Days 13, 14, 15

 13th - Physical Feature 

This one is really hard. I have no idea. I used to really like my ankles but right now one of them is the source of such distress that I don't think I can use that one. 

I like my eyes when they're working. I think they're pretty. I don't know if anyone else does. 

I have a physical feature that my husband loves but that hardly seems appropriate for here. :) 

14th - Talents and Skills 

I feel like we've already covered this one with family meal planning and prep and also my ability and joy in crochet and cross-stitch so...yeah...I have nothing to add here. 

15th - Tradition

Family dinner was my favorite tradition but as the kids have gotten older and busier it seems like less often that we can all be together. 

I guess one of my favorites is corn dogs on Halloween. Sonic has $.50 corn dogs that day so we always order a bunch and then make our own fries. This way we know that the kids have had some kind of food in their bellies before ingesting tremendous amounts of sugar.

Oh...New Year's Eve. Steve always smokes a turkey and we have that with a cheese board. We have a lot of fun going to HyVee and picking out fun, new cheeses to try. We then play games and celebrate the New Year arrival. 

Christmas Eve we put on our jammies, get hot chocolate, load up the car and go look at Christmas lights. I love that tradition. It was started by my parents when we were little and it's something I have added to and do with my kids. Then we come home, I read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and everyone goes to bed. 

Day 12 - A Place

 Home. It's as simple as that. The place that I'm most thankful for today, and pretty much every day, is home. 

I love the home when it's quiet (that's rare). I love our home when it's chaotic. I love when all of our kids are home. I love it when none of our kids are home. I love my bedroom and I love the spaces we've created to spend time together.

Our home isn't fancy. It's new to us and we are still finding ways to put it together. There are still boxes taking up half of the garage but it's ours. It's the place we gather to feel safe, protected and loved. 

Day 11 - Unexpected Gift

 The unexpected gift that I am most thankful for is that of my husband and children. 

Steve and my story is fun but it was hard. Whatever it took, we're here. It's still hard some days. It's always worth it and it's a huge gift in my life. 

When I was 18 years old, I was told that I had a 10% chance of ever having a baby. I have been blessed beyond measure with 3 biological babes and 3 "adopted" babes and now our raising our granddaughter. 

None of these were easy stories. I have had multiple miscarriages, multiple surgeries, and all c-sections. The loss of my sister to become my nieces and nephew's parents is a hard journey. Parenting our Tiny Tot is a heartbreaking story. My pregnancies were not easy.

I wouldn't trade any of it as it all is a part of our journey. All of it is a gift. None of it was expected. 

Day 10 - Nature

 When Steve and I first got together, we camped ALL THE TIME. We loved the inexpensive of pitching the tent and hitting the lake for the weekend. Campfires, coolers, outdoor temperatures, fishing, swimming...you name it. It was also a great way for our little one to burn off energy without worrying about her being noisy in a hotel. We didn't have to go far from home to have a good time. 

As life got busier, and we got older, those trips slowed down. The appeal of sleeping on the ground and not having access to running water a few feet away became fewer and further between. 

We still love camping or at least the idea of camping. Summer of 2021, we had several trips planned but were only able to make one of them work. It was a great time. It was time well spent with family and not being connected to the internet or screens. Tiny Tot loved the outdoors. We grilled, we played on the playground, we fished, we slept in a teepee. 

The summer of 2022 will come with great intentions of camping more. We'll hope that our schedules allow it and that the universe comes together so that we can get out more. If not, we'll enjoy the time that we have hanging out on the dock fishing. 

Day 9 - Looking Forward To...

I am looking forward to having my foot and ankle healed! 

Twenty years ago I broke my right ankle and required surgery where they implanted a metal plate with two screws on one side and a pin on the other side. That hardware is no longer giving me joy! I've been in a lot of pain for the past 5 weeks and it is difficult to walk, stand, or sit for long periods of time. It has wreaked havoc on my sleep and done an unpleasant number on my mental health. 

