Day Nineteen

Today I am thankful for:

• Sleeping in until 10:15!!!
• Getting up and taking a hot shower, well kinda hot because Rich and Bentley used the REALLY hot water. Hey, I'm blessed to be able to take a shower every morning.
• Rich taking me to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.
• Having $200 given to me to spend on my classroom by my school. It was fun to shop without having to spend a penny out of my own pocket.
• Our fireplace. I LOVE it when we put on our PJs at 3:00, start a fire, and watch TV and movies all day long. We have both been SO sick since yesterday and it is nice to know that the house is already completely cleaned and all we have to do is just lay around!
• A husband that loves to spend time with me. Most husbands spend their time off ignoring thier wife, doing their own thing, or playing play station. My husbands sincerely enjoys spending time with me and equally HATES being apart. I'm so thankful for that! He even voluntarily went to the School Sales and Supply Store with me so that we wouldn't have to spend the day apart.
• A healthy baby.

Day Eighteen

Yesterday I was thankful for:

• Getting all of my report cards finished before I left school so that I didn't have to bring any work home for the weekend. Also, getting my lesson plans finished and turned in for Monday.
• Getting the kitchen floor, guest bath, and hallway mopped. Finished cleaning the guest bath.
• Going to Opry Mills and getting the monogrammed "H" shadow box from Kirklands. I saw it a few months ago at the Cookeville Kirklands when I was shopping with my mom and grandmother and knew that it was perfect for going over my kitchen sink. They didn't have them anywhere. I called Wednesday to the Kirklands in Opry Mills, and they had one left and held it for me until last night.
• Chilis Mesquite Grilled Chicken Salad. So good!
• Pay day for Rich and I both!!
• Both of us still having jobs even though the economy is in the gutter.
• A healthy baby.

Day Seventeen

Today I am thankful for:

• Mrs. Decker, my middle school computer teacher, that taught me how to type without looking at my hands. She used to make us have a white piece of paper over our hands when we typed so that we couldn't see the keyboard. I'm thankful that I can type fast because I type quite a bit!
• Beth letting me know who got through on American Idol. All I am going to say is that MY DVR DID NOT RECORD IT! I almost threw up on myself.
• Getting my kitchen cleaned. All I have to do tomorrow to it is sweep and mop it. I'm making some major headway now on the house! It has needed it so bad.
• Recess. I actually am made to give my students 30 minutes of recess/day. I get paid for sitting there and doing NOTHING for 30 minutes. I got to sit on a bench outside and watch my students play on the playground for 30 minutes and get paid for it!
• Rich giving Bentley a shower so that I could do this blog.
• Helen and Ray (the host and hostess at Cracker Barrel that we have befriended) coming back to work after having some much needed time off. We all hugged for about 5 minutes when we all saw each other. Ray is a HUGE KY fan so he and Rich talk about that, and Helen is the most precious lady. They are both in their late 70s, and we were so worried that something may have happened to them.
• My hearing. It was so nice to crank up my ihome and worship while I cleaned the kitchen. I can't imagine not being able to hear music, tv, people, etc. I hope that I never take my senses for granted!
• A healthy baby!

So, I was reaching a little bit tonight, but I am still sick to my stomach about not being able to watch American Idol. I should just be thankful that we have a TV to watch! I'm praying that God delivers me from being such a brat!

Day Sixteen

Today I am thankful for:

• My husband. I'm so thankful that I get to share my life with a wonderful, Godly man. I'm thankful that out of all the women in the world that he chose me to spend the rest of his life with and to spoil. I'm thankful that I know how much he adores me, and for loving me so passionately.
• My husband's email to me this morning, well every morning. It makes my day to have nice things written to me as soon as I get to work.
• Rich's birthday!!! Happy birthday baby!
• Getting the living room, foyer, and dining room COMPLETELY cleaned! Thank you Lord that I have stuck to this committment. I feel so much better that at least 1/2 of my house is spotless.
• An incredible service at Wireless.
• Turkey meat taco night at the Hall house. We are trying to eat healthier so I've cut out red meat. The tacos were still great even though they were made with turkey meat and whole wheat tortillas.
• American Idol. I really feel like a part of the show, and I'm thankful that I finished watching it at 10:30 so that I had plenty of time to vote! That's right, I called in to vote for my favorite four contestants.
• A healthy baby.

