Autumn Equinox...photo © 2009 Dryad & Sprite Photography | more info (via: Wylio)

Since Annalyn was born, October flies by. We start with a birthday party and speed headfirst into Halloween. I love planning parties and finding the cutest costume, but I don’t love the way my favorite month disappears faster than the leaves turn red and yellow.

As the month came to a close, quicker than I wanted as usual, I decided to be more intentional about November. It’s impossible to stop the freight train that is the holidays, but I can pay more attention to the good parts of the days leading up to them. So – to get to my point already – I kept a gratitude journal during the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving.

My list is a mixed bag, with some serious and some shallow. But it all adds up to a whole lot of blessings. November – and EVERY month – is good.

What I Was Thankful for in November 2010:

  • My computer still worked after spilling water on the keyboard. (Kind of.)
  • Having the right to vote – and an impartial website created by the local paper to educate voters.
  • Good books (namely, the Harry Potter series that I’m finally – a decade later – reading).
  • Awesome neighbors who take care of me when Mark is gone – and the other neighbors are, AHEM, less than awesome. (In other words, our friends across the street came over to check out our late-night “intruder,” who turned out to be a prankster kid from next door.)
  • A new Chipotle way closer to our house.
  • Smitty.
  • Quiet days without plans.
  • Our small group.
  • Opportunities for change and to grow. (This was on the day I went to a professional conference, learned a lot and met some great people.)
  • Highway 635 and its lack of traffic.
  • Getting to eat lunch with Mark.
  • Psych and Burn Notice are back.
  • Parents who love me and my child (and let her spend the night, so I can get a break)!
  • Date night.
  • Not being sick. (Mark had a man cold that lasted for EIGHT DAYS.)
  • A husband who is normally very sweet and laidback. (See above point for my inspiration.)
  • Having the money to buy a new laptop. Knowing where to find a new USED laptop. A new (to me) laptop that is so small and zippy!
  • Chelley.
  • Not being sore after trying a new workout video. (This feeling didn’t last and my ankles and shins paid later, but it’s what I wrote down early on that day.)
  • Miss Linda, the director at Annalyn’s preschool.
  • Friends who GET me.
  • The opportunity to participate in Operation Christmas Child.
  • A church that gets real and addresses serious issues with compassion.
  • Josh and Brittany – and any friends who make me laugh so hard I cry.
  • A healthy child. (I wrote this on November 23, the day Annalyn was supposed to be born.)
  • Instant messaging.
  • Annalyn is such a sweet girl. And no, I’m not biased.
  • My cousins. I love them. That’s all.
  • A new microwave for free! (Mine BROKE the week before Thanksgiving, but my brother and sister-in-law donated their extra one. On a side note, who has an extra microwave laying around?)
  • A few good family photos, with a few genuine smiles, despite the drama.
  • Sunday. Aren’t you thankful for a day of rest? (Even if your day of rest doesn’t happen until Monday or some other day of the week?)
  • The Internet. Despite its great ability to distract me like nobody’s business, it’s also full of great ideas, thorough information and beautiful friends.

What are YOU thankful for?

What should you watch next?

 

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