Thankful Day 6

Friends. I've been so fortunate to have many great friends in my life. Childhood, high school, college and grad school, Jackson, new Vermont friends, and those that don't fit in any of those categories! I love that those groups have mixed together too :) I'm thankful that I've kept in touch with so many old friends and I'm also thankful that we've met people here in Vermont that are interested in making new friends!

I could spend hours describing why I'm thankful for each person...you are all special and each one has made me a better person today! Instead I'm just going to post some fun pictures :)

I'll start with some "during college" photos...(please don't be mad I posted the first picture - it's funny!)





College friends more recently....





Jackson...





Grad School...




All of these are a mix of childhood, college, new friends and high school!















I'm especially thankful that lots of those friends have made the trip to our new home in Vermont to visit!









I realize I've left out Matt and his/our joint friends - I need to do a better job of getting pictures of them :)

Love you friends!

Thankful Day 5

The state of Virginia strikes again. This time it got my sister. I'd like to give someone at the income tax department a piece of my mind...if only they'd answer the phone...

http://thepennysaved.com/2008/03/12/tax-audit-survival-tax-man-cometh/

I'm still posting this under thankful because I wanted to give myself a challenge and think of a way to be thankful for this situation. I came up with 2 things.

1. Income taxes provide funding for schools. As a school employee, I know first-hand how bad things can get when school budgets are cut. SO - me and Meg paying income taxes to VA = helping children in school. I'm thankful for that.

2. Meg called me to complain about the bill she received. It's always nice when I get to talk to her and because it reminded me that I get to see her again in 3 days. I'm thankful for those things.

That's about it....and it was a stretch.

Thankful Day 4

Today I'm thankful for this program:

Matt and I attended our first volunteer orientation today and learned just how awesome it is! I'm going to copy and paste their "about us" description.

About Vermont Adaptive

With nearly 400 active volunteers, plus generous partners and sponsors, and an amazing base of clients and friends, Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports has been at the forefront of sports and recreation for those with disabilities in New England for more than 20 years.

Our Mission - Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports is committed to empowering individuals with disabilities. We promote independence and further equality through access and instruction to sports and recreational activities.

Our Vision – We believe sports and recreation provide a physical, mental and social experience that is immeasurable in promoting self-confidence and independence in an individual.

I'm so thankful that we have the time and skill necessary to be 2 of those volunteers. I'm glad we found something where we can share our love for skiing with those who otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity. Matt is also excited because he's going to learn how to guide people on a sit-ski and that he could have the opportunity to try it out himself :)

Don't know what that is? Check it out.

http://www.disabledsportseasternsierra.org/event20080317mono_madness3.html

Also check our their new promotional video - very cool.

Thankful Day 3

Another big one. My family. Words can't really describe how thankful I am for these people! They've given me unconditional love and so so much more. I'm going to quickly go through a few random things I'm thankful for for each of them :)

Here is an old one of my fam - circa 2007 :)



Mom - My mom has helped me move 12 times. That includes driving across the country twice, waiting on the side of the road with our broken down truck on the way to Vermont, and countless hours spent cleaning and unpacking (The last two moves have also included lots of painting and one impressive bathroom remodel - including re-grouting a bath tub). She's just the best. Period.

Remember this? Thankful doesn't begin to cover it.





Dad - My dad instilled in me my love Duke Basketball. Please note that my entire family is obsessed and it has brought us many happy memories. Evidence below.



My sister - The obvious is that she's my personal shopper. I can't make a purchase without her really. She's also my personal cheerleader. She encourages me in anything and everything I do - you can tell because she comments on every one of my blog posts. I love it :)

I'm posting this pic because she was as excited about my wedding day as I was. It was great.



My brother - The calm one in the family :) I'm thankful for him not only because he came up with "Megodorant" (inside joke sorry), but also because he's just one of the sweetest and most compassionate people I know (who loves all animals and Willow even when she barks at him).

This is also an old one but I love it too :)



OK on to my newer additions!



