This past year and a half has been a roller coaster ride, to say the least and I have spent most of that time being angry and regretting it. I've been angry about selling a house I love. I've been angry about it taking forever to sell. I've been angry about how Justin's quitting his last job was handled. I've been angry at God for not showing up when I thought he should. I've been angry that *my* plans didn't happen the way *I* wanted them to. It's been a frustrating year and I have spent most of that time sulking and obsessing about what I want to change about it. It's not a good place to be. I truly have a lot to be thankful for...and rather than living in that misery and enjoying all that surrounds me, I have decided I need to pick myself up and start again. Time goes to quickly to waste it being angry. Malia started school this year. Pressley starts next year and Isabella turns TWO next month! I am not going to waste anymore time, but instead enjoy the moment. I have an enormous amount of things to be thankful for...and I've spent the last few weeks really thinking about that and making this list, that I will to continue to add to. We're in a great place as a family right now. I really enjoy where we are, and the opportunities that have become available to our family. So, here's my open-ended list of things I am over the top thankful for...I will continue to revisit it and add to it when I think of new things...
*support from a family in our old church while we were unemployed
*Isabella's UTI and emergency room trip not happening until after we got our health insurance back
*only spending 6 weeks apart as a family...the house still hasn't sold and this could have made almost 7 months of being apart
*a free place to live (together)
*good friends and a supportive church in Michigan
*living next door to 5 awesome kids that my girls LOVE and play with all the time
*knowing teachers in the school system
*Malia has an awesome principal
*medical reimbursements for an impossible to meet deductible
*beautiful Michigan skies
*planting a garden this summer
*having a house for sale and NOT worrying about making sure it's perfect for showings-it's empty!
*living somewhere flat enough I can run outside
*training for my first 10 mile run with my best friend Krissie
*photography
*being close to the lake/beach
*my husband's support in all I do, because I couldn't do it without him and wouldn't want to
*my girls' love for each other
*tears from Malia if there is no time to snuggle at night
*the frogs that live in our window wells
*a toy room
*Isabella's ever growing vocabulary and polite manners
*a new niece or nephew for Christmas
*a HUGE yard for my girls to safely play in
*a swing set that was not broken in a wind storm
*sunny, sunny skies all summer and quickly passing storms
*vacations with family
*tons of room in the house for lots of people to visit and kids to play
*spray paint
*Malia learning to ride her bike
*reliving my childhood for the second time and seeing NKOTB with my sister
*finishing a 10 mile run
*signing closing papers on our land contract 10.6.11, a year after listing it with a realtor
*breathing room
*Kristin interning here next semester
*family willing to drive a long distance to help out
*a weekend get-away with Justin (this month and next)
*Justin's flexible schedule
*Pressley's crazy hard questions about God
*Pressley asking Jesus to come live in her heart 10.4.11
*Photography jobs--lots and lots of them!
*An awesome radio station that reminds me of "The Great 98"
*Good friends and mentors
*Birthday cards and phone calls from long-time friends
*Weddings
*Giggling girls
*Logging 300 miles of running
*Ninja birthday cakes
*Celebrating 15 years of being with Justin (since dating)
5 comments:
Enjoyed reading this, spray paint made me smile. Here's to a great upcoming year for you and your family.
That's so awesome about Pressley! I just got to pray with Ezra last night! God is so good! Praying those planted seeds will grow and grow!
Bianca :0)
Thank you for sharing your list. I am thankful that you and I are still friends.. a lifetime after Build a Bear! :)
Love and Miss you dearly Carrie! God is good ALL the time! We will always have Michigan in common now!!!
Yes yes yes, AMEN! Beautiful, carrie! I am so thankful for YOU and this list of blessings! Time and again God whips this dirty heart of mine into shape by revealing the abundance of blessings that I live imersed in. His gifts and fingerprints are on everything in our lives, though sometimes we have to look harder to see Him... I love you, sister-friend. I'm honored to be included in your blessing count ;) Love you forever!!
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