I've seen a lot of friends on Facebook doing a 30 Days of Thankfulness thing (at least that's what I'm calling it)...and I thought it looked like a good idea! But I'm doing my posts on my blog instead, because I can't imagine I'll actually update my status that much.
I'm starting a few days late, so I'll post three today! I plan to keep adding to this post throughout the month, so stop by often to see all the things I'm thankful for! :)
1 - Starbucks! There is just something about a warm cup of my favorite Starbucks drinks (especially in the Holiday Cups!) that just makes me feel really content! I typically order a super crazy, custom-made drink, but the baristas are (almost) always happy to make it, and when it turns out right, it pretty much makes my day!
2 - My new iPhone. It just arrived in the mail yesterday, and I didn't set it up until this morning, but I'm already LOVING it. This phone is basically life changing. Just saying. ;)
3 - Sunshine! Whether it's warm or chilly out, if the sun is shining, I'm happy!
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4 - Tessa Boo! I have a baby brother (okay, not so much a baby now as a full blown toddler - can't believe he is already 3!), but he lives way too far away. But luckily, I am best friends with the coolest three year old ever, so I feel like the void of missing Warsy isn't so bad, because I get to hang with Miss Contessa. But even if I didn't have a void to try and fill, Tess would still be my best friend because she is just so sweet and smart, silly and sassy...and she always knows just what to say. Like this morning, when I let her pick out my shoes, and after I put them on and asked her if she liked the entire ensemble, she told me "Yes! You are SO beautiful!" I don't know that I could love this little girl more, even if she was my own. So today, I am especially thankful that I get to spend the weekend playing with her. :)
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5 - My job! I'll be the first to admit that I have NO idea if what I'm doing now is what I'm "supposed" to be doing with my life. My school/career path hasn't made a whole lot of sense, as I will no doubt discuss in future posts. Nonetheless, I love my job. It's a lot of fun, and the guys I work with, while crazy and total BOYS (and me, the lone girl being as girlie as can be), make me smile everyday. I know they have my back, and I love the dynamic we have. My clients are great, and while working in sports definitely has some downfalls, the perks generally outweigh them. I really am living my dream, and although I don't know that this is the forever dream, for now, it's suiting me pretty darn well, and I'm thankful to be where I am.
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6 - Books! I used to love to read to learn...and then I went to school for way too long and decided I wanted to just read for fun. But, either way, I love books. I can often be found in my very comfy bed reading the day away, and one of my favorite parts about traveling is getting to read for a few hours, totally uninterrupted, whenever I fly.
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No. 5 has been keeping me super busy, so I'm a few days behind again. Oopsy! But, here we go...
7 - Mani/Pedis! I love mani/pedi dates with my faves! So relaxing and fun! Had a dinner/manicure date with Jill and Heather the other day, and it was great! I tried the new shellac manicure. Kind of pricey, considering I didn't really get the manicure part of it, but the shellac polish looks amazing, so I'm happy. :)
8 - Speaking of Jill and Heather, let me just say that I am SO very thankful for ALL of my NC friends! They have truly become family to me (special shoutout to Crystal, who made it her mission to make me a part of her family, and to my dysfunctional family, who I am so blessed to be a part of), and I appreciate and adore every single one of them! There are a lot of things I like about living in Charlotte (hello sunshine and Southern hospitality!) but my friends absolutely top that list! Love y'all! :)
9 - Something Borrowed. I LOVE everything about this movie. I watch it constantly. Currently one of my No. 8s has my copy, so I'm kind of in withdrawals, haha, but for some reason, I just adore that movie. Probably because it has Jim and Gigi in it, and I love them both. (Yes, those are their character names on The Office and He's Just Not That Into You. That's who they are to me, haha!)
10 - My Mommy. My mom has always been crazy. She has never been your typical mom. I remember a time she left my birthday party, held at a waterpark, to go get a new tattoo. A bunny rabbit. Right at the top of her leg. So random. I remember when she kind of disappeared when her and my dad first split. I remember when she ditched me when I was in the hospital overnight after surgery to go on a date with some random guy...that later become the world's best stepdad and is one of my favorite men in the world. I remember times she encouraged me to NOT be a good kid. So much crazy in one little mom. :) But, funny stories aside, my mother is fantastic. Each and every day, I am lucky to call her mine. For every silly story, I have 10 "World's Best Mom" stories. I remember when she went to my new school to threaten the principal when kids were being mean to me. I remember when she helped me move across the country...twice. I remember when she worked all night and still got up first thing in the morning just to hang out with me. I remember all the times she told me I could do anything (something I'm completely thankful for, even if she did jedi mind trick me into going to law school). And, just this morning, she called me four times in a row to make sure I was alive (I was - just asleep!) because I didn't call her yesterday. Yes, she's silly, but she also loves me so much that if we don't talk every day, she thinks the world has ended. That's a mom worth being thankful for. :)
11 - Happy Veteran's Day, everyone! Today, of course, I am thankful for all the sacrifices that our military, past, present and future, make to keep us all safe and protected. A special shoutout to those that I've loved that have served...grandpas, uncles, cousins, one of my favorite friends from college, and a boy I had a huge crush on in high school. :) THANK YOU!
