Day 6

Today is my husband's birthday.  And it's flag day too...so Happy Flag Day everyone!  I love birthdays!  I love picking out gifts I know the recipient will like and then wrapping it up in colorful paper.  I enjoy the anticipation I feel as I wait for the gift to be opened.  I really like cake, so that is a plus since birthdays usually involve cake.  Also, ice cream is good.  There really isn't anything I can think of that I don't like about birthdays. 

Happy Birthday Honey!  I love you!

My 28 thanks:

1. Today Matt gets to celebrate another year of life.

2.  My husband is my very best friend.

3. He makes me laugh every day.

4. He is a hard worker.

5. He is funny.  Really.  I'm not the only one he makes laugh.

6. He is dedicated at his job.  At his last job, he was one of only two accountants who was offered relocation to Houston.  They really wanted him to move because he is dependable and always does his best work.

7. He doesn't mind doing dishes.

8. He usually mops the kitchen floor because my back can't take it.

9. Matt is one handsome man.  :)

10. He is the BEST dad.

11. He is a man my daughter can admire...and in the very distant future a man whose example she can use to know how to choose a worthwhile husband.

12. He is a man my son can emulate.  He will know how to be an amazing husband and terrific daddy just by watching his own dad.

13. He is tall, which means my kids will most likely be tall.

14. He is good at video games which means he can play with the kids and not make them mad.  I do not possess this skill.

15. He has the most beautiful eyes.  Seriously, take a look next time you see him.

16.  He has awesome teeth.  He never wore braces but his teeth are almost perfectly straight.  He also has had very few cavities.  This is one reason my kids have really health and strong teeth.

17. Aside from his eyes being beautiful, they also posses near perfect vision.  This is one reason my kids have awesome eyesight.

18. He is healthy.  We hardly ever go to the doctor.

19. He totally irons his own clothes...and doesn't complain about it.

20. He is the nerd.  In Dave Ramsey speak, this means he does all the work when it comes to budgeting.  I like this because doing all that work would be torture for me.

21. He loves the Lord with all his heart.

22. He is a fantastic Sunday School teacher.  I know sometimes he feels like he is not doing a good job or that he is not making a difference, but I see the way those boys look up to him.  He is totally making a difference.

23. He keeps me accountable for all my dreams, goals and aspirations.

24. He supports me 100%.  He may be more excited about my dream of applying to dental school than I am.

25. He is my biggest encourager and number one fan.

26. He lets me have the nice car while he drives the not-so-nice car to work every day.

27. He knows me.  He knows my faults. He knows how much I weigh...everything about me and he still loves me!

28.  His guy friends are good, fun guys.  I don't feel like I have to run and hide or go out with the girls when they come over.  He has great friends...and their wives are pretty great too.

Bonus Thanks:

   I have been blessed with nearly 10 years of marriage with this amazing man.  We have loved life together for over 12 years.  I can't imagine my life without him. 

Day 5

Day 5 and already getting behind!  Well, get used to it because timeliness is not a strong suit of mine!  I feel like I should have something more important to say, but I'll just keep it short and sweet.

My 28 thanks:

1. Zachary always wakes up, runs to me, snuggles and says I love you in the morning.

2. After about 5 seconds of that he says, "I'm hungry." Every. Single. Morning. He's always been a hungry boy, I think that means he is going to be tall. 

3. Zachary loves to talk.  He can't keep quiet.  It doesn't matter what he is doing, watching TV, eating dinner, playing his DS, riding in the car, you name it; he is talking while doing it.  I don't know where he gets it.

4. Haha!  Actually, I know exactly where he gets it and so do you if you know me at all!  He gets it honest from his Mama...just like I got it honest from mine.  We're a talkative bunch.

5. Parts of my Mama live on even though she is gone.

6. Madelyn is a sweet girl.  She is always thinking of others.

7. Madelyn has a heart for young children.  Even though she is still a pretty young child herself, she comes alive when she is helping care for babies and toddlers.

8. We visited Matt at work today and got snow cones from the vendor in the parking lot.  They were wonderful!

9. I had no idea what to make for dinner, but Matt called and offered to grill chicken.  We had a delicious dinner and I didn't have to do all of it! 

10. Zachary ate two bites of chicken.  Progress!  He is usually such an herbivore. (Herbivore is a much cooler word than vegetarian...)