Day Fifteen

Today I am thankful for:

• Getting my bedroom picked up, dusted, vacuumed, and the windows/blinds cleaned. It is completely finished, and I am now ready for the next room. I will be thankful for getting each room finished in my house because our bedroom alone took me 2 and a half hours today so get ready for them. I am very thankful when they are finished.
• Logan's two for $13.99. Here is my free advertisement: I got tilapia, steamed veggies, a house salad, and Rich got chicken fingers, fries, and a salad plus we got endless rolls and peanuts all for $7. We had a $10 gift card, but this deal is worth making the trip on Mondays or Tuesdays.
• Getting out of work at 2:30. I am so thankful that I do not have to work until 5 or 6 like some people may have to do. I get home by 2:45 most days, unless I have to catch up on stuff. It is an amazing job!
• Getting everything finished for Rich's birthday. All of my errands are ran, I have a plan for our celebrations on Friday and Saturday, and his gift and card are ready for tomorrow morning!
• A comfortable bed to sleep in tonight. So many people all over the world are out in the cold tonight. Sometimes I take forgranted having a big comforter and king sized bed to sleep in every night.
• A room mom that volunteered to tear out all of our workbook pages for next week so that I would not have to.
• A healthy baby.

Day Fourteen

Today I am thankful for:

• Getting my bathroom cleaned (even the base boards), and mopped.
• Poppyseed Chicken. Rich LOVES it.
• Having a plan for keeping my house clean. I am doing one room a day, but that means vacuum, any mopping, dusting, windexing... whatever that room needs, it must be finished in one day. Hopefully this will help me to KEEP my house cleaned. Everyday I move on to a new room, and then the process just repeats itself.
• Eraser tag. It helped the kids stay entertained and they NEEDED a break from all of their work.
• Dry cleaners. I'm so thankful that I do not have to iron all of Rich's dress shirts.
• Getting to see my dad today. I am so thankful that I got to hug him and just talk to him. I've been in a funk for whatever reason for the past week, and it is so refreshing to see he or my mom.
• That BOTH of my students that I referred for learning lab are going to be tested. I have worked ALL year long on getting all of their paperwork together, and it paid off big time! I am so thankful that I can help them and not let them slide through the cracks!
• A healthy baby.

Day Thirteen

Today I am thankful for:

• Having a church to go to and worship God.
• Being able to sit with Megan Butler at church. It brought back so many memories.
• Having "couple friends" to go out to eat with after church at Cracker Barrel.
• Laying in bed all day with Rich and Bentley and watching TV. I know we sound really lazy, but that is what we like to do!
• Sloppy Joe's!!! It has been SO long since I have had them. Rich is browning the meat for me right now.
• Clay and Trish (our sweet neighbors) coming to church this morning and really loving Northridge!
• Rich and I both having jobs to go to tomorrow!
• A healthy baby (or two).

Day Twelve

Today I am thankful for:

• Surviving the Wireless Girl's Sleepover even though we stayed up until 4 a.m.
• Taking another nap today for about 3 hours with Rich.
• Getting to see mom and eating with her at Cracker Barrel.
• The snow. It is beautiful.
• Not having anything planned that we had to do today. Just being able to spend time together and not have to do ANYTHING!
• Spending some much needed time on the computer checking up on the world.... ya know, Facebook, myspace. All of those things that really have a wonderful impact on my life haha.
• Getting ready to watch "Step Brothers" starring Will Ferrel. We shall see how it is.
• A healthy baby

Day Eleven

I know, I know. What's the point if I'm not going to do it everyday? I had a girls sleepover last night and was unable to do my blog for Friday. Here it is though.

Yesterday I was thankful for:

• It being Friday. There is such an excitement at work when it is Friday.
• Getting EVERYTHING caught up at work and even getting time to practice the announcements with my students. We have announcements all week next week. It was precious to witness them being so nervous/excited about getting to do announcements.
• Having a great lunch. I had leftover pork tenderloin, mashed potatoes, and green beans. It makes the biggest difference in my day when I actually pack a lunch instead of cramming in a protein bar and grading papers.
• A two hour nap after going to look for Rich's b-day gift.
• The Wireless girls sleepover and all the laughter it brought.
• A husband that made me feel like I would be gone for a week when I left instead of just one night.
• A healthy baby.

