I'm thankful for...

Because I'm waiting for a cheesecake to cool enough to put it in the refrigerator and because I have too much on my mind to sleep tonight anyway, I thought, hey, why not blog?  So without further ado, here is a list of things I'm thankful for (but no pictures because I'm lazy...don't hate.)  I'll get the meaningful/serious stuff out first...keep reading for the lighter stuff.

I'm thankful for my life.  It's not perfect.  It's not easy.  It's not always rosy.  But it's a good life and I like it most of the time.

I'm thankful for my family.  We're not perfect but when it comes right down to it, we really love each other.  I know it and they know it. There is a peace and contentment that comes from that knowledge that cannot be matched.

I'm thankful for so many people I can't even begin to name them all.  But basically, if you read this blog, you're probably on this list.  If you text/call/email me, you're on this list.  If you call me Jeanellie or Sister Shaw or Sh-Shaw or Shimmy-Shimmy-Shaw, you're on this list.  If you smile at me, make me laugh, hug me or tell me you love me, you're most definitely on this list - and quite possibly near the very top.

I'm thankful for my testimony.  I'm thankful to know that my nature is divine.  I'm thankful to know that we have a living prophet on the earth today.  I'm thankful for Joseph Smith.  I'm thankful for my older brother (and yours) Jesus Christ. I'm especially thankful for prayer.

I'm thankful for work -- both in the church and in the world.  I have been blessed with the greatest calling and I've been blessed with a wonderful job, working with (mostly) wonderful people.

And on a slightly lighter note...in no particular order

I'm thankful for my iPhone, the color red, crushed ice, my ability to bake, cute pajamas, and that I'm a girl and not a boy.  I'm thankful for makeup and hair dryers and pretty purses.  I'm thankful for music - especially the new Michael Buble Christmas CD and pretty much any show tune. I'm thankful I weigh less this November than I did last November. I'm thankful for Eclipse gum and bagel thins with peanut butter.  I'm thankful for the movie "Pride and Prejudice."  I'm thankful for sheets and pillows and blankets and memory foam mattress toppers.  I'm thankful for those dark chocolate acai berries at Costco.  I'm thankful for fun watches and cute earrings. I'm thankful for inside jokes.  I'm thankful for babies and cute little kids. I'm thankful for hope.

There's the timer!  I can put my cheesecake in the fridge now - yay!  Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!

Gratitude - Day 30 (aka I DID IT!)

I made it! I blogged every day for a month and I'm fairly certain I came up with 90 different things to be thankful for (I think the daily blogging is a bigger accomplishment, to be honest.) I should have saved the most special or meaningful thankful things for today but that's not how I roll. The final list will be 100% me -- very random.

1. I'm thankful for See's dark chocolate buttercreams (the ones with the vanilla centers.) I love that you can eat two and be pleasantly satisfied. I also love that See's sells them individually so you can get your chocolate fix without the guilt associated with buying an entire box.

2. I'm thankful for the movie "Elf." You seriously cannot watch that movie and remain in a bad mood. It's physically impossible. If you don't believe me, just try it the next time you're sad or angry. And then quote it along with me:

• The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear
• You stink. You smell like beef and cheese
• I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!
• Son of a nutcracker!
• This place looks like Santa's workshop. Except it smells like mushrooms and everyone looks like they want to hurt me.
• I love you. I'll call you back in five minutes.
• Smiling's my favorite (Kim's favorite)
• You sit on a throne of lies (my favorite)

3. I'm thankful for people who read and comment on my blog. Yes I blog first and foremost for myself but it's nice to get feedback from you, my friends (both real life and internet.) Pretty much everyone who reads my blog has had some sort of positive influence on my own life and for that, I'm so very grateful. I am some kind of blessed girl. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Gratitude - Day 29 (the penultimate!**)

** Great word, I know. I impressed even myself with that one.

1. I'm thankful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I feel peace every day of my life because I know I'm a daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. I love that I'm a member of a ward that feels like a family. I love serving in my callings. Most of all, I love knowing that there is a plan for all of us.

2. I'm thankful for music. I love that music makes you feel, think, and remember.

3. I'm thankful for hoop earrings. Really, if you are undecided about jewelry, a pair of hoops is always an excellent choice and they are pretty much the earring du jour for me.

