Things I'm Thankful For (12/30)

Thursday December 30th:

• picking up hours at work (because I'm pathetically poor)
• Facebook - because it entertained me all day at said job

• Ricky Gervais for this




"I am a Texas Ranger!"


• parents who are kind enough to NOT put their children in these

• having an unplanned date night with Joey

• Matt Damon in True Grit

• getting to love (and getting to be loved by) one of the greatest guys I've ever known

Things I'm Thankful For (12/29)

Wednesday December 29th:

• morning meetings where I get offered a job doing something I really care about and enjoy
• Christina Ryder - because she provided me with a stimulating environment to work in this summer, she unknowingly changed how I wanted to approach my education and what I felt was important, she gave me opportunities to work on grants and projects that help real people, and is now offering me a position that will allow me to continue working with her
• DayQuil and NyQuil for helping me feel better...or at least drugging me into thinking I do
• naps before work
• applesauce
• catching up on Gossip Girl via my dvr (don't judge me...)
• Mexican food!
• Joey telling me I'm beautiful (even when I'm sick-ish)
• believing him 

Things I'm Thankful For (12/27 - 12/28)

Monday December 27th:

• Joey and Chandler hanging out by themselves for the first time ever while I was at work
• grilled cheese sandwiches
• listening to Chandler laugh and be silly with his friends
• my Secret Santa - I was convinced they had forgotten me, but I was surprised to find an art book and delicious treats on my desk today when I got to work!
• the fact that I enjoy wrapping presents...especially at this time of year
• Netflix

Tuesday December 28th:

• spending my day celebrating the birth of my wonderful little boy, Chandler. 
• the fact that I've had 11 years of unquestionable fun and happiness with one of the coolest kids ever
• Dairy Queen ice cream cakes
• Chris being a wonderful and supportive person to raise a child with
• the fact that I don't feel (or hopefully look) old enough to have an 11 year old!
• Chandler getting to spend his birthday surrounded by friends, laughter, and love
• Joey spending his day with me and a house full of children...even though that's not a world that's familiar to him
• McKenzie for being such a wonderful little girl and a remarkably great friend to Chandler
• the way I felt when all the children went home and the house was clean
• Joey being so great with Chandler and taking him out after everyone left to spend his gift card money...and paying the difference when Chandler didn't have enough
• Joey and Chandler grabbing us dinner on the way home because they knew I was tired and beginning to not feel well
• relaxing at the end of the day with my two guys
• tucking Chandler into bed and having him thank me for such a fun birthday
• spending my night curled up on the couch watching tv with Joey
• NyQuil and the glorious sleep that comes from taking it!

Things I'm Thankful For (12/26)

Sunday December 26th:

• ridiculous Facebook conversations (especially with Doug)
• this news story
• getting to talk to my Heather and Howard on the phone...I miss them both desperately

• having a really great son
• having fun with Chandler's Christmas gifts...the uDraw for the Wii is really fun!  We enjoyed playing Pictionary!
• Joey and I having conversations about living together
• knowing that by working a co-worker's shift, she got to enjoy a wonderful Christmas celebration with her family
• Mitsya Marsupial - just because I adore her!
• Joey taking me to work because my car wouldn't start
• Chris picking me up and taking me home for the same reason
• my car finally starting...

Things I'm Thankful For (12/24 - 12/25)

Friday December 24th:

• unexpectedly getting Chandler for Christmas Eve (although I'm NOT thankful Chris was sick)
• shopping for stocking stuffers
• decorating Christmas cookies
• having a boyfriend who cares less about things than he does memories on our first Christmas
• my car once again having power steering (thanks to Joey's dad!)
• spending the evening with Joey's parents
• hunting games for the Wii providing a night of fun
• watching Chandler open his stocking
• homemade hot chocolate
• watching Love Actually while wrapping Christmas presents with Joey
• the fact that Joey makes doing things (like wrapping presents) fun and balances out my ridiculous need to make everything "perfect"

Saturday December 25th:

