An Empty Bowl

Today I am thankful for an empty bowl.

This is something I haven't seen in more than 10 days. It is symbolic of a completed meal. A meal that I finished myself and didn't pass over to my husband or put in the refrigerator for "when I'm feeling better." A meal that I didn't think I was going to be able to eat tonight after hearing the doctor say he didn't "fix" anything because he couldn't find anything to be fixed. A meal that may very well top the list of meals for which I have been most grateful.

Good Health

Today I am thankful for good health.

I've fallen behind on this blog, and normally I try to go back and catch up, but I've decided I just can't do it this time. It's not that there haven't been things to be thankful for at all. I'm just having trouble getting that task done.

Today, though, I'm thankful for the huge majority of my life that I've been healthy. This week has been one of the hardest weeks of my life, and one of the only weeks I can remember being unhealthy, at least to this level. It's made me so grateful for the good health that I've had up to this point, and hope to have again after Tuesday!

Date Night

Today I am thankful for date night.

We spent the first day of our vacation with Ryan's parents, but this afternoon we parted ways so that we could enjoy separate "date nights." Even though we both chose Italian restaurants and ended up at the same mall afterwards, it was a beautiful night with my man.

Vacation

Today I am thankful for vacation.

It's been a long time coming, or so it feels. Today we begin our vacation in Saint Louis...and I am ready.

Cara's Cookies

Today I am thankful for Cara's cookies.

Best cookies ever. Period. Hands down. They were incredible. And warm. And brightened a long day at work.

Do I see a "favorite tenant" award in the future?

A Piano

Today I am thankful for a piano.

It was one of the biggest surprises of my life to date. That's saying something. My dad called last night and said he wanted to buy me this piano he saw on Craigslist. Ummm....okay! God worked every detail out today even though it seemed unlikely, and now there's a beautiful upright piano in our living room that is stained the exact color of the rest of our furniture. Go figure. Such a treat! There are some free piano lessons coming soon to this guy because of it. :-)

Movie Night

Today I am thankful for movie night.

My sister came over tonight to see the new house, have dinner and watch a movie with me while Ryan had a meeting. We used to watch girly movies together all the time when I was in college, and I miss having somebody to enjoy the cheesy stories with. It was a fun night, especially once the rain started and we could celebrate that!

A Sunday Evening Drive

Today I am thankful for a Sunday evening drive.

My car needed an oil change tonight, so while we were waiting on them to finish that up, we went on a drive around town. We have this church directory that we keep in the car because Ryan gets asked for phone numbers a lot, or needs them himself. So...we did something creepy and started driving by church members' homes to see where they lived. Totally normal, right? Well, after having trouble finding one, we decided that was a bit weird to do and thankfully got the call just in time that my car was done. It was a weird drive, but nice to have some simple car time.

Nine Months

Today I am thankful for nine months.

In the past few weeks, Ryan and I have had an ongoing game where we'll give each other our "Top 5" or "Top 10" things we love about each other. It's become a joke now, as some of the most random things we'll do in a day (some quite unflattering) will receive the comment of "Oh, that's Top 10 right there." To attempt to take that back to a sweeter sort of game, here's my Top 9 (for nine months) things I love about Ryan.

9) He refuses to let me go to sleep or leave the house without a kiss
8) He plays catch and home run derby with my brothers when they come over
7) He will spend the whole evening just listening to music with me
6) He knows that Friday nights are wedding show nights on TLC and lets me watch them
5) He tells me exactly what he thinks of my new recipe if I stare at him chewing long enough
4) He drops me off at the door of church every Sunday before parking the car
3) He leaves me sweet notes in my car while I'm getting ready for work
2) He holds my hand when we walk off-stage after leading worship together
1) He prays so long at dinner for UBC and its missionaries that the food gets cold

Okay, so probably not really the actual Top 9 things I love about him because so many great ones didn't make the list, but hey, it's nine things I really love about this man! :-)

A Build-A-Bear

Today I am thankful for a build-a-bear.

Well, technically, it's a build-a-dog. He's such a cutie. I've been wanting to go to build-a-bear with Ryan for about two years now...no idea why, it just sounded like fun. So today we went and I got my cute little puppy dog, Cadillac. We named him after the street we lived on for the first (almost) nine months of our marriage. He adds a nice little look of youth to our master bedroom now. :-)

Mixed Up Meatloaf

Today I am thankful for mixed up meatloaf.

Something about having a real kitchen has made me feel the need to "really" cook. No more frozen pizzas or pasta bags for us...at least for now. I had a strange craving for meatloaf, so I called my mom for her recipe and decided to give it a try. As I started throwing things together, I found that several ingredients were missing from my pantry, so I replaced them with a little of this and a little of that. I wasn't sure what to expect, but let me just say, best meatloaf ever. It was so yummy, and I'm not sure I can ever exactly replicate it because it was so mixed up! It made me feel like a real cook for the evening, though, and that was the best part.

A McKinney Meal

Today I am thankful for a McKinney meal.

Before we realized that we would be settled in the house this soon, some of the sweet members of our Bible Fellowship class signed up to bring us meals (to help while we're "settling"). It turned out to be perfect timing this day, though, since I still wasn't feeling well. We can't let this happen too often, because having a professional chef bring dinner to your home will spoil a husband (and a wife!) quickly. It was quite yummy, though!

A Cup of Hot Tea

Today I am thankful for a cup of hot tea.

I'm sick. Apparently you should always check to see if a little brother is sick before sharing a straw with him. Anyways, it really set in today and my husband was so sweet to bring me a cup of hot tea while I rested tonight after dinner. I'm not much of a hot tea person; in fact, it was cold by the time I drank it and I probably ruined its intended effect, but it was the thought that counted. 

A New Month

Today I am thankful for a new month.

There's something about starting fresh at '1' every month that I enjoy. I don't really know what it is other than maybe I get bored with writing the same month for 31 days as I date things, or maybe it makes my August vacation seem that much closer, but I enjoy it. Every time. I might also appreciate it because it means fall weather should be right around the corner. Let's just state the facts here...it's hot!