Traffic engineers

I get to plan a half marathon. I am SO excited about it! Today I had a meeting with a few key people to discuss the race route. I'm thankful for our traffic engineers. It was SO much easier to plan a course with their input and their ideas.

Windshield wiper fluid

I'm often thankful for things when I no longer have them. While I was driving home from work today I ran out of wiper fluid. It snowed earlier today so the roads were all wet and salty - not the best time to run out of the only thing that makes it possible to see!! But I survived. And now I am thankful to have a full windshield wiper tank!

Visiting teaching

I know I've been thankful for visiting teaching a few times before, but I can't help it. I really do love the girls I get to visit. I have never gone out visiting teaching and regretted it. I always feel uplifted and thankful - thankful for the girls and thankful for the opportunity I have to visit them!

Clean air

I saw the mountains today! And I saw BLUE sky! I even had to wear my sunglasses for the first time in who knows how long! I'm a summer girl - I like warm and sunshine and beaches and flip flops. But, I will gladly take all this snow and even be thankful for it if it means I can at least breathe clean air!

Tender mercies

I got to teach Relief Society at church today. I really love teaching Relief Society. The lesson did not go like I had planned. My printer didn't work so I couldn't print what I had prepared. I rely on my notes - probably too much. I prayed the printer would work. It didn't. I prayed I could get my notes to come up on my iPad. That worked, but I felt like I would be too distracted trying to teach from the iPad. So I prayed, until my lesson was over I prayed. I taught with no notes. And surprisingly, it was awesome. The Spirit was pretty intense. I had everyone attention...if anyone was whispering, I didn't see it. People contributed. I could see in people's eyes that they got it. I am thankful that I get to teach! I'm thankful that Heavenly Father let me be the mouthpiece to teach His children today. I am beyond grateful that the lesson went as well as it did today. I don't think it would have been the same if I had my notes...so I guess I'm even grateful that I couldn't print my notes.

Teaching the lesson was a tender mercy. I'm also thankful for another tender mercy. We finally got a great set of home teachers. It's been 3 years since we had home teachers that actually came! Today it snowed - quite a bit. My rockstar home teacher loaded his snowblower into his truck and drove to our house to clear our driveway! I am so thankful for him and that very thoughtful service!

Wood crafts

My roommates are really into wood crafts. There's a store that sells all the pieces for you to make cute decorations. They sell the plain wood cut-outs and you have to add paint/paper/ribbons/glitter. (Don't get me started on the glitter - it is everywhere...but that's just part of the process). I'm not big into these woods crafts - mostly because I don't feel like I need them. I'm not home enough to want to really decorate my house a ton. I don't mind if its decorated, I just don't care to be the one doing the decorating. But, I have a new office. And that office is very empty. I've been thinking about trying out some wood crafts to liven the place up a bit. Tonight I used some leftover scrape wood I got from work to make a Valentines Day decoration. It was pretty fun to put together. And I'm more inclined to make more because I have a place at work to put them and actually be able to enjoy them!

A key to my office

Before today there were 2 people that I knew had a key to my office - me and our maintenance guy Dave (who lives an hour away from the center). Today I found out one more person has a key - Todd. I found out because I locked my purse in my office. My keys to my office and my keys to my car were both locked inside! I'm so thankful Todd had a key and was willing to come let me in to my office! Otherwise Dave would have had to come in and I would have even worse then I already did! We will have to figure something else out so that doesn't happen again!

Freezing rain

Really? Who is thankful for freezing rain? Well, today...I am. We don't usually get freezing rain here in utah, but today conditions were just right. There were a ton of car accidents and they suggested on the news that if you didn't absolutely have to go anywhere, you should stay off the roads. My boss heard this and told me not to try and battle rush hour and stay safe. That's the part I'm thankful for. It gave the opportunity to sleep in a little but and regroup after last night's not-so-great meeting. I'm thankful that my boss was so great about me coming in later. I'm also very thankful that I traveled to work and home from work safely! I had to spend some quality time outside with the shovel to break up the sheet of ice on my driveway so I could get my car into my garage. But that was actually kind of fun. I've never seen a sheet of ice like that!

