Hey kids!! Remember last year in November when I did one post everyday on FB about what I'm grateful for leading up to Thanksgiving? Well, I remember. And no I didn't foget to do it again this year, I just decided to do things a little bit differently. But! Before I get down to the knitty gritty, lemme just say one brief thing first: I love being able to spend this holiday with my Mom, Fred, Purple, and Austin! It's going to be a really fun day, and I haven't spent a holiday with my mom and Fred in like five years....so I'm glad it worked out that I can be here. But, that having been said, I also miss my Utah and Seattle families greatly. Holidays make me wish I could be in three places all at once! I tell ya, they really need to make teleporting a reality already!! Ok. Here we go. The moment you've not really been waiting for. Build up the anticipation. Wait for it. Wait for it. Drum roll. Or not. GO! A list of 100 things that I am grateful for. There are more things than what's on the list. And some are more serious than others. But just to help put my life into perspective, I decided it was a good plan to sit down and write about the amazing instead of the depressing.
100 THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR!!!!!!! (In no particular order)
1. My red hair
2. Michelle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are definitely two different people, and sometimes we may or may not fight a lot. But put all of that aside and I have a life-long, always there for me, understands my life, best friend. I couldn't dream of having another sister, and I wouldn't give this one up for anything.
3. Julianne -- ok to continue the sister love. Julianne was always my best friend growing up, so imagine my excitement to be a part of her family! And now without a doubt this girl is my sister. I love being able to have another older sister to look up to, and to spend time with. :)
4. Maddie -- Maddie and I always write notes and put them on each other's cars. :) It's fun living just two blocks away from her. I always am excited to find one of her loving letters tucked under my windshield wipers. This is one of the most endearing girls you will ever meet, and I am so blessed to be able to have her as a sister.
5. Rachel -- Psh, hands down Rachel is the coolest most original girl in all the land, craziest too. If you thought I was out of control crazy at age 20 then obviously you haven't met Rach. She always takes life to the extreme, and lives each day to the fullest. I love being able to be zany and wacky with my Rachel. I love having 4 sisters!!!!!
6. Dresses. I really really love dresses. With tights! And sweaters!!
7. Farmers market!! Yay for hens that are loved. Yay for families who grow fruits and veggies!
8. Rachel and Cole. Who knew I could have this much love for two cute little kids?? I love being an aunt more than anything else in the world!! 1.5 months until I go visit them!!
9. Belching. Love me a good belch. Talk about self expression! I mean come on, it's just good fun!
10. ANIMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALS!! People are often times evil and conniving. Not all people, but lots are. Animals don't really have that in them. Therefore, growing up in an unfair world, I found myself loving animals more than the average person. I think animals are the best. And I love them.
11. Best friends!! This is kinda a cop-out... because I have so many amazing friends, and I love all of them so so much, but honestly I'm just gonna group and assume you understand that I love you!!
12. Fireplaces...currently it's keeping me warm in my mom's freezing house!
13. Roommates!! I've had some amazing roommates along the way! Here are their names: Meagan and Hillary! We had so much fun at BYU-I....lots of adventures, not so much of actually attending class. Whoops!! Autumn, Charlie, Brenton, Scottie G, and all the various tenants of our couches. Man do I miss the basement apt up in Seattle. We always had so much fun! We were pretty crazy, but not over the top crazy, just acting our age crazy. Too bad we all moved/got evicted and the basement in condemned now. And too bad I don't even know how to get in touch with Brenton, Charlie and I had a falling out so to speak, and Scottie G is off living the dream. That's okay though, because I still have my Autumn!!!! Hilary! Holy crap this girl is amazing. She's one of my best friends, and gets me from day to day. She always looks out for me, and I appreciate that with all my heart. Emma! Emma is kinda a closet hippy JUST LIKE ME. So, naturally we're tight. :)
14. Indoor plumbing. FLUSH FLUSH FLUSH FLUSH.
15. Le Television! The TV always brings me joy. Is that sad? Maybe....
16. Freckles ... have you seen them?? They're amazing!
17. UH HELLO! FOOD! What's more glorious than good food???
18. Airplanes.
19. The woman who cured me of biting my nails. And now nail polish because my nails are actually long enough to paint! I love colorful nails.
20. Dave and Grace. I put them near loving parents, because if the position were open Dave and Grace would definitely get the job. I love them as if they were my parents, and cherish their wisdom and advice probably even more than I would if they were my parents. They're always there for me! Always loving me! And they always know just how to make a girl feel beautiful.
21. Loving parents -- yes, Fred. This most definitely does include you!!
22. My youth. I like not having to worry about my body falling apart yet. Although admittedly I do worry about life when that does start to happen.