Gratitude - Day 28

1. I'm thankful for days where I have nothing scheduled. Today I did a couple of loads of laundry and, well, that's pretty much it. Totally lazy day. Which brings me to my next item...

2. I'm really thankful for warm and comfy sweats.

3. I'm thankful for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. I just find him extremely yummy and appealing.**

** Okay, can you tell I'm getting to the end of this never-ending month and I'm running out of things to say??? I could also be brain dead because I was so lazy today. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Gratitude - Day 27

1. I'm thankful for holiday traditions. For the last three or four years, I've woken up early and gone shopping with my friend Tricia. We have the best time finding deals, listening to Christmas music, laughing at people in their horrible Christmas sweaters, and finishing up our morning, exhausted with lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.

2. I'm thankful for a working heater in my car and that I can drive with the heat on full blast for as long as I want. I'd be even more thankful if my car had heated seats but I'll take what I can get.

3. I'm thankful I can read. Even though I love it, I don't read nearly enough these days. I start books and never finish them. I still haven't finished Breaking Dawn, in fact. Anyway, I think I might set a goal to read a certain number of books next year. Last night, I started reading a new book, The Cinderella Pact that my friend Shannon recommended. I'll post a review when I finish...if I finish. ;)

Gratitude - Day 26

1. I'm thankful for a great Thanksgiving day. Everything turned out perfectly, even the overflowing trifle. My mom has sort of retired from cooking Thanksgiving dinners, although she still does the turkey & stuffing. So she lets us do a lot of the work and I love it (well, cooking a big meal a few times a year is nice, anyway!) My darling niece McKenzie wanted to help a lot too, which was great (although, I think one reason behind wanting to help is all of the tasting and licking of spoons she was able to do...but I could be wrong...maybe. ;)

2. I'm thankful my brother found a nice woman to spend his time with (it feels funny calling her his girlfriend when they are both 50ish.) He had a rough divorce a few years ago and it's just nice seeing him happy.

3. I'm thankful for family. I'm grateful I was able to spend today with my mom, four of my siblings, and ten nieces and nephews. We aren't perfect. In fact, we are often kind of a mess of a family but we love each other and I also know they always, always, always have my back. That's a pretty great feeling.

Gratitude - Day 25

1. I'm thankful for the Friends Thanksgiving episodes. The One Where Ross Got High is a personal favorite followed closely by The One with the Rumor (aka the Brad Pitt episode.) Both still make me laugh. Here's a fun list and you can also watch the Brad episode here.

2. I'm thankful that I made two desserts for tomorrow because one of them is not looking promising. The pumpkin/gingerbread trifle that I found on Paula Deen's website is overflowing in my fridge. It made so much that I couldn't even get the last layer of whipped cream on top. Hopefully it'll squish down as it settles tonight in the fridge. I have a normal sized trifle dish so I'm not sure what went wrong...it just seems like too much gingerbread, possibly? I should have made Gabi's recipe.

3. I'm thankful to have four days off. I'm so in need of a break from work.

Gratitude - Day 24

1. I'm thankful for days where I feel efficient. Today I put in a full day of work, shopped at three different stores, had dinner with friends and then went to two other friends' homes to drop stuff off. Busy! And yes, I'm exhausted.

2. I'm thankful for pre-lit Christmas trees. I bought a new one at Sam's Club today so that I won't have to deal with my old "I don't want to light up every day" tree from last year (too tired to link - just read my last December posts if you forgot what I dealt with last Christmas.) Anyway, the new one looks perfect and was a great price too. I'm excited to put it up this weekend.

3. I'm thankful for a family sighting when I least expect it. Today I ran into Jaylene, Rylee & Carsen over at Sam's Club and it was such a fun treat and surprise to see them. It just made me happy the rest of the day.

Gratitude - Day 23

1. I'm thankful I'm at peace knowing that I'm with the family I was meant to be with. I think most of you know I'm adopted. I'm just grateful that I know I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be (yes I'm watching that "Find My Family" show.)

2. I'm thankful for clean sheets for my bed. I love a freshly made bed. I prefer cotton sheets to flannel, in case you were wondering (I knew you were.)

