Thankful Thursday

I can barely put into words how much has happened over the last two weeks, but I'll try. Spring break. Pack. Clean. Throw away. Pack. Clean. Throw away. Pack. Pack. Pack. 10 hour road trip in one day. Pack. Pack. Throw away. B's birthday bonanza. Pack. Move. Unpack. Sort. Unpack. Back to work.

I've moved, and I just LOVE my new home. Love, love, LOVE it! The time had come for me to part ways with my sweet little 550 square foot apartment. Although I have some very sweet memories of my 5.5 years spent there, I do not even sorta regret leaving. My new place is so pretty. And 300 square feet bigger. And everything in it works. And boy, it's pretty...although I may have already mentioned that :)

My new goal is to live life with way, WAY less stuff than I had in my old apartment. I'm pretty sure it's against the laws of...physics? nature? common sense?...to cram that much stuff into 550 square feet. I was beyond embarrassed that I was able to give away 135 articles of clothing and 13 pairs of shoes. I lost count of how many bags of junk I hauled up to the dumpster. Yikes. Between now and the end of summer, my plan is to go through every item I currently possess and decide if it deserves to live here with me. I'm very excited about simplifying my life and am sharing here so that anybody who reads this will be able to hold me accountable. I'm serious...stay on me about it!

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord and some great opportunities for reflection this Holy Week
• my sweet, wonderful B...he tells me very often how beautiful, funny, and talented he thinks I am, and I don't think he has any idea how happy that makes me!
• my family and friends
• the chance to celebrate my sweet Bubba's birthday on Tuesday...LOVE get-togethers with the fam. Happy birthday, Bub!
• my health, and the health of my loved ones
• the chance to celebrate Easter this weekend with most of my favorite people
• a fun birthday celebration for B at Firebirds with Angie and her JJ...the food and company were both delightful
• my job, my darling schoolbabies, my coworkers, my paycheck
• payday right around the corner
• a roof over my head, food in my fridge, clean running water, clothes in my closet, shoes on my feet, vitamins, allergy medicine, electricity, internet, my phone, a dependable car, a salary that provides for my needs
• the 5.5 years I had a washer and dryer provided for me...I'm now saving to buy my own and am realizing how thankful I should've been when I had a washer and dryer at my disposal!
• the gorgeous cherry tree right outside my new living room windows
• my Brita pitcher
• great new lotion
• patience and deep breaths
• a mama who never makes me feel guilty when I vent to her
• a daddy who remembers to fix me chicken when the rest of the family feasts on something disgusting (like shrimp)
• two sweet grandparents who just dote on their grandbabies...love you, Mimi and Grandad!
• starting to feel settled in my new casa
• good sleep
• contentment
• the weekend!
• a trip to Virginia and D.C. that will be here in less than a month
• a really fun date night with B yesterday...pork & grits and sangria at Jim 'N Nick's (way, way yum), lots and lots and lots of laughs...that fella is good for me
• fun plans over the next few weeks
• Pepper Place market opening up soooooon...so excited!
• the unseasonably, unnecessarily cold weather we've had this week, because it'll make me appreciate warmer weather even more
• fun mail
• a life filled with loved ones and opportunities

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my sweet, handsome, patient B...he has been so sweet to put up with a stressed out girlfriend the last couple of weeks...I just lurv him
• my wonderful family and friends
• my health, and the health of my loved ones
• a couple of long chats with my mama this week
• my job, my absolutely precious schoolbabies, and my coworkers
• a very successful, very fun Pi Day celebration yesterday
• excellent behavior from my students on our field trip today
• spring break starting at 3:15 tomorrow!
• choosing a job that allows me to still have a spring break
•  a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, shoes on my feet, clothes in my closet, enough money to take care of my needs, a dependable and totally paid-off car
• my appliances...they make my life so much more convenient
• my Brita pitcher
• vitamins
• patience, and opportunities to show grace multiple times every day...I need the practice!
• a gorgeously gorgeous early spring day today...spectacularly pretty
• blooming Bradford pear trees
• warm, pretty weather forecasted for this weekend
• sunscreen
• one last weekend to spend in my little home...granted, I'll spend it packing everything up, but it'll be a nice chance to say goodbye
• moving day coming up next week...SO excited!!!!
• being able to time my move with spring break...not necessarily the most relaxing way to celebrate a week off of work, but it'll be so much easier to get it all done without having to worry about work
• spring break
• B's birthday next week...excited to celebrate him!
• sunshine
• the sweet, very smart new student Carrie got this week...I only get to teach him for an hour and a half every day, but I'm happy he's joined our "team"
• getting to spend the day with darling Melynda on our field trip...she's so fun!
• being back in my regular tutoring schedule this week...I've missed it these last 3 weeks and was so happy to get back to normal
• our D.C. trip being planned and ready, for the most part
• spring break
• getting to see Daddy's pictures...I'm so happy we got him that fancy-schmancy camera for Christmas, and it's exciting to see his skills improve
• arms and legs that are strong enough to allow me to do the things I want to do
• laughter and contentment
• sweet memories
• spring break

