Gratitude Challenge- Day 5

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Take five minutes to write about how grateful you are for all of the wonderful things you currently have in your life.  Don't long for what you don't posses-instead, take stock of all the blessing you already have.

I'm thankful for my last name.  Growing up I was always leery at the thought of one day getting married and having to change my last name.  But, that's not how I feel now.  I love my new last name, I love sharing Josh's name with him.  I always felt like I would be losing a bit of my identity in changing my name but I'm still me... just a me that is married to an amazing guy.

I'm thankful for music.  I'm thankful for fun.  I'm thankful for dancing.  I'm thankful for friends.  I'm thankful for a sweet husband who watched Jay so I could go out last night.  I'm thankful for the same sweet husband who put me to bed last night after I had a little too much fun.  I'm thankful for advil.  I'm thankful for daylights savings and extra sleep.  I'm thankful that Josh doesn't have to go into work until later today and can spend some time relaxing at home with us.  I'm thankful for my awesome new above the knee argyle socks, they are totally fabulous.  I'm thankful for football which makes Josh so happy to watch.  I'm thankful for the beautiful sunny fall day.  I'm thankful that Claire requested my mom's lasagna for her birthday dinner tonight, yum!!  I'm thankful that my grandparents are joining us for birthday dinner tonight.

I hope that you guys have been somewhat inspired so far by the Gratitude Challenge, even if you aren't participating, I hope that you're encouraged to look for even the littlest things to be thankful for in your own life. 

I think that I'm going to try and blog every day, even weekends during the challenge.  I totally understand if you guys don't, no pressure... just link up whenever you finish your posts!  I love reading what you guys are thankful for. 

   

Gratitude Challenge- Day 4

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Write a short message of thanks for some of the "negative" things in your life.

Dear Failing birth control,

Even though you turned our life completely upside-down, our lives are forever changed for the better.  I could never imagine my life without our sweet little son.

My Parent's Divorce,

While I've always thought of divorce in negative terms, in this case I've changed my mind.  Relationships should be built on respect and when there are years of lies, affairs and blatant disrespect... things need to change.

Our recent rainy weather,

There is nothing like gloomy or cold weather to make a house feel cozy.

*Yesterday was my little sister's 21st birthday and I was too busy spending time with her and celebrating to tear myself away and blog, sorry!*

Can't wait to catch up and read all of your answers!!

Gratitude Challenge- Day 3

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Write about something you feel grateful for in your life today:

Today I am thankful for Josh's 45 minute commute.  Josh works at Costco in Silverdale, which is about 45 minutes away.  Today I had a bunch of errands to do so I drove Josh to work.  I got home, fed a certain grumpy little boy and was then met by a huge pile of bills that was waiting to greet me in the mailbox :(  I was really, REALLY bummed out.  The last thing I wanted to do was put grumpy Jay back in the car and have him cry for 45 mintues...  I put Jay in the car and braced myself for tears and ferry traffic, but to my surprise I encountered neither!!  Jay almost instantly fell asleep and I ran into zero traffic.  The drive was GORGEOUS, the sun was sparkling on the water, the trees were the most beautiful colors of orange, red and yellow.  

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I plugged in my iPhone and listened to my music and soaked in the awesome scenery.  I pulled into the parking lot to pick up Josh in a completely different and re-energized state of mind.  It was such a blessing to have some unexpected me time and recharge. So, today I am thankful for a much needed 45 minute drive :)

Gratitude Challenge- Day 2

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Use the alphabet to make a list of things for which you feel grateful...

Appliances- I honestly cannot imagine living without electricity… I mean don’t get me wrong, I love camping but I also love coming home after camping and taking a nice hot shower!! 

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Bainbridge Island-  I love where I live so much.  We’re just a ferryboat ride away from Seattle, it's close to the city but far enough away that it still feels like a small town.  My family has lived on the island for a long time (Jay is a 7^th generation Islander!!) and I’ve seen Bainbridge grow and change a lot in my 24 years here, but there is still no other place I’d want to call home!

