Day 5: My Church

Today I'm thankful for my church. We've been attending our church for about a year now. It's a new church, planted at the beginning of 2014. I've never been part of a church plant and it's been really cool to see the birth and growth of this vision and to share a role in that. I love the community that's being built, I love the people and all the friends we've made, and I love the leadership and what they're about. 

Before we found Christ Church I was in a lonely place. We were still relatively new to the area and hadn't made many connections. Our old church and friends were an hour away which isn't super far in the grand scheme of things, but it made investing in relationships a serious time commitment throughout the week. 

We met a really awesome couple at our first community group meeting and have grown super close.  The four of us have started a monthly game night with several other couples and I definitely feel like these are people we can really do life with.  I'm very grateful for these friends and so happy to not feel so lonely anymore.

I'm also really grateful for our pastor.  He's just a really down-to-earth guy and I love that he practices what he preaches.  He tells us to love on our neighbors and bring them to church, but he's also bringing his neighbors to church.  He's having us over for lunch on Sunday afternoons and hosting a church-wide picnic at his house.  He loves his congregation and you can tell.  

I've been a part of several churches throughout the years, but this one really feels like home.  I'm so thankful to have found it and can't wait to see what the Lord does in our lives through Christ Church.  

Day 4: I'm OK

Today I'm thankful that I'm ok.  

I was in my first fender bender this past Monday.  It was nothing too serious, I got rear-ended at a stop light when the guy behind me hit the gas pedal instead of the brake.   There was hardly any car damage.

Since it was my first "accident" I was a little shaken up.  I had forgotten my phone at home so I had to write everything down like a little, old grandma haha.  Meanwhile, he used his insurance app to email me his info and texted me photos of the couple of scratches on the cars.  Low tech vs. high tech.

I had Lacey with me and she was quivering so hard I thought she'd collapse lol her poor shaky little legs.  That's kinda how I felt on the inside though.  Thankfully, the man was very nice and not shady at all.  We swapped info and then Lace and I went home and just laid low for the rest of the day.  I had a headache the rest of the evening and several dizzy spells so I think I may have had some whiplash?  

Other than that it was a pretty uneventful first accident.  I don't want to over-dramatize the whole situation, because it really wasn't a huge thing, but it did make me grateful for my safety and well-being.  I'm thankful that it wasn't a worse accident.  I'm thankful that no one was hurt.  I'm thankful that we got it taken care of and no one tried to be a jerk or pull anything over on me.  

Short and sweet today.  I'm just thankful that I'm ok.  And I'm thankful that God was with me. :)

Day 3: My New Job

Today I'm thankful for my new job.  I'm a nanny now for two cute little boys and we are halfway through our second week together. :)  

So far it has been going well.  I'm not gonna lie, I was a little intimidated after the first couple days.  I came home wondering if I had made the right decision in taking this job. 

Last Thursday I had both boys at home all day because school was out for Rosh Hashanah. We were also stuck inside all day because it was raining.  I was a little nervous that I'd run out of indoor activities to keep them occupied and that there'd be some conflict or constant begging for tv shows and I'd be labeled as mean nanny for the rest of my time working there. The day turned out to be a blessing in disguise though.  I got to spend a whole day with the 6 year old instead of the 5 hours a week that I will normally see him. It allowed me to build a bond much quicker with him and we made it thru the day with very little conflict or "mean nanny" moments. ;) He is a very sweet kid and I forget that 6 year old boys still want cuddles and hugs too.  

After that victory I have felt much more confident about this job, both in my ability to do it well and that it is the right place for me to be at the moment.  I'm thankful that God has brought this opportunity to me and for the chance I have to be Jesus to these little boys and to make lasting impressions on them of the love that He has for them.  

Day 2: Lacey

Today, I'm thankful for my puppy girl.  Lacey came to us a little less than a year ago.  She is my first dog ever and I crazy love her.   

She was so tiny!

