A work computer

My work computer went down yesterday. It was still broken when I got in to work today. It made my day a little tough. Too much of my job requires my computer! But, it helped me be thankful for it. Most of the time it works just fine. I'm thankful for the IT guys who have fix all the computer issues in the city. I think their job would be tough! 

The birthday of my family

Today I'm thankful for the temple sealing that marked the birth of my eternal family 43 years ago! I'm thankful my parents found each other and were married in the temple! There's no way they could have known 43 years ago how much their eternal wedding would mean to me! I sure love my mom and dad! 

A heart to heart with my boss

There's been a few situations at work lately that have really been weighing me down. Today I finally decided to chat with my boss and lay it all out on the table. I'm thankful for the way he received the info I shared. And I'm so thankful for the feeling of relief that came when the weight of that info was lifted! 

A new door knob

My front door knob broke. It was stuck in the lock position. I could NOT get it to unlock. Neither could Krista. Bealynn was a pro at it, but she was the only one! So tonight I took off the door knob and replaced it. I'm thankful for the help I had. I probably would have been too chicken to try without some back up. I'm thankful it wasn't a huge or expensive fix. And now I know how to change a door knob. 

5 weeks

It's been almost 5 weeks since I had surgery on hip. I'm really struggling with the recovery. The pain is 100% manageable  I can get around just fine. But I'm still really restricted on what I can do as far as physical activity. It's a hard position for me to be in and I'm finding myself discouraged more often than not. So today I'm shifting my perspective a little bit. I'm thankful that I'm almost 5 weeks into recovery. I'm thankful that I don't have to do those 5 weeks over again and I'm thankful to be 5 weeks closer to where I want to be. One of my teachers is scheduled for surgery on Thursday. I'm thankful I'm not in her position! I'm thankful I'm well on my way to being 100%! 

The RS Presidency

I am so thankful for my calling!! I'm thankful for the amazing girls I get to serve with and the amazing girls we get to serve. We went as a presidency to deliver some lotions we've been trying to get out to all the girls in our Relief Society since Christmas. It was great. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to serve in a calling I enjoy. 

Coach Wallace

I went to the temple today with some friends. While we were waiting in the chapel, I noticed a temple worker that looked really familiar. It took me a minute, but it finally clicked - he was my soccer coach from4th grade!! I waited until he was free and I went to chat with him. I'm thankful I ran in to him. I'm thankful for his willingness to be a coach then, and now for his willingness to serve in the temple! (I found it strangely appropriate that even 20 years later, in the temple, he was holding a clipboard and telling people where to go!) 

Mentors

I am so thankful to many people in my life that I have considered or currently consider to be my mentors. Today I'm thankful for Todd, who has been a great help to me at work. Today he took time out of his busy day to come up to my office and chat with me about an issue I'm having at work. I'm thankful he was SO willing to come up, even though I didn't tell him what I needed. I'm thankful he listened while I talked it. I'm thankful for his suggestions and encouragement. And I'm thankful that before he left he said, "We'll figure it out." He didn't wish me luck or even say he would help me figure it out. He said we would figure it out together! I hope someday I can be a mentor to someone like Todd is a mentor to me. 

Healthy debate

There's a difference between a healthy debate and an argument. I'm thankful healthy debate. I'm thankful for the change in perspective that usually results. I'm thankful for the intellectual challenge it provides. I had a healthy debate with my teacher at school today. It was actually kind of fun. I'm thankful for him, for hearing me out, for answering my questions, and for asking me tough questions in return. 

The Inversion

Today I am thankful for the inversion.  That’s kind of a big deal for me because usually I really, really, really, REALLY hate the inversion.  But today while I was driving to work, I had a pretty sweet learning experience. 

The view of the inversion from Little Cottonwood Canyon.

The inversion is a like a big blanket that covers the valley I live in. It settles in during the winter, and it seems to drag on forever!  Between storms, warm air fronts trap the the cold air (and all the pollution) in the valley. It makes everything hazy.  It hides the blue sky and makes the sun seem so far away.  It makes me feel like there’s a dark cloud over my heart.  The only thing that clears the inversion is a storm.  The snow and wind break up the inversion.  The snow isn’t my favorite either – it’s cold and wet and miserable!  But, when the storm is over, everything becomes clear!  The blue skies come into full view, the sun shines bright and intense, and the dark cloud over my heart goes away almost instantly!   

