Heat

My body hurts. Obviously I planned for my hip to hurt, but I didn't plan on the rest of my body (neck, back, etc.) hurting so badly! I was just not made to lay in a bed this long! Today I'm thankful to be happily laying with some heating pads to sooth my aching muscles. Maybe I'll see if I can get a massage when I'm finally off "bed rest." 

Dinner deliveries

I had this week all planned out. Krista was all set to take care of me here at home while I recovered. I did not plan on Krista coming down with the flu! She is the sickest I have ever seen her. I feel so bad for her, but I've had to get a little creative. Today I asked our sweet neighbor if she would pick up dinner for us. She was more than happy to help! I'm thankful for people in my life who are so kind and helpful! 

The sacrament

I'm thankful for the sacrament, for everything it represents and what it means to me, personally. It's easy to overlook the sacrament, especially when you're home on bed rest recovering from hip surgery. But my awesome ward brought the sacrament to me. I'm thankful for the Elders who came over after church to make it possible for me to partake of the sacrament. 

Activity

Today is one of those days when I'm thankful for something because I'm experiencing a lack of it in my life. Today I'm thankful for activity. Our bodies (and my body in particular) were not made to be sedentary. Even though I know I need to rest and I know I need to lay still, my body is literally aching to move! I'm thankful for the small handful of "exercises" I get to perform a few times a day. It makes the seemingly endless hours of laying in bed a little more bearable. 

Being home

There's something about being miserable at home that's just better than being miserable at a hospital! I'm thankful to be home today. I'm thankful for my own clothes, my own bed, my own home smells, my own bathroom, my own food, etc. And I'm still thankful for all the help I've been given - Krista continues to be a rockstar. Aaron, Rodney, and Jessica stopped by. And a number of people texted to see how I'm doing. I'm hurting and not feeling super, but I'm still very thankful! 

TOSH

Today I'm thankful that I live so close to good medical facilities like TOSH (TheOrthopedic  Specialty Hospital). I was blessed with 2 irregular hips. The good folks at TOSH fixed my right hip last December, and today they fixed my left. I'm thankful for my surgeon, my nurses, and my aides. I'm thankful for warm blankets and ice machines and sprite and netflix and hulu. I'm thankful to have this first day behind me and I'm anxious to head on down the road to recovery. And I'm ridiculously thankful for Krista, who spent a lot of her day helping me! 

Breakfast

Aaron and Jamie invited me over to their house for Christmas breakfast. They pretty much insisted on it. I went over a little later in the morning (sleeping in on Christmas is great!) after the presents and craziness was over. I don't love to be there for that part. It kind of makes me feel like an outsider. But I'm so, so, so thankful that I could join them after all that for breakfast. The food was delicious and I was thankful to spend some time with family today! The rest of the day was spent cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry. I'm having surgery tomorrow. Merry Christmas to me! 

An invitation

Christmas is supposed to spent with your family. But in my family we did things a little different this year. We spent our family time a few days before and spent Christmas Eve traveling home. I'm 100% okay with the way things worked out. I had a fabulous time with my family and it didn't even matter to me that it wasn't on the actual holiday. But that left me with no plan on Christmas Eve. I was content to stay home and watch a Christmas movie, but I got a better offer. I'm thankful for the invitation I got to join a friend for dinner and games. We even got to help Santa and create a little Christmas magic. It was definitely better than sitting at home, alone with a Christmas movie! 

Chaos

I'm a super organized person. I actually really struggle with it. But today I'm thankful for the chaos we experienced. My family was together (minus Jamie, who is home sick) and tonight we were all under one roof. We watch old videos, we laughed, we ate yummy food, the kids played, the kids yelled, and messes were made. It was SO loud! Chaos. But I've been waiting for years for that chaos. I hope to have much more of that chaos in the future! 

Home videos

We cleaned out the house my family grew up in. We got rid of a ton of stuffand we put a lot of stuff in storage. But we didn't get rid of or store all the old photos and home videos. We brought them all down to St. George so that everyone who comes down will be able to see. We saw some previews of some of the videos tonight. I'm thankful for the technology (however dated it may be now) that allows us to record video. Some of the tapes we have Ariel treasures. 

These girls

I've known these girls since elementary school. I'm thankful we could find a time to get together!

Final budget numbers

I organized a half marathon this past summer. It was a lot of work and we ran into a few obstacles that set us back quite a bit. The race itself ended up being a huge success. I had so much help from so many other departments in Sandy. I really do work with great people!! But, I've been dreading the day that the final budget numbers came in. I knew the race didn't make any money. We anticipated that would be the case the first year. When I ran numbers on the things I knew, I calculated that the race lists tens of thousands of dollars! I hoped that the positive feedback and the great representation of the city would make up the loss. We got the final (almost...close enough) numbers put together today. We lost less than $2,000! I'm so excited and so thankful! I talked to the organizers of a very similar race, which is now ultra successful and they lost over $50,000 on their first race. I'm so thankful our loss wasn't that bad. I'm thankful for all the help and support we had. I can't wait to see how the race grows next year! 

A Christmas Carol

Our friend Jessica gave us an early Christmas present. She bought us tickets to see The Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theatre. I'm thankful for Jessica and her thoughtfulness. I'm thankful to have spent the evening with friends. And I'm thankful for the show. As cheesy as it is, there were some things in the show that I really needed to hear. 

A visit from Krista

Today was a rough day. I spent almost 2 hours in my car in the parking lot at work crying. I managed to offended almost everyone in my family and I was not a happy camper. I knew I needed to calm down and go back into work. But I also knew there was no way I could go in without everyone asking me what was wrong. I waited until there was a group of people walking into the building and I slipped in behind them. I got into my office and found Krista there. She just happened to stop by, even though it was really out of her way. I'm thankful for her and her timing. She sat in my office and chatted with me. She distracted me. I'm thankful she was there. None of my coworkers know who she is so they all thought I was in a meeting and left us alone. Krista's visit was definitely a tender mercy and I'm so thankful for it! 

East to west travel

I am thankful I've been on east coast time for the last 7 days. Traveling from east to west is always easier for me, so I'm thankful to have that situation coming home. It makes going to bed easier and it will make getting up tomorrow morning a little easier. I'm also thankful to be home and I'm thankful for the ability I have to get some alone time. Traveling with 4 other people is tough, even when you really enjoy those other people! 

Cell service

One of my favorite things about going on a cruise is being disconnected from everything. I'm thankful for astronomical international rates, which make it easy to turn my phone off and leave it in the safe for 7 days! I'm thankful for the opportunity to really be with the people I am with - no one distracted by texting or emails, no one talking endlessly about what's happening on Facebook or Instagram. But, when the cruise is over, I'm thankful to have cell service back. Being able to easily communicate with almost anyone with the touch of a button is pretty amazing! 

Cruise staff

I have been on a few cruises. This cruise was my 5th. On every cruise, I've grown a little bit attached to the staff - the doing room staff in particular. This cruise was no exception. I'm thankful for Marmita and Ermundo and Daryl who took care of us at dinner. I'm thankful for Alexandra, who took my food orders and made gluten free possible. I'm especially thankful she complained to the chef about the bread. For the first couple days the gluten free bread was good. Then they switch and the "new" bread literally smelled and tasted like a dirty gym sock. It was awful! But Alexandra got them to switch back to the original, tolerable bread. And I'm thankful for Paulo who always made sure our room was clean and delivered fun towel animals every night. They all did a great job. I know it's a sacrifice for them and they work long, hard hours and don't get compensated adequately enough. I'm thankful to have the opportunity to get to know them and hopefully help them out a little bit! 

Ankles

Today I'm thankful for ankles. Because today I don't have ankles, I have cankles. My feet and legs are swollen. It always happens when I travel. I planned to bring some compression socks to wear at night, but I forgot. I'm thankful we didn't have anything planned except laying on the beach in Grand Turk today! If I had to pick anywhere to have swollen feet and legs, the Caribbean is not a bad choice! 

Rainforests

Today I got to experience a rainforest for the first time. I'm thankful Rodney and Brian were adventurous today in Puerto Rico. We got off the ship looking for an adventure and we found one. We spent the day touring a rainforest and seeing the sites of San Juan via van (an unmarked black van...I was a little nervous, but we survived). I'm thankful I got to see the things I got to see today. 

St Thomas

Today I'm thankful for St. Thomas - one of the US Virgin Islands. It was beautiful! We were a little bit worried about the weather. It was rainy when we started out this morning. But it cleared up to be an absolutely gorgeous day. I'm thankful for the sun, for the crystal blue water, the flour-like consistency of the sand, and the souvenir t-shirt I got. The beach really is my happy place and I'm thankful to be spending so much time there this week! 

A day at sea

Today is a travel day - all day at sea. I'm thankful it was warm enough to lay out in the sun for a few hours, even if it was windy. I'm thankful for the French fries I found out today were gluten free. (There always available, which is good...and really bad!) I'm thankful for the fun we had with our little group. Usually days at sea aren't super fun, but I really enjoyed this one. 

The Bahamas

Today I'm thankful for the time I got to spend in the Bahamas. We laid out on the beach, played in the ocean, and nearly died in some sketchy taxi vans. We were sad we didn't have more time to spend there, but we definitely made the most of the time we did have. 

Harts

When you're on a cruise, sometimes you have to be a little bit creative in order to find "something to do." Today I'm thankful for the face cards Brian bought and the game of harts we played. My dad loved playing harts! I remember playing many times growing up. I'm thankful for the opportunity to play again today. I think the last time I played was with my dad! 

Miami

Today I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to get out of town! I'm going on a cruise and today was the first leg of the journey - to get to Miami. I'm thankful for safe and uneventful travels. 

