Blessings

This is my list of blessings and happy things.

(Ever-growing, and in order of thought, not necessarily order of admiration or appreciation.)

1. My faith in my sovereign Father to finish the “good work” he has begun in me. {Phil 1:6} I know, at his timing, that I will find a job, buy a bigger house, have a baby, and all those other beautiful things. In the meantime, Wyatt and I are living and loving every married minute!

2. My husband, who gets up so early every morning to go to work to provide for us. 

3. My family and friends, both old and new, who love and support us in this adventure. 

4. Thinking about our wedding day, the promises we made to each other, and how exciting it was to walk down, and up, that aisle.

5. Hot tea

6. Runs that leave me tired, refreshed, and feeling strong.

7. The GPS on my phone. Thanks goodness for technology that can help get me from point A to point B.

8. Sales and coupons.

9. Any writing jobs I get, no matter how much they pay.

10. Great books and good reads.

11. The magical way words and art play so well together on the glossy pages of beautiful magazines.

12. FRIENDS, the best television show in history.

13. This first little apartment where we are learning to make a home together.

14. Chocolate cupcakes. Yum. Yum. Yum.

15. Learning to cook lots of new and different things.

16. The kiss I can expect the moment Wyatt gets home from work.

17. Jon Schmidt. He’s amazing. Google him and buy his music. Seriously. Oh, and I’d recommend you walking down the aisle to anything he plays if there’s a wedding in your future. You’ll be glad you did. Trust me.

18. Fresh flowers, whether in a vase on my table or growing happily in the dirt.

19. The color yellow, and the happy, warm way it fills a room or completes an outfit.

20. Our living room furniture that we picked out and purchased ourselves. 

21. Fall. The leaves, the smells, the beauty of it all.

22. Baking anything from scratch the way my grandmothers do.

23. Having a pen pal. Or two or three.

24. The opportunity to write and get paid for it. Freelancing is a step in the right direction, for sure!

25. The excitement I feel when I purchase and wrap a great gift for someone I care about.

26. The chance to share in something I see others take great joy in, whether it’s a birthday party for a three-year-old, or playing soccer with Hubs.

27. Martha Stewart publications. Her magazines and website really are the mothership. For weddings, crafts, and all “good things.” I don’t care if she went to prison or is super cheesy. She knows DIY, or at least her staff does.

28. Christmas music. GOOD Christmas music. (I’m not talking “Grandma Got Runover” here..)

29. To-Do lists. I just get so much more done.

30. Board games. I don’t play them a lot because the opportunity usually doesn’t arise, but the potential is there, and it makes me hopeful that I’ll enjoy them again when I see them on my shelf. 

31. Having a husband for a roommate. It’s the best. 

32. Pie. Eating it, baking it. Yum. Why doesn’t everything taste that yummy?

33. Thanksgiving. What a great holiday.

34. Having Godly, married parents who are still in love all these years later.

35. FOOD network. They get me through my days at home.

36. Hot cocoa. There’s nothing like it. It just hits the spot, you know, the one between my tummy and my soul.

37. Christmas music, books, and decorations that make my heart happy and my spirit at peace. 

38. Sharing holidays with those we really love and don’t see often enough. It’s a great excuse to get together and reconnect. 

39. The recipe book I received full of treasured recipes of the dishes Hubs and I love from our family members. I can’t wait to add our own recipes and make the book truly our own.

40. Taking long walks with Hubs, no matter how much he complains.

41. Making breakfast for Hubs on mornings he goes to work. I don’t always do it, but it’s just a little way I can bless him, early on in the day!

42. Our new wireless printer. It’s so cool, and super efficient at printing out stuff I need to see, hold, or touch  in “real life.”

43. Fun and cute “free printables” from talented designers and other bloggers out there. Thanks for sharing!

44. A warm, soft blanket to wrap around my shoulders or cover my lap during these cold days. Our living room might be drafty and chilly, but I love lazy mornings, afternoons, or evenings spent on the couch with Hubs. 

45. Finding new ways to reorganize all the little things we have tucked into nooks and crannies and shelves and storage caddies. I love finding a home for things that doesn’t involve leaving them sitting out in crates and boxes or piled on our table.

46. Interviews, they’re not fun, but they’re opportunities.

47. The way Hubs says, “Can I get you…” when we’re sitting at home just chilling out. I love that he wants to make sure I’m comfortable and content and happy. 

