Thankful Sunday

I've given up trying to get my post done on Thursdays. Maybe next week. "Thankful Sunday" isn't as catchy, but the thought behind it is just the same!

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord and the things He's teaching me these days
• prayers, both answered and unanswered
• my wonderful family and incredible friends
• tough times, and the good that can come from them
• a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, shoes on my feet, clothes in my closet, clean sheets, my comfortable bed, a dependable car, the appliances and doodads and gadgets that make my life easier
• my washer and dryer, and the 4 loads of laundry I was able to do yesterday
• enough money to cover my needs, and a little left over for my wants every now and then
• my job, my fun coworkers, and 27 of the most wonderful 5th graders in the world
• a conversation with a student Friday that left me seriously humbled and in tears...some kids are carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, and we need to be there for those sweet babies
• the safe arrival of Baby Joseph, and the fact that his unexpected, nerve-wracking trip to Children's Hospital yesterday ended well
• 
• getting to hold 2 sweet, brand new babies in one month...love it
• a great haircut yesterday...thanks, Eric!
• a long conversation with Laura today...luh you, Boo!
• a fun day spent with my mama today
• getting to celebrate Daddy's birthday last week
• a really long chat with Angie after work on Thursday....much-needed, and it reminded how much I love that girl!
• a one-on-one Global Scholar tutoring session with Debbie...she told me she deserved to make my Thankful Thursday post, so here ya go, Debbie :)
• the fact that my knee is feeling better after some searing pain during my jog on Friday...I only made it 7.5 minutes and was afraid I'd done some serious damage, but I'm relieved that my knee seems to be on the mend
• sunscreen
• positivity and faith and trust
• reminders that things are not all about me
• gloriously cooler temperatures...fall makes me so happy I can hardly stand it
• the fact that my favorite month of the whole year begins on Tuesday!!!
• pretty new fall colors on my fingers and toes
• homemade chicken noodle soup
• my new phone
• small group tomorrow...I'm excited to learn some new things about healthy cooking and exercise, and I'm loving the opportunity to get to know some new girls
• being literate, and the privilege I have to tutor Mr. L. every week
• good sleep
• my simple little life
• contentment

HAPPY NEW WEEK, yall!

Thankful Thursday, now that it's Sunday and all

One of these weeks, I'll actually have time to sit down on a Thursday to write my Thankful Thursday post. I've been putting in some seriously long hours at work trying to stay one step ahead of the new common core, and that leaves very little time during the week for anything other than eating and sleeping. We're making some amazing things happen at school, though, so hopefully all these long hours are worth it!

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord and the fact that His plan always wins out, even when it doesn't match up with mine (I should say...especially when it doesn't match up with mine!)
• my family and friends
• a glorious, sunny, breezy, beautiful first day of fall today...today has been good for my soul
• my job, the 27 sweet peas I get to spend my days with, and my hardworking coworkers
• patience
• a roof over my head, clean running water, food in my fridge, clothes in my closet, shoes on my feet, my comfortable bed, a dependable car, my washer and dryer, the gadgets and doodads that make my life more convenient, a tidy little home
• church with Byrne and John today...great message, and I love seeing those two lovebirds together :)
• lunch at California Pizza Kitchen...I especially love the fact that since my first pizza was "too done" (the waiter's words, not mine), they let me keep that one and sent out another one...I have enough pizza to last for days!
• seeing the Fain fam at lunch...what a lovely group of folks they are!
• getting to sing this song at church today...one of my favorites
• answered and unanswered prayers
• my new phone
• enough money to cover my needs and a few of my wants
• my new small group, and a fun supper/flower arranging lesson earlier this week
• hard times, because I truly do think that some incredible things can come as a result of perseverance and strength and faith
• a really lazy day yesterday and a near-victory for my Tigers...it's still better than last year :)
• knocking out Week 6 of Couch to 5K
• legs that are strong enough to run
• some fun lessons planned this week, and the fact that my students are PUMPED about the novel I'm reading them right now...I love to see kids excited about learning
• sunscreen and moisturizer
• long talks with great friends
• some rain yesterday
• good sleep
• peace and contentment

HAPPY NEW WEEK, yall!

Thankful Thursday

In the words of Dierks, I'd settle for a slowdown. Life these days is great and hard and oh so busy. My week has consisted of three busy days at work, the Mumford & Sons concert, tutoring, making 65 Oreo balls for Carrie's shower, staying at school until 6:15 making sub plans, spending all day today in math leader meetings, going to see brand new Baby Lolly, making 35 more Oreo balls, making 2 trips to the bank and one to the post office, and typing this post. And I still have a stack of papers to grade before I'm letting myself go to bed tonight. Whew.

On another note, thank you so much for all the prayers for my loved ones and for me. These have been some really tough weeks for a variety of reasons, but I'm learning a lot from these experiences. Even though I can't see it now, I'm praying that God will use all of this for our good and His glory!

Today I am thankful for...

• the good Lord
• my family and friends
• my health, and the health of my loved ones
• a roof over my head, food in my fridge, clean running water, clothes in my closet, shoes on my feet, my comfortable bed, hot showers, my dependable car, the gadgets and appliances that make my life more convenient
• my job, my coworkers, and my sweet students
• the pile of papers I still need to grade tonight, because that means I have a job
• getting to go to the Mumford & Sons concert Monday...it was BY FAR the best concert I have ever been to, and I really didn't want it to end...they are almost supernaturally talented and put on a killer show!
• getting to meet sweet Baby Lolly...she is 3 whole days old, and she is a precious little bundle of sleepy baby goodness

• a very successful shower for Carrie yesterday afternoon...I can't wait to meet Baby Joseph!
• getting a whole mess of burp cloths sewn last weekend...bring on the babies, friends!
• fun plans to celebrate Angie tomorrow night 
• picture day at school tomorrow...I always love to see the kids with their spiffy picture-takin' clothes on :)
• totally dominating Week 5 of Couch to 5K...coming up Saturday is 20 minutes without any walking at all...wish me luck!
• vitamins
• sunscreen
• fall right around the corner, even though I very much miss the sun still being up at 8:00 PM
• getting to go to China Grove last weekend...I love hearing Grandad's stories about the old days, and I love spending that time with him
• small group coming up on Monday...I'm excited about meeting some new ladies and having a flower arranging lesson!
• peace and contentment

HAPPY WEEKEND, yall!