Freedom

There is nothing quite like walking out of work on a Friday, knowing everything is squared away and you don't have to even think about work for 10 days! Plus - add to that the fact that school is over for the semester. I'm feeling pretty free. Unfortunately I didn't get to simply bask in the freedom - I spent a good chunk of the evening packing. But I'm even thankful for that! I'm thankful for the feeling if being ready. I'm ready to ditch these bitter cold temperatures and soak in some sun!! 

Timing

I found out today that my rockstar audiologist is leaving me! She's leaving her practice to devote more of her time to teaching. I'm devastated. I cried multiple times today. Anne literally fought for me for almost two years. She wrote countless letters to insurance companies. And she put everything together for the application to the organization that donated my BAHA. I have never had a healthcare provider that cared as much as Anne cares. I can't even imagine how many hours she spent on me alone! And I imagine she helped many others just as much. Even though I'm crushed, I'm even more thankful for the timing of my BAHA. I'm thankful I could make it through the hard part with Anne's incredible support. The rest is just maintenance. And Anne is confident in her replacement so I will try to be also. 

The last big assignment

Tonight I gave my final presentation of the semester. I'm thankful the work is done! I still have one more class, but I just have to go (and turn a paper that's already done). 

A 45 minute commute

I had a board meeting today. I'm thankful for that meeting - it was short and enjoyable. I made it short on purpose. I had somewhere I really wanted to be tonight after the meeting. I joined a fitness and nutrition class that meets twice a week and I really wanted to make it to that meeting! But, today it snowed. All day. The traffic was awful! When I left the board meeting, I had just over an hour to make it to centerville in time for the work out portion of the class. And, I made it. I'm so thankful I didn't have to spend 2 or 3 hours on the road, like I heard some others did! I'm thankful I made it safe and timely!! 

One down

Next week is the last week of school for this semester. But, next week I will be on a cruise so I get to finish up all my class work this week! I'm so thankful that I am done with my Monday night class! Now I just have to do a presentation for my Wednesday night class and finish a book and write a report for my Thursday night class. And then I have to find some time to pack! Can someone please slow this week down a little bit? 

Socks

I'm pretty picky about my socks. I'm one of those weird people that sleeps with socks on. (I didn't know I was in the minority on that until recently...I don't know how everyone keeps their toes from freezing off with no socks!) Unfortunately, I totally forgot to pack socks when I packed for thanksgiving in St. George. I'm thankful for my moms heating pad that I put at the foot of my bed to keep my toes warm! And I'm thankful to have socks on tonight! 

Shopping

A few days ago my mom asked if I wanted to do any clothes shopping. I've been seriously struggling with my wardrobe this fall/winter. I feel like I never have anything to wear! So I said yes, I would like to do some clothes shopping. Today, that's what we did. I'm not usually one to buy a whole bunch on one day. I'm not usually lucky enough to find a whole bunch I like (at a decent price). But today was a great shopping day for me. I'm thankful for the things we found. And I'm thankful for my mom and Chris for putting up with waiting for me. 

Crab legs

I was reminded tonight of all the foods I missed out on for many years when I was a "picky eater."  I'm so thankful I grew out of that! There are still a few things I don't love eating, but I'm thankful I can enjoy tasty things like the crab legs I had for dinner tonight! Yum! 

Thanksgiving

I actually don't love thanksgiving, but today I am thankful for it. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with my mom and Chris. I'm thankful for a tasty GF meal. I'm thankful for an outside run in sunny St. George. I'm thankful for all the happy, thankful posts on Facebook. And I'm thankful I was able to get some new TVs at a killer price for my rec center. Not bad for a holiday I don't love! 

Activation

Today was activation day for my BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aid). It has been such a long time coming! I'm thankful my rockstar audiologist who helped make it happen. I'm thankful for the device itself and the sound it allows me to hear. It's still a little weird. It will take some getting used to, and there are still some programming adjustments to be made. But I'm still super excited about it. And I'm thankful for my mom. I wouldn't have been able to do this without her! 

Live music

I'm thankful for music in general. It has always been a part of my life. But I'm especially thankful for live music. There's something different about music that is created in the same room. 

Ward Thanksgiving

I'm thankful my Monday night class was canceled for tonight. It allowed to attend our ward FHE. Every year, our bishopric (and their wives) cook a great thanksgiving meal the Monday before thanksgiving. Tonight was great. I'm thankful for the extra effort that was put into the meal to make most of it gluten free. I'm thankful for our great friends and all the fun that was had! 

Church

Church was just great today. Sometimes I have a really hard time wanting to go to all three hours of church. Sometimes I find myself paying more attention to the clock than the lessons. But today was not one of those days. I'm thankful for the lessons and the Spirit. I'm thankful for the comments (most of them...gotta love singles wards). I'm thankful for the message that kept sounding my head - my Heavenly Father loves me. He's looking out for me. He is constantly blessing me. And He lots more blessing in store! 

Blind dates

Because sometimes, they're really fun! 

Get screened Utah

I'm thankful I received an invitation from Get Screened Utah - cancer screening coalition...or something like that. They had an event today. I was invited and I took Krista with me. We listened to a 45 minute presentation about the importance of mammograms and then we got to see the new Hunger Games movie for free! We even got free drinks and popcorn! It was fabulous. 

A room on the west side

I'm so thankful my bedroom is on the west side of my house. We're having a pretty wicked East wind tonight. It is SO loud!! I'm hopeful that I will still be able to get at least a little bit of sleep tonight. 

Staff photos

I was reminded today that the people I get to work with everyday are seriously great. We had our staff photos taken (it only took us a year). It was pretty entertaining. They all just make me laugh. I'm thankful for Ethan (one of our front desk employees), who came to take our photo. And I'm thankful for some great candid shots like this one: 

The carpool lane

I don't carpool. So I don't actually get to drive in the carpool lane. But today, I'm so thankful that lane was there and I'm thankful it was empty! Traffic came to a pretty quick stop (like it usually does during rush hour). I had plenty of room to stop, but the person behind was following too close! They slammed on their brakes. I even heard their tires screech. And luckily, when they knew they couldn't stop before rear-ending me, they swerved over into the carpool lane to give themselves enough room to stop. It was scary. I thought for sure I was going to have to go get a FIFTH rear bumper replacement! But I didn't. And I'm so thankful! 

A movie

I'm thankful my class was canceled tonight. It made it possible for me to go with my sister to visit my niece (which I'm also thankful for). And it also allowed me to go see The Saratov Approach - a movie about 2 LDS missionaries who were kidnapped in Russia. I have been wanting to see it for quite a while and I'm thankful that I was able to see it tonight. It is a great, intense movie!

Earlier church

I found out today that with the new year, we get to switch our church time to 11:00am!! I'm stoked! We've been at 1:00pm church for a few years. I hate it! I feel like I waste the whole day! (I know I could get up early and be productive, but I just don't).  I'm so thankful that we finally get to switch it up a little bit! 

Lazy days

It's Saturday. I should have been productive. I should have done my laundry and cleaned my room and gone grocery shopping. I should have worked on some school projects or done some reading. Heck, I should have gotten ready for the day. But I didn't. I went to the gym...that's probably the only productive thing I did today! After the gym I showered, got dressed (in yoga pants and a hoodie), chatted with some friends, took a nap, ate my "cheat meal" for the week and watched a movie. It was awesome! I may have an overflowing laundry basket and an extraordinarily messy bathroom, but I'm okay with that. I'm thankful for a break. I'm thankful for a super laid back Saturday! 

Returns

I returned more than $100 worth of stuff today. I went in a little online shopping spree and most if it needed to go back. I'm thankful to be rid of the "return" pile in my room. I'm thankful I could return everything at the same mall. That was way more convenient than having to ship it all back!

Evening fun with Schmem

I came home tonight to find my old roommate Emily visiting. I'm thankful she was there. She is just fun to be around. She makes me laugh...and ruins our plans to go to the gym! But, I'm not sad about it. I would rather hang with Em for a little while than go to the gym any day! We definitely need to hang out with her more! 

Tuesdays

I'm really growing rather fond if Tuesdays. I'm thankful for the lack of meetings on Tuesdays. All the other days if the week I have at least one meeting away from my office. Some days I have full days worth of meeting away from my office. But on Tuesdays, I just have one meeting and it's with my own staff. I'm thankful that I don't have class on Tuesdays. I get to go straight home at 5:00pm. It's really glorious. And lastly, I'm thankful for the fitness group I signed up for at the gym. It meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I enjoy it more on Tuesdays because I don't have to rush straight there after class! I'm thankful for Tuesdays!! 

The disaster in my house

My house is a disaster right now. It really looks like my house threw up all over itself. But I'm thankful for it. I'm thankful for the cleaning and organizing going on right now. I'm thankful to have a new roommate in our home. I'm thankful that Krista and I had to downsize a bit to make room for Bealynn. I'm thankful for Christmas decoration, which may or may not be up now. I'll be really thankful when everything is put away, but for now I'm just thankful for the progress. 

My ability to observe

There is a girl in my ward. I think she is just great! She makes great comments. She's down to earth and real. She was having a tough time in Relief Society today so I texted her and asked if she was okay. She wasn't. I told her I would give her a big hug and help her find some tissue if she wanted to leave class for a minute. She agreed. We left and I gave her a big hug and we chatted for a bit until she was ready to go back in. I'm thankful for the ability we have to be observant. I'm thankful for the intuition we have to know when someone is not okay. It's our job to help those around us. I'm thankful this girl in my ward allowed me to help her. I hope that I can continue to do so. 

My spin neighbor

I went to a spin class this morning. I want to say it was my very first spin class, but technically I went to one other spin class like 4 years ago. Regardless, I'm definitely a beginner. I'm thankful I picked a bike next to a super nice lady! She helped me get the bike all adjusted. She was very encouraging and told me I did a really good job. I'm thankful for her help and her kindness! 