48. The simple dinners that remind me of home and help me see a little glimpse of what out life will be like in the future when we have kids and busy, hectic schedules full of soccer games and ballet practice. (Yes, I realize I have no idea what sort of activities our kids will want to do…)

49. Cranberry apple juice. It’s so tart and sweet. And good for me!

50. My smart phone. I’ve never been one to have a big, fancy phone. But it never ceases to amaze me with its capabilities. From my GPS to random apps that make my life more organized, more handy, or just more interesting, I’m thankful for the great deal we got on it, and for the way I’m learning to use it in everyday life. (not that I’m connected at the hip. I like my “non techie time” just as well!)

51. Soccer. I’m not very good, but there’s just something fun and addictive and satisfying about the game that only lets you use your feet. Plus, all you need is grass, a ball, and a good attitude to have a good time!

52. My internship. It may not be a “real” job yet, but it’s a step in the right direction I think.

53. Chocolate milk after a long run. Not right after, mind you. But it just hits the spot.

54. The opportunity to go house hunting for our first “real” home. (Translation: A home that has more than four rooms and doesn’t have neighbors below and beside.

55. Springtime.

56. Runs that are warm enough that I don’t need a jacket or ear warmer headband but cool enough I don’t have sweat dripping in my eyes five minutes after I leave.

57. Strangers that are kind enough to offer help when needed. Like the man at the auto repair shop who added water to my radiator at no charge even though they were really busy, and the man at the office where I parked my overheated car who let me come in and charge my phone so I could call Hubs and tell him what was going on.

58. Internet giveaways. Yes, it’s better to win, but I get excited that so many people are giving stuff away.

59. Sporting Kansas City soccer games with good friends.

60. Trips with my family that allow for plenty of flea market stops.

61. Ice cream socials. So country. So fun. So summer.

62. Sunshine.

63. At least one car with air conditioning. 

64. Our new house. A home we love and can’t wait to make all our own.

65. Summer.

66. When the great value brand of an item tastes just as good as the “real thing.” 

67. Great finds at garage sales, like our big Weber grill, for $5!

68. My first goal in soccer. It happened when I was nearly 23 years old, but I think it was still worth celebrating.

69. Phone calls from my mom or sister or grandma that just cheer me up when I’m feeling kinda down. 

70. The feeling of sitting in a peaceful spot in the shade as a breeze cools off my skin and I enjoy the warm day and the hot sun without all the sweating and sunburns that can sometimes come with summer. Don’t get me wrong. I love the sun. But I also love the shade.

71. Knowing that no matter what life brings, Hubs and I CAN face it together, with the help of a God who holds all things, knows all things, and is surprised by nothing. Totally unlike us.

72. Big Bang Theory marathon nights with my love.

73. FRIENDS marathon nights with my love.

74. Ice cream for a bedtime snack. There’s just nothing like it, and I don’t care if it’s not healthy for me.

75. Fried zucchini. 

76. Fried eggplant. 

77. The way I get excited every time we drive around the corner and see our new house. “Hi, house!”

78. Dreaming about the memories we’ll make at the new house, with each other, with friends, with family, with our future kiddos…

77. Free Wi-Fi at public places. I can’t say how helpful this is at times when I have work to do and no place else to go to get it done. Panera and Starbucks can be real lifesavers. 

78. The patient way Wyatt tries to figure out how to help me solve my biggest struggles, and the simple way he he holds me tight and lets me cry on his shoulder when there’s just no easy solution in sight.

79. The opportunity to call myself a freelance writer, for real. As in that is my only job at the moment, however scary that might be financially for us as we enter into the world of home ownership on only one steady income.

80. Brand new, clean appliances that are better for the environment and better for my sanity. Hello dryer that actually dries!

81. Paint. It covers a world of sins.

82. Primer. It saves so much paint.

83. Chocolate chips. I keep mine in the freezer and they are a great little sweet snack.

84. A kitchen with more cabinet space than we have stuff to fill. I have 3 empty drawers, people. Three!

85. Hand-me down furniture. There’s no telling the opportunities for re-doing them!

86. Online tutorials. You can find out how to do anything! Thank goodness I live in the era of Google, Pinterest and YouTube.

87. My mom, who’s retired, so she can come and help me paint.

88. My sister, who is willing to come help on her day off.

89. My dad, who has so much knowledge from his own, more manly-form of the DIY spirit. I’m so thankful to be able to go to him to ask how to do pretty much anything.

90. The way Hubs is so willing to learn how to do new things for me and our home. Whether it’s wiring, plumbing, or building something crazy I dreamed up one day while looking at Pinterest, I haven’t found something he hasn’t been willing or able to figure out how to make it happen.