Ungrateful

Jacquie Here.

A friend of mine, and a very faithful blog follower (probably my only... haha), told me that I haven't posted in awhile and that it is making it difficult for him to adequately blog-stalk me (Sorry, Daniel). So here I am again.

I guess I didn't really have anything significant to blog about. And I didn't want to blog just for the sake of blogging, ya know? Those are never fun to read.. Aaanyway...

Do you realize that Thanksgiving is like.. Tomorrow? And I have definitely not expressed enough gratitude for it to already be Thanksgiving! Eeek.

Call me ungrateful.

Please don't.

So can we have a Gratitude Cram Session right now? Time's a-runnin' out.
-- Oh, PS - these are going to be abstract things. Not the obvious answers (friends, family, music, pretty trees, bla, bla, bla...). Those are a given.

My Grateful list: Ten things in no particular order......

1. I am grateful for the book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver.
It's so much fun to read. I love her sense of humor. And her ideas! It definitely gets me thinking about how NOT hard it would be to live a more sustainable life.. And how much fun it could be! I just gotta move somewhere with more fertile soil, dangit! (Yes, I am a self-proclaimed hippie. Be kind. Peace and Love.)

2. I am grateful for a car that has style and that runs like a champ.
This is something I REFUSE to take for granted because there are SO many people who don't have that. I will admit, I am spoiled with my car. But that's probably the only thing I've been spoiled with in many, many, many years. And because of that, I take VERY good care of him. Nemo is his name. Because he has a "gimpy fin" (don't ask..). He is one of my most prized worldly possessions.

3. I am grateful for people who appreciate me.
Okay, I know this sounds like, feminist and whatnot. But really. I feel like I am the kind of person who loves to do things for people. It makes me happy when I can do little things for people, no matter how small. Like get them a glass of water. Or give them a ride to church. Or write them a little note. Doing those kinds of things makes me BEYOND happy. Kinda weird I know. Don't ask me why. And it always makes me feel BEYOND awful when I do those kinds of things and they are not appreciated. It's not that I want recognition for everything I do. I don't care about that. I just want to know that whoever I did that thing for appreciated it and that it made their day, or something. I guess it's my way of letting people know that I care for them. And I take it as "I don't care for you" when I don't feel appreciated. So, if you have ever appreciated something small I have done for you, I am grateful for you!!

4. I am grateful for V8.
This is my go-to breakfast since my silly tummy does not like to eat until I've been awake for at least 2 hours. Haha. Some people think it's gross, but not me! I think it is SCRUMPTIOUS! I can drink 2 servings of vegetables just like that and it feels like I've eaten a light breakfast! Happy! But let's not talk about the sodium content..

5. I am grateful for color vision.
Haha, really! I had a friend in High School who was colorblind and it was really a tragedy! I would wear light blue shoes to school and he'd compliment me on my dark purple shoes. He thought my RED car was beige at one point. No bueno. So because of him, I realize how amazing it is to be able to see in lots of colors! And to be able to have a favorite color. And to be able to see the fall colors, and the sunset, and rainbows, and produce in the supermarket..

6. I am grateful for my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The Gospel = Happiness. I don't know where I would be without it. It is my life. That's all I need to say about that.

7. I am grateful for funny movies.
Sometimes, I just need a good laugh. And something really funny that I can quote with Jordan, my roommate (we rock at that). Comedies are probably my genre of choice. Sometimes I wonder where I would be without some of those funny movies out there (IE - Nacho Libre, A Goofy Movie, Hot Rod, The Emperor's New Groove, the list is endless...). And I will have you know that Jordan just guessed (and agreed) with every single one of my top 4 favorite funniest movies on her first try! Haha. Told you we rock at that.

8. I am grateful for perspective.
Perspective, N: a way of regarding situations and facts; a point of view and the ability to see it; an outlook. I am grateful that I have had a lot of opportunities in my life to gain new perspective on things. And that I have lived in a few very significantly different