gratitude

yesterday i had thought about writing a post about onions. it would have been riveting i promise you ;) and then on the drive home from work while crossing this bridge, i had an epiphany.

i am lucky. really really lucky. i have SO much to be thankful for. and i don't express my gratitude enough. sure i link up for thankful thursdays now and then, but how often do i stop and give thanks for what i have?

the answer to that friends is nowhere near enough. i take my life, my family, my husband, my dogs, my home, everything for granted.

i don't stop and give thanks for this face

or this one

or his love

or HIS love enough

so today i'm re-embracing my word for 2012.  

gratitude.

i will be more grateful in my every day life for everything i have. from my air conditioning, to the food in my fridge, to all the love i'm given.

i urge you to take a look around and give thanks for what you have. and for all the love you have in your life. hug the people and animals in your life more. say i love you and mean it. say thank you. let the people who are important to you that they make a difference.

be grateful for life.

i'm holding myself accountable on this blog to be more grateful and to take less things for granted.

being thankful day 27

i'm thankful i've had this time off of work but i'm not ready to go back. is it sad that i'm already counting down until christmas break? only 18 work days, haha! i'm also thankful for our maintenance staff here at the apartments and that i'm a renter since our air conditioning is broken again. i'm sure many of you are like air conditioning, are you crazy? it's cold! well it might be cold where you are but it's in the mid-70s here and even with the fans on and the doors/windows open it's just stuffy in here. not comfortable. and when you cook, wash clothes or run the dish washer it gets hotter in here. hopefully they will be here to fix it first thing tomorrow morning. being able to call and have someone fix it for free is nice though.

so next friday brittany spears and i will both be turning the big 3-0. i was talking to a friend recently and we realized all those things we used to talk about doing/would have done/etc revolved around the year 30 made me stop and think where am i vs where i thought i would be. it's kind of crazy to think i'm 30, i feel like i just turned 16!

time to go and make some brunch and enjoy this last day of vacation! :)

being thankful day 26

i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving! i know we did :) this is the first year that matt didn't work on thanksgiving. i am so thankful for the time we got to spend together yesterday. we've never had a thanksgiving together that didn't involve rushing or him having to go to bed early so he could go work overnight. can i just say it was amazing?

we had our usual weekend breakfast of eggs and bacon yesterday. then i cooked a pumpkin pie and some sweet potatoes. we gave the dogs their very own special thanksgiving treat. peas, apples and the heart/liver/gizzard chopped up together. they were in heaven for about 25 seconds, then all the food was gone. they tried to look pitiful enough to get seconds but i tried to explain to them that turkeys only have one of each organ, they weren't impressed with my response.

we went to our new friend's house in the afternoon and ate a late thanksgiving lunch with them. they have two dogs of their own, miniature daschunds, too cute! dinner was delicious including the best yeast rolls ever. every time i compliment someone on their rolls they always tell me they are the frozen kind. looks like i need to invest in some! we stayed and chatted and watched the dallas football game with them, i can't even remember who they played. i just know matt was happy because they won!

the dogs of course were very upset that we had 'cheated' on them. we got the twice over with both noses and some very nasty looks. i gave them a scoop of pumpkin with dinner and all was forgotten, haha. we actually didn't last very long after we got home, turkey coma had us go to bed early. matt thinks he's getting a cold too. i told him to stay away! i do not need to get sick! not that he does either, he took some day quil and chugged an emergen-c. let's hope it helps!

and we did not participate in black friday, at least the leaving the house version. we did snag a couple of great deals for family for christmas online. and then i got a free magazine subscription from plum district today, woohoo! and i have another $15 dollars to use between now and Christmas with plum district. I'll probably grab one more gift from them and other than needing to find some pjs for his grandma we are DONE. feels so great.

matt has to work this evening, so i'll probably decorate for Christmas while he's gone. surprise him with that and dinner when he gets home! :) guess i better start getting the boxes out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I'm taking time to be thankful for everything I have in my life, even the things I can't always appreciate in the moment.

I have had a wonderful year! I got married, got a new job that I love, moved to a new state and town that I love, adopted two wonderful dogs and the blessings go on and on. I am truly thankful that I have so much to be thankful for. I woke up in a warm home, I will eat warm, delicious food today, spend it with people )and dogs!) I love. I'm thankful for the things in the last year that have made me grow, rely on God more and show me who truly loves me and is there to support me.

What more could I ask for? Obviously we all ask for more every day. I'm going to try and avoid asking for 'things' today and focus on the wonderful blessings I have in my life.

