Day #12: Scenery.

on my ride home from school yesterday, i drove in wonder of the Lord's creation. passing by farms, i sat in awe that the Lord created all of this scenery around me.

i'm thankful that the Lord created such beautiful farm land. i'm thankful that i can sit in wonder and process the Lord's creation. the earth. i'm thankful that there is a sense of calming that comes over me as i look at the simplicity of the green fields and beautiful animals. i'm thankful for the privelege to drive home and see the beautiful sights.

i've already posted about my sweet dogs Ringo and Bandit, but i have a couple of pictures of Ringo that i wanted to share with you all. Ringo is unhealthy. He's hurting and in pain. I've been told that he is on the road to recovery, but we're just not 100% sure what's in store for him yet. I'm hoping and praying that he'll start to feel better in the next couple of weeks and that he won't leave us just quite yet. With everything that has gone on, it has really made me stop and think about how thankful i am that i have had such great memories with my dogs. hope you enjoy the pictures!!

Day #11: Fuel.

I'm already behind and it's only been 11 days. oh well...here's my "thankfulness" for wednesday.

ever stopped and thought at a gas station about how vital gas is to our lives? it's not good for our environment, but plays an important role in our daily lives. i'm thankful for gas today. that sounds silly, but it's true!!

i'm thankful that it fuels my car so that i can get places. i'm thankful it fuels airplanes so that i can go to see the people i love. i'm thankful that if fuels boats, ships, trucks, and other vehicles so that people can make a living. i'm thankful that such a simple thing plays an important role in my life.

ansley had to get gas while we were out last night...

Day #10: Be Still.

I am thankful today for my quiet time with the Lord. it calms me. i can think clearly. i can thank God for all the wonderful blessings in my life. in my quiet time i reflect. i learn from my day's events. i dive into the word and ask myself how i can be a better person because of what i just read.

i am thankful that in the busyness of the day, i can stop myself. i can go to the Lord in prayer. i am thankful that today is a day full of quiet time. i'm thankful that i can be still and quiet, and know that He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the beginning and the end.

one of my sweet dogs, Ringo is sick. he is hurting. he is in pain. i'm praying today that the Lord would take ringo's pain away, however that may be. i hate to see him hurting and in pain.

i'm thankful that i can be still, and quiet and in the presence of the Lord.

Day #9: Snail Mail.

I'm thankful that real mail still exists. Everything on the internet is so easy. It's convenience. It's a time-saver. don't get me wrong, i love having the convenience, the entertainment, and whatever else the internet provides, but i loooooove some good ol' snail mail.

i sent my sweet friend, christin some of that today. she's at camp for the summer and i didn't get to see her before she left. so- i updated her on my life, in the hopes that she'll update me on hers.

i'm thankful i can send encouragement- it seems so much more heartfelt. i'm thankful for the excitement that it brings. i'm thankful that real mail still exists.

that's all for this monday...

Day #8: Breathe in, breathe out.

No pictures for my post today...what i'm thankful for today is fresh air. for all four of you that read this, stop and take a breath and think about how wonderful and grateful you are to have fresh air. yes, our air is polluted, however other places in the world don't have clean air. they are living lives everyday full of toxins and such.

yes, i am too, but for the most part, i lived a blessed life by breathing clean, fresh air every day. i'm thankful i'm not poisoning myself every time i breathe. i'm thankful i can walk out the door and have clean air. i'm thankful i can breathe.

Day #7: Four Eyes.

i'm thankful that i can be called four eyes. there are millions of people in the world without access to an eye doctor. i'm thankful that i am fortunate enough to have the means to be able to see an eye doctor.

for any of you that are reading (which i'm not sure exists at this point), i don't know about you but i don't really like wearing my glasses. i feel like i'm restricted from seeing everything or doing things...good thing i have contacts.

but the bottom line is, i'm thankful that i don't live every day in pain because of the lack of proper eye care. i'm thankful can go to the eye doctor every year to make sure my eyes are still healthy. i'm thankful that i have the option of wearing contacts. i'm thankful i can be called four eyes.

Day #6: CHOA

Today i'm so very thankful for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. After spending half a day there yesterday, i am in awe of the hospitality that they provide their patients (me being one of them). don't worry- i'm ok.

i'm thankful that i have a gi who cares so much about my health and well-being. i'm thankful for the care that the nurses provided me. i'm thankful that there are anesthesiologists who make jokes with me while drifting me to sleep. i'm thankful that i woke up with a heated blanket on me. i'm thankful for such great care at choa.

all in all, i don't want to outgrow children's. why can't i be a kid forever?

Day #5: Open ears.

i don't know about you, but i love how i can talk to my dogs like they're listening to me. i like to vent to them, tell them about my day, and just converse with them. today, i'm thankful to have such fine furry-legged friends.

ringo and bandit are, to say the least, a handful. i remember back to that day when i begged my parents (specifically my dad) "pleaaaaase dad. i'll take care of him. pick up his poop, and walk him." have i done anywhere near my amount of duties? no way. and even though my parents take all the responsibility in caring for them, i love coming home from college and seeing them. i'm thankful my parents let stephen and i pretend that we would fulfill our duties in taking care of them while trying to convince them to adopt them. you see, they came from some petco adoption sale.

ringo came first...dad didn't want two, and ringo walked right into dad's lap, so we left that day with ringo in tow (leaving bandit behind). for probably a good six months, i kept an eye on bandit on a website that he was listed on called petfinder.com. i think it was around christmas and he was still available so i finally convinced my parents that it would be great for ringo to have a buddy.

i'm thankful my parents finally caved in. i'm thankful i can talk to my dogs and they at least look like they're listening. i'm thankful for the responsibility they have taught me. and i'm thankful they're still around when i come home from school.