Scrambled eggs

It was a rough day. And by rough I mean - 14 hours at work! I spent most of the day staring at computer screen desperately trying to make a budget balance. That was only broken up by a few meetings. And then to finish out the day I got to attend a 2 hour meeting where I felt like I was being criticized the entire time. While I was driving home at 9:30pm, trying not to upset, I thought about dinner. It's was 9:30 and I hadn't eaten dinner yet. I was getting even more upset thinking about the work it would take to make dinner. Then I had a great idea - scrambled eggs. I think scrambled eggs could probably be classified as a comfort food for me. Tonight I'm thankful for that comfort food - something quick and tasty to keep my tummy from growling all night. I'm thankful that tomorrow is a new day!

The Gospel Library app

I'm so thankful for modern technology! I'm especially thankful for the Gospel Library app. It's so convenient to have the scriptures, the manuals, and conference talks available anywhere, anytime, on my phone!

Speed dating

I'm only thankful for our speed dating adventure because it was highly entertaining! Besides that, it was loud and long and there were zero real prospects!

Our crepe party

We had a crepe party tonight. It was a continuation of Krista's birthday weekend. We invited our friends and everyone in our ward to come to our house for crepes. Emily did an awesome job with the crepes and all the fixings! We had a pretty decent turn out and people seemed to have a good time. I'm thankful I don't have to go to work tomorrow! We always stay up way past my bedtime when we have parties at our house!

Cetaphil cream lotion

I have very sensitive skin. It's super annoying! As part of the sensitive skin, I've struggled quite a bit with my face. I'm thankful that I've never had really bad acne. But I have never really had very clear skin either. I have a friend who works at a dermatology office. She said if you use cetaphil cream lotion on your face, the bacteria on your face can't grow zits. It kind of made sense to me, but I wasn't sure. I already use cetaphil cream on my hands so I decided to try it on my face. In the past few weeks that I've been using it, my face has been as clear as I can remember it ever being. It doesn't feel dry or oily. I think it just might be the solution for my sensitive skin problems!

Roundtables

I spent the day at a race management conference. I loved most of it, but I was most thankful for the roundtable portion of the day. Everyone there had great ideas and questions as well as answers to the questions I had! I'm thankful I could attend the conference and I hope it helps me organize a successful new race!

Bosses and coworkers who look out for me

I really work with some great people!! Today in our staff meeting (me and 5 men) we spent a good half hour talking about the dangers of the extremely cold temperatures. We talked about icicles and frozen pipes and dead car batteries. They were so patient as I asked dumb questions. (I've never been a homeowner with temperatures this low!) I'm thankful I work with such great men who look out for me - who make sure I know all the precautions I need to be taking to keep me safe and comfortable in my home!

Everything warm

It has been really cold lately! The cold makes me thankful for all the things I have (or have access to) that are warm - heat in house (even if I choose not to turn it up very high), seat warmers in my car, a space heater under my desk at work, an electric blanket on my bed, a warm coat, hot baths and hot chocolate...just to name a few. I'm also thankful that I don't live where it's alway this cold!!

Physical therapy

It's pathetic that I have a physical therapist, or rather a team of physical therapists. It's pathetic that they all know me by name and get excited when I injure myself or have to have surgery because it means we can "be friends again." It's pathetic that the last time they told me I was done and no longer needed PT, I cried because I knew I would miss them! But even though all of that is pathetic, I am so grateful for my physical therapists. I'm grateful that we have such s good relationship. I'm thankful that I can trust them 100% to get me back to normal after an injury or after surgery. And I'm thankful that we have such a good time while we work!

Safe travels

I can't help but be thankful for my safety when I return home from a trip. I really was blessed for this trip! I met a new friend driving down to Vegas to meet up with some other mutual friends. We got out if Salt Lake just as the biggest storm in years was starting. We only ran into a bit of snow right before Cedar. Here at home, this storm dumped three feet of snow at my house!! I'm so thankful we got out before it hit! I'm also thankful we got on the road heading home when we did. There was an accident about a half hour behind us. That accident caused a semi hauling gasoline to explode. It shut down the freeway in both directions in an area that I'm not even sure has "back roads." I'm thankful we missed that and that we got through before the roads closed. I'm thankful to have spent such a fun weekend with friends in Vegas! Now it's time to plan the next trip!!

Celine Dion

I saw her concert tonight in Vegas. Is was phenomenal!! She is probably one of the most talented people on the planet! I'm thankful I could see her show and I'm thankful for the great friends I got to go with!

