A Lovely Life

I'm thankful for lists.  I love them.  So, what better way to show gratitude the awesome-ness of lists than to make a list of things I'm thankful for?!  Here's a list of 30 things since I'll be 30 in less than a month: 1.  Our Home 2.  The ability to say "no" when I need to 3.  Laughter 4.  Lessons learned through others' experiences 5.  Our little family 6.  Our extended families 7.  Wine 8.  Books...like, physical books with pages and stuff 9.  The ability to cook 10.  Friends both new and long term 11.  Quotes! 12.  Personal journals 13.  Having a job 14.  My health 15.  Fuzzy slippers 16.  Fall leaves 17.  The internet 18.  Having the freedom to express how I feel 19.  The Holidays 20.  Lists! 21.  My faith 22.  Pictures of puppies...seriously.  Having a bad day?  Google "cute puppies" 23.  Candles 24.  Music and it...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all! I hope that today is spent with people you love.  I've spent so many Thanksgiving days with family or friends or a mix of both and every year, it's nice to be able to reflect on what we're truly thankful for. Today and every day, I'm thankful for the many blessings I have in my life.... "If you are really thankful, what do you do?  You share." -- W. Clement Stone "I'm thankful for every moment." -- Al Green "The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest." -- William Blake "Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action." -- W.J. Cameron

I tried back in September to post about the annual Bike MS ride that I've been a part of in one way or another for the past 8 years, but it was too hard.  This year ended up being our last as Team Erin's Fight and to say that it's emotional is an understatement.   For those of you who don't know, Erin is my best friend.  It's like God put us both on the Earth and said, "Those two?  Well, they're just gonna have to find each other and the rest will be history."  And we did and it is and I had no idea how much that girl would affect my entire life.  She's family, y'all.  So, when I discovered very early on that she had multiple sclerosis and that the bike ride I wanted to do raised funds and awareness to a debilitating disease, I was hooked.  How easy is that?!  Ride a bike, raise some money and tell everyone I know about the disease that affects my bestie every day.  Game on.   We've participated in this weekend long event e...

Just kidding, sorta.   B uy O ne G et O ne sales can be awesome, y'all...that's for sure.  However, I've realized in the last few years that this whole holiday shopping mess has really ruined the idea of what said holidays are about.  Thanksgiving:  let's be thankful for everything we have and everyone around us, then go out THAT SAME NIGHT so we can get a "deal" on an (insert item here)...not cool y'all. I'm thankful for the experience of spending my career in retail.  While many don't see that as a "real job", I'm quick to remind you of the sacrifices we make as retail employees for your leisure enjoyment.  I'm also VERY quick to remind you that a deal to you, is not a deal to those who you're taking away from their family.  I'm blessed to work for a boss who doesn't believe in being open on Thanksgiving, but I can't say the same for some of my friends. There are so many companies whose goal is strictly $...

It's hard to imagine a time where Youtube, Facebook and the multitudes of other social media hot spots weren't in daily life.  That time wasn't THAT long ago and I'll be THAT mom telling my kids one day how, "back when I was in school, Facebook and Google didn't EXIST."  I'm sure itwill be received well! I love social media and I love the ways that it gives me all kinds of information.  What I love most about it lately is that there are tons of websites out there with the goal of sharing positive stories in mind.  There's plenty of bad news and terrible stories out there and I'm personally thankful that people are taking the time to find the good stuff.  The stuff that restores our faith in humanity and a reminder that there is SO MUCH GOOD out there.  Here are a couple of my favorites: Danny & Annie Band of Brothers Be Human I found these videos on www.faithit.com .  They're so great! "The good life is...

While I strive daily to say "thank you" and express my gratitude for all of the people & things in my life, it's only appropriate to have a daily post the week of Thanksgiving.   **side note: I also found time to sit in front of my computer and actually (gasp!) blog** Quite honestly, my little brain has been in constant overdrive the last few weeks thinking and thinking and thinking about my life, my purpose, my career, my family...the list goes on.  And in all of that time spent "thinking", I sometimes find myself wishing certain things were different or better.  My wardrobe needs an update, my house has a ton of projects that need to be completed, etc. etc.  When these little thoughts appear, I quickly snap myself back into reality by saying, "Seriously?  Look around you and think of where you were 1, 5, 10 years ago...LIFE IS GREAT." So, I've been on this kick to remind myself daily how truly blessed I am and to look around and be thankf...