Thankful Thought - November 27

Today I am thankful for our pets. Although I have the sneaking suspicion that our oldest cat, Mister, believes that he is the true ruler of the house, it is nice to come home to a trio of adoring pets that love and accept you no matter what. The adoring eyes of our dog Mina make me want to be a better person. The look of pure contentment from Mister when he is sitting on our laps makes me melt. And the odd quirks of our fat tubs Brutus make me smile from ear to ear. I'm also thankful for all of the pets that have come before and are sure to come after. I think that if you don't have pets, or at least the desire to have a pet at some point in your life, there is probably something wrong with you. They are so much more than furballs with legs...and I love them for that.

Thankful Thought - November 26

Today I am ridiculously grateful that Dave knows how to build things, fix things and/or make things better. I am thankful that he has gained those handyman skills to make our lives better. He can fix our cars so we don't have to take them to the shop, he can build bookcases so I don't mess them up, he can tile our floors, put in hardwood, install a new sink, redo bathrooms, build a pantry/laundry room and even build a shed in the back yard for us. Not a day goes by that I don't marvel at those skills. Sure, everyone can learn how to do those things, but the fact that we don't have to hire out for help makes me feel confident that if anything ever did go truly wrong with something, Dave would be able to fix it.

Thankful Thought - November 25

Today I am thankful for my home. I'm sure that I've said it before, but it is more than just four walls and a roof to shelter us. Home is our sanctuary. Home is where I can gain a better perspective on the world. Home is where we open up our hearts to those who need us. Home is where we laugh until our eyes run and our bellies hurt. Home is where I love to be. And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Thankful Thought - November 24

Today I am thankful to be alive. Sounds corny, I know, but I am so thankful that I can get up every morning and live. Sure, things might not be all that we want them to be right now, but we're working on that...and to even have the ability to change the current course of our lives is something that I marvel at. I think about those that have come before us, centuries before, who were unable to change their lives...but then those, who had the gumption to do something, to change things...those are my inspiration. My ancestors who left Norway to cross the Atlantic or those who blazed across the Oregon Trail...those people took their futures in their own hands, changed the course of their personal history...and I let them inspire me. I'm thankful that I'm alive...and that I'm alive in this day and age where we are allowed to control our destiny.

Thankful Thought - November 23

I will apologize in advance. I am taking a technology break after this morning has passed, so you will be getting a slew of posts to cover the weekend. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend everyone!

Today I am thankful for my eclectic taste in music. I generally have my iPod on shuffle no matter where I am, whether it be the gym or in the car, so you have no idea what is going to come on next. It can skip from Lady Gaga to The Beatles to The Phantom Of The Opera Soundtrack to Nicki Minaj (that Superbass song just gets stuck in my head for no reason) to Beethoven to Muddy Waters to Bjork to Type O Negative and then to Mumford and Sons. The list could go on for days because the music skips around, kind of like my own personal radio station. I'm glad that I never know what it going to come on next...keeps me on my toes and allows me to experience a wide range of emotions, even in just one 20 minute car ride.

Thankful Thought - November 22

Today I am thankful for my unshakable optimism. Sure, I have moments where things upset me or when I can't see things in a positive light, but all it takes is a perspective shift and I'm back to being who I truly am. Being pessimistic just isn't in me. True, yesterday I was upset by the whole baby thing, but it was more about the actual conversation than the content. But given a perspective shift, I'm able to see that my friends care about us and don't want us to make mistakes that they think they see. Either way, its my life and I have to live it the way I think is best...and that goes for all things.

So thank you for my eternal optimism...and thank you for gaining valuable perspective on situations. Those, I think, are some of my best qualities!

Thankful Thought - November 21

Today my thankful thought is kind of a double edged sword, but I'm going for it anyway. Today I am thankful that people are so interested in when Dave and I are going to have kids. I guess I am thankful because it means that they care and (possibly) think that we will be great parents. On the downside, I am so tired of having this coversation. It goes in waves and we get breaks from it, but it always comes back.

