A Very Grateful Month!!!

I love November and this tradition I've started. It helps me be more positive throughout my day. I can't believe that this is the last day of November. It makes me a little sad, but I have a lot to look forward to next month. Like finishing another semester, Hannah (Jonathan's sister) graduating and will be home, spending lots of time with family, doing fun projects for Christmas, and meeting my cousin's sweet baby girl.

December will be a wonderful month!

Before I continue on with December, I need to share one last thing that I am grateful for. I am so grateful for a healthy family. This time last year, two of Jonathan's brothers were extremely sick and were focused on just getting better. Now both of them have made leaps and bounds in their recovery. I get so excited every time I see Taylor's car at school that I write him a note. (The first time I did that he thought is was a note about his parking). I am grateful that all of my other siblings and nieces and nephews have good health as well. A healthy body is such an amazing blessing that we tend to take for granted. I know that our bodies are frail, but when we take care of them they can do all that we need them to do. I am grateful that our family is so much healthier than last year.

I am Grateful for Wise Leaders

I am grateful for the many of the leaders of our nation. What really brought this to my attention was a quote from Abraham Lincoln.

Thank you for sharing this Tiffany!

I absolutely love this quote. I am grateful for leaders like Mr. Lincoln (and no, he wasn't a vampire killer). I hope that our current leaders take a page out of his book.

I Am Grateful for Institute

I am so grateful for Institute.

I am grateful for all of the wonderful people there.

Us and Brother Watkins right after Jonathan proposed at the end of our Institute class.

I love Brother Watkins. He is one of the most sweet, thoughtful man I have ever known. He takes a genuine interest in everyone he meets. The lessons he prepares, oh man are they amazing! I took a Pearl of Great Price class before I went to the temple and he would tell us to write down certain symbols because they correlated with the temple. After I went through the temple, I looked at my notes and I understood what he was showing us in the scriptures. It was so cool!

I also love Sister Harte. She is the secretary and she is another wonderful person to spend time with. I keep her updated on Chris and the rest of my family. Though lately, we talked a lot about the Giants. On Wednesday, Sister Harte came into the study room and asked me if I wanted the commemorative section in the paper about the Giants winning the World Series. That was so thoughtful and sweet of her to give it to me. I just love how wonderful she is!

Institute has been such a blessing in my life. It's helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the scriptures and how they apply to me thousands of years after they were written. I am so grateful for Institute and I am grateful that even though I graduated a few years ago, that I still can go to class.

I Am Grateful for This

I am grateful that all of my siblings live in California again. I love my family so much and it was hard when Chris and Annie moved away a few years ago. We only saw them about twice a year before they moved back. We still don't see them as much as I would like (stupid school and work taking up all of our time!), but we see them so much more.

I am so grateful that Jonathan and I get to be part of our nieces and nephews lives. They will be able to have so many different memories of all the little things we've done together as well as our big trips together.

I am grateful that Seth and Clara are now in California!

I Am Grateful for Our Fun Family Trips

I am grateful for the family trips we were able to do this year.
In January, we went to Disneyland and the ocean with the Nelson family.

Taking over Tomorrowland!

In March, I went to Tahoe with some of the Nelsons.

My awesome wipeout!

In June, we went up to Idaho with all 17 Pattersons. (I still can't believe my family is that big!)

17 Pattersons and counting!

The wonderful farm we played at.

We saw lots of buffalo.

We split this burger with 4 people. That would not fit in my stomach.

We had pillow fights.

In September, we went back to Disneyland with my siblings and their boys. (Next time the little girls will come too!)

The gang of Patterson boys.

Group picture #1

Group picture #2

I am grateful that we were able to get away from everyday life and spend time with our families.

I Am Grateful for a Superhero

I am so grateful for my favorite superhero. Now most people would disagree with me, but trust me he really is a superhero. He rescues me from my greatest fears and can defeat any adversary in his path.

My favorite superhero is my husband.

Mild-mannered salesman by day, crime fighting superhero by night!