An extra sweatshirt

When I packed my bags to go to Vegas, I didn't include a winter coat. Vegas is supposed to be really warm, right? Wrong. It's cold!! I'm thankful I brought my jacket and I'm very thankful I have an extra sweatshirt! With two sweatshirts and a jacket, I was warm enough to enjoy a fabulous day with my friends. It's been so much fun, even despite the cold! And I'm thankful I get to be here instead of at home dealing with a crazy winter storm that has dropped feet of snow!

An awesome ride to Vegas

I am enjoying a weekend trip to Vegas with some great friends. I was a little nervous about driving down with someone I didn't know well. I'm not a huge fan of talking to people I don't know. But, it worked out wonderfully! The ride was awesome and went by super fast. I'm thankful we made it and met up with the rest of our friends without any problems. I'm excited for the rest of our "epic" weekend!

Curry

Curry is one of my favorite foods. I'm thankful that Krista shared her curry with me tonight!!

Visitor parking

Today was my first day of school this semester. I'm just taking one class. The class is twice a week and it starts at 3:40pm. This ruins all my plans because the institute parking lot where I've always parked is open to the public until 4:00. I was on my way up to buy a $90 parking pass for the semester so I could legally park a half mile away from my class, but then I had another idea. There is "visitor" parking a few yards from the building my class is in. I did some quick calculations and actually, if I just pay for visitor parking, I will probably end up spending less then the $90 for a parking pass. And I'll be SO close to my class! I'm thankful for close parking because my hip has been so sore the last few days!

Compassion

I did something very hard at work today, something that will likely alter someone else's life quite dramatically. While I'm a very logical thinker and very capable of doing what needs to be done, I'm thankful that I'm also capable of having a heart. I'm a boss now, and with that comes the responsibility of laying down the law when necessary. But I hope I never get past of the point of being able to have compassion.

A full house

Tonight both of my roommates are home and that makes me happy. For the past few weeks at least one of us has been out of town. While I'm thankful for a little extra space and some alone time, I really love my roommates and I'm thankful we're all home (at least until this weekend anyway). I'm thankful for my roommates. I really couldn't ask for better!!

Baptisms and birthdays

My beautiful niece Alex was baptized today. It was a fabulous meeting. I am proud of her and the decision she made to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!

Today was also Jakey's birthday. He invited me to his "ninja bowling" party at Boondocks. It was fun to go see a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds eat pizza, part, and bowl! I'm thankful for Jake and the joy he is in my life. I just can't believe he's 6!!

Old videos

I found a video I took on my digital camera a few years ago. In this video, my nephew jake, whom I love with all my heart, really wanted to push the button on my camera. He was probably only 2 at the time. I'm thankful for that video. I'm thankful for all the laughs I got out of it tonight!!

Audiobooks

I am signed up for a leadership training at work. I'm really excited about it. A few weeks ago the people in charge of this training gave me a book to read. Somehow I missed the memo that I was supposed to have it read before the training started. The training starts tomorrow. Luckily, for $7.00, I got the audiobook downloaded and I've been listening all afternoon/evening. I still have quite a bit left, but I'm going to try and power through it tonight. If not, at least I read/listened to most of the book in time!

Visiting

I had a resolution last year to be more thankful. As part of that resolution, I decided I would make a little more effort in writing thank you cards. So, on December 30th, I wrote out a bunch of thank you cards to the people who helped after my surgery. I held on to them for a few days and finally got out to deliver them tonight. It was so much fun to drive around and visit with a few if the people I live most! I'm thankful I got those cards delivered and I'm thankful for the visiting that happened on the way!

Resolutions

This blog/record started because of a resolution - a resolution to be more grateful. I am blessed every day and it's easier to see that with a thankful heart. I also made a resolution for 2012 to take advantage of every opportunity and/or prompting to say thank you. I wrote many emails, Facebook messages, and thank you cards just to make sure that the people around me know that I am thankful for the things they do for me. I also made a few other resolutions for 2012 that blessed my life - attending the temple regularly, pursuing a Master's degree, and a few different health goals. Most of these resolutions were successful, and are actually just a part of my life now. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to reflect on my life, decide what needs to be improved and make a plan to make it happen. I haven't had a chance to write out my resolutions for 2013. I have quite a few ideas, but I know they will only be ideas unless I write them down!