Good morning and welcome to Thankful Monday!

Today, I am thankful for the following:

  1. I’m thankful for my dad.  In honor of Father’s Day which was yesterday, I just want to say that I’m so thankful for a wonderful father who has always provided for me and showed me unconditional love.  I’m sending a happy belated Father’s Day to all of the great dads out there.
  2. I’m thankful for a fun weekend with friends and family.  Friday night, Sarah and Amy joined me for snacks and wine.  Saturday, my mother-in-law joined us for a morning at the Farmer’s Market shopping for veggies and plants.  And, Sunday, my friend Kristen joined us for polo at King Family Vineyards.
  3. I’m also grateful for good weather this weekend that allowed us to spend alot of time outdoors.  It was especially nice after all of the bad weather we had last week.
  4. I’m thankful for the longer days and more sunlight that we get during this time of year.  I love my sunshine.
  5. I’m thankful for all of the lovely plants we bought this weekend…lime, tangerine, ruby red grapefruit, blood orange, patio peach, pomegranate, and many more!

Have a wonderful week!

Hey everyone!  Welcome to Thankful Monday/Tuesday (really it should be called Thankful 24/7)!

I was enjoying an amazing long weekend with family in Texas this weekend so that’s why I’m late posting.

Here’s this week’s list:

  1. I’m thankful that we got to celebrate my cousin Jennifer’s marriage to her best friend Eric this weekend in Houston, and I’m also thankful that I got to see so many family and friends that I hadn’t seen in years/months!  It was like a wonderful family reunion!
  2. I’m thankful that in addition to seeing much of my dad’s side of the family at the wedding reception, I got to see a ton of my mom’s side of the family too!  How lucky am I that I got to be surrounded by so many of my loved ones on a rare trip home to Houston!  I’m very grateful for the effort everyone made to be together!
  3. I’m grateful that we could afford the plane tickets to Texas and also that we ran into minimal bad weather and travel delays along the way, especially since there has been so much bad weather happening lately.
  4. I’m thankful for the opportunity to visit an old family favorite restaurant, Gaido’s, for a delicious meal with my family.  My parents used to take us here all the time when I was little and I have lots of wonderful childhood memories of eating here so it was nice to walk down memory lane.
  5. I’m thankful that my husband was able to come along on the trip and spend time with my family and I and meet many family members whom he hadn’t yet met.  It’s always extra special to me when I can have him as a travel companion with me.

Have a wonderful day!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!

Here’s what I’m thankful for this 3rd day of June, 2013:

  1. I’m thankful that God has blessed my friends Chris and Cara with a baby boy.  They are expecting him in July and I got to help celebrate him this weekend at Cara’s baby shower!  It was a blast…we shared great food and cake, made onesies, created scrapbook pages, and watched Cara open lots of wonderful gifts.  I’m wishing her an easy and safe labor and delivery!
  2. I’m thankful for my cats.  We found a mouse in our house this weekend, and ever since, Eva and Revolver Ocelot have been busy tracking it down!  Thank goodness for my kitties!
  3. I’m thankful for a very helpful mother-in-law and father-in-law who helped us do some work on our condo this weekend and have provided endless advice on our renovations.
  4. I’m grateful for all of the men and women out there who have sacrificed and continue to sacrifice for this country’s freedom, especially those who have given their lives or become disabled while in service.  Ben and I ran the 4 the Wounded 5K on Saturday morning to support the cause to help our wounded service men and women.  I’m also thankful to my work for providing me with a free entry to the race.
  5. Lastly, I’m thankful for the opportunity to see alot of family this coming weekend.

Have a great day!

