2012 Thankful November Day 12 - Sharing a Special Moment with Our Grandma Rosie

Thankful November Day 12



Today I am thankful to have been able to share a special moment with my husband's grandma.

Grandma comes from a large family.  When she was a teenager her brother Carl joined the military and left home to go fight in WWII.  Sadly, he was killed in the war and she never got to see him alive again.  Carl was brought back to the States and was buried in San Bruno, California at the Golden Gate National Cemetery.

Grandma has shared stories with Greg and I about her brother being killed in the war and she told us the last time she was at his graveside was at his funeral and burial in 1945.  She has often expressed a desire to go back and visit his grave and Greg and I have wanted to make that dream come true for her for some time now.  Several months back, on a whim when we were in San Francisco for the day and grandma was with us, we tried to go visit the cemetery much to her surprise, but we arrived after closing time.  We promised her we would take a trip back to the cemetery when it was open so she could visit her brother's grave.

Greg, my husband, decided since he had the day off from work that today, the day after Veterans Day, would be a great time to take her to see her brother's grave.

We picked up grandma this afternoon for her first trip to see where her brother was buried since her last visit 67 years ago.  One of her friends, a florist, had made her an absolutely beautiful arrangement to leave at her brother's graveside.

It was a touching, emotional and beautiful moment to share with grandma and I am so glad we were able to be there for her during this special occasion.  It was also so very humbling to look out at the rows upon rows of headstones and be reminded that these were all the graves of men and women who have fought for our country, many of whom laid down their lives during that fight to allow us our freedoms!

How can we ever express our thanks enough!

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2012 Thankful November Day 11 - Getting a Great Deal

Thankful November Day 11

Today I am thankful for awesome shopping bargains.

I was in major need of some new winter tops.  Some time back I was gifted a Visa gift card and I decided since I needed some clothes I would use that card toward my clothing needs.  One of my favorite places to shop, Fashion Bug, is getting ready to go out of business (I am so sad).  I honestly thought they had already closed until I drove by the store the other day and noticed they were having a big store closing sale, so I decided I would go back this weekend and see what I could find.

Boy did I score!  The store had everything for 40%-50% off plus an additional 10% on top of that.  I walked out of Fashion Bug with around $200 worth of clothes for under $100.  What a bargain!

I love when I score a great deal and get more for my buck!

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2012 Thankful November Day 10

Thankful November Day 10

Today I am thankful for time spent with my mom and my aunt enjoying what has become an annual holiday tradition.

Every year for the past several years my mom and I have been taking a drive to Bay Area to visit The Decor Store and do a little shopping for Christmas decor.  It is always her and I and the past couple of years my aunt has joined us too.

I LOVE this store.  It is full of great home decor all year long, but during this time of year it is chock full of Christmas and holiday decor.  We always manage to find a few items to come home with and this year was no different.

After we got done at The Decor Store we decided to head back in to the Central Valley to the nearest Home Goods to see what fun decor or housewares we could find there.  I found some Christmas cookie cutters and Christmas colored sugar sprinkles, and my mom and I also found some great prizes for our annual ornament exchange party that we host each year.

We topped off our night with dinner before heading home.  All in all it was a great day and we had a lot of fun shopping together.

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2012 Thankful November Day 9 - Time Spent with my Aunt

Thankful November Day 9

Today I want to give thanks to my Aunt, Rene, for picking me up from the car dealership while my new Yukon was having some minor work done on it. 

It was nice spending the day together.  We ran a few errands, got to enjoy lunch at a place I had never been to before, and I helped her with a task she's been wanting to get done around her house.

It is so nice to have family so close to me who are so willing to go out of their way to help when I need it.

Thanks Aunt Rene!  I enjoyed our day together.

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2012 Thankful November Day 8 - Good Health News for My Mom

Thankful November Day 8

Today I am so very thankful for good health news about my mom.  She had two different tests this week for health concerns and both tests came back with good results.  Praise the Lord!

