Things I'm Thankful For

I've been meaning to write a post about this topic for quite some time now. I have much to be thankful for as of late. In no particular order, I'd like to share them with you:

*My husband: Yes, he's older than me, has a grown son, and we don't look a traditional "Utah" couple. However, we don't live in Utah and our age difference does not matter to anyone out here; Oregon is such an "open" state- anything goes out here! I was married prior to Mark, and I was miserable. On the outside, my ex and I looked like a cute, young, "Utah" couple. However, I was horribly depressed and miserable all the time. With Mark I'm incredibly happy. He is genuine, thoughtful, fun, responsible, educated, loving, spiritual and the list goes on and on....he and I are truly a team and I feel like I actually have a partner in life. He is incredibly supportive and overall a wonderful husband. Mark is my best friend and we love spending time with each other. I'm lucky to have found him and am happier than I have ever been. Life is too short to worry about appearances or what others think of you.

*Our jobs/financial decisions: We live in a small, rural (I call it rural) community and people are losing their jobs left and right. Businesses are closing daily. To date, our jobs have not been threatened by the economy, and we continue to pray that they won't be. We have received official word that our school district is no longer ordering school supplies, we are to turn the middle bank of lights off in our rooms all day, and there will be no pay increases next year. Rumor has it, our district is in such a financial crisis (due to lack of funding from the state) that we will have to cut days at the end of the year (which will decrease our paychecks) or cut teachers. Literally, my school's secretaries are working with no lights, we are expected to eat with no lights, and we receive very little heat throughout the day.
This all has me somewhat worried since I've only been teaching for 5 years. I truly hope my job is not in jeopardy. Thank goodness we make sound financial decisions. Naturally, we spend a bit more here and there on things for the house, or random frivolities, but we pay for everything up front. Between us there is not one credit card. Our only debts are house, car, my student loans, and last summer's kitchen remodel. It could be worse, but we certainly do not live above our means and our home is incredibly modest.

*Ryan and new baby: Mark and Ryan have an excellent relationship. They talk almost daily and Ryan is a wonderful young man. I can only hope that our son is as polite and talented as Ryan. We are very thankful that our pregnancy has gone smoothly despite the numerous complications we could be having in our situation. I've literally not had one day of morning sickness. All I have had to do is have an ultrasound every two weeks and watch my belly grow! Our biggest concern right now is coming up with a name we both agree on. Hopefully when we meet our little man in June we will have resolved the naming issue.

*Our families: We both come from wonderful, loving families. Without their encouragement and support, it would be a fairly lonely world. I just wish I didn't live so far from mine...

*My friends: Over the years I've kept a network of close friends. I rely on these guys and gals frequently and wish I lived near some of them. I've always been a "quality" over "quantity" person as I want to have close friends, not merely acquaintances. I'm also grateful to be experiencing pregnancy at the same time as several of you! I love the friends I've made out here (mostly my co-workers or Mark's co-workers) but we love our dinner parties with you, game nights, concerts in the park, BBQ's, etc.

*My education: As you know, I'm currently in grad. school (thank you Tim & Jessica). I'm thankful for the educational opportunities I've had. When I finish my grad. program, my pay will increase dramatically which means Mark won't have to continue teaching driver's ed. after work, or referee basketball games anymore unless he chooses to. Of course, my pay increase will depend on the district's financial situation at the time I finish.... Anyhow, I know not everybody has a chance to complete an undergrad degree let alone a graduate one. I am truly blessed.

*My travels: No, I haven't been to Europe yet (missed my chance last summer) but I still get to take nice vacations within the states. Mark and I have a passion for traveling as we love to see new sights, experience new adventures, and of course take hundreds of photographs of these new sights/adventures. We won't be able to take a "big vacation" this summer due to the anticipated arrival of our little man, but we're still planning on some day trips around Oregon. We've got to get the little one used to being out and about! We are fortunate enough to live within dozens of amazing day trips around Oregon that we'll be able to experience.

*My health: Other than a slight sore throat and stuffy nose right now, I have excellent health. Mark is also healthy. Before we became pregnant, we rarely saw a doctor. We hope and pray this streak of good fortune continues.

I know there's more to be thankful for and I probably left something major off the list, however, this was a long post, and kudos to you if you made it through the whole thing! :)