Benadryl

I'm having some kind of weird reaction. My torso intches SO bad! I have never felt anything like this! It feels like hives, but I don't have hives. I don't have a rash or bites, or anything! It just doesn't itches! If I scratch it (which is really hard bit to do), it just hurts. I'm thankful for Benadryl, which at least makes the itch a little better. I would really love to know what is causing it so I can make it stop! 

Something I'm not a part of

Today I'm thankful for my lack of involvement in a project. I'm part of a committee for work. A few people on this committee put together a program they plan to implement in January. Personally, I think this project is a bit of a stretch, and I don't think it's developed enough to launch so soon. But, I'm not in charge. I'm happy to support it and do what I can, but I'm thankful it's not my baby! 

Perfect progress

I saw my ENT today. He wanted to see me three weeks after surgery to see how things were healing. That happened to be today. He said, "whatever you're doing, keep doing it! It looks perfect!" I'm thankful my body is healing and adjusting to the extra metal in my skull! 

New tires

I'm NOT thankful I had to buy new tires. It's no fun! But I am thankful to know that those new tires will jet one much safer on the road. I decided if it's going to be snowy during rush hour traffic, bald tires were just not going to hack it! 

A theory

I'm taking a class about human behavior in recreation. It's basically a class where we learn all about theories, the different elements of a theory, what makes a good theory, etc. for the last two weeks, we (the students in the class) have been scouring over a set of data from a survey trying to come with some but of information that we can develop into a theory. I've been thinking about this quite a bit and today I finally found my little bit of information from the data that I will turn into my theory. I just hope I can figure out how to organize all the thoughts in my head into a solid theory! For now I'm just thankful for the beginning of my theory. 

Temple prep

I have some good friends who are preparing to go to the temple. The bishop wants them to attend the temple prep class before they go. I considered going to the class with my friends, but when I heard that the bishop's wife was the one teaching, I knew I had to go. I just love her and will forever be thankful to know her. And I'm thankful for the class she taught today...even if I'm passed the point of needing temple prep myself! 

Downsizing

I'm thankful for the feeling that comes when we get rid if things you know you do not need anymore. I have a hard time letting some things go. But sometimes you have to get over it and move on!!

Epiphanies

I had lots of epiphanies today. I spent all day at work working on a solution to a problem I didn't know we had. Finding the problem was a great epiphany. It's going to take a lot if hard work to fix it, but it will really benefit us in the long run. I also had a few great epiphanies while I was at dinner with a good friend. We chatted about striving for excellence and the idea that as we strive for excellence, we need a worthy opponent. I loved every minute of our conversation. I wish I had recorded it all so I could listen to it again later!

Dinner

I went to red robin with Krista and Michelle for dinner. The company was great, the service was awful. I'm thankful for Michelle - she paid for my dinner. It was very kind of her. I'm thankful for the example she sets for those around her. She just really likes to do things for other people. 

Employees

I seriously have the best employees! I'm SO thankful for them and all they do! Today I'm thankful for the because they came up with some fabulous marketing ideas. And two of them brought me a diet coke on their way back into the office from lunch. It doesn't get much better than that!

Fall

It's pretty much over so I thought I should probably devote a night to be thankful for fall. I love the changing colors and cooler temperatures. I love hoodies and jeans and boots. I love warm soups and anything pumpkin flavored. I'm not thankful that it's over. I'm not thankful that it's supposed to snow. But I am thankful for fall. 

Trace minerals

My eye has been twitching on and off for MONTHS!! During the last few months it's been twitching more and more. It is SO annoying! This weekend some of my friends from Idaho came down. They stated at my house. I said something about my eye twitching and my friend Brian suggested trace minerals. It's just a little bottle of minerals you drop in your water. I used it once last night and a few times today and so far - no eye twitching!! I am so thankful! I hope it lasts! 

Idaho friends

I spent the day with my friends from Idaho. They came down to go to the BYU game last night and they decided to stay and make a weekend of it. We went shopping up in park city, ate lots of good food, and laughed a lot. I'm thankful they came down. I'm thankful the timing worked out well (Krista is out of town this weekend so I'm not worried about the 4 extra people in the house bothering her). I'm also really thankful for the shopping success I had yesterday because I had zero shopping success today! 

New clothes

I had a wardrobe crisis a few days ago. I literally questioned my sanity last winter. I feel like I have NO fall/winter clothes! I don't know what I wore last winter! I'm thankful for a cute new shirt that Krista bought (she loved it, but it was a little bit too small for her so she bought it to see if I would like it). And I'm thankful for a very successful shopping trip of my own! I feel like I'm a little more prepared to take on the winter now! I'm also thankful for 2 bonus checks I received at our department retreat today at work. They weren't much, but I am definitely thankful for them!

Lunch with Jill

My old coworker Jill is in town. She moved to St. George shortly after she quit working for Sandy. I visit her pretty regularly when I go down to see my mom.  I'm thankful we got to meet up for lunch today. It was fun chatting with her and getting caught up. And it was fun that she had her adorable kids with her! 

Kudos from The Board

I received one of the most meaningful compliments today. I work with a "board." I have to attend a monthly board meeting to present the budget, a monthly participation report, and an update on the center. I usually don't love board meetings. I always feel like the "young kid that doesn't know anything." But today, one of the board members called me out and said, "Jetta, I just want you to know that in the short time you've been here, you have certainly proved yourself. You are always professional and well-spoken and I am impressed." I'm so thankful for that compliment. It really meant a lot to me!

Good decisions

I probably pushed my body too hard yesterday. As much a as I want to say I'm 100% back to normal, I'm still recovering from surgery. Yesterday I worked a full day and went to my 3-hour night class. I felt okay yesterday, but I think I paid for it today. I felt awful today. I managed to make it through the work day. I was supposed to go to a 2-hour regional relief society training right after work. I'm thankful I made the decision to skip that training at rest at home instead. I'm all about magnifying my calling, but not when you're body is not happy. I'm thankful for the decisions we get to make for ourselves. 

Contact

I lost contact with one of my favorite roommates from college after she got married. She didn't (and still doesn't) have Facebook and the last time I tried the phone number I had for her, it was disconnected. I've thought about her a few times in the last couple months and wished that I had some way if getting a hold of her. One of my other roommates sent me message today and said Kristi (the one I lost contact with) had her thyroid removed and was diagnosed with stage 1 thyroid cancer today. My heart aches for her, her husband, and her 4 little ones. Kristi is tough and they caught the cancer really early so she has a good chance for a full recovery. I'm thankful that I was able to find her husband on Facebook. Hopefully I can get a hold Kristi soon!! 

One last day

Tomorrow I have to wake up early. I have to go to work. I have to go to school. I can't just take a nap whenever I want. I'm not looking forward to it. But today I'm thankful I had one last day to sleep in late, relax, and take it easy. 

Clean hair

My hair was nasty dirty this morning!! I have a little pad covering the surgical sure and I'm not allowed to get it wet. It doesn't come off until Wednesday! I desperately needed to get out of the house, but there was no way to salvage my hair enough to be presentable...not even dry shampoo would do the trick! I'm thankful for a couple sisters in my Relief Society who came to the rescue and helped me get my hair clean without getting the surgical site wet! I felt like a new woman! 

Boredom

I'm not actually thankful for boredom, I'm thankful for what the boredom means. It means I'm healing and starting to feel better. It means my body isn't needing quite as much rest or painkillers. It also means that now comes the tricky part where I have to be careful not to overdo it!! 

An estimate

My car got hit in a parking lot last weekend. The cops caught the lady that did it and her insurance will take care of it. Unfortunately, it was all pretty bad timing. I couldn't proceed with getting my car fixed until I got an estimate from the place the lady's insurance said to go to. And I can't drive because I'm still on painkillers. Lucky for me, Emily was willing to come take my car to get the estimate. I know she has better things to be doing, but she was kind enough to come help me. I'm so thankful for her help! I'm thankful to have the estimate so I can continue the process and get my car fixed!  

Chicken noodle soup

One of my favorite meals as a child was my mom's homemade chicken noodle soup. When my mom asked if there was anything in particular I wanted her to make this week, that was too on my list. I'm thankful for the amazing smell I got enjoy all day while I was cooking. And I'm especially thankful for the delicious soup I got to eat for dinner. And the leftovers I get to enjoy for the next several day. My mom is the best! It's her birthday today and she spent it here taking care of me. I love her! 

Anesthesia

I'm so thankful for modern medicine. I'm thankful I was able to get the implant for BAHA today and I'm thankful I was out for the whole thing! I'm thankful for the precautions my anesthesiologist took to make sure I didn't end up puking my guts out. I'm thankful that I'm feeling as well as I am right now. I hope trend continues. 

A personal assistant

I'm having surgery tomorrow. This morning there were still quite a few things on my list of things to do. I'm so thankful I had my mom here to run all over creation for me! It was definitely a blessing. Instead of having to do everything by myself after work, I got to enjoy a movie and dinner and some famy time (including a priesthood blessing from my brothers)! I'm thankful my mom is here and that she helped so much! 

Baby blessings

What a blessing it is to have the priesthood available to us! I got to attend the blessing of a good friends baby girl today. We missed the first little but because we were late, but the bit I heard was enough. I'm thankful that our sweet little babies are welcomed to this earth and our church with a blessing from our Heavenly Father. I can only imagine how comforting it would be to have a little taste of the home you left to come to this world. I'm thankful for the great example my friends set of being parents! I'm thankful I was invited to attend the blessing today. 