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Cameras-  I'm thankful to be able to take pictures.  I love looking through old pictures and remembering all the many different memories that they bring back.

Diapers-  Changing diapers isn't always the most fun thing but I'm very thankful that I have a healthy baby to fill the diapers!!

Emotions- I'm thankful for the ability to feel emotions, even the hard ones... because without experiencing the hard times and hard emotions we can't appreciate how good life can be.

Family-  My family is such a huge part of my life, I feel so blessed to have the amazing family that I do. 

God-  I'm thankful for all that God has blessed me with, I didn't do anything to deserve it and am so grateful for everything he has given me.

Home- I'm very thankful for our home, sure Josh and I look forward to our dream home and having space again, but right now we all need each other and I'm thankful for our home together.

iPhone- I use my iPhone for so much... listening to music, google searches, twitter, facebook, turn-by-turn directions -I am very thankful to have such an awesome phone!!

Josh and Jay- My boys... I don't know what I would ever do without them, they are my biggest blessings and I adore them.

Kristen- My cousin Kristen is a huge blessing in my life. Kristen is my partner-in-crime and I love her to death.  She lives all the way in Tennessee and I wish we lived closer to each other, but no matter how far apart we may live we are still super close and talk almost daily.

Lazy Days- Maybe it's because my life is usually jam-packed with things to do that I love lazy days at home with Josh... they are so rare, I think that's why they are so special.

My mom-  My mom is one of the strongest people I know.  She is so kind and so caring and no matter how bad things get she is still the same positive, amazing person.  I know that no matter what I'm going through my mom will be there for me, she is a huge blessing in my life.

Nap time!  Not that I don't LOVE being a mom but sometimes a girl needs a break :)


Our little family.  I feel so blessed to have a happy and healthy little family.  Even though Josh and I weren't planning on starting a family so soon after getting married, God knew what was best for us and I'm so thankful for our little family of 3.

Pets-  Josh and I have to 2 kitties and growing up I had the most amazing dog, Wyatt.  There is an unexplainable joy that pets can bring into your life and I'm definitely thankful for that.


Quotes-  I really like how a quote can sometimes sum up exactly what you're feeling and trying to say or when a quote can really get you motivated.


Road trips-  What is better than a good adventure?!  Every summer we road trip to our Montana cabin and I love the crazy things that happen along the way and the memories we make on our drives.


Seasons- Summer.Spring.Winter.Fall.... I can't ever pick a favorite because I like each season for so many different reasons, I'm thankful for the variety and beauty that each season brings.

True Friends-  "Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart."  Everyone needs true friends that you can count on through thick and thin... I'm so grateful for mine!!


Umbrellas-  Living in the Pacific Northwest, umbrellas can really come in handy.  You don't realize how amazing umbrellas are until you forget yours and get SOAKED!!

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Vacations-  Josh and I love to travel and go to new places and although we haven't gone very many places, I am thankful for the trips and vacations we have gone on!

Working out-  One of the best feelings in the world is getting a good workout in.  I love playing sports and working out, I'm thankful that I have physical capability to workout and to play sports.

X-Long Pants- I'm 6' 2 and am so thankful for long pants!! I would be in some serious trouble if it weren't for them... so yay for x-long pants!!

Years-  I'm thankful for all of the years that I've been given to experience life. 


Zoka Coffee-  Sometimes it's the simple things in life that really can make your day.  Good coffee puts a smile on my face, so when I have Zoka... aka the best coffee... it really makes me happy! 

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I hope that you're all inspired to do your own Alphabet of Gratitude and share what you're thankful for!!  Don't forget to link up so that others can see what you're grateful for and be inspired....

Gratitude Challenge

grat·i·tude  \ˈgra-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\  
 noun
-the state of being grateful: THANKFULNESS
-the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.