• having an excited little boy jump on me and Joey at 8 in the morning because it's Christmas day
• waking up on Christmas morning next to Joey
• SNOW - it was a somewhat white Christmas!
• going to Chris's apartment to open presents as a family
• spending Christmas with Joey's family...because they are all such wonderful people and have been so incredibly warm and welcoming to me and Chandler.  I've spent my entire life wanting to be part of a family like his...and now I am.  It's hard for me to fully express how thankful I am...
• all the wonderful gifts I received this year
• the fact that Christmas makes it acceptable to eat pie for dinner
• taking an afternoon nap with Joey on our new, impossibly comfortable bedding
• Heather and Howard, two of the greatest friends I could ever ask for
• Joey falling asleep on the couch with his head on my lap
• starting to watch Gran Torino on HBO as Joey slept, falling asleep myself, both of us waking up to Alien Sex Invaders III, Joey wondering what exactly I was watching, and knowing that I will FOREVER be teased for watching porn as he slept (even though I wasn't) - on our first Christmas together.  Damn you, Clint Eastwood!!!

What a terrific Christmas...I can't wait to see what the new year will bring!  Happy Holidays, friends!!!

Things I'm Thankful For (12/23)

Thursday December 23rd:

• sales at Victoria's Secret (getting myself cute new undies and great smelling body spray is a good start to Christmas!)
• vagina (that's for you Nicole...best. text. EVER.)
• $50 dollar bills  ;)
• friends not bailing on lunch plans despite being sick and having to go to the doctor that morning (thank you Nicole, I had a wonderful time!  LOVE YOU!)
• nights when I get to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with Joey
• getting to go out and say goodbye to Kelli before she moves
• fun nights out with friends at Schultz & Dooley's Too (S&D's)
• Grant from S&D's - because the new guy just isn't him...
• FRIENDS - I can't even begin to explain how much I adore all of mine...

Things I'm Thankful For (12/22)

Wednesday December 22nd:

• having Joey appreciate the card and "sick supplies" I had waiting at home for him
• comfy sweaters
• filling out Christmas cards even though I know everyone is going to get them late...that just extends the holiday joy, right?
• no-bake cookies!
• Million Dollar Money Drop
• picking up extra hours at work

I've been surrounded by sick people...but it's been a nice week.

Things I'm Thankful For (12/20 - 12/21)

Monday December 20th:

• Rebecca in Cancun sending me a nice message
• pedicures!  (I REALLY needed one!)
• Qdoba fajita classica burritos
• being done with Christmas shopping and only having stocking stuffers to worry about
• traffic near my house during every month but December
• stopping by and visiting Joey at work
• getting good work evaluations (overall)
• crab rangoon

Tuesday December 21st:

• my Chi straightening iron and good hair days
• my eyes when I have make-up on
• having peroxide and band-aids for when I'm an idiot with a razor
• seeing how happy Chandler is to have some new clothes
• throwing grapes at various things in the house with Joey...and seeing that it makes him feel better
• being able to take care of Joey when he's sick
• getting to see Cece...even if just for a minute to take her Starbucks
• hugs from Nathaniel
• Jello
• Orange Gatorade

Things I'm Thankful For (12/17 - 12/19)

Friday December 17th:

• Joey getting off work early just so he could spend time with me before I went to work
• being someone's Secret Santa
• sweet tea
• finding out I won a Target gift card from our company Christmas party
• $20 coupons for Best Buy
• funny YouTube videos

Saturday December 18th:

• co-workers bringing delicious food to work
• fun nights at home with Chandler and Joey
• searching all over Springfield for a movie that should NOT have been hard to find, just so that I could properly wrap Christmas presents
• Boston cream pie and ice cream
• having a boyfriend who volunteers to go get Sprite, chicken noodle soup, Gatorade, Jello, and crackers for a sick little boy at 530 in the morning even when he has to be at work at 9am
• having a boyfriend who lets me lay my head on him at 730am (when the puking was finally done and Chandler was asleep), and strokes my hair until I fall asleep
• really feeling like and seeing that Chris and I can be friends and work together

Sunday December 19th:

• having a son who thanks me for being there for him when he's sick
• having a boyfriend who leaves really sweet notes for me and Chandler because he didn't want to wake us up to say goodbye when he left for work (because we looked like we were "sleeping so peacefully")
• having a day at home to cuddle with Chandler
• cleaning supplies
• new candles that make my house smell lovely
• fresh, crisp winter air
• the warmth of laundry that just comes out of the dryer
• the feeling of clean sheets
• weekends that remind me how lucky I am to have the family I have

Things I'm Thankful For (12/13 - 12/16)

Monday December 13th:

• this being the last week of a semester that has ruined me on school
• CHINESE food!!!
• having a boyfriend that cares about the little things
• Pandora internet radio
• my period (is it strange that I actually LIKE my period?)