This man is truly amazing! He is my last minute substitute teacher for my Sunday School class without complaint. He makes sure that I have everything I need when I'm running late for school. He goes to the store on Thanksgiving night to get my medicine. He stays up late talking to me. He works full-time and goes to school. He makes the best quesadillas. He (sometimes) remembers to take out the garbage. He is the sweetest uncle to our nieces and nephews. He is my best friend.

I sometimes wonder how I got such a wonderful husband. He loves me so much and does so much for me that I regularly feel like I'm living in a fairy tale. I am so grateful for the hardworking man that I married.

I'm Grateful For My Weekly Playdate

I am grateful for my Friday afternoons. After work, I get to go and play at the park with my sweet niece Mercedes. Here are some pictures of the things we do at the park.

We walk up and down a dirt hill, collect lots of rocks and sticks, splash in puddles, and go "up high".

We wear our winter coats as we hang upside down.

We make silly faces.

We go down the twisty slide.

We throw dirt like it's confetti.

We each take turns pushing the stroller.

We peek into the neighbor's backyard.

We sing and play songs as we walk hand in hand.

We race down the slides together.

We carefully put the bark through the hole.

We even ride sidesaddle.

We get in screaming contests with little boys.

We find old glowsticks.

We climb up slides.

We wear pretty shoes.

We climb around.

It has been so much fun to spend some one on one time with Mercedes. I am so grateful that Taylor and Kenzie live in Roseville so I can have this special time every week with Mercedes. I can't wait for this little girl (and her mom) to come back from Utah!

I Am Grateful For This

I am grateful for medicine and comfort items. I came down with the flu a couple of days ago and sleeping has become very difficult. Last night after going to dinner with the Nelson's and dessert with the Patterson's, Jonathan ran to the store to get me some medicine to help me sleep. (Thank you people who were working on Thanksgiving. It made feel so much better knowing that I could get the medicine I needed!) Well, it wasn't working so I turned on Pride & Prejudice and that worked like a charm!

Today, I'm having a Downton Abbey marathon while Jonathan is working. I am so grateful for all of the little things that are helping me feel a little better.

My medicine, cough drops, and delicious juice!

I love my cozy, warm comforter.

 I am so grateful for Jonathan and how much he takes care of me. Only a few more hours and he'll be home from work!

I Am Grateful for This Holiday

I am so grateful for Thanksgiving for a rather selfish reason.

He's my big hunk!

I get to spend the ENTIRE day with my sweet husband. I love spending time with Jonathan, but stupid stuff like school and work get in the way of us spending all day everyday with each other. I just don't like it! I will enjoy spending this day with Jonathan as we spend time with our families.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with loved ones and good food.

I Am Grateful For So Many Things!

So, I know I've been slacking off with my daily gratitude post, but I blame school, family filled weekends, and more school! On the bright side I get to share quite a few things that I am grateful for! (That means this will be quite long.)

I am so grateful for my job. I just love my job! I work in the office of a landscaping company (the kind that rips everything out and makes it pretty, not the mowing kind). I work with such wonderful people and am so grateful that they hired me. It has been really interesting learning all that goes into running a business and learning how to use a Mac. I really am so grateful that I can be of help in an office setting.

I am grateful for extended family. I love my family. A couple of weeks ago, my great-uncle Gerald was in town. I just love him! As soon as he saw me, he asked me if I brought my saxophone so I could play him a song. He loves that I play the saxophone and was rather concerned when I switched to trombone. (He told me that a pretty girl shouldn't have move my arm back and forth to play music. He's so cute!) We also spent some time with my cousins and grandparents that weekend. It's such a blessing to be part of a loving family.

I am grateful for Primary Programs. Once every year, the children in my Church participate in our Sacrament Meetings. They sing songs, share scriptures, and bare their testimonies of Jesus. It truly is my favorite Sacrament Meeting of the year. The spirit in that meeting is so sweet and the children are unintentionally hilarious! One little boy got up to the pulpit to share his part and in the middle of his sentence, he hiccupped! He paused and then continued as though nothing happened and hiccupped again! It was adorable. He stayed calm and shared his entire part. I am so grateful for Primary and all of the wonderful things that are taught by the leaders and teachers.