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2012 Thankful November Day 7 - Being a Glass Half Full Girl

Thankful November Day 7

Today I am thankful that most of the time I am a girl that looks at the glass as being half full rather than half empty.

Today is one of those days.  Yesterday's election results may have not gone in the direction I was hoping and praying for, but I am still of the belief that the world will keep spinning and the sun will continue to come up each day.

As I scan my social media outlets today I am saddened by the number of people who only see doom and gloom.  I am not normally political by any means, so maybe others know more than me, but I am thankful that I have the outlook that we will get through this too and be just fine.

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2012 Thankful November Day 6 - Time with Creative Friends

Thankful November Day 6

Today I am thankful for my circle of creative and crafty friends and the time I get to spend with them. 

I have a small group of friends that I get together with once a month and we make and exchange greeting cards.  I have grown to love this group of women and I look so forward to our time together.  Not only do they inspire me creatively, but they inspire me with their spirituality as well.  They are, simply, beautiful people inside and out! 

At a time in my life when I was feeling that I was missing and needing a network of girlfriends in my life God put in place the opportunity for me to meet these women and I am so thankful that He did!

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2012 Thankful November Day 5 - A Husband Who Works Hard, Good Credit and Good Luck

Thankful November Day 5

Today we traded in our 8 year old Trailblazer SUV for a new to us GMC Yukon.  Our faithful old Trailblazer was starting to show its age and it was time to say goodbye while it still had some trade-in value.  As we were going through the auto buying process and doing a lot of waiting in a salesman's office it gave me some time to think about what specifically I am thankful for today.

First, I am so thankful for my husband who is a hard worker with a really good job.  I know I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate all he does for us to be able to live this life.  Because of him we are able to live comfortably.  We are certainly not rich, but because of my hardworking husband we are able to have a nice home, drive nice vehicles and enjoy a comfortable existence.  It's not always easy,  we have had our struggles from time to time, but we certainly have so many blessings that  many others in this world do without and I realize how lucky I am to enjoy the life we do because of my husband willingness to work hard for what we have.

I am also thankful for all that we have done over the years since we first married to build good credit.  On days like today I realize how thankful I am that we have made decisions and worked hard over the years to build our credit rating up from a rating that wasn't so good when we were first married due to being young and naive.  It has definitely made life easier when it comes to certain financial affairs.

Lastly, I am thankful for good luck and for the good Lord guiding us to just the right new vehicle.  We needed to make this car purchase decision fairly quickly and we were lucky enough to find just what we were looking for online, in a price range that worked for our budget, and it was at a dealer close to where we live.  Our car buying experience was easy, quick and surprisingly hassle free, which made me very thankful, since car shopping is not exactly in my top 50 favorite things to do.

Until tomorrow...

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2012 Thankful November Day 4 - Family Time

Thankful November Day 4

Today I am thankful for time spent with family. 

Today was my niece, Melanie's, 17th birthday and we all gathered at my sister and brother-in-law's home to celebrate her birthday.  Even my husband was able to take a day off from work and attend her birthday.  The only one missing was my nephew, Melanie's brother, as he was off hunting with his friends.  I know we all missed him being there with all of us.

I am so grateful that my husband and I live within just a few miles from our family members.  Both my husband's and my extended family all live in the general surrounding area of our hometown.  Our parents, siblings, those grandparents who remain living, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all just a few minutes drive from our front door and we all have a fairly close relationship with one another.

When I hear of families who live away from their loved ones and only get to visit them on holidays or other rare occasions it makes me appreciate being so close to my own family.  I appreciate that we can get together on a regular basis or be at their door step in a matter of minutes when needed.

I absolutely would not want it any other way!  So today I am thankful for family time spent with our loved ones.

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2012 Thankful November Day 3 - Double the Thanks Today

Thankful November Day 3

Today my thanks is two-fold.  When I started out the day and was thinking about what thanks I wanted to give on this third day of November my thoughts turned to the cake/cupcake baking and decorating skills I have learned over the years from my mother-in-law, Linda, and my grandmother-in-law, Rose, so I will talk about that first.

