Things I am Thankful for...

So this post might be a week late, but I am still thankful for them even if today is no longer Thanksgiving...

I am thankful for my church and the friends I have made there. Matt and I were really floundering in looking for a community that we could be a part of and we really wanted a strong group of friends that could be a support as well as "hang out buddies" too. We had tried several churches in the area and never really found our niche. We were recommended to CBC time and time again, but resisted. We finally tried their traditional service and LOVED it, but needless to say for those of you who are familiar with the traditional service at CBC, there was a definite lack of "hang out buddy" potential. We didn't exactly qualify for the IHOP senior citizen discount that most of the congregation would be enacting for "hang out" time. We spoke with people at the front desk knowing that we could join a Sunday school (ABF) in order to meet more people our age... Fast forward a year and a half and we really enjoy our Sunday mornings at church, treasure our ABF, love the nursery workers that ooh and ahh over Mac, and feel lonesome without our Small group time each week. Thanks to all of you who are a part of that blessing.

I am thankful for our past, present, and future servicemen and their families who sacrifice so much for our country. Currently, both our brother in law (Rob) and my cousin (Marc) are serving in the Air Force. Both will be leaving the country this spring for different assignments and we appreciate both of them for what they do. I know it is hard on my aunt and uncle to see their youngest going so far away, even though they are immensely proud of him every day. I can't imagine what McKay (Matt's sister) will be going through as the longest Matt and I have ever been apart is three weeks. I think that the spouses of members of our armed services should be just as decorated as our service men and women. Thank you to our veterans (we have several in the family) and our current military personnel.

I am thankful for the country that we live in. Even if I am discouraged by some of the policies of the United States, I love the overall attitude, freedoms, and pursuits that we have here. I try to never, ever forget that we have been guaranteed the right to pursue happiness here in the USA and I work hard with Mattie every day to pursue that happiness as we are allowed.

I am thankful for my home and the shelter it provides and the loving memories we have created as a family in it. It is not a perfect house or a huge house. It will more than likely only be one of a few houses we have in our life, but this house is a great first house and I have enjoyed living in it and learning about home ownership from this house. I love the little family we are nurturing and growing in it. I love the talks and the laughter that resonates in this home, I love the food cooked for our nourishment in this home, and I love the people we have visited with and grown closer with under this roof. I am thankful for my home and the lovely family I am a part of within it.

A huge thank you to my special friends, my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, and the little life that grows more ferocious within me each day. You have given me much to be thankful for and I am grateful for this life everyday!