I recently read the book "365 Thank Yous" where a man was down on his luck - he was struggling financially, personally, and in business. He felt as though life couldn't get much worse, until he was on a walk on New Year's Day and was struck with the concept that until he was grateful for the things he had, he would not receive the things he really wanted. So, he sets out with the goal of writing 365 thank you notes - one for each day of the year.
I remember when I was young, my mom would make me (and my siblings) sit down and write out thank you notes for every gift we received. I definitely recall grumbling about this "chore" but now, as an adult, I am so thankful that my mom taught us how important it is to thank people. I still sit down after I receive a gift to write a handwritten thank you note, and although many people now resort to email, I think a personal touch is best (and who doesn't like getting mail?).
So, in the spirit of the 365 Thank Yous book, I decided to post another Thankful Thursday post. I feel as though I have much to be grateful for and it's always nice to write it down and remember the good things in life to brighten a cold winter day.
This week I am grateful for (in no particular order...):
Good friends. I went to lunch with my friend Jess today and it is always good to catch up (plus we ate at The Pit, which is delicious).
The family I have worked for over the past 8 1/2 years. A lot of people ask what I do besides photography, and to answer that question - I am a nanny. Well, technically now I feel as though I'm more of a house manager as their kids are getting older and nanny just doesn't seem to be the right word. I am grateful to them for making me feel like a part of the family from the very beginning. It's rare to find a job that you love and so I feel extra lucky because I have more than one (nanny + photographer)!! Plus, if it weren't for their daughter (my friend Jess mentioned above) - I never would have met my husband!
My husband, of course. Josh is the best, which pretty much sums it up. He takes care of me when I'm all swollen and sore (darn you lupus!) and is my best friend in the entire world. I feel so blessed to have him in my life.
Einstein. I know, I know - big surprise. I just look at his cute little Ewok face and can't help but smile.
My family. I'm super excited because I get to see some of them this weekend, and since I live three hours away from my hometown this doesn't happen as often as I'd like.
Warmer temperatures coming!! People roll their eyes when I say spring is on the way (especially after we got so much snow last week) but i'm telling you, it IS!! I'm already thinking ahead to the warmer weather and I can't wait to take Einstein for his first long walk of the season once it's more than 40 degrees.
Vacation. I'm grateful for the fact that we are able to take a vacation every year. We just booked our trip for this summer and I'm so excited.
My closet (weird, I know). When we bought our house, we had all those wire shelf/hangers in all of the closets and the unused space drove me bonkers. So, my crafty husband built me custom shelving in all of my closets and now I have tons of room for all of my clothes.
Coffee in the morning. I never used to be a coffee drinker but for some reason I started up this fall. It's such a comforting morning routine and now I love making a cup of coffee (heavy on the creamer) and curling up on the couch for a few minutes before leaving for work.
Random, I know, but I am loving Rold Gold's new pretzels. The ones I bought are called Everything Bagel and they are little round pretzels that are both cute and delicious.
Oh, and speaking of food - a Panchero's is coming soon to North Liberty. I saw the sign on the building the other day and almost leapt out of the car in happiness. Seriously, it's the little things.
So there's my list! What are you grateful for this Thursday afternoon?
And of course, a post isn't complete without a photo! I took this photo of Sam the day after Christmas - the PS3 was pretty much glued to his hand at this point (I think it's safe to say I know what he's grateful for!).
