Grateful Quote July 8 2013

Whatever we are waiting for - peace of mind, contentment, grace, the inner awareness of simple abundance - it will surely come to us, but only when we are ready to receive it with an open and grateful heart. Sarah Ban Breathnach

Day 8 Thankful July 2013

I am thankful for technology. It has been useful to me in many ways. First, it keeps me in touch with my family near and far, even amidst busy schedules. I can see photos of friends, and family, keep up with people who have moved like old neighbors. We have some old neighbors who lived next door for 12 years. Then they moved and we hardly see them, but can see updates of their family through Facebook. My grandfather, my 79 year old grandfather, likes to pop up messages saying hello. I appreciate it very much. We got to see he, and my parents, this weekend. It was such a nice visit. Other technology I do, or will, appreciate: texting with my girls, skyping with my nieces, weather.com radar to plan my runs, my Garmin watch that tracks my speed and distance for my runs, educational websites where I can search for new lesson plan ideas or activities/video clips for my students... the list goes on. One piece of technology I enjoy is blogging, too! I hope you are well, Reader. What are your favorite aspects of technology?

Thankful July 7 2013

I am thankful for summer break. It is a nice time where I can catch up on time with family, reading and cleaning. Things that I appreciate, but feel guilty setting aside school time for. Especially the reading. I enjoy reading for fun, but don't do very much of it during the school year because I feel I should be researching for my job, grading, planning, etc. I have finished 5 books, thus far and am about to finish a fourth. It is still as fun as I remember from my younger days when summer was filled with voracious devouring of literature! Have you read anything great lately?

Day 6 Thankful July 2013

I am thankful for our dogs. They are both big oddballs. The vet has even mentioned the only thing wrong with our beagle is that he is "weird". But they are loving, like to snuggle and follow me around the house. They love a good ear scratching and our big weimaraner does not mind at all when I put my face into his. He loves any attention. Even when he is asleep and I talk to him, his tail wags amidst his snores. These two dogs have given me my fair share of frustration, they haven't been easy by any means, but they are loving dogs, for sure. I will be sad when they are gone, which seems to be a time frame that is quickly approaching...

Day 5 Thankful July 2013

I am very thankful for family. This weekend we will be in Michigan visiting my parents and grandparents. I'm thankful they only live 3 and a half hours away. They are such kind people; "give you the shirt off their back" type people. They are hard working people who strive to be successful at their jobs. I'm thankful for my husband's family, too. His immediate family is close by, and always here when we need them. They're fun to be around and share a lot of the same interests as we do. Both families care so much for us and for our girls-we could never want for more love.

Day 4 Thankful July 2013

Running-regular readers know how thankful I am for that. It is my go to stress relief, calorie burner and prayer time. I speak with God, discuss my concerns with Him, beg Him, whine to Him and praise Him and His gifts. Sometimes I go over events to happen in my day, prepare my thoughts for the hours ahead. Sometimes I cover thoughts I have already had, moments already experienced. Most days, mixed in there, I do an assessment of how I feel, how my form feels, how fast or slow I'm going. I also notice the nature around me; little bunnies on the path, animals scurrying for cover, and other people out for their run, walk or bike ride. I enjoy seeing and hearing the birds as they chirp and sing, too. I'm thankful to be able to be running.

Grateful

“Piglet noticed that even though he had a Very Small Heart, it could hold a rather large amount of Gratitude.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Day 3 Thankful July 2013

I am so thankful for my home. We moved into it in May of 2000. We had it built and to see it come up from a muddy hole in the ground to where we sit, now, was a fun process. It's funny perspective. We had signed our contract and they broke ground in November of 1999. It seemed like such a long process of choosing things, trimming items so it fit our budget, waiting for bad weather to subside. I was so anxious to move in. Then once we did, the school district said our daughter would be going to a different elementary school than we thought for kindergarten. I was so frustrated; she would have to be bussed past three other elementary schools to get to her school. I fumed. I called principals, etc. Turned out to be a blessing. My sister in law worked there, and our daughter had a very caring staff at her school. And two years later a school was built just a block from our home. It all worked out fine. I'm thankful for the neighborhood that surrounds our home. We have so many kind neighbors, trees and nature that I love. It's hard to believe we have lived in this home for 13 years.

Day 2 Thankful July 2013

So thankful for my husband and girls. So thankful God put us together as a family to go through this life with. I am so thankful they were "easy" girls thus far, and I hope they continue to be. They live out our values daily. Our home is thankfully filled with laughter, often. My husband causes me to chuckle frequently-with him not at home... mostly. :) So thankful he makes me laugh, works hard for his family and listens when I need him. They are my dearest friends and family in this home.

Thirty Days to a Grateful Heart

Going through some old posts as I cleaned out my google reader. This post about being grateful popped up. I thought about it and think I will try it. I have felt as if my heart could burst these last few days-more than normal. We got our oldest registered for her college classes at her orientation. It was so bittersweet. I am so grateful that she is so ready and so nervous-I'm a worrier. I am sure she will be able to handle it all, but I worry about her safety. I am so grateful for my other daughter who is tackling this adjustment heading to high school well, as well. She started optional conditioning for cross country today and was all smiles. :) My husband is a great supporter and cheerleader-reminding me that it isn't a bad thing to let go a little... Which is really hard.. Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you're going to live your life. -Joel Osteen