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12 - Sonny. I have the best little brother in the entire world. He's a hot mess sometimes. And he's really NOTHING like me. We're total opposites. I'm boring, he's fun. I'm structured, he's a disaster. I'm a total nerd, he's super cool. I like to read books and drink ice water; he parties with his friends and spends more money on booze than anything else. I went to law school, he gets into trouble. I could go on and on. But at the end of the day, Sonny is probably my favorite person on Earth. I know no matter what I need, he'd give it to me. He's the only person I'd jump in front of a bullet for without even thinking about it. (I might jump in front of a bullet for a few others, but I'd at least weigh the pros and cons first! Haha!) I have loved him since the moment he was born...and as much as I look out for him, he's always doing the same thing for me. He's my partner-in-crime, my confidant, my BIG brother (even if I'm four years older), my best friend. I'm so glad that I have him, even if I know he'll give me gray hair much before it's time! ;)
13 - Back up drives. My computer crashed awhile back, but I was able to save all of my pictures, music, documents and most importantly work files before it did. Thank goodness!
14 - New York City! I'm so thankful I got to visit that city, finally, last year. Something about the energy, the people, the entire atmosphere of NYC just SPEAKS to me. I really hope it's in God's plan for me to live there someday. Someday soon, preferably. But, even if I don't get to move there in the next few years, I love that I have the NYC dream always in my mind! Heck, even if I never move there (God forbid!), at least it will always be just a plane ride away!
15 - Pinterest! I am completely obsessed with Pinterest! I love everything about it. And even though I pin recipes that I'll never make, words that I don't always live by, shoes I'll never buy, and crafts I could never make...it still never fails to make me smile!
16 - Wednesday Lunches with Kenny! The company we sublease from at work hosts bi-weekly bible study lunches every other Wednesday! I love our lunches for SO many reasons! 1, I still don't have a church that is THE ONE here in Charlotte. So, it's nice to have a place where I can get my Jesus on even if I'm a slacker that doesn't go to church every Sunday because I whine about the church I've got instead of finding a new one. 2, I LOVE Kenny. He is one of my very favorite people! I know no matter what we talk about, he'll give honest advice that is always just what I need to hear! 3, working in the industry that I do, it's rare to find yourself surrounded by Christians that walk the walk instead of just talk the talk. I love that I'm getting to know people that I truly admire as Christians. 4, it's nice to slow down for a few minutes in the middle of the week. Unless I'm out of town, I make it a priority to go to these lunches every time. Sometimes you just need to recharge a little. Finally, 5, I always get to order the lunch, so Miss Picky never has to pretend to like the food. ;)
17 - A new hair do! I love getting my hair done! We all know I don't really struggle with self-esteem (hello understatement!) but I truly never feel better than right after I get my hair done. :)
18 - Silliness! I'm a pretty serious person (hello understatement again!), generally speaking. I am fairly literal (just ask my Apples to Apples girls - sidenote: I'm STILL mad about Bangkok, AP! Haha!), I don't get out of control. I'm boring. And, I like it that way. Usually. But every once in awhile, I get flat out silly with my friends and nothing makes me smile more! :)
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I've gotten way behind again, but I am determined to finish this today (November 30th) so here goes...
19 - Target! I love everything about this store. I could go there everyday and never get tired of walking the aisles. Everyone that works there is super friendly and helpful, I love the plastic red shopping carts, and most of them have a Starbucks inside! :) Plus, anything that I need, they have! Not to mention, everything they sell is SUPER cute! :)
20 - Warsy! I truly mean it when I say my baby brother is the most spoiled child on the planet. If he didn't yell no at other people, I'd think he doesn't even know what the word means. This kid gets whatever he wants, whenever he wants. He's got everyone wrapped around his little fingers. But he is the sweetest, cutest little boy! Even when he's being a monster, I still can't help but smile at him. Mom has a habit of taking in babies and then giving them back to their parents later. While I admire her for having the heart to help those in need, even at the expense of herself, I just don't have that same spirit. I hate getting close to a baby and then having to give it back. Luckily, most of those kids have stayed in our lives, but it's just not the same. So when Mom told me they were getting "the baby," I tried to keep my distance. Nonetheless, I went to visit them when Warsy was six weeks old, and I was immediately smitten. Once we spent Christmas together, I was a complete goner. Almost three years after he was born and came to live with my parents, on June 29th of this year, Warsy officially became ours! And now, our family is complete. :)
21 - Water! I drink water constantly. It's my favorite drink. When I gave up soda and caffeine back in 2005, I wasn't sure what I was going to drink. But so long as I've got my ice water, I'm a happy girl.