I hope the same for all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

being thankful day 23

today i am thankful for my friends. i have so many friends from so many different places. i'm so lucky to have each and every one of them in my life. most of us don't live as close as we'd like but it's still like no time has passed when we get together. i have been trying to be more proactive in my being thankful and recognizing my friends. i need to get back at the sending cards, notes, etc. i love knowing i can make them smile even when i'm not there in person!

woohoo half day at work! my brain is basically already on vacation. i have been trying to type and i keep making mistakes. and our network is funky this week because they're putting a patch on something. means we should all just leave now ;)

our turkey is thaw! really ready for the oven this afternoon. i made sweet potato bread yesterday. i didn't add the cinnamon or brown sugar some people suggested. so this ended up tasting more like normal potato bread.  i could eat the whole loaf myself. i won't...or i'll try not to!

matt's not a giant fan of sweet potatoes so i'll be making another loaf of original white tonight. looking forward to the smell. i'm a little obsessed with the smell of baking bread now!

i have to go to the store one.more.time. if i'm missing anything after that oh well. even with lists i seem to be able to forget things. i need someone to shop for me. i wish i could hand over my budget, money, and coupons and someone would just magically put all the food in my fridge. until then...i'll just keep making return trips :)

being thankful day 22: serious and not so serious

not so serious thing i am thankful for: pandora. seriously. how would i get through the day without some pandora?

serious thing i am thankful for: growing up in a Christian household. when matt comes home and tells me stories about the kids he subs for or i watch the news or see kids in walmart, etc etc i realize just how different life is for some kids and how lucky i am that i grew up in the family i did. and how different it is being a kid now vs. when i was a kid. i guess i should also be thankful for that. i can't imagine what life is like for some of these kids. and the words and things they know. things i did NOT know when i was their age. it actually makes me incredibly sad for them. and makes me even more thankful that i have the family i do and i grew up in the time and way that i did. thankful thankful thankful.



on to less pressing matters, or kind of pressing.....my turkey is still a little frozen. my fridge works too well. hopefully it will thaw out soon, now that i have adjusted the fridge and said a few not so nice words. also i'm making a crust-less pumpkin cheesecake for thursday. matt and i are going to go over to his friend's house (who just moved here, who we had dinner with last week). it should be fun. i'm starting to miss my family a lot though! i think i'll probably be on the phone with them a lot thursday. meaning more than i am usually which is at least twice a day. i guess that's closer than a lot of families are, but i'm thankful i am still that close to them! :)

if you have a second please say a prayer for my grandfather. he has an abdominal aneurysm and they finished his tests and decided that instead of surgery they're going to do a procedure that involves going up the aorta through his groin. he's very nervous and convinced he's going to die. he could definitely use a few prayers!

being thankful day 21

edit: i finally won the battle of amber vs the bread machine! i made a very lovely loaf of old fashioned white bread. smells delicious! can't wait for it to cool so i can try it out :)

november is flying by! how is it the 21st already?!?!?! doesn't seem possible. 

i've probably already said this quite a few times but i am SO thankful for a short work week this week. i'm trying to stay focused at work but all i can think about is tackling things at home. some of the things on my list: trying to bake bread again, picking out and making a dessert for thursday, organizing my closets, finishing up christmas shopping! and decorating for christmas! woohoo! although it's hard to get in the let's decorate mood when it's almost 80 out. i need a good chilly day when i can make some hot chocolate and wear some fuzzy socks. oh and cooking thanksgiving dinner too! my turkey is thawing in the fridge as we speak. all ready for some marinade and the oven.

one of my favorite flavors is peppermint. i get all giddy when i walk in to stores and see candy canes. sadly i might not be able to put as many on the tree this year. both dogs love anything edible, therefore candy canes wouldn't last long! i can't wait to unwrap one and put in my hot chocolate. i can taste it already. one year someone gave out homemade peppermint hot cocoa mix and i was in heaven. i might have to make some of that this year! :)

another incredibly random side note, does anyone else feel like they could vacuum twice a day every day and it would still look like you never vacuumed at all? five minutes after i finish the dogs have chewed another toy up, matt has tracked in leaves, there are little fuzzies from who knows where. it drives me UP a wall! i just want some clean floors. and i love my vacuum and i don't really want to spend too much money (or any really!) on a new one. this one is only a year old. you don't realize how important a vacuum is until yours doesn't work!

being thankful day 19 and 20

today i am thankful for my life here in south carolina. i'm so lucky to live in a nice, safe place, drive a new-ish car, that matt and i both have jobs and can afford to eat and pay our bills when so many other people can't. i felt even more thankful while running my errands and doing stuff around the house this weekend. i really, truly am very lucky.


speaking of which it has been SUCH a wonderful weekend! the weather has been perfect. i finally cleaned my poor car. and when i say cleaned i mean i went crazy. i cleaned every speck of trash out of it, vacuumed, used car wipes to clean the inside, also cleaned the glass inside, organized the trunk, washed the body and tires! it smells like grapefruit now instead of old leaves and dog and i swear when i was walking away it was smiling.

