Gratitude-a-Day 30

Wow 30 days! This only scratches the surface of the many things I am thankful for.

Today I am grateful that Sean and I found a place to live! I'll move in after Christmas and Sean will move in when we get married. Obv. Cause that would be a not so good if he moved in sooner.

Anyway, its a cute little basement apartment in north Orem, just a few blocks away from my cousin Chad and his family. Also, soooo much closer to my cousin Kelly's house in Saratoga Springs, where we spend quite a bit of time. It will be interesting the few months that I'm living there before we get married, it is sooo far away from Sean's parents. But I guess we are still blessed because we still will be able to see each other every day. (My old roommate is getting married in about a month and they have been apart their entire engagement... troopers.)

Anyway, its a cute little place and I will post pics as soon as everything is set up!

P.S. Can anyone else believe that December is TOMORROW? Wow time flies...

Gratitude-a-Day 29

Today I am thankful for Christmas Music!

I'm one of those people that strictly doesn't listen until Thanksgiving day at the earliest, because after that I listen every day all day and if I started any earlier I would be sick of Christmas music. And who wants that? Not I...

My top two favorites:

What are your favorites?

Gratitude-a-Day 25, 26, 27 and 28

Holy catch-up Batman... apparently on vacation I can't seem to find 5 minutes to update my blog every day...

Day 25: I'm grateful for the cute puppies at my parents house. They were so fun to hang out with!

 

Day 26: I'm grateful for the wonderful weather we had in California. Seriously, it was warm and sunny most of the time we were there!

Day 27: I'm grateful that Blaze, Sean and I made it safely back to Utah.

Day 28: I'm grateful for my mattress. Seriously. I hate sleeping on other mattresses, I never feel like I get as good a sleep in. So it was great to be back in my own bed last night. 

I'm also grateful for space heaters. Because the heat in my apartment is broken and it kept me nice and toasty last night.

Gratitude-a-Day 24: Happy Thanksgiving!

At the risk of sounding too mushy, I'll spare some of the things I was going to say and just tell him in person :)

Today I'm grateful for Sean. Grateful that he is a handy-man, he loves music as much as I do, he isn't afraid to laugh at himself and helps me laugh at myself, he is so smart and dedicated to succeeding in whatever he sets his mind to, he is very spiritual and will be a wonderful leader for our future family, he loves me for who I am and doesn't care that I'm quirky or weird or act like an immature five year old sometimes. He is my best friend and I can't wait for eternity. I'm grateful that he and I will be able to spend our lives together, having fun and doing all the things we love to do. 

I love you Sean!

Gratitude-a-day 23

Yesterday's gratitude: I'm grateful for Blaze. Yes, his tongue is obnoxiously long, especially when he is attacking you with kisses, but he is such a sweetheart. And he did really well on the car ride from Utah to King City. 12 plus hours. Not easy.

Isn't he cute?

Gratitude-a-Day 22

Today I am grateful for thermal garments. They are the only thing that will get me through this winter.

For reals. If you live somewhere cold, I highly, HIGHLY recommend them.

Also, super thankful that in 24 hours I'll be in the car with Sean (and Blaze... oh boy) and we will be on our way to California. Turkey here I come!

Gratitude-a-Day 19, 20, 21... and an announcement :)

Day 19: I'm grateful for surprises :)

Surprise 1: I'm engaged! To Sean Parker. He is the most wonderful man I've ever met and understands me so completely it is kinda scary. But in a good way of course.

Surprise 2: Sean totally surprised me with his proposal. I totally thought we were going to get engaged over Thanksgiving break when we went to CA to visit my parents. Nope. Apparently he skyped with my parents last week and asked for permission. 

We had already been ring shopping and had picked out the ring and stone (Custom Ring Design on 9th East in Provo. They were so awesome!) So I knew he had the ring already but I really thought I wasn't going to get it until we were in CA.

I got home from work on Friday and he was standing in my kitchen with a dozen red roses. He had printed a bunch of pictures of us and strung them across the kitchen, and was playing our song. Then he told me he had talked to my parents already, got down on one knee and proposed. I immediately started crying (well, more of a hyperventalating/crying thing, it was weird; but I was exhausted), said yes, and there you go! We are getting married March 22 in the Mount Timpanogus Temple.

(he did a really good job. i was totally surprised by the whole thing!)

Day 20: I'm grateful for Sean's family and how welcoming they were with me, right from the beginning. They are so much fun to be around and I love them.

Day 21: I'm grateful for paid time off. And that I only have to work 2 days this week and get paid for 5. Yay for vacation!

Gratitude-a-Day 18

Today I am grateful for my siblings: Jennifer, Carly and Tim.

Oh and sibling-in-law, Bryce :)

I love the relationship I have with each of them and the love and support we offer. I'm so glad that whenever we get together, no matter what we do, we are having fun. I'm grateful that we have opportunities to serve one another. And I'm grateful that we get to spend eternity together.