Tuesday December 14th:

• knowing I never have to go to ANT 770: Research Design and Writing again!
• pea coats
• the way Chandler and Joey interact
• left-over Chinese food

Wednesday December 15th:

• drug reps bringing cookies to the clinic
• Facebook keeping me entertained and distracted at work
• getting my final paper done for the semester
• me and Joey both working diligently to get school work done so that we could be together on a night when we thought we'd be too busy to even see each other
• ordering pizza and spending an evening cuddled up on the couch
• nice conversations with Chris

Thursday December 16th:

• turning in my last assignment and being done with this semester!
• how much Joey and I laugh together
• waking up at 530am for no good reason...and enjoying it
• cornmeal catfish
• doing some Christmas shopping with Joey
• Best Buy!
• hanging out with Joey's family for his mom's birthday
• the "Three Musketeers" getting to hang out at S&D's
• inappropriate conversations
• inside jokes

Things I'm Thankful For (12/10 - 12/12)

Friday December 10th:

• Joey allowing me to distract him while he grades papers
• having options when it comes to my GA next semester
• this video
• Angry Birds on my iPhone
• people in my life who actually TRY to communicate with me
• quality time with my guy
• game nights with Doug and Alicia!
• buttered nipple shots...yum

Saturday December 11th:

• Christina Ryder and the Christmas party at The Grantwell
• sleeping in

• having a boyfriend who goes to work Christmas parties with me even when he doesn't really want to
• the battle between Dwight and Jim on the "Classy Christmas" episode of The Office
• Domino's Philly Cheese Steak Pizza
• my FMWIC co-worker, Cheri Allen, who has been nothing but wonderfully kind to me
• days that are busy, but fun

Sunday December 12th:

• fresh pineapple
• having no plans and spending my entire day at home with Joey
• goodnight kisses from Chandler
• knowing that The Amazing Race will be back in February!

Things I'm Thankful For (12/8 - 12/9)

Wednesday December 8th:

• knowing that I only have to pull one more all-nighter this semester
• tweezers
• being decent enough at creating presentations on PowerPoint that I know I can watch tv and kill time rather than being productive
• CUPCAKES
• goodnight phone calls from Chandler

Thursday December 9th:

• knowing that I never have to go to my Computer Applications class again!
• gloriously long showers
• my Chuck Taylors
• running my fingers through Joey's hair as he falls asleep on the couch at 10pm
• falling asleep on the couch next to Joey somewhere around 1030pm
• cars that work...because mine sucks

Things I'm Thankful For (12/4- 12/7)



Saturday December 4th:





My lovely Sally and Barry


• Sally and Barry (and the fact that Barry made it through his heart attacking him)

• my job keeping me constantly entertained (sample call:  "Hi.  I need to talk to someone about getting information on having a poop test done.")
• making brownies with Chandler...egg shells and all
• getting to watch Joey eat a crazy amount of said brownies
• getting to talk to my Heather
• text messages and pictures from Howard...even when somewhat gross  :)

Sunday December 5th:

• getting a nice note from a boy I once loved
• meatloaf and mashed potatoes
• being the kind of adult who still loves little boxes of Hi-C orange drink
• beating Doug at fantasy basketball...and remaining in 1st place!

Monday December 6th:

• having a boyfriend who encourages me to stay in school when everything in me tells me I should quit
• knowing that this semester is almost over...
• knowing I'm not the only one who HATES school right now
• meaningful conversations over dinner
• leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes  :)
• another great week of The Amazing Race
• JOEY - I can't possibly be thankful enough for him...