23. Market Street Shoes. Sometimes your family isn't related by blood. Just sayin.
24. Good pens. My life is a quest for great pens.
25. My England/France trip three summers ago. I love being able to see the world, especially when I'm with my family.
26. Cassie Lyn Marshall. Ok, so I grouped best friends, but you have to understand why Cassie means so much to me! I share a room with this lady, which means we share EVERYTHING. We are together all day everyday, and when we're not together we're talking on the phone or texting. When I have night terrors it's Cassie who makes the ghosts go away. When she's having man troubles, it's my bed we sit on and talk about how to handle the situation. We watch movies in my bed together all the time, it's our favorite thing. And whenever life gets rough, or we're feeling down, we always turn to the other to remind us just how beautiful we are, and just how amazing life can really be. So, that's why Cassie has such a big ol' shout-out.
27. My grandfather's wedding ring, my great-grandmother's cameo, and a snowflake from Lynnanne's room. I like having little things that remind me of my family that I don't get to see anymore in this life.
28. Letters. I love writing and receiving letters. I'm sad it's a dying past time.
29. Snot. I'm glad I have snot in my nose that keeps other pesky things out of my airway. Yay for mucus!!
30. My Seattle friends. Talk about an amazing group of people, who helped me grow up and become the amazing person I am today!! My Seattle family, as I call them, will always be there for me, and that is a fact!
31. Neosporne + Pain. (That's Neosporne + pain relief, but the way they write it makes it look like it just says + pain, which is what I call it) I'm addicted.
32. Rain and snow. When I don't have to be outside that is, or when I'm up for a great round of mud football. Otherwise, these come off the list.
33. Family!! (Lemme get more specific. I am on my knees grateful for each and every member of my fam!! I love love love my grandparents. I couldn't even dream of life without my aunts and uncles, and my cousins always have been and always will be my best friends. Family is what gets me through life in one piece. And for that I am grateful.)
34. Treadmills, I love jogging AND watching movies. Living the American dream I tell ya.
35. Beards. I LOVE BEARDS!!! (on men of course, not on me....)
36. The Drey family!!! Where would I be without Mamma Drey and PaDrey's parenting?! They got me through my teenage years, and even still I know they're there for me. Not to mention the fact that they just so happen to also be the parents of my life long bestie, Emily. AND on top of all that! If I hit 28 and am still not married I have been promised to their eldest son! So there you have it. The Dreys are definitely an integral part of my life.
37. My cellular device. Yes we are attached. Yes I am addicted. No I don't have a problem with that.
38. Glasses, I like to be able to see! Yes I do!
39. BOOKS!!!
40. Forgiveness. I'm thankful I can forgive others, but most importantly I am glad others can forgive me.
41. My macbook. We're best friends.
42. THE INTERNET. I love wasting time.
43. Pets. I've had so many pets throughout the years. Petunia, Nibbles, Panther, all my stick bugs which include Fredrick, Theodore, and Jedidiah (aka Fred, Ted, and Jed), my fishies, Tigger, Shieba, Shakespeare, Stirling, Warwick, and that rabbit I briefly took care of when it was lost from its family. Phew. Long list. Love them all.
44. Naps -- ok wait, I take that back. Sleep in general. I LOVE CLIMBING INTO BED AND GETTING ALL WARM AND COZY AND THEN JUST SLEEPING THE NIGHT AWAY.
45. Fruit and veggies. I love eating healthy.
46. FANCY shoes. Gotsta be fancy. Usually from MSS. Always expensive. :)
47. HEBGEN LAKE, MONTANA!!! You have to have lived my life in order to understand just how much Hebgen means to me. But I've gone up there every summer of my life, and let me tell you: it heals my soul. Throw in time with my cousins and freckle farming and you have the perfect place to be.
48. Portland! The original place that taught me how to be an individual and not be ashamed.
49. Trees. I really love trees! And Fred says it's good I'm thankful for them, "because without them we wouldn't be alive, and everything would be made of brick." But seriously. I could lie under trees all the live-long-day and mother nature would make me feel whole.
50. Tattoos!!! You might not like them, and my religion might tell me not to have them. But I'm still grateful for them. And I still love them. And that's just who I am.
51. Teachers. I've had a lot of great teachers along the way; I hope I can measure up and be just like them!
52. My mom's blueberry buttermilk pancakes.
53. Love. I'm thankful and blessed to be able to be a loving person. I am also thankful and blessed to be loved by so many amazing individuals. Life wouldn't be worth living without the ability to love.
54. Free will. Ok, this is a big thing to just throw in. But seriously I am so glad I can choose to be a veg, and I can choose to dress librarian chic style, and can choose what music to love, and can choose who to vote for and what to believe in.