3. I'm thankful for lipstick. Lipstick makes your teeth appear whiter, keeps your lips from drying out and the right shade will make you just look fabulous. If you don't wear it, you totally should. Let's go shopping and I'll help you pick out a good color.

Gratitude - Day 22

1. I'm thankful for laughter...and not just any laughter. I'm talking about the tears streaming out of your eyes and crossing your legs so you don't wet your pants kind of laughter. It's really the greatest.

2. I'm thankful I feel good about the talk I gave in Sacrament meeting today. My topic was "how to be grateful for blessings, even through times of adversity." I can never write my talks any sooner than the night before, which I know would make some people crazy but that's just how I roll. I got a little stressed about it but it all came together so nicely and I feel great about what I said. I cried too much though toward the end, though. Blech. I'm retiring from public speaking for awhile though. Two talks in a week is kind of a lot.

3. I'm thankful I had a great day in Primary. It felt almost effortless doing the music today. The kids wanted to participate, they learned the new songs I taught them and I think they had fun too. I just need to come up with some sort of schedule or routine...then I'll be able to relax a bit about it.

Gratitude - Day 21

1. I'm thankful for coupons. Coupons enable me to afford really fun things that I might not normally buy.

2. I'm thankful for technology. Thanks to my church's website, I was able to find materials to prepare my talk for tomorrow. I remember years ago going to a friend's house to prepare a talk because her dad had literally saved every single church magazine that had ever been published. Thankfully, all of that is only a mouse click away now.

3. I'm thankful I can type fast and without looking at my fingers. I feel sad for people who use only two of their fingers to type. Life is too short to type slow.

Gratitude - Day 20

1. I'm thankful for medicine. My mom is feeling so much better after taking 10 pills a day for the last five days. And anything that cures a headache? Love it.

2. I'm thankful for good smells. Scentsy's honey pear cider is quite fabulous.

3. I'm thankful for fun-filled weekends. Tonight I painted a ceramic plate at a friend's art studio (I might post a pic when it's done.) Tomorrow is New Moon with my mom then lunch and shopping with KMZT. It's so nice to be able to relax...well, until I give a talk in sacrament meeting on Sunday (have I written it yet? Um, no...that's what tomorrow night is for.)

Gratitude - Day 19

1. I'm thankful for darling movies like "Up." I love, love, love Dug...especially when he said "I hid under your porch because I love you." Dogs are just the greatest and dogs with special collars that allow them to talk are even better.

2. I'm thankful for the times when I'm brave. I need to be brave more often - it's a good thing.

3. I'm thankful for fun mail like magazines, Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel catalogs, surprises from far away blog friends and Thanksgiving cards from sweet friends.

Gratitude - Day 18

1. I'm thankful for plays that are shorter as opposed to the ones that are longer. We saw a wonderfully performed play tonight (oh, if only I could sing like that!) that was three hours including a 20 minute intermission. On a school/work night!?! Ugh. (And if you're counting along with me, that really was 3 plays in a week...and, yes, that might have something to do with my impatience.)

2. I'm thankful for a job that allows me to work outside the office. Today I was able to work from my mom's and keep her company while she's suffering with shingles. Poor momma...

3. I'm thankful for Caesar salad, especially when I make it myself. It's such a nice lunch. I especially love the Costco focaccia croutons and super fresh hearts of romaine from Sam's or Costco (way better than the bagged salad and totally worth the washing/salad spinning time.) Oh and speaking of Caesar salad, I love the one at Pizza Factory in UT...with the bow tie pasta? Yum. I've gotta go there next time I visit.

Gratitude - Day 17

1. I'm thankful for Christmas music. I'm not listening to it exclusively yet, just here and there. I love the music of the Christmas season and all that it represents.

2. I'm thankful for temple work and that tonight, I was able to do work for my great aunt Grace, someone I loved and spent a lot of time with as a child. It was my first time ever doing temple ordinances for an actual relative of mine (I am not a genealogy girl) and I loved it.

3. I'm thankful for recipes. If it wasn't for a recipe, the stuff I make would taste really bad. And with that, here is a recipe for a really good cheese ball for the holidays...I wanted to put in a baked good but couldn't copy/paste into blogger (now that's a little annoying!)

