Wow!!!!!

I have to take some time to brag on my husband for last night. First of all, you must know that he is not very fond of Valentine's Day (the word "hate" has been used). I, on the other hand, love everything about it. I don't care if it is commercialized, and think it is a day to show someone how much you love them. Yes, I do understand you should be doing that all the time, and I strive to do that in my life, but I get caught up in all the hoopla just the same. I knew we had reservations for my favorite restaurant in our town, but had no idea that he had other surprises up his sleeve. When I got home from work, there were paper hearts cut out leading up from our basement to the laundry room. On the back of each heart he had written a reason he loved me. Yes, this made me cry. It was incredible to see on paper things I didn't realize meant so much to him. When I finished reading the hearts and walked in upstairs, he handed me a bag with the new Colbie Cailiett CD in it. I had mentioned that I really liked her two songs on the radio, and he ran with it!! We then get ready and head over to Mauricio's for our dinner reservations. I had dropped off a gift for Blake to be left on our table, but little did I know, he had done the same thing. The owner of the restaurant walks over with a rose and a card and gives them to me!! The card was the sweetest. Even though, he didn't spend much money (he thinks things are way over-priced on Valentine's Day), it was the perfect gift!! I've added some pictures of what he did for me to brag a little more! I hope you enjoy them!

The Next 25

Here are the next 25 things I'm thankful for...

26. Flowers from my Daddy on Valentine's Day (love it and will never get tired of being Daddy's little girl)
27. A day with nothing to do (rarely happens, but I try to grab hold of them every chance I get)
28. 2 pillows on my bed (bad neck pains with just one)
29. New curtains in our bedroom (now it stays dark even when it is light outside!)
30. Chocolate!! (This probably should have been higher on the list)
31. Mother's Day Luncheon 2007 (this was a great time with my Mom, grandmothers, aunts, and cousin last year)
32. Rubber stamps (Have I mentioned I love to make cards!)
33. My Camera (Canon Digital Rebel XTI - greatest ever!)
34. The softest Bunny Rabbit ever (yes, I have a pet bunny)
35. Flylady (helped me realize that I can do anything for 15 minutes - even clean!)
36. Sunrises (and being able to be up to see them almost every day thanks to my little puppy and his small bladder)
37. Poets (small local coffee shop)
38. Being able to give to others
39. Christmas traditions
40. Seeing the world from 37,000 feet (most incredible thing I've ever seen)
41. 34 mile bike ride with my husband
42. Fall (everything about it, it is my favorite time of year)
43. The feeling I get when I hear a song from my past
44. Basketball
45. Wal-mart (for those of you who know me, I'm addicted)
46. The first sign of buttercups
47. Decaf coffee (so I can still drink it!)
48. UCSC
49. Teenside
50. Lylewood Christian Camp (so many wonderful memories)

Quest for Contentment

Well, here is day 2 of blogging (I’m doing good so far)! I pulled out an old book that I started to read several years ago titled “Calm My Anxious Heart”. It is a book about being content. Can that really be the answer?? Read a book, and voila, you’re a content woman! Surely not. So far, I am finding some good nuggets of material in the book. I also believe that one way to be content is to focus on your blessings, count them or name them one by one if you will. I’ve seen something similar to this done on other blogs, so bear with me as I roll through 100 things I’m thankful for in my quest for contentment! (I’ll break it up into 25 at a time.)

1. A house that I can come home to every day, call my own, and work on to make it what I want.
2. A husband who loves me and is willing to spend hard hours working on our house.
3. A job that I can go to every day (even when I want to stay in bed) to make money to pay for the house, food, clothes, and fun stuff.
4. Being greeted by an excited puppy when I get home from work (everyone should experience this once)!
5. A car that is paid for.
6. A truck that is paid for.
7. The perfect parents (I could go on and on here, but I’m trying to keep it as short as possible)
8. My husband’s family accepting me like one of their own.
9. A mother-in-law I get along with (from talking to lots of my married friends, this is a big one!)
10. Scrapbook paper (I love this stuff, and could be addicted to buying it!)
11. A basement (the junk is out of sight, and I have a place to go in a storm)
12. Rocking chairs on my front porch (there is no better place to be when it is raining)
13. Starbucks (marble mocha macchiato and a peppermint mocha during the holidays)
14. Facebook and Myspace (I have found so many people I haven’t seen in a long time, it’s a great way to keep in touch)
15. Anniversaries (I love celebrating marriages)
16. A supportive church family
17. My huddle group (new and old)
18. Sitting in the window at Poet’s drinking coffee watching it snow on the square in Cookeville (nothing better!)
19. My booth at Broadway Boutique (I find so much joy in making cards)
20. The ability to write letters (so much better than e-mail)
21. My space heater under my desk (I had to go without it yesterday, so I’m very thankful for it today!)
22. Books I get lost in.
23. The time I get to spend with my girlfriends from high school and college (I don’t see them much, so I treasure every moment)
24. Hot showers
25. The cruise I got to take with my husband in October 2007.