Thankful Thursday(on a Friday)

My days are all messed up this week.

Usually I am off on Wednesdays.  

This week we had to do some training for  new computer software so I had to work on Wednesday.

It really messed up my days.  

So yesterday I thought it was Tuesday.  But it was Thursday. 

So here it is Friday and I am just getting around to doing my Thankful Thursday.

I don't suppose you need a certain day of the week to say what you are thankful for though  :)

--I am thankful for the weather we have been having.  It has been in the high 70's every day this week. On Sunday it even hit 80. Strange for us for in January, but so beautiful.  It's supposed to cool down on Sunday and rain is in the forecast for early next week so we are going to enjoy this weather while we have it.  A trip to the beach is on the agenda for Saturday. And a bike ride on Sunday.

--I'm thankful for coffee.  Enough said.

--I'm thankful to have people I can vent to when my day has not gone well.  There is a lot of stuff I can't write here but thankfully I have a place where I can and receive amazing support.

--I'm thankful today is a non-patient day at my job. This week has been crazy stressful. Trying to learn new things and working with a Type A boss sucks.  So  glad  I can get caught up on the pile of charts on my desk without interruption(well, except for the phone).  And I get to go in late too.  

--I won something else on the radio yesterday!  I have some kind of freaky talent for being caller 20.  I won a $100 gift card to a restaurant that I love. We went there once for my birthday and it was so good. Now Joe and I can go out for our anniversary next month.  Yay!

--I'm thankful it is Friday (duh).  That one goes without saying I guess.

Thankful Thursday

 I am supposed to be participating in this thing where you post something every day on FB that you are thankful for.  Well I am lame and I forget every single day, so I'm going to play catch up here and try to remember to do it from now on.

1.  I am thankful for new tires.  Not exactly how I wanted to spend my paycheck, but they were MUCH needed and we couldn't go up North for Thanksgiving without them.

2.  I am thankful to work at a job that takes off Thanksgiving and the day after.  I can't believe how many stores are open on Thanksgiving now.  Big Lots is open on Thanksgiving.  Big Lots!  Because nothing says Thanksgiving like a lovely meal and a trip to Big Lots afterward.  Sheesh.

3.  I am thankful to once again be spending Thanksgiving with my sister and family, and Dad in San Francisco.  My brother in law makes the most delicious thanksgiving meal. We look forward to it every year.

4.  I am thankful for rice packs.  I bought one from Perrin last year and I love it.  It has been really helping with the severe sinus pain I have been having, and it's pretty too! (Pink toile.  love it.)

5.  I am also thankful for antibotics. I turns out the sinus pain I was having(it was seriously like no pain I have ever experienced before) was actually a sinus infection.  I hope to be feeling better as soon as the antibiotics kick in.

6.  I am thankful for Green Tea.

7.  I am thankful for friends.  I am very lucky to have great friends that support me, no matter what. Whether  I am having a good day or a bad day, or feeling sad and need to vent.  Most of them live far away.  I wish they lived closer.  I am so thankful to have them.

8.  I'm thankful for t.v.  I know that seems like a strange thing to be thankful for.  Joe and I don't go out much.  We spend a lot of time at home.  We have a whole slew of shows that we like to sit down and watch together every week and it helps pass the time.  Plus, how lucky am I that he will watch almost any show I want with me, and not complain?

9.  I am thankful for my bike.  Oh how I love my bike.  We have been having such a great time on our bike rides.  We have been taking 4 and 5 mile rides around our neighborhood to local parks.  It's such a good workout too, and it doesn't hurt my back(like almost every other kind of exercise I have tried lately).  We hope to be able to afford a bike rack for my car so we can try out some trails farther away.

10.  I'm thankful to have a job.  I  know I say this all the time, but if you have a job, be thankful.  Imagine how your life would change if you lost your job tomorrow.  Be thankful that you have one today.

11.  I'm thankful for pumpkin spice candles.

12.  I am thankful that the holidays are close.  Last year I did not enjoy Christmas.  I worried and stressed and wallowed in self pity because we couldn't buy any presents or exchange gifts with each other.  This year I have changed my attitude.  Christmas only comes once a year and usually I love it and I am not wasting another whole year feeling bitter.  I am going to make the most of what we have.  Lots of handmade gifts and Joe and I will exchange one small gift.  Bring it on Christmas!  But still no Christmas music until two weeks before.  I just can't do it.  We have to change our radio station at work for a few weeks because they start playing it 24 hours a day a few days before Thanksgiving.  It's too much!

