Halloween Candy

I had a rough day.  I challenged myself to eat 100% clean for 30 days.  I've done perfectly...until today.  I'm thankful that even when I stumble and eat things that aren't the best for me, I can still resolve to do better!

Ed

Ed is my teacher. He's a hippie. He has long curly hair and facial hair. He lives in Rush Valley (don't worry, I'd never heard of it either), where he farms and raises goats. He is SO smart! His class, Interpreting Research, is definitely tough! I turned my assignment in late today. It was supposed to be in yesterday, but I got so worked up in my sister's drama yesterday that I neglected to turn it in. I emailed Ed today and told him why it was late. He could have said tough luck, no points for you! But he didn't. He said, "No worries. Thanks for letting me know. All the best. Ed" I guess that doesn't necessarily mean I'll still get all the points, but I'm pretty sure I'll at least get some.

An interview

I applied for a new job. The new job is in my same department, just a step up and a step over. Part of me is really excited about the possibility. Part of me is intimidated by all the super qualified people who are also interviewing for the job. Regardless, I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to interview. I'll be thankful when the interview is over!!

A renewed temple recommend

I went to the temple last week and about had a heart attack because I thought my recommend was expired. It actually wasn't. It expires at the end of the month. So today I met with one of the counselors of my bishopric and started the process to get a new one. I still have to meet with the stake president, but hopefully I can get that done on Tuesday. I can't believe it's already been two years since I went through the temple!

The Centerville Library

I've never been a library studier.  I always preferred just to do my homework/studying at home.  But, I have 2 really big assignments due next week so I knew I needed to get some serious work done.  I gave in and headed to the library.  I'm thankful for the quiet room I found to work on my assignments.  It forced me to be productive. 

Traffic

I'm not usually thankful for traffic, but I am today.  I had a physical therapy appointment schedule today and when I found out I would be seeing a fill-in instead of my regular physical therapist, I didn't really want to go.  When I got onto the freeway, traffic was stopped.  So I called the office and told them I would be too late to keep the appointment and made arrangements to reschedule.  I'm thankful I didn't have to go!

Witches' Night Out

Our ward had a Relief Society activity tonight - Halloween themed. Everyone was invited to dress up like witches. They had soup and bread bowls, painted nails, decorated (and ate) cupcakes, and put together a super cute wooden bat craft. I was pretty late because I had school tonight, but I'm glad I went for the little bit that I did. It was fun to chat and laugh with some of the sisters in my ward! I'm thankful for the girls who put all the hard work into making it happen!

Lotion

I just might have the world's most sensitive skin. The one thing my skin is most sensitive to (besides polyester) - the weather changing. Good thing I live in Utah, where the weather changes all the dang time!! Today I'm thankful for lotion...which will be applied liberally and frequently for the next six months.

The kind lady who tried

Three days a week I leave work a little early to get to school. Sometimes I take the train, sometimes I drive. Today I drove. When I drive, there's a spot where I have to turn left across a busy street. I usually have to wait for quite a while. Today while I was waiting, a kind lady slowed down to try and let me turn left in front of her. Her kind gesture didn't work because the cars in the other lane didn't stop with her. Even though it didn't help, I'm thankful for the lady who tried to help me - a arranger.

Nothing in particular

Today I'm just thankful. Not for any one thing, but the sum of the whole day. I'm thankful I woke up before my alarm. I'm thankful I made it out the door super early to catch the train. I'm thankful for the great mood I was blessed with - all. day. long. And for no reason in particular. I'm thankful for a busy day at work, text messages from my mom, and free tickets to see "Thriller" with Emily and some girls in my ward. I'm thankful. And happy.

Steak

Krista and I went to a little meat store that opened here in centerville recently. I bought a steak (and a couple other things). I made the steak for lunch/dinner today after stake conference. Stake conference...steak...so funny! I googled the best ways to prepare a steak at home and I have to say the method I decided on really worked. My steak was delicious! I'm thankful for the new little meat store and the delicious steak I got to eat today.

Encouragement

I've seen some great encouragement as a result of some of the efforts I am making in my life. To be specific, I went to the "adult session" of stake conference tonight. It's funny that they call it that because we're all young single adults, but still. The Saturday session of stake conference seems to be more powerful than the Sunday sessions. Tonight as I listened to our stake presidency and a couple sisters in our stake, I kept receiving the same message over and over - you're on the right track, you're making the right decisions, Heavenly Father is proud of you, keep it up, etc. It is incredibly encouraging to receive messages like that. And I am so thankful for that encouragement.

Fall

I really love fall. I love the cooler (but not freezing) temperatures. I love fall clothes, hoodies in particular. I love the changing leaves. And I love that holidays are just around the corner. I'm thankful for the change of seasons.

Canceled class

The teacher for my Thursday class is at a NRPA conference this week. That means - no class! I planned to come in to work early and stay until 6:00 to make up some hours. I did make it in early, but I only stayed until 5:00. I just plain don't feel good! I'm thankful I didn't have class tonight and that I could come home a little early and rest!

Sudafed

I have a cold...or something like a cold. Maybe a sinus infection? Who knows. Regardless, today I'm thankful for medicine that makes illnesses a little less miserable.

My mom

Today is my momma's birthday! I'm so thankful for her and everything she does for me! I'm thankful that my mom is feeling better. I'm thankful that I got to spend so much time with her last week. I'm thankful she's my mom and I'm thankful she was born!!

Pistachios

I'm addicted. There's something about having to work for it that makes pistachios so satisfying!!

My ward

I really have a great singles ward. I love the Bishopric and I love their wives! I love testimony meetings and awesome lessons (although not all lessons are awesome...). I love the people in my ward and I'm thankful for the opportunities I have to get to know them better.

