What are you thankful for?

So here it is, Thanksgiving already.  And in the spirit, I'd like to post what I've been thankful for this year and also what I'll be thankful for next year. 

2009:  We've had a great year as a family.  Warren transferred to shore duty, so we've been able to see each other every day for almost a year.  Drastic change from 2008, that's for sure!  Benjamin has made great strides in his speaking and behavior, so that in itself could make for an entire post.  We are thankful for every forward step that he makes.  He truly is a sweet child. :)

2010:  We're thankful for children and the many blessing of them! 

writing and typing

So here it is, middle of the month and I have yet to post any type of miracle, big or small.  I have had lots of them though, I promise.  Maybe I should start scribbling them down when they occur so it will enable me to remember them.  Not that they are easy to forget, but rather more that I forget to type them.  I so often want to use write and type interchangeably, but they are indeed two different words with completely different meanings.. but I've found that in today's society, more people type rather than write.  I think it's more of a time constraint to write and you can't press backspace when you make a mistake.  I'd rather people not know how many mistakes I make while my brain and hands attempt to function together.  You'd be surprised how many words are left out when you type, but how your brain puts them in for you if you read fast enough. And with the whole letters out of order thing as well...

So some could say that the written word is lost and part of that statement may be true, but think of all that we're accomplishing in the saved time.  Interesting to note that most of the authors that the world considers brilliant only had pens and paper.  And sometimes not even pens and paper.

Little Miracle November 1

So many of you know from my facebook post that Benjamin was horrible Halloween afternoon/evening. The weather didn't exactly cooperate, so we had to change his costume around to a dinosaur who lives in the tropics (hah to my friend Raven) from just a regular dinosaur who lives elsewhere. (Where did they live, anyway?) So he had green shorts and a green shirt with scales that were made out of felt and a tail that was oh so adorable... and shoe coverings that I actually took the time to sew toenails on. Okay, well, I didn't exactly sew them on, I just used stitch witchery. Still, there was an effort made. :) So I put the costume on him and he went hysterical. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with those scales and literally ripped them off his shirt. I'm pretty sure he'd have gone for the scales on the shorts, but I saved them before the complete massacre could occur. I figure somebody can wear it sometime. Maybe he'll wear it for dress up one day.

So I had to sit and breathe and try not to get upset. Meanwhile, Warren was off getting candy for him because I had forgotten that Benjamin wouldn't actually be able to eat any of the candy that was given to him. Well, unless they gave him skittles or something like that, but I didn't want to take any chances of him not being able to eat any of it. He rarely gets candy. We still had Easter skittles in the pantry that I just threw last week. It had occurred to me much later that he really did do me a favor by not wanting to go out. He was sooo excited to see all the little kids come to the door dressed up. He particularly liked the little girls dressed as fairies. I think he thought that were actual fairies and that they were coming to see him specifically...and he had the most precious smile on his face. I'm not sure that he would have enjoyed them as much if we had been out walking around. So that sweet smile made up for the dinosaur massacre.

Little Miracles

So I'm thinking about doing a daily (and yes, I do know that is rather ambitious for my blogging style) post of little miracles that God shows me during the day. Now these little miracles will probably be more equated to happy moments, epiphanies, or perhaps an actual miracle. Since I'm rather new (okay, not new, but more like a "newb" as Warren says) at blogging, I'm not really sure what will happen when I update the post. Not sure if it will post a new date, but if it does, it does. You enjoy reading them anyway or you wouldn't be reading this. :)

October 30: We don't have a dishwasher, so you can frequently find me standing in the kitchen washing dishes. Interesting that I'm always washing dishes, but yet I always have dirty ones. I've had a dishwasher in my house for as long as I can remember washing dishes, so this chore can sometimes be a bit annoying for me. Benjamin loves listening to music and it does take my mind off of this boring chore, so I had some music playing in the background and "Hosanna" came on by Christy Nockels. I really love that song. So anyway, we have a window right above the sink, and as soon as the really pretty chorus started ("Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest"), I turned off the water so I could hear it better and the sun came up at that exact moment and shined right in my face. It was the sweetest thing. I really do love that window.

surprising conversations amongst strangers

So we've all had a cold this week and colds make me want to eat soup. I rarely eat soup even though I really enjoy it. Warren loves soup. I think it's a yankee thing. So anyway, while in Farm Fresh on the soup aisle (Which is quite the swanky grocery store even though most people there are buying spam and hamburger helper, no idea how they really stay in business.), I happened to hear a conversation between two young girls- twenty was probably a stretch for either of them. One of the girls picked up some soup and turned it around to read the label and said, "Oh, no, this has MSG." I found it interesting that someone of that age even knew what MSG was and cared enough to try to avoid it. She was right, MSG is horrible for you.

Oh, and I do realize how Farm Fresh stays in business- $9.79 gluten free pretzels, $5.29 gluten free cereal, and $6.29 rice bread. Seriously, I think all the celiacs and those who choose to eat gf in the area are keeping them above bankruptcy.

the surgery

So the whole thing went well. I had no complications during surgery and have yet to have any complications afterward. The whole thing is still somewhat surreal to me. Did I really have an organ taken out? Have I really had two surgeries in the last three years, one being a major, albeit common one? Yeah, I think I did because I have the one rather large scar and the more recent four little ones developing.

Yay for modern medicine. You got a problem and yo they solve it. hehe....

Gallbladder

So who really needs one anyway? Should it be a big deal that they're going to take an organ out of me? There are a few organs that seem to be nonessential.... like your appendix... gallbladder... I've even heard of people living without their spleens. Part of me wonders what the long term affects are of removing organs. Who are we to choose which ones are important and which ones are not? How long ago was it that we thought the earth was flat? Even still, I am quite at peace with willingly giving up an organ.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

P.S. Awesome verse.