Tuesday December 7th:

• Monday being OVER
• John being cool with me taking up space in his office and distracting him from getting any work done
• my Lester successfully getting through his thesis hearing!  Woot!
• Carly when she's tired...SO funny!
• Elise making me smile by drawing me a really sweet picture in class
• having a really wonderful dinner with Joey
• the way I feel after a glass of wine

Things I'm Thankful For (12/3)

Friday December 3rd:

• having a boyfriend who tells me I look pretty in the morning...and who means it
• drug reps bringing free pasta and salad to work
• amazingly kind strangers giving me two samples of psoriasis medication that has significantly cleared up my skin in a matter of days
• being able to send this text to Joey:  "Balls!  I missed the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on Tuesday!  And I call myself a fan of boobs... Fail."
• Joey promptly downloading The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for me  :)
• going outside at 1a.m. to throw around a Sprite bottle water bomb with my guys
• randomly running into Chris at 130a.m. and almost getting him a ticket
• never-ending quizzes providing a night of entertainment
• staying up with Joey until 6a.m., even though I had to be at work at 9a.m.
• the place on his shoulder where my head fits perfectly

Friday was a good day...

Things I'm Thankful For (11/29 - 12/2)

Well, I said that I would try to blog daily about what I was thankful for...however, that obviously didn't happen.  I have been SO busy this week, so it's nice to sit down for a minute and actually reflect on things.  This has been one of those weeks where nothing seemed to go the way I wanted it to and things just felt...off.  Times when things aren't perfect can make it incredibly hard to feel thankful...but I've found they are also the times when I have the most to be thankful for.  Here goes:

Monday November 29th:

• Crunchy Cheetos
• getting amazingly sincere notes from friends
• "sugar coated penguins playing bongos"
• pineapple sherbert-especially when served in tiny bowls
• my nights with Chandler

Tuesday November 30th:

• open source software
• sweet tea
• Glee featuring two Bruno Mars songs
• moisturizing lip balm
• classes I dislike getting cancelled for the night
• a boyfriend that hugs me and holds me tight when I cry

Wednesday December 1st:

• that school is almost over for the semester
• having a job that allows me (and pays me) to do homework for hours at a time
• my incredibly comfortable new desk chair
• that I'm not yet too old to pull all-nighters when I've procrastinated far too long
• my dvr...especially when used as a break from writing
• the f-word
• late night phone calls

Thursday December 2nd:

• how a shower can make me feel when I'm both mentally and physically exhausted
• good hair days that make me feel pretty
• relaxing dinners
• SLEEP (since I got very little Tuesday night and NONE Wednesday)

I'm so happy it's Friday...

Thanks! Merci! Gracias! Mahalo! Misaotra! Danke!

I've been wanting to blog for awhile, but I always find reasons why I shouldn't or can't.  However, I recently wrote this note listing some of the things I was thankful for this year and stating that I wished people made a conscious effort to be thankful more often.  In an effort to do this myself (and as an excuse to blog), I decided I would blog every day (or as close to that as possible), for one year, about what I'm thankful for.  My note was from Friday, November 26th...so I'll start with November 27th.

Saturday, November 27th -

• the deliciousness that is Cheddar's Spasagna
• lounging around the house and doing nothing all day
• Googling inappropriate images (i.e.-boobs)
• Midori sours
• not knowing what chips to get at the store, so buying all 4 bags that sound good (only to like 1)
• serious conversations that make relationships stronger
• giving backrubs
• feeling completely secure and comfortable in my relationship with Joey

Sunday, November 28th -

• sleeping in as late as I want to
• leftover pumpkin pie (covered in Cool Whip)
• being fortunate enough to get to take insanely long showers with hot water
• Jason Aldean's new album
• chipmunks singing Katy Perry and Beyonce songs
• drinking hot chocolate on a cold night
• cuddling up on the couch and watching a movie with Chandler
• Imo's canadian bacon and pineapple pizza
• getting backrubs on the couch
• John Cusack

I'd love to know what everyone else is thankful for each day, so feel free to comment!  Here's to a year of thanks!