13.  I'm thankful for a good cup of coffee.

14.  I am thankful for the beautiful weather we have been having. So gorgeous!

15.  I am thankful to have Wednesdays off.  I was feeling so poorly yesterday due to the sinus infection and it was so nice to be able to rest instead of having to drag myself to work.

16.  I am thankful for my dog.  She is always so happy to see me when I come home after being away. Every single time.

17. I am thankful for Joe.  (This list is in no particular order. It means nothing that Joe was next to last.  LOL)

18.  I am thankful for Featherbeds.  We got one a couple months ago and it is like sleeping on  a cloud.

There.  I'm caught up.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

There are some Thursdays I come here and I don't really feel that thankful.  Some weeks it's hard for me to come up with something to post.

Well not this week!  I have a ton of stuff to be thankful for, and be excited about this week.  Yay me!

I am thankful Halloween is over.  No more candy.  All of the candy has left our house(via my stomach). I actually had to turn away two groups of trick or treaters because I ate all the candy(hangs head in shame).  But we live all the way in the back of our apartment complex now and I truly wasn't expecting anyone!  I still felt bad though.

I am thankful that I live in a country where I get to vote.  I won't get up on a soapbox about it but I am shocked by the amount of people who don't vote.  I just don't get it.  Enough said.

I am thankful that tonight I get to have dinner with one of my favorite bloggers.  She is coming to town and this time we get to meet her husband too.  I can't tell you where they are coming from, because she keeps her blog anonymous but it's a long way away and it isn't often that they make it all the way to our state.  One day we are going to make it to their state to visit.  One day.  Plus, we get to go to a restaurant.  Where you sit down.  It has been a long time since Joe and I were able to go out.  I am so looking forward to it!

I am thankful that Joe finally got his bike fixed so we can go on bike rides together.  I don't like to ride alone and my new(used) bike that I got in the summer hasn't been getting a lot of use.  We are eating healthier and made a pact to get more exercise and this will really help.  Here  I am with my bike.

And here I am in my helmet.  I have to admit I feel like a huge dork in it. But I am highly injury prone so this isn't even a choice for me.  I actually could use a helmet in my every day life.  LOL.  Now if only I could get Joe to wear one too.

Then the best part of the week?  Tomorrow I am getting on an airplane to go up North and visit my sees-ter.  She is flying me up there to go to the Scrapbook Expo.  And  she is coming with us too and we are spending the night and we are going to have the.  best.  time.

And tomorrow night we are having dinner with her and her. I saw Kayce this summer when she made her way down here but  I haven't seen M3 in a long time.  So excited!

It's been a while since I had anything to be excited about.  It feels good.

I am so thankful.

Thankful Thursday

Some days I really don't want to do these.  I don't feel thankful.  I feel sad.  I feel angry.  I feel like going into my bedroom and pulling the covers over my head and not coming out.

But then I  force myself to think of something, any thing, just one thing that I could be thankful for and I end up thinking of a few things.  So I guess that's good.

A few weeks ago I signed up for a blog swap, and the theme was "spooky".  I sent my package off to my swap partner  last week and then totally forgot about it until my package arrived yesterday.  My swap partner really hooked me up and it was such a nice surprise to come home to yesterday.  It really brightened my day.

                                               Thanks blog swap partner!  You rock!


I am thankful that people are still ordering banners from me.  I have had three more custom orders in the last week and I have been working on those in the evenings and on my day off.  It  takes my mind of of things. Plus, I really love making things  that other people will enjoy.

I am thankful for Halloween candy.  I went and bought a big bag(even though we don't get any trick or treaters at our apartment) and I have been eating it all myself.  It's one of the only things bringing me happiness right now.  I'm not saying it's a healthy way to deal with my feelings, but it's working for me for now.

I'm thankful for all of the kind words that were left on my post from Monday.  I cried for three days after writing that post(which I wrote last week).  It seemed so final after I put it out there for everyone to read.  It has been a long time coming and Joe and I have spent countless hours talking about it, both with each other and in counseling but to put it in writing made it very real to me.  I have only just begun the grieving process.

I wanted to clarify that the reason we are pulling out of China has nothing to do with the wait.  We would wait 3 more years if we had to.  It is purely financial.  We simply don't have the money required to follow through with an adoption. From China, or otherwise. I know that we could fund raise but I don't have a popular enough blog or the kind of following that kind of fundraising would require .  Plus, it feels strange(to me) asking for (and taking money) from strangers.

