Thanksgiving is quickly becoming my favorite holiday. We had a fabulous time with our friends (12 adults) and their 8 kids (0, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4). Here's a shot of what we looked like below. Not pictured is John (who was the cameraman), our neighbors Tim and Deb (they came over later for dessert), and all the kids (they fended for themselves at the kids' table in the basement-- we put the 4-year olds in charge).
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I skimmed through my 3 gratitude journals and found literally tons of interesting entries. Oprah suggests you write 5 things you're thankful for each day, and so after more than a decade of doing this, I have about 16,000 items I've written down! That's a lot of blessings.
Here's a random smattering from my gratitude journal, focusing on the years 2001-2005:
11/13/01-- I saw a shooting star!
1/13/02-- People who present fair, well-thought out balanced opinions
1/24/02-- Brittany Dunford's talent for listening
1/26/02-- Martin Luther King's inspiring speeches
6/8/02-- (day after LASIK) I have 20-20 vision! What a miracle!
2/14/03-- Heather Voelkl's laugh is out of control! She makes you feel like you're the funniest person on earth.
2/22/03-- I got the BEST email from Dad! I'll always be a daddy's girl.
4/16/03-- Cheap gasoline prices
5/28/04-- Being voted the "cutest tap dancer" in my class
5/30/04-- Joy Engebretsen, who always gives me the benefit of the doubt
1/1/05-- I got a CELL PHONE!
1/31/05-- Britney Spear's song "You Drive Me Crazy" (dedicated to John McAllister)
3/1/05-- Eating healthily, and then rewarding myself with a piece of Vanilla Praline Fudge
3/5/05-- I went country dancing with JOHN MCALLISTER!!!!!! We had such a fun time talking during the drive that he got lost 3 times.
3/12/05-- Jumping off cliffs and surviving
3/29/05-- Getting dating tips from my Mom. She's actually pretty good.
4/7/05-- Dancing ballet with Chelsey Powers to Josh Groban songs
4/9/05-- Mens volleyball-- they jump so high and hit so powerfully-- you just get really into it
4/18/05-- Kira Neuenswander is so considerate, and she always makes me delicious breakfasts
9/30/05-- I am thankful that I'm related to David and Mary Jane Babbel! Not only related, but they taught me and raised me!
10/3/05-- Eating popcorn with Jackie Dunlop while we're on our waterbeds studying, and making funny comments to each other every few minutes. [Editor's note: my roommate Jackie and I lived in college housing that actually had waterbeds. No joke.]
10/27/05-- Brian (the kid I tutor) went from a kindergarten reading level to 2nd-grade reading level in 2 months! YEAH!
11/2/05-- Finishing a big project before it's due, and with 5 mins to spare
12/16/05-- My Dad's "Daddy Daughter Marriage Talk." He is very wise.
12/17/05-- Kissing John over the altar as his brand-new wife
And if you made it this far without falling asleep, I'm thankful for your endurance! Just consider yourself lucky that I didn't list all 16,000 gratitude items on this blog post.
6 comments:
Fun to remember you blessings with you! Those waterbeds do sound fake well you tell people about them, don't they?
Oh how I love this. :)
It was great to see you! Candy Cane Lane is between 96 and 93rd streets off of Oklahoma Ave. It is sponsored by the MACC fund and should be there every night til Christmas now. The kids love it!
I'm very thankful that you're related to David and Mary Jane Babbel too!
Yeah! I made the list! I can't believe you've been doing this that long. I think it def. shows in your positive attitude!
You are a great example to me of having a grateful heart. I think your gratitude journals have definitely contributed to that. And I'm so glad I made it into an entry.
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