Today I baked and decorated cupcakes for my niece's 17th birthday tomorrow.  In doing so I realized how much I appreciate the skills I have learned from both my mother-in-law and my grandmother-in-law.  Both of whom have baked wedding and party cakes for years as a profession and generously shared their skills and knowledge with me.  In recent years I have grown to enjoy baking and decorating my own special cakes for family and friends.  I have also been able to put my skills to use on occasion to earn extra income by baking for others.  I have never taken a class professionally, and most of the skills I have learned have come from the two of them.

It has been fun to learn, see my skills develop with each new cake or cupcake I make, and I have had fun allowing my creativity to come out in the form of edible sweet treats.

Thanks Mom B. and Grandma Rosie for teaching me to be a baker and cake decorator!

My second thanks for the day is due to a not so wonderful event that happened tonight.

As I was coming home and turning in my driveway tonight my SUV took a dump.  I mean something is REALLY wrong with my car.  The engine almost died as I was turning in the driveway.  I'm not sure it is related to whatever happened with the engine, but at the same time something also went wonky with my heater and it was blowing about 90 degrees on the passenger side of my car (I have dual controls).   I quickly pulled in to the driveway and shut off the key.  After unloading my car I went back out to check under the hood.  Nothing looked wrong so I got in my car and decided to start it again.  It made some HORRIBLE popping sound and the car shook like crazy and felt like the whole bottom dropped out of it so I quickly shut off the engine again.  It scared the heck out of me!

My car is 8 years old.  It's been a good car, but I'm afraid whatever is wrong may be something major and not cheaply fixed. :(  Seriously, it sounded like it took its last breath.  Murphy and his laws are not funny!  We just paid off my car this summer and we were thankful for the reprieve in car payments.  So much for that!

While I am not happy that my car has gone belly up and may possibly be past the point of no return (I had a good cry after it happened, mostly because of the thought of being stranded at home with no transportation), I am VERY thankful that when it decided to bite the big one it did it just as I was getting home instead of leaving me stranded on the side of a road waiting on a tow truck in the dark while my hubby was at work.

So here's to baking skills and not being stranded!  Until tomorrow...

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2012 Thankful November Day 2 - I love that my husband loves the holidays as much as I do.

Thankful November Day 2

Today I thankful that I married a man who loves to embrace and celebrate annual traditions and the holidays as much as I do.  Even though we do not have children, I think there is still an inner child in both of us.  We both grew up in families who love the holidays, with mom's who go all out decorating for the seasons, and that tradition has carried on to both my husband and me.

I am so lucky to have a husband who enjoys helping me deck out the house for holidays like Halloween and Christmas and who is right there in the middle of helping me plan, prepare for, cook, and host holiday meals at our home.  I couldn't pull them off without him.

Greg's Jack-O-Lantern

My Jack-O-Lantern

He was right there in the kitchen with me carving his own jack-o-lantern before Halloween.  He helped me put the finishing touches on our Halloween night decor and was out on our front porch handing out candy to all our trick-or-treaters who stopped by that night.

In a few weeks I know I can count on him to be at the grocery store helping me shop for our Thanksgiving meal and then I can guarantee I will have him in the kitchen by my side helping me prepare a delicious Turkey Day meal for our family.

When Christmas rolls around we'll be outside again together decking out hour home in Christmas cheer and the we will joyfully set out on our traditional annual trips to a couple of local Christmas parades, light displays, and he will be loving it as much as I do.  Then when the time comes I know can count on him to help me shop for and wrap gifts if I need the help and he will once again help me prepare a fabulous meal for our family Christmas day.

I am so thankful I have a husband who shares my love for the holidays and shares in the workload of preparing for the holidays equally as much he shares the joy of these holiday moments with me.