I get the same arguments about why we are stupid for waiting and the same, "well, its your life and not mine, but our friends waited for the same reasons and now can't conceive" discussion. Honestly, when we decide to have kids is up to us (for the most part) and while yes, waiting can mean that there are some fertility issues that we might have to deal with, I AM only 29. The other part of that is that the people who are unable to conceive probably would have had the same issues if they hadn't waited. Fertility issues run in that family, not mine, so again, I'm not worried about it...plus that other couple are in their 40s...so ummm...another age difference that I'm not worried about.

Again, I guess that I am thankful that people are just so flipping concerned about it, but it gets frustrating to have to hear the same things over and over again...and to feel that judgement from them as well. That hurts. Even though I know that the people who are saying these things are well meaning, their words and thoughts aren't really welcomed and they hurt my feelings. Yes, Dave and I are getting closer to being ready, but there are a few things that still need to fall into place before we move into that very different stage of life. I want a better job with better insurance to start...the other things, well, they would be "nice to haves"...but a new job that has less stress and better insurance, well, that is a "must have"...and people just don't get it.

Oh well...must try to see the positive in every situation...so bleh. Done with the venting, now on to more positive things!

Thankful Thought - November 20

Today I am thankful for my family. I don't know if I've already posted this or not, mostly because I'm too lazy to look back right now, but even if I did, I feel like its ok to say that I'm grateful for them more than once.

The thing about families, immediate/extended/in-laws, is that you will fight, you will laugh, you will argue and you will love. Its true that you don't get to pick your family and it is also true that while you may love them, you don't always have to like them in that moment...but when you really need them, family will be there when you most need them. The arguments fade away in a time of need and love flows in.

I can't say that it is this way for anyone else, not even the family members I have near to me, but for me, that's how it is. I'm grateful that no matter what city we end up living in, we will be close to family...and I know that even if I'm irritated by certain members, if they need me, I'll be there.

Kind of disjointed, I know...but here is an example:

Someone pisses you off...they either said something or did something...or it is just how they are in general...and trust me, this happens a lot in our current setting. But then that person has some tragedy strike, such as a miscarriage or someone passes away or they are diagnosed with something terrible...and then you are there for them. You put aside the ickiness and are there, supporting them in ways only you can.

I'm thankful that I can do that. Not everyone can put aside their differences...and that's ok. But I'm thankful that I can, because that's who I am.

Thankful Thought - November 19

Today I am thankful for social networking. Even though these sites can show some of the worst traits in people, I am so grateful that we have them. Since Dave and I live half a country away, and sometimes it seems a world away, from half of the people we love and care about, it is a great way to keep in touch with those we can't see on a regular basis. We are able to share pictures, stories and updates with the click of a button and for that, I'm grateful.

Some examples:
Pictures of Jana's travels
Updates on Millie's educational prowess
Pictures of Amelia
Updates on Chole's life
Being able to see my niece via pictures
Being able to see what my dad's garden looks like
Knowing that the people I care about are still alive =)

Thankful Thought - November 18

Today I am thankful for indoor plumbing and electricity. I know that Dave and I would be able to make it in this world without these amazing advances, but I would rather not have to endure that. But it makes me think about all of the different cultures and places in the world that either don't have these at all, or if they do, they are fairly unreliable. So thank you for indoor plumbing and electricity...things we take for granted pretty much every second of every day, but make life so much better.

As a side note, we did have to live without electricty for five days after a tornado-esque storm hit our neighborhood in 2009. We were the last section of street in the entire city to have power restored and I have to say that it wasn't pretty, it wasn't fun...but at least we had running water and hot water at that. I was thankful then for my ridiculous need to have candles in the house...because without them, we would have been in the dark, literally, for days!