Thankful Thursday

I have just one thanks for this week, because it is a big one.

I am thankful to be alive.

Joe and I were on our way home from work on Tuesday. There was a bad storm that had been brewing all day. Thunder, lightning, and heavy rain.

He was late picking me up because of it. It was raining very heavily when he finally showed up at my work.

I gathered my things, got in the car and we were on our way.

As we got on the toll road that we take to get home, we were talking about the weather, how crazy people start driving when it rains and how we really needed to get new tires for our car.

Suddenly out of nowhere, Joe lost control of the car. We had hit a flooded area of the road. We swerved across three lanes of highway, fishtailing and zig zagging. The front of our car hit the cement center divider, hard. The car zig zagged back across the three lanes. I felt the car start to tip. It seemed we were going to roll over.

I thought we were going to die. I distinctly remember thinking that. This is how I die. The whole thing lasted probably only a couple of minutes or so, but it seemed like it lasted forever, like it was in slow motion.

The next thing I knew we were stopped on the shoulder of the road, safe.

Joe demonstrated some very defensive driving that day. He knew what to do if the car hydroplaned. He never touched the brakes. He simply steered the car, never letting it lose control completely. After we hit the divider and the flooded area was passed, he guided the car to the shoulder of the road.

We both flew out of the car on the side of the road, hugging and crying in the rain. There was not a scratch on either of us. The only damage to the car was a cracked rim on the left tire where it had hit the divider. He changed the tire on the side of the road in the pouring rain while I held an umbrella over him. We were both soaked and cold and shaken, but otherwise perfectly fine.

I am thankful God was watching over us that day, and for Joe's driving skills.


The outcome could have been so much worse.

I am grateful that it wasn't.

Thankful Thursday

I'm not going to lie, I'm not feeling it today. Yesterday was a hard day. A lot of tears were shed. It wasn't one particular thing that had me down, just a combination of a lot of things.

Today is a new day.

--I'm thankful to have a job. If you have a job, be thankful. I don't care how much it sucks. Be thankful.

--I am thankful that people like the things I create and actually want to buy them. I sold 6 banners over the last week. I am stoked!

--I am thankful for the support from my friends on the internet. I receive more love and support from people I have never even met than people in my life who I call "friends". Thank you for that. You don't know how much it means to me. Well I guess now you do. :)

Thankful Thursday

**********Got the test results back today.  It's NOT Cancer.  Hallelujah.   The only problem is, they don't know WHAT is causing it.  If the bleeding continues they will have to go in surgically and cauterize my cervix.  Ummmm.........Ouch.  Hopefully it won't come to that.  The important thing is that it isn't Cancer.  I can enjoy my weekend now.***************


What a week this has been and it's not even over yet!

Last week I had some troubling medical symptoms that had me frantically calling my doctor and  doing a lot of G**gling.  One of the main diagnoses for this type of symptom is both uterine and cervical cancer.  On Monday my doctor was able to squeeze me in for some(painful) tests.  He seemed concerned and said we can't rule anything out until we get the test results back.  I have been a huge ball of stress waiting on the results.  I was really hoping to hear something yesterday but didn't. Hopefully we will  get some news today.  I am trying not to spend too much time thinking about the what if's.  Whatever it is we will deal with it.

Then to add to the stress, one of my teeth fractured completely in half, which led to an emergency trip to the dentist.  Upon review of an x-ray it was determined that the tooth could not be saved and would have to be extracted. He gave me a referral to an Oral Surgeon and Joe and I went directly over to his office, where they extracted the tooth.  Thankfully it is a second molar, all the way in the back, so it won't be noticeable but I am still sad that it couldn't be saved.  I certainly can't afford an implant right now so I'll just have to acclimate to the tooth being gone.  The extraction itself was not too terrible.  I had them put me to sleep so I don't remember anything and I came home afterwards and slept for a long while.  The pain was pretty intense after the numbing wore off but Vicodin is helping a lot so it isn't unbearable.

I think I'm good for awhile as far as medical stuff goes.  Do you hear that universe?  I don't need anything else going wrong with my body, okay?  Thankyouverymuch.

Anyway, on to my thanks.

--I'm thankful that I have a wonderful doctor who was very proactive about my symptoms and got me in right away for the necessary tests.  No matter what the diagnosis is, I know I am in good hands.

--I am thankful the extraction went smoothly and without complication. I was very nervous about it.  I have had four surgeries and none of them gave me as much anxiety as this dental procedure.