ringo and bandit :)

Day #4: All laced up.

today i'm thankful for my running shoes. although i'm not always running in them, my asics provide my feet with comfort. i don't know where i heard it, but i've heard that people my age (mostly girls) will have bad foot problems later in life because of the flip-flops we wear. i don't know about you, but i love my flip-flops. it doesn't matter how cold it is outside, i love wearing them. but, my running shoes provide much better support and make me feel athletic. (silly, i know).

there's something about putting tennis shoes on that automatically makes me want to be active. i'm so much more productive when they're on. again- silly, i know.

but- i'm thankful that i can wear shoes every day. i'm thankful for the productiveness i get when i wear my asics. i'm thankful that i don't get foot diseases from walking around barefoot. i'm thankful that my feet are supported while i try to make myself healthier.

Praying for those in the world without shoes, and thanking God that i am fortunate enough to wear them.

i. love. my. asics.

Day #3: Trustworthy girls.

Today i'm thankful for my bible study family. little did i know that in seventh grade, i would be getting to know the girls that know me the best. they know my heart and i know theirs. i'm thankful that i gave bible study a try.

to be honest, i was intimidated at first. i didn't know what to expect or if the girls in the group would accept me. you see, middle school was HORRIFIC. and when i mean horrific, i mean horrific. i'm not trying to throw a sympathy party for myself, but it was a common occurrence for me to come home and cry about school. the girls i hung out with were just plain ugly to me and went behind my back and caused all sorts of that middle school drama. but when i stepped in to mikey stephens' office that first wednesday night i began to have faith that maybe middle school wouldn't be so bad with these girls. i'm thankful that my mom challenged me to step outside of my comfort zone and to have fun at church!

it started off with susan and nicole as the "ring leaders". we studied different books, had lessons on gossip, forgiveness, beauty, etc. Courtney, Christin, Heather, and i are the sole survivors of the bible study through the middle school years...along with sus, of course. i like to think of us as the core, the heartbeat of the bible study.

along the way we had some friends join us...kelsey, laura, hilary, tara, becca, and kelsey...and how can we forget lynne? with the group stronger than ever, we continued through high school. through high school, wednesday night's were my favorite night of the week. i got to spend an hour with all these godly young women who would encourage me, not talk about me, and most importantly-like me for who i was. sometimes hours and hours were spent fellowshipping with one another and sharing our thoughts of the world and everything else in it. though we didn't necessarily stay on point every week, i always took something out of that precious hour we spent together. one of my favorite studies that we did was read "Dateable". if you've never read it, start now. you won't regret it. if you need a copy, let me know because i have two!

i'm thankful that i had such a strong support system through my middle and high school years. i'm thankful i have tremendous role models like lynne and susan to look up to. i'm thankful that i've been able to create friendships with these girls that will last forever. i'm thankful that these girls know my heart and can tell when something's going wrong.

we're all different places now. kelsey and courtney at UGA, christin at Auburn, me at GCSU, heather at ABAC, laura at Furman, and most recently- tara's going to Auburn, hilary's going to Berry, becca's going to Valdosta State, and kelsey is going all the way to Vancouver Film School. AND how could we forget that sus got married to a wonderful man and has some cute kids, and lynne embarked on a new journey to Baltimore with her kids and husband, Steve. but- no matter the distance that these girls are from me, i know that they're all just a phone call away.

whoever's reading this (if there is anyone...it's ok if there's not...blogging is a nice way to think!) i encourage you to get involved somewhere. anywhere. you never know what it'll be like til you try it. find a group of people that will encourage you in your walk, help you with life's dramas, let you cry on their shoulder, and share God's love with you.

i will always be thankful that i walked in to the office to find the girls that i would be friends with forever.

love these girls so much!!

Day #2: A place to rest my head.

Today i'm thankful for pillows. let's set the record straight. these things that i'm thankful for over the next year are things that i'm always thankful for, i've just decided to recognize them. back to pillows...

I'm thankful that i have a pillow to rest my head on every night. could you imagine what it'd be like if you slept without a pillow? all i know is that my neck would ache every morning and i would have trouble sleeping through the night.

a lot of times i find myself complaining about the fluffiness-or lack thereof, of my pillows. but- no matter how much i complain, i should be thankful that i have a place to rest my head on every night. according to my research (yes i tried to research the inventors of pillows), pillows date back to the time of the egyptians and they were found in some of the tombs. so- to the long-lost inventor of pillows, thank you. i'm thankful that i don't wake up with a neck ache every morning. i'm thankful that i have been given the opportunity to buy a tempurpedic pillow that makes sleeping that much better. i'm thankful that i'm fortunate enough to own a pillow. just. plain. thankful.

(these just happened to be owned by my FUTURE SISTER-IN-LAW because i'm residing at her place for the month)

Day #1: Sibling Love

I've decided to join the blogging world, documenting the next year of my life...mostly in pictures, but maybe some words here and there. We'll see how this goes...

I'm finding my self in awe of how the Creator of the universe has blessed me with such a charmed life. I'm trying my best every day to be thankful for the little things that I so often take for granted. So here I go, trying my best to document one thing per day that i'm thankful for.

Today, I'm thankful for my brother, Stephen. My best friend, the one person that will always be there for me no matter what. I'm thankful for the relationship that we have developed over time. Sure, we have our arguments, tiffs, and moments with each other, but all in all we have a relationship-and one that a lot of people don't have with their siblings. I will forever be thankful that my mom taught us to love one another, to share our stories, and to be each other's friend.

and to top things off- Stephen got engaged LAST NIGHT!!!!