2 quiet hours at work

I decided to stop by work on my way home from St. George this morning. I'm thankful for all the work I was able to do with 2 hours all alone in the office. With no phone calls, no questions, and no one talking to me, I got all caught up from the week I took off. And now it won't be bad at all to go back on Monday!

A score

I'm 7 weeks into my first semester of grad school. I'm taking a class on interpreting research. I've turned an assignment in every week since the second week of school. Before today, my teacher had not posted a grade for any of the assignments. I'm a little nervous about this class in particular. I have no idea if I'm doing the assignments right! But today, I'm thankful for a little email that let me know I received a grade for assignment #5 (why I got grade for #5 before 1-4, I have no idea)!! And, I got 50 points out of 50, with a comment that said, "Awesome job!" Yeah!! Let's hope the rest of the grades are that good!

Family history

Today I'm thankful for my family history. My mom and I went down "memory lane" today as we drove around her old stomping grounds. I think it's fun to hear about how things were a long time ago. I especially liked hearing about where my dad proposed to my mom. They were on the grounds of the Los Angeles temple (which my mom and I visited today). They were also married at that same temple. I'm thankful for the decision my parent made to be sealed for all eternity. And I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to hear about my family's history today.

The Andersons

Stan and Mary. Stan and Mary Anderson were my parents' best friends. They even lived together at BYU - just two couples sharing an apartment. I heard about "Stan and Mary" quite a bit growing up, but I never really knew them. We lived in Utah, they live in California. But tonight my mom and I spent some time with them. We spent the afternoon chatting with Mary and their daughter McCall. Then Stan came home. When he walked in, immediately he reminded me of my dad. Shortly after he got home we went to dinner. When my mom and I got to the car, I commented on how much Stan reminded me of my dad. My mom said, "Well, they were best friends!" We enjoyed dinner together. And Stan reminded me even more of my dad - the yellow and blue plaid, button down shirt he was wearing, the way his eyes squinted when he smiled, the way he carried a paper calendar because "I just do the electronic calendars," the was he lit up when we talked about muscle cars, and even the way he folded his arms and rubbed the skin on his forearm. It was kind of unreal. I loved every minute of dinner. I'm thankful for the time I got spend talking and laughing with Stan, Mary, and McCall. After dinner, when my mom and I got in our car to drive away, I lost it. I cried. I miss my dad so much! And while it hurt a little to have such an intense reminder, I'm thankful for the memories I have of my dad.

A warm day

I'm in California with my mom. We both love the beach! It's not the best time of year to come to the beach. But we lucked out - at least for today. I'm thankful we had a warm day today to lay on the beach and soak up the sun!

Mom time

I just love my mom! I'm always thankful for the time I get to spend with her. I'm thankful that I get to spend this week with my mom at the beach!! Life is good.

General Conference

I haven't always loved General Conference. When I was little, I thought it was very long and boring. But now I absolutely love it. It really is a feast for my soul. There aren't many things that rejuvenate my mind and body like conference. I'm thankful for the church I belong to. I'm thankful that we have living prophets. And I'm thankful that we have the opportunity to hear from those prophets twice a year.

A Popsicle

I ran a marathon today. I had business being on the course! I haven't run more than 3 miles since May. And I have a hip injury that will require surgery in the next couple months. But, I ran anyway. I ran way more than I expected to be able to! And I finished, and it was awesome. One of the best parts of the race was mile 19. There was a lady there with her Ian personal cooler. she was handing out Popsicles - "big sticks" to be specific. I'm so thankful for that Popsicle! Not only was cold and wet, it was a great little push. ("big sticks" we're my dad's favorite!)

Smoothies

My old co-worker Jill lives in St. George. We have a little tradition now. When I come to visit my mom and I have some spare time, we meet up for smoothies. Today was one of those days. I loved working with Jill. I love to hear about her life and her two little munchkins. I'm thankful we had a few minutes to enjoy a smoothie and catch up!

Work adventures

I really do have a great job and I am SO thankful for it! Today was a fun work day. We had a "safety breakfast" this morning. We get a safety award (a little bonus check) every year if we don't have an accident that is our fault. Our upper management does a quick little presentation, but mostly we just get together and chat and eat breakfast. After the breakfast, we commandeered a couple golf carts to take a little tour of the gold course. It was fun!!and after lunch we took a staff field trip down to city hall to get our flu shots! Yeah! I'm thankful for work days that involve being out and about instead of being cooped up in an office!

A GF treat from my sister

Sharon called me during class tonight. I texted her and told her I was in class. She told me she was at Sweet Cake and wanted to know if I wanted a treat. She got me a gluten free orange roll and dropped it off on my doorstep. I may or may not have eaten an orange roll for dinner. I'm thankful Sharon thought of me!

Love taps

You know how sometimes, someone you loves gives you a little tap, usually out of no where, just to make sure you know they're thinking of you and they love you? Okay, maybe normal people don't do that, but I do feel like Heavenly Father does that to me sometimes. Sometimes, things happen that all line up to be such a "coincidence," that I know it's not a coincidence. I know it's Heavenly Father just reminding me that He's there, He knows what's going on in my life, and He's not afraid to bless me, just because. Tonight my class got out early - an hour and a half early. That was awesome because there were quite a few things I needed to get done. Not only did get everything done, I also got to go on a little hike with my roommies and enjoy the incredible fall leaves. I'm thankful for the love taps I get in my life.

My down comforter

I like my room to be cold when I'm sleeping. I don't like it if I'm cold - I like to be warm snuggled up in lots of heavy blankets. But you can't do that unless the room is chilly. So I make my room chilly. I'm thankful for the crisp fall nights that make a cold room possible. And I'm thankful for my down comforter. I broke it out at 5:00am this morning when I woke up and I was too cold! I'm also thankful for the additional hour of sleep I got after I warned up!