--I am thankful for the cooler, rainy weather we have been having.  I  love the rain.  Plus, I have been spending a lot of time in bed this week and it is so cozy to be there when it is raining outside.  It's supposed to be in the high 80's again by the weekend, but I enjoyed it while it lasted.

--I am so thankful for Joe.  He takes the best care of me.  Whether it be heating up my rice pack so I could put it on my abdomen after the tests on Monday, or bringing me smoothies and pudding in bed yesterday after my extraction, he does it all willingly and without complaint and I am so lucky to have him.

Thankful Thursday

--I am thankful that the new shows are starting up again for Fall.
I love "S o Y o u T h i n k Y o u C a n D a n c e" and "G l e e", and they were both on last night. Woo!

--I am thankful we get to get away this weekend, and I even get to meet up with some bloggy friend for dinner. Although at this point I call them just "friends" :)

--I am thankful that I got almost 2 hours alone in our place yesterday while my husband went to an appointment and ran some errands. Sometimes you just need some time to yourself. He gets that while I am at work. I don't. I miss it.

--I'm thankful that it is Thursday already. Short weeks rock.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

I'm going to try and step away from the adoption wait for now and focus on the here and now.  Nothing I do or say will change the length of time we have to wait for Sophie.  We just have to ride it out and pray for the best.  Thanks for the comments and suggestions on my last post. I think at this point truly the only thing keeping me sane is the fact that I have people who have been there/are going down the same path to lean on.  I don't know what I would do if it weren't for you guys.  I would feel totally isolated and alone(I love you man!). O.K.  Moving on.

It's thankful Thursday again!  Here's a couple of mine.

1. Thank you Ge.orge Bu.sh for the tax rebate check. It finally did arrive at our house, almost two weeks late.  Unfortunately, we will not be able to use it to help the failing economy like you had hoped.  No, the entire check went to pay past due bills that have been piling up since my husband lost his job five months ago.  No shopping sprees for us. But we are grateful to have received it. Thanks.

2.  I am thankful my husband has found a new job and has been working full time for the last two weeks. That means we'll get a paycheck next week that will help greatly with the hole we have fallen into.  

3.  It just so happens that my husband is working for a very large retail corporation that provides excellent benefits for both himself and family.  After six months, he can begin receiving those benefits and I can switch over to his insurance plan, which is better than the one I am on now.  It will also provide healthcare for our child when she comes home.  He isn't even eligible for health benefits at the university where he teaches since they keep him just below the full time course load and he hasn't been able to obtain a full time position.  In addition to the awesome health benefits, they offer an adoption reimbursement of $5,000.00 to employees who choose adoption to grow their families.   This is will be an unbelievable and amazing blessing for us after we bring Sophie home.  This job has answered more than one of our prayers.

4.  Tomorrow is Friday already. Short weeks rock!

5. Only 24 more days until we go camping in Big Sur and meet up with Kayce and family.  Yahoo!!!!

Thankful Thursday

1. I am thankful for Bloggy friends that show me such kindness like "Kansas City" did in sending me that wonderful card.  I am still in awe of their kindness.  I also received a very cool bib from Kayce. (I want to post a picture but my camera is dead) Blog friends are the best.

2.  I am thankful tomorrow is Payday.  Finally.

3.  I am thankful that my husband and I have evenings off together, and we are able to go for walks at places like this:

Thankful Thursday

My first night alone went fine. Honestly, once I got to sleep I didn't even know he was gone. I did get quite a scare though, when he came home early. He wasn't supposed to come home until it was time for me to get up but they let him off early because he is still training and I about had a heart attack when he climbed into bed at 5:15. It's a good thing we don't have a weapon in the house!

It's Thankful Thursday, so here are mine for the day.

1. I am thankful my husband found a job. We have been really struggling.
2. I am thankful the headache I had for the last three days has gotten better. I'm picking up my patch tonight so hopefully that will make it disappear completely.
3. I am thankful for my job.
4. I am thankful we have a car. I can't wait to get mine fixed(eight more days!), but at least we have one working car.

I have decided to have a positive attitude about Mother's Day.

I don't have to celebrate it. I can be sad that I don't have my Mom or my baby.

But I don't have to let it ruin my weekend either.

We're going to go for a hike in Laguna Canyon, and then to the Movies.

Those are the two places we decided we are the least likely to run into too many other daughter-mom celebrations.

We will NOT be going out to eat that day. We went to brunch one year, Joe and I(a few years back) and I sat at the table and cried because we were the ONLY people there not having lunch with our Mothers or our children.

