30 Things to be Grateful for at 30.

30.)  My Life. Literally. I’m grateful to be alive and experience the things that I do. I’m grateful that despite the occasional health hiccup I’m a generally healthy person.
29.) Compassion. I wish there was more of it to go around, but I’m grateful for those who show compassion to me and even to those I don’t know.
28.) My Condo
27.) Laughing
26.) Sarcasm. Do I need to say more?
25.)  The Internet. How cool is it that we can connect with people from all around the world, people we would normally not get the chance to know, but with a couple of clicks on a keyboard we have instant friends and I know I have made some awesome friends online. Also all the information we need (and some we don’t) and the click of a mouse. So cool.
 24.) Food. I LOVE food. I love being able to taste something incredibly yummy and just sit and savor it. (although the chubs of my thighs wish I didn’t love it so much I’m sure)
 23.) Books. I love love love to read. I love getting immersed in another world. Being able to go on adventures with someone else and experience the things they do. I love to live as many lives as possible and that is possible with a book.
22.) hot water. This goes without saying. I am NOT a fan of the cold…anything.
21.) Electricity. So happy that I have the luxury of being able to flip a switch and have the lights turn on.
20.) Technology. Yay for the fact that I can call my mom from my phone and SEE her at the same time even though she lives in another state. Its made my kids be able to get to know her. Yay for being able to sit here and read through countless status updates so I can compare my life to those whom I hardly know but pretend I do.
19.) Soccer. While I haven’t played it in YEARS, it played a major part in my teenage years and I miss it (although I’d probably keel over and die if I tried to run like I did then)

18.) Movie Theatres. There is something just awesome about going to the theater and having a really good movie begin to play. The smell of buttery popcorn in the air. Its one of my favorite things.
17.) Music. I love to dance. I’m horrible at it. I have no rhythm and I’m as white as it gets, but I don’t care. I love to hear a good tune and sing my guts out as if I really am Celine Dion and my heart really will go on and on….
16.) Airplanes. I love that I can pay a butt load of money and be able to fly and see people and places that I love, rather than driving a gazillion hours, because I HATE LONG CAR RIDES.
15.) Swimming Pools. I love to swim, I love to take my kids swimming. I love feeling weightless and free.
14.) Blankets. I love blanket. I love to cuddle up on the couch, even in the summer and snuggle up in a blanket.
13.) TV. I’m a junkie. I don’t care who knows it. My DVR has become one of my best friends. Don’t Judge.
12.) Coke~a~Cola. Okay so silly thing to be grateful for, but seriously I LOVE this drink.
11.) DISNEYLAND!!!! This almost made the Top 10, but I decided to reserve that for people rather than things or places. But seriously my favorite place. I love Disneyland. How could you not? I don’t care how old  you are, when you go there you feel like a kid. It doesn’t matter that you know the person behind the Mickey Mouse costume is really a college girl working her way through school or that more than likely 5 minutes before they came out, The Beast was smoking a cigarette. As soon as you see those characters you are running for them and hugging them because lets face it…Its  Magic!! Plus they have some of my favorite rides ever. I love Disneyland! (Also if someone could take me there this year as a way to celebrate this 30th milestone in my life I’d be grateful)



10.) Grandparents. I have always been close to my grandparents and am so happy to have them in my life. Each set have been true examples to me of everlasting love and friendship. Even when my Grandpa Williams passed away my Grandma showed such love and gratitude for him on a daily basis that I can’t help but be touched my how much they loved each other. My mom’s parents have always been such a deep example of love for me and I am so grateful I still get to have both in my life. Even my husbands grandmas (and grandpas when they were still alive) are such true examples for me and such amazing people. I love them and respect them and feel as though they are my own grandparents.


9.) My boss. I have the best boss. She also happens to be my aunt and not just an aunt, a second mom. I am grateful for her and the fact that she makes it able for me to work only a couple of days a week so that I can stay with my kids. I am grateful for growing up when she would be my soccer coach and the sleepovers she let me have with her kids at her house. I am also grateful that I have gotten to know her as an adult and what an awesome person she is.


