a sad occasion brings us together. It's a time when I get to see so many cousins that I generally only see at funerals. Does this happen in other families as well?

I could go on and on about other things I'm thankful for, I'm sure, but it's nearly time to go.

What are you thankful for today?

Thankful Thursday

Eggs


Who isn't thankful for eggs? They're yummy! They're easy to prepare! They're so good for you. Visit this website for more incredible facts about eggs.

My sister
Last Friday, she and her husband met me for lunch - their treat. Gotta love free food! She is one of the most thoughtful people I know. She brought me some rolling pin rings just because I was always bugging her to borrow hers. They're fantastic!

Rolling pin rings
Don't know what they are? You put them on your rolling pin, so the dough you roll out is the perfect thickness and evenly rolled. Makes rolling out pie dough and sugar cookies a cinch.

Full cupboards
We stocked up last night, and it feels so good to have yummy food just waiting to be prepared and consumed.

Last night's YW activity
It turned out so awesome! I'll post specifics later, but basically the YW were paired into missionary companionships and sent on a mission where they created a weekly meal plan, created a monthly budget, taught a missionary discussion, memorized a scripture, and went door-to-door. I think everyone involved really enjoyed it.

What are you thankful for today?