Thankful #71-90

I haven't written a post about thankfulness in a long while... too long, in fact.  As I write what I've been thankful for, I want to remember to be thankful in all things, not just in the good things, or the things that look good on the outside.
 

#71 Time alone and outside in Arizona

#73 Struggling with, but hammering out, 2 new songs

#74 Time on the front porch

#75 Being ridiculous together

#76 Friends who babysit

#77 A special night with friends - no kids

#78 Ellie walking

#79 Redefined purpose

#80 Support for music from new friends

#81 An open door

#82 Playing in the sprinkler

#83 New life and new cousins.

#84 These two. Together.

#85 He laid death in his grave

#86 1 Corinthians 15.  All of it. Wow.

#87 An understanding husband.

#88 A thoughtful husband.

#89 Nick's family and spending time with them over Easter

#90 Hope

Birthdays and Trips Gratitude: #71-90

As part of my "30 things to do before 30" list, I'm keeping a running list of everyday things I am grateful for.  It helps me be more fully aware of the daily gifts that God gives, and all the sacred moments in a normal day.  Inspired by Ann Voskamp's 1,000 gifts project and my friend Kit.


71. Glass of cold water before bed
72. Pancakes for breakfast
73. Husband home safe
74. Lingering breakfast with an old, dear friend
75. A warning instead of a ticket
76. Singing for friends who haven't heard me in a long time 
77. Meeting other songwriters
78. Middle-of-the-night rocking to sleep
79. God's hand working in all things

80. One year with her, with all the ups and downs



81. The help of moms and mother-in-laws
82. The pink smear of icing and cupcake
83. Long dinner with old friends
84. A friend's vulnerability
85. More freedom in prayer
86. Job's responses to the stripping (Job 1:21 & 2:10)
87. Husband's trip fitting him like a glove
88. Making it 10 days without him
89. A night of recording music
90. New life in the middle of my dead plant

Thankful: #51-#70

As part of my "30 things to do before 30" list, I'm keeping a running list of everyday things I am grateful for.  It helps me be more fully aware of the daily gifts that God gives, and all the sacred moments in a normal day.  Inspired by Ann Voskamp's 1,000 gifts project and my friend Kit.

51. Playing chase with Ellie
52. Finding NPR on the radio
53. Finally being able to record again after being sick for 3 weeks
54. Opportunity to sing for the women at church
55. A talk reminding of why it's important to write songs
56. Unexpected flowers from my sweet dad

57. Laughing at a stupid movie with my husband - "I love lamp." & "Loud noises!!" - do you know which one it is?
58. "His nearness is our good"
59. The way Ellie waves bye-bye, floppy hand style
60. The way she's needing her mom lately
61. The all-day anticipation of a date night
62. Unexpected flowers from my husband

63. Handmade Valentine's cards

64. The way she rests her head on me in her shy moments
65. The clutch of a little hand on my arm as she sits on my hip
66. A breakfast & lunch date - all in the same day
67. Saturday lunch in the park
68. Ellie's smiles as she swings
69. Playing with the band yesterday morning
70. The hard lessons I learned in the year after college, and the way they can encourage someone now.

Thankful

41.  This beautifully written and God-centered blog: A Holy Experience.
42.  Finding a new songwriting community online
43.  Days to write and create
44.  Talented photographer friends
45.  Ellie's company
46.  The way she crawls into my arms
47.  Sweet Reunions
48.  Skype dates with old friends
49.  Time with the Cobb family, all together
50.  Nieces and nephews

December Thanks

31. Nick's aunts babysitting for us!
32. Christmas toe socks
33. New stockings (and that we have three of them)!

34. Ellie and me laughing back and forth at each other

35. Friends and their brand new babies

36. Holding said brand new babies
37. Things slowing down after a way-too-busy Sep-Nov. (I know, weird for December, right?)
38. Driving around listening to Christmas carols
39. These rich and meaningful Christmas carol lines
40. That I can be my goofy self with my husband

Pre-Thanksgiving Thankfulness

21. That snot sucker contraption for babies. Very handy dandy :)
22. Instagram app on the iPhone, making all my normal photos look way cooler.
23. My new, comfy, make-me-feel-like-an-artsy-rock-star-hippy TOMS!

24. Sufjan Steven's Christmas album, Songs For Christmas!
25. Ellie smiling at me from the backseat
26. Amazing Collection Bible Study @ church - going through the whole Bible book by book

27. My nephew in utero!!  So excited to meet him.
28. God's faithfulness - after a season of sadness and loss...joy.
29. Fall leaves (Yes, even in TX! Not quite as bright and beautiful as New England's, but that's ok)
30. Starbucks b-day love!

Birthday Gratitude

I had a great birthday last week, thanks especially to my husband.  Here's a continuation of the gratitude list! 

11. Old friends who drove in from Dallas to surprise me and just hang out on Wednesday

Emily, Erin, and cute Sam (Ellie was napping)

12. New friends who hosted and came to a little Tex Mex surprise birthday party for me Tuesday
13. All of these things happening on Tuesday and Wednesday instead of Thursday (actual birthday) so I could enjoy them!  (Ellie and I both got sick and I spent all day Thursday at doctors' offices and that night sitting by the toilet!)
14. A husband who knows exactly how I would want to celebrate a birthday
15. Good health
16. New friends who bring me Einstein's :)

And some not-necessarily-related-to-the-birthday gratitude:

17. Going to a baby shower for a baby you prayed and pleaded for since the beginning
18. Friends' kids and babies
19. The "inhale" laugh - fills me with warmth and cracks me up every time!
20. We have a treasure inside cracked, broken jars of clay.  And that's a good thing. 2 Cor 4:7

Gratitude

With my 29th birthday coming up, I've started to make a little "30 before 30" list - a list of thirty things I want to accomplish before I'm 30 (yeesh!).  But more on that later...

One of the things I want to do is start a running list of things for which I am thankful.  I'm copying my cool friend Kit from Boston on this one.  Thanks, Kit, for this idea!  As I look to thank and praise God for the small things in life, my prayer is that God would create in me a grateful heart and that I would see His beauty everywhere.

1. Relaxing in the park.

2. Avocados

3. Blue Bell Coffee Ice Cream

4. My comfy robe

5. Protection from almost buying a house that we probably shouldn't have

6. Ellie's pretty grandmothers and their willingness to babysit.

7. Saturday mornings at Einstein's Bagels.

8. Dallas in only 2 hours away from Tyler 

9. Baby Einstein movies on long car rides with Ellie 

10. Success with my first-ever gardening experience! Jalepenos!  Nevermind that the cilantro got chopped up because the yard guy thought it was a weed or that the tomato plant has yet to show signs of growing a tomato :)