2 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 jar Kraft Old English or Bacon cheese
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 lb bacon, fried, drained & crumbled.

Mix cheeses and liquid smoke then form into a ball. Press bacon onto outside. Try not to eat the whole thing.

Gratitude - Day 16

I'm not feeling overly grateful tonight so it's probably a good thing I'm forcing myself to do this...

1. I'm grateful that I don't have to wash my hair every morning. It's a relief that I can sleep in at least every other morning and sometimes less often than that.

2. I'm grateful for furniture because sitting or sleeping on the floor would be really awful.

3. I'm grateful that the end is in sight at work. I've had extra responsibilities for the last seven months (it was only supposed to be one month.) They're finally going to be hiring someone else. And there is so much more I want to say here but...it's a better story in person anyway.

Gratitude - Day 15

1. I'm thankful for new callings. I was released today from the Primary presidency and I'm now the Primary chorister. I'm excited to do something that's more creative but I will miss the women with whom I served in the presidency and I'm glad we are still going to hang out in the Primary room each Sunday. Other good things? No meetings, I know the kids already, no Saturday night/Sunday morning calls from teachers telling me they're not showing up and little to no learning curve. I had this calling about 6-7 years ago so I still have a lot of "stuff" to help make things fun for the kids.

2. I'm thankful for my Weight Watchers leader. (Yes, I joined WW several weeks ago. I haven't felt the need to mention it here just because I wanted to wait and make sure I had my head on straight first...and it is. I'm making slow but steady progress.) My leader is this incredibly fun, funny and talented guy named Michael. My favorite thing is when we go into the room and he has a CD player out because it means he's going to sing for us. He has a pretty incredible voice.

3. I'm thankful for the temple. I'm grateful that I live about 20 minutes away from ours so it's easy to get there. I'm going Tuesday night with one of my sisters and I can't wait.

Gratitude - Day 14

1. I'm thankful for good deals on MP3s at Amazon.com. You have to always check there first before you buy from iTunes, people. You can get Tim McGraw's new CD for $5 and Bon Jovi's is $3.99. I'm too lazy to link - I know you can find your way there.

2. I'm thankful I made it through this morning's Priest/Laurel activity. I had some engaged kids and some who were not the least bit interested. I feel like it went okay but it's so hard to know -- especially with kids who are complete strangers to me. I'm happy it's over and done with. And in case you were wondering, giving the same 45 minute talk twice in a row is completely exhausting.

3. I'm thankful for the hope that someday I'll find love. Unfortunately, the feeling is fleeting -- sure wish it would last.

Gratitude - Day 13

1. I'm thankful for electricity. As Kara commented in yesterday's post, when we got to the Seattle Center all of the lights were out and apparently they'd been out all day (obviously, none of us watch the news.) The cast was ready to do the show by flashlight but I didn't think "Emma" would translate well without costumes and stuff...watching someone sitting in their sweats on the stage just doesn't scream "Jane Austen" to me. Thankfully, power was restored in time so we didn't have to make the decision to stay or go.

2. I'm thankful for Survivor blindsides. Even though Russell is basically a disgusting, lying human being, last night's shocking vote was just awesome.

3. I'm thankful my talk for tomorrow morning's Priest/Laurel retreat is done. I have to give my 45 minute talk, twice. Prayers are welcome...

Gratitude - Day 12 (holy cow, it's late!)

1. I'm thankful for Jane Austen. Tonight I went to see "Emma" at a tiny little theater downtown. It was done with no real sets, simple props, in the round and with the most beautiful costumes. I love live theater almost as much as I love Jane Austen stories. They just make me happy.

2. I'm thankful for wonderful friends. I have more amazing friends than any one girl deserves to have. One such friend listened (okay, read my countless IM's) as I blathered on and on about something kind of exciting happening in my life right now. Then tonight, I went to the play with five fun and fantastic women with whom I love spending time. Life is good.

3. I'm thankful for Panera's broccoli cheddar soup. It just might be the world's most perfect food. (Sorry, I only have 4 minutes til midnight...I had to write SOMETHING!)