On the 16th I will have surgery to have the hardware removed from my right ankle. I will be down for 2 weeks in a sling and then a boot for at least the two weeks following that. While I am certainly not looking forward to surgery or the healing time, it is totally worth it if it means no more (or at least way less) pain and improved mobility. 

On my left foot, I have extensor tendonitis (a fancy term for inflamed tendon). I have an extra bone in my foot and the doctor believes that this extra bone is rubbing on that tendon keeping it from ever fully healing. When we took Tai to college, I was in a boot for it and that provided great relief but shortly after that the discomfort returned and has been annoying me ever since.  

Since it's not optimal to be in two boots at one time, we are addressing the most painful situation first. Following the right ankle healing, we will address the left foot. 

I sincerely look forward to having two fully functioning ankles and feet. I can feel the end in sight! 

Day 6, 7, 8 :)

Day 6 - Season/Weather -- I complain a lot about the cold and the heat and the humidity and the quick changes in weather but I'm honestly super thankful to live in NE and experience all four seasons. I most love Spring when everything is starting to turn green and the rain smells so good and the ground has thawed and planting is happening. 

I'm also really partial to fall. I love the changing of the leaves and the cooler but not cold temps and the need for a sweater but not a coat. I love bonfires and the crunch of leaves underfoot. 

Day 7 - Basic Necessity -- The basic necessity that I'm most thankful for would have to be food. Yes, I know you're shocked that I love food, but it's more than that. It's the joy of cooking for my family, it's the ability to make and try new recipes. It's the bonding time spent with my family during family dinners. Honestly, it's providing for my family in a simple way. I'm very thankful for that. 

Day 8 - Best Thing About Yesterday -- The thing I'm most thankful for from yesterday would be how everyone in the house pulled together to get the house cleaned. I absolutely CAN do it all myself but am thankful that everyone jumped in and helped out. I'm also thankful for the "quiet" time that was allowed since Tiny was at a birthday party and then a BBQ. 

Day 5 - Technology

 Can I just say that I'm super thankful for technology in general? Can you imagine what 2020 would have looked like if we had not had the technology to be able to work from home? Can you imagine what it would have looked like if our children had not been able to have any schooling? 

I would say, to narrow it down, the technology I'm most thankful for is the telephone and email. With not all of our children being able to be in Lincoln with us, it's really nice that they're a phone call away. It's great that we can still speak to them on an almost daily occurrence. 

Email allows me to speak less often on the phone and it allows me to not have to take as detailed notes when I am on the phone. I love the ability to reach out to any of the kids' teachers to express concerns. I love not having to play phone-tag with them in an attempt to hear any news that we may need to know. 

Day 4 - Skills and Knowledge

I have a pretty good skill at menu planning and organizing for our family. I am really thankful for that skill because it means that my family knows what we are having and when we are having it. Typically, it also means that I've shopped for it and they don't have to do much except show up to eat it. :) 

Everyone knows that we have a large family. When we went from a family of 5 to a family of 8, we were gifted the knowledge of Cozi. I am so forever thankful for that. Nine years later and it's still helping us all to stay on track and be exactly where we need to be when we need to be there. I cannot imagine trying to navigate this life without this product. 

So...yeah...I would say the skills that I'm most thankful for are the ones that allow me to provide balance to the chaos that is our life! 

Day 3 - Color

 My favorite color is pink! I used to hate pink but when I got pregnant with Gordon, everything had to be pink. All of the sudden, I was THAT girl and wanted pink everything. It's kind of stuck for the last 18 years. 

Colors bring life to everything. Right now, the seasons are changing and the leaves are gorgeous. My drives to and from work have become colorful masterpieces as I come over hills and see all the different trees. I love the season of fall for that reason. I love to see the beautiful tree in our front yard as it's turned this amazing reddish-orange color and the leaves fall to the ground turning our little front yard a blanket of red. Not for nothing but I'm also glad that there is only one tree in our entire yard so that I don't have to rake that many leaves! 