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2012 Thankful November Day 1 - Being Alive

A few years back I was prompted by some friends on an Internet message board I frequent to participate in a blog challenge.  The challenge was to post at least one thing I was thankful for each day of November.  It made me really examine and appreciate both the big things in life that I am thankful for as well as to think about the little things in my life that are to be appreciated that I sometimes tend to overlook, and on days when I wasn't having such a great day it made me dig inside myself to find something, at least one tiny thing, good about that day.

Today as I was on Facebook I noticed a lot of friends starting this challenge again as status update posts, so I am once again prompted to join them each day during the month of November in posting the things in my life for which I give thanks.  Rather than filling up my Facebook page with my daily postings I have decided to post them here on my blog and then link my post to my page.  

I attempted to challenge myself last year, but I admit I wasn't good about keeping up with my daily thankful posts.  I am hopeful that I will meet my goal of daily posting this November.

Thankful November Day 1:

Today I am thankful for life.  I can't express how much I appreciate living, breathing, having a mostly healthy body, and for being here on this earth with my husband, and being able to share my life with him, my parent's, and all of our extended family, friends and loved ones.

Two years ago on this day I was staying at my parent's home, pretty much in solitary confinement, confined to one bedroom and a bathroom after having undergone Radioactive Iodine Therapy treatment for Thyroid Cancer just a few days prior to the first of November.  I was in confinement for 7 days due to being radioactive.  I wasn't allowed to leave home, eat with my family, see my two cats, or be near anyone for more than just a few minutes and even then I had to keep my distance.  This meant not seeing my husband for an entire week.  No daily hugs or kisses from him or anyone else and lots of time spent alone.  It gave me a lot of time to think and to be thankful, even then, when I was so uncertain what my future would hold or if I would even have a future. 

Two years ago I learned a lot about myself, about life, about love, and about being thankful for all I have been given by the good Lord up above.  That time in my life changed me forever, and I hope it made me a better person, a more appreciative one.

I don't just take life for granted anymore, and now I know without a doubt that bad stuff can happen to ANYBODY.  Up until my Thyroid Cancer diagnoses two years ago I lived a pretty charmed life, but I certainly did not always appreciate or realize the value of living such a great life.  I now understand that we never know our fate and what each day may hold.  It doesn't matter what your age or status in life is,  as the saying goes, "sometimes shit happens," and "bad things happen to good people," and we just have to learn to deal with it and be thankful we are here and able to deal with it.

Don't get me wrong, I don't wake up every day with bells on and a smile on my face ready to face the day thinking it is going to be perfect and wonderful.  I still have my moments when I get grumpy, am short with people I love, and I don't always show my most charming side to everyone, but two years later and cancer free, I do try and remember more often than not how very lucky I am to be on this earth and how very lucky I am to be surrounded with so many people who love me and who believe in me.

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My 10th Anniversary Tribute to 9-11 - A Thank You to My Loved Ones in Public Service

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The overcast skies of this afternoon are so poignant when I think of how I was feeling 10 years ago today.  I remember waking up to my radio alarm clock to hear the news of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center.  I was just a little over a month away from being married and still living at home.  I ran in to my parent’s bedroom to wake up my mom to tell her the news.  Still groggy, she flipped on the TV in her bedroom as I went on to get dressed for work.  At the time I was working as a secretary in the fire department division for a local city’s emergency services agency.  Mom saw the second plane crash live on the morning news and ran in to where I was to tell me about it.  I remember having this overwhelming feeling of wanting to stay home close to my family, but also knowing that because of the line of work I was in, being at work was a place where I knew I would get the most up to date information on everything that was going on.

That day at work was surreal and so bizarre.  There was not a place in the building that you could go that every available TV was not on monitoring the news and turned up loud.  The instant buzzing of officials and bosses through the building that day and the sudden changes in building security that day and in the weeks to come was amazing.  In a matter of hours our building was locked down from the public and new security measures were in place or being planned.  By day two we were having security cameras installed everywhere around the building and new measures for keeping us safe and secure were in place.  I still can’t believe how fast we went from what we once accepted as normal to another whole new normal.

