let's say thank you together.

Yesterday was a day. Some. Kinda. Day. 
I woke up this morning so ready for a fresh day, so ready to take on this day and make it so much better than yesterday was. The best way I know how to start that is with coffee (obviously) and gratitude. So I'm sitting in bed with my coffee, about to write my thankful list, and I thought, you know what? Let's do it together today. 
 Whether you had the best day or the worst day or some kind of day in between yesterday, taking some time to shift your perspective to one of gratitude can make today so much better, I promise. 
So today, I'm thankful for: 
1. A new planner. I got this planner in the mail on Monday and it was just the motivation I needed to get organized. 
2. Easy dinners. There are times and seasons where I love cooking and love looking up new recipes and spending lots of time in the kitchen. This is not one of those seasons. Give me all the burrito bowls and pasta and anything else that takes approximately 15 minutes to throw together. 
3. Stick on nails. I have these on right now and honestly they look so good that they make me feel like I have my life together. It's the little things, you know?
4. Ice roller. I woke up with a puffy face today and AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT. I swear by this $10 little gem I got on Amazon. It feels amazing. 
5. My family, blood and not. I won the freakin' family lottery, let me tell you. But beyond that, the friends that have chosen to be my family? Gosh. Overwhelmed with gratitude for them. 
What are YOU thankful for today?

Big Little Things.

It's no secret that I talk about gratitude a lot. I truly believe a little bit thankfulness can completely change your attitude. 

This year, I've really been focusing on being thankful for the little things. And not just being thankful for them, but really calling them out and talking about them. Reason being, we complain about the little things. And that's okay! But my thought is if you're gonna complain about the bad little things, you better be ready to give the good little things just as much brain space and airtime. 

If you're gonna complain about a few red lights in a row, you best be ready to talk about how good your luck is when you get a few green ones in a row. If you're gonna say, UGH ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME about how long your order is taking in the drive-thru, you better be ranting and raving about how dang good those fries tasted. You see what I'm saying? 

Anyway, point of the story is this year, I've been trying to be thankful for the little things, to notice them, to talk about them out loud. And by doing that, they really do become big things. This week, I'm thankful for: 

Sunrises and sunsets. || I read a quote one time that said something like, "If the stars only came out once every hundred years, imagine how people would stop and marvel." And that's exactly how I feel about sunrises and sunsets. They happen every single day, so it can be easy to take for granted the fact that there is literally an explosion of beauty happening in the sky. It can feel like such a little, normal thing. But when you stop and look...goodness GRACIOUS, there's literally an explosion of beauty happening in the sky! 

Sunrises and sunsets always make me pause and just breathe, they make everything else seem small, and they make me happy to be alive. They remind me that I got to live another day, and that's worth being thankful for. 

Coffee brewing in the morning (and also the afternoon, because, Daylight Savings). || Forever and ever gonna be thankful for coffee, but somehow I'm just more thankful for it in the fall. Waking up to the sound of it brewing in the morning, making my house smell like coffee just makes me happy. 

Fridays. || Fridays have always been my day off, and I looooove them. They've always been my favorite day. When I was 21 it was the day spent by the pool and spending way too long getting ready and texting everyone to decide where we were going out that night. Now, it's like "YES a day to run errands and read books LET'S GOOOO." Both have been fun, but I'll take the errands and lazy days now, please thank you. 

Pajamas. || For the majority of my life, I've slept in big t-shirts and gym shorts. No more, my friends. Lately, I have become a pajama person. And all I have to say about it is, get yo'self to TJ Maxx, buy some cheap pjs, and let the coziness commence. Having a bad day? Put pajamas on when you get home. Cook dinner in your pjs. It's a game changer. 

Living somewhere I can take Jack for a walk every day. || I don't ever want to take for granted that we live in a beautiful and safe neighborhood. Almost every single day, we go for a walk and it's the best for both of us. Nothing clears my head like fresh air. Getting outside never fails to make even the biggest problems seem a lot smaller. 

What are you thankful for this week? 

THANKFUL.

