count your many blessings..name then 1 by 1

Two years ago I was still off on that crazy adventure called China. That September, I had realized just how much I am truly blessed with back here in "Real Life." I can honestly say that my life has never been the same since that semester abroad! One of the things I did was make a "209 in 2009" where I listed 209 specific things that I was grateful for; talk about a HUGE eye opener! I still have it on my bookshelf and it's kinda funny to read what I wrote about simple things like a clothing selection, public school, hot water whenever I want it,drinkable water, traffic laws (HAHA), that I've never been high maintance and it goes on and on and on.

That Thanksgiving was honestly the BEST that I have ever had! 16 of us packed into this small room above with maybe 2 scoops (teaspoon scoops mind you) and a roll and just a few other items. It was incredibly! Everybody was so close at that point and it was awesome to sit and listen to so many different things we were grateful for and blessings we had realized. A.MAZING!

I'm thankful for....

my parents teaching me young how to stand on my own two feet. my job. my hot water whenever I want it (you don't know how awful it is to NOT have that.). my overall health. my MENTAL health. my dad's job. my vaccuum. my parents making me go to church until I could learn for myself how important religion is. my ability to make choices. the chance that I had to go to China; literally thankful for that EVERY day. my boys that went on missions. second chances. nights where the world is totally right and nothing could ever go wrong. random adventures with fun friends. laughing until you pee on the nights you need to remember that life is great. deep conversations that help change your perspective. those days where you realize things will be okay again and that you aren't a lost cause. friends that never leave you. the ability to "step back" from friends that hurt you and feel okay about it. accountability: learned it young and the hard way but I'm glad that I did. my car and not having to use public transportation. friends that tell you things that you need to hear. healthy relationships. people that tell you they believe in you. my family.