However, what I remember most from that day and the days to come afterward was how it felt to be American.  How for the first time in my lifetime we, as a country, all came together as one.  It didn’t matter our age, what we did as a job, our race or religion, what part of the country we were from, or what political party for which we belonged.  We were all just Americans, just humans, caring and grieving for our fellow humans. 

Even though I was on the other side of the country, so far from this tragedy, I grieved for those lives lost and I hurt for the families who lost loved ones.  I felt pride for the fire fighters, paramedics, law enforcement officers, and other emergency services personnel who rushed to New York City, Pennsylvania, and the Pentagon to do what they could to help. 

I felt pride and still feel pride daily for being a part of a public safety and military family.  So today, on this 10 year anniversary, I would like to thank my own family and close friends for their service to our country, both those who currently work and serve our community and those who have served us in the past:

• My husband Greg, for his service as an emergency services dispatcher

• My brother-in-law, Scott, a fire chief for a local town

• My be brother-in-law, Chris, a volunteer fire captain for a local department and an EMT/Paramedic

• My father, Vincent, now retired, for his years of volunteer service as a fire captain for a local department, which included being severely burned fighting a fire once and surviving it

• My father-in-law, Bob, a Navy veteran, for his years of service to our country

• My grandfather-in-law, Jim, now deceased, for his years of service in the Army

• My grandfather, Tom, now deceased, for his years of service in the Navy

• Our close friend, Steve, for his service as a law enforcement officer and detective

• Every other family member I may be forgetting, every acquaintance, and for every other man and woman who is currently working in emergency services or serving in the United States military, or who has in the past worked in emergency services and served our military

I want to personally say thank you all for your service to our country!  It is very much appreciated!

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A Thank You Card for Someone Special

I am really enjoying my time spent in my craft room recently.  Yesterday I spent a few hours in there making a Thank You card for a special relative who has been helping me with yard work while I am recovering from my surgery.  This special family member LOVES the color purple, so I hope that she will enjoy her special card when she receives it.

If she is reading this, she knows who she is.  I say publicly to her that I cannot thank you enough for helping to make my yard beautiful.  My illness has left me extremely tired for months and I have not had the energy or gumption to get out in my yard and keep it up the way I normally have in the past.  Greg commutes and works long hours.  He is so tired when he comes home after that long drive that he also has not had the energy to keep the yard up as we have done in the past.  Sometimes the lawn has gotten a bit too long, and/or the bushes have gone without trimming for too long, and I feel embarrassed that my yard is not pristine and beautiful.  I really appreciate your willingness to come to our home and help us out during this time.  Thank you for giving me a yard I can feel proud to call mine and one that I don't worry the neighbor's are talking about.  I love you!

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Minute Monday - A Special Thank You to my Parents.

Note: This ended up being more than a minute post. ;-)  I figured out I had more to say than I first thought I did.  

Giving myself a goal to write in my blog daily comes with some pressure. LOL  

I've been sitting here trying to decide what I should or could blog about today.  I know this won't be anything that I think is so amazingly interesting that millions are going to flock to my blog, but what I have to say is important to me.

I have the most amazing, wonderful family!  My husband, my parents, and my extended family are awesome!  They truly are the best.  I am so thankful everyday for the love and support I am shown from my loved ones.  I always find myself wishing there was something more I could do to show each of them my love and appreciation for all that they do for me.  There are no words or actions that are enough to show them how I feel.

Today I am especially thankful for my parents.  

Last night the battery in my car died.  My husband had to come rescue me from the grocery store parking lot.  When we got home we discovered that the battery was totally DEAD and that we would need to purchase a new one.  These have been some tough times for us these past few years, so any extra unexpected spending really bites the budget.  Not having a car I can drive also bites, especially when I have places I need to be and my husband needs his vehicle to get to and from work.

