Month of Thanks

As I sit here, at the laundromat, doing my weekly worship of the laundry gods, I realized we are seven days into a month of gratitude, and I haven't posted once...which isn't so atypical lately, but I promised you, my loyal readers, that I would do better. And I haven't. And I don't reality see an end of the chaos in sight, so I'm going to do this all at once...no taking small bites at this one. My thirty thanks: 1. I am grateful for WiFi at the laundromat, and DS's for the kids. Otherwise once a week my life would stink, and you wouldn't be blessed with this awesome post. (even though it is really hard to type on a phone...don't mind the spelling errors...) 2. I am grateful for the right to vote, and the freedoms we are given in this great country of the United States of America. Even though election decisions don't always turn out like I wanted I still have rights and at least I utilized my right to vote and showed pride in my country. 3. I am thankful for the freedom to worship whatever religion I choose, and I am grateful that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and the blessings I am promised if I keep the commandments and endure to the end. 4. I have been blessed to be born into an amazing family. My mom is amazing, selfless and a great example to me. She did everything she could for me while raising me, and still does all she can for our family. 5. I was also blessed to marry into a great family. Not only did the Snows take Lincoln and me into their lives 8 years ago, they've accepted our family of 6 into their home not once, but twice, since moving here to West Texas. 6. I am grateful I have the world's best husband. Seriously, I do. And I love him more. I am grateful he's willing to work hard, so I can be with the kids. I am grateful that he will scratch my back when it itches, rub my feet when they hurt, and let me do the same for him. I am grateful for the times we get to go out and enjoy time together, even if we have kids with us, or it's just to the grocery store. I love spending time with him, and I am so grateful I was able to marry my best friend. 7. I am thankful for my kids. No matter what you all think, I have the world's best kids. Hands down. They are such a joy and seriously complete my life. Even when they drive me crazy sometimes. I still love to steal into their rooms at night and give them all extra kisses and hugs, because I just can't get enough. 8. I am grateful for my home, even now when it looks like it's been through world war 3, it's still my home and I love it. I love the personality that each room has, and the fun memories we've made and will make there. I know that home is just where you are, but I LOVE my house! 9. I am grateful for music (and I guess my ability to hear it). There is nothing better than cranking some great music to help lift your mood and motivation. I love pretty much any kind of music, depending on my mood I can go for classical to country, from alternative to rock. 10. I am thankful for friends. I am particularly grateful for the friends who just accept me as I am, the ones that I feel like I don't have to impress everytime I am around them. I love the ones who realize I have a busy life, they have a busy life, and we may not have a chance to get together all that often, but when we do have a chance it'll be awesome. I also love the friends who respect that my family comes first, even before friends. 11. I am grateful for talents, and for the opportunities to work on those talents. I love to cook, to take pictures, to crochet, to play music, and I am glad that I get to use those talents all the time, because it helps me get better at them all. 12. I am also grateful for opportunities to do things I am not as comfortable at, like speaking in front of people, playing in front of people, and making big decisions. Those things are hard for me, but how can I grow without being challenged? 13. I am grateful for friendly people. I love the crossing guards at Savannah's school, they are always happy. I love the front desk and nursery staff at the gym, they are always nice. I don't love dealing with grumpy, incompetent people, so when I am around happy people I love it. 14. I am grateful for my calling in church right now. I love working with the youth in our ward, particularly the girls that I get to work with most closely. I love getting to know them better, talking to them about their daily struggles, helping them realize that the drama they are experiencing now will go away in a week, and there are much more important things they should be concentrating on. I love the rapport I have with the youth, Lincoln included. I love teaching them. I love that it is the first calling I have had in years that I feel I can actually make a difference, like it was inspiration rather than desperation for having someone to sit behind a piano. 15. I am grateful that I have a healthy body, and that my family is all healthy. Sure, we get colds, and Lincoln struggles with asthma, but having a friend just lose her second child to a genetic medical condition makes me so grateful for the health that our family has. 16. I am grateful for the atonement, so that when people I know pass away I have something to help take a little of the edge off of the pain. It doesn't take the grief and pain all away, but the knowledge I have of being able to be with our loved ones again does ease the grief a little. 17. I am grateful for technology that allows me to keep in touch with friends and family no matter the distance between us. I've been able to maintain friendships and relationships that without Facebook, texting and email I'd never have the patience or energy to pursue. 18. I am grateful for hot cocoa and warm jackets when it gets below 70 degrees outside. (Yes, I am a total cold weather wimp) 19. I am also thankful for air conditioning when we spend weeks at 100+ degrees. 20. And ice cubes... they're awesome. Along with refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, water heaters, R/O units (here in Midland), running water, automobiles, television...all things I am so grateful for. I was meant to be born when I was. I couldn't have made it any earlier. I need modern conveniences. 21. I am also grateful for DVR, which could have been lumped into the last one, but seriously people...DVR. I can pause live tv, and record in advance whatever I want. Sure, it's shallow, and I could totally live without it, but this simple pleasure allows Shane and me to have OUR time, after the kids go to bed, to watch what we wanted to watch when they were awake. It's like a mini-date night. I love it. 22. I am grateful for eyes that can show me the beauty of life. Even here in Desolate West Texas. I love trying to find things that I would like to take a picture of. It helps me to see the beauty in life, and look for the pretty instead of the nasty. 23. I am thankful for my sense of smell, and for things that smell good. If I could attach an air freshener to my nose every day I would, because I hate bad, musty, and stale smells, but I LOVE good smells. 24. I am grateful for my other senses too: taste and touch. Because I have them... 25. I am grateful for my education, and the desire I have to get more. I love learning and I love to help my kids realize they can love learning too. I am also grateful that Lincoln hasn't yet passed up my knowledge of math, science or english, so I can still help him with his homework. 26. I am thankful for those who have life much harder than me. I can learn from their humility, and I can serve which helps me to be more humble. 27. I am also grateful for those times in life when things aren't going well, so we can learn to put our trust in God, and we can learn that we really are stronger than we think we are. Plus, things always seem to work out. 28. I am grateful for the land that we live in. West Texas has it's problems, for sure, but I love living in a place where people have pride for where they live, where we have a pledge of allegiance for the state we live in, where people are proud to tell you where they're from. Where football is huge, and all games end in prayer (led by the team on the field). I love that public meetings begin with a prayer. I love that the first thing most people will ask to someone who just moved in is if they have a church, and if they don't have one they'll offer you theirs. (Especially if you're Mormon). 29. I am grateful for siblings, half ones and in-laws, who love me and let me love them. Even if I wasn't raised in their household. Family isn't just who you were raised with, or who you share blood with. 30. I am grateful for holidays, like Thanksgiving, that give me opportunities to see family, and eat food, and remember what I'm thankful for.