Good morning!  Yesterday was Memorial Day and my brother was in town visiting for the long weekend, so I didn’t have a chance to log in and write my weekly Thankful Monday post so here it is for Thankful Tuesday:

  1. First and foremost, I am so thankful for all of the men and women who have given their lives and those who continue to serve to allow us to live in a wonderful and free country.  Words will never be sufficient to honor them, but I am grateful for the sacrifices of them and their families.
  2. Secondly, I am so thankful for a weekend with my little brother, Mikey.  He drove up from South Carolina to spend the weekend with us and see our new house.  We had such a blast hiking and swimming in Sugar Hollow, hanging out on the farm and shooting skeet, trying different beers and wines at local breweries and wineries all over the area, and of course watching Arrested Development!  I’m so grateful to get to spend time with my family and also very thankful that Ben’s family embraces my family and that we all get along.  I love my brother and can’t wait until we get to have another sibling weekend!
  3. I’m thankful for the beautiful weather this weekend that allowed us to spend some time in nature and the outdoors.
  4. I’m thankful for family, friends, and fun times.  We had a blast at the Market Street Wine Shop Free Wine Tasting, Fridays After Five, Beer Run, Timberwood Grill, the Beer Hound Brewery, Sugar Hollow, the Whiskey Jar, Commonwealth Skybar, Mountfair Vineyards, Jefferson Vineyards, and Stinson Vineyards.  I’m also thankful for the opportunity to live in such an amazing place with so many things to do.
  5. Lastly, I’m thankful for the 3 day weekend and a short week!

Have a good one!

Good morning and welcome to my Thankful Monday post for the week!

Today, I am thankful for the following:

  1. I’m thankful for strong and able bodies that allowed Ben and I to get a great deal of work done on both our house and condo this weekend.  We are that much closer to be unpacked in the house and having the condo ready to rent.
  2. I’m thankful to live in a smaller city like Charlottesville where it’s easy to run into friends and acquaintances   Last week I went to lunch with an old friend and ran into several good people I used to work with at VGT.  It was so nice to catch up with them and just see their smiles!
  3. I’m thankful for my husband.  He brought me tulips, one of my favorite flowers, last week unexpectedly to say thank you for all of the hard work I have done to get us moved.  It’s so nice to know he appreciates me and even better to see him show his appreciation!
  4. I’m thankful that University of Virginia students are done for the summer.  There are so many parts of Charlottesville that are very enjoyable once students have gone home and places and events are less crowded as well!
  5. I’m thankful that we may be getting our first house guest,  my brother, this coming weekend, and I’m also thankful for a long weekend!  I think I might sleep in!

Happy week!

Good morning and happy Thankful Monday!  I’m super tired today and think I may be getting burnt out on moving and housework, so practicing some gratefulness this morning is just what the doctor ordered.

Today, I am thankful for the following:

  1. I’m thankful for all of the good mothers of the world.  Yesterday was Mother’s Day and I really thought hard about how important my mothers are to me.  My mom and my mother-in-law do so much for me that I don’t think I could ever truly express what they mean to me with words.  My friends who are moms have taught me so much and set a great example for how I want to be as a mother.  I’m thankful that the human race has these wonderful, caring, and kind women who take the weight and responsibility of the world into their own hands.
  2. I’m thankful for the beautiful irises my mother-in-law gave us this weekend.  We planted yellow ones, white ones, purple ones, pink ones, and lavender ones and they are making our yard so much more bright and colorful!  I’m sure my Virginia mom gave us hundreds of dollars worth of plants for free!
  3. I’m thankful for my job, a good performance review last week, and the opportunity to attend a training class in the fall.  I may not always like or enjoy my daily responsibilities, but I am thankful to have a job that allows me to pay the bills and also provides me with learning opportunities along the way.
  4. I’m grateful for our nephew Brandon who has helped us with moving on numerous occasions.  And of course I’m thankful for all of our friends and family who have helped us with the move.
  5. I’m thankful for a beautiful sunny day that we had yesterday that allowed us to soak up some Vitamin D and enjoy nature.

Have a great week!

Happy Monday!  It’s May!  Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo and Orthodox Easter!  There are always so many things to celebrate if you just look around you!

