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.