I hope to make this a yearly tradition - to reflect on things that the Lord has done in the past year for me. Even though the number 26 will only scratch the surface of His many blessings, these are the things that make my heart sing and overflow: (in no particular order)
1. G-Baby... I cannot even begin to express how thankful I am for the little person growing inside of me. God is so good! Can't wait to meet him/her!
2. Elinor, my little light. She brightens every day with her humor, passion, and spunk. God has taught me so much about trust and joy through her this year.
3. My wonderful hubby and the growth in our marriage over the past year. I'm so thankful for how the Lord has shaped and changed us this year, and for the depth of love and service Daniel shows me constantly. I love that we are learning to appreciate and utilize each others strengths, and understand and work through each others weaknesses.
4. My awesome family... I could use up a number for each one of them, but I really am so thankful for my parents and siblings, and my nephew and niece. I am so blessed and encouraged by each one!
5. Our church family. This year we finally feel like we're beginning to build that community here in Texas, and our church is a huge part of that.
6. My amazing job, which allows me to be first and foremost a wife and mommy, while giving me a purpose and passion here beyond our home.
7. A new "kindred spirit" kind of friend here. Since the very first days and weeks of our friendship, I have felt completely at ease with and a deep love for this sweet woman!
8. A healthy pregnancy. I know I complain about the morning sickness, lack of sleep, and round ligament pain, etc, but really, I am so grateful to have been able to not have any major concerns these past 37 weeks. Many people (pregnant and not) had a very bad flu season this year, so I'm thankful that our family has been blessed with a healthy winter!
9. My BSF Bible study has been such a blessing to my walk over the past nine nine months. At first I was a little apprehensive about going through Isaiah, but I have learned so much about the Lord and myself through this study. Perhaps even more for than for myself, I'm thankful for the children's program. Elli loves to go every week, and I know she's learning the Scriptures already! I love hearing Elli sing, "Trust and Obey," "Holy, Holy, Holy," and "Joy to the World" around the house!
10. We've had the opportunity to travel quite a bit this past year, both back to Kansas to see our families, and around the world - to Mexico and China.
11. My friends' new, precious babies! Meeting Des and Vera this year has been so special! I love seeing my friends as mothers, and love their children almost as much as my own!
12. I'm so thankful for the area of town we now live in and that I've discovered several new parks and trails close by.
13. The Lord has been so good in providing financially to us this year. I am grateful for Daniel's job security, the opportunity to assist him in reaching our goals while not sacrificing our values, and for some unexpected provisions He has given us.
14. Along those same lines, I'm thankful for the lessons that we have learned about working as a team to manage our money. Just one example of how we're growing as a married couple.
15. Elli's Mother's Day Out and her teacher, Ms. Annette, who is just amazing! Elli gets so excited to go to "school" on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and is so happy when I pick her up. She has learned and grown so much, developmentally and socially. Of course, if you ask her what she does at school, she usually responds, "Eat!"
16. Running with Daniel. We have tried a few times to run together in the past, but this year (at least up until I had such bad morning sickness) we were actually able to make it work! We even ran a 10k together last summer!
17. I'm so thankful for my family's trip to Beaver Lake last summer, not only for the sweet family memories we made, but simply for the beauty of the Ozarks. There are many things I love about Texas, but I miss the climate, landscape, and vegetation of the midwest. Elli and I had some sweet moments out on the deck in the early mornings as well that I will treasure.
18. The Pioneer Woman. This is a strange one, I know, but I feel like her recipes helped me get out of a rut in the kitchen, and I'm finally really enjoying cooking again!
19. Sonic happy hour, where a Route 44 ice water is 25 cents. This pregnant lady loves her Sonic ice.
20. I am thankful for the time and opportunity I have had to work on my sewing skills. I still frequently have to rip out seams or occasionally throw out a project, but this year I have learned a few new skills that allow me to make more complex projects.
21. Skype. I'm thankful for this every year, but I don't know how we'd survive without it! I am constantly blessed by how well Elli knows her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousin because she gets to see them!
22. Our life group, even though we only began meeting a month ago, has been a place of authentic love and community. These men and women have blessed me greatly!
23. I am thankful for the zoo, and for the membership Elli's Papa and Nona got us! Elli is enthralled with animals of any kind, so we have spent many days there over the past year, and it never gets old.
24. The opportunity to go to Winter Conference in February, which was such a spiritually renewing time with the Lord.
25. Today also marks one year since my grandmother passed away, and I am so thankful for her memory. What a blessing to know that there is no more sorrow or suffering for her now. My grief is still near, but as I have missed her this year and reflected on the woman she was, I am so grateful for her example which has made such an impression into my life. She left so many blessings, both tangible and intangible, that will affect who I am and what I value for the rest of my life.
26. Number 26 is reserved for a secret thanksgiving, which will soon be revealed. Sorry to be a tease, but it definitely merits a spot on this list!
