I AM THANKFUL

So, I've decided that I am either way slow at posting new things or I think of 3 new things I could post in one day. Problem is, when you post lots of new stuff it takes awhile to read all the new stuff. Oh well. I guess those of you who waste too much time checking blogs (which I know I do) will be grateful for some new reading material. I read a blog yesterday that had a list of ten things the blogger was grateful for. I invite anyone and everyone to participate on your own blogs. Here are mine:

#1) The atonement of Jesus Christ. The other day I was listening to Christmas music and the song "Joy to the World" came on. It really made me think of the despair that would have filled the Earth if we didn't have a way to be redeemed from our sins or a way to return to our Father in Heaven.

#2) The love of my life. I am so grateful for Justin. He brings me so much happiness and I love spending time with him. He is the best daddy to Gracie and he is always making us laugh.

#3) Gracie. I am so grateful to have a sweet little cherub to play with all day long. I love to kiss her little cheeks, listen to her jabber, and watch her explore.

#4) A wonderful family. On this one, I am including both my family and Justin's family. We've both been blessed with great families and I love spending time with both of our families. I just went up North for a few days for the funeral of a cousin. It was a sad loss for our family and especially his wife and two children. It was amazing though how much I was filled with an increase of love for all of the important people in my life.

#4) Wonderful Friends. I have been really blessed to have incredibly supportive friends and I am grateful for these relationships which enrich my life

#5) A great new ward. We've only been in this ward for 2 weeks and we have felt so loved and welcome. We have been surprised at the almost daily contact and both received callings on Sunday. I am a new primary teacher (CTR5) and Justin has the coveted calling of Sports Official. We are hoping that he'll be able to make some friends in spite of the calling- ward basketball can get pretty intense. We're excited.

#6) Good health. I almost didn't write this because I don't want to jinx (sp?) our family but we are blessed to be in good health and to be able to do most of the things we want to do.

#7)Warm Weather. I kind of thought I might miss the Salt Lake/ Provo weather just a little but am loving the extended summer/Fall in St. George. Just this morning I took Gracie out for a walk and we were wearing long sleeves instead of coats... glorious.

#8) Sacrifices. I am grateful for the sacrifices of others so that I can live in the comfort that I do- the founding fathers, the pioneers, the millitary, and most importantly my parents and grandparents.

#9) My toothbrush. What is it about brushing your teeth that makes everything seem so much better?

#10) Food. I'm first of all grateful to have food in my cupboard but I also can't wait for the Thanksgiving meal. I heard today that the average person eats about 5,000 calories on Thanksgiving Day. I was thinking about what I could skip to make it less. Probably nothing. I might have to run a little harder at the annual Turkey Trot this year.