Grateful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I am grateful for the things I have every day, but Thanksgiving is a good excuse to write about it and to be especially grateful. This list is nowhere near complete or specific enough, but it will do for now.

I am thankful for:

The basics - food, water, shelter, clothes, etc. the daily necessities. The things that I hope to never take for granted because so many go without them throughout the world.

Music - One of my greatest joys is in listening, making, and appreciating music in all forms. I'm thankful for my mother who instilled this love in me from a young age, and I'm thankful for the ability to play musical instruments.

Learning - I'm so grateful for the excellent education I've received and for the constant learning that takes place in my life. I'm thankful for my ability to learn and to love it!

A job - even if it's not my favorite, it serves its purpose, and I am able to help other people.

The beauties of this earth! Nature never ceases to amaze me. I most particularly love sunrises and sunsets. Even though they happen every day, each one is unique and beautiful. And I rely on the fact that they always come.

The gospel - I would not be who I am without the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am thankful to know the way to live a happy and fulfilling life. I am so grateful for the gift of prayer and to know that I am never alone. I'm grateful for my Heavenly Father and for His son and for the Atonement.

Friends - Near and far, I have incredible friends, and I love them dearly.

Family - So so so grateful for my forever family! My siblings are my best friends and my parents are my greatest examples. I miss them every day, and each day I am more and more grateful for them.

And Wesley. I thank my Heavenly Father every single day for this man who is my best friend and the love of my life.

I have so much to be grateful for! And I know where all of my blessings come from.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Perfect Weekend

An absence in my writing means we've been working too hard and not having any fun :) Not true. Working hard but still having fun, just lacking the time to blog about it!

Two weeks ago, Wes' parents, Shannon and Floyd, came to visit us and to go to the BYU v. ND football game! What a fantastic weekend! With enjoying good food, great football, gorgeous fall weather, and the best company and conversation, I'd say it was a perfect weekend.

Sitting in the Notre Dame section was a blast - can I say what an amazing stadium - but quite dangerous for the lone BYU fan: me. I was wearing a BYU shirt...under my ND sweater, so naturally I had to cheer for ND and BYU, mostly to annoy Wes ;) It was a great game and just so fun to be part of the energy and experience. Autumn was in full swing on campus, so we enjoyed showing the Harwards all of the sites and, of course, doing a little shopping at the bookstore.

Having family in our home was wonderful - though I feel bad about the sleeping accommodations: the couch and an air mattress. We were just very cozy in our little apartment ;) The time went by much too quickly before we had to say goodbye. Makes me so ready to see my family and to go home for Christmas! Until then, we'll keep staying busy and keep you up to date with the happenings in South Bend.

Here are some pictures from the game - see FB for more of them :)

The view from our behind our seats (second row from the very top) - Touchdown Jesus and watching the band march into the stadium.

A few minutes before the game started. Great day for football!

Oh hey, it's us!