Today, I am thankful for the following:

  1. I’m thankful for getting to spend some quality time with extended family this weekend.  Friday night, Ben and I had dinner at one of our favorite places, Beer Run, with Ian (brother-in-law), Sarah (sister-in-law), and Phyllis (mother-in-law) and then went to see the Nathanael Greene Elementary School production of the Jungle Book where my niece, Elise, played Bagheera!  We also got to visit with Shane (brother-in-law), Lori (sister-in-law), Abby (niece), and Lori’s family.  Saturday night, Ian and Sarah treated us to kebabs on the grill with friends and then Sunday we had a delicious lunch cooked by Phyllis in the company of Abby, Elisa, Lori, and Lori’s parents.  What a weekend filled with wonderful people!
  2. I’m thankful to be making real progress on our new house and our condo.  The condo is almost empty and ready for painting, new carpet, and some updating while the house is getting slowly unpacked day-by-day!
  3. I’m thankful that we got our new amazing LG washer and dryer on Saturday!  I am loving them so far!  You can fit twice as much in them as you could our old ones and they have so many amazing settings, including Steam and Sanitary Steam!  Plus they make really fun noises and play music when they start up and finish a load!
  4. I’m thankful that we are hopefully getting cable and internet today!  It’s kind of a silly thing to be thankful for (there are many more important things in life) but I am a TV and internet junkie!
  5. Lastly, I’m thankful again for our new house!  I love it a little more each day and can’t believe I finally have a home of my own!  I can’t wait to raise babies, host parties, and make lots of memories in it!

Good morning and welcome to my weekly thankful Monday post!

Here’s what I’m thankful for today:

  1. I’m so thankful for all of the wonderful people in our lives who helped us move this weekend!  Chris, Cara, Lindsay, Charles, Sarah, Ian, Peter, Phyllis, and Brandon all helped us by packing, carrying boxes and furniture, lifting heavy items, providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and lending large vehicles like trucks and trailers for moving.  We couldn’t have done it without them and I’m so grateful to have these amazing, helpful people in my life!  I’m also thankful for the many offers from friends and family to help us move.  I’m very touched to know such generous people!
  2. I’m very thankful that we are finally living in our new house!  It doesn’t quite feel like home just yet, but once we get everything moved in, make the necessary purchases, and arrange things the way we want them, I think we are going to feel quite cozy!
  3. I’m thankful my kitties seem to be adjusting well to the move.  We were a little nervous about moving them since they’ve been living in a small one bedroom condo their entire lives, but they seem to be adjusting to the new house surely but slowly.
  4. I’m grateful for an opportunity that my sister has to possibly get a much more rewarding and fulfilling job with a better schedule.  I’m sending all the luck I can fathom to her this morning in her interview!
  5. I’m thankful that we are 85% done moving things out of our condo!  I never realized that 2 people could have so much stuff and fit it into 800 square feet like we did!

I hope everyone has a bright and amazing week!

Whenever I leave Texas/home/family or get back to reality after a lovely trip to Texas/home, I get this nagging tinge of sadness.  It eats at the back of my mind.  It makes my heart ache.  It creates the lump in my throat.  It makes me question my place in my life.  Can I stay in Virginia forever?  Will I stay in Virginia forever?  I have to stay in Virginia forever.  I feel trapped.  I’ve made a life here, a wonderful and amazing life filled with beautiful souls surrounding me.  But I also have a life there, a wonderful and amazing life filled with more beautiful souls who I long to be around.  I start to panic, worrying about all of the moments I’m missing with those people in Texas.  I start to get jealous of them because they are there and I am not.  I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss them all.  Sometimes I wonder if I have Separation Anxiety Disorder.  Sometimes I wonder if I’m just an emotional child who never learned to be OK with being on my own.  And other times I wonder if maybe what I’m feeling is normal even though it hurts so very much.  The tinge of sadness turns into much more.  It turns into anxiety, emotion, pain, and depression that engulfs me.  Its like I’m on a roller coaster.  I go from level ground in my every day life to being at the very top spending an amazing time with people who I miss and love in a place that I miss and love and then I’m down at the bottom trying to get back to that ground level again when all I can think about is the very top.  My mind conjures up an old woman, the me of the future, here in Virginia, all alone, with no one to love me and let me love them.  This may be my biggest fear.