22 - My Milwaukee Peeps! I did not necessarily love my time in Milwaukee. I hate driving in the snow, law school was a whole lot of work, and I don't like beer or cheese (both Wisconsin staples, of course). But, I LOVED the people in my life! I still miss living there, solely because of my law school lovelies, my bible study girls, my Milwaukee Mile partners-in-crime, PA, and my awesome roommate and landlord! Okay, I may miss the leaves in the fall, Summerfest and the beautiful lake too. Just a little. ;)
23 - Facebook! I'm not a very good Facebooker (Twitter is more my style) but I love that I'm able to use it to keep in touch with so many people from my past! That's not something that I'm very good at...keeping in touch...but Facebook makes it WAY easier. I love that I get to know what is happening in the lives of so many people I care about. :) (Warning: I do delete people A LOT, so you better stay relevant, haha!)
24 - My sweet niece Dakota! I cannot believe that my niece turned 11 on Thanksgiving! It seems like just yesterday that we brought her home from the hospital. I've always been great with kids, and I've babysat basically my whole life, but Koti was the first baby that felt like mine. I was so sad when she moved to Arizona, but now I'm so glad she has great parents and two adorable siblings!
25 - I'm thankful that I'm ME! :) I love a lot about myself...I mean A LOT, haha! I love my brain. I'm really smart, and I'm very thankful for that. I, clearly, have very high self-esteem, another thing I'm super grateful for! I'm sweet, usually. I'm (kind of) fun, and every once in awhile I'm funny. I'm bossy, in a good way. ;) I'm adorable. I'm good at giving advice (easier than taking it!) and being a good friend. I'm a goody two shoes. I'm a total happy camper. I'm a nerd. I'm just sassy enough. I mean, really, I'm awesome. And I love that God made me JUST the way I am. :)
26 - Summer dresses! It must suck to be a boy. I can't imagine not being able to rock a dress all summer long! Aside from when I'm at the track, I'm pretty much in a dress from March to October! They are easy peasy, super cute and totally fun!
27 - I love funny TV shows! I used to not be much of a television person, but my last two roommates (hi Heather and Margaret!) are major TV girls, so I guess it spilled over. ;) I used to be a total drama junkie, but lately I have been super into silly sitcoms. Over Thanksgiving break, I watched all 3 and a half seasons of Parks and Rec. OMG, hilarity. Do yourself a favor. Watch it. ;)
28 - Trips Home! I booked my flight home for Christmas and I am SO excited to see my family! I haven't been to Montana since Easter, so even though I'm sure by the end of the trip I will be SUPER ready to get back to North Carolina, I am so excited for the 2 weeks I'll be with my family! :)
29 - Denny! It's no secret that I think my mom is pretty cool, but she's always been kind of a hot mess in the husband/boyfriend department. But we hit the jackpot with Denny! At first I wasn't too sure what to make of him, but he and Mom took their time (hello understatement!) and by the time they FINALLY got married in 2007, I was totally on Team Denny! Even more so than Team Mom! (Sorry Mom!) They always joke that if they ever split up, Denny will get me in the divorce...and they're probably right, haha! There are so many things I love about him, but here are just a few...he's always treated Sonny and I like we were his own kids; he loves Mom and Warsy so much; he is the best at calming me down when I'm upset (no easy task!) and he gives great advice; he believes in me more than I believe in myself; and he'd do anything for anyone. He's just got a great heart! Plus! Denny is a package deal! Along with him, I got his mom and she is the best Grandma ever! I'm so blessed to have them both in my life! :)
30 - Christmas! I love everything about Christmas...yes, even the snow. That's the only time of year I find it acceptable. ;) I love family and friends getting together. I love presents...giving and receiving, haha! I love traditions. I love stockings and Christmas cards. I love Grams' apple pie. I love opening one present on Christmas Eve. I love dressing up. I love making 10 trips a day to the grocery store. I love Christmas socks and underwear...which my mom gets me every year. I love jingle bells and the singing penguin. I love angels and snowmen. I love pinochle with the uncles. I love dorky Christmas movies, especially the ones on ABC Family and Lifetime. I love Rena's peanut butter balls. I love shopping with Mom. And, above all else, I love celebrating Jesus' birth! :)
