30 Days of Thanks #18

I AM THANKFUL FOR LAUGHTER.


More specifically, being able to laugh. You've gotta be able to laugh. At yourself, at life, at the crap that happens to you on a regular basis.

But don't laugh at others. It's not nice.

Although funny as it may be sometimes.

At least not where they can hear you.

Oh I'm kidding!

I can remember in 3rd grade there was a kid in my class who would read those Garfield comic books and he would laugh out loud. I'm talking laugh and laugh and laugh. I can remember my friend and I thought he was so weird and we even would laugh at him behind his back.

I look back now and realize what an awesome thing it was that he could laugh out loud at such a young age. And that he wasn't afraid to do it in front of anyone. And that I was kind of a judgmental jerk.

Do you laugh out loud? Or do you keep it inside?

I don't exactly remember when I decided it was okay to let it out, but I know that when I did it felt great. I LOVE laughing. I have, on more than one occasion, been the only one laughing in a movie theatre. The only one. Did I feel stupid? Well, maybe a little. But it didn't stop me. I kept guffawing it up.

Laughing is such an amazing gift. I would die if I couldn't laugh.

Well, maybe not die, but it wouldn't feel very good.

So to those of you who keep it inside or let out a mere polite chuckle I say this:
LET IT OUT! Laugh. Laugh out loud. Open your mouth, throw your head back and show the world that you know how to laugh.

When the going gets tough, you gotta laugh. It has kept me sane (or as sane as I can be. I mean c'mon, look at what we're working with here!) through life's rough patches. I am thankful that I can often smile my way through difficulties and find the bright side.

Hope you can too.

30 Days of Thanks #18

I AM THANKFUL FOR EXPLANATIONS.


Have you ever had something happen to you or seen something and it FREAKS you out? And you keep thinking, "There HAS to be a logical explanation to this! Because if not I'm gonna hide under my covers and I'm not coming out EVER because I am freaking out!"

I am very very thankful for logical explanations.

So last night, just after midnight, I was sitting in my parent's guest bedroom, nursing the baby and I just so happened to look out the window. As I did I saw a light. Let me clarify. It was not like lightning, it was not like headlights. It was as if the sun came out for 2 or 3 seconds and then went back down. It was so bright and lasted for longer than just a flash.

So I ran out to my mom in the kitchen to see if she had heard anything. She said she had seen a flash outside too. We opened the door so see if there was anything, you know, unusual going on outside. No clouds, no power poles on fire, all the lights in the neighborhood were on.

Crap. So that rules out a freak lightning storm, a blown transformer and a vehicle that had spontaneously combusted.

All that leaves is ALIENS or some crap like that. I really expected to see a smoking crashed spaceship or ET running about.

We were freaking out. We didn't dare go outside to investigate any further. We locked the doors and turned off the lights. Mom even saw a flashing light coming in through the window and shining onto her cabinet...which turned out to be the computer in hibernation mode.

Nonetheless

I crawled into my bed and prayed that whatever it was would stay far away from my babies. I avoided looking out the window for fear of seeing something I don't wanna see. I was not in the mood for a Men In Black/Independence Day reenactment.

This morning, I told cute hubby about it. He laughed and called me irrational.

He then told me that there was a meteor shower last night, but he was watching it and saw nothing.

Whatever, he'll be sorry when I find the charred remains of an alien spaceship.

Well, imagine my relief when I saw this.

I read through this and kept saying, "Yeah! That's just like what I saw! Yeah! I'm not crazy! And there were no aliens! YAY!!"

And I watched the video and it was exactly what I saw.

Ahhh, sweet sweet relief. All due to the logical explanation.


Whew. Good thing for those aliens, I didn't want to have to get all Will Smith on their butts!

30 Days of Thanks #17

I AM THANKFUL FOR BROWNIES.

Or any baked good really. Cookies, cakes, breads, bars, cupcakes.

Mmmmm.

Love them all, yum yum.

But my all time favorite is the brownie. Classic.

And there are so many different types and tastes of brownies. Fudgy, cakey, super dooper chocolaty, blonde, butterscotch, frosted, chewy, hot out of the oven, cooled, topped with marshmallows and then frosted. My goodness. Lets have a big ol party where all we eat are brownies!

And vanilla ice cream.

And a little hot fudge on top.

Oh my, when we lived in Utah, we would frequent a little place called Leatherby's. I think they are traditionally known for their ice cream, but they have AMAZING hot fudge.

I am a little picky when it comes to my hot fudge. I don't like the Hershey's syrup kind, where it's thin and not very tasty. I don't like it when it's semi-sweet and yucky! I like it to be thick and kind of grainy and sweet, not like chocolaty fudge, but, oh. There is a taste I can't really describe.

So one year my hubby bought a jar of their Hot Fudge for me for my birthday. We had the most delicious brownie sundaes instead of birthday cake. And I ate the rest of the jar practically by myself over the next few weeks.

