Thankful

It's Thanksgiving, well it was yesterday anyways, an on Thanksgiving you tell everyone what you are thankful for. So, that's what I'm going to do today.

+ Family who will drop everything they are doing to come and help in times of need.

+ Friends who have been with me through the good and the bad days without judgement.

+ Therapy that has helped me figure out who this new me is.

+ Medications that help my body do what it cannot do alone.

+ Hubs because he takes such good care of our little family.

+ Colby, because he has taught us how big our love can be.

+ Colby Bear because now we have something to cuddle when we are missing Colby more than normal.



Hubs' is thankful for:

+ A good job that keeps us comfortable.

+ Me :)

+ Pumpkin and Misty even though they can be buttheads.

+ Colby

+ That he is able to go back to school


What are you thankful for this year?

Thankful Heart

Thanksgiving is already here and we have so much to be thankful (and grateful) for, despite all the hurdles we've had to jump and storms we've had to endure. In some ways I'm glad the year is over, so we can take a break and enjoy our families over the holidays, then make a fresh start in the New Year. This year has gone by faster than any other year of my life, it feels like that anyway, so lets pause a moment and take stock in the good.

:: If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that we welcomed our nephew, Grayson, into the world in October. And we'll be welcoming our second nephew, Zane, in March. Our families are expanding, and all at once, it seems.

:: Little Grayson has opened up doors for a better relationship with my sister-in-law. Both for me, and for her and Hubs to repair some of the damage done in their childhoods and over the past several years.

:: We were able to purchase a more family sized vehicle. The first real thing we've bought for our future child.

:: After seven months, our bathroom is basically done! Just needs some small cosmetic things now.

:: School is going well, and I'm am very close to having enough credits to graduate!

:: My sweet cousin got married this year, and we were fortunate enough to be able to attend.

:: We got to visit the Biltmore estate on that trip to see my cousin get married. So I can cross that off my bucket list.

:: I got to visit my mom this summer, and while I was there, I got see my Llama for the first time in almost 2 years.

:: Hubs got transferred to day shift back in March and our schedule has been so much more "normal" since then.

:: So many of my blog friends got their prayers answered in the baby department (I'm looking at you Emily and Kathy!)

:: Hubs let me start putting up the Christmas decorations earlier than normal!


What are you thankful (and grateful) for this year?

My Community. My Tribe.

Community. It's kind of a big deal, especially in the blog world. It brings like-minded people together and is an amazing source of constant inspiration and support. Communities can band together to help those in need, they can introduce you to your new best friend, they can be local or online. These days communities can form just about anywhere.

I love my blogging community, my #Tribe. They have become more than just words on a computer screen. And just because I have never met these wonderful women in person, it doesn't mean we aren't close friends. Honestly, they know more about me than many people in my "real life" do. They understand me better than some of those "real life" people do as well.

Today I want to take a moment to recognize my #Tribe and thank them for being their amazing selves.


Melissa - The Rambling Llama
Yes, she counts. She's been my best friend for about nine years now. I am so proud of her and even more so that she's grown so much because of her blog. She's so talented and funny, you just can't help but love her. Thank you, Llama, for being you. For being there for me, for inspiring me to do things I never thought I would be able to do, and for being on my level of crazy.

Kendra - Kenji is Here
This lady is such an inspiration to me. After finding out that I have another chronic illness (I have Major Depression and PCOS), I fell back on her for support. She's always got an amazingly positive attitude and totally understands my frustrations and concerns. Thank you, Kenj, for being you. For letting me "cry" on your shoulder, for being a light in my life, and for all the awesome snapchat conversations.

Anne - Love the Here and Now
Oh, Anne. I think we first bonded over our mutual love of fonts. And it grew into something more. Anne is one of the sweetest people I have ever come to know and she's so thoughtful. Not to mention an amazing interior designer (have you seen her daughters' new rooms?!). Thank you, Anne, for being you. For validating my obsession with downloading all the fonts, for being honest and open and genuine, for inspiring me to keep going with my design work (especially fonts!).

Cassie - Sage
Somehow, Cassie always knows exactly what I need to hear, or put my thoughts perfectly into words. She's the person I go to for faith based inspiration. She's the person I go when I need to talk about my crazy thoughts on my schooling. She started my new favorite community #MoreThanAFrame on Instagram (see the prompts here, more are coming in July!). Thank you, Cassie, for being you. For freaking me out preparing me for my future school endeavors, for unknowingly helping me muddle through some of my faith based issues, and for inspiring a wonderful and supportive community with #MoreThanAFrame.

Emily - Ember Grey.
Another amazing lady to go to for faith based inspiration and a dose of daily gratefulness. She's truly beautiful inside AND out (did you know she was a model?). I always look forward to reading her posts because her writing makes my heart smile. Emily also is a creator of an amazing community with #GratefulHeartMonday. Thank you, Emily, for being you. For helping find my positivity and staying focused on my gratefulness, for always making me laugh, and for inspiring my own monthly link-up #Conversations.