i finished up shopping for thanksgiving and did a little baking this weekend too. this is some apple butter i made in the crock pot. i've also attempted to make bread twice in the bread machine. the first time i didn't add the yeast right and it didn't rise. the second time i forgot to insert the paddle in the bottom. oi. i just don't have it in me right now to give it a third try. maybe later. the apple butter though is amazing. however, that little tiny bit represents 10 apples and 10 hours of cooking on low! it was fun to make it myself though. and the house smelled amazing while it was cooking.

today is all about relaxing. matt is watching some football and then we'll probably watch some fringe. we just started watching the series, i haven't seen it before. it's a little out there, but pacey (from dawson's creek!) is in it, so i'll give it a few more episodes and see if it really sucks me in :)

and then this week is a short week yay! looking forward to some time off with matt and the dogs. hopefully the weather is nice so we can go check out the beach.

being thankful day 18

it's going to sound cliche but i don't think i could be any more thankful that today is FRIDAY! i was so happy when the little alarm icon disappeared from my phone after i shut it off this morning. not like i actually sleep in very late but still not waking up to an alarm is a glorious feeling.

i wished i had been able to stay at the bonfire/nut boiling (that sounds so wrong) last night. it was a lot of fun, and contrary to what i believed earlier in the day boiled nuts are quite tasty. especially if they have cajun spice on them! i had to leave even earlier than i thought because matt texted me at about 5:15 with the soooo dinner is at 6 not 7 message. let's just say i hurried. i really dislike being late. it's from my grandmother, she is always on time if not early. now that i'm an adult i can't handle being late either. thankfully we made it just in time last night. we ate at t-bones steakhouse in murrells inlet. i was excited to go there because instead of a chain it's a local place and i like supporting local. BUT, i was very disappointed. the prices were higher than the menu they had online and i've had a better steak from applebee's. also....matt's prime rib was basically still moo-ing and he ordered it medium rare, not still attached to the cow. i was hoping to be impressed but we won't be going back again.

it was nice meeting new friends in the area. i think we're going to this place with them during the christmas holiday. brookgreen gardens is a local garden/zoo that is about 5 minutes from our house. at christmas they have a night of a thousand candles where they decorate the gardens with candles and lights and you walk through. i'm very excited for this! they also make homemade hot chocolate and apple cider. definitely something to look forward to!

alright this post is random enough and i should probably get back to work. even if it is already 4:30 this afternoon in my head......

being thankful: i'm behind!

whoops i dropped the ball and i'm quite behind. today is day 14 and i think i left off on day 9! i do have a good excuse though. i travelled to virginia and d.c. this weekend to visit family and friends and attend a friend's bridal shower. i had a very uneventful drive there and back which i'm thankful for.i got to meet my friend kate's baby boy jack, go wine tasting with friends, and catch up with some friends i haven't seen in awhile. i also got to relax and catch up with my family. great weekend all around! i did miss matt and the dogs though and was very thankful to get home last night and cuddle with them. here are some pics from the weekend! :)

with my friends from mary washington!

erin (the bride to be) and i at a vineyard. 

jack and i hanging out!

kate and i at a winery! :)

being thankful day 9: short commutes

you might think what i'm thankful for today is a little strange. but, let me tell you, it's not. before we moved to SC matt and I lived in Suffolk, VA but I worked in Gloucester. It was about a 90 mile round trip commute that involved about 30 stop lights, 2 bridges, and 2 interstates. yeah. try that five days a week for over a year. some days i got home and felt like crying. i'd leave home at 7:00 and get home at 5:30 or after on a good day. bad days were closer to 7. there was one terrible time that it took me three hours to get to work, i still shudder.

now that we're in SC i have a 20 mile round trip commute down one road with about 3 stop lights. amazing doesn't even begin to explain it. the first week i was always early. how do you go from a 45 mile one way drive to 10 and have any idea on how to get their at the right time? i was used to traffic jams, broken down tractor trailers, signs telling you what exits to avoid. now i turn right and then turn left. the only issue i have had to deal with is the rather large older population who tends to drive a bit slow. that i will take ANY day over what i used to do. i even have time to do crazy things in the morning now like pack lunches, eat breakfast AT home, do dishes, take care of the dogs. all in the time it used to take me just to drive to work.

so today i am more than thankful for short commutes! :)

being thankful days 7 and 8: my husband

like my mom i think my husband deserves two days of thankfullness (...and i'm a day behind ;)). we met in december of 2008 on a blind date after meeting on an online dating site and talking for about a week. i had no idea what i was getting in to when i went to lunch that day. i knew he was special after our first date but at that point i had no idea i had just met the love of my life :) didn't take long to figure that out though. he makes me laugh uncontrollably, makes me feel loved, wanted and taken care of, he listens to me talk even when he probably doesn't want to ;) and is one of the best people i know. loving him has made me a better, different person. i'm so thankful he loves me too :)

and of course here are a few pictures!

