Thankful Trot 2012

While I am a bit late on the Thanksgiving thankful train, I still wanted to take the time to make a list of everything I am thankful for this year.  It may sound cliche but remembering how blessed we are and what we are truly thankful for can help us remember what's most important in our lives.  In no specific order I figured I'd rattle off things I'm thankful for as they come to mind....I'm sure many things I will forget:

• My husband who teaches me and shows me what unconditional love is every single day, I couldn't imagine my life without him!  He is my one and only and is my everything.  We have been through a lot together the past 5 almost 6 years and are strong as ever.  I don't say that just to say it, but it is honestly true.  While I know we each have our moments, my love and appreciation for him just continues to grow.  Just like our first wedding dance song goes, "and I thought I loved you then".  Just when I think I can't love him any more a giant wall crumbles and somehow I love him even more than before.  I am thankful for a strong marriage with very open communication and trust.  It is so true that marriage takes work and it is my prayer that we continue to always be working on our marriage and keep it as strong as it is now 1 1/2 years in :)
• My parents, the ones who taught me unconditional love first and showed me what love really is and continue to.
• More specifically my mom who is the most selfless person I know.  She is always there for each and every one of her children.  She feels our accomplishments as well as pain.  She has taught me so much without even knowing it, things only a mother with her own actions is able to teach.  I hope to be at least half the mother she is.
• More specifically my dad who has always been one to push me to succeed.  He has never let me give up and pushed me to continue on through so much.  I have such a special bond with him that nothing could ever break.  I may be getting older, but I'll always be a daddy's girl and know if I'm ever in a bind or need help with anything he's always willing to drop everything to help. 
• My siblings (and sister-in-law!) who are always supportive of my "great ideas" and though we may bicker at times no matter what always have my back....I surely have a militia behind me.
• My nephew GT who is just so darn cute and cracks me up!
• My mother-in-law.  I am happy to see how she has embraced Brian and I as a couple and is always there with a kind word of encouragement and thought.   Above all I am thankful she raised Brian to be the amazing man he is.
• My father-in-law.  Brian's dad passed away our sophomore year of college, however I am so blessed to have known him for the year that I did.  We were able to visit and make memories that forever I will cherish.  I treasure those memories deeply as I was able to see the type of devoted father and husband my own husband has or will become without a doubt.  I look forward to sharing those short but important memories with my children one day about their grandfather.
• When they say you marry into a family that is so true!  I am blessed to have a whole new extended family of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins whom have all been more than welcoming and that means more to me than they will ever know.
• Also I'm thankful for my own extended family most of which is made up of "aunts" and "uncles" who may only be family friends but embody and deserve that title more than blood most times.
• God which is a no brainer because without Him I'd have or be nothing.
• For my two fluffy children, how boring my life would be without these weirdo's!  They know how to read me more than anyone else and are so comforting yet keep me active and on my toes....
• For a roof over my head that is not just a house, but truly a home.  I honestly appreciate it every single day.
• For food on our table, in our cupboard, fridge, freezer, and in our stomachs.  So many do without.
• Clean drinking water that we waste and take for granted
• For a supportive and loving network of friends.  Some old and some new.  We surround ourselves with great people and honestly don't know what we would do without all of them. 
•  For the Internet....how did generations do without it?!?!  There would be no blogging or social networking or even webmd to freak me out every time I look up a minor ailment!   
• Cars to get us to and fro, without them we would never see most of our friends that are now so spread out.  I think I could pull off the buggy and horse look though...huh?!?!
• My camera, without it I would not notice so much beauty in the world and within people that my lens is able to zero in on and make me focus all my attention only on what I can see through the viewfinder.
• Ice cream....enough said!
• My faith, I would never make it to where I am today physically or mentally without something to not only fall back on, but something that I try to follow and live every day through.
• Love because it's a beautiful thing!
• Cell phones as they keep me in touch with family and friends, no one is ever farther than a phone call away!
• A college degree and the oppurtunity to have such a strong well rounded education when many do not have the same oppurtunity.
• Brian's job and his hardworking mentality, without either we would not be able to have everything we have.  I appreciate his hardwork and desire to contribute to the workforce.  There is no harder working individual than my husband hands down!
• Security both emotional and physically.  We don't live in a warn torn area and I don't have to worry if my house or family will still be alive and in place on a daily basis. 
• The orphans in Honduras as a whole and specifically individuals.  My heart will always be with them and even if they may not be wanted or loved by their families, they forever will be prayed for each and every night in my prayers and loved by me.  Sounds cliche but it's so true.  I'm not thankful they are orphaned, but thankful they have a safe place to grow up where they will know God. 
• For every lesson I've learned, even the hard ones as they've shaped me into the person I am today.
• Celine Dion, Josh Groban, Backstreet Boys, and Lady Antebellum (ok now I'm getting crazy with this list!) as I listen to their music almost if not daily.  Just love them!