Thanksgiving Days 4 and 5---Oops

Sorry, I really meant to post everyday and then I was so busy yesterday that I didn't remember until I was already in bed. So I will double up today.

Day 4
Today I am thankful for my friends. God has truly blessed me in this area. Erin Dee has been my best friend since Jr. High. We have been through so much together and I love her like a sister. We are so completely different now that we are grown but one sign of a true friendship is that doesn't really matter. I know that I can still call her and that no matter what, she will be there.When I am down or sad or whatever, she always calls and cheers me up. I love that girl and her adorable baby boy! Alison and I have been friends even longer. Our dads started working together when we were in 1st grade! That is a long time ago! Anyway, we were great friends all through school but lost contact when we went away for college. But God saw to bring us back together when we relocated to a totally different state! Who knew that could even happen? We are hours from my home town and I ran into her in Hobby Lobby of all places! But what a blessing that was. She and her husband have been our biggest support through the whole pregnancy, miscarriage, adoption thing. They brought their two little girls home almost 2 years ago now. TJ and I are in love with those little girls! Alison has rejoiced when we rejoiced and cried when we cried. They are definitely a blessing to us! Since moving, I have also had the opportunity to make 2 new great friends. Cher is someone that I love to hang out with. She is funny and just a blast to be around. She and her husband have been through some pretty rough times too and I am in awe of her attitude. Erin H and her husband Ryan. Wow who knew that we could form that close of a friendship that quickly. They are such a blessing to TJ and I. Once again, a huge support when we needed them. Such an amazing Godly couple who we are so blessed to be able to call friends. Our times together are such fun. We have gone sledding, blue berry picking, and the worst was moving them several hours away. We miss them like crazy but the distance has not hurt our friendship at all. We still talk all the time and I thank God for them every day.


Day 5
First these days are not really in any order. It is sort of whatever comes to mind at the time. I really can't rank most of these things. Anyway, back to what I am thankful for today...
My family. I have the most amazing family. I wish that I had remembered my camera cord so that I could post some pictures on these posts. I will try to remember to later. My family... Lets start with my mom. She is the most amazing christian woman. The total Proverbs 31 woman. She is everything that I aspire to be. My childhood was filled with picnics on the kitchen floor when it was raining, dancing to the Beach Boys. belting out Elvis songs at the top of our lungs, and sitting in the rocking chair reading stories and when we were to big to sit in her lap (she is barely 5 feet tall!) sitting next to her on the couch. Then there are the things that I look back on now as an adult that I took for granted as a kid. My mom was a stay at home mom. She was always there when we needed her. She still is. Mom was always the first mom to help out at our school parties and go on class field trips. She is really creative and talented so that kids always liked whatever snack she brought. She is also an AMAZING cook. She cooked dinner every night and had it on the table ready for when Dad got home from work. And I am not talking hamburger Helper dinner. No she cooked from scratch. When we were in high school, we had open campus for lunch. My friends always wanted to come to my house for lunch because often times, Mom would whip us up something good to eat! Much better than fast food or cafeteria food!
Dad. My dad is also a great man. I know that I took his hard work for granted when we were younger. He worked in the oil field when I was really small. He did not graduate from college until I was in kindergarten. He got a job as a loan officer shortly after that. and to see him now as a bank president is amazing! In just a short few years he has worked so hard to get to where he is now. I am so proud of him! I am more like my dad personality wise than my mom though I think. I am fiercely independent. I think that drives my dad crazy sometimes. He still sees me as his little princess. Dad is also an amazing christian man. There are few times that I remember not praying before a meal or that we were not in church. My dad has those amazingly stretchy arms that could thump you on the back of the head if you were misbehaving even if you were at the opposite end of the pew! My dad is larger than life. He is about 6'5 and somewhat of a scary man. He is really quiet and has ice blue eyes. Most of my dates growing up were scared of him and he loved it!
My brothers... Chris and Russell. There is so much to say about them. I was blessed with those 2 also. Just don't tell them that! My older brother has a huge heart. He puts on this tough front but he really is a cream puff on the inside. Especially when it comes to kids. His intelligence is astounding. Growing up, my goal was to be just like him. I pushed myself to be just like him in school. I took the same classes he did and tried to make him proud of me. I was totally the annoying little sister. I followed him every where. I hung out with him and his friends. But he never complained. Granted we are really close in age. There is about 17 months between us. He was truly my best friend. I admired the close relationship that He had with our Heavenly Father at such a young age. Chris is caring and loyal and an all around amazing man. Russell...what can I say about my baby brother? He is the stereo typical youngest child. Spoiled not only by my parents but by me and Chris as well. As you can see in the last sentence in me calling him a baby. He is not a baby. He is not even 2 years younger than I am! But he was definitely treated as such. Russ has this amazing love for life. He goes through life with a twinkle in his eye. That twinkle has gotten him into so much trouble! You can always tell when he is up to something by that twinkle. Russ lives life to the fullest. Sometimes not really thinking of the consequences. His the broken bones and stitches are proof of that! He is always up for anything. The one thing that I admire most about my younger brother is his loyalty. He has had the same group of best friends since he was in kindergarten. They have added some to the group and lost a few along the way but the core group has always been the same. These boys have been through so much together. Fighting in the war over seas, tragic loss of a close friend, and tons more. These boys are more like brothers than friends. I grew up with those boys and so they are like my brothers as well. Russell is also an athlete. I have never seen anyone like him. He literally can play anything even if he has never played it before. Russ is also very helpful and caring for those he loves. He would do anything that he can to help.
So that's it today. My family is the best and I love them warts and all!