8) Today was a little crazier than I expected. Emma is still on fall break, Jared was unavailable, and lots of things went wrong around the house, including a washer, a dryer, and water dripping through the ceiling from what appeared to be the bathtub above. Ugh. But my father-in-law showed up with hopefully the answer, and an appliance repairman will be here tomorrow, in the meantime, my neighbor is letting me do some laundry there. I'm grateful for good friends and family who are always there for me. Amidst the chaos, a nap for Briggs didn't happen, and it became clear that may have been a mistake. We went to dance class for the girls and the boys were(as usual), restless and silly while waiting. Briggs was ready to break, I could hear it in his tone and see it on his face. We survived, though! And on our way out the door, Briggs and I reached a stalemate over something silly. I kept my cool and carried on. In response, he didn't bat an eye and backed down. As we walked out the doors, an observer commented, "Good job, Mom." Why don't I say that to other parents more often? Sometimes, on days like today, we need it! I am grateful for a kind stranger.
9) I am grateful for modern conveniences. I loved watching the kids' faces light up when they talked to Jared on the phone while he was 2,000 miles away(he is getting on a plane and heading home as I'm typing this- YAY!). My washer and dryer were fixed today and I was just so grateful to do a load of laundry. We have running water and THREE bathrooms. Inside our house. It is ridiculous how spoiled we are. When we are done eating, I put our dirty dishes in a dishwasher, press a button, an they come out clean an hour later! When our house is hot or cold, I turn a dial and air fills the house to adjust the temperature accordingly. When I was making dinner, I was able to choose between several cooking devices. I was able to read a general conference talk from my phone. When I need to go somewhere, I just hop in the car and I can cover distant very quickly. I could go on and on.
10) I am grateful for general conference. I didn't get to listen to it all as well as I would have liked, but I am enjoying going back and re-reading the talks. In the past, I have picked out a talk or two and thought, "Wow, that talk was for ME!!" What I am realizing is that EVERY talk is for me. There is literally something specific that touches me in each message. How grateful I am for a loving Heavenly Father who finds ways to communicate with His children. All we have to do is listen and follow Him. I just finished re-reading the talk on the Sacrament, and I will never see it the same. I love the visual image of Christ with His arms outstretched in mercy and the parallel between that and the young men reaching out their arms to offer the Sacrament. So amazing!
11) I am grateful for fall. I LOVE this time of year. It looks, sounds and smells beautiful. We went to a corn maze and pumpkin patch this morning for a pre-school field trip and I just didn't want to go home. Just way to wonderful. The smiles and laughter from my kids were the best.
12) I am grateful for temples. We went to Utah today and there were several temples to see along the way. I also got to go into the Brigham City temple and we took the kids to temple square. There is such an overwhelming feeling of peace and happiness on temple grounds. I love being there. I miss our temple being 5 minutes away like it was in Twin Falls, but I'm grateful that we still only have to travel 40 minutes to attend a temple.
13) I am grateful for Saturdays. Even busy Saturdays, because Saturdays ALWAYS involve family time, and I love that. Today is the last day of soccer, and I'm looking forward to even more open Saturdays in the future! I also like projects. So does Jared. We often throw those into our Saturdays, too. Hopefully that happens today. :)
14) I am grateful for my ward. I know I have said it many many times, but we are living in the BEST ward ever. It is the kind of ward where everyone rallies together when flash flooding happens, moving from house to house bailing out basements or sandbagging. It is the kind of ward where I ask for help setting up chairs and I suddenly have more chairs than I know what to do with. It is the kind of ward where the children's powerful testimonies take more time than the adult's. It is the kind of ward where too many people sign up for desserts for a funeral and the Relief Society president has to call to have sisters NOT bring a dessert. It is the kind of ward where I learn new things all the time. I am so grateful to be surrounded by such amazing people.
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