Today I thought about the inversion and related it to the veil.  The other side of the veil is just as real and just as close as the sky is blue - we just can't see it!  But there are times in our lives, usually after trials, when that veil seems to thin out and we catch glimpses of the other side.  When we endure our trials, Heavenly Father has a chance to clear the haze and shine even brighter in our lives.   

I’m so thankful for the gospel and the application it has in my everyday life.  I’m thankful for a Father in Heaven who was willing to teach me.  I’m especially thankful for what I was taught today and the opportunity I had to think about the inversion a little differently.  Maybe it will help me to hate it a little less. 

New scriptures

Sometimes when I need a little extra boost to do something, I have to buy something new and exciting to give myself a kick-start. It works with working out - new running shoes or a cute work-out outfit usually get my butt in gear for at least a few weeks. But since my working out days are on hold these days, I decided I need a different kick-start. I've been a huge slacker at reading my scriptures in preparations for gospel doctrine lessons. In fact, I haven't even been to gospel doctrine in at least 2 months (granted - I've been out of town, recovering from surgery, taking care of Relief Society stuff, etc.)! But I want to change that. I've been thinking about getting new scriptures for quite a while. I decided that could be the kick-start I need to get the ball rolling. I'm thankful for the "clean slate." I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to read the words of the gospel like I'm reading them for the first time. I'm still not quite sure I'm thankful for the Old Testament...but hopefully I'll get there! 

Clean rooms

My house has been a disaster for a while now! I finally put Christmas away over the weekend and today I deep cleaned all the living areas of my house. I scrubbed floors and put lots of junk away. I even sealed the granite countertops. I'm thankful for the order and peace that comes with a clean house. I love it so much - you would think I would do a better job of keeping it that way!!

Thirty years

My best friend turned 30 today. She's been alive for 30 years. I'm thankful for those 30 years because they've all added up to make her the person she is today. 

A cleaner house

My house has been a little bit of a disaster lately. Today I'm thankful we could make some progress getting it back into shape. The biggest accomplishment of the day was getting all the Christmas decorations out away! There's still quite of cleaning that needs to happen, but hopefully we'll get to all (or at least most) of it!!

Engaging conversation

Today I'm thankful for the multiple opportunities I had to participate in engaging conversations. I love learning and recognizing new concepts. I'm thankful to have people in my life - both professionally and personally who can make me really think and help me consider new things. 

A Bluetooth connector

My new hearing aid now functions as a Bluetooth headset for my phone! It's the craziest thing EVER! I'm so thankful for all this new technology that I get to take advantage of every day! 

Trish

Trish is my physical therapist and I am so thankful for her! I love her (and everyone else at Mountainland Physical Therapy in Kaysville) so much - even enough to drive all the way up to kaysville to do therapy with them! I'm thankful for the environment there. I really feel like I'm just going to visit a big group of friends when I go there!

Aaron's theater

I'm thankful my brother has a sweet theater in his basement. I had plans to have a movie date-night tonight, but when I got home I found my roommate downstairs and she had just started a movie herself. I'm thankful Aaron was willing to let me and my date use his theater as a back-up plan! 

A bosu ball

Sometimes (like when you're recovering from hip surgery) it's very convenient to work at a rec center. I'm thankful I can take little breaks during my work day to jump on a stationary bike and loosen my hip up. And I'm even more thankful for the bosu ball I stole from the aerobics room and currently have hidden under my desk! The hardest thing for me right now is sitting. It hurts to sit with my hip at a 90 angle. So, about 50% of the time I spend at my desk, I spend kneeling on a bosu ball instead of sitting in my chair. I'm pretty sure it's the only way I made it through 8 hours of work today! 

Sunday naps

I have missed Sunday naps for the past 2 years. When you have church from 1:00-4:00, Sunday naps are not an option if you want to also sleep on Sunday night! I'm thankful the other wards in our building finally let us into the rotation schedule! I'm thankful for the 11:00 time slot! I still get to sleep in a little bit and we're home early enough to take a short nap after church. 

Critical thinking

I had a pretty significant reading assignment I had to complete for a class on Monday. It was all about critical thinking - what critical thinking is, pros and cons, why people think the way they do, etc. I'm thankful the reading was interesting. And I'm thankful for the abilities I have in critical thinking. One of the things I read said that critical thinking skills can be taught. When I read that, I automatically thought about all the efforts my dad made to teach me critical thinking skills. He made me read articles, watch videos, and taught me personally. I'm thankful for his efforts. I was not the most receptive, but I'm thankful he pushed it anyway. Obviously I learned a great from him! 