55. Walks. I like being healthy and getting to be in nature all at once!
56. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka being Mormon). I love having the gospel in my life.
57. Environmentalists. I'm too chicken to get out there and fight for the cause of mother nature, but I am grateful through and through for those people who are like me and believe that animals and nature are just as important as people. I'm a nonanthropocentrist, yes I am.
58. Texting. I like texting a lot. Since late March I've sent 13,500 text messages. That's just sent. For those of you younger folks, you will admit that's not that impressive. For those of you who don't text, yeah be amazed.
59. Claiming Seattle as my home. Best place on Earth -- well, after Hebgen Lake, Montana.
60. My Utah friends!!!!!! Yay for all of my amazing friends in Utah. I think everyone knows that I get a little bored in the big UT. Life would be miserable without my Utah friends.
61. Color. I like living in a colorful world.
62. Samwise!!! World's greatest dog.
63. My education!!! I am so blessed to be able to go to school year after year in order to reach my dreams.
64. Electricity. I love the lights!!
65. Art! If I had it my way, every wall everywhere would be COVERED in artwork. And not just famous art, even the crappy kind of art is beautiful.
66. The Walkers. Paul, Sue, Sam, and Autumn (Lindsey and Dan too, but I don't know them as well). Holy crap do I love the Walkers! That's all there is to it.
67. Water. It makes me healthier and keeps me alive. I'd call that important.
68. Men! Although I don't currently have a guy of my own, I am thankful for my future guy(s), and look back fondly on the times in my life when I did have a guy. Yay for boyfriends!
69. Carmex. I love not having chapped lips.
70. Laughing. I like to laugh.
71. Tofu. Holy poop I'm obsessed with tofu. If I could I would eat tofu morning, noon, and night.
72. My job! I have the second best job on the planet. It would only be better if I had my own students, instead of just subbing.
73. Lightning bolts!
74. Beefcake! World's greatest Ford Focus wagon. Love me my car.
75. Adoption. I'm glad that I got to become a part of the Taylor family, although that was more of a legal guardianship than adoption, but we'll count it. And I'm even more grateful that kids out there with horrible families get to become a part of amazing, loving families and get to realize just how much they're worth.
76. My therapist. This sounds crazy, and I actually don't even see her anymore, but I still talk to my amazing therapist often, and I know that without her I would still be a hot mess with no hope of a future.
77. Forever families. That's basically the greatest thing ever. My family gets to be my family even after this life. Heck. Yes.
78. Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom. Without them I would cry everyday in Putah.
79. Equal rights. This doesn't actually happen in our world, there's still discrimination EVERYWHERE. But I'm glad that it's a possibility, and that people are fighting to get there.
80. Being a life long Oregonian. You can take the girl out of the NW, but you can't take the NW out of the girl.
81. Coffee shops. I love sitting in coffee shops, reading the local newspaper, watching the rain outside before a long day at work. At least, I used to love that, and maybe when I'm back in Seattle I'll love it again. :)
82. Slang terms. I like talking like I'm from the street. Straight up gangsta yo.
83. Anxiety relieving breathing techniques. If you've ever seen me having an anxiety attack then you know what I'm talkin about. I love being able to calm myself down and get back on track without having to use any medication.
84. Photographs!
85. Writing stories and writing in my journal. I like keeping track of me via text.
86. Music. Music makes my world.
87. The sunshine. There's not a lot better than letting the sun soak down to my bones.
88. Notes on cars. I love getting notes on my car!!
89. Medicine. I hate being sick. -- which includes kleenex, cough-drops, etc.
90. Spell check. Cuz I suck at spelling.
91. Movies. I love love movies. I could watch movies all day every day. Seriously.
92. Soy protein. Yay for vegetarians!! Down with conformity!
93. Making wishes at 11:11pm. Kiss the wall and make a wish.
94. Zit free faces. I FREAKING HATE ZITS.
95. Carmel Joshua Taylor. Because when life's unfair and there's no one out there to be your best friend, your dog will never turn you away.
96. Concerts! Concerts make my heart feel full. It's such an amazing experience to be swept up in an entire music experience. It's all encompassing. And the best feeling in the world.
97. My house in Provo. It's a little piece of me in a sea of conformity.
98. Good hair stylists. Especially hot good hair stylists who are straight. ;)
99. Hope! When all else fails, I fall back on hope.
100. Being carefree. Everyone gets to uptight about being proper and mature. Psh. That's what I say! Psh!! I love worrying about the important things, but just letting the little things go! If it doesn't matter then don't sweat it. Just have fun.
Yay! You made it to the end of my list! Now go eat tofurkey and have a great THANKSGIVING!!