Thankful Thought - November 17

Today I am thankful for The Arts. Music, dancing, painting, creating, writing, reading, watching people perform...those are all things that I am so grateful for. I was lucky enough to grow up with two fairly artistic people. We were encouraged to follow any artistic path that we chose and were fully supported when doing so. Having a childhood like that allowed me to flourish and didn't make me so afraid to express myself. I can only hope that when we have children, our household will be similar in that way, that music will always be on, paintings will always be on the wall, books open and tickets to the symphony, a play, a musical or a concert on the fridge just waiting to be used.

Thankful Thought - November 16

Today I am thankful for all of the sunrises and sunsets I have seen in my lifetime. Each one is diferent and each one is beautiful in its own way...not only the beauty that my eyes get to feast on, but also the beauty of the memories that were created that day. There were some days where we were able to see both the sunset and then the sunrise with special people. Some mornings where I witnessed the sunrise on my morning commute. Some evenings where the sole purpose is to sit and enjoy the silence as we witness this daily ritual.  This is something I often take for granted, but am so thankful for. Each sunrise means that I live to see a new day, see new opportunities and new adventures. Each sunset means that I survived that day, embraced it and am thankful for having it.

Thankful Thought - November 15

Sorry for the post a day early, but my new boss is in town and I'm not sure if I'll have any time tomorrow, the 15th, to actually write this.

Today I am thankful for the internet. Such a silly thing that we often times take for granted. I'm amazed at how far technology has come since I was a kid. I still remember my elementary school librarian helping us compose one of the first emails to ever be sent across the country, to another school in, I believe, Virginia. It was such a huge deal, such a novel thing to be doing, that the memory of sitting criss-cross-apple-sauce on the library floor while she wrote on those huge pads of paper, has stuck with me for all of this time. To think that kids today will not know of a time before google or iPads is amazing. But I guess it was that way for generations before us. Even my mom remembers a time when they had outdoor plumbing...of course, that's one of her earliest memories and I believe she can still remember that because it was traumatizing =)

Thankful Thought - November 14

Today I am extremely thankful for reliable transportation. There are so many people out there who have cars that break down all of the time or inaccessible public transportation. I feel so lucky and thankful that when I can, I use public transportation (even though it isn't my favorite way to get around in this city) when I can and that for the rest of the time, I am able to drive my car. I'm even more thankful that Dave's new/used car is reliable and has great gas mileage. That means we can drive his car more often and relieve my car of some of that wear/tear action that has been going on.

Thankful Thought - November 13

I am thankful for Dave. Not just today, but every single second of every single day. I haven't written about my thankfulness to have such a great partner in life before because it is sort of a given. We tell eachother almost daily how thankful we are to have one another in our lives. There isn't a single day that goes by where we don't make eachother laugh, where we don't dream about the future, where we don't support one another...

So cliche, but I married my best friend. He is my confidant, my sounding board, my moral compass...he helps give me perspective on things, he forces me to see the brighter side of things when I only see darkness, he does everything because we are a team. I'm sure that he would be able to go on for ages about what I am to him, but for me, it is pretty indescribable...and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Even though I had to take a gigantic leap to see if our relationship would work almost 8 years ago by moving half way across the country, I'm so happy that I did. Things have been wonderful, even if there was a period there where depression held me in its grips. Dave was there, supporting me, helping me through it all.

I wish that I could accurately portray my feelings for Dave, but honestly, there are no words...and I think that is true for most people when they find their true match. There are just no words that can accurately describe the love, the bond, the intangibles that you feel.