this is from my friend kate's visit in april of 2009, we had a mini photo shoot! 

this is also from april 2009 at my sister's wedding

this is april 2011 at his sister's wedding

and finally may 2011 at our wedding :) 

i love you, matt! :)

being thankful day 6: my dogs

i'm a day behind, yesterday was sunday though, so i deserve a break! ;)

yesterday i was thankful for my dogs. i know i already post about them a lot, but really and truly they are terrific animals. and they are so different. lady is laid back and enjoys laying in the sunshine and getting her belly rubbed. while cajun has a neverending amount of energy and loves to wrestle and play! they love going to the beach and they both love to run free. lately we've been letting lady run free when we take her out. eventually cajun will get there, but right now he's just not a good enough listener. they both love bed time and are great cuddlers. cajun likes to sleep curled up by my pillow with his face by mine. so sweet! :) so yesterday i was greatful for a day of cuddling and relaxing with my dogs and husband :) and for how incredibly lucky i am to have them all. i'm glad lady and cajun chose us and are so happy in our home!

and no post is finished without a few cute pictures of them! :)

thankful day 5: saturday mornings

i think my favorite part of the week is early morning on saturdays. i make coffee and a real breakfast. the one time a week i cook eggs and usually turkey sausage. we take the dogs for a walk and then we usually relax on the couch with tv that we've recorded that week. today i'm thankful for that down time with my husband.

not so different than saturday mornings growing up i don't think. same kind of relaxing feeling of not having anything that has to get done right then. i love that feeling.

fall is really here now. it has been cold the past few days. cold enough to wear sweatshirts and jackets to let the dogs out early in the morning. it's also getting darker and darker for the dogs last walk at night. that is no fun, i hate trying to find their poop in the dark! but, they both have an aversion to going to the bathroom near any sort of light. so for the next few months my flashlight and i will be good friends!

thankful - day 4: my sister

today i am thankful for my little sister! i'm so lucky to have her in my life. our relationship has changed over the years from fighting to when we were little, becoming playmates as we got older and now to growing to be sisters and friends. she's always there to talk about anything. we used to have sister days when we lived closer but we don't get them as much anymore. i'm looking forward to the holidays and getting to have a sister day soon! :)

love and miss you krystle!!! thanks for being a great sister :)

 the two of us after my wedding ceremony

 krystle doing my hair for my wedding

krystle and i at her wedding

krystle and i at gloucester point beach :)

substitutes

a month of being thankful: november 3rd

today i am very thankful that matt has started substituting! hopefully he gets called often! i'm also hoping that he can move forward with the pace program here in SC and teach high school (or middle school) english next year. for now though i'm thankful for this small step forward. it makes me so happy to see him be able to get dressed and use his degree. i can tell he was excited today. we need to get him a 'man' bag though and a lunch box. i sent him off without both today! that definitely will not happen again!



on a completely unrelated note. does anyone else have stiicky notes everywhere? i have them all over my monitor, on my desk top, on the fronts of folders, hanging on the wall, etc. i don't think i could live without my sticky notes. some days i wouldn't remember anything without them! (or at least that's how it feels).

alright, i need to get back to it. i'm the only one at work, which even though it should mean i'm more productive usually means my mind wanders easier. turning the music up and being productive today though!

thankful

i've seen on some friends facebook pages and blogs that they are doing a month of being thankful. hopefully this will bring me to the blog more as well!

so today i'm doing posts for november 1st and 2nd!

i think my mom deserves two days of thankfullness. she's an amazing woman and mother. i wouldn't be where i am today without her. she's taught me to be kind, compassionate, to think and take care of myself and how to love. i miss her so much since we've moved to SC. we used to meet up once a week for lunch and shopping. i can't wait until over the holidays when we get to do it again! :) so here's to my mom, the best mother, woman and friend. love you mom!

mom, krystle and i at the va aquarium

mom, matt and i at our wedding

mom and i in north carolina

time to go and watch some prison break with the husband. we finished friday night lights a week ago. can i just say how sad i am that FNL is over?!?! who thought it was a good idea to cancel that show? i already miss it. my husband commented on the way home from the store today how he wished we could go home and watch an episode. luckily for now we have prison break which is interesting, but nothing like my fnl. i might also sneak a little taco too. we had tacos for dinner and they were so good! along with our treat for the night the new dr. peppers with 10 calories or grams of carbs of something, very yummy, tastes just like real dr. pepper but so much better for you!

i think that's all the randomness for the day!