"There's So Much to be Thankful For"

With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up I have been thinking a lot about home. During the holidays I think of being in the kitchen with my mom while she played Josh Groban music. Her favorite is the song "Thankful." In honor of her and of the holiday, here are the lyrics. Sing the song in your head if you know it...

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more
There's so much to be thankful for

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Isn't that beautiful?! It's always a good reminder to me that I have so much and I need to do so much. Today I am especially grateful for Bret. He is just the sweetest guy and I love him. I don't know what his trick is for keeping me so happy, but he is a pro at it and I can't wait to have Thanksgiving break to spend together.

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Now obviously Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday because it reminds us to be less selfish and more appreciative, but a happy bonus is that with Thanksgiving comes CHRISTMAS!

"Elf" was on TV last night and I couldn't help but cut out paper snowflakes while we watched just for fun. Its 75-80 degrees here, but I'm already dreaming of a white Christmas (and if my snowflakes be the only white... so be it!)

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Have a happy Monday!

Old Fart, Curses and Countdowns

Last week my handsome husband turned 25. He insists that he is starting to feel old. I agree. Thanks to our wonderful parents and grandparents, he had some really nice gifts to open. I made him his third annual birthday scrapbook (with pictures and memories from our past year together) and got him a couple random suprises.

I also attempted to make him a delicious cake. For those of you who have experienced my past attempts at making lovely cakes, you know that they are usually less than successful. I have a cake curse. This cake was no exception. I made the cake from scratch... mmm, delicious. I made the chocolate frosting... mmm, delicious. BUT both the cake rounds had chunks that stuck to the bottom of the pan and when I tried to level the tops I made them more uneven. (I blame part of this on lack of a long enough knife, but still, it was pathetic.) I did do a much better job frosting it than normal (no crumbs getting carried along as I spread), but because so much cake was lost in trying to doctor the layers and I got so excited about the frosting success, there ended up being a SERIOUS disproportion of frosting:cake. Yes, even I feel there is too much frosting. It was a phenomenal mess that took me hours to ruin. SIGH.

I also seem to have a computer curse. I have no memory left on my hard drive... to the point where I can't even download a new cd. I have deleted tons of files and even programs. Doesn't really help for more than a few hours. I finally took my computer into OfficeDepot and after taking a look at it they convinced me to buy a $50 external hard drive. After spending many hours in frustration, I CANNOT get my computer to recognize the drive. So, I guess it is back to the computer store for me (or in the trash for the computer! Just kidding, its a great computer, it just needs to go to the doctor because my home remedies just aren't working!).

On a positive note, this week is a normal week, next week is Thanksgiving, the following week is my birthday, then it's final's week for Bret, Nutcracker week for me, and then.... GO HOME!!! I can't wait to see our families! I just want to cozy up in my living room, sit and chat with my mom, play games with the Wardles, watch movies on their comfy recliner couch with all the nieces and nephews, visit my girlfriends, see the St. George condo, remember what snow looks like, and enjoy family traditions galore. "Christmas is Coming, the goose is getting fat!"

ShE sAiD "yEs!"

My BBABFF (a silly but lasting term Becky introduced in high school that to our little group of gals means "Best Buddies and Best Friends Forever") is getting married. Yes, Lauren has finally found the boy she wants to spend forever with and I couldn't be happier!

Today I just wanted to take a minute to thank her for the friend she has been to me. We met our first year in high school (2003) and became friends in AP Euro (thanks to Mrs. Ide). Since then we have gone to high school dances, run summer camps together (Lauren always managing the finances, of course), roomed through all of college, cried together, laughed together, and cooked together, and taught each other a lot of important life lessons.

We've seen eachother through blind dates, boyfriends, break-ups, boredom, and the blues. She was so supportive of me when Bret and I were planning our wedding and I wish I could be there to listed to all the details of her wedding plans, too.

Laur, I love ya and am so happy for you and Nate. Thanks for being my wonderful BBABFF!

PS- If you are snoopy and want the story or pictures of her fiance, there is a link to her blog to the right.

In Keeping with the Trend

Last week I read through every post I've put on this blog (just one of the many ways I have discovered to waste time). I noticed that there seems to be a trend: although my our lives and our weeks have ups and downs, it is always more fun to record the good things, the happy times, the little moments, the things I'm grateful for. I think its because writing down the good things simply makes me happy.

On Sunday, Bret and I spoke in sacrament meeting on Gratitude. Bret did such a great job. We also got to follow a new member who really did a fantastic job in sharing how the gospel has helped him be grateful for the blessings in his life. After church we had two families over for dinner - the Millers and the Jeppsons. We were so happy to have a full house with lots of fun adults and cute kids. It felt a little like home. We really miss our families and are so excited to spend time with them at Christmas, but we know this is exactly where we are supposed to be right now.

Heavenly Father has truly blessed us. As Bret and I have been thinking about the upcoming holidays (Bret's B-day, my B-day, Christmas) and trying to decide what gifts we'd like to get for each other, we realize that we have plenty and then some. Although a little extra cash always sounds nice, we have learned to LOVE this simple life and know that just spending time together is what makes us the happiest.

And so in keeping with tradition, let this post simply give this update: We are a HAPPY family.