24 on the 24th

Thanksgiving is the season to stop and recognize all the wonderful things we have to be thankful for. God has blessed me with so much and since Thanksgiving falls on the 24th this year, I decided to list 24 things for which I'm thankful. So here goes. . . . .


I'm Thankful . . . . .

1. for God's faithfulfulness and unconditional love.

2. for my entire family and extended family, and more specifically the 3 guys in my life (see # 3, 4 and 5).
3. for my husband, Bud. We've been together for over 16 years now and have been through alot during that time. Really good times and really hard times. But through it all, I know he loves me very much and I'm lucky to have him.

4. for my first born, JD. As long as I live, I will never forget that moment when I saw my baby for the very first time. When the nurse brought him around the corner into my view and I saw the most beautiful, perfect baby boy I'd ever laid eyes on. Until that moment, I never realized it was possible to fall in love so quickly.
5. for my baby boy, Ryan. What a joy! With his platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes, he looks like he belongs in Kelli's family, but I'm so happy that he's in mine! He has certainly added a bit of spice to our lives with his spunkiness, energy and loving spirit.
6. for our church - First Baptist Church of Castroville. Before we found this church, we only went to church occasionally. I never thought we'd find a church that would feel like home and change our entire lives. The moment we walked into FBCC, it felt different. We love it there and have gotten so involved - with bible studies, children's activities, AWANA....and Bud even plays in the worship band.

7. for our wonderful church family. We never realized how important a strong church family is to your spiritual strength and growth. We have the greatest group of people at our church.
8. for our really terrific friends - friends we can count on any day for anything. For that, we are so grateful.

9. for our jobs. In a time like today so many people are struggling to find good jobs, and Bud and I both have great jobs with great companies.
10. for our health. We thank God everyday that we have our health and pray that he continues to bless us with strength and healthy bodies.

11. for our nice home on a little bit of land, with room for our children to run and play.

12. for all of our service men and women who put their lives on the line every single day for our freedoms, laying their lives on the line in order to protect our freedoms and defend our safety.

13. for teachers - it's an underpaid and underappreciated profession. They have a big responsibility and our future depends on them.

14. that Bud has been given the opportunity to play in our church worship band. It's something he wanted to do when we started going to our church and I'm so thankful that it's happening for him now. I3

15. for my hobby - scrapbooking. It's something I love to do, and I always look forward to spending time working on my scrapbooks, archiving the special moments in our lives. I just hope that they will be enjoyed for many many years to come - by my kids and their families too.

16. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm thankful for technology. I love my iPhone, and Facebook has allowed me to reunite with some friends that I've lost touch with over the years. I love being able to stay in touch with special people in my life on a daily basis. And what would we do without the internet?!

17. for the relationship I had with Granny and Papa Jack. They're both gone now, looking down at us from Heaven, but my relationships with them while they were here are very special to me and had a huge impact on the person I turned out to be.

18. for my sister and very best friend, Kelli. I don't know what I do without her friendship and love.

19. for coffee! Need I say more?

20. that my boys have their dad. There are lots of kids out there who don't have dads who are active in their lives. Mine have a dad that loves them more than life itself, and he loves to do boy things with them, like wrestling (too much of this!), hunting, playing baseball, drumming, fishing and building things.

21. for the purity and innocence of children. I just wish it would last a lot longer than it does.

22. when my kids say adorable things that bring a smile to my face, heart and soul.

23. that Jesus is my Lord and Savior, and because of Him, I know exactly where I'm going when my life here on Earth comes to an end.

24. for all the changes (improvements) God has made in our lives over the past year. God is actively working in our lives, and for that, we are eternally thankful!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL!!!