Something I want to be in this year of my life is intentionally thankful. Sometimes thankfulness comes super easy, sometimes ya gotta sit down and force yourself to think of some things you're thankful for. In both times, I want to be intentional about it. 
So, this week, I'm thankful for. . .
Friends who go out of their way to celebrate me. One of my best friends drove two hours just to take me to lunch for my birthday. My other best friend took me out to dinner and drinks this weekend. AND THEY PLANNED A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY TRIP FOR ME. I could cry all of the thankful tears that God put these people in my life at this time.
Jack. I'm always thankful for him, duh. But lately, I've been thinking about how much he's changed my life just by being here. I've become a stronger person, a more patient person, (and honestly a freaking warrior, OKAY?) all because he's in my life. Thankful. 
Fiesty cherry diet coke. I cannot stop drinking these. See also: Ginger-lime diet coke. SO DELICIOUS. 
The library. April has been a wonderful month for library books. And have we discussed how my library doesn't do late fees? Because they don't. It's amazing. 
What are you thankful for this week? 

What a Year.

Time-hop is absolutely slaying me on a daily basis lately. 
A year ago, we were flying all over the country for interviews. We had zero idea about where we would end up. I was so pregnant. 
I remember being in Michigan for an interview, drinking hot chocolate and walking around shops, and this one shop was playing "There's No Place Like Home for The Holidays" and it made me cry  because I didn't know where home would be next year. 
When we got home, we decorated our tiny apartment for Christmas, talking about how next year, we'd have a baby with us and we'd be in a new home in a new city. We watched a Christmas movie and I threw up at least four times (Pregnancy did not agree with me, y'all). I remember going to sleep so happy that it was Christmas, but also very anxious because interviews were coming to an end and Jack's due date was coming up and I had never been so clueless as to what life was about to look like, and I hated that. I was worried we wouldn't have a home we loved as much as I loved our little apartment in the sky. I was worried we wouldn't have any friends. I was worried about what life would look like with a baby. I was worried I'd hate our new city. 
Saturday night we went to watch a football game on a big screen outside. It was cold enough to need blankets and there were Christmas decorations and it was so much fun. We were there with the friends we've made here, good friends. Friends who I can hand my baby to and not worry about it. It was a simple and laid back and casual way to spend a Saturday night. But this morning, it's making me cry. 
Because a year ago, I was so worried I'd never have a night like that. 
If you're going through a hard time or an unsure time, it's so important to stop and remember it won't last forever. And if you're at a place in life where things are working out and you're happy, it's so important to remember that you probably recently went through one of those times where you were sure nothing was going to work out. It's important to stop and breath and smile and be thankful and just let yourself feel happy. 
Life is not steady. It ebbs and flows and tosses you down and shoots you back up again. No one is on the up and up all the time, but no one stays down forever, either. 
Every day for the past few weeks I look at TimeHop and see where we were and remember the little adventures we had, just the two of us. Yes, I remember being an absolute ball of anxiety, but now those days are just sweet memories. 
If you're having one of those days or months or years where everything is just so hard and you don't know how things are going to work out and it's hard for you to trust that the best is yet to come...it is, my friend. On the other side of an incredibly difficult and completely uncertain year, everything has worked out exactly as it was supposed to. 

Tonight, we're going to decorate for Christmas. We're going to pull out the tree and the lights and play the music and soak in every single second of our first Christmas with Jack, our first Christmas in our new house. 
I'm going to watch a Christmas movie and enjoy not being sick. I'm going to snuggle my baby and acknowledge that he was worth every single sick day. And I'm going to listen to "There's No Place Like Home for The Holidays" and be so, so thankful for the past year that brought me to this home, this season, this family. 
What a difference a year makes, yeah? 

Let's Force Some Thankfulness.

November usually feels like such a thankful month. We just had a month full of fall goodness, Thanksgiving is this month, and Christmastime is looming so close. But the last ten days haven't really felt full of gratefulness, probably because of the election. Election years seem to bring out the worst in everyone. Twitter and facebook are just plain mean lately, even though it's a month that's usually so full of family pictures and dinner parties and thankful hashtags. 

Sometimes (like the holidays, for me) thankfulness comes easily. You don't even have to think about it. And sometimes, you have to dig in and force your perspective to change. The more you focus on the good in your life, the happier you will be. Plain and simple. So let's get down to it. 

I'm thankful for Jack. I know, I know, so obvious. But just thinking about how thankful I am for him makes me realize how good life is. I wrote yesterday about all the things this election has reminded me I need to teach him, and it really just reminds me how much of a privilege it is to get to shape another human's life. 

