Blessings

I love this time of year. It gives me another reason to be thankful for the many, many blessings I have.

• Alex. I can't ever start a "thankful" list without him. I don't think I truly understand just how good I have it. I have a man who loves a clean house, is sensitive, who will watch chick fliks with me (and not complain), is affectionate, says I love you at LEAST twice a day, has a strong testimony, served a mission, is a hardworker, is a good singer, is extremely loyal to his beliefs and friends, can walk through home decor stores for hours with me and ENJOY it, cares about looking nice, is ridiculously good looking, is organized, is thoughtful, is funny, is smart, who is NOT quick to anger, who hates to fight, and who is just the greatest guy I've ever known. Take all of this and add to that he loves me? I know what you're thinking... this can't be a real human being. But it is. And I am darned lucky.
  Did I mention ridiculously good looking? Mmm..mm..mmm..
  • Family. I know this is a generic one that is probably on everyone's lists. But I don't care. Like the preceding blessing, I can't forget this one either. As I have grown older, I've realized that I have a fantastic family. My family has evolved so much in these last couple years. At one point, I figured that everyone in my family would stay within an hours distance from eachother. We'd all live in Oklahoma for the rest of our lives, and even one day- we'd all have houses right next door to eachother. (I know that sounds crazy....) The Lord didn't have that in mind for us, but I think that He knew we'd all stay in touch, no matter the distance. That is why I am living in Utah, I have a sister in OH, soon to be FL, I have another sister who will be in another country by the end of next year, a brother in TX and a brother on a mission. There is only one sibling that will be left in OK. Pretty spread out... but I know that even though we are starting our own eternal units, we are still an eternal family. Which brings me to my next blessing....
  • The Gospel. Without it I would not be who I am. Without it I wouldn't have survived the darkest days following my dad passing away. Without it I wouldn't have met my husband and been sealed to him for time and all eternity. Without it I wouldn't have the comfort and peace that comes with the occasional trial. Without it I wouldn't have any reason to challenge myself and strengthen my weaknesses. Without it I wouldn't be truly happy. I love it, and my life is anchored to it.
  
• Christmas Music. Yep. I said it. I am not ashamed! I enjoy listening to Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. :) Nothing quite compares to the feelings you get when you hear the first Christmas song of the season. Ahhhhh.. I love this time of year!
• Seeing those you care about turn tragedy into triumph. My brother, Coulter, is currently serving a mission in Dominican Republic. I won't go into great detail, but it has been a long road to get here, and he has always had a positive attitude. Many times the outlook seemed bleak, but he perservered and made it through. Now he is a worthy, happy, successful missionary and I literally get giddy when I think about him.

• Good friends. There are only a few who I still remain in constant contact with, and I don't mind it. I love the friends I have and I'm very blessed to have them in my life.
• Great examples. My mom and uncle both joined the church in college. Their parents still aren't members, yet they don't let this dwindle their testimonies. They are rock solid people and I know I can call both of them whenever I need anything.

And furthermore, I'm grateful for (deep breath): Pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, a great relationship with Alex, blankets, twinkly lights on garland, Christmas Trees, random acts of kindness, a job, a healthy body, repentance, piano, great music, talking about old times with friends, anticipation for the season, planning for the future, being almost debt free by March (a personal favorite), Cafe Rio, Dr. Pepper, and the list could go on and on and on......