The gluten free expo

I went to the gluten free expo with my niece today. I'm thankful she agreed to come with me! The gluten free expo is like Christmas for me. Buying gluten free stuff sucks because it's so expensive and most of the time it isn't very good. But at the expo, I get to sample a ton of gluten free goodies and make a mental note of which are worth purchasing. It was great. I'm also thankful my niece was so patient while we waited 40 minutes for the cops to come. Someone hit my car in the parking lot. The lady that hit it was still parked next to me. I'm thankful they caught her and that she will have to fix my bumper!! 

A lunch date

Two of my favorite people came to sandy to meet me for lunch today! My mom, Jamie, and I spent a great hour enjoying great food and each other's company. It was definitely the highlight of my day! 

Libraries

I have to read 2 books for one of my classes. I got to choose the books do I'm actually pretty excited about it. BUT, I ordered the books online at the beginning of September and I still have not received them!! I decided I don't want to risk it ordering then again, so I did a little search and found both at the library. I put them on hold and had them delivered to the branch that's 2 blocks from my house. I picked them up today. Free. Easy. Fast. Now I just need to figure out how to get my money back from the books I bought online! 

Free tickets

I went to lunch at the gluten free place today. I was definitely in the right place at the right time. The lady in charge of the gluten free expo this weekend came in to drop off some posters and some tickets to the store owners. I ended up with 2 free tickets to the expo! I usually have horrible luck, but today I really lucked out! I'm thankful I was there and I'm excited to eat myself sick on delicious gluten free treats this weekend! 

Pieces of the puzzle

There's been a really hard situation that we've been dealing with for a few weeks at work. Today we received some very important pieces if the puzzle. It completely changed the situation and our plan if action for the future. Information is important. I'm thankful for the new information we received today. It will make our life a little easier!

Family Home Evening

I'm thankful for an invite to join my brother and his family for family home evening. My mom is up here to help my sister for a few days. It seemed like a great opportunity for a big family night. I'm thankful my mom is up here and I'm thankful to have spent the evening with my family. 

General conference

I just love our modern day prophets. I am so thankful for the knowledge I have that Heavenly Father still leads and guides this church. I'm thankful for modern technology that makes listening to the prophets so easy! I'm thankful that we get to do just that every six months!

The finish line

I am SO sore! Of the 4 marathons I've run, this year's race was definitely the hardest! Everything hurt. I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose my right pinky toenail. I was SO thankful to finally see the finish line after 26.2 miles! And I'm thankful to finally be in my bed. I'm beat!!

Preparation

I'm running a marathon in the morning. I'm not prepared. I only made it to a 15 mile long run before I had to quit. I'm running the race tomorrow with zero expectations. If I can't run, I'll walk. If I can't walk, I'll get on a relief van and ride to the finish. Even though I'm not as prepared as I would like to be, I'm thankful for the preparation I did get today. I drank a ton of water, I had a great massage, I ate delicious gluten free spaghetti, I soaked in a warm bath, and I'm going to bed early. All my stuff is laid out ready to go. I'm excited and nervous! 

Mom time

My mom is pretty freaking awesome!! I love her and I love spending time with her. I don't even care what we do, I'm just thankful to have her close. I'm thankful for the scalp treatment I got while she got a much needed haircut. I'm thankful for a trip to Costco so she could have her first green smoothie adventure. I'm thankful for a quiet afternoon at home, a delicious (as always) dinner at Anasazi, and a movie on Netflix. I'm thankful for the laughs and the fun. I can't wait to spend tomorrow and the next day and the next day with my crazy, funny, beautiful momma!! 

80 mph

I drove down to St. George today. I'm so excited to spend a few days with my mom, sleep in, and run the St. George Marathon this weekend! I'm thankful for a little bit faster drive down today. They changed the speed limit since the last time I drove down. It's now 80 mph almost the entire way! That, plus the beautiful fall scenery made for a rather enjoyable drive!

A day

I really needed a day. I had a massive headache for most of the day yesterday. I woke up not feeling awesome. So I called in sick. I spent the day resting, getting caught up on some chores, and putting things together for my trip to St. George (TOMORROW!). I'm thankful that I could just take a day. I really hope it helps my body reset a little bit and I wake up tomorrow feeling awesome!!

Raspberry jam

A while ago we got a quart of raspberry freezer jam from the wife of one our bishopric members. It's been hidden in our freezer. We broke it out on Sunday and I've been trying to find any excuse to use it as much as possible! It's tasty. 

A dinner party

We have some new friends in our ward. They invited us over for dinner tonight. We enjoyed a great meal and then played some games. I'm thankful for the opportunity to meet some new people and socialize. 

The General Relief Society Broadcast

I love General Conference. And I love the Relief Society broadcast! Tonight's meeting for the sisters of the church was incredible. I'm thankful for the tender mercies I received from my Heavenly Father during the conference. 

Internet

The internet at my house had been awful for a few months. Today they finally sent someone out to fix it. They replaced something outside yesterday and it must have helped. When they came to check it out this morning, it was working. I'm thankful it's finally working! 

Approval

I got a very exciting email today. I found that I have been approved to receive a BAHA (Bone Anchored Hearing Aide) through the Colorado Neurological Institute's BAHA assistance program. This has been a year and a half in the making - a year and a half if excited and heartbreak and frustration. And now it's here! I talked to my audiologist, Anne this afternoon. She is fabulous and I'm so thankful for her! She is bending some rules to make it possible for me to have surgery over my fall break so it won't interfere with school. I'm thankful for the opportunity. I'm thankful for my mom and the help she will be providing to make it happen. I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father, for the knowledge I have that He is aware of me. I am not forgotten. His promises are not forgotten. This truly is an amazing blessing. I could not be more thankful or more excited!! I'm going to be bakd to hear!!! 

An extra hoodie

I knew it was going to cold today. I wore a sweater. However, when I left my house wearing my cardigan sweater, I was not expecting it to be raining like crazy when I needed to leave for school. I was not prepared for a 15 minute walk from the parking lot to my class - in the rain!! I'm so thankful Lois had an extra hoodie in her office. That hoodie kept me warm and dry! 

Silver Sneakers

Ever since I became the director of the rec center, the old people have been hounding me to get the center signed up to be a part of silver sneakers (a gym membership discount program for seniors). Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just signing up! I requested to become a part of the network and was told by multiple people that that was all I could do. After I had done that, I could only wait to see if Silver Sneakers would call and accept us. It's only been like 10 months, but they finally accepted us!! I'm so thankful to finally be able to tell our die hard senior members that they will soon be eligible for a serious discount at our center! They're going to be so happy!

Megan

Megan is my classmate. I don't know her very well, but today she made my day. Our class is from 4:30-7:30pm. Tight during dinner time. My teacher decided to assign all of us a day to bring snacks for the whole class. Genius. They asked about food allergies. I spoke up and said I couldn't eat gluten, but also added that I was happy to bring my own snacks. Having to stick to just gluten free snacks would be a bummer! Today Megan brought pizza for the class. As everyone got up to get some, she walked over to me with a little container if veggies and some hummus. It was incredibly thoughtful of her and I'm so thankful!! 

Willing people

I spent hours - today, and yesterday, collecting surveys on a trail for one of my classes. It wasn't fun. The survey is extraordinarily long. I'm thankful for the people on the trail who were willing to stop their walks, hikes, and bike rides to take the survey. 

A dead spider

Last week I saw a spider in my garage. It was big and black and nasty. When I tried to kill this spider by stepping on it, it jumped over my foot, off the stairs and ran away! It was an awful experience! After thinking about that spider almost everyday, I decided it was time to do something about it. I bought some pest control spray from Home Depot (thanks to my coworker Todd for the recommendation). While I was spraying my garage, I found that big, black, jumping spider! This time it was a little slower because I had just sprayed him. That didn't stop it from jumping TOWARD me multiple times, but he didn't have anywhere to hide. I worked up some courage and stepped on him! I'm so thankful that spider is dead! And I'm thankful that there's a spray that will (supposedly) keep the spiders and other creepy crawlies out of my house!!

Older people

I'm scrapbooking today. Every once in a while I go to a scrapbook event. It's at a hotel. We scrap all day on Friday, sleep in the hotel and then scrap all day on Saturday. I love coming (when I have pictures to scrap and I can afford it). I especially love the people that come. There is someone from nearly every generation in our little group of friends. I'm so thankful for the different perspectives that different generations have to offer. 

A field trip

When I was a kid, field trip day was always the best! Now that I'm

grown up, field trip day is still the best! Today we got to go up to park city. We had a little meeting and then took a tour of their parks and facilities. Their facilities definitely put our's to shame, but that's okay. We're working on it! I'm thankful for the fun we had at the park. I sat on this spinning chair on the playground and I thought I was going to die! I couldn't make it stop spinning! I laughed so hard I cried and nearly peed my pants!! 

Finding my laundry switched

I came home from school and had just enough time to eat and change before heading to ward temple night. As I headed up the stairs, I remembered I had started a load of laundry this morning and it needed to be switched to the dryer. I went to quickly switch it before I changed and found it had already been done! Krista changed it for me. I'm thankful for her thoughtfulness (and her knowledge that all clothes canNOT be dried)!! 

Support

I'm making some changes in my life. I've set some goals - big and little. I'm excited and motivated. I'm especially thankful for all the support I am feeling right now. Making changes and doing hard (great) things is so much easier when you have a buddy. I'm thankful that I have a whole bunch of buddies and a whole bunch of support! 

Short class

I'm thankful that my class tonight was only an hour. It gave me a chance to go grocery shopping and stock up. I made a decision to clean up my diet a little bit. It's hard to eat clean when you don't have anything in the fridge! But now it's full and I'm ready to roll! 