I'm thankful for the things that are in my control. I may not have control over when I get to see my husband (#residency), or how much sleep I get at night (#jack), but I do have control over things like how I spend my days, how good I feel (love you, yoga), and what's for dinner. Tacos for dinner three nights in a row? Heck yes I can. 

I'm legitimately thankful for Instagram. Social media gets a bad rep with bloggers sometimes, because looking at other people's pictures can make you feel less-than, or like you're not doing enough or aren't successful enough. This is especially true with mamas. And sure, I sometimes feel that way. Like, I was feeling pretty good about myself for getting my kid dressed and fed and eating breakfast myself, until I saw that you somehow had time to get you and your babe dressed in magazine worthy clothes, contour your face, take your baby to a quaint little cafe for breakfast, and get the perfect Instagram picture, all before 9:00AM. 

But it can also be encouraging and motivating and helpful. Sometimes I'll be at a loss for what foods to feed Jack, and then I'll see someone recommend mixing two things together. Hey, maybe Jack will eat that. I'll see someone having a picnic in their backyard and letting their baby just crawl around in the sunshine. I could totally do that. It would be so easy and so fun. I'll see the blogger who works full time but still manages to come home, chug some coffee, and pound out some posts after work. Ah, yes. It's so important to chase my dreams. 

I could go on and on about this. The mom who's up in the middle of the night letting her toddler eat chicken nuggets and watch Netflix because he just won't sleep. Solidarity. I am not alone in this. I'm not a bad mom. The fellow resident's wife who hasn't worn makeup or cooked dinner or done dishes all week, because it's just really freaking hard to be in charge of everything. Solidarity. I am not alone in this. I'm not a wuss for thinking this is hard. 

And on, and on, and on. Cheers to the people with the perfectly curated feeds, you inspire me. Cheers to the people with well thought out, funny feeds, you make me laugh. Cheers to the people with messy, real life feeds. You make me happy. 

I'm thankful for the time change. What?! It's true. I usually HATE the time change. And, okay, I still hate the fact that it gets dark at what feels like 2:45. But I wake up so early now, and it's nice to see the sun instead of hours of darkness. It's harder to be productive when it looks like the middle of the night outside, you know? 

Please oh please tell me something you're thankful for. Let's all force a little thankfulness today.

I'm Feeling Rich.

photo via Megan Elizabeth Photography

I'm feeling pretty rich lately. Not the money kind of rich (although, wouldn't that be nice?) but the true kind of rich. The kind that has nothing to do with your bank account and everything to do with your life. The kind that doesn't go away when you spend it. For me, it's a bunch of little things, and some big things, too.

It's finding brand new pens in nice colors that also write great (easier said than done!).

It's creating yesterday's post and feeling my heart just swell with joy while I look at picture after picture of Jack and realizing that this is real life. It's realizing just how happy I am about that.

It's feeling good enough to make a to-do list and know that at least some of it will actually get done.

It's going to the mall and walking in stores you've never even really noticed before and looking at tiny little clothes and laughing over just how small a seersucker suit can be.

It's second cups of coffee because Publix has started carrying my favorite creamer again.

It's sunny and 75 after a week of weather that made it feel like the North Pole had relocated to the sunshine state.

It's a Friday night with no plans.

It's the little things (and the not-so-little things) that just make days good. The things that make you happy. The things that you can't manufacture, and the things you can buy for just a few dollars. It's waking up and knowing that life is just good. It's knowing that no matter what your bank account may say, you're truly, truly rich in life.

What's making you feel rich lately? 

Just Us: Our Thanksgiving.

Today is one of my favorite days of the entire year. It's a festive day full of love and chaos and really good food. It's a day that kicks off the Thanksgiving celebrations, and it's a day of celebrating how thankful I really am for Christopher and our marriage.

This will be the third year we've celebrated our own personal Thanksgiving, and it's a tradition I'm so glad we started.

Every year on the day before Thanksgiving, we go to Whole Foods. I think this is probably their busiest day of the year-it's absolutely chaotic, and that's part of the fun! We pretend we're rich for the day and pick out appetizers, drinks, desserts, the whole nine yards. Then we go home and cook everything and have the best night ever, eating delicious food and celebrating life and all we have to be thankful for.