My main motivation becomes getting back to that top, back to Texas, back to the ones I love as often as possible.  The reason I seek a high-paying job, the reason I save my money, the reason I allow my inbox to overflow daily with the latest airfare deals.  It becomes an obsession.  I need to find a way to stop this cycle.  Leaving my family and Texas cannot always reduce me to becoming an emotional child.  It’s not healthy and it’s not fair for the ones around me that I love.

Here are some things that seem to help:

  • Having another trip or visit to look forward to (this isn’t always easy as I don’t always have the next trip planned or booked)
  • Getting back into a schedule as fast as possible
  • Spending time with the people I love here to remind me why I am here
  • Counting my blessings…being thankful that I am even able to take the trips
  • Talking to the people I love there on the phone or on the internet to remind me that they are only physically far away but close in all other ways (thank goodness for Facebook, Email, Cell phones, Skype)
  • Escaping…into a movie, into fun, into activities

I’m not sure if any of those are healthy ways of dealing, but they all seem to provide some relief until I’ve reached that level ground again.  Please, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas, I’d love to hear them.  How do you cope with being permanently away from the ones you love?

I was in Texas this weekend and traveling all day yesterday so Thankful Monday has turned into Thankful Tuesday!

This Tuesday, I am thankful for so much after spending a wonderful long weekend with my family at the beach!  Here are just a few of the things I am grateful for:

  1. I’m thankful for my mom.  I’m thankful that she hosted my sister, brother, Ben, and I at the beach this weekend, cooked us some of our favorite meals (swedish meatballs…yum), and showered us with gifts (reusable bags from the cities we attended college in, Texas honey from my uncles’ beehives, and delicious HEB tortillas!  I really have the best mom in the world (but I am a bit biased since she is MY mom)!
  2. I’m thankful for my brother, Mikey.  He’s always so much fun to be around and we enjoyed his company this weekend while we joked, shared some delicious Saint Arnold‘s beer, and basked in our favorite home-cooked and Texas meals.  My brother understands what its like to live far from home and outside of Texas because he currently resides in South Carolina and I feel like we’ve become closer since sharing that experience.  I’m also so thankful that Mikey stayed up until 2 AM (3 AM his time) driving us from Houston to Padre after our flight was delayed…what a trooper!
  3. I’m thankful for my sister, Carrie.  She has the sweetest smile when she is being positive and despite what she might think, I love her very much and enjoy spending time with her.  I’m thankful she was able to get off work this weekend to spend time with us, and I’m also very thankful that she provided her car for transportation so that we did not have to rent a car.
  4. I’m thankful for my dad.  Despite having a busy work day and a conference call scheduled, he took time out to meet us for a Tex-Mex lunch at Chuy’s yesterday and then drove Ben and I to the airport.  He even managed to fit in a quick reunion with my step-mom and little brothers!  I’m really grateful that I got to see my dad and spend a little time with him since we were only in Houston for a few hours.
  5. I’m thankful for Debbie.  I love Debbie and she has always been one of our favorite “aunts”.  I’m thankful that Debbie was able to spend the weekend with us and also so grateful that she took time to drive us back to Houston since Carrie had to leave Sunday to go back to work.
  6. I’m thankful for Josh, Caroline, and their two sweet kiddos.  It was so nice to see them and spend Saturday at the beach with them!
  7. I’m thankful for my Uncle (Amo) Jamil, Aunt Norma, and their family.  They drove from San Antonio to Padre to spend some time with us on the beach on Sunday.  It was so sweet to spend some time with my little cousins, play in the ocean and in the sand with them, and get to know them some.  I miss living close to them, and I’m so grateful for every time we get to see each other.
  8. I’m thankful that I got to see my step-mom and my little brothers even if it was only for 30 minutes.  They are growing up so fast!
  9. I’m thankful for my husband, Ben, who lets me drag him all around Texas, especially when I know he’s not crazy about traveling.  It’s much less sad to leave Texas and my family when he’s traveling with me.
  10. Lastly, I’m thankful for the really cool TVs and free movies that United Airlines provided us.  Being able to watch Zero Dark Thirty and This Is 40 on the plane made being delayed for a couple of hours a lot less frustrating!

I could go on and on, but I’ll stop at 10!  I hope everyone has a beautiful week!

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