Which is a darn good thing, because I haven't seen Carly and Bryce since there wedding two and half months ago, and I don't get to see them at Christmas. Lame? Yes. Yay for the Plan of Salvation!

I love you guys!!!

Gratitude-a-Day 17

today i'm grateful i didn't have to scrape my car windows before work.

also for the poem i woke up to this morning. it was precious :)

Gratitude-a-Day 16

Today I am SO thankful for my parents. They are two of the most wonderful people I know, and I am so lucky to have been raised by them. They taught me the Gospel and about being a faithful member of the Church. They taught me pretty much everything I needed to know about living on my own and I think I've done a pretty good job...  I'm grateful for the music that is always in the home, for the sense of humor I inherited, for the love of dogs, the responsibility they taught me, the examples they are to me, the love and support that I feel from them even from 900 miles away. I'm thankful for the examples they set as well; they taught by word and example and it was so wonderful. Basically everything my parents have ever done I am grateful for.

Also, I am thankful that in ONE WEEK Sean and I will be in the car (with Blaze in tow) on the way to visit my them and my brother in King City. Yay for holidays and family and LOTS of yummy food!

Oh and an extra early thankful-for: my parents for letting us all come home for Thanksgiving. That means we will have 6 adults, 3 big dogs and 5 puppies running around the tiny, cozy house my parents are in right now. So excited! (Carly and Bryce... come visit!)

PS for those who are dying for the Sean post (cough, cough, Danielle, cough cough) you only have a little bit longer to wait. I promise it is coming soon ;)

Gratitude-a-Day

Today I am grateful for hugs. And the big long hug I know I will be getting after work today.

Gratitude-a-Day 12, 13, and 14

Busy weekend. Wow.

Day 12: I'm grateful for old friends. The friends that you can go months without seeing and it is like no time has passed. I went to my old roommate's bridal shower this weekend, and got to catch up with her and another old roommate for a few minutes, and it was soooo wonderful. Also I'm grateful for memories: at the bridal shower one was brought up about our apartment fish, Adolph, who I had completely forgotten about...

Day 13: I'm grateful for inspired church leaders, who know just what to say when I'm stressing about my calling.

Day 14: I'm grateful for the temple. Last week Sean and I went and did sealings because we were late for the session our ward was doing, and then we met everyone in the Celestial Room after. It is such a happy place and I know that the Spirit is there in great abundance. Also I'm thankful for the peace the temple brings.

Gratitude-a-Day 11

Today I'm thankful for sleep.

Enough said right?

Tonight I am planning on going to bed at 11. And not waking up til 9:30 or 10 tomorrow morning. I'm such a boring single. Oh well. At least I have someone to be boring with. 

Maybe I shouldn't blog when I'm sleep deprived... I tend to ramble.

Yay for sleep!

P.S. Prayers to help me stay awake at work today would be greatly appreciated ;)

Gratitude-a-Day 10

Today I am grateful for vacuum cleaners. 

Last night Jenny swept and then I vacuumed what she swept. Then proceeded to move the couches and vacuum under them. And then put them back and vacuum the cushions and underneath the cushions. There was probably 5 pounds of dog hair that was vacuumed up yesterday.

(That was a gross exaggeration. But really, it was needed and now the living room looks pretty clean!)

I am also grateful for all other modern appliances, like microwaves, kitchen aids, cars, computers, cell phones, etc. that make living, cleaning, driving, moving, everything we do much easier.

Last night, I vacuumed up a bunch of dirt with the dog hair. Remember 150 years ago when they had packed dirt floors? Noooo thank you...

Gratitude-a-Day 9

Today I am grateful for hot water. No joke. Going a day without it was miserable.

Turns out the pilot light was out and just needed to be re-lit. A little difficult to coordinate when the water heater is in the downstairs apartment of the duplex you live in. But thanks to my friendly neighbors for letting us mess around in their apartment for a few minutes, my handy-man Sean had it fixed in no time.

Also, I'm thankful for working car breaks. And for Sean for replacing the break pads in my car for me. It was a pleasantly silent drive to work for me this morning.

 

 

No worries everyone. The actual "I'm grateful for Sean" post is coming. Eventually. Be patient :)

Gratitude-a-Day 6

Today I am so thankful for all those in my ward who participated in our ward's 5 minute musical summary of West Side Story.

That's right. 5 minutes. They did fantastic.

Click here to see the amazing video.

Gratitude-a-Day 8

Today I am thankful for music. All types (well, most types anyway). The power it has to pump you up. Calm your nerves. Put you to sleep. Remind you of people and events and memories, trigger emotions. Express feelings that words alone cannot.

