It’s *Christmastime* in Our House! #NaBloPoMo

Ok, so maybe it’s not quite Christmastime, but for us today is Thanksgiving. Barry has to go back offshore to work tomorrow and won’t be back until ten days before Christmas which means he will miss Thanksgiving, our 14th “together” anniversary, and his own birthday. Being the thoughtful wife that I am (most of the time anyway… lol) I decided we would have Thanksgiving and our anniversary/birthday celebrations today before he leaves…

Since our tradition is to put up the tree on Thanksgiving, we went ahead and bought a tree and a few decorations yesterday so that we could have it assembled before the kids got out of school. We put the tree up with the intention of decorating it as a family during our feast today, but of course the kids got all tickled about the tree being up yesterday evening and before we knew it, it was decorated LOL

They did a great job on their own, but we’re going to get it all *spruced* up this evening together. (Get it … SPRUCE … It’s a spruce tree, people. Stay with me lol) You can click on the image to enlarge it on your screen:

There are so many things I’m thankful for. God has made this the most amazing year we’ve ever seen and I look out over the path of our lives and all I can do is feel butterflies. There’s a feeling of excitedness that he’s brought us through and beyond so much. Then there’s a feeling of nervousness as I don’t know what’s next. God’s purpose in our lives may not be completely evident, but what I do know is that there is a purpose in everything He does and I love Him for always knowing and doing what’s best for us even when we want the opposite.

PSALM 107:1

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!

Today is the day that we begin to give thanks to God for the harvest that we’ve seen and the harvest that has yet to come. We will be spending time reflecting on our lives: evaluating our hearts, and renewing our spirits… It is a never-ending process and one that we’re always prompted to pay close attention to when we think of everything we have to be so very thankful for.

I love lists. I live by them most of the time because my memory is so poor LOL! It’s always helpful for me to make a list of things I’m thankful for because filling in each line requires careful consideration and lifts my soul as my focus is redirected from the hustle and bustle of life to the blessings that are sprinkled and poured all throughout it :)

I’m thankful for…

1.  My faith: I remember a time I didn’t acknowledge God… I didn’t feel loved by Him, didn’t concern myself with pleasing Him, and wasn’t sure if I believed He even existed. I am thankful that He never left me, has never forsaken me, and never got fed up with my hardheadedness but brought me to where I am from where I was despite myself.
2. My family: We’ve seen just about every struggle and weathered just about every storm together.
1. My husband: Barry and I have grown up together. I think about the last 12 years, 5 months, and 5 days since we found out we were expecting Briyana when I was just 16 years old and I remember how terrified I was. I can’t put into words how much of a blessing Barry has been. There is no question God made me for him, and him for me. He calls me his angel. What he doesn’t realize is that it is only because of him that I became who I am. I learned from him just as much as I taught. The fact that there is no doubt our love is eternal is one of the biggest blessings I’ve ever received and I thank God for bringing us — and keeping us — together.
2. Our children: It would be impossible to explain how thankful I am for them. There aren’t words that exist which could be put together in any form or fashion that could give my feelings justice. I live for them. I breathe for them. I would die for them with a smile. They make my whole life worth living, give meaning to things that are otherwise meaningless, and touch me in ways I never thought possible. I can’t thank God enough for giving them all to me. I’m thankful that God has provided so abundantly for us that I know my babies will never have to go to bed hungry, will always have somewhere to lay their heads, and have no concern for whether or not they will have clothes to wear.
3. My parents: I don’t know what I would do without my mother. Despite me being a selfish, manipulative, disrespectful, disobedient juvenile delinquent, my mom never gave up on me and never stopped seeing the power of God and the plan He had for my life. She gave of herself when most parents would have given up and I will forever be indebted to her for that. My step dad hasn’t been in our lives very long, but I appreciate him being there for my mom and making her life complete. I love him for stepping into a position that my father was never willing to occupy and being the “Pawpaw” that my kids would otherwise have never had.
3. Our careers: Who knew that after so much uncertainty we would finally both be doing what we love? I realize that it’s rare these days to be able to make a good living and enjoy what you do so the fact that we both feel fulfilled in our career paths is definitely a blessing. I love working from home, interacting with my clients, designing, and having the flexibility that I need to be there for our kids at the drop of a hat! I love that Barry is always eager to go back to work after having a month home to enjoy his family. I love that we both are satisfied with what we’re making and both feel we are getting paid what we’re worth for the work we do. I know that none of this is our own doing but God’s.
4. Our home: Not necessarily this house, but the environment. I am so grateful that we were able to move to Georgia… Louisiana was not for us. Mississippi DEFINITELY was not for us. This place has felt like “home” since day 1 and I know that this is where we are meant to be. I’m thankful for God directing our path and ordering our steps. And that being said, I do love this house :) …

Now that I’ve got my Thanksgiving mindset going and Zoe to un-help me cook (anyone who has a 3 year old knows what UN-help means LOL), I can get started on our feast for this evening. I’m looking forward to me, Barry, and the kids having my mom and stepdad over for Thanksgiving in our home for the first time. Tomorrow brings our time together to an end and I’ll be missing my hubby for 35 days, but also still thankful that he will be out there working hard to provide a good life for us.

What are YOU thankful for?

#NaBloPoMo:

For the entire month of November, I’m participating in National Blog Posting Month. Read more —>