And with that, I'll leave you with a few quotes:

"If I could reach up and hold a star for every time you made me smile, I would have the whole night sky in the palm of my hand."
Author Unknown

"From every human being there rises a light that reaches straight to heaven. And when two souls that are destined to be together find each other, their streams of light flow together, and a single brighter light goes forth from their united being."
Author Unknown

"The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvelous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life."Sir Hugh Walpole

"Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love."Erich Fromm

Thankful Thought - November 12

Today I am thankful that I have a place that I can call my Alma Mater. I am so grateful that I was able to attend college and receive my Bachelor's Degree. Being the first person in my immediate family to do so was quite a large accomplishment and I wouldn't have been able to do it without the scholarships I received or the hard work I put in when I was pursuing higher education. I know that people complain about being poor college students, but when they do, I sort of just shake my head and wonder what sort of life they really live. I took full, often times overloaded, course loads during my time in college, while I also worked at least one job, most of the time two, and for a while there, three jobs at a time. I was able to maintain a fairly high GPA and was asked by department heads to work with them.

Even though a Bachelor's Degree is something that most employers require these days, I can definitely see that I need to go for an even higher degree. Fairly soon, I suspect that I will be joining the throngs of academics to pursue a Master's Degree. I just have to figure out what that is.

But more importantly, I'm thankful that I can even say that. How many people in the world, minus our country, are able to say that?

So thank you to the organizations that helped put me through college, thank you to my bosses during that time, and thank you to my professors for helping me learn concepts that have shaped the way that I see the world and have left me wanting more information to cram into my brain.

Thankful Thoughts - November 11

In honor of Veteran's Day, I would like to express my immense gratitude to all of the Veterans out there. My family has its fair share of them and I have a large number of friends who are either on active duty, married to someone on active duty or are themselves Veterans.

There is a cliche saying out there that "Freedom isn't free" but honestly, that's true. Even if we weren't fighting a war, there are always military personnel that are deployed to distant parts of the world where they are unable to see their spouse, watch their children grow or hang out with their friends. They don't have access to the little things that we take for granted here in our every day lives and yes, for the most part, they don't complain about it. Their families don't really complain about it either because they know that the Country is just a little bit safer due to their sacrafice.

So thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart to those spouses who are left alone to be a single parent during deployment, thank you to the mothers and fathers who have that panic inducing fear when they hear that their child is being deployed, thank you to the children of deployed military personnel...things are sometimes ridiculously hard for you...and finally, thank you to the military personnel of today, tomorrow and yesterday. Without you, who knows what our freedoms would look like. Without you, would we be in that 1% of the world? Or would we be back in that 99% that looks upon the 1% with disdain?

Thank you for your sacrafices. Thank you for all that you do. Hopefully one day we will be able to support you with the mental health care that you deserve after coming home from war...and hopefully one day we can repay you and your family for your absence.

Thankful Thought - November 10

Today I am thankful for modern medicine. With all of the advances that are being made in creating a cure for HIV/AIDS to the new treatments for cancer patients being developed daily, it makes me so grateful that we live in this time where new medical advances are being made. I'm also grateful that we have access to things like pain killers and muscle relaxers...my life would be miserable without the latter, or even without advil. So thank you medicine and all of your scientists, for making life better for everyone!

Thankful Thought - November 9

Today I'm going to take a page out of my Aunt's book and be thankful that I know how to cook and bake. Apparently this is a skill that is largely lacking in today's society. Neither of my sister-in-laws know how to cook and/or bake...when they do, it is often times disasterous...but I definitely commend them for trying! I am very grateful to my parents for never buying processed food or ready made meals. I grew up seeing both of my parents cook us delicious food out of the basic staples and for that I am eternally grateful because as I get older, my cooking and baking skills improve...and that is something I hope to pass on to my children someday, just like my parents did.

Thankful Thought - November 8

Today I am thankful that we are able to remember and reflect on the past. Not only our personal histories, but the collective history of the Earth. We can learn so much from the past generations and I think that is something we often forget in this world of instant gratification, contstant communication with our peers and disconnected emotions from reality. Dave and I watched a fairly graphic documentary about the Holocaust over the weekend and it really made me so exceedingly grateful that we do not have to live through that, that we do not have to see that pain and suffering every single day. It really made me so eternally grateful for all that we have, for all the liberties and freedoms that we take for granted, for our families who may frustrate us at times, but will be there no matter what.

