The end, but not really

I can't believe it's the last day of November already.  I'm glad that I decided to do this little blog-thank-you-log thing.  Especially on not so great days, it has made me more aware of the everyday things that I have to be grateful for.  It has forced me to focus more on my blessings when it is a lot easier to focus on what might not be going right.  It has also reminded me not to take so many things for granted.

Even though I'm not going to continue posting about it everyday, I hope that I can remember to focus on the good things about every day.  Life just seems to go by smoother when I'm focused on the positive rather than the negative.

I'm grateful for this experience, and for all that my life is richly blessed with.

Today as I handed Steven his 100 lb (close enough) backpack, I thought about how grateful I am for his hard work and dedication.  He's balancing everything so well, and he complains hardly at all; which is a lot less than I probably would be in his situation.

Even as I write this he is slaving over his homework.  I know his hard work will continue to benefit our lives and I am grateful for that.

I'm grateful for our working, healthy bodies that allow us to do all the things we do

A little more about Texas

This was what we saw on the 5 hour drive from Dallas to Lubbock

 More nifty water towers.  This was was passing through Wichita Falls

 The Texas flag is Everywhere!

 I took it upside down, it shall stay that way

Flat

 Flat (cool windmills)

 Flat

 A hill!!!

 random signs

I think there is something spooky, but cool, about oil rigs

 All the stop signals are sideways due to storms and such

 Cute windmills :)
To be continued...

Today I'm grateful that I was in a good mood, because work was crazy.  Luckily it didn't phase me too much and I was able to do what I needed to.  I'm very glad I was in a good mood.

~~

Also, as it's time for Christmas cards, I feel very grateful for all of the amazing people that are in our lives.  We are very blessed with great family and friends.  We both would 

like to say Thank You to everyone who is a part of our lives. 

Today

"There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed.  If it is unexpressed, it is plain, old-fashioned ingratitude."  ~Robert Brault

"Isn't it amazing what a person can get used to?" -in relation to how quick we can be to complain, but slow to show gratitude.

These thoughts were shared in sacrament meeting today.  I'm grateful for the way our church is set up so that the teaching is done by the members.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to be taught by so many different and great teachers, teaching the same gospel principles with the same spirit.  I think you can learn something from everyone, and sacrament meeting is just one great way for that to happen.

I really loved these quotes that were shared.

I'm also grateful that it is officially the Christmas season! I stand firm in giving Thanksgiving it's full credit due, but I am also very excited that when it is over it is time for the Christmas stuff! :) This is what we did today:

Same tree, different location, new year, new cell phone picture :)

I love decorating the house and putting up the tree with Steven while listening to Christmas music.  I love our little tree and all of our decorations.  I'm excited for Christmas! :)

Cars

I'm very grateful that we have a working car with working heat to get us to and

from where we need to be.  Now we've added a new addition to our motor vehicle 

family.  A purple 1996 Jeep Cherokee.  In fact it's the same Jeep Cherokee that Steven would pick me up in (occasionally) while we were dating; we would go on long drives while Steven would introduce me to new music.  It's old, and somehow still running.  I love it.

It's on loan to us from Steven's parents so that Steven can get to his internship

without me having to leave work early.  I'm very grateful for their generosity in letting us use it and for fixing it up enough so that it'll continue to work.  I'm also very grateful 

that this leaves Steven with an option, other than walking, when the weather is bad. 

Home

I'm grateful to be home.  It's been over a week, and it's just nice to be home.

I'm grateful that Steven cleaned so well while I was gone, and I don't 

have to worry about it.

I'm grateful for leftovers.  I love Thanksgiving leftovers.

I'm grateful for a lazy day :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm grateful for a holiday where it is acceptable, and even encouraged, to 

eat yourself sick.

I'm thankful for our awesome families and our holiday traditions.

 I'm thankful for this season where blessings and gratitude are more in focus, and for the opportunity it gives us to evaluate where we stand in our lives.

I'm grateful for my life.

I'm grateful for Thanksgiving Day parades and Dog shows :)

I'm grateful that I have no desire to risk my life for Black Friday shopping.

I'm Thankful for this week of being surrounded by family and friends.
I'm grateful for Steven.

I'm thankful that tomorrow I'll finally get to be in my own home, and sleep in my own bed.

I'm also thankful that in July we'll get to welcome a new member to the Jackson family, 

courtesy of Jameson and Katie :)

My Esteban

Today I am grateful to have my husband back!

I'm pathetic, but a week without him really sucks.  I'm glad it's not a regular thing.

I guess technically I was the one who was gone, 

but today he joined me in Salt Lake.

I'm grateful that he could get off work a little early, and for his safe travel.

I'm really enjoying being back with him :)

Texas trip in pictures-Dallas, Day 2

We started day two in Dallas off perfectly with a trip to the Dallas Temple

 I'll have more pictures from that later; it was a great experience 

We mostly shopped around this day and saw a few interesting signs

 I thought it was clever

 I wanted this Russian Doll set so much! Look how tiny the Joseph smith one is :)

 $500 scarf anyone? Saks fifth avenue, we could barely afford to look at it.

I think the most expensive thing we saw in there was a blazer for almost $1,600.

Then there were the kids clothes.  Seriously?? why spend $100 an outfit when the 

kid will just spit up all over it and outgrow it in two days?  I guess I'm just a cheap 

kid and don't understand the need to waste the money.

 This mall was pretty cool though.

 Yeah, why would you buy a car instead of a Picasso?

 This mall has four levels and this giant Christmas tree is in the

middle of it, with a skating rink around it; pretty awesome

 We ate at Genghis Grill, Mongolian bbq-pretty good

 This was Santa's village in another mall, pretty sweet set up

 Cicily's new Long Johns! Can you see the excitement?

 I loved this loony toons monster!

Happy Cicily

That night Tyson, Cicily's brother, made us some Tex Mex fajitas with rice, beans, and queso. Soooo yummy! Can't forget all of the desserts we had too...mmmm

Texas trip in pictures-Dallas, Day 1

A lot of my pictures are out of focus because my camera batteries died, and I don't know how to properly work Steven's camera.  Some came out good though.

Our first stop from the airport was

 I'm not sure why I look so sinister in this picture...

 Debbie and Cicily

 The awesome fan

The amazing food.  We were starving and split a bunch of really good food, with plenty left over.  This sandwich is a Monte Cristo (basically a deep fried ham and cheese) Amazing.

From there we drove by the Texas Rangers Stadium,

 pretty neat looking.

 And the Dallas Cowboys stadium.  It would've been cool to take a tour, but it was

$20 ish so I'm happy to just look from a distance.

 This flew over us:

Then into Downtown Dallas and the place where Kennedy was assassinated

 A cool building

 Th first house built in Dallas

 That building has an X on it that lights up at night

 There are X's on the road to mark where the bullets hits 

when Kennedy was assassinated

 Cicily playing tour guide

 The memorial with a cool museum in the background

 The grassy knoll where conspiracy theorists believe that a second shooter 

was located

 The window where the shooter was, it always stays open

 This is a memorial for the first home and settlement in Dallas

A memorial to all of the ranchers and long horn cattle; it's huge

 This place was called Central Market-most awesome store full of almost every kind of imported food.  I could've looked around there all day.

 I don't drink, but I think the bottles look really cool

 Then we passed Lovers Lane :)

I wish we could've spent more time walking around downtown.  It was 

a very whirlwind tour, but we still saw a lot of neat things