Thankful for Day #30

... that I made it to the end of the month with a post for every day! Woo hoo!

And because I went the whole month without posting the cliche things I am thankful for, I will now post them on this last day of November.

I am thankful for God and the blessings he has bestowed upon me.
I am thankful for my husband.
I am thankful for my two beautiful daughters.
I am thankful for our health.
I am thankful for our extended family.
I am thankful for our wonderful friends.
I am thankful for the roof over our head.
I am thankful for the food in our bellies.
I am thankful for the jobs we both have.
I am thankful for health insurance.
I am thankful for the military and their supportive families who defend our freedoms.
I am thankful for our safe neighborhood.
I am thankful for the good head on my shoulders.
I am thankful for our two doggies, despite how much they may frustrate me in the middle of the night.
I am thankful for the opportunity to do extracurricular things like craft, take vacations, run races, etc.
I am thankful to live in the U.S.A.

And for many more things I am sure that escape my tired mind at this moment.

Oh yes, and I am thankful for those of you who chose to read this blog for the past 30 days despite it's lack of pictures and non-scrapbook related content. I will try to do better in the coming posts.

Thankful for Day #29

... for my Silhouette cutting machine. Man! I have had this thing working today. If you're a serious crafter and can afford to spend a couple hundred dollars on a tool, I highly recommend doing so. This puppy can just cut and cut and cut. I pick out any font, or digital design I want and size it to my specification. Then I load the paper, hit cut, and it does all the work for me. If it weren't so late, I would snap a picture of all that I have cut. It's literally at least 400 pieces in one day!I have had it for a few years now and would highly recommend it. If you're interested, go here. The things you can do with it. Here's their blog where you can see what some very talented people do with their machines. All I have ever cut is paper and one piece of vinyl which I have yet to adhere to my wall. But I am in love with this machine.

Thankful for Day #28

... for Christmas spirit. Upon arriving home from visiting my inlaws over the weekend, we got out the Christmas tree and some ornaments. The girls were beyond excited! They just couldn't wait o be handed an ornament to hang on the tree. Each one that was pulled out got big "oooohs" and "ahhhhhs" (even the simplest little red balls). I don't think Hannah went 2 minutes without telling Joel or I that she loved us. A true sign of her excitement. I think it's her way of saying, "I am so so so happy right now!" It warms my heart! We certainly didn't finish the tree, but you can tell it's going to be a fun Christmas this year!

Thankful for Day #27

... for dedication. I am training for a 1/2 marathon right now. I am not a runner! But I got sucked into this race a couple months ago thinking that it would be a good way for my husband and I to do something together. Cuz I am not gonna get him to scrapbook anytime soon. And I realized we don't do a lot together that doesn't involve the girls. I thought we'd be able to train together and then of course do the race together. It was also going to be an exercise in positivity for me. Even though I HATE running, I figured I could focus on what it would do for my body (hello weight loss - hopefully) and it would bring Joel and I closer. So training was supposed to begin November 1st, but knowing how out of shape I was, I began the 2nd week of October. A sort of training for the training if you will. Well little did we know he would tear his ACL and be out of the race. I think the old me would have jumped up and down at this opportunity to bow out of the race. Or at least to not take it so seriously and therefore jump off the training schedule. I say the "old me" because this new me has done the complete opposite.

Yep, I have stuck to the traiing regimen. I even ran my training distance last Saturday in the rain! Yuck! But my dedication really set in today while up in Tehachapi visiting the inlaws. Tehachapi is a much higher elevation than where I live. I think the difference is a few thousand feet. With that comes thinner air and much cooler temps. Couple that with the fact that a storm was going to come in tonight and let's just say that last night I was less than optimistic about having to do this run. I found brain working to find an excuse not to run. Or to run later. But I couldn't find one and finally it just came down to me having to do it. So I did. I set out in the high 40 degree temps and started off on my 6 mi run. this is the farthest distance I have had to run in my traiing. Quite possibly the farthest distance I have ever one in one straight shot. I was prepared for it to be difficult. I was prepared for my legs to gas out. I was prepared to walk if I had to. But to my complete surprise and utter amazement, I ran the whole thing!!!! It wasn't easy by any means, but I did it.

