I Am Thankful For...

November is the perfect month to remember the things that we are thankful for. Since Thanksgiving is the main holiday of the month, it reminds us that we need to be thankful for the blessings in life. I have been thinking that there is so much to be thankful for. I have compiled a list of 30 things that I am thankful for since there are 30 days in November. So here goes...

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for God. Without God, this world would not exist. I would not exist. You would not exist. You get the idea! God forgives us for our sins and mistakes. I thank God everyday for my many blessings He has given me!

2. I am thankful for my beautiful daughters. They are the light of my life, and without them, I would have no idea how to function. They keep me going each and every day. They are both so unique in their individual ways and I love them without end.

3. I am thankful for my daughter Mindy who is in Heaven. Even though she was only given to me for a short period of time and has been gone for 7 1/2 years, not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I know she is a beautiful little angel that watches over us each day. We love and miss you Mindy.

4. I am thankful for my JM. He loves me unconditionally no matter what. He is a good man, and my daughter tells me that all the time. He has changed me in little ways, and I have done the same for him. But only for the better!

5. I am thankful for my job. For me, it is a privilege to have a job I love, and people that I can help. I was molded for this job, and it was molded for me. A perfect fit I guess you could say. I am also thankful for some of "my farmers." There are a select few that are "mine" and I treasure their friendships.

6. I am thankful for my SUV. I love my car! It gets me where I need to go, and it has all the options I love (except a sunroof) but I can live with that!

7. I am thankful for my close friends. I love each of my friends dearly, and in their own individual way. There are some I've had for years, and others I've only just met. But I appreciate each friendship that I have!

8. I am thankful for family. Sometimes this is difficult, because family can be stubborn. But, ultimately I have to like them because that is who God chose to put me with for this life on earth. And after all, blood is thicker than water.

9. I am thankful for weekends and downtime. I don't get many days to relax or take a break, but those select few times that I get to, I really enjoy it.

10. I am thankful for quality time with my girls. They grow so fast and it's hard to keep up! I try to make the most of the time I have with my kids. They may not appreciate it now, but looking back someday, I know they will.

11. I am thankful for my animals. My cats, my horses, and our dog are a very big part of our lives. They keep us entertained, and snuggle with us when we need it. I could not live without animals in my life.

12. I am thankful for Wal-Mart. Yes, I think I just wrote that. I guess I feel an obligation to feel thankful to Wal-Mart. That store receives a big portion of our paychecks every month. But I guess since they have the best deals, I have to appreciate that fact!

13. I am thankful for our church. Our church has grown tremendously the last few years. And I love our pastor; he is a wonderful guy who is down to earth and keeps the sermons humorous.

14. I am thankful for past mistakes I have made and the lessons that I have learned from them. Every thing that has happened in my life up until this point has made me who I am today. And I am very proud of the accomplishments I have made and the person I have become from all the ups and downs in life.

15. I am thankful for computers and the internet. Even though they can be annoying at times, they make the world go round. Things that used to take weeks to complete only take seconds in today's world. And I have met some great friends through the computer. Life would be boring without the internet!

16. I am thankful for text messaging. What in the world did I do without texting? I have had texting almost 3 years now, and I don't think I could ever go back to not having it. That is how I communicate with so many people these days. It's so much easier to text rather then call for something that only takes a second to tell someone.

17. I am thankful for blogs. Even though I don't get to write as often as I'd like to, it's still something I love to do and that I can call mine. And I love reading other blogs! It's as much fun to read other blogs as it is to write at times.

18. I am thankful for my horse. I know I already said I was thankful for animals, but this one is dedicated to Sunset. He is my baby and has been for almost 20 years. He is up there in age, and we have to baby him. It will break my heart in two when that horse leaves me someday. For now, I am grateful that he has taught my daughter to ride, and will teach my other daughter how to ride. He has always been a good horse. I can pull him out of the pasture after not riding him for 2 years, and he needs no warm up. He is ready to go without any worry of him hurting someone. I rode him when my daughter was 2 months old, and she is now 10. I trust him with my life, and my kids' lives, or I wouldn't allow them to ride him. So I am so thankful God brought this horse into my life nearly 20 years ago!

19. I am thankful for my home. I love having a place I can call my own, and I love living in the country.

20. I am thankful for our military men and women who fight for our country. Some have lost their lives in the battle. Some are away from their families for months or years at a time. I am grateful for those who are brave enough to fight for the USA.

21. I am thankful for pizza. What else can I say? I love pizza! And cinnamon stix too. Now that is a yummy combo. I just can't eat it everyday.

22. I am thankful for exercise. When I eat pizza and not-so-good-for-me foods, I must exercise! I love my Wii fit. I like my treadmill, not really love it, but like it. I love to go walking! I just don't get to do that as often as I like. So when I am unable to walk outside, the treadmill takes the place of that.

23. I am thankful for my boots. Yes, my boots! They are so comfy. Not only do I get to wear them with jeans, but they are great to throw on with pajama pants too. You know, for that quick run out to the car, or the quick jog next door. Those boots take me alot of places and are well broke in. I'll be sad when I have to replace them someday :(

24. I am thankful for all of my clothes. The dressy clothes for work, the casual shirts and jeans, and especially the comfy around-the-house pants. My problem is that I have too many clothes for my closet. I know the solution to that is to get rid of some things, and I do on a regular basis. But I need a bigger closet! That is in the works though...

25. I am thankful for music. I absolutely love listening to music. Country, classic rock, Christian, whatever I'm in the mood for really. I have a habit of cranking up the Sirius radio on my TV and listening to it while I clean. Or blast my Christmas CD with my favorite tune of Two Steppin' Around the Christmas Tree. Love my music!!

26. I am thankful for pretty jewelry, real or fake. I love to accessorize my outfits. I am very involved with a jewelry maker, and I love the new designs that are made when the time allows to make the pretty jewelry :). I have a beautiful array of necklaces, earrings and bracelets! Oh, and I like diamonds too!! :)

27. I am thankful for my cell phone. Yes, I am very addicted to it. I cannot live without it! I'm not as attached as I used to be, but I'm still very attached. And so is everyone else for that matter... It's normal for my kids or the man to fight over it. They want to play on the internet, they want to play cards, they want to play Angry Birds, they always want something and it involves my phone. LOL

28. I am thankful for Facebook. It may sound silly, but it's true. I think it's fun to read status updates on people. I love to see new pics of my friends and family. I don't always like the drama that people post on FB, but it's humorous to read at times!

29. I am thankful for Zumba and line dancing. I love to do both! Zumba keeps me toned and in shape. Line dancing is a favorite of mine, and has been for 16 years. They both are a good way to burn calories, and enjoy it while doing so.

30. I am thankful for the clock on the wall. With each passing minute, it lets me know I am still alive and well. I do like that clock on the wall more at closing time then early in the morning. It always speaks a friendlier tone when it nears the end of the day! Plus, it lets me know it's time to go home and see my family and spend some quality time with them.

I could go on and on about the things I am thankful for because to be honest, the list does not end. God has blessed me abundantly in life and I cannot complain! Some of these were funny, some silly, some serious, but overall I had fun compiling my thankful list. Tomorrow is another day and another month. Wow, Christmas will be here soon! Now it's off to dinner with a great friend I haven't seen in quite some time...