I have never been more thankful for Chris than I am this year. We're right on the cusp of all these big changes, and every day is filled with so much unknown. But in a time where it would be very easy to freak out and miss out on all the good, I'm able to look at my very best friend and know that no matter what, he will be by my side. And because of that, I'm able to cherish every moment.

I love you, Christopher. I've never been so thankful to have such an amazing life partner. You're my babe, forever and always. 

In the hustle and bustle of tomorrow, don't let the holiday pass without taking a minute to tell your significant other that you're thankful for them!

It's Not Just for Thanksgiving: Being Thankful This Month & All Year Long.

No matter who you are or how much emphasis you put on thankfulness in your daily life, you can't deny that Thanksgiving just brings about an attitude of thankfulness. For me, all of November is just full of constant reminders to be thankful. The month is full of magic and happiness and reasons to overflow with thankfulness.

Every November, I'm always thinking about how much I have to be thankful for. Drinking coffee outside with my husband, having a picnic with our pup, lighting pumpkin candles at night, getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving together...these are all things that make me explode with happiness.

Right now, at the beginning of the month, I want to stop and tell myself to let this month be a reminder to practice thankfulness all year long.

After November has passed, after fall is gone and Thanksgiving has ended, when the holidays have come and gone and Christmas music is a distant memory, there is still so much to be thankful for.

Logically, we know there are things to be thankful for. We know that if we had dinner last night, we're luckier than a lot of people. We know that if we have a bed to sleep in, we should be thankful for that. But knowing something and putting it into practice are two different things.

This coming year, I don't want to just know that I have things to be thankful for; I want to practice thankfulness all year long. In the same way that November fills me with gratefulness, I want the whole year to be one heart explosion of thankfulness after another.

Cheers to November. To Thanksgiving. To being thankful. And cheers to keeping that thankfulness alive in our hearts all year long.

Thankfulness.

In my life, I've found that the cure for stress, sadness, not-so-great circumstances...well, that cure doesn't really exist. Sorry. But, I have found a really good way to combat those things, and that's with thankfulness.

You have to focus more on the good. It doesn't make the bad go away, but it does shift your perspective. And sometimes, that's all you need.

This week, I'm stressed. Tired. Worried. Confused. And there's not really anything I can do about those things.

But I am also so very thankful.

I'm thankful for days spent crafting. For surprise rooftop dinners. For the summer weather that seems to be back. For weekends that aren't full of to-do lists. For a snuggly pup. For days when writing comes easy.

It's just so important to take time to be thankful. Because do all of those things make bad circumstances go away? Nope. Do they change anything? No. Thankfulness may not have the power to change situations, but it has the power to change me.

And this week, it definitely did.

On Wednesday, Christopher came home and surprised me with dinner. We went up to the roof and he set the table with candles and wine. He grilled burgers. And we sat up there laughing and talking and just being together. I'm so thankful for moments like that, where you stop worrying and thinking and stressing and just be. And when I take the time to actually stop and think about how thankful I am for that, how can I ask for anything else?

Thankfulness changes you. It really, really does.

What are you thankful for this week?

Today is My Favorite.

My mom has this Thanksgiving tradition where she has my family write down the things we're thankful for--some years on a place mat, some years on card stock leaves, some years on strips of paper. For the month of November, we would all write things down--big, small, serious, hilarious. 

These things would get put away and then pulled out year after year. A way of reflecting on the past, of seeing how you've changed, and of remembering all you have to be thankful for. 

I remember being so nervous to write down Christopher's name in November 2009. We'd been dating for 5 months, and while I was definitely thankful for him, I couldn't help but wonder how I'd feel the next year when I saw his name. Nostalgic? Angry? Sad? Happy? Would I be able to show him and say, "Look--I wrote this down last year when we'd only been dating for a few months!" Or would it be something my little brother would make fun of me for, saying, "Ha, you wrote down that guys name that you only dated for six months!" 

In the end, I decided to write it. That year was paper leaves, so I figured I could run interference and toss it in the trash the next year if things went south. (Because let's just say there are some names in permanent marker on a placemat from one year that I would really love to get rid of, but there they will stay forever..womp womp).

And here we are, 5 years later, on one of my favorite days of the year. 

