Counting my Blessings

This past week I've been on an emotion rollercoaster going from being very sad and upset with my position in life (jobless for the most part, putting extra strain on us financially, not getting to pursue my teaching career because nobody will hire me, etc) to being happy that I have a beautiful house to live in, a wonderful family, fantastic friends, and an amazing boyfriend. I noticed on facebook that a college acquaintance of mine is doing a "tweeting/facebook update challenge" called "30 days to count your blessings" where everyday for a month she posts something that she's thankful for. Reading her posts made me think about everything that I am thankful for and even more that I should be thankful for. So for today's blog I am going to list a few things that I am thankful for and try to continue doing this at least once a week.

-I am thankful for finding a wonderful church we go to and for Pastor Espinosa. He is a wonderful Pastor and I really need to spend more time getting to know him and talking to him about my problems as he always seems to know exactly what to say.

-I am thankful for my family. Despite my family's craziness, I would have to say I have the best family a girl could ask for. I have the absolute most amazing father in the world. For those of you who don't know- I was an "oops!" baby, but my father really stepped up to the plate when he found out my mom was pregnant with me. He was a musician at the time and looked in the newspaper to find a job and noticed that all the open positions were for nurses. He decided to go back to school and become a nurse. My parents got divorced when I was 3 or 4 and Daddy worked 2-3 jobs at a time AND went to night school to support us and for that I have the utmost respect and love for my dad. He is truly an amazing man. I also have a wonderful and beautiful mother whom I love very much. We've had our ups and downs but she is a great friend to me and I cherish the time we get to spend together. My cousin Jennifer - she might as well be my sister. We are almost 2 weeks apart in age and have spent more time together than most siblings do. She is my rock and understands me better than almost anyone. I love her with all my heart and am so thankful for her. I wish she, Chris, and Abby lived closer but that's on their "To do" list and will happen soon enough. And then there's my God daughter Abby- I cannot believe how much I love that little girl- I didn't know I had that much love to give! I cannot wait for her to get older so she can spend a few weeks each summer with her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Casey. My Aunt Karen or my "2nd mom" as I call her is a wonderful woman and has always made sure that I was included in every family function and felt like a part of the famliy even when my mother wasn't around. She made sure I had a good upbringing and knew right from wrong. She'll never know how much I appreciate that.

- I am thankful for Casey. I never knew I could love someone who wasn't family as much as I love him and I never knew someone who wasn't family could put up with me the way he does. We have been together for 5 years on September 15th and while the past 5 years have been rocky at some points, I know he is my soul mate and I appreciate everything that he does for me and how much he loves me. This next year isn't going to be easy, but having a wonderful person like Casey by my side makes things so much better.

-I am thankful for my friends. I have always made friends easily, but finding friends are will be there for me and who are reliable isn't always the easiest thing. I have had "best" friends who promised to always be there for me, but who won't return calls for weeks (even months) and when push comes to shove will do whatever is best or easiest for themselves and I am so thankful that I have the group of friends I have now. They are easy to talk to, open minded, reliable, funny, beautiful women (and one guy!) and I love them so much. Thank you Sara, Kelli, Jessica, Melissa, Andi, Jennifer, Katie, Adriane, Lacy, Leigh Anne, and Patrick for always being there for me and being truly wonderful friends.

-I am thankful for Riley and Zach. Every day when I walk through the front door - even if it's just from walking to the mailbox - those two greet me with "smiling" faces and wagging tails. They are and endless supply of love and affection and I couldn't ask for two better dogs. They are well disciplined and are soooo smart! I never had dogs that I really connected with when I was growing up and I'm very thankful for those two knuckleheads!

-I am thankful that I am healthy. I may not feel 100% every day, but at least I can walk, talk, breath, sleep, etc. There are so many people out there who are less fortunate than I am and who cannot get the healthcare we have in the United States.

-I am thankful that I have a part time job right now- Ann Taylor Loft might not pay much and I might not be working there full time, but something is better than nothing and I am thankful that I walked in, applied, got interviewed 2 days later, and got the job there all within a week. The Lord works in mysterious ways and I know he puts me in the places I need to be in for a reason. Speaking of Ann Taylor - I have to go to my very first day of work right now! More blessings to come....