I am thankful for my parents for instilling in me the importance of music, and for bringing me up in a home where sitting around the piano or guitar on a Friday night was the coolest thing we could do as a family. Thankful for Mac for teaching me all he taught me, especially about expressing the story behind the music while singing. (I've never been the same since then.) Thankful for Rachel, without whom my music collection would not be as extensive as it is. Thankful that Sean is also musical, and that it is as important to him as it is to me.

So in the words of ABBA, "Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing."

a.k.a. the motto of my life.

Gratitude-a-Day 7

For my scripture study the past year and a half or so, I've been studying the hymns; reading the history behind each, studying the lyrics and the scriptures at the bottom of each hymn. It has been a really cool experience and I highly recommend it to anyone.

Anyway, today I studied "America the Beautiful" and was overcome with the Spirit as I studied the lyrics. So today, I am thankful for our country. For the freedoms we enjoy and the pride that I feel when I see the flag waving, or sing any of the hymns about our country.

Here are the lyrics that got me this morning:

"Oh, beautiful for pilgrim feet,
Whose stern, impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat
Across the wilderness!

Oh, beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self their country loved,
And mercy more than life!"

I am also thankful for my ancestors that joined the Church and for their testimonies, and the legacy they passed down through the generations so that I could enjoy a life growing up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Lastly, I am extremely grateful for those who have fought and are fighting for our country so that we can continue to enjoy the freedoms that we currently have.

Gratitude-a-Day 5

today i am grateful for service. for the opportunity we have to serve those around us and to be served. because sometimes that is much harder.

specifically, thanks to alex for letting me use him and his truck to drop off and pick up a new mattress set. and to sean and nathanael for helping load/unload.

lets hope i sleep well tonight...

Gratitude-a-Day 4

Today I am grateful for my cousin's kids: Sarah, Katie and James. 

(And for Kelly and Glen who basically share them with me.)

These kids are so much fun, and I have had the best time watching them grow up over the past few years. They are such joys and whenever I am having a bad day, my fool-proof go-to for cheering up is going to their house. Especially when they don't know I'm coming. Plus, bonus, they LOVE Sean. Seriously. They now get more excited to see him than me...

Aren't they adorable? 

(Click here to see more. Kelly's friend and neighbor took their family pictures.)

Gratitude-a-Day #3

Today I am grateful for my job.

Everyone that knows me should be pretty shocked by that statement. I always seem to be complaining about it. But while I do not necessarily enjoy the nature of what I do (sitting all day, staring at a computer, and leaving message after message after message... all of which is detrimental to my health), I do appreciate, very much, that I am actually employed. And have been so for three years.

I also am really thankful that this job allows me to expand my secular knowledge. I took the Pharmacy Technician course that we offer, and passed the National Certification, and will be starting an externship at Walgreens within the next month or so. Yay! I am currently doing an anatomy review from another one of our courses, and will be doing the Microsoft Office trainings that we offer, starting with Microsoft Word.

So no, I do not necessarily enjoy what I do all day (especially since my back has had major problems lately) but I am very happy and thankful to be employed, with benefits, and be able to continue to stretch my brain. Because sometimes you just need to learn something new...

P.S. If anyone is interested in signing up for any of our programs, family and friends get a pretty hefty discount. Just let me know.

Gratitude-a-Day #2

No laughing....

Promise? 

Pinky promise??

Okay good.

Today I am extremely thankful for unlimited texting.

...you pinky promised!

Seriously though. It's a darn good thing that Sean and I both are on plans with unlimited texting. Because that is our only mode of communication for 10 hours of the day. Maybe more. I don't really feel like counting. And amidst the mushy gushy texts (I mean, we NEVER do that...), and the boring goings-on during the day (him telling me what weird thing his teacher told him, and me complaining that I've just been rudely hung up on, again), we can send ridiculous texts as well....

Oh, I guess I'm also thankful that we both have iPhones, otherwise these texts would not work.

P.S. Feel free to compliment our creativity... especially the witch. I'm extremely proud of her...

Gratitude-a-Day

My friend Jess (blog found here) does a Gratitue-a-Day post every day for the month of November, every year. I've been thinking about it since last year, and decided to give it a go. Because I know I have a lot in my life to be thankful for. And I'm going to extend the same challenge to you that Jess did... do the Gratitude-a-Day and see what happens!

So for today: I am grateful for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I would not be who I am today, or where I am today, without the Atonement, and the constant guidance from the Holy Ghost. I won't go into specifics, but my testimony of Christ and the Atonement has really grown tremendously over the past couple of years. I know that He is there for us whenever we need Him: through good and bad times, through hurt feelings and happy occasions, through pain, whether emotional or physical, through sorrow, through everything we are to experience in this life, He is there. And He wants to help us through those times, and will, if we just ask Him.

This message is from Easter, but its message applies throughout the year, and throughout all time.