Salsa

I caught the canning bug. In the past week, I've helped can salsa and peaches. There's something so satisfying about it. Today I got to be more of the process than the previous adventures (I had school and work so I showed up late). I am thankful for the opportunity to learn how to make salsa. I'm thankful for Emily for imparting her knowledge. And I'm super thankful she was willing to let us use her house, her camp stove, and her canning treasures. We couldn't have done it without her!! I'm thankful the store of salsa we have for the next year! 

Sealings

I am so thankful I got to witness the sealing of my good friend Hannah and her (now) husband Beau. It was a beautiful ceremony and I am so happy for them!! 

Idaho

10 years ago I drove up to Rexburg, ID for my first semester of school. I didn't know then that I would grow to love it so much. My friend is getting married tomorrow and I used that as an excuse to spend a few days in Idaho. It was SO fun to visit with my old BYU-Idaho Activities peeps. And I forget that I have friends in Idaho that I love dearly! I'm so thankful to be able to spend some time in this state. I'm thankful I don't live here anymore, but it's fun to visit!

Early payroll

We have to turn payroll in every other Friday. It's due by 9:00am or something like that. I'm not really sure. Alta Canyon has SO many employees during the summer, the payroll department lets us turn it in whenever it's done. While the pool was open, we were usually lucky to have it done by noon. But this week, we didn't have as much to enter. The "summer" is over and the pool is closed. We got it done and turned in today! A whole day early! I'm so thankful it got done today. That means I don't have to go to work tomorrow morning. I took the day off because I'm heading up to Idaho. I planned to go in for a few minutes to finish up and deliver payroll. But I don't have to!!

Gardens

I don't have a garden...I don't a yard. It's one of the perks of living in a town house. Most of the time I love that. The only time I don't is this time of year - when everyone I know is harvesting delicious home grown vegetables from their gardens. Maybe someday I'll have my own. For now, I'm thankful for all those people I know who planted too much. I'm more than happy to take some extra tomatoes!! 

Change

Change is hard, but most if the time it's good for us. Right now I feel like things are in a constant state of change. I'm particularly thankful for the change in seasons that is starting to occur. The weather is getting cooler and I am loving it. I'm not ready for freezing cold and snow, but I'll take the not-so-sweltering temperatures. 

Dreams

I don't often have dreams I remember, but this morning I had one that hit my heart. In my dream, my dad was still alive. We were all working hard to clean out the house we grew up in. We got all done and then my dad and I went fishing. I was getting anxious because I had to go somewhere, but I knew if I left my dad would leave. I finally had to go. I have him a big hug and I told him that just because the house was cleaned out, that didn't mean he had to leave. I told him we still needed him around. Before I could hear his response, Krista came into my room and woke me up. I immediately remembered the dream and started to cry. Not 2 minutes later, our home teachers stopped by, unannounced. Everything combined made me feel like I am being watched over. I feel like Heavenly Father and my dad are doing everything they can to help me. And even though they can be here physically, there are other people in my life that can. I definitely don't think it's a coincidence that my home teachers showed up right after that dream!!

Not being in charge

It's not often that I get to go to a special event for work that I'm not in charge of. And on the rare occasion that that does happen, I at least have a specific job I have to accomplish. But not today. Today we hosted a triathlon at the Center. I wasn't in charge. I didn't even have an assignment (except to be back up if someone ended up needing help). I just got to go and supervise. I'm thankful for that experience this morning. I'm thankful for all the hard work my team put into the event. And I'm thankful that the event was a success, even with a few hiccups. 

Good partners

I hate group work at school! I don't like relying on someone else for my grade. I don't like that one person usually ends up doing all the work. I don't like trying to find a time to meet with a group. I just really don't like it. Today one of my teachers informed us that we will all have to lead two two-hour discussions and we have to both with a partner. And both partners have to be different. I don't feel like I'm really "friends" with any of my classmates. I like them all, but I'm just not buddy buddy with them. I was worried I would end having to work with the people I am less fond of. But it didn't work out that way. I'm thankful for the partnerships that I ended up with. I think the two people I get to work with will be great!

The little things

Sometimes I worry a little bit that my Heavenly Father must think I'm nuts. Sometimes when I pray, I ask for help with some little things. I imagine Him to be listening intently. And sometimes i think when He hears the things I'm concerned about, He must just shake His head and reply, "Really Jetta, you're worried about this? Well let me just help you out so you can see that I'm listening and I will always help you!" This morning I had some concerns. I conducted two meetings today that are not part of my "normal routine," and I had to give a little presentation in my class tonight. I was prepared for both meetings and the presentation. I just really wanted all of three things to go really well. And they did. They weren't even a big deal. I'm thankful that Heavenly Father cares about what I care about. I'm thankful that He will help me with the little things. I'm also thankful to know that He will help with the big things, too! 

A blank day on the calendar

I very, very rarely have a day that is void of meetings and/or obligations. I end up at least one meeting nearly every day. But today, my calendar was blank. I had the whole morning and afternoon to do what I wanted without being interrupted. It was awesome! I'll make up for it tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm pretty sure I won't even get to see my office until 1:00pm...it's going to be a long morning of meetings!!

Labor Day

Really, I'm thankful for any holiday that gets me out of having to go to work! I'm especially thankful I got to sleep in. My body needed it! I'm super bummed I missed out on my original plans to go to Bear Lake with my friends. But it just made more sense to stay home. Spending 4 hours in the car with an upset stomach just didn't sound like a good plan. I really hope I sleep well tonight and I'm ready to go to work tomorrow!

Toilet paper

I got "glutened." It's been a long time. I forgot how miserable it is! I'm thankful for toilet paper. I've been using quite a bit of it and I can't imagine life without it!!

Memory Lane

I spent most of the in the house I grew up in. My mom is ready to sell that house so she can buy one in St. George. Before we can sell it, we have to clean it out. There were a lot of memories made in that house! I'm thankful for the opportunity to spend some time on Memory Lane today. I think it's important to remember and reflect. 

Maxi skirts

This morning I had a wardrobe crisis. Since I found out I have to have surgery on my other hip, I stopped trying. I haven't been working out and I've been eating rather poorly. I'm sure no one would ever notice, but I just wasn't happy with anything I tried on...until I put on a maxi skirt. I am thankful I had something in my closet that was comfy and cute to wear on a day like today. And tomorrow, I will go work out, drink lots of water, and try to make better food choices!!

Hump day dinner

There's a group of girls in my ward that gets together every week for dinner. Usually it's on Wednesday nights. I have never been able to go! I've always had a work thing or can't eat what they're having. But this week they decided to do dinner on Thursday. I'm thankful my class got out early so I could meet them! They went to Cafe Rio. I can't eat there, but I just brought my own dinner in and ate with them. It was a lot of fun! I'm sad I have class on Wednesday and Thursday nights now. Maybe I'll be able to get out early once in a while and be able to join then again!

A fixed toilet

Our downstairs bathroom has been out of commission. Back in the day if used to run constantly! Krista and I replaced the fill valve (or something like that). After that it didn't run all the time, but it was never quite right. You had to push the flusher SO hard to get the toilet to flush. If was annoying. But not as annoying as having the toilet leak, which is what started happening a couple weeks ago. Enter Matt, the world's greatest home teacher! We told him about the toilet on Sunday when he specifically asked if we had any plumbing problems he could fix (apparently his dad is a plumber). He texted me yesterday, said he bought everything to fix my toilet and wanted to know when a good time would be. He came tonight and now the toilet works like a charm!

A birthday party

It was a little bit late, but my friends got together for my birthday tonight. Krista planned it. We went to dinner and then to see Tarzan at The Hale Center Theater. It was a lot of fun. I'm thankful for the fabulous friends who came! It really was a good time!

My teacher Matt

Today was my first day of school in this new semester. At the beginning of class my teacher asked us all to introduce ourselves and tell everyone what we're doing and why we're in grad school. I told my story about being bored at work and how I am currently the director of a rec center. After class Matt (the teacher) pulled me aside and said he has been a director before and knows how challenging it is. He offered to do whatever he can to help me in his class. I'm thankful for his empathy and understanding. I hope my other 2 teachers are that cool. 

We

I asked my brother for a blessing. I'm a little bit worried about going back to school. Deep down I know it will be just fine, but I have a hard time getting into a new routine. About half-way through the blessing, it changed. Instead of hearing, "I bless you..." it turned into "WE bless you..." It wasn't a huge thing, but it made me feel like my Heavenly Father and my dad were close and concerned about me and my happiness. 

The 2013 Run Elevated Half Marathon

The race I have been working on for most of the year finally happened today. I am beyond thankful for all the staff and volunteers who helped us pull off an awesome event! We got SO much positive feedback! It was stressful. It was a ton of work. And it was incredible. Things could not have run any smoother. I'm excited to get going on the 2014 race! But for now, I'm thankful the 2013 race is over!!

A bus contract

Talk about cutting it close. The race I've been working to organize for 9 months is finally here. We "Run Elevated" in the morning. Everything important has been taken care of for a while - except the bus contract. It's been a very stressful couple of days as we have worked hard to make it happen. Today it finally worked out and I have an acceptable, signed contract for transportation for the race. I'm off to bed at 9:00pm, hoping for at least a few hours of sleep before my alarm goes off at 3:00AM! Gross! And in a few short hours it will all be over. 

Early mornings

I didn't sleep well last night. When I finally did fall asleep, it was after 1:30am. And then I woke up again (with no hope of getting back to sleep) at 4:30. I laid in bed for a little while, but then my mind started to race. I finally decided to get up, we'll before my alarm. I got to work early and spent the extra time organizing all the notes I've written myself. I finally got a good comprehensive list of everything that needs to happen in the next couple days. I delegated what I could and focused on the things I couldn't. I'm feeling pretty good about where everything sits right now. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to get everything finished tomorrow in time for a great race on Saturday! I'm thankful for the uninterrupted time I had this morning before things got busy to get organized and focused. It made all the difference in the world. 