Thankful Thought - November 7

Today I am thankful that I have access to quality health care. I'm living vicariously, at the moment, via a friend who is travelling the world. She has been to Greece, Brazil, South Africa, India and is now in China. She has seen immense poverty and immense wealth. But with that immense poverty comes a huge lack of even basic health care. Seeing the world through her pictures, through her eyes, has made me so grateful that even though I hate going to the doctor, I at least have the choice, the option, to go.

Thankful Thought - November 6

Today I am thankful for the extreme good luck I have, that most of us have, for being born in a free country. I am so exceedingly grateful that I was born in The United States of America and this is something I remember, even at a very early age, being thankful for. It might be due to the fact that my family was exposed to so many different cultures and types of people due to my mom's job at the School of International Education at OSU or the fact that my parents were involved with the church community that didn't discriminate based on race, creed, gender or anything else....but one of my earliest memories is that of sitting in our beat up, run down car at one of the only two stop lights in my hometown, waiting to get to the wrong side of the tracks, where of course, our home was located, and thinking, wow, I am so lucky to have this. Even then I realized that though we didn't have a lot, especially back then, that we were doing a lot better than many people in this world. That's something I think we take for granted for a bulk of our time. We have had great luck in that we were born Americans. That we didn't have to fight for freedom. That we didn't have to fight to live in this country. That's something to think about, especially as we have people who are still struggling to live here.

Thankful Thought - November 5

Today I am thankful that I have full cupboards, a stocked pantry and a fridge/freezer combo that provides sustenance for us. Due to growing up lacking quite a few things that other kids had, I have a sense of low grade anxiety when my home is not stocked with dry and canned goods. I feel so grateful that we are able to keep that anxiety down and our stock pile of goods up these days. Such a weird thing to think about or to have anxiety over, but I have peace of mind knowing that if something were to happen, we could ration out our food for at least a month.

Yes, I know I'm weird, but that's a survival instinct that was driven into my head since I was young. Always be prepared, always have canned/dry goods on hand...just in case.

Thankful Thought - November 4

For today's thankful thought, I would like to give thanks to the fact that I have extra weight that I'm carrying. That means that I live in a country where we are lucky enough to have problems like weighing a bit too much while there are so many others in this world that are still dying of starvation. I may not be 100% satisfied with how my body looks, but I am so grateful what it means. It means that I have plenty of food to eat, that I'm not dying of starvation or thirst...that I live in the land of plenty, even when so many here are making huge sacrifices due to the financial crisis. As many of the bloggers have said before, even though we are in the 99% in this country, we are the 1% to much of the rest of the world.

Thankful Thought - November 3

Today I am thankful that I have amazing friends who support me no matter how crazy my decisions might seem. When I made the decision to move to Colorado, everyone was supportive. When I went through a terrible depression, that showed me who truly cared about me and helped me leave those who made me worse. My friends have always been there for me and I hope that I can return the favor for them.

Thankful Thought - November 2

Today I am thankful that I have a wonderful husband who loves me unconditionally, takes care of me when I'm not feeling well, and surprises me daily with demonstrations of his love. I love my family, but my parents didn't show love all that well so learning to live with a highly emotional Italian man has been interesting to say the least, but I wouldn't trade in this life for anything!

Thankful Thought - November 1

One of my high school friends just posted a thought on facebook and I'm totally going to steal it from her. She is going to try and post one thing she is thankful for each day of November. Sounds like a good idea...and because I'm such a slacker at actually posting, please expect to see multiple posts for multiple days on one day...retroactively of course =)

So Thankful Thought - November 1st

Today I am thankful that I have a job that helps keep our house warm, food in our bellies and a roof over our head. True, it provides a constant source of frustration, but I am lucky to have that source when so many people are without employment.