Day Ten

Today I'm thankful for:

• Actually sticking to my goal and doing this blog for 10 days!
• My crockpot. Today I had the major part of dinner finished when I walked in the door. We had pork tenderloin that cooked on low all day and was SO TENDER, mashed potatoes, and fried corn. I know it is not healthy, but it was good.
• Getting my paperwork for SST behind me. I finished most of it last night, but had to do a few things this morning before turning it in. I feel like the weight of the world is off of my shoulders!
• Being able to go to Kroger and get whatever I wanted. I am so thankful that Rich and I both have great jobs. I stocked up!
• Rich writing me a sweet email this morning.
• Faculty meeting after school being very short.
• A healthy baby or two!

Day Nine

See I told you that I would have to write a blog a day late again at some point.

Yesterday I was thankful for:

• Having a productive day
• Getting most of my SST paperwork (referral for learning lab) for two of my students finished.
• Rich cleaning up the kitchen for me!
• American Idol!!! I only got to watch a little bit late last night after I finished working, but I am SO thankful that Danny is going through. He is my favorite.
• Music. It brings me so much pleasure. I am a terrible singer, but still sing as loud as possible for Rich and in the car.
• My student's parents. They are ALWAYS donating to our classroom and seem to know just what we need when we need it.
• A healthy baby.

Day Eight

Today I am thankful for:

• Pastor Aaron and Beth for blessing Rich and I with being able to go to the game together. We NEEDED a fun night out, and it was perfect (well I wish KY would have won for Rich's sake and the people around us).
• Rotier's. It is a hole in the wall burger joint that I've gone to for years. It is our special little spot that we go to if we have doctor appointments or if we want to get away and have a night just the two of us. If you haven't been... you need to!
• Rich not getting into a fight at the game. I was VERY proud of him for keeping his cool even though we were surrounded by Vandy fans. He had a few melt downs, but I'm just glad that he made it out of there without too much of a scene.
• A long planning time. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays my students are gone from 12:45 until I pick them up for the bus. The other days they leave at 1:25 until dismissal. I needed to catch up on some things today and had a meeting so I'm glad that I had my long planning time.
• My "reflection" with the county about my evaluations going awesome. It was the last reflection (basically they analyze the lesson that you did for them in the classroom), and it I got ALL positive feedback.
• My ability to walk. I can't imagine not having my legs or the ability to use my legs to walk. Just going to a game would be difficult. I am so thankful for my ablity to walk the streets with my husband.
• A healthy baby!

Day Seven

My first time to not be able to make the post on the actual day. This is actually day eight. I'm sure this won't be the last time!

Yesterday I was thankful for:

• President's Day! I am so thankful for the leaders that have led our country (well, most of them). It is so important to pray for our President!
• A day OFF!
• Being a teacher and getting paid for watching TV all day. It is a WONDERFUL job!
• Rich's brakes getting fixed at a MUCH lower cost than what we were originally told.
• Having a car to drive. It was wonderful being made to just stay at home yesterday instead of running errands, but I was only without my car for one day, and I missed it terribly. I can't imagine not having a car to drive. Just one of those things that I take forgranted... being able to go get lunch or run to the post office whenever I want.
• Sleeping in. Oh how I love to sleep in. I was so thankful to not have to get up at 5:45.
• A healthy baby.

Wow, it is much harder to think of these things after a day. I usually roll right on through these in 3-4 minutes, but this one took longer.

Day Six

Today I am thankful for:

• Church and new exciting things that are happening there.
• Being able to take a nap today after our meeting.
• Getting to see my family this afternoon.
• Chilis with Pastor Bobby and Toyia and the kids.
• Destiny turning ONE!
• Being able to stay up late tonight because I don't have to go to work tomorrow!
• A healthy baby.

It's short and sweet for today!

Day Five

Happy Valentine's Day

Today I am thankful for:

• Getting to take Bentley to the dog park with Rich and watching him run with freedom!
• Taking a LONG bath!
• Lima beans at Cracker Barrel. They are the BEST!
• Sleeping in until 10:30 and then taking a nap around 4. I LOVE catching up on my rest over the weekends.
• My husband. I'm so thankful to not be alone on Valentine's Day and for being able to share it with him.
• Marriage. We had planned to go to Maggiano's, but there was a HUGE wait. We decided to get in our PJs and do what we love most.... lay in bed with Bentley and watch our shows!
• The health of my family!
• A healthy baby.

Day Four

It is 11:54, and I have six minutes to finish the post before the day is over. Here goes...