Today's the day we celebrate Thanksgiving, just the two of us. We go to Whole Foods and buy really fun stuff we normally wouldn't buy, then we come back here and think we're professional chefs and make our own Thanksgiving dinner. 

Today, I just can't help but think about the day I stood in my parents' dining room, trying to decide if I should write his name down or not. 

I can't help but think of how little I knew what the future would hold...how little I knew just how thankful for him I would one day be. I had no idea the insane love I would feel for him. I didn't know that we'd be a family someday. Didn't know the joy it would bring me to run around Whole foods the night before Thanksgiving, laughing and rushing and having the best night ever. 

And when I think about all of those things, my heart just feels like it's going to explode with thankfulness. 

If you have a significant other, make sure you celebrate them this week. Yes, it's a holiday about friends and family. Yes, it's a busy week. But make sure you take the time--whether it's tonight or actually on Thanksgiving day or the days after thanksgiving--to celebrate how thankful you are for your partner in life. 

And if you need suggestions on how to do so, I highly recommend going to Whole Foods the night before Thanksgiving.  Insanity doesn't even begin to describe it, but it is so, so much fun. 

  

Babe, I'm so thankful for you. Here's to many more Thanksgivings spent together. I love you.

Who are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

The Art of Thankfulness (And Why it's Important).

Gatsby knows alllll about the art of being happy. 

Sunday night, my car wouldn't start.

Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal. Frustrating, sure, but not a big deal.

Sunday night, however, it was a big deal.

The past month (two months?) feel like they've been full of one thing after another. Car issues and health issues and bill issues and house issues and all of those other issues that come with being an adult.

Little problem, little problem, big problem, little problem, little problem, slightly bigger problem..all stacked on top of each other again and again, making a lopsided jenga full of frustration that you can only stare at and scratch your head, wondering how to make your next move without it all falling down.

For me, my car not starting was it. I tried not to cry while someone helped Chris jump my car, but once we started driving it around, it was game over. I cried and cried and cried, and wanted to scream, but just kept crying instead.

"Chels, it's not a big deal. It's fine."

But I kept crying anyway. Because it was a big deal. It felt like nothing was going right, and at some point that just becomes a big deal.

"You're the positive one. If the roles were reversed, you would tell me that we have so much to be thankful for."

Do those words feel like sandpaper when I say them to you? I wondered. Because he was right, that's exactly what I'd say. But that wasn't what I wanted to say right now, and it most certainly wasn't what I wanted to hear.

The next morning, I begrudgingly sat down to journal (because who really wants to journal when they're having a bad day/week/month? No one) and, like every other Monday, made a list of things I'm thankful for.

And magically, things weren't so bad. With each thing I added to my list, the circumstances I was so frustrated over seemed smaller and smaller.

So what that my car isn't working right, or that some frustrating things are going on. In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter? I have the best husband ever, an amazing place to live, and SO much to be thankful for. Who has time to be mad at circumstances when it's Thanksgiving? It's time to celebrate, not cry.

A short fifteen minutes later, I was immensely happier and any "problems" seemed immensely smaller. Not because anything changed, but because what I focused on changed.

And this morning, I didn't wake up thinking about car troubles. I woke up thinking about Thanksgiving  and friends and Christmas and family.

Taking the time to remember all you have to be thankful for can truly change everything.

Why do you think thankfulness is important? 

The Thankful Project: November 9th

November 9th:  A photo.

This one was easy.  This is one of my favorite photos of all time.  It's the last photo taken on my wedding day, and it sums up the happiness of the whole day.  I'm about to get in a limo to go spend a week in Jamaica with my brand new husband, I've just spent the whole night dancing with my favorite people in the world, my parents look so happy, I'm hugging my brother, and there's confetti. 

Love. 

The Thankful Project: November 8th.

November 8th:  Words

My blog is no stranger to this subject!  {here. here. and here.}

I love words.  So freaking much.  That's why I started blogging, because I wanted an excuse to add more words to my life.  They are a beautiful thing, whether they are written, printed, spoken. . .they are powerful.  I'm thankful for pretty much everything about words.  I'm thankful that I live in a place where I have the freedom to use my words however I want to without having to be afraid.  I'm thankful for the feeling I get when I write words down, putting them in such an order that they tell a story.  I'm thankful for words shared over coffee as new friendships build.  I'm thankful for three words whispered late at night when my husband comes to bed and thinks I'm asleep.  I'm thankful for words that can help others when they are going through a hard time.