Everyone keeps saying that I should celebrate Mother's Day because I'm GOING to be a Mom, but I'm sorry. I just don't feel it. I've been celebrating "going to be a mom" for seven years now. I'm ready to actually celebrate BEING one now. These are just my feelings. You don't have to agree with them.

And please don't ask me why we won't be celebrating Mother's Day with my in laws. That's a whole other Oprah. One which you will never hear(see) me writing about here.

Thankful Thursday

1. I am thankful we have a car. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for this. Well, actually I just did.

2. I am thankful to have a three day weekend. Yay for conferences!

3. I am thankful for my job. I really enjoy my job. I remember when I didn't have a job. I am lucky to have one.

4. I am thankful for this blog. I have come in contact with so many cool people through this blog. Some of them in real life, and others in cyberspace. So cool.

5. I am thankful for a little extra income that has been generated lately through my creative talents. I have had four people order items from me in the last month! I really enjoy making things for people and am so lucky that I can actually make a little money doing it.

Three whole days off and not one thing planned. LOVE weekends like that!

There's No Place Like Home

I made it safely home last night.  My poor husband.  He missed me so much and was so happy to see me and all I did in the car on the way home was go on and on about how much fun I had and then totally burst into tears and said I wanted to move to San Francisco to be closer to my sister and niece and nephew and they have lots of colleges up North and why can't he get a job there?  

Today I even looked online at apartments for rent.  I know this will pass and I'm not quite ready to leave the job that I love and everything that is familiar to me, but I really do wish we lived closer.

Even though I didn't want to come home, I did miss my husband, and my dog and our home.  

It was back to the grind today, and we were crazy busy, so the day just flew by, which is a good thing and tomorrow is Friday already!

Today is Thankful Thursday, so here are mine for today:

1.  Something I have been praying for over the last four months happened today, and I am so thankful for it.  I promised my husband I would(try to) cool it with the personal details of our lives on this here blog, but it has to do with him, and our financial situation and it is such a relief that it finally happened.  I was beginning to think it never would.

2.  I'm thankful to have had the opportunity to take that trip and that I had such a great time and that the trip was made safely.

3.  I'm thankful that tomorrow is Friday. Short work weeks rock!

Thankful Thursday

As you may have guessed, yesterday I had a massage.  Ahhhhhh.........I felt so good afterwards.  As I mentioned before, I had been seeing a chiropractor after I injured  my back a few weeks ago. If helped me greatly and the injury is almost completely healed.  They have a massage therapist on site, and my chiropractor suggested I get one to help improve my circulation.  Well come to find out you can get a 30 minute massage for only ten dollars more than the cost of the chiropractic visit.    I was all over that!  And aside from the co-pay, it will be completely covered by my insurance.  Oh yeah.  Anyway, so here are some things I am thankful for this week:

1.  Massages

2. Bloggy friends. Lea over at Oh My #6! sent me a cute little notebook to thank me for the "Pay it forward" gift I sent her.  Totally unnecessary, but greatly appreciated!  I'll try to post a pic as soon as I find my camera.

3.  Days off.  How I heart my day off.

4.  Job interviews(for my hubby).  He had two job interviews this week and I really, really(really) hope one of them pans out.

5. I am thankful that tomorrow I am getting on a plane and going back to my sees-ters house for five whole days.  Woo Hoo!

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

Here are some things I am thankful for right now:

1. Friends. I had lunch with a friend today and had such a nice time. She lives right down the street from my work so I foresee many more lunches to come. Thanks J!
2. I am thankful for my job. I am enjoying what I do and me and my co-worker laugh every single day about something or other. Thanks D!
3. I'm thankful for our dog. She might be vicious to people she doesn't know, but she is so incredibly happy to see me when I come home from work. I have been missing our Tess a lot in the last few weeks, and she makes that pain much more bearable.
4. I am thankful for the gym. I finally got back to the gym today after hurting my back three weeks ago and it feels good to be active again.
5. I am thankful to have a few days off in the first week of April and that I am going back up to my sees-ters for a longer visit.
6. I am thankful for fat free frozen yogurt. I am trying to eat healthier and it tastes just like ice cream. I am about to have some right now. Yum.
7. I am thankful for the free books my husband gets from his part time job. He just brought me home four more and now I have a stack on my bedside table that I can't wait to start.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful to have gotten to spend last weekend with my niece and nephew, and thankful that I get to go back in a couple of weeks! I am lucky.