I gained some weight, but it was oh so worth it.

It's a good thing we moved...

I didn't even know you could buy it by the jar at Leatherby's.

Ahh, death by brownie...

AWESOME!

30 Days of Thanks #16

I AM THANKFUL FOR HOT SHOWERS.

Oh my gosh how I love me a hot shower. Feels so good after a cold day or first thing in the morning or when you're sick or basically wHeNeVeR.

Do I really need to explain myself on this one?

Can I get an amen?

30 Days of Thanks #15

I AM THANKFUL FOR FACEBOOK.

I know, I know. Facebook? Really? But honestly, it has been awesome to find some friends from way back. I really never thought this would be on any list of things to be thankful for, but I truly am glad I joined. I've reconnected with old friends--some of whom are better friends now than ever before.

I am glad that we have the opportunity to grow and become the people we are and kind of forget those old grudges and "clicks"

I like the person I've become and the people I've known and now know.

Is this making any sense at all?

It's good to find old friends in a safe and not shady environment.



PLUS Mafia Wars is pretty dang fun.

30 Days of Thanks #14

I AM THANKFUL THAT I'M A MOMMY.


I am a mother of two boys.

I have been peed on so many times I don't even notice anymore.
I have had to say things like "Get your face out of there!" and "Don't make your brother eat your foot!" and "No, sweetie, we don't put our {insert body part} into {insert said item}!"
I no nothing about Bratz, Barbie, or Littlest Pet Shop.
I can quote any line from Cars, Incredibles, Toy Story, or Johnny Test...and not by choice.
I am a mommy-robot, mommy-dinosaur, and a mommy-super hero on any given day.
My pink things stand out in a sea of navy, brown, and camouflage.


I am a mom.

A Boy Mom.

And I love it more than words can say.

30 Days of Thanks #13

I AM THANKFUL FOR TECHNOLOGY IN THE MEDICAL WORLD.

It is amazing the things they can do now.

It saved two lives who are pretty important to me very recently.

It continues to amaze me.

I am very thankful.

30 Days of Thanks #12

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY GPS.

How in God's green earth did I ever EVER survive without my GPS?!

No for real.

It's insane how amazing this little device is.

I can remember the good old days when you would drive to an unknown city with just a map and a prayer in hopes of finding your destination. And then, after many MANY failed attempts at finding said destination, stopping and (gasp) asking for directions.

Better yet, I can remember the days of Yahoo maps and their step-by-step, turn-by-turn directions. And I can remember finding that the roads on the directions do not exist. Or did exist at one time, but not anymore. Or have not been built yet. Or telling you to bear right on a road where there is no bear...or bearing to be done.

And the days of two young girls trying desperately to get themselves to a concert at Mile High Stadium by randomly picking an exit and hoping for the best.

(Speaking of remembering, remember Mile High Stadium?)

Or two young girls trying to find their way from the airport to a bridal shop and screaming as they try to make it across 5 lanes of traffic to get to their exit...

Or ending up in towns that should be much further south...

Or on roads that don't appear to exist anywhere on the map...

Denver will never be the same now that I have a GPS.

It has taken all the adventure and near death experiences out of driving through that city...

AND I AM SO THANKFUL!

30 Days of Thanks #11

I AM THANKFUL FOR MY COUNTRY.

It's true. I am proud to be an American. I am not saying it's a perfect place, I don't really know of a place that is. But I love it nonetheless.

I am thankful for my grandfathers and forefathers who fought to protect our rights and our freedoms.

I am so glad to be able to worship the way I want to, to speak freely and have all the liberties I enjoy.

I am thankful for our leaders and government. I would NOT want any of their jobs.

I am thankful for those who continue to fight to protect our home.

I love my country and and so very thankful for it. The good and the bad, I'll take it all.

30 Days of Thanks #10

I AM THANKFUL FOR FOOD.

I love food. Most food. I have an ongoing love affair with food, more of a love/hate relationship, really. I am an all-star dieter. I feel as though I've been on a diet since I was 16. It's kind of sad because it's mostly true in one form or another. Lose weight, maintain, gain. It's a vicious cycle. Throw in a pregnancy or two and that's just asking for trouble!

So it goes without saying that my food repertoire has been quite, um, limited. Between my personal tastes and "good" foods and "bad" foods, well, let's just say I was not using my full food potential.

I've been broadening my horizons. I've been making new foods for dinners for the past few weeks. I've never felt more, um, grown up? I don't know, it's hard to explain. I feel like I'm finally becoming the mommy/wife I've always wanted to be. I'm learning so much about cooking and tastes and food combinations and it's so FUN! It's like what the heck have I been doing for the past 10 years because this is AWESOME!! I am so thankful for food! AND I can't wait for THANKSGIVING so I can try out a bunch of exciting new recipes!



On a side note, I recently just learned the correct way to spell recipe. Honestly, ALWAYS spelled it wrong.