 8.) Friends. I have some of the most amazing friends in the world. Some I’ve known for over 10 years and some newer, but none less important. I am so grateful for them and the joy they have brought to me. I am grateful for the fun we have when we are together regardless of how long it has been since we have seen one another.


 7.) Cousins. I have always been close to my cousins. I am so grateful for them all in my life and the fun I have been able to have with them. Growing up I considered a couple of them more like sisters than cousins, I still do. I know we will grow old and continue to be close.  I have a great relationship with many of my cousins and I am thankful that I can call some of them my best friends.

 6.) In law Siblings. I was going to make this part of #5, but decided to make it its own post. I have always wanted sisters. I got them with my sister in laws. I was first lucky to get a sister in 2001 when my brother got married.  Aubrey shows me the type of mother and wife I want to be. She is so clever and patient. I learn from her whenever I am around.  My husbands sisters I have such great respect for. I feel as though I have a special relationship with each of them.  I know I can tell Andrea anything and she will never judge me. She is always there to help me when I need it and hope she knows she can feel the same way about me. Amy and I have so much in common and it is so nice to actually be able to talk to someone in my family that has similar interests as my own. Nicole, while not married to my brother, is already a sister in law in my eyes and I am so grateful for her and Charlee in my life.  I also have some awesome brother in laws who make me laugh constantly!!

 5.) My In Laws. I have the most amazing in laws in the world. First my Mother in Law and Father in Law. I could not have asked for a better pair. They have taken me in from the moment I started dating my husband and made me feel part of their family. I never felt like an outsider. I feel so comfortable around them as if I have always been there. I am so grateful to have them in my life. They do so much for me. I hear so many people complain about their in laws and I just laugh because I know how lucky I am to have snatched the best pair out there. If anyone out there thinks there In Laws are better than mine? You are VERY mistaken. Sorry.


4.) My brothers. Growing up the only girl in my family I never felt like an outsider with my brothers. I grew up very close with my older brother and am so grateful that I could talk to him and tell him secrets when I didn’t have anyone else to go to. I am so grateful for my younger brother and the fact that we have become close as the years have gone on. I am so happy that I have gotten to know both of them and can honestly say if I wasn’t related to them I would still like them and want them in my life. They both show me different qualities that I’d like to see in myself.


3.) My parents. I have the best parents. My dad passed away when I was 19, but during the 19 years I was lucky enough to have him I was blessed. He was such a compassionate and kind soul. He always was looking for ways to help those around him. He also showed me that family is important and that you should never take them for granted. After my dad passed away, my mom got remarried and I’m very grateful for my step dad. He has made my mom very happy and has been so nice to my little family.  He can take the grief I give him and in turn can joke about it. I’m SO grateful for my mom. She is the rock of our family. I love her and I don’t know what I would do without her. She is and always will be my best friend (along with my hubby J ) She is beautiful and strong and independent and I have always looked up to her for who she is and how she sticks with her convictions. I am so thankful that I have gotten to know her as an adult and that I know I can always depend on her. She is an amazing woman!


2.) My husband. I have the most amazing husband in the world. He is incredibly smart, funny, good looking, and dependable. He works so hard for our family and even when things get tough he sticks it out to support us. He has made it so I can raise our two beautiful children. He is my soul mate and is the only person in the world who could handle me for who I am and not expect me to change in anyway. He is such an example to me and I am in constant awe of him. He makes me so happy and I know that he was sent here for me. I have such an incredible amount of respect for him and who he is.


1.) My Children. They are the most amazing and beautiful souls. They are so unique and fun to be around. They have taught me a kind of love that I never knew existed and that nothing else can compare to. I always had people say to me, you never understand the concept of unconditional love until you have children and when I finally had my own, I agreed. There is nothing I wouldn’t do or give for my children.