Gifts 51-100 are done and can be found here! Some of my favorites:
61. The word ‘fabulous.’
65. Dreams. The awake kind when you think about who you want to be when you grow up … even though you’re 31 years old.
70. A great feeling workout, whether it be at the gym, some Just Dance Kids dancing with my daughter, or both!!!
88. JUS
Posted in 1000 gifts, family, life, religion
Tagged 1000 gifts, faith, inspiration, life
Update: So I’ve decided to use a separate site to house my 1,000 gifts posts. I’ll leave 1-50 here, and in the future, I’ll just post a link (and maybe a sneak peek) when each set of 50 is up. My 1,000 gifts …
This year, I’ll count 1,000 (and hopefully many more) gifts, or blessings, in my life. Some may be silly, some more serious, and probably most right in-between. I’ll fill you in on it a little more later, but for now, here are the first 50.
1. The health of my family.
2. The playdate that shouldn’t have been. We were supposed to be visiting a wedding venue with my sister, her fiancee, and the rest of my family yesterday. When the stomach bug hit Lil through the night on Saturday, we were forced to stay home. We ended up having a fabulous day in – playing choo-choo, watching Shrek, making macaroni & cheese, and just being.
3. The fun in “just for practice for the party that’s 4 months away” cake making. I have a few improvements I’ll make on our next “practice” cake, but it was a start that left me feeling fairly confident.
4. Good relationships with my sisters.
5. Pandora radio.
6. A 60+ degree Saturday in January. We had an amazing time at the park, which leads me to number 7.
7. A growing little girl. She can now ride her bike!
8. Time-outs.
9. My ability to listen. Just listen.
10. A little 2-year-old girl curled up in my lap, watching Dada paint the new back door.
11. Inspirational bloggers.
12. Motivation and dedication.
13. Driving a bit further just to say, “hello.”
14. Coffee.
15. A warm home.
16. The reflection that accompanies packing up the Nativity this year.
17. Little kisses.
18. The promise of our first “Bucket List” trip.
19. The 2011 Family Gift, which is much more of a blessing than anything money can buy.
20. The light in Lily’s eyes as I show her the Steelers hoodie she’ll wear the day after their loss to the Broncos. We’re no fair weather fans, thank you very much.
21. Great crock pot recipes.
22. Memories in print.
23. Starting an inspirational book.
24. Colleagues who are incredibly real.
25. Pinterest for inspiration.
26. A large, currently blank wall.
27. That tiny cross that still needs a home in our home.
28. Beginning to craft invites 4 months in advance.
29. My kitchen assistant, who happily pours, mixes, and measures.
30. Finding something you’d forgotten you had.
31. Color.
32. Being able to come to work on Monday (also known as avoiding the stomach bug).
33. FaceTime.
34. My uber-handy husband. There’s nothing he can’t do, and I’m more grateful than he will ever know.
35. A beautiful sunrise.
36. The eyes of a little girl who noticed the beautiful sunrise a few mornings ago.
37. The times I actually listen to my inner voice.
38. Supportive and loving parents.
39. A gym at work.
40. A song that reminds me of who I am and where I came from.
41. A comment or like on a blog post.
42. A song and coaster this morning that take me back to that place that brought me here.
43. A note from a friend.
44. Checklists.
45. The ability to plan months in advance for things I truly enjoy.
46. A tin roof at the office. That sound puts me in a happy place every single time.
47. Comfy slippers.
48. My standing desk. I love this thing!
49. Thriving plants that survived a tumble across the car.
50. Handwritten things. Just a little handwritten note can mean so much.
Posted in 1000 gifts, family, life, religion
Tagged 1000 gifts, faith, inspiration, life
It was a chilly, windy Saturday evening in mid-December. My husband and I were sitting (Inside, thankfully!) at a table with 6 others, having just listened to the President and Vice President of the company I work for speak about the past year. The two of them told stories, handed out awards, and thanked everyone for a year of hard work. There were games, laughs, and even a few grumbles from the audience.
After the presentations were done, people began to mingle. The Vice President made his way over to us. As our conversation progressed, he began to tell us stories of people he knows who have lost loved ones suddenly. One couple had never taken a vacation; they were waiting until the husband retired to begin traveling. They planned their first trip, and days before they were to depart, she passed away suddenly. That man to this day hasn’t forgiven himself. There was a story of a motorcycle accident that ended in tragedy. The message in all of it was to live now, not later.