Christine - So-Called Homemaker
Whether it's movie suggestions, blogging tips, or offering up the secrets of Real Estate, she always has something to contribute and I love it. She's a go to when I need another opinion on a post idea or when I have something funny to share. Group texts with her and Llama are ALWAYS entertaining. Thank you, Christine, for being you. For always making me smile with random texts, for teaching me that you can understand real estate, and for being our designated Wine Ninja.

Chelsea - The New Wifestyle
Legit, this girl is incredibly talented and smart. I can't believe what she (and her equally as talented husband) have accomplished. Not only does she blog, but she travels with her hubs all over the world to speak and inspire dreams and goal in others. Thank you, Chelsea, for being you. For finding the perfect shade of grey nail polish, for being honest about your fault and committing to improving on them, for reminding me that I, too, and capable of so many things.

Rebecca - The Adventures of Bug and Boo
SuperMom of two beautiful tiny humans, gorgeous fashionista (preggo and not), amazing wife, and genuine blogger. This wonderful lady went out of her way during her first few weeks home with the new baby to reach out to me when I was going through a particularly difficult time and let me know that she understood what I was going through and that she was always there for me. I definitely cried when I opened that sweet note. Thank you, Rebecca, for being you. For being a true friend, for lifting my spirits, and for making me want to try some statement necklaces.


Who is apart of your #Tribe?

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Blogger Men Tell All: The Thanksgiving Edition

I LOVE this link-up with Becca. I think Hubs does too, even though I always wait until the last min when he's half asleep to do the interview with him. Most of the time I have an idea of what he's gonna say, but sometimes he surprises me. Like with that last question.

1. What food do you look forward to most at Thanksgiving dinner?
Hubs: Green bean casserole.
Me: Do I make a good green bean casserole?
Hubs: Yeah.
Me: Best one you every had?
Hubs: Sure
(mm hmm)


2. Do you ever go shopping on Black Friday?
Hubs: We are kinda this year, but I've never been before.
Me: Why not?
Hubs: Haven't really wanted to buy anything worth getting out in the mess for.


3. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving tradition?
Hubs: idk don't really have any traditions. Eat food?
Me: Why don't we start some?
Hubs: Okay.
Me: What do you think we should start?
Hubs: Thanksgiving sex??
Me: *giggles* I guess so.... Does putting up our Christmas lights outside the weekend before count?
Hubs: Yeah, I guess it does cause we did it last year too.


4. Do you travel for the Thanksgiving holiday or do you stay close to home?
Hubs: Usually stay close to home because of my work schedule and all.
Me: Yeah, I'd rather travel for Christmas instead. Even though we're not going to be able to this year.
Hubs: Yeah. It sucks.


5. What are you most thankful for this year?
Hubs: You.
Me What about me??
Hubs: what do you mean?
Me: what about me are you thankful for??
Hubs: I'm thankful that you are an amazing cook and I'm eating better now that I have in a long time. Is that good?
Me: Yes. *blush*

Me: Is there anything else you wanna add?
Hubs: Goodnight blog people! I'm goin' to bed! (we did this last night)

And there you have it. Philip's thoughts on Thanksgiving. He fell right back asleep after I told him he was done too. Poor Hubs tries to stay up until I come home from class on Mondays and Wednesdays, but most of the time he can't. I guess the cats aren't enough entertainment for him.

What are your traditions? your favorite dish?
Most importantly, what are you thankful for most this year?

linking up with

Monthly Musings: November

There are so many things I could talk about with this prompt. I could go on and on about all the gadgets, clothes, food, and beauty things in my life, because I really am thankful for them. But as I started to write about those things last night, something felt off. I felt shallow. So I deleted every word and put my computer away.

When I woke up this morning, it hit me. The things I am most thankful for are not really things, it's people. Two people in particular.

Yep. Those two faces are my favorite faces in the whole wide world. If it weren't for them I would not be where I am or who I am today.

Philip, my wonderful Hubs. He does so much for our little family and he puts up with all my crazy antics, like my over-the-top excitement about Christmas decorations (read about that here) and my need to purchase every color of nail polish available. He reigns in my crazy and I bring him out of his shell. We're a perfect match. His unyielding support for my school dreams and goals is amazing. I don't think I'd be doing as well as I am (I made the Dean's List!!) if it wasn't for him. And he's always showing me with little things how much he loves me; a kiss every morning, a touch as he's passing, letting me buy those fleece lined leggings, and being my model for my crochet projects. I honestly do not know what I would do without him now, and I am so much happier here with him than I have been in years.

BUT, if it wasn't for my mom, I would not be here (literally!), I might have given up a long time ago. She's been my rock, my shoulder to cry on, an amazing source of support and encouragement. Quite honestly I might still be back in Georgia working at that miserable job and living a miserable lonely life. She's the one who encouraged me to follow my heart and move to Missouri to be with Philip. She's the one who helped me pack all my furniture in storage and stuff my little car full of clothes and other random items to take with me. She's the one who calls my phone and leaves a voicemail of herself reading my favorite childhood book. She's the one who inspires a lot of my creativity and nudges me to explore things. She's been the one true constant thing in my life since I was born and for that I will be forever thankful.

What are you thankful for?

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