Books

It's been a long time since I've been really sucked into a book. I actually read very many books at all lately. But I'm thankful to currently be totally sucked into the book "Divergent." I'm about halfway through. Tonight it's been the perfect escape from the bad news that's stuck on my mind - I have to have surgery on my other hip! Totally bummed!! Now back to my book. 

A round of applause

I gave a short presentation for Sandy City Council tonight. I talked about the Center and the race. In the middle of my presentation, the city administrator said, "Let's give her a round of applause!" It was so fun! I work really hard - not for recognition, but because I'm passionate about what I do. But every once in a while its fun to get a little recognition.  

The Bishops house

I love my Bishop. And I love my Bishop's wife! They are just great people. We got to spend some time in their home for FHE. I'm so thankful for their home, for the peace and love that fill their home, and for their willingness to invite us young single adults into their home. 

Our Stake Fireside

I'm thankful my friend Megan texted me and invited me to go to our stake fireside tonight. I was just sitting at home alone wishing it was late enough for me to go to bed! I went to the fireside and it was great. We were repeated told that if we are doing what is right, everything will work out. We were told to always have hope. We were told our Heavenly Father adores us. We were told all the things I needed to hear. I'm thankful that our Heavenly Father is so willing to bless us when we make the effort to do the things we're supposed to do!

A full Saturday

Most of the time, Saturdays just kind of float by. It's been a while since I've had a Saturday as packed as today was. I'm thankful for all the things I got to do today. Those things include:

A long run (15 miles)

A long shower

A chat with my mom

Pad Thai for lunch 

A short nap

Shopping and ice cream with Melodee and Holly

Waxed eyebrows

A stake YSA luau 

Dinner (because I couldn't eat at the luau) at 5 Guys

A great movie with friends 

And now I'm thankful to be going to sleep! 

That it was not worse

A friend of mine was involved in a motorcycle accident late last night. I'm so thankful that my friend is okay. He spent some time in the ER last night and he ended up going back to the ER tonight. And even though he's not "okay," I'm thankful he is alive. I'm thankful things were not worse!! 

Church magazines

We had a Relief Society activity tonight. We cut up old church magazines and decorated study journals. It was fun to look through the old magazines. I'm so thankful for latter-day revelation and the means we have to communicate that revelation to the world! I'm also thankful that I can now get those magazines on my phone! It's so convenient!!

Tender mercies

This life is full of tender mercies, often looked over as simply coincidence. I planned to leave a little early today - I'm going to be well over 40 hours this week. But, for some reason, I just didn't. I didn't have anything pressing keeping me at work, but I stayed anyway. It turned out to be really good that I did because I was needed in Salt Lake at 5:30. If I had left early, I wouldn't have been in just the right place to help! I'm thankful for that little tender mercy that allowed me to be in the right place at the right time! Maybe I'll be able to cut some hours tomorrow instead!

My body

Our bodies are pretty darn incredible! I'm thankful for all the things my body can tolerate. I'm also thankful for the ability my body has to tell me that something is wrong. I'm the middle of making a decision about whether or not I should keep running. I had surgery on my hip last December. I'm now starting to feel the same pain in my other hip. But, I'm too stubborn for my own good! I don't want to stop running. I keep thinking maybe it's just a sore muscle. But I doubt it. I'm just ready to make a decision yet...but I need to! I'm training to run the St. George marathon. I'm supposed to run 17 miles this weekend. I just don't think it's going to happen, as much as I really want it to! We'll see. Maybe I'll give my doctor a call tomorrow and see if he can get me in sometime soon. 

Improv FHE

Our ward didn't have Family Home Evening tonight...but my friends did. We met up, had a little BBQ, and ventured to bountiful for some amazing shaved ice. It was rather delightful!

Teaching

I'm almost 100% sure that I was put on this earth to be a teacher...a Relief Society teacher. I'm so thankful for the ability I have to get up in front of the sisters in my ward and see the love our Heavenly Father has for them! I'm thankful for their comments and the things they teach me while I'm supposed to teaching them. I'm thankful that I still get to teach Relief Society even though I'm technically not a teacher anymore. I'm not thankful that the teacher assigned to teach today bailed at 10:00 last night and forced me to have to step in and teach a lesson with very little preparation. But I'm thankful for the Spirit that took over and led the lesson where it needed to go. 

A new temple video

I love the temple! When I found out the church released an updated video for that portion of temple worship, I was excited to go check it out. It was great! I felt a huge outpouring of love from my Heavenly Father. I'm always thankful for that!!

Birthdays

I had a great birthday! My employees plastered happy birthday all over my office windows so everyone that passed my office wished me a happy birthday. I got to go out to lunch and dinner. I got to spend some time with some of my favorite people. It was just a good day. I'm thankful I was born (thanks, mom) and I'm thankful I could celebrate that today!! 

Little Cottonwwod Canyon

I live in an incredibly beautiful state! I love living by the mountains. I love experiencing all four seasons. I especially live the beautiful canyons along the wasatch front. I've had the opportunity to spend some time in almost all if them. This year I have spent a lot of quality time in Little Cottonwood Canyon. That's where the half marathon I'm in charge of will happen. I got to run the first three miles of the route again tonight with a training clinic we arranged for the race participants. It was perfect. It was so green, it was sunny, and it was at least 15 degrees cooler up the canyon. I hope be able to do some exploring up in the canyon soon, maybe hike some of the trails. 

This blog

I started this thankful record quite a while ago. To be honest, I'm surprised I still keep it up. It's definitely a habit. And one I hope to keep for a long, long time. Here's why: today was awful. I worked for 11 hours. I didn't eat "lunch" until 4:30. I had to fight fires (not literal fires...). I had to smooth things over that other people had ruined for me. I found out that a person I trusted very much has been lying to me. I had to do interviews (I HATE doing interviews). I didn't get to run on my lunch break like I had planned (because I didn't get a lunch break). I didn't get home until 8:45pm. And I had to work late last night. And I have to work late tomorrow. It was a rotten day. It was hard. But, despite all the awful things that happened today, I'm still in the habit of recording at least one thing I'm thankful for. Every night before I go to bed, I reevaluate my day and I focus on all the things I'm thankful for. Usually when I have an extra bad day, I'm just thankful that not every day is that bad! There is something very therapeutic about ending every day with a positive, thankful thought. That's why I'm thankful for this blog!!

A normal work schedule

Today I'm thankful for a normally predictable work schedule. And I'm thankful that most of the time, that predictable schedule is 8:00am-5:00pm. Today was not a normal work schedule. I had to work until 9:15pm. It was definitely not my favorite. 10:00 is WAY to late for me to just be getting home! 

My experiences as a Ward Missionary

A couple years ago I was called to be a Ward Missionary. I had a hard time saying no. Not only do I dread talking to people I don't know, I was also pretty devastated to leave my other calling as a Relief Society teach. Teaching is definitely one of my favorite callings in the church (and in other aspects of my life, too). I served as a Ward Missionary for a year until they called me to be a Relief Society teacher again. That year was tough, but I learned so much!! Tonight our stake had a missionary "blitz." We met at the church, got paired up and set out with a few names to do some missionary work. As we went about trying to find our lost brothers and sisters, I thought about my time as a Ward Missionary. Tonight I was thankful that I was blessed with that opportunity. I was thankful for the skills I learned - like talking to people I don't know. I was thankful for my lack of nerves and the joy I got out of serving in the Lord's church. I don't know if anything will come out of our efforts tonight, but I'm still thankful for the experience. 

Tyler time

I have a friend named Tyler and I just love him! I met him in high school and I'm thankful to have him as a friend into adulthood! A few months ago he got a new job, started working weird hours, started traveling always, and we just haven't seen him since!! But he came to church today. I'm thankful that we could chat with him for a bit and makes some plans to get together this weekend. It was especially great to see him today because today is his birthday!!

Extended family

I have never been very close with my extended family - neither side. I had one cousin my age and we were pretty close, but only through elementary school. We just don't get together. But today everyone on my mom's side got together to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday (she actually turns 90 in November, but she knew it would be easier to get everyone together in the summer). I had so much fun seeing my aunts and uncles and my cousins and my cousins' children! It was pretty incredible to have everyone there!

My teeth

I had an awful dream last night that I hit my jaw really hard and all my fillings came out. (I have awful, awful teeth so the majority of my teeth have multiple fillings!) it was miserable, even if it was a dream. It hurt and even in my dream I had a very real dread of going to the dentist to get them all fixed. I'm not sure I've ever been more grateful that something was just a dream. I'm thankful for my teeth, even if they do have quite a few fillings. I just hope they all stay put!

Family in my house

I love my house. It's definitely "home" for me now. But I love my house just a little bit more when my family is in it! I'm thankful to have my mom at my house for a couple days. And I'm thankful Chris stopped by, too...even if it was just to visit my mom and eat my dinner!! 

A Midas Touch

I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to go to bat for the amazing employees who work for me. They have been a little bit abused and neglected for the past few years. I think they're still getting used to the idea of having a boss who will fight for them instead of throw them under the bus. It's been kind of fun to see their perspectives change. I had a request from an employee today. It was a very logical request. I told her I would do my best to make it happen. I had a monthly board meeting tonight and I proposed the request to the board (along with my very logical, researched information to back it up). There wasn't even a fight and the request was granted. I told my employee she is good to go and she was thrilled. She told me I have the Midas touch or something because I continue to make things happen that make her life easier. I'm so thankful to be in a position where I can do that! It makes for a rather fulfilling job!