I am not sure where this dedication has come from. I think a large part of it comes from not wanting to let my husband down. Not that he would hold it against me if I didn't do it. He knows I am not a runner. There's also the money I paid to be in the darn race. But it's coming from somewhere deeper and I am so thankful. I am proud of myself for having stuck with this so far. Let me tell you, not drinking soda the day before my run is not fun. I still can't fathom that my body will run 13.1 miles in just about 8 weeks. But I know if my dedication can stay strong, it will.

Thankful for Day #26

... for good Facebook friends who warned me about the woes of Black Friday shopping. I was very much decided upon venturing out to see what all the hubbub was and sought tips via Facebook. Every response was related to advising me not to do it. I took them at their word and got a few extra hours of sleep. On my way in to work this morning I stopped by Kohl's just to see what I had missed out on. There was a line of people literally weaving and wrapping through half of the store. I counted 8 registers going (not including those in the customer service dept). I observed all the selections of the people in line and several had "big ticket items". I walked the store to see the deals. There were definitely some things I would have liked to have picked up. A really cute twin bed comforter/sheet set that would be perfect for Makaela's room was $35. They did have two of those prelit Christmas trees in pots that stand about 3 t0 4 feet tall that I have been wanting forever for $39. And some cute fleece blankets for $8. But none of it was worth waiting in line for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Thank you FB friends!

Thankful for Day #25

... for so much on this wonderful Thanksgiving Day! For my body that allowed me to run a 5K this morning with my fastest pace to date (still slow, but getting better). For my daughter her persevered through her very first 1K ever even though she was so tired and felt like she was going to throw up (I think she had a side cramp). For my husband and other daughter who came to cheer us on and congratulate us when we were done. For the nice 4.5 hour lull between getting home from the race and needing to leave for our Thanksgiving feast that allowed us to nap, relax, freshen up, etc. For the wonderful food that filled our bellies and warmed our hearts, prepared by many of the guests. For my dad and stepmom who hosted Thanksgiving dinner despite the fact that my stepmom is still recovering from a very invasive abdominal surgery. For my awesome family that provides so much love! For two little girls who kept good attitudes throughout the whole day. For heaters both in the car and in the house. For a warm bed to fall into at the day's end. It was a fantastic day! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful for Day #24

... for Thanksgiving break! Hannah has been out of school all this week and it is SO SO SO nice not to have to do the morning routine of dragging her out of bed, making her go to the bathroom, getting her dressed, monitoring her brushing her teeth (which she manages to do much slower than anyone else on the planet I am sure), getting breakfast ready, packing her snack, getting Makaela ready, and getting out the door. We are loving being able to sleep in a bit, stay in jammies longer, and just go with the flow. I will miss these lazy mornings come next week.

Thankful for Day #23

... for husbands who get up at 5AM to change the damn battery in the smoke alarm because it's been beeping every 20 seconds for the last hour and a half. Thank you dearet husband. I love you so much!

Thankful for Day #22

... yummy Mexican food and buy one, get one free Coronas. I went out with one of my best friends last night (aka Maid of Honor, sorority sister, friend since Jr. High). When we got up to the counter to order our food, I pulled a Corona from their fridge and was informed that I got another one for free. Sold! Unfortunately, I am sure my body will feel it when I run tomorrow but I'll survive. It was worth it.

Thankful for Day #21

... tools. As in mitre saws, and nail guns, and air compressors, and levels. I can't take credit for the handywork performed in our garage today, but I can tell you that my husband did awesome work on a costume/dressup station we are making for our girls for Christmas! This thing is gonna be super sturdy, complete with show storage on the bottom, a hanger rod, and a storage shelf up top. I'll have to post pictures of it when it's completed and ready for paint (the part of the project where I make my debut). I am trying to decide if this project is saving us money. Naturally it's going to be much cheaper andbetter quality than the ones you see in catalogs, but we'd never buy those anyways. Now we have lumber costs and I am sure the girls will get a new princess dress out ofthe deal too. Oh well! Hopefully the girls will look at it with as much pride and their mommy and daddy will.