My mother-in-law - AKA My personal interior designer. I'm thankful for her not only because she made Matt what he is today :) but also because I am the most indecisive person in the world and she still managed to get me to pick out linens for my 2 bedrooms!

She also loves Willow like the rest of us and has been a great doggy babysitter :)



My father-in-law - An amazing chef who I am thankful for because he has tried to teach Matt to cook - he was successful at teaching him to grill (and I'm really thankful for that because I don't know what to do with one of those).



My sister-in-law - A girl who takes after her dad - she always brings a fun and light-hearted attitude to any situation....something I need to learn how to do!

Check her out having fun at our wedding :)



Besides the immediate family, I also have 2 living grandparents, 9 aunts/uncles, 17 cousins, and 3 second cousins. With the addition of Matt's family I need to add 2 more grandparents, 6 aunts/uncles, 5 cousins, and 2 second cousins. Whew! I'm thankful for each and every one of them!

Thankful Day 2

Next on my list of Thankful things/people is my husband. I've been told I don't sing his praises often enough (by my own mother and sister who always take his side). Here's a list of random things he's done this month that I'm grateful for.



1. He gets up at 5:30AM almost every single day to walk the dog (rain, sleet, cold and all) and never complains about it.

2. He doesn't mind that I only work 3 days a week. He says he'd rather I be in a good mood than find another job to fill my other days.

3. He didn't bat an eye when my car needed a set of these that cost about half my paycheck.



4. He takes out the trash. Every time. He also puts it in the back of his truck and takes it to the dump. In his work clothes.

5. He gets really excited when he gets to eat fast food. On that note, he eats anything I make for dinner and claims to like it (even if it's vegetarian) - although he usually follows it with a long session of eating ice cream straight out of the carton.

6. He didn't get mad when I received a letter from the state of Virginia claiming I didn't pay them income taxes in 2007 and now owe them back taxes plus penalties and interest. (I mean who knew just because you maintain residency in one state, EVEN IF you are working and earning money in a different state, you still owe the first state income taxes?! OK well evidently a lot of people knew this but I didn't.)

7. He cleans up the mice we catch in our basement. We're up to 3.

8. He thinks it's funny when I do things like this to Willow.



Do I get irritated when I'm doing his laundry and find his socks still wet out of the dryer because he balls them up? Yes. How about when I hear the words..."Well I really do NEED another coat/pair of skis/bindings/goggles/hat for skiing this winter." Yes. Are these small things compared to all the wonderful he brings to my life? Yes.

PS - Just for proof that I am sometimes nice...here is one time that I gave in and he bought himself an expensive new ski coat.

Thankful

Thanksgiving is right around the corner (yikes in almost a week from now!) and this time of year always makes me consider all the things I'm thankful for (original I know). I loved this idea from Young House Love....check out this pic from their blog :)

It's such a cute way to share things you're thankful for. It won't work for me because I'm too lazy to make one of those cute little jars, Matt doesn't like to write stuff, and I'm already trying to de-clutter my house. SO I thought I share a few things on the blog for this next week instead - everything from the small everyday to the big things.

(By the way, If you don't read Young House Love...you should! It's one of my favorites and was the first blog I ever read. They have great ideas!)

So Day 1....this morning I went on a run with Willow. A small part of my day (30 mins maybe) but it made me grateful for all of the following:

1. I had Willow to run with me - it makes it so much more fun.

2. I was healthy enough to run.

3. The weatherman was wrong about the forecast today (surprise). He called for rain all day and it wasn't raining! I think I might have even seen a little sunshine peek through.

4. I didn't have to work today so I could actually run in the daylight hours. It's dark here in Vermont by about 4:40 now.

5. This song on my ipod. Sweet Serendipity by Lee DeWyze. I've loved him ever since his audition on Idol.

Image from Entertainment Weekly.com

Yes I voted for him - every week!

I'll be back with more :)

Yum

I tried these 2 recipes last night and they were delicious! I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch today :)

Roasted Winter Veggies with Cheesy Polenta

AND

Black Bean-Smothered Sweet Potatoes

I also recently received some crock pot recipes from friends at book club so I'll be sure to post those as soon as I try them!