The question though is what color am I most thankful for and I have to say it's not one color. The colors that I'm most thankful for are all the colors of the rainbow. The rainbow symbolizes so much in my life. God's promise, of course, to never destroy the Earth with floods again. It's a symbol of grace, the grace that He has given us, and the grace that we should remember to give others. 

The rainbow is most often a sign of hope. They come after storms to brighten the Earth and to bring us to hope for a brighter day and time. 

The rainbow brings a sense of peace to many members of my family. The symbol of the rainbow lets them know that they are safe in their LGBTQ+ place. The rainbow flag represents the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community and when my family members see it, they know that they are in a judgment-free zone; they know that they are with safe people in their community. 

I forever want my family members to feel safe and to be safe. So for that reason, I cannot be thankful for just one color, I shall be thankful for all of the colors of the rainbow that make this world what it is. 

Day 2 - Hobby

 A hobby I'm thankful for. I actively participate in two. I crochet and I cross-stitch. Each brings me joy. 

I love to make blankets for people. I don't do anything fancy but I like the simple stitches that piece together, row after row, that I hope will bring comfort and warmth to the person it's intended for. I am grateful for the skill to be able to do so. 

I am thankful for the ability to sit with my family and crochet mindlessly and still be able to pay attention to what is going on around me, still be able to capture the laughs and gasps from them as whatever drama or comedy unfolds on the TV. It requires less focus on the project and I'm grateful that it helps me be present in my living room with them. 

I struggle with that sometimes. Being present with my family when they are just watching TV or playing video games. Crocheting allows me a slight distraction to keep me more present. It also keeps my hands busy and then I snack less! :) 

I am thankful for the ability to cross-stitch as well. I don't do that as much as I'd like as it's more intensive and less easy to do as I'm sitting with the family watching TV. It requires more focus. It pulls my attention away from being present with them as much but keeps me in the same room, which I guess matters as well. 

Day 1 - Someone

 Someone posted a "Happiness Gratitude Challenge" for the month of November and I've decided to try to do it as blog posts. Yes, lots of people jump on the "November Grateful" posts. Doing this in November certainly doesn't mean that I'm only grateful in November. I'm a day behind already so I'll try for two today. Yep, that's how my November is already going...

There are so many people I'm grateful for that it's really hard to post about just one. I have an amazing family, great friends, fantastic co-workers, and co-conspirators. I have a wonderful support system and so I for sure am grateful to all of them. Since the challenge says "someONE", I'm going to highlight this superhuman that doesn't get nearly enough credit! 

Words cannot truly express how thankful I am for my husband. He truly is my better half. Steven pushes me to be a better person. He sees good in me when I can't and he reminds me of the things that are truly important in this world. 

He chose me, he chooses me. He stands beside me when things are hard and he stands beside me when things are fantastic. He picks up when I have to put down and he holds me when I can't hold myself. 

Steve and I have been through a LOT in the past 21 years. There has been heartache and tears. There has been grief that has seemed unmanageable. He hasn't always wanted to be right here with me but he stuck in there. Hell, I haven't always wanted to be right here but we make it work. We choose to make it work. He chooses to not give up. Marriage isn't always easy and it's okay that not everyone shows up every single day. It's showing back up that works for me. 

I will forever be thankful for the father that he has chosen to be to our children. I am thankful for the father that he chose to be to our nieces and nephew. I am beyond thankful for the Poppa that he chooses to be to our Tiny Human. 

It has been a beautiful journey watching him grow and growing with him. He has conquered so much in his life and seeing him overcome the challenges in his life has been inspiring. He has pushed and pushed and it's been a true joy to see him reach his goals and get to be one of his biggest cheerleaders! 

I could go on about the ways in which I'm thankful for my hubby. How he makes the bed in the morning and I know he does it just because he's thinking of me. How thankful I am when I wake up in the middle of the night with his arm around me. How thankful I am when I'm sick or just exhausted and can't do one more thing and he just takes over. 

Day 1 (done on day 2) of being thankful. My someone is Steve, my husband, my friend, my co-conspirator.