Being caught up

I am so thankful that I am already feeling caught up at work. I was gone for 8 days on vacation, plus another day to help my body regroup. And it didn't even take me the whole day to get everything done. I suppose it helps that I get my work emails on my phone so I was able to keep up a bit on those! 

Rest

I spent my "day of rest" driving home from vacation. I didn't sleep well last night and I woke up this morning tired, worn out, and a little bit queasy. I wasn't really "sick," but I definitely was not feeling awesome. I weighed my options and eventually decided it would probably be best if I stayed home and took a day to rest and regroup. It was just what I needed. I know there is a lot of work to be done at my job, but sometimes it's better to let the work wait until you're 100% ready to take it on! I'm thankful for the rest I got today and I'm thankful to have a job that allows me to take a day when I need it. 

Home

I love, love, love vacations! I really loved spending the past few days with some of my family at the beach. I loved getting away. I loved sleeping in and eating out. I loved running at sea level. I loved laying in the sun all day and soaking in some serious vitamin D. I loved wearing a jacket (it got pretty cold on the coast!). I'm thankful for my mom, who made it all happen! And, I'm thankful for a great life that I'm ready to get back to after this great vacation. I'm thankful to have a home and a job to come back to! 

Color

I need a little color in my life and in my face. Operation "get burned to a crisp" has been a great success. I have great expectations for this to fade into a perfect tan! I'm so thankful for the past few days I've been able to spend at the beach and at the pool. It was fabulous. I'm trying really to figure out how I can be thankful for the 11 hour drive I get to make tomorrow....

The natural look

I haven't done my hair or put in make-up in 4 days. It's not my best look, but I don't care! I love vacation!!

Sunscreen

Because sometimes you commit the cardinal sin of vacations and get super sunburned on the first day! And when that happens, sometimes you still want to go out and enjoy the sun and beach. That's just about the only time I'm thankful for sunscreen. Today happens to be one of those times!  

The ocean

The beach is my happy place. There's something about the sun and the sand and sound of the waves crashing that just makes everything right with the world. I'm thankful for the day I got to spend at the beach and I'm thankful for a few more days to spend in my happy place. 

The view

For the next 6 days....

Vacation

I went to sleep last night at 10:00. I woke up this morning at 10:00. I love vacation! I know there's no such thing as "catching up on sleep," but if there was, that's what I'd be doing! I'm thankful for this vacation and the chance to sleep as late as I want! 

Blue Man Group

I saw the show for the first time tonight with my mom. It was fabulous! 

A late night 10K

I signed up to run a 10K tonight with a bunch of friends. It was a late night race (starts at 10:00) and runs along legacy parkway. A 10K is 6.2 miles. This route, which was supposedly a 10K was 8.5 miles. I'm a race director myself and I really don't know how you could be off by 2.3 miles!! But, I'm still thankful for the race. It was fun. I'm also thankful that I'm training to run longer than 10K right now so a couple extra miles wasn't too big if a deal! 

Dumb people

I had a very interesting conversation with a man who thought he knew everything about my rec center, specifically the budget. I'm thankful for the pure entertainment that conversation gave me. And I'm thankful for the entertaining reactions from other people when I told them the story later. Dumb people usually really bother me, but this guy was a crack up!

Gluten free frosting

One of my employees is having a baby. Well, his girlfriend is having a baby. They don't have much so I decided we needed to throw him a little baby shower. I told my employees that I would bring a treat. I decided to make gluten free cupcakes. I'm too lazy to make frosting so I bought some at the store. I opened the frosting and nearly started frosting the gluten free cupcakes. I just happened to glance at the label - wheat starch!!! It would have been so sad (and hilarious) if I glutened myself with store bought frosting! I'm thankful I caught it and I'm thankful for the new frosting I bought, which actually was gluten free!

A system that works

There's a swimming pool at my rec center. It gives me anxiety. It's hard to fathom that teenagers are life guarding that pool. Literally, people's lives are in the hands of teenagers. But today I got to see first hand that they are capable of that! An individual had a seizure in the pool. Our lifeguards responded just how they should. The fire department and the ambulance arrived quickly. I'm so thankful that everything turned out okay. I'm thankful to know that our system works. And I hope to never have to see it work again! 

Knowledge to share

I really believe that the majority of the experiences I have, I have to be able to help other people. That's what this life is all about - learning, and using what we learn to help and love others. I'm thankful for the knowledge I have to share. I have some dear friends putting together a benefit 5K race. We have been exchanging emails for a few days now and it just brings me so much joy! I love organizing races and I hope my friends will continue to let me help!

The Shasta vending machine

1:00 church is rough for me! I don't like it. Part of what I don't like is the time after church. It's too late to take a nap, it's too early to go to bed. Krista and I have developed a routine for the Sundays when there's nothing else going on. We get a redbox movie and can of soda from the Shasta vending machine. I'm thankful for our little tradition. How could you not be thankful for 35 cent sodas?

Ragtime

I fell in love with the musical "Ragtime" on my first trip to New York City. It was incredible then and it was incredible again tonight! I'm thankful I had the opportunity to see it again - this time a little closer to home. I'm thankful for the incredible musical talents of the cast of the show! 

Deep conversations

I've never been a fan of small talk. I just don't like it. I always get flustered and I stress about having nothing to say. But I'm thankful good, meaningful, deep conversations. I'm thankful for conversations where thought and opinions and concerns can be shared freely, where you have no thought to judge and you're not worried about being judged yourself. I need to figure out how I can have more conversations like that in my life!

Downhills

I ran 3 miles tonight. It was all downhill! It was the fastest 3 miles I've run in a very, very long time! I'm thankful for the opportunity to participate in a clinic to learn how to run downhill with correct form.  

A training clinic

I'm thankful to the folks at Wasatch Running. We partnered with them to present a training clinic for the people who will be running our half marathon. It was fabulous. I'm thankful for Darrell, who taught the lesson and for everyone who came to learn. 

A new screen protector

My phone screen protector has been awful for a few weeks now. I'm so thankful to have a new one! 

Girlfriends

There was a lot of laughing at my house tonight! I'm thankful for the wonderful girls who spent some time with us tonight. I'm thankful for our fun conversations and especially for all the laughter! 

The Book of Mormon

Our young single adult stake president gave us a challenge a little while ago to read the Book of Mormon before the end of the year. It has been a great experience for me to accept this challenge. I'm thankful for the opportunity I had today to teach Relief Society. We had a great discussion about the Book of  Mormon. I hope at least a couple girls recommitted to accepting President Boyer's challenge. 

Thunderstorms

We've been having a bunch of summer thunderstorms this week. I love it. I'm especially thankful for the thunderstorm that happened really, really early this morning. I ran 13 miles this morning. I signed up with a running club. Today was our first meeting and we didn't start running until after 7:00! But, it was still overcast from the thunderstorm and there was a pretty significant breeze. I'm thankful for the circumstances that made the run a little less miserable. 

Being done with high school

I went to my 10 year high school reunion tonight. It was very awkward and very entertaining! I'm so thankful that I'm not in high school anymore! I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had that have allowed me to learn and grow since then! 

4th of July in Kaysville

It's been 6 years since the last time I got to spend the 4th of July just celebrating. Usually I have to wake up at 3:30am and send a good 10 hours in the hot sun, working. But not today! Since I got my new job in December, I no longer have responsibilities on the 4th. I got to sleep in, go for a run, watch the Kaysville parade, nap, BBQ with my family, and see the best fireworks! I love the 4th of July in K-town. I'm thankful that I got to spend the day with some of my favorite people celebrating! Happy 4th of July!

A strangers bathroom

I went to some fireworks tonight. We walked a little more than a mile from our car. By the time we got to the firework location, I needed a bathroom. I hadn't seen any so I decided I could hold it. One of the guys in our group said he needed to go to and we decided to go ask someone who lived close if we could use their bathroom. Tanner walked right up and did all the talking - even when the lady looked pretty upset about us even asking! I'm thankful for the lady allowing us to use her restroom. I'm thankful Tanner was persistent. It made the fireworks a little more enjoyable. 

Jessicas chicken

My neighbor Jessica made us dinner tonight. It was super delicious! I'm thankful for her kindness in making it for us. I'm thankful I had a great meal ready when I got home (from a pretty crappy day)! 

Fresh produce

My body is craving all the right food right now. All day I thought about strawberries and apples and grapes and bananas and cucumbers and avocados. So naturally I had to go to the store to get all those things! (I also ended up with a watermelon and cottage cheese). I'm thankful for my fridge full of fresh produce! I'm excited for snack time tomorrow! 

Strength to speak up

I hate confrontation. I don't like to mad and I really don't like others to be mad at me. But, I made a goal recently to be more vocal when people do or say things that are not kind. I'm thankful I had the strength to do that today. It's really hard to communicate something like that without being mean, but I think it's important. 

Getting things done fast

I expected to spend this whole weekend helping my mom move. I was expected to be completely done with everything by 11:00 on Saturday! But I'm thankful we were done at 11:00 today. I'm thankful for some time by the pool. I'm thankful for dinner with my family and a funny movie. I'm thankful for the members of my moms ward who helped so we could get things done faster! I'm also very thankful that we didn't have to be outside working when it was 115 degrees today! We got everything done when it was just 90! 

A prayer

Today I'm thankful for a prayer. Said by my brother Chris. And it was perfect. 

Aaron and Jamie

I just love Aaron and Jamie. I got to spend the majority of the day with them today. We talked a lot and we laughed A LOT! I'm sure they're plenty sick of me now, but that okay. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend with them. 

Relief

This week was rough (and it's only Wednesday)! I'm leaving tomorrow to go to St. George (YAY)! But before that could happen I had endure 3 days from hell - full of frustration and meetings and an upset tummy! If I didn't have a bunch of really important meetings today, I would have called in sick. But instead I worked for 12 hours, then ran 5 miles, and then packed. I'm so thankful for the sense of relief that comes when you finish something hard. I'm thankful I don't have to ever do these last three days again! They're over! And I survived! 