11. I started and finished a book today.  I've missed the thrill I get from devouring a book.

12. Madelyn and I watched So You Think You Can Dance again today.  I was able to watch closely and take some good notes. 

13. I love dance!  It is so beautiful.

14. I love watching Madelyn dance.  At first she wasn't sure she loved it, but one day I saw her face change and now she looks so happy when she dances.

15. She wants to be involved in my choreography.  Sometimes I have to remind her that it will look so much better when the girls are doing it! 

16. We drove by the State Capitol today and the kids are excited about checking it out this summer.

17. I am so thankful for Dave Ramsey and his financial peace ministry.

18. Because of Dave (and our hard work following his program) we were not scared when Matt found out his job was relocating to Houston and there was a chance we would be out of a job later in the year.

19. Because of Dave's ministry, we were able to get out of debt (everything but the house) two years ago.

20. As a result of being out of debt we were able to save and pay cash for two cars on separate occasions.

21. We have been able to live our lives free from financial fear.

22. Although I am the free spirit (Matt is the nerd...duh) and the budget "meetings" make me nervous sometimes, I am always happy with the end result.  No bill surprises us and we tell all our money where to go.

23. Because Financial Peace has worked so well for us in our lives, we are constantly looking for opportunities to tell others about the program and how it has changed our lives.

24. Since we live our lives free from financial fear, we also don't fear the future or retirement.  Talk about freedom!

25. We already have Christmas budgeted for and have been able to purchase some Christmas gifts!  We like to shop ahead!

26. We had movie night tonight with the kids. (apparently this is becoming some kind of summer tradition... but no popcorn this time; I know, sad) Madelyn picked out Monster's Inc because she had seen about 15 minutes of it at church Wed night and she also has a thing for Sulley.

27. There are so many good movies coming out this summer, we are going to have to budget especially for going to the movies!  The kids are mostly excited about Monsters University and Despicable Me 2.

28. Going to the movies occasionally is something the kids enjoy very much and it is worth the money to see the smiles on their faces.  But we still go to Tinseltown because it saves money! 

Day 4

I love my 4th grade girls.  I love teaching them the units in our girls ministry.  Tonight was different, we are doing a summer series and even though it is way different than my usual Wednesday night teaching, I had a blast.  Off The Rails is a fun series.  Tonight we talked about the parable of the prodigal son.  It's a story we've all heard and one we all love.  You can never be to old to appreciate the fact that no matter what we have done, no matter what we are currently doing and no matter what we will do in the future, our heavenly father loves us!  We can't earn it, we don't deserve it and the best news of all...we can't lose it!  Our heavenly father loves us NO MATTER WHAT.  Even when we deny him or reject him he STILL LOVES US.  He is watching and waiting for us to come home where he will welcome us with open arms.  What an amazing God we serve.

My 28 thanks:

1. The parables of Jesus are still useful for teaching 2000 years later.

2. God loves me!

3. His love for me is unconditional.

4. I don't deserve God's love, and there is nothing I can do to earn it, but He loves me anyway!

5. No matter what, I cannot lose God's love. 

6. Tonight, I watched Zachary dance, sing, and raise his hands during praise and worship.

7. Zachary enjoyed his new class tonight.

8. Zachary made a really cute Father's day craft for Matt tonight in his class.

9. Madelyn enjoyed meeting Ms. Shea and Mrs. Danielle in her 3rd grade class tonight.

10. I watched as Madelyn walked over to her brother during praise and worship to help him feel comfortable in his new environment.  She is a great big sister (most of the time)!

11. We went to the Omniplex (Okay, okay....Oklahoma Science Museum...who even calls it that?) today and had a great time!

12. I finally got to go to a planetarium show!  Every time we have been the planetarium has been closed. 

13. The kids enjoyed the planetarium too!

14. My cousin lives two streets away from me and had a shelter put in tonight!  Now I have a place really close to home to go when the weather gets bad!

15. The kids and I have been jamming out to PFR in the car the past couple of days!  I love having a CD player in my car!  Admit it, you loved PFR's song, Great Lengths, as much as I did...right?

16. I love watching weird TV shows like Toy Hunter and Storage Wars with Matt.

17. Barry on Storage Wars makes me laugh.

18. Both my kids can brush their own teeth! 

19. Both my kids can buckle their own seatbelts!

20. I love having mostly self sufficient kids, it  makes life so much easier!

21. I have the awesome responsibility of teaching God's word to young girls.

22. The girls in my class make me laugh.

23. I asked the girls what they think is the dirtiest animal on a farm.  One girl told me a cow mixed with a rooster.  Where do they come up with this stuff?