And I am thankful for words that make up books.

More than a lot of things in life, I am thankful for the words that make up good books.  There's nothing better than losing yourself in a story.

{via}

What kind of words are you thankful for today?

The Thankful Project: November 7th

{The Thankful Project}

November 7th:  A job.

I feel like it's always a risk to write about your job on your blog, so for today's prompt I'm just going to write some things that my current job has taught me, because I'm thankful for the things I am learning. 

Sometimes it's okay to say no. 

One of the best and worst things about my personality is that I always want anyone I am working for or working with to think I am a great worker with a really great work ethic.  Sometimes this translates into saying yes to every single thing anyone asks me to do.  What I've learned recently (and am still learning) is that if you say yes to everything, then nothing gets done as well as it should.  You've got to know your priorities and focus on those.  

There are going to be stages of life where the work you are doing has nothing to do with where you thought you would be.  Do your best anyway. 

I had this beautiful idea that I was going to graduate college and move to Orlando and land myself an incredible writing job.  Sadly, that has remained a beautiful idea.  My three best friends from college have all landed incredible jobs or gotten into whatever program they wanted, so it's been really easy to be incredibly jealous discouraged when thinking about that, because while my job is wonderful, it's not in the area of work I wanted to be in.  It has been a really good season of learning to be so thankful and reminding myself that no matter what I am doing, I should always do my absolute best.  Whether it's in an area I love or not. 

If you don't plan it, it will not happen.

I currently commute to my job, and am blessed enough to be able to work from home two days a week.  That has taught me so much about planning my day out.  At first, I thought I would be able to wake up with an idea of what needed to get done that day, and it would get done.  I quickly learned how very wrong I was when it would be seven o' clock and I would still be working without having crossed an entire thing off my list, just a bunch of half things.  Plan, plan, plan.  To-do lists are lifesavers. 

Sometimes the best thing you can do is go to bed and try again tomorrow. 

This one is pretty self-explanatory, but I'm still learning it.  There are going to be days where no matter how stressed out you are about how much you need to do, sometimes you just have to call it a day and try to make tomorrow better.  A good night's sleep and a cup of coffee the next morning tend to work wonders. 

November 4th: The thankful Project.

November 4th: An experience. 

Teaching a college class. 

I was always insanely paranoid that I was not going to graduate college.  I went to see my advisor way more than I should have, saw a second advisor, went to the registrar's office, and did everything else I could to make sure I was on the page I was supposed to be when it came to understanding graduation requirements, because for some reason I just had this gut feeling that something was going to come up.

Turns out, my gut was right.

My very last semester, I had been to see my advisor, who had told me I was on track to graduate in May.  I took the form to the registrars office.  They approved it.  I received a letter saying I was graduating, I ordered my cap and gown, I filled out the way I wanted my name to appear on my degree, and then I took a breath.  It was happening.

And then. 

Two days after registration for any new classes had closed, I received another letter.  Informing me that a mistake had been made, and I was one credit short of graduation requirements, therefore would have to graduate in December.  Not one class, one freaking credit.

I panicked.  I'm talking full on crazy here.  I was so angry that I had been so careful and gone to see so many different people and not one of them had noticed the mistake.  I had been approved, for goodness sake.  I blamed the school, they said no. I blamed my advisor, they said no.  I asked to be let into a class, they said no.  I asked to be given a credit, they said no.

So I did the next logical thing.  I called my dad.

Sobbing, yelling, ranting, I told him I was not going to graduate and would probably end up homeless in the woods with no degree.

He, in the calmest possible manner, replied with something that I will not write here just in case his character is ever questioned.  You can use your imagination, but the moral of the conversation was "Oh, you are graduating that college even if we have to sneak you into graduation." except he didn't say sneak you into graduation and he said something else.   

Days of begging, crying, threatening, blackmailing (just kidding) (kind of) later, I had my solution.  A teacher I had at one point took pity on my situation and offered me help--I could be a teacher's assistant for an adult class he was teaching.  My best friend was also his TA for the class, so while I was not thrilled, I was relieved.  Work for free and get a credit.  Cool.