Morning productivity

I've been in a funk lately. There's a handful of things I've been "meaning to do" for a few days now, but just haven't gotten around to. I planned to go to work at 10:30 and set my alarm for 9:15. But I was wide awake at 8:00. I decided to just get up and get the day going. I'm thankful for all the things I was able to accomplish this morning before I had to go to work. I'm thankful I can finally check a few things off my list! 

Not having to drive

Right now driving is the worst! It just hurts. But, I was going to have to suck it up and drive down to Salt Lake today. Months ago I bought season tickets to a local theater with some friends. The first show was tonight. All my friends were already going to be Salt Lake before the show. I'm still "taking it easy" at home. I'm thankful that those plans changed. Krista ended up being close to home with an extra hour to kill so she came home to take a nap. That meant I was able to get a ride with her back to Salt Lake for the show. I'm thankful that I could lay the passenger seat back while we drove. Sitting through a 2.5 hour hour play was not pleasant, but it would have been worse if I had to drive home afterward!! 

Working from home

I went back to work for half days on Monday and Tuesday. They were rough and painful, but I definitely feel like I need to be back at work and catching up. Today (Wednesday) I saw my doctor. I told him about the past couple weeks, including my return to work and the subsequent pain I've been experiencing. He was super happy and told me I need to back off. So I went home instead of going back to work. BUT, I got the okay from my boss to work on a few projects from home. I'm thankful for the opportunity I have to contribute at work while still "taking it easy" to let my body heal. I'm still very tired of my house, but I know I'm making progress and I'm thankful for that! 

Presidency meetings

I'm in the Relief Society presidency for church. I love it. I love the other girls in the presidency. I'm thankful that I love it. I'm thankful that we waste at least an hour chit chatting about our lives before we actually start the meeting. I'm thankful for the laughs and support and love we get to share!! 

Handicap parking

When I checked out of the hospital after surgery, the "hip coordinator" (that's her real title) gave me a folder of information. One of the things she gave me was an application for a temporary handicap parking pass. I thought to myself, "I don't need that!" But today I changed my mind. I went to work for 4 hours and by the time I got home, I was in a lot of pain! The thought of walking from the free parking lot at school to the building my class is in made me want to cry. I decided to take a leap and get the handicap pass, which also allowed me to get a handicap parking pass at school. I can literally park at the door of the building my classes are in! I'm SO thankful my doctor thought ahead to give me that application. And I'm thankful for the change in my mindset that allowed me actually go get it! Hopefully I won't need it for long! 

Corn chex

I went to church today. Sitting through 3 hours of church is not recommended when you're only 10 days post hip surgery. But I wanted to go! I decided to listen to sacrament meeting from the foyer so I could stretch out on the couch a little bit. It made sitting a tiny bit more bearable. My ward is awesome. They accommodate the 3 of us with gluten intolerances by putting a tiny cup of chex on the sacrament tray. As long as we sit in the middle section of the chapel, they make sure it comes to us. Today, by means of a tender mercy from my Heavenly Father, the tray that came out to the foyer was the tray with the cup of chex. I know some people would chalk that up to a coincidence. But I don't. I'm thankful for tender mercies! 

Family time

I spent six hours at my brothers today. I just stopped by to drop something off, but I ended up staying. I took a nap on their couch. I chatted with Aaron and Jamie. We watched some Modern Family and Aaron went out and got us dinner. It wasn't anything crazy exciting, but I'm thankful they let me stay. I'm thankful I could get out of my house and drive and see something besides my bedroom and my iPad! 

Mike & Ikes

I have been craving Mike & Ike's for weeks now! Today I finally got them. I'm thankful for the convenience of having store so close to me every day! 

Outside

I left the house today! It was only for physical therapy, but still. I'm thankful I could get out of the house! It was short lived, I spent most of the rest of the day back in bed. My hip is feeling great, but the rest of my body is feeling pretty crummy. I really hope I'm not coming down with something! 

A chat with Aaron

My brothers are helping my mom move into her new house. I would love to be there helping, but I'm stuck at home on bed rest, healing from hip surgery. I texted Aaron to see how things were going and he ended up calling me. We chatted and joked and laughed for a little while. I'm thankful for him and his sense of humor. I'm thankful for a little but of fun and distraction. I'm SO tired of being in my bed!!