Today the sun shone and I'm thankful....

1) For my sweet Erich, who tries my patience hourly and causes me grief, but who I know loves me more than just about anything and makes me feel special beyond anything else in the history of ever. 

2) For a brood group of work colleagues who I can really call friends. We can be serious together and work together...or we can be silly and goofy and random. 

3) For my amazing mom, who helps in so many ways. Sometimes I think Lana loves her more than me ( which is ok...she's really that neat).

4) For texts like this from my friend, Tiffiney "I'll trade you the puppy backpack leash for half the bag of of chocolate chips." It's ok that that may not make sense to anyone else, but that girl is a blessing in more ways than one. 

5) For the sushi my Mr. brought home for me from Tempanyaki. Delicious. 

dusting off

As part of my morning routine, I have been listening to at least one LDS General Conference talk while getting ready. I have downloaded the entire April 2014 conference on my phone and can listen to the talks easily with a few swipes. I'm a little over halfway through the entire conference. One of the talks I listened to recently was this one given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. It was one of my favorite ones as I watched live and has proven again--at my second listen--to be a favorite. His whole message centers around having a grateful attitude in our current situations, whatever they may be. He explains that not only is important to have gratitude FOR our blessings, but equally important to be grateful IN our life, no matter if everything is going well or if we are facing crisis. I've been thinking a lot about the message and decided to make an effort to work on that attitude in my own life. So, I'm dusting off this old gratitude blog in hopes I can incorporate gratitude more fully in my life. 

Today I'm thankful:
1. For my family. Ben, Erich, Lana. They are my life, despite the chaos and stress. I love them.
2. For good food. Yesterday I ate nothing but crap all day. Today, I made better choices and felt amazing..fruits, veggies, grains. And, I didn't even cave for a Dr. Pepper today, either!
3. For tax returns. We had a good year as far as tax returns go. We'll be able to pay off a few bills (YAY!), possibly get a new door & make other small home improvements, and put some in savings.
4. For the Humor section on Pinterest. Today I had a minute to check out the humor section and am thankful I was able to smile and laugh out loud. Laughter is important.
5. For the Overdrive app on my phone that allows me to listen to books as I drive to and from work. I've enjoyed the new form of entertainment and ability to get through more books (since reading is sometimes the last thing I can do when I get home).