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my sweet, handsome B and all the fun he brings to my world
• my lovely family and friends
• one week until spring break
• my job, my incredible schoolbabies who keep me on my toes, my coworkers
• a roof over my head, clothes in my closet, shoes on my feet, clean running water, food in my fridge, a comfortable bed, a jacket to keep me warm on these unnecessarily cold days, my phone, my computer, a paid-off and dependable car
• enough money to cover my needs
• my sewing machine
• experiences that keep me humble, like B having to tell me that, while I did a BEAUTIFUL job sewing his patches on, my placement was off...and the only way to fix that was to completely pull the patches off and start over...awesome...color me humbled :)
• my seam ripper
• my Brita pitcher
• prayers
• reminders to keep in touch with my family and friends and to tell them often how much I love them...you just never know, folks...
• The Bible miniseries on History Channel...I'm hooked after one episode and can't wait to see the rest
• laughter
• some nice warm sunshine today!
• springing forward an hour this weekend...will miss that extra sleep fo sho, but can't WAIT to have more sunshine in my life
• one week until spring break
• vitamins
• lotion...winter and my skin hate each other
• a successful D.C. parent meeting Tuesday night...while staying at school from 7:00 AM to 8:30 PM is never on my short list of favorite things, it went well and now I feel like the hardest part is over
• being literate and getting back to my regular tutoring schedule next week
• comfortable shoes
• Pinterest
• the chance to see a sweet friend (and her babes) this weekend!
• a weekend OFF for B and a chance to spend some time with him
• gorgeous weather forecasted for this weekend
• seeing this letter on my door today....basically, I have to have my bedroom closet and my laundry "nook" and my entire bathroom completely empty by next Wednesday so that they can replace the pipes...a crew will be working in every, single apartment to replace the water pipes...looks like they'll still be here when I get home after work...awesome...just the latest in a LONG list of reasons why I'm thankful to be moving out and moving on in 2 weeks
• one week until spring break

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall! Get out there and do something fun!

Thankful Thursday...better late than never

This week has been mind-blowingly busy. I can't remember the last time I was this drained and worn out. VERY much in need of a weekend and so thankful it's finally here!

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my handsome, wonderful B and the new things I learn about him nearly every day
• my silly, precious family and friends
• the realization that, not only can B cheer me up out of a serious funk, but he can be really honest with me in the sweetest, most supportive way possible...LOVE that about him
• 6 months next week :)
• my job and my wonderfully go-with-the-flow schoolbabies...I don't even want to think about them leaving me in May :(
• the tremendous effort that has gone into planning our D.C. trip...we've been pouring all our energy into it, and I know it'll pay off
• springing forward an hour next weekend...I'll miss the hour of sleep but am SO ready for extra daylight
• a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, clothes in my closet, shoes on my feet, my phone, my computer, the dishwasher, a place to get in out of the cold, a soft place to lay my head at night
• the cold snap we're having this weekend...SURELY this is winter's last gasp and springtime is around the corner, right???
• deciding to pray for grace this week, and many opportunities to practice showing it
• the arrival of March, because it's the birthday month of some of my favorite people!
• no more night shifts for B until May...woohoo!!!!
• my sewing skills, which allowed me to sew new patches onto B's shirts...makes me feel useful, which is one of my favorite ways to feel
• vitamins
• lotion...winter and my skin are not friends
• spring break in TWO weeks!
• paying my last rent today for my current little home...this time next month, I'll be in my new abode and I'm SO looking forward to it!
• long walks
• sunshine
• getting to catch up on Justified with B last night
• getting back into my lesson planning/paper grading groove
• a very fun science experiment with my students yesterday, and a ready-made opportunity to show a little grace
• being literate and being able to get back to my regular tutoring schedule after next week
• contentment
• laughter
• spring break in TWO weeks!