Tonight though, it's about being grateful.
Life has been...well, pretty crazy. I have quit my job and have been working from home for 3 weeks now. I LOVE it. I am so grateful for the opportunity to stay home with my children. I know these opportunities are few and far between. We are very lucky and blessed that this one came along.
Because I get to work from home and my schedule is flexible, I've been able to start an exercise program that I LOVE too. It's a workout unlike any I've tried. But it's more than a workout for me. It's about mind over matter. Finding my confidence and knowing what I am actually able to accomplish. And it's ALL me. No one else is going to do my 185 squats for me. If I want them, I have to work for them. And it feels good.
I'm grateful for my friends. Girlfriends that introduced me to my ever-loving workouts. One girl in particular that we have been friends for the past 14 years. Funny how our friendship started. We aren't the "say all our feelings" kinda friends. After my sister died, we didn't talk much. We didn't have to. She came up to me, handed me a tile with some writing on it. The tile said it all: "A friend walks in when the world walks out". Nothing else needed to be said. I knew all I needed to know. Another friend; after meeting in HS, became good friends. We lost contact for awhile there, but when the timing was right, we got it back. And it's as if it never dropped off..except we are so much funnier now! My day doesn't seem complete without at least 5 texts from her. (Thank goodness for unlimited texts!) I am a few very close friends. My friends have become family. I am grateful for each friendship that I have. I have also been blessed with a few "new" friendships. I love the things that these girls bring to my life. It feels good to laugh.
I am grateful for my extended family. My own family as well as Kevin's family. I think it's more the ab-normal to get along so well with your in-laws. I love mine! I was very blessed to have married into such a great family. And my own family. I couldn't have asked for 2 better parents. I am grateful for the relationship that I have with my parents. I look forward to our Sunday afternoon chats. I love and look forward to going running early in the mornings with my dad when we go to Arizona to visit. I love that I can talk jewelry with my mom! I have great brothers that I love very much. I probably don't tell them often enough. They have pretty awesome families as well. I am grateful we all get along and enjoying spending time together.
I am grateful for my husband that works hard. He is so good at what he does. I love that our kids adore him. In fact, it pretty likely that when he's sitting down he'll have at least 1 or 2 kids sitting on his shoulders, his lap, or climbing all over him. He is patient and doesn't shoo them away, he welcomes the fun! I am grateful for his understanding of things. (He understands way more than I do!) I love that he is so handy. I love that he fixes everything. I love our compromises and the way he makes me laugh. (What to do, now that Biggest Loser is over...that's the show we always watched together.) I am grateful for my husband.
I am grateful for my children. I had an awesome moment with them today. We got to participate in the Special Olympic Torch Run. We got to run with special needs kids and Officer's. It's the 3rd year I've participated. This year, we took all the kids. We rode in a trailer with some of the special needs kids. We got to watch these kids run, bike, and run some more. Their determination was inspiring. It must have inspired B and Alex because before I knew it, they were asking to get out and run. And run they did! Alex ended up running about a mile. B did about 1.5 miles. She kept right up front too, with all the runners. I jumped off with about a mile to go before we handed the torch off to another city's officers. As we rounded the corner to head into the park for the pass-off B was running next to me. I looked back to see Alex come running up the side. And Kevin and Luke were right behind him. We all got to run into the park together. It was a pretty awesome experience for all of us. B and I carried on with Lehi City for a bit. B kept me going. My kids inspire me everyday. They make me want to be a better mom. I am so grateful to be a mother to these 3 amazing children. The sky is the limit with these 3!
Lastly, I'm grateful for the different blogs that I have access to read. Some are purely for entertainment. There's one in particular that I find a lot of advice, example, sympathy, and love from. This one has made me do a lot of pondering. Made me think about what I can change in myself to be better; to do better; to be a better mother. She's a mother to 8, that's right 8 kids. And to her, it's just another day-in-the-life. We live quite similar lives. Our husband are away from home some nights and we are left to single parent. Sometimes, when I feel like I've had enough...I find myself reading her blog and seeing that she has more kids than I do... and she's doing it. I appreciate her quiet confidence. She has no idea how grateful I am for her blog. (It's on my list to send her a thank you...one of these days!)
Anyway, when I've written some of the things that I am thankful for, it is a lot. And I am grateful. I am blessed. I am a better person for the people that are in my life. I am grateful for each one of you.
