Thankful

Well everyone on Facebook and other blogs seems to be doing the whole "one thing I'm thankful for each day until Thanksgiving," so I figured I'd go ahead and jump on the bandwagon. Why not? So since I'm a little behind I'll just go ahead and use this post to catch up. So here's my list so far (in no particular order):
1) My family. I know that sounds cliche and super obvious, but it's the truth. I'm grateful for MY family. I know people who have family members who live near them or close enough, and yet they act like distant relatives who live hundreds of miles apart. Or they have family who treats them poorly or just ignores them altogether unless it's convenient. I'm grateful for the family that is there, all the time, through all the good and the bad, all the happy and the sad, the honest truths that sometimes hurt, the days they're sweet enough to say how pretty you look and the days they're nice enough to not let you leave the house looking like THAT....! The fun times shopping together (unless there's a shopping "snit") or just sitting on the porch watching the kids play. The Adventures of Travel that no one else understands and the gross, yet strangely accepted, ritual of "you ate it." That's MY family. And I'm grateful for it.
2) My husband. I know that technically lands in the category of "family" but it's different. I have an amazing husband. His job is very demanding of his time. He works his butt off every day and every night, yet still finds the time to take off the cabinet doors so I can go all spontaneous on them. He works into the wee hours of the morning writing music or planning shows just so he can hang out with us for the few hours he's home and we're awake. He loves our baby girl more than anything in the world and I love to hear him read her bedtime stories. He makes me feel better when my day has been terrible and his hugs make everything alright. Yep. Grateful for him.
3) Diet Coke. Wow..... that seems so trivial in comparison, but some days it's the little things. And I'm truly thankful for it. It's not always Coke brand.... sometimes it's Sam's or Big K - I'm not picky - but it's diet cola nonetheless, and it picks me up without adding to my waistline.
4) Aloette. Now this is a dual one - I'm thankful for Aloette products themselves. They're absolutely 100% the best thing I've ever done for my skin and I'm so glad I was introduced to it. Bad skin is something that affects so many people, and it affected me before I started using Aloette faithfully. But it healed my skin and to top it off, I'm almost 31 with very few wrinkles. You'd be surprised at the number of people I've seen my age who already have some serious lines and have already tried botox. 20th high school reunion? Bring it on. I'm also grateful to Aloette from a job perspective. I've done it for over a year now, and it's been so wonderful for me and my family. It's given me an outlet, given us more income, and given me wonderful friends that I'm so grateful for. Yep - thankful for Aloette all around.
5) Beautiful weather. I absolutely LOVE a beautiful fall day that allows me to take Caroline and Bailey to the park for some fresh air and exercise. It lifts my spirits and gives me a chance to just enjoy life.
6) Holidays. I love holidays. No matter which one it is, it's fun. I like to make cookies in holiday shapes and bake holiday appropriate snacks and dishes. I like to decorate my house and light candles that smell "right." It's nostalgic and I'm all about that.
7) Memories. The human brain is super amazing and only God could have constructed something so perfect and intricate. And I'm so glad He designed us with memories. I don't know how I'd make it through without them. They allow me to spend a little time with my Papaw or my Granna, they allow me to relive Caroline as a baby, they allow me to recall the happiness of childhood Christmases. Memories are priceless and I hope I never lose them.
8) Freedom. Since it's election day, I thought about all the freedoms we possess as Americans that people in other countries do not. Someone I know today mentioned her recent trip to China and how odd it is to see families with only 1 child. It's illegal to have more than one and they're forced to abort if they accidentally become pregnant. How lucky we are that we live somewhere with such freedoms. And that's just one law in one country. Just imagine all the other crazy laws in foreign places that would cause such hardships and tension and stress in our lives. We have NO idea just how lucky we are. And I don't want to find out. I'm grateful for our freedoms and thankful that we have men and women who are willing to go out and fight for them.
9) And I'll go ahead and add day 9 since it's late and I'm here. I'm especially thankful today for my healthy child. I look at her every day and thank God for this. I'm thankful for all the little things she does every day to make me smile. When she sings her favorite songs and dances around the room. When she quotes her favorite movies. The way she says "halitocious" in a British accent. When she asks me EVERY morning to come and watch a movie with her. How excited she is about going to Disney World. When she reminds me that we have to write Santa a letter so he knows what to bring her. Her quirky love of eating grapes. And mostly her sweet snuggles before bed every night. Can't go too many days without those. Yep. Thank. FULL.