24. I was able to take a father's day craft home with me.  I plan to make my daddy a nice little corny father's day gift.  I hope to make him laugh!

25. I put on a pair of capris I haven't been able to wear and they fit!

26. The burritos I made for dinner tonight were delicious!

27. I signed Madelyn up for Kids Camp tonight!  She is going to have so much fun!

28. I get to go to Kids Camp this year too!  I am crazy excited!

Day 3

Today has just been...today. 
No major failures, no major breakthroughs, no major revelations and no major frustrations.
I welcome days like these.  Especially after days like yesterday.

My 28 thanks:

1. Summer means sleeping in!  Sleeping in is good.

2. We went out shopping for a little bit and the kids were well behaved (mostly).

3. Zachary told me his flip flops were sweating because of his grubby feet. It made me laugh.  He is a funny funny kid.

4. While out, I found Madelyn a swim suit for $4.50. 

5. I love Target, especially the clearance racks!

6. It is hard to beat the prices at Gordman's.

7. I found a pair of Fossil sunglasses at Gordman's for $18!  The best part is, I have birthday money so I didn't have to walk away...I actually got to buy them! 

8. Sonic Happy Hour...need I say more?

9. The JJ Heller cds I ordered from Amazon came in the mail today!

10. Amazon has great deals!

11. JJ Heller's music is so mellow.  I love it!

12. My new car has a cd player!  You never know how much you use it until you drive a car without one for a few years.

13. I bought stuff that wasn't on my list at the grocery store and I still came in under budget!

14. Madelyn was a big help at the grocery store.  She even helped me unload the car and bring groceries into the house.

15. Loading groceries into the back of the Santa Fe is so much easier than loading them into the trunk of the Grand Marquis. 

16. Matt and I think the same things are funny.

17. Matt wears ear plugs when he mows the yard.  I didn't know this until today.  When I asked him about it he looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Yeah, that lawnmower is loud. I'm not trying to lose my hearing."  I don't know why, but I thought that was funny...it made me laugh.

18. I love laughing; laughing is my favorite.

19. Madelyn still loves playing with dolls. I just want to hit the pause button because the last 8 years have already gone by too fast.

20. We discussed possibly taking a Christmas timeish mini-vacation to Great Wolf Lodge. 

21. Zyrtec works really well for my allergies. 

22. I am excited about my choreography to Call Me Out by Gungor.  It's a fun song and it will be a fun dance!

23. I got to take a shower before the kids got up this morning. The water was hot and the house was quiet.  It was a great shower. 

24. Tomorrow is Wednesday and I get to participate in Off The Rails.  The kids are saying amazing things about the series so I am excited to be a part of it!

25. Madelyn asked to watch So You Think You Can Dance with me today.  It makes me happy that she loves dance.

26. Zachary has a mathematical brain.  He figured out 8+8 all by himself today.

27. My friend Stefanie had her baby, Levi, last night and he is precious!

28. Zachary just crawled up in my lap to love on me and then called me his "little elephant".  I have no idea why he called me that, but I love that he (even at 5) still enjoys climbing in my lap and cuddling with me. 

Day 2

Today I failed.

Yesterday I said I was gaining maturity...today I threw maturity out the window and my phone on the floor like a two year old throwing a tantrum.  Yesterday I was happy to see that I was becoming known as and easy-going person who is doesn't get offended easily...today I went off the deep end. 

We all have our good days and our bad days; but even in the bad days there are things for which we can bless the Lord. 

My 28 thanks:

1. I live in a country of abundance.

2. Because of that abundance, I had a nice phone to throw when I got angry.

3. Although I shattered the screen of said phone, I had a screen protector on it which is holding everything in place until I can get it fixed.

4. The phone still works with a shattered screen.

5. Because the phone still works, I was able to take all the phone calls from the church today for tornado relief.

6. I am so thankful Kara thought of me to take tornado relief calls.  I wanted to help, but it is difficult to get out in the middle of such wreckage with two small children.  Taking calls from home is perfect.

7. Madelyn's friend was able to come over today.  She stayed a lot longer than we originally thought and the kids were ecstatic about it!

8. The kids washed my car the old fashioned way with rags and a bucket of soapy water.

9. They thought it was fun!  Yay for free labor!  

10. They played outside in the sprinkler for a long time and had a blast.

11. Who knew running errands with three kids would be easier than with two?  I was able to run to two banks and the post office with absolutely no trouble. 