She is so mischievous, but I think it's because she knows how cute she is so she knows she can get away with a lot.  I am thankful for her goofy spirit and happy energy and I love it so much that she is a cuddly dog.  It's a little funny that this 50 pound dog thinks she still fits in our laps, but I love it when she snuggles up close - she speaks my love language for sure!

From this

To this!

I am thankful for Lacey's companionship.  She keeps me company when Doad is out of town for work.  She knows when I'm upset and will lick the tears off my face and try to sit in my lap lol.  She always wants to be with me and will get up and follow me and lay down at my feet, even if I'm just moving five feet away.  

Trying to be closer to me on our road trip to Canada

Lacey had a pretty bad accident in January where she slipped on some ice and cracked her elbow.  She needed surgery for a screw and a pin to put her elbow back together and we weren't sure if we were going to be able to afford it.  That day of figuring out what our options were and how we were going to take care of our poor little puppy was so emotional for me.  We had only had her for a couple of months at that point, but I couldn't believe how much I loved her already.  She just cried and cried in my arms and I could barely keep myself from bursting into tears.

Obviously, it all worked out.  She was able to get the surgery and has healed up just fine and I can't help but be thankful that everything ended up ok.  I'm thankful that we were able to pay for the surgery and that it was successful.  I'm thankful that she is ok now and has had great health since.  

I had no idea when we got Lacey how quickly she would steal my heart, but she has and I'm so happy we have her.  She is my little puppy girl and I will always love her.

31 Days of Thankfulness

Day 2: Lacey

Day 3: My New Job

Day 4: I'm OK

Day 5: My Church

Day 6: 2014 Resolutions: September Recap

Day 7: Nail Polish

Day 8: Katie and the Wellness Family Summit

Day 9: Whole30
Day 10: Pick-Your-Own Farms
Day 11: Farmer's Markets
Day 12: Our Town
Day 13: Our Home
Day 14: Sewing Room
Day 15: Our Photo Wall
Day 16: My Bathroom Vanity
Day 17: The Kitchen
Day 18: Porch Swing
Day 19: Our Garden
Day 20: Our Bedroom
Day 21: The Beach
Day 22: Doad
Day 23: Chipotle
Day 24: Blogging
Day 25: Bloggers
Day 26: Our Neighbors
Day 27: Naptime
Day 28: Our Family
Day 29: Friends
Day 30: Days Off
Day 31: Hope

Something the Lord's been teaching me about lately is that He wants me to have a joyful and merry heart.  I want that for myself too, but it's definitely not a strong point for me.  I can be a pretty pessimistic person at times and have really tried to make some changes in that area this year.  

Most of my monthly goals that I blog about are "physical" goals, meaning they don't have too much to do with my spiritual or emotional self.  At the beginning of the year, however, I really did feel that the Lord wanted me to make joy a goal for this year too.  I didn't add that to my list because I didn't really know how to make that into a goal that you could measure progress in, but it has been consistently on my mind as the months have gone by.  I guess you could say that's my "Word" for the year.  

One of the books I'm reading has recently touched on this topic.  It was talking about how joy begins with thanksgiving and that the way we can practice having a merry heart and a joyful spirit is to take time each day to give thanks.  I love the idea of practicing joy.  It doesn't happen overnight.  It becomes a habit just like any other attitude.  

I've been trying to remember to consciously take time to be thankful each day.  It also just so happens that Myquillyn Smith's 31 Day Challenge starts today.  I never do anything half-heartedly so I figured, why not make this daily thankfulness a blogging challenge as well? ;) I've followed this challenge for a couple of years now, but this will be my first time participating.  I'm a little nervous, because let's face it, my track record for blogging regularly is rubbish.  You guys can feel free to comment and keep me accountable to posting every day all you want. ;)

For the month of October, I will be attempting to blog every day about one thing I am thankful for.  You can check back on this post each day for a link to my latest thankfulness post, or follow me on bloglovin' to get the posts automatically in your feed.  

Wish me luck, guys!  I'm excited! :)