He urged us to make a ‘bucket list’ of places we wanted to go, and to check one thing off of that list each year. No excuses. He reminded us that the places don’t have to be extravagant, but we needed to get away.
Funny thing was that I’d considered a NASCAR Driving Experience for my husband for Christmas, but didn’t end up purchasing it because I was afraid we wouldn’t want to take a weekend to go. We’re always working on the house, running errands, and catching up from the busy work week. But his story touched me. So much so that I went home and started our ‘bucket list’ as the time ticked past midnight (Way later than I’m usually up!). Some places on that list are simple, others further and more elaborate. “We’ll get there,” I thought. I was so satisfied with having started the list. Taking it one step further, however, I booked the trip I had previously decided against. I felt there was something in the timing of it all.
I learned early on Monday morning that the Vice President went to the hospital sometime on Sunday with heart problems. What they thought was a heart attack thankfully turned out to be atrial fibrillation, but there’s no doubt in my mind that was quite a scare for him, his wife, and his entire family.
I prayed a lot over the next few days. I also did a lot of thinking. Just like the stories he told the night prior, that Sunday could have left his family without a husband and father. Thankfully it didn’t.
The timing didn’t just seem like coincidence to me, and I haven’t taken his message lightly.
We’re going to live.
We’re going to get out.
We’re going to get away.
We’re going to explore.
And we’re going to live from one adventure to the next.
And you know what? We’re going to love every second of it. Because life is just too daggone short, no matter how long you’re here.
I sincerely hope you’ll do the same … don’t wait until the timing is right, because it will never be perfect.
Posted in family, life, religion, travel, work
Tagged bucket list, faith, nascar driving experience, travel
Funny how life happens.
Looking back on this year, I don’t see months filled with uncertainty. It’s true that there were plenty of them. We learned in July that my job and the jobs of many colleagues would be done in October. When those 3 months were up, I did not have another job to go to like some others did. Talk about a scary time for our family.
Looking back, instead of reliving that fear, however, I feel something amazing. I’m faced with something much more incredible that’s come from that very uncertain time.
I didn’t see it happening at the time, but looking back, I see how much closer our family has become. I see how much more beautiful my relationship with my husband has become. I see just how much I’ve learned about myself. I realize just how blessed we are.
Though I’ve since found what very well may be the job of my dreams, our journey isn’t done. In fact, it’s only just begun.
When my husband and I got married, he started a beautiful tradition that’s continued each year since. The family gift has become what I look forward to most each year, but mostly when I’m on the receiving end. And before you start judging that comment, hear me out.
We take turns each year choosing the family gift. Well, we used to.
You see, this year was my year, and I struggled what what to get. Nothing seemed to quite encompass the type of year we’d had. Frankly, that’s where I went wrong but was so right. It’s true; there was NO ‘thing’ that felt right. I didn’t realize that this year’s family gift didn’t need to be a thing.
What was it?
It was faith.
It was life.
It was blessings.
What did I do about the family gift? I surrendered. I gave the responsibility of this year’s family gift to my husband. I knew I couldn’t do it, but somehow, he always can. And without discussing what I was feeling about the family gift, he made it happen, because he’d felt it, too.
He did end up finding a small “thing,” a little cross, that represented the bigger concept, but that wasn’t the most beautiful part. He, in his most amazing way and as always, articulated in words what got us through this year. Prayer. Blessings. Faith. Life. One particular family member in heaven. And maybe a little bit of sweat and tears, too.
It’ll be a different year for us in 2012. I know we’ll only continue to grow both individually and as a family. We’re committing to make a change that we not only need, but want as well. It’s something I’ve thought about a lot over the past year, and in the past two months in particular. The amazing part is the fact that the very same things that moved me moved him, too. We’re going to do this together.
I.
Can’t.
Wait.
I’m really so very excited. This is so much bigger than the three of us. It’s going to be a beautiful journey; one that will change who we are and how we live.
Forever.
Am I sad that I gave up this year’s family gift? Not for a second. He’s so much better at the family gift than I. And in so many ways, I’m completely okay with that.
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