Constructive criticism

I appreciate constructive criticism. I really do not appreciate straight-up criticism. But if there's something I can learn or improve on, I am thankful when someone can (kindly) let me know. I'm also thankful for other people who can accept constructive criticism. I'm working hard to develop a good relationship with my employees. It's not easy. I don't always want to be the boss. But my employees are rockstars! They take constructive criticism and run with it! I'm thankful for them every day, but today I'm specifically thankful for their open minds and their willingness to be teachable. 

Skills fit

I tried a new workout class today. It's called skills fit. It's 30 minutes and it's super intense and I really liked it. I wanted to barf and I thought I was going to die. But then it was over and after a little breather I felt great! I'm thankful for the things my body can do, even when I don't think those things are possible. I'm thankful a couple girls in my ward let me tag along with them to the class tonight. 

A world wide broadcast

Today the leaders of the church presented a world wide broadcast. It was all missionary work and the responsibility the members have to be missionaries. I loved every minute of it. I'm thankful for the time and effort that went into preparing the broadcast. I'm thankful for the spirit I felt, and for the individual people I thought about during the broadcast. I'm thankful for modern day revelation. 

Help cleaning the church

Cleaning the church is not fun. It never has been. It never will be. Tonight I'm thankful for the help we had cleaning today. There were 6 or 7 of us. I'm thankful for the members of my ward who were willing to help on a Saturday morning!!

The delay on my washer

My washer has an option that lets you delay the start time by up to 6 hours. Last night I put my dirty clothes in right before bed. They were clean and ready to be put in the dryer when I woke up. I'm thankful for that option. It means tomorrow, my favorite running clothes will be clean for my long run!

Donated posters and flyers

We got a printing sponsor for my half marathon coming up in August. I'm thankful we won't have to use any more of our precious, tiny budget for printing! 

Ward temple night

My ward had a big ward temple night. We had a dinner at the church before. It was really fun to get together! I'm thankful for the people in ward who made it happen. I'm thankful for the time I got to spend at the temple. 

A whole day in my office

I have a very unique work situation. I am the director of a rec center, but I still work for the parks and recreation department. I have to attend a lot of meeting. Those meeting happen at the parks and recreation office or at city hall. That means I spend a good portion of my time at work at location that are NOT my office. It makes my life a little hectic. That's why I am thankful for days like today. I didn't have any meetings. I didn't even leave for lunch. I literally got to spend the whole day at my center, with my staff. It was great!

A Thai party

We introduced my neighbors to Thai food tonight. They all loved it. I'm thankful they came over. It was really fun to have them. And I'm thankful they liked the food. 

The Biscayne

Father's Day is hard. I know it's great to have a day to celebrate fathers, but It's really tough for me. I made it through church (alone...my roommate decided not to go). My roommate was also gone when I got home. I decided I didn't want to spend the afternoon/evening home alone. So I went up to kaysville to visit my family. We ended up deciding to take my day's old car out for a ride. It was perfect. I got to hang out with all 3 of my brothers and I even got to drive the car! It doesn't compare to being able to spend Father's Day with my dad, but I'm thankful for what I can get! 

A shellac party

There's this new trend in nails - shellac. It's basically a happy medium between fake nails and plain fingernail polish. It stays on forever, but it's just painted on your nails. Krista's sister heather does these shellac nails. We invited our friends to get their fingernails and toenails done. We scheduled people every half hour practically all day. It was so much fun to have different people (all friends) coming in and out of our house all day. And my cute nails are a great bonus. We will definitely have to do it again. 

Coconut lotion

I bought this coconut lotion a couple years ago from bath and body works. I love it! Eventually I ran out and I went back to buy some more. They didn't have any. I learned the tragic news that it had been a specialty scent and it had been discontinued. I was so sad. I even bought some on amazon (at probably double what I originally paid). Today I walked into bath and body works with some friends. I started looking through a clearance bin and I found my coconut lotion! I bought 5.  It was probably a little excessive, but I couldn't help it. They were $2.75! And they're still discontinued! I'm thankful I looked in that clearance bin!

The Relief Society Activity

We had an activity tonight. We were supposed to eat dinner and play games outside, but the crazy wind ruined that plan. We ended up in our house instead. I'm thankful our house was pretty clean. I'm thankful that I got to know some of the girls in our ward a little better. 

A clean car

My poor car has been so neglected! I've driven down to St. George and back a few times now without cleaning it. Lots of bugs, lots of dirt. And, the inside was super dirty. But today I finally fixed it. I'm thankful my car is clean now! I spend too much time in my car every day to let it get that dirty!!

Strength in numbers

I'm part of a running group. We get together every Tuesday night and our coach puts us through some really hard work-outs! I've wanted to barf on many occasions. Tonight, after warming up, coach put us into groups of 4. We had to stick together through the whole (very hard) workout. Some of us had to run slower to stick with the group, and others of us (including me) had to run a little faster to stick with the group. It was pretty awesome to watch our little group bond. I'm thankful for all the encouragement and support from those 3 people. It's just another example of how there really is strength in numbers! 

My Mondays

I've been helping with a program on Monday nights for work. It's a great program that encourages healthy habits in the community. Tonight was the last night of the program. It's been fun, but I am SO thankful to finally have my Mondays back! 

A visit with Janet

Janet is my Bishop's wife. She is probably one of my favorite people in the world! We bonded quickly over our shared struggle to hear. She has Mineirs disease and pretty much just reads lips. (Although she recently got a cochlear implant so her hearing is really improving.) She let us borrow some chocolate chips today. When we went over to get them, we ended chatting for a little more than an hour. I loved every minute of our visit. I'm thankful she had chocolate chips (for the gluten free cookies that most definitely did NOT turn out) and I'm thankful for our visit. 

D.I. Treasure

Krista and I spent 5 hours today searching garage sales. 5 hours and we didn't buy one thing! We went in search of a new shelf (or something) to put our TV on in the living room. As a last ditch effort, we decided to try the D.I. on the way home. We found the perfect shelf. Some guy tried to tell us he had the shelf, but the D.I. employee told us that guy originally had 1 hour to purchase the shelf and his one hour had long since past. The finally agreed to let me have it. We got it home and all set up in the living room and I'm in love! Our house has a whole new feel and I love it! 

A push

I stayed up too late. I'm waking up early to run. I should have been in bed at least an hour ago. But, I tried to stay up to watch a TV show with Krista. I was struggling up stay awake. I kept drifting off. But I wanted to finish the show. Eventually Krista yelled and told me to go to bed! I'm thankful for that push. I really needed to stop fight sleep and go to bed!

Chlorine

Today we had our first "fecal incident" at the pool. That's right, someone pooped in the pool. Sick. I wish I would have taken a picture of the two lifeguard, in the water, gagging as they cleaned it up. I'm thankful for chlorine and the ability it has to sanitize the water in our pool. I can't imagine how we could ever run a swimming pool without it! I'm also thankful that I wasn't the one who had to get in the pool to clean it up! So gross! 

Great news

I got some great news at work today! There's a really, really, really good chance that my life at work is going to get a heck of a lot easier this fall! The news I got was enough to keep me in a good mood for the rest of the work day! I need to figure out how to get good news every morning! 

A conversation with Chris

My brother Chris and I did NOT get along growing up. We've definitely become closer as adult, but we're still not super close. I know he loves me and would do anything for me, but we don't hang out or talk much. I talked to him on the phone today. I'm thankful for his care and concern. I've been having a little but if a hard time lately and his word were comforting and tender. I'm thankful he is my brother and I'm thankful we could chat tonight. 

Running water

Someone told a story yesterday at church about their ancestor who didn't have running water. It must have made an impression because tonight, when I turned on the faucet to wash my face I thought about how grateful I was for running water. It was a long day. I love washing my face and getting ready for bed after a long day. I'm pretty sure I would enjoy it a little less if I had to actually work for the warm water to use! I'm thankful all I have to do is turn a couple of knobs!

Temple lessons and testimonies

I love temples! I think out belief of eternal families is one of the major things that sets the LDS church apart from the rest. It is the work we do in the temple that makes eternal families possible. I loved the opportunity I had today to enjoy a lesson and several testimonies about temples. I thought it was very appropriate for the day. Today is my brother Wesley's birthday. He passed away when I was 5. I'm thankful that my family is forever and that I know I will get to be with him again someday. I can't help but smile when I think about how joyous that reunion will be!

New couches

Krista's sister posted on Facebook that she was getting rid of her couches - free to anyone who wanted to pick then up. I claimed them. My couch is a piece of junk and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to replace it for free! My house is in complete disarray until we can find a good way to arrange everything. We got too tired to finish tonight. I really hope we can come up with something good tomorrow. I really like the couches and I don't want to have to go back to our old junky couch! 

Thoughtful friends

I had two thoughtful friends but me gluten free treats today so that I wouldn't be left out. A co-worker bought me GF cookies because she knew I couldn't enjoy the cake everyone else got to eat for a birthday. And then Krista bought me a cupcake because she knew I would live the "salted carmel" flavor. I'm thankful for people who think about others. I need to go out of my way like that more often! 

Race registrations

Word is getting around and registrations for my half marathon are picking up. I'm thankful for the emails I get when people sign up. It's like Christmas every time there's a new one. I really want this race to be successful and I need people to register for that to happen!

Newborn babies

My cute employee had her baby this morning. She was due in 2 weeks, but was hoping to be induced this week since her doctor will be out of town next week. Induction wasn't necessary because the perfect baby girl came all on her own. I'm thankful for the excitement and joy that new babies bring - even if they're not your own!