Fast forward to the first day of said class.  When this teacher says, "hey, I know you're only supposed to be TA's, but I'm going to need you to actually teach this class.  Actually, I'm not even going to be in there."  Surprise!

So that's how me and one of my best friends taught an adult Com I class at the age of 19.

I'm thankful for it because it taught me a few things.  The seven adult students made it clear right away that they were not going to respect anything that we said, nor did they feel like they needed to do their homework since we were so young that we couldn't possibly know anything they didn't know.

It taught me to stand up for myself.  That when someone starts walking all over you, you say no thank you and move on with what you were doing.  It taught me to always act like I know what I'm talking about, even if I don't.  It taught me that sometimes the answer is going to be, "I don't know, let me look that up for you."  And it taught me that sometimes, no matter how hard you work or what you do, people just aren't going to respect you because you're young.  The first night of class a woman came in, took her shoes off, and put her feet up on the table.  I asked her if she would mind taking them down, and her response was, "Do you think you're old enough to tell me what to do with my feet?"  Every single week, she would come into class ten minutes late, take her shoes off, and put her feet up on the table.  Making eye contact with me the entire time she did it.   I learned I could let stuff like that eat at me, or I could ignore it and keep on doing what I needed to do.  I helped that woman every week, and the last week of class, she said thank you.  And she even kept her shoes on.

Linking up with The Thankful Project!

The Thankful Project.

So yesterday I woke up and had coffee and was wondering why in the world I felt so relaxed and not behind in my life at all. 

And then I realized it was because my iphone is broken, so I'm not constantly being made aware of the bajillion emails I have received or the amount of blogs I am behind on or the things I have forgotten to do.   I have to admit, it was a nice little break of feeling on top of things, even if it was totally not real.

Anyway, I blame my lack of technology--I really didn't realize how much I did on my phone instead of the computer--for me not hearing about The Thankful Project from Chasing Happy.  We all know I love a chance to talk about being thankful, so 28 days of thankful prompts is way too good to pass up.  Since it's the third already, I had to squeeze the first three into one post.

November 1st.  A person. 

My husband.

I am so incredibly thankful for my husband.  This past month has been a little rough, and there is no one I would rather have been beside during it all than him.  There are still days when I wake up and cannot believe that we actually got married and live together, even though it's been ten months already. I've had a lot of people tell me that getting married young was a mistake [side note: if this is your opinion, you should probably only tell it to people who aren't married yet.  Otherwise it just gets a little awkward] but when I'm sitting next to the love of my life, drinking coffee and dreaming about the future, I just want to show all of those people my prettiest finger [the one with my wedding ring on it, duh.  What were you thinking?] and tell them they are wrong.  There is nothing better than being partners with someone who loves you and supports your dreams.  There is nothing better than waking up with that person and dreaming out loud about where you'll live next year and when you'll get your first Christmas tree and how you can't wait to get a little puppy.  It's the best.  Just the best.


November 2nd.  A role you've played. 

A big sister.  

I love my little brother more than words could convey.  We've always been best friends and partners in crime.  When we were little, we'd get in trouble together and then talk through the air vents that connected our rooms until whatever storm we had created had blown over.

Though a lot has changed since our air vent days, a lot hasn't.  He is still the funniest person I know.  I still have more fun with him than I have with most people that I know.  I still always want to protect him from everything bad.  And I will still take you down in two seconds flat if you hurt him.  Hell hath no fury.

I am lucky enough to be bff with my little brother, and will always be so, so thankful that I was blessed with the role of being a big sister.

November 3rd.  A place.

Universal. 

This may seem silly, but I am legitimately thankful for Universal.  My dad bought my family season passes four or five years ago for Christmas, and when I moved to Orlando Chris got a pass too.  It's so nice to have somewhere so fun that close that we can go to for free (if you don't count the corn dog that you know I'm gonna get).  It's seriously one of my favorite places in the world.  Especially at Christmas--they do Christmas right. 

I'm so excited for a month to celebrate thankfulness!

Thankful Fridays.

1.  Fresh starts.

Y'all.  Yesterday was just a bad day.  All the way around.  I've been sick all freaking month since Tuesday, and you know how bad days just escalate to a whole new level when you're sick.  It was one of those days where everything just kept going wrong and by noon I was ready to go to bed.