12. The laughter coming from the back seat of my car was contagious.

13. My husband's new job is amazing!

14. He found out that he is going to get vacation for his years worked, not just at this job, but his entire work experience.  Next year he will get 4 weeks vacation...I have no idea what to do with that much!

15. The Lord gives us everything we need.  Then he gives us more!  

16. My friend's pillow was thrown into clean trash and was able to be salvaged.

17. I was able to make my friend spew water out her nose because of a funny text.

18. I like it when people think I am funny.

19. Tonight was daddy/daughter night.

20. I love spending time with my Dad...even when he gives me a hard time.

21. He is so calm and logical...and when he is angry, he makes sure he throws things that are cheap...not expensive phones.

22. I have a lot to learn from my Dad.

23. If it weren't for daddy/daughter night, I wouldn't get to see my sister, Sarah, as much.  I love my sister.

24. When Sarah gets married she will live on the south side of the city again and maybe we will see each other more.

25. I made tacos for dinner, but because of daddy/daughter night I didn't get to eat them.  Madelyn's friend ate dinner at our house and thought the tacos were great.  

26. I love being complimented on my cooking.  I'm no Pioneer Woman...but I have some things I cook very well!

27. My husband did the dishes and cleaned up dinner while I was out last night.  He's a good man.

28. He didn't get mad when I told him what I did to my phone.  He is usually calm like my dad.  Did I mention he is a good man?

Everybody's doin' it

So, since I am jumping on the bandwagon, I will share with you a little ditty my Mama used to sing:

Everybody's doin' it,

doin' it, doin' it.

Pickin' their nose and

chewin' it, chewin' it.

I know...gross, but it's the first thing I thought of when I thought about starting to add in a 10,000 reasons component to this blog.  Everyone else is doin' it.  So, here I go too.  To the best of my ability, I will strive to post 28 thanks a day.  At the end of 1 year, I will have blessed the Lord 10,000 times.  Being a pessimist in recovery, this is just what I need to remember what I am thankful for.  

And Day One begins:

1. We bought a new car last week.  We saved and saved then we paid cash.  It is a 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe and I just might be in love.

2. Unfortunately the reason we were able to purchase the car was because my cousin's husband passed away and she had to sell it to get out from under the payments.  I loved Sid.  He was an amazing man, husband and daddy.  He will be missed.  I am thankful that I know I will see him again.

3. Because we purchased a car, we were able to bless some really great friends with one of our cars.  And just when they needed it most.  I love win/win/win scenarios. 

4. We had a garage sale Saturday at my sister-in-law's house.  We made almost $200 and were able to donate what didn't sell.

5. Madelyn promoted to the 3rd/4th grade girls Sunday School this morning.  She was so excited to go to her new class and we have enjoyed hearing about how much fun she had and what she learned.

6. Zachary was happy we ate pizza for lunch today after church.  He was even happier that we were able to use coupons to make it cheaper!

7. We invited friends to have lunch with us.  Zachary was so excited to eat lunch with his best friend Alexander.

8. Mazzio's has free drinks on Sundays.

9. Mazzio's always gives out a ton of coupons that save you big time, especially when coupled with free drinks.  Today we saved $16.50 not counting what the drinks would have cost.

10. I am doing very well and learning to be frugal.

11. Madelyn was invited to go swimming with a friend today.  Her friend's family was displaced by the tornado on May 20th, but they are always looking for ways to be a blessing to others!

12. Madelyn and Allison are great friends!  I am so glad she has good Godly friends with great parents in her life!

13. I get to teach summer dance classes next Monday and Tuesday.  I'm not ready yet, but I have my music picked out and I've been praying for guidance in choreography.  It is going to come together this week and it is going to be so much fun!! 

14. Last year I was petrified of teaching the "big girls" in the summer.  This year I am excited! 

15. My aunt Louan spoiled me for my birthday.  I love having her in my life!  She connects me to my Nana and Mama.  She misses them as much as I do.

16. Louan heard Pastor Ted on the radio.  She told me how much she enjoyed listening to him talk.  It made me realize what a great church I am a part of.  We've had our ups and downs but I love that I can finally look back at all the changes and disappointments and see the blessings that have come out of it all.

17. Zachary's friend Alexander got to promote to the 5 year old class today.  Zachary and Alexander were both so happy to be in class together!

18. Pastor Kara calls me to help because she knows I am willing.  I love having a reputation of someone who loves to help!

19. Mr. Zach joked with me today about my teaching.  He doesn't really know me, but apparently I also have a reputation of being someone who knows how to joke around and doesn't get offended easily.  I want to be known as an easy going person who doesn't cause drama or get upset easily.

