Being Thankful

It's here...THANKSGIVING!!  I love Thanksgiving.  I've been seeing all of these "Day _ Thankful" posts on Facebook this month so I figured I'd go ahead and do mine, too.  I'm stopping my days at Thanksgiving Day (because for me, Christmas starts on Friday) so, here we go:

I am THANKFUL for (in no particular order):

Day 1.  My parents.  They are THE BEST.  I'm just hoping that I can be half as good as they are when it comes to parenting Stafford.

Day 2.  My sister. Goodness, there's probably not enough blank space on this blog to write about her.  She's my best bud. My built-in best friend starting when I was 10 years and 10 months old.  I adore her.  I love her.  Nobody better mess with her and nobody better hurt her. :) She's smart and beautiful and sweet and kind and funny.  She's amazing.  Thank you, Mom & Dad, for giving me Sis.

Day 3.  My Reed. What a fabulous man I have.  He is a wonderful husband and a precious, loving Daddy. He came into my life at the perfect moment and I knew in August 2005 that I would love him forever.  He balances me, he complements me, he gets me (most of the time!), he's patient with me and I love him to death.  He's my partner in life and I couldn't ask for a better one because I am positive there isn't anyone better than him.

Day 4.  Dyersburg.  I love that town. Period.

Day 5.  Ole Miss.  I love this school.  I'm an Ole Miss Rebel to the core.  I'm thankful for that gorgeous campus, Ole Miss athletics, Groving, Oxford town, the Square nightlife, my fabulous college girlfriends and our precious memories together, living in my little college bubble and receiving a stellar education.  One never truly graduates from Ole Miss.  Best quote ever and SO TRUE.

Day 6.  My job.  I have an awesome job and an awesome boss.  So thankful that I have a job that I enjoy, co-workers that I love and access to coffee...all day, every day! :)

Day 7.  My dog.  Sweet Ace!  He's been in my life since October 2005.  I've always wanted a cocker spaniel and I knew the first "thing" I would buy when I got a "real job" was him.  I found him at Briarwood.  Small, black/tan with long, curly ears...he was mine from the instant I laid eyes on him.  Love. That. Dog. 

Day 8.  My grandparents (both sets!).  I am most thankful for these amazing 5 people.  My mom's father, JC, passed away before I could ever meet him but judging from my mom and my uncle...he knew what he was doing when it came to raising great people.  I can't wait to meet him one day!  My dad's parents, JW & B, both passed away when I was young but I remember them well.  They were tough, loving and very strong.  I miss them both and would have LOVED for them to have gotten to meet Stafford. (I think they would've loved his name, too!) Papa John, my mom's step-father was the granddad in my life.  I miss him every single day.  I am thankful that I had him for as long as I did...he loved me silly, spoiled me rotten and let me get away with anything I wanted (and, he always covered it up for me if things went haywire!).  As for Memama, well, like Sis, there isn't enough room on the Internet to write about her.  She is IT.  My standard for what a strong, Southern woman should be.  She's funny, stylish and loving.  She's the best cook I know, has beautiful script handwriting and loves to shop...see, I get the shopping thing from her! THANKFUL isn't the word for these folks.

Day 9.  Education.  I should link this post to my #1 up there since they paid for it (the higher ed, anyway).  I was fortunate to grow up in the Dyersburg City Schools system.  My K-12 education was great.  I'm thankful for those teachers and staffers that worked so hard to educate me.  I was more than prepared for college and graduate school.  I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to attend Ole Miss to receive both of my degrees.  Thank you, Ole Miss, for futhering my education.  I'm proud of those two pieces of paper hanging on my wall!

Day 10.  Jesus.  I'm thankful for Jesus.  I'm thankful for being able to freely practice my faith, worship the Lord and attend the church of my choice.  I'm thankful that I had a group of senior leaders that showed this 7th grader what it was like to be a Christian.  I'm thankful for that church camp where I invited Christ into my heart.  I'm thankful that I have a God who is forgiving, healing, merciful and loving. I'm thankful for answered and unanswered prayers.  I'm thankful that He gives me new chances every single day and that he forgives me for my mistakes.

Day 11.  Jackson, MS.  I will be eternally thankful to Jackson for bringing me to Reed.  We started dating here, fell in love here and the rest is history.  Plus, it's a pretty great place to live, too!