Today I am thankful for:

• Getting our tax returns and Rich getting paid.
• My tire blowing out and the Lord keeping me safe. I'm glad it happened the way that it did. The police officer said, "you're lucky to be alive with these tires." I guess it was WAY past time for new tires. I could have gone without having a nervous breakdown infront of the guys at NTB bahahahah.
• Having enough money to pay to get all of the stuff fixed with our cars. God always takes care of us.
• Going to a movie with Rich and getting to go to Marble Slab afterwards. Pretty sure I wore addidas pants and a sweat shirt to the movies. Very different from the way I used to go to the movies every Friday night with my friends. I'm SO thankful for marriage!
• Making it through Friday the 13th. If you like scary movies, you MUST go see it. It is NOT appropriate for kids though.
• Fridays.... enough said!
• Movie theatre popcorn with "extra butter throughout." It is delish! Oh and a REGULAR coke, not diet. I know, I'm so bad!
• Getting to see Aaron, Beth, Abbey, Luke (for 30 seconds...haha), and Lincoln tonight. Even though I was delirious.

Well that's it for tonight. I'm sure there are words that I butchered, but the screen is blurry because I am exhausted. Hope everyone has a great Valentine's!!!

EDIT-The time for all of my posts are in Pacific time. I guess I need to fix that.

Day Three

Today I am thankful for:

• My sight. Today was so beautiful, and I am so thankful that I got to see God's wonderful creations today. I was so convicted last night when I was watching American Idol, and the guy that plays the piano that is blind walked out and couldn't see everyone standing and clapping for him when he told them that "he had made it." You know his parents wanted him to see that SO bad!



• Finishing the Red Velvet Cake Balls for my class' Valentine's Day party tomorrow.



• Las Maracas! One of the few restaurants in White House. It was delicious.



• NONE of my students pulling a card today. They usually don't, but I always have the same two that seem to ALWAYS pull cards. I wonder if it is a coincidence that the parents of these two students don't take the 5-10 minutes/night to have their child read to them and sign their reading log?



• Having the time to clean the kitchen today, and do a load of laundry.



• TV-it gives me so much pleasure.



• Getting to see Christy.



• Getting to take Bentley to the "dog park" for an hour. I raced around everywhere so that I would have time to take him because I haven't gotten to much this week. It was so nice out today that I looked forward to getting to go all day. I posted some pictures of us at the dog park over the weekend. Enjoy!

Bentley getting to know some friends.

He was not a bit scared. It was his first experience around

other dogs off of the leash, and he did GREAT!

Day Two

Today I am thankful for:

• Getting to go to Wireless and seeing my friends


• Being able to cook dinner for my wonderful husband. We are trying to eat healthier so we are having pork chops, green beans, and whole wheat rice.


• For healthy food


• Thankful that God kept us safe from any tornados today


• My husband making my lunch this morning


• Having clean clothes to wear to work today


• Getting to watch last night's episode of American Idol. I might have taken a page full of notes about the contestants.
• A healthy baby and the peace that God has given me about being a mom.

The Reason

Sometimes I feel like I don't acknowledge enough just how much God blesses me everyday. I try to make it a point to be thankful for everything that God gives me, but sometimes I just feel like I take so much for granted in my life. I am going to TRY (I'm sure I will miss some days, but hopefully not) to blog every single day about the things that I am thankful for. Hopefully this will last for an entire year and won't "die out." My goal is to at least have 7 things to be grateful for every day. Hopefully I will have more, but for now that is my goal. I had thought about just journaling this in my personal journal, but feel like if I blog it then maybe it will keep me accountable. It is VERY easy to not keep up with a goal if you do not tell anyone about it. I will try to not be repetitive so that I will not bore anyone to death. Everyday I will thank God for our baby that I know he is going to bless us with so be prepared for that. This is something that has been layed on my heart to do regarding our fertility situation so I'm going to be obedient and thank God for our healthy baby (or babies) that He is going to bless us with. I pray specifically for twins (one boy and one girl) everyday so if you want to join in on that prayer feel free to.

Today I am thankful for:

• Kentucky winning against Florida so that Rich is happy.
• Getting to eat at Cracker Barrel instead of having to cook.
• Having TONS of groceries in the fridge for dinners and lunch this week.
• Being able to go outside for 30 minutes of Recess with my students instead of having to play games inside.
• Having a washer and dryer to do my laundry.
• Getting a load of laundry finished after work and before I went to the PTO meeting at school.
• Being able to go to a job that I love.
• Having a laptop that we didn't have to pay a penny for.
• Getting to take a 30 minute bath today.
• The DVR-so that I can watch American Idol tomorrow when I get home from school!!
• A healthy baby and for the peace that God has given me about having a children.