January is Not So Bad

We are almost to the end of January (I hear you cheering).  I've got nothing against January-- I save my blah feelings for February.  Nevertheless, I understand that there are many who do not love January.  I've put together a little list of what I am grateful for to counteract any January blues.

1.  Abe's birthday is TODAY!!!!  He is 37 and we have a hot date planned-- a play at Hale Center Theater and then dinner at P.F. Changs.  To quote a little Black-Eyed Peas, (because you know how up to date I am on the music scene) "Tonight's gonna be a good night!"  Abe is still my favorite person on the planet, and I do believe I am his favorite.  Then the children, but then Mitt Romney.  And I'm okay with that order.

2.  I live in a relatively safe and honest community.  Case in point, I can leave my keys in the ignition and leave all my doors unlock while I take my little boys into Walmart and my car is left undisturbed until I return.  As happy as I am that my car was still there, in hindsight, it really wasn't a good decision.   I will try really hard to not do that again.  Oops. 
I don't think I think very clearly when I am go to Walmart because the last time as I was heading back out to my car I parked my cart next to my car and tried over and over to unlock it.  I was so confused when the van suddenly started on it's own.  I thought, "What is going on?  I don't have one of those fancy 'start you car with the press of a button on your key chain' cars!"  I looked at the driver's seat and lo and behold-- someone is sitting there.  Yeah, it was not my van. 

3.  I am grateful for reasonable, realistic expectations.  For several years now it has seemed to be too much for me to make sure all members of this family are dressed anew and groomed neatly every day.  I don't want to say I've given up the quest, but let's face it-- I hit the mark on Sundays and I think that is acceptable.  There are days I forget to comb my hair.  If you see me with a rather unkempt ponytail, there is a good chance my lovely locks have not made contact with a brush that day.  (How have I come to this?)  It is not uncommon for Cannon to wear his clothing--regular daytime clothing or pajamas for 48 hours.  I am happy to encourage him to wear a super-hero outfit overtop his pajamas because then I am not reminded of what he's got on underneath.  Meanwhile, Faith still changes her clothes 4 times a day.  I figure between the two of them we average a proper amount of clean clothing. 

4.  Friends.  I am always grateful for friends.  Book club friends, piano friends, home school friends, church friends, exercise friends, sister friends, long-distance friends family friends, couple friends.  Bethany recently asked me if my friends were as important to me as her's are to her.  I explained that with adults, it is different.  I don't need to get together with my friends a lot to play.  For me, they are a support, they think the best of me, they are on my side, they want to best for me and vice versa. 

"It is a good thing to be rich and a good thing to be strong, but it is a better thing to be loved by many friends." --Euripides

5.  Tomorrow is the end of an era.  Clark's final PiPod Lego League state competition is tomorrow at the University of Utah.  It is bittersweet.  For the last 3 years the experience as nothing but positive and a HUGE blessing to Clark and our whole family.  Very, very grateful. 

6.  Grateful to be able to home school my children.  I enjoy them.  I enjoy the rhythm of the day.  Which rhythm as been interrupted by my blogging at 10:00 in the morning.  Time for me to go crack the whip!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABE!! I LOVE YOU!!