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!