Well, November is upon us and I can hardly believe it.  I have been thinking a lot lately about gratitude and how important it is to be thankful for the blessings in our lives.  The more I stop and take  time to appreciate the things and people I have to be thankful for the more I realize how much I have to be grateful for.  It is very easy to take things for granted and since Thanksgiving just so happens to be in Novemeber, what better month to take some time to appreciate the big and little blessings in our lives and to become  aware of how truly blessed we all are.   I am going to take part in the Gratitude Challenge and I invite you to join in with me!  "The Gratitude Challenge is created to help to take note of the brighter side of life.  Sharing gratitude for everyday experiences can revitalize our commitment to living life in a sensational way."  So join me and spend a few minutes for the next 21 days to count all of life's little blessings.  

[ok, so the daily writting prompts pictures are pretty tiny so you can also click *here* to view them]

I'm so excited to start!  I mean, who doesn't want to appreciate the little things and live their life in a sensational way?!  So feel free to join in with me! Maybe we can even get a MckLinky party going on? 

October Recap

How is it November already?!  

Here is a little recap of our October which seriously flew by...

Guns and Hoses

Josh played in the 1st annual Guns and Hoses dodgeball game aka the Police Dept. vs. the Fire Dept.  It was such a hit that they're going to make it an annual community event. Oh, and the Fire Dept. totally kicked some cop booty!  Josh and the guys even brought the cops some doughnuts after the game, ha!

Scarf Swap

I participated in the scarf swap and was paired up with MJ  from teaching in heels and she sent me this super cute scarf:

and it came in a sweetly decorated little package:  

Thanks MJ!

My little brother turned 18!!

(here he is pumping my gas, how sweet is he?!)

I don't know how it's possible but my little brother is now an adult.  Brenton really wanted to do something where he would get IDed now that he is a legal adult so we took a little trip to the Clearwater Casino and played the penny slots!  I tried to take some pictures but I quickly learned the casino has a strict no photo policy BUT... what can I say, I'm a rebel ;)

Cadillac Cash is totally our game! 

I won $6 and Brenton won $14 WooHoo, Go us!! :)

Sickly Me

I got a really nasty virus this month and it seriously wiped-me-out. Thankfully I am married to Mr. Incredible who took care of me and picked up my slack... I love that man!!

And my favorite part of October...

HALLOWEEN!!!

WARNING! We totally get into Halloween @ our house:)

My brother dressed up as "The Situation" from Jersey Shore and I got the job of being his stylist/makeup artist.  It was quite the process there was so much more than GTL... rubbing on makeup from head to hips, coloring in his eyebrows, spraying his hair black, magnetic earrings, the shirt before the shirt, etc. 

  

I also got my sister ready for her Halloween party and she was Clairey the Fairy, super cute!

My mom works at a candy store downtown and she dressed up in this candyland outfit, I love it!

The Beahans dressed up as Batman, Catwoman and Robin.


It's so crazy to look at last years Halloween picture and then this years picture:

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!!


I hope you all had a great October, we sure did!  I'm totally in love with fall this year.  We've been having a lot of fires in the fireplace lately and it's just been so fun to do seasonal/festive activities with Jay.  I'm looking forward to many more fun and new experiences this November! :)

Our Weekend

This weekend was the annual Bainbridge Fire Department's pancake breakfast.

We had some pancakes and took a fire truck ride on one of the new engines, it was fun because Josh got to ride on the back of the truck in his bunker gear.  

Jay was so sweet, he kept staring at Josh on the back of the engine like, "umm... dad, why are you back there?!"

Jay got a little hat and a junior firefighter badge!  I loved going to the Pancake Breakfast when I was little and I know when Jay is a little bit older and can appreciate what's going on he's really going to love it!

Here's a picture of us w/ Josh in his gear!

[is it just me or is Jay's hair looking a bit ginger-esque?!]

After warming up we headed back out to do some shopping and Claire spotted a huge find:

 3 pumpkins for $10... ANY SIZE!! 

I'm thinking I might need to go back and get some more!