This morning while I was drinking my pumpkin spice coffee, obviously,  I was so thankful for a new day.  And a friday, at that.  New days offer fresh starts and that was a very welcome thought to me this morning.

2.  A good husband.

I've been sick more than not this past month, and being sick just plain sucks.  But having a husband who will make you soup and pretend to watch movies with you while he studies makes things better.  Marry a good one, you guys.  It makes all the difference.

3.  The weekend.

Because sometimes you need a few hours to ignore your to-do list, curl up with a blanket and some coffee, and just read a book.

What are you thankful for this week?

Thankful Saturday.

Because sometimes life is really busy and thankful Fridays just don't happen.

This week, I am thankful for:

1. Pumpkin spice creamer.

I just am.  I see a bunch of you guys saying it's annoying and you hate pumpkin and a whole bunch of other reasons we can never be friends, but I am legitimately thankful for this.  So much so that as I am falling asleep at night, I am already excited about the cup of pumpkin goodness I am going to have in the morning.  It just makes me happy.

2.  Thrift stores.

I don't think this one needs any explanation.  They're just awesome.

3.  Getting to educate my dad about Miley Cyrus.

My dad had not seen the VMA performance or anything from SNL, so for about the 15 funniest minutes of my life, me and my little brother gladly told him all about it.  Then my mom jumped in and read everyone some of the incredibly artful lyrics from the new Bangerz album.  This is the blurriest picture ever, but if you can see his face in the background, that was pretty much his reaction to the entire thing.

4.  Twitter.  Because how else can I subtly tell everyone I'm sorry that I'm ten years behind on answering their emails, but I'm still not going to answer their emails?

5.  The amazing weather that's been around every morning lately.

What are you thankful for this week?

Happy weekending!

Thankful Fridays.

Fall always brings about such a sense of thankfulness for me.

It's probably because October-December marks my favorite time of the year, and thinking about that just makes me SO thankful for life.

For the rest of this year, every Friday I'm going to write about being thankful.  When you take the time to actually remember what you're thankful for, how can you not be happy?

So, this week:

1.  I am thankful for the one hour of cooler weather that decided to visit this morning, permitting me to drink my coffee outside without sweating through my clothes in three seconds flat.

2.  I am thankful for nights where I can pretend I have no responsibilities at all and just make crafts instead.

3.  I am thankful for the iphone, because it means I get to see pictures of this little guy.

4.  I am thankful for fall decorations.

owls and pumpkins and glitter, oh my!

5. I am thankful for laughter.  In case you haven't laughed yet today, I've included this video for your viewing pleasure.

What are you thankful for this week?  Have an amazing weekend!

Check out this month's featured sponsor:

Today I believe.

{Thank you so much to everyone who entered the giveaway!  The winner has been notified.  If you would like to participate in the next giveaway, click here}

Today I believe in being thankful.

It is truly amazing how much your perspective (and sometimes even life) can change with just a tiny bit of effort to start being thankful.

I made a reverse bucket list this week, and it was incredible how much my attitude changed just from looking at pictures and trying to remember all the exciting things I've done in my life.  I wasn't having a bad attitude about life before, but as I looked at those pictures and sifted through my memories, I couldn't help but be overwhelmed at just how full my life really was--and is.

I had such a good day after doing that, I decided from now on, I am going to make a real effort to be thankful.  Overly, annoyingly, utterly thankful about everything.

Fall is here.  {I know that most of you think that fall doesn't actually start until October.  I'm sorry.  You are wrong.}  For me, fall always brings about a feeling of thankfulness.  It starts my favorite time of  the year--September 3rd-January 1st.  It means pumpkin spiced everything, baking, decorating, turkey, Christmas music, and feeling incredibly grateful for my life.

This year, I'm going to be crazy thankful everyday.  I am thankful for my pumpkin spice lattes, obviously.  But I'm also going to be thankful for the small things.  For the moments in the morning where I can sit with my coffee and it's just me and Jesus.  For the books I read.  For the fact that I live in a state where I can drink a pumpkin spice coffee in the morning and lay out in the afternoon.  For good movies.  For sweet texts.  I'm going to be thankful for all of it.  And if writing that reverse bucket list was any indication, my days are about to get a whole lot happier.

Care to join me?