Day 12.  My extended family...i.e. aunts, uncles and cousins.  There are A LOT of these!  I'm thankful for all of the fun holiday get-togethers, all of those times we spent running around the country and forging relationships with their significant others and children.  Especially thankful for my Uncle R - he has treated me & Sis like his own from the get-go.  He's the one that let me be a tomboy, taught me to shoot my BB gun and taught me how to drive.  L-O-V-E that man more than life.

Day 13. My in-laws (all of them!).  I hit the jackpot with the Stacy family.  I love that they all live close by and we can see them anytime we want.  My parents-in-law are amazing.  I'm so thankful they raised a wonderful man in Reed & that they love my baby boy like no other.  My bros/sis's in-law are the bomb.com.  So thankful for those "siblings" because they're just dang fun.  Stafford has the best, most fun and most beautiful cousins around, too.  Just FYI. 

Day 14.  My Dburg friends.  I can't even begin naming them...they know who they are, though.  These peeps are the ultimate in friendship.  I miss being near them every single day.  Thankful for who they are, who they've become and the little ones they've brought into the world.  I hope Stafford is lucky enough to experience friendships like I have with these people. 

Day 15. The Chi.  I'm extremely thankful for my Chi.  It has completely made my hair presentable. I look back on pictures of myself and WISH that I owned this little gem prior to 2004. This person should win some sort of major, worldly prize for inventing that thing.

Day 16. Washing Machine & Dryer.  Seriously, though.  Unloading and loading both of those on this (extremely cold) morning made me thankful that I don't have to do any washing/line drying outside, in the dead of winter. 

Day 17.  Books.  I am SO thankful for books...the real ones, not the digital ones.  I love to read and I do it all of the time...favorite hobby for sure!

Day 18.  My college & Jackson friends.  Just like my Dburg friends, I can't even begin naming these folks.  All I know, though, is that I am thankful for them.  They, too, have molded and shaped me.  I'm fortunate to live where I do so that I can see them all of the time.  There's a lot to be said for a GREAT group of girlfriends and I certainly have that here. 

Day 19. Brother Boston. He gets his own number simply because I don't think there is or will ever be a greater pastor than this man.  He lead FBC Dyersburg for as long as I can remember.  He ministered to me, prayed with/for me, counselled me and baptized me.  Thankful for him today and every day.  They don't make em' like him anymore. 

Day 20.  Health.  Thankful for good health for myself, my family, my friends and loved ones.  I'm also gonna put all of our wonderful physicians into this category.  They keep us healthy, so thank you!

Day 21.  Netflix.  Because it's the best invention ever (second to the Chi) and I love watching movies.

Day 22.  Technology.  Thankful for this because let's face it, how did we ever get along without the Internet, a tv, an Iphone, a laptop or GPS?! More specifically, thank you to whomever embedded dvd players in vehicles. Single-handedly saves my road trips every single time.  :)

Day 23.  "Modern" amenities.  Thankful for necessities like indoor plumbing, heat, electricity, air conditioning, dishwashers and the like.  Let's just say that I'm also thankful that I wasn't born in the eras prior to these things being the "norm." See #15. 

Day 24.  The USA.  I'm thankful that I live in America.  I'm especially thankful for the people who fight for our country and give us the freedoms that we possess.  I'm sure I take it for granted every day but I hope to be more aware of how lucky I am to live where I do. 

Day 25.  Pumpkin & Peppermint.  I love anything pumpkin and anything peppermint. Not mixed together, of course, but anything in those flavors are my go-to.  Coffee, milkshakes, candy, pie, you name it.  Good stuff!

Day 26.  Ugg boots and Rainbows.  Because they're both the best footwear inventions for their respective seasons. 

Day 27.  Kroger & Target.  Self explanatory but I would also like to side note that I'm thankful for the people (i.e. farmers, manufacturers, etc) that supply these places with necessities and wants! 

Day 28.  My Stafford.  Ok, so I know that I said earlier that these were in no particular order but I specifically wanted to save him for last.  I could write about him for hours: how sweet he is, how smart he is, how much of a big-boy he's becoming, how I simply eat up the funny things he says and does, etc.  I heard someone say once that being a parent is like having your heart outside of your body, just walking around and experiencing the world.  They nailed it.  I'm thankful that Stafford made me a mom.  Thankful that he brings me the greatest amount of happiness that I could ever experience.  Thankful that he makes my heart literally grow 10 sizes bigger every time I'm with him.  I am so thankful for the miracle of pregnancy and his birth.  I'm thankful that God entrusted him to me.  I'm thankful for his sweet spirit, his innocence and his pure love.  And, I'm most thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life loving him unconditionally.