20. I was supposed to work in the nursery today, but because of some confusion, I wasn't needed.  Don't get me wrong...I enjoy the nursery, but since I didn't get to work the nursery, I was able to head home and grab Madelyn's swim suit for the afternoon that I forgot and I was also able to make it to my Effective Parenting Sunday School class.  I love that class, so I was glad I didn't have to miss it!

21. The other night I had some frightening tornado nightmares.  Today in church I was reminded that God hasn't given me the Spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.  

22. I was also reminded that God thinks about me.  Not only does he think about me, but he only thinks good things about me!

23. I saw my friend Amber at church today.  I hadn't seen her in a while but I didn't know how much I had missed her until I hugged her neck.  She is a fun friend!

24. I saw my friend Janelle at church today.  She has moved all over and I am sure she has some stories to tell.  We didn't talk very long, but it was so good to see her.

25. Maturity.  I still have a long way to go, but I am getting there.  

26. We had a family movie night tonight.  We watched Lilo and Stitch

27. We had popcorn with our movie.  The kids love it when we have popcorn with a movie.  Who am I kidding?  I love it too!

28. I am almost finished shopping for father's day and Matt's birthday.  I love giving gifts!

All things are possible, only believe

Smith Wigglesworth said, "Only believe, only believe, all things are possible, only believe." 

   If you were to ask me when were you the closest to God you've ever been, I'd wish I could say today (and I'm almost there) but I would have to say the beginning of my senior year of high school.  I don't even want to go into how long ago that was...  I had some setbacks and made some not so wonderful decisions that year and then went off to college.  Once in college, I joined Chi Alpha and continued to serve the Lord, but not in the completely surrendered way I had just the year before.  Then in 2000, I made some changes and got back on track.  In 2001 I began dating the man who would become my husband and we just became complacent together.  We both love the Lord and are raising our children to do the same; we strive to be good people and not the Christians who give Christianity a bad name.  We tithe and we pray together and, well, we DO all the right things.  The problem?  Our hearts haven't always been 100% surrendered...well, I can't speak for him.  MY heart hasn't always been 100% surrendered. 

  I said I would talk about it so here goes:  Three weeks ago on Monday, we were informed that Matt's job was being relocated to Houston.  We were offered a retention plan and a relocation plan and we had to choose between, stay here and not have a job after a certain time frame, or move to Houston.  I'll be honest, the relocation plan was amazing.  I was seriously tempted to move to Houston.  However, in the end, we did not feel it was God's plan for us to move.  We (and when I say we, I mean he) signed the retention papers and began the process of  updating Matt's resume and looking for jobs online, contacting a staffing firm and of course, purchasing new interview clothes.  At least some of that was fun!  Friday of the same week, I mistakenly left my garage door open for one hour in broad daylight with my car in the garage and some lowlifes decided they needed Matt's bike, weed eater and all of his tools more than we did, so they took them.  Talk about a bad week!  Sunday morning in Sunday school we had the very last discussion on the book The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.  I decided right then and there that I would fast and pray and my circle would be around Matt and his job.  I began fasting and praying on Monday and dedicated myself to 3 weeks.  Long story short, this past Friday, Matt had an interview for a new company and it went extremely well.  We were concerned that salary might be an issue, but we were just trusting the Lord. Sunday morning at church our pastor said to the congregation that someone in the audience would be facing negotiations in the following week and not to worry because God had gone before and negotiated on your behalf and the result of the negotiation will amaze you.  I just clung to that promise and that night as I prayed, I remembered the story of Gideon asking for a sign that he was sure of God's will.  Using Gideon as my example, I made a request of the Lord, that if this job was the one he intended for us that they would offer a specific salary and that is how I would know for sure.  The next afternoon, Monday, only three weeks after getting the relocation news, Matt was offered a job for the exact salary I had requested of the Lord!  Plus bonuses!  We were amazed!  We know that our steps are ordered of the Lord, and we know that every good and perfect gift comes from the Father.  We have NO doubt He cares for us.  In these 3 weeks of fasting and praying, of seeking the Lord and doing Bible studies, I have grown so much.  I have found a new joy that I haven't had in a long long time.  I am finally where I need to be, only moving forward this time and no more moving backward. 

  And Ya'll, during all this stress, I also managed to lose .7 pounds (yes, that is point 7 pounds, as in less than one pound) this week.  I mean, that's not awesome, but "yay me" anyway!