To make what could be a long story short, I had to go today for some medical testing for my surgery this week.  Without my car working I had no way to get there.  I called my mom last night to see if she could transport me.  She, of course, said yes.  Today my mom called to tell me she was on her way over and that my dad was following her so he could go get me a new car battery.  While my mom took me to my appointment and to run a few errands my dad went to get a new battery for my car.  I offered to pay, but my mom and dad refused.  My wonderful parents purchased the battery.  Then tonight my husband came home from work and installed it this evening.  

I'm now able to drive again, at least for one more days until I can't drive for about two weeks.  :-(  I'm so thankful.  I hate having things that don't work, and I hate the thought of being stuck at home and not having the wheels to go someplace if I need to or want to do so.

My parents have been so much help to us these past couple of years, especially so the past several months.  I am so thankful for their love and generosity.  I hope and pray that some day in their lifetime I am able to repay them in a very special way for all of the help they have given me over the years.

Thanks mom and dad!  I love you both more than words could every properly express!

My Wonderful Parents

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Nov. 2, 2008 - Grattitude Post Challenge Day 1

My SS friend Sherry post a challenge to bloggers this month. The challenge is to post one gratitude post daily on our blog and if possible to also post a picture that goes with the blog post.

I've had a pretty difficult year and I've found myself focusing a lot on the negative things in my life this year more than the positive. I think this blog challenge will be a good way for me to turn my attitude and feelings around and really take a deep look at my life and find the good in it every single day.

Here is the bible verse that Sherry included with her original challenge post:

Colossians 3:15
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.


Today I'm thankful for a great extended family-in-law, every single one of them. It seems so often I hear stories about bad in-laws and I think about how lucky I was to meet and marry a husband who is not only a great man, but who also came with a great family. Time and time again my in-laws have proven to me what wonderful, accepting, generous, and loving people they are.

The love and support of my in-laws was once again shown to me and to my family yesterday evening with the passing of my grandpa.

My mother-in-law and my grandmother-in-law both took time out of their busy days and money out of their pockets to deliver a hot meal to me, my parent's, my aunt, and my grandma tonight. My Aunt-in-law, and Brother-in-law both called me during the day to extend their condolences.

Every one of them when above and beyond the call of duty to make a bad day better for me and my family, and I appreciate it more than I could ever express in words.

I love my extended family and hate using the term in-laws for them because I feel that they are so much more than that to me.

My own family is fairly small, so I love being a part of a big extended family where everyone shares such a close relationship with one another. I live for our huge family parties, holidays, and dinners when my DH and I get to hang out with his grandma, mom, dad, brother, aunts, uncle, and cousins. Yes, there are some moments when we bicker and argue or moments when some of us act raunchy or disgusting, but we also always have a great time together and laugh often.

One of the best times we've had together was at the end of November 2007 when we all got together and traveled to Disneyland for vacation to honor my DH's grandpa who had passed away earlier in the year and loved Christmas and Disneyland.

Here is a photo of my entire in-law family on that trip last year. Even my newest in-law, baby Ryan, who was unknowingly in his mommy (DH's cousin in the pink) Kellie's tummy at the time is in this picture:

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So Very Thankful to God, So Very Relieved

As some of you may know, I recently found out I have a Dermoid Cyst on my left ovary and will be having surgery to have it removed in about 3 of weeks.

I was told by my doctor that in most cases Dermoids are benign, but just as a routine measure and to make extra sure I was sent for blood work to make sure that there was no sign of it being cancerous.

Despite the slim chance of it being a cancerous cyst I have to admit that I have been worried and on pins and needles waiting for my blood work results.

Today my doctor called to answer a question I had regarding my upcoming surgery. I wasn't available to answer the phone, but my DH took the call. Doctor gave the answer to my question to my DH and while on the phone with him also informed him that all my blood work came back normal.

I heard the tail end of the conversation and realized that my DH was on the phone with my doctor. The minute I heard my DH reconfirm with the doctor that my blood tests were all normal I started to cry. I was so relieved! What a huge weight off of my shoulders.

Now all I have to do is get through my surgery with flying colors, one less cyst, both ovaries intact, and then I can get on the road to recovery and hopefully the road to motherhood.

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