I am grateful for the men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedoms. It is such a blessing to have so much freedom in our lives that we don't even realize how much choice we do have in this country. That has been preserved through the sacrifice of so many brave and courageous men and women. I am grateful to them and their families for their daily sacrifice to ensure that our freedoms are not taken away. 

I am grateful for 6 hour lunch dates. On the Monday after Veteran's Day, I went out to lunch with my mom, Amy, Garrett, and our good friend Lisa. Well, no surprise that there was so much talking and catching up, but we didn't expect to be there for 6 whole hours! It was dinner time by the time we left the restaurant. It so wonderful to have such good friends that you don't mind spending the entire day talking with them.

Clara and Lyla playing on the floor.

The little boys watching a cartoon.

I am grateful for all the time that I've been able to spend with my nieces and nephews. I just love my kids (yes, I call them my kids). They are all so different and funny. I am grateful that I get to be part of their lives. They are so wonderful and each has amazing parents. I love watching my siblings being parents.

I am grateful for shelter from the cold and the rain. I love our little apartment especially when it starts to be cold and rainy outside. I feel so blessed to have a warm and cozy place to call home.

I am grateful for girl's night. Last week, I had a girls night with Kenzie and Christina. It was so much fun! We talked and snacked and watched a movie together. It is totally becoming a new Nelson girl tradition and next month Hannah and Mom will be with us too!

I am grateful for fall leaves. I love that as the wind blows, the leaves fall from the trees. It almost looks magical. I think that is one reason why I love fall. The leaves just kind of dance on their way down to the ground. Don't believe me? Watch for it. It's wonderful.

I am grateful for funerals. I know this one sounds really, really odd, but let me explain. I went to a funeral for my sister in law's cousin. During the funeral, sweet stories were shared about her and the sweet person she was throughout her mortal life. Her life was much more difficult than for most of us, but she still shared her love. Sometimes we forget how vulnerable our mortal bodies are and how much we rely on each other. I am grateful that I know that there is a purpose to life and that we will be with our loved ones that have gone on before us. I look forward to the day that I get to be with my grandmother, Barbara Jean Patterson. I am so grateful for the reminder that funerals are to me.

I am grateful for Sunday School. I love that I get to share lessons that are really meant for me (at least it feels that way to me). I love it when my class engage in the lesson (sometimes they all decide to be silent... it's not good). I love my kids (yeah, I have more kids). They are quite the bunch and I love each of them. I can't believe that another year is almost over. It seems like I've only been with them for a couple of months!

I am grateful for two cars that mostly work. (Jonathan has been having some minor problems with his battery dying and my brakes are starting to wear out.) I am so grateful that we can get to where we need to be and that we can rely on our cars to get us there safely. I am grateful that Jonathan knows how to maintain them and fix some of the problems. (He's planning on fixing my brakes. Yeah, he knows how to do that!)

I am grateful for the jinxing game. You know what I'm talking about. When you say the same thing as someone else and you shout "Jinx, you owe me a soda!" Yesterday, Jonathan came and visited me while I was in the Physics lab waiting to use the lab equipment and we were talking. When he was getting ready to leave, we both said the same thing and then I jinxed  him. I did request cranberry juice instead of soda (that stuff is bad for you!) I forgot all about it until Jonathan walked into our apartment carrying a bottle of juice for me. I just love that man!

I am grateful for this time in my life. I love having a cute little apartment to share with my sweet husband. I love spending time with him and our silly nieces and nephews. I love that we are still getting to know each other and learning how to be even sweeter to each other. I love that our life is simple. I am grateful that I have Jonathan by my side in all that I do.

I Am Grateful for the Future

Last night, Jonathan and I stayed up fairly late (ok late for me) talking. These past couple of weeks, Jonathan and I have been making some new plans for our future. I'm not going into the details right now, but I think they are wonderful! I'm grateful that we've gotten this new plan little by little. It didn't all come together at once like the planner in me has longed for, but rather it slowly came to us. I really feel like our Heavenly Father has had a major role in getting us to this point.

I am grateful that we live in a time that we can make plans for our future and execute them. It is so wonderful to have that kind of freedom.

I Am Grateful for the Temple

I know that I share my feelings about the temple a lot, but this one is different trust me.

On Halloween night, Jonathan and I went to the temple. We tried getting there early enough to do a session, but that didn't happen. We were flexible and did some sealings. As we were approaching the sealing room, I recognized one of the voices. We entered the room and sure enough, it was my mom's cousin Wally! He was the man who seal Jonathan and I almost two years ago. (I can't believe it's been that long!)

We were the only couple in the room so we did quite a few sealings and every so often we would take small breaks. We were on our last one for the night (a French couple) and about halfway through I could tell I was going to faint. I decided to be stubborn and push through since we were almost done. (Not the best idea I've had in my life.) My head involuntarily jerked forward and I couldn't keep my eyes open, but I forced my head back up. Ha! I was going to make it! Not two seconds later I was out.

I completely blacked out. My mind was somewhere else and I started relaxing and then suddenly I opened my eyes and I completely forgot that I was still at the temple! I quickly jerked up and knelt on my knees (another not so good idea) and Jonathan started telling me that I passed out. Thankfully we did finish up that final sealing and as soon as I started falling over Jonathan caught me.

I am grateful that Jonathan was there and quickly figured out what was happening. This was his first time seeing me pass out (he's been waiting for this day to come) and he took such good care of me. After a while, Jonathan helped me over to the couch and the temple president came in to see how I was doing. It turns out that he used to be a cardiologist and so I was in very good hands. He asked me a few questions, checked my blood pressure, and then left us in the sealing room. Another sealer walked into the room and then showed me the proper way for a woman to kneel during sealings. Apparently women's legs are not as good at circulating the blood that travels down our legs back up, so we need to flex our calves every so often to keep the blood flowing.

I am grateful for this experience. I am grateful that after all this time, Jonathan has finally seen me pass out and was able to stay calm while he took care of me. I am grateful that I could trust strangers to take care of me and know that they were truly concerned for me. I am grateful that my body has limits and that I am able to learn when to push them and when to lay down and rest. Let's just hope I don't need to be reminded again any time soon!

I Am Grateful To Be Heard

I am grateful that today, I was able to let my opinion to be heard. I was able to share my opinion of my elected officials by voting. We live in an amazing country. No matter who wins today's election, there will be a peaceful transfer of power. We don't need to worry about a sudden coup taking over. That is a wonderful blessing and I am grateful that my opinion matters.

I'm Grateful That I Can Catch Up

I was really busy this weekend, so instead of doing three separate posts at once I'll share three things I'm grateful for at once.

I am grateful for a healthy body. I do have a few minor problems every now and then like passing out and hurting my back (both of which I did in the past week), but overall I have a strong and healthy body. I have used my body to fulfill the purpose of having it. I have participated in all of the ordinances necessary to return to the presence of our Heavenly Father. I have made all of the necessary covenants that can only be made in a mortal body.

I now have the opportunity to use that healthy body for others. I get to go to the temple and participate in the ordinances for those who were on the earth and didn't have the opportunity to do it for themselves. 

I also will one day have the opportunity to use my body to grow another body, so that another child of God can use their own body to participate in all of the same ordinances.

I realized a few months ago that I don't need my body anymore, but there are others that need me to use it for them. I am grateful that I can use my body to be of service to other people and that my health allows me to share myself.

I am grateful for quality time with Jonathan. Jonathan and I have very busy schedules between work, school, church, and family that sometimes it feels like I haven't seen him in weeks. Sure we live together, but sometimes we don't spend enough quality time together. Last night, we were planning on spending time with our extended family, but it didn't happen. We instead just had a quiet afternoon and evening and it was lovely. We watched old Disney movies and played some games and just enjoyed being with each other. I love being married to my best friend. Sometimes when life gets crazy, I forget how grateful I am for my sweet Jonathan.

I am grateful that I have the opportunity to go to school. There are times when it doesn't feel like a blessing, like when everything is due all at the same time. I am grateful that I have this time in my life to expand my mind and learn. I really need to have a more grateful attitude about being in school.