A Month of Thanksgiving

In years past I have blogged about things I am thankful for during the month of November on a daily basis. This year, although I am still thankful for so much, I have not had the time to blog every day. (I've been working 10-13 hour days lately with my photography business.) So, since I have a couple minutes, I'll tell you 30 things I'm thankful for to cover every day of the month.
1. My God, whom created me and loves me despite my imperfections.
2. My husband, who loves me unconditionally, and encourages me in so many ways.
3. My boys who bring an unlimited amount of joy to my life, who make me laugh every day and who keep me on my toes.
4. My parents who are my biggest support system~ who pray, listen, and love when I need it most.
5. A VERY successfully first year of business!
6. My friends who help me make memories, who call at just the right time to lift my spirits.
7. Modern technology which allows me to see my parents when I miss them most and which also allows me to catch up with friends on social media.
8. My part time teaching job, which allows me flexibility, an easy schedule and some "play" money.
9. My inlaws who love me like their own.
10. Our dogs (I'm thankful for more than the other), who add to our family and love our boys something fierce.
11. Cleaning products, which help clean off the dining room table and walls when my boys try out their artistic ability unsupervised.
12. My 6 year old's compassionate heart, which led to him raising money for a local children's homeless shelter.
13. A healthy body and stamina, which has helped me prepare for a 1/2 marathon (13.1 miles) I'll be running the first weekend in December.
14. Our church choir, a place I enjoy going to every Sunday, where I can worship the Lord unabashedly.
15. My clients who go with my crazy ideas even when I say, "I need to find a way to get a piano out by the pond for a session. Let's make it happen."
16. Central heat...and a/c. It's Fall in the South, which means one day the lows are in the 40s and the next day they're in the upper 60s.
17. Food. I often take for granted that we can open the pantry and fridge and grab whatever we want to eat.
18. My religious freedom. In this day and age, people are offended by everything (even a cup!) but I can still worship my Lord without apologizing.
19. My 2 year old's strong willed, funny personality. He keeps me on my toes and argues with me all day long but he sure makes me laugh!
20. My creativity. I'm thankful that I can get an idea in my head and figure out how to execute it.
21. Our Sunday School class and our teacher, who makes Scripture come alive.
22. Our dishwasher. Oh, how I hate to wash dishes and I'm so thankful that I can have a machine do most of it for me!
23. Our credit union. I know this sounds silly but I have never met more friendly bank staff. They always act happy to see me and one teller goes out of his way to say hi to me every time I come to do a transaction.
24. Books. They're my "go to" for relaxation. After a long day it's nice to escape in a chessy romance novel.
25. My oldest's sudden passion for football. I love going to his games and listening to his enthusiastic football commentaries (although I don't know half of what he's talking about).
26. Starbucks. Hands down, my favorite corporate place to visit. They're ridiculously overpriced but it's my one big splurge these days.
27. Our neighbors. They watch out for me and the boys, checking in on us when Rob is working out of town or long hours.
28. Rob's job. He is appreciated at his job and it provides for our family, provides for me to stay home and pursue my dreams.
29. Modern transportation. My boys ask, almost on a daily basis, to get on an airplane to go see my parents. I'm thankful that, when we do visit them, it's only a few hour flight vs a several day train ride.
30. The internet. It makes so many facets of life much easier.

I'm sure these are repeats- or close to them- from years past. But, in an ever changing world, it's nice to know that what I'm thankful for rarely needs to change. I hope that you take time this month to appreciate all you have in life, whether it's big or small. Even the small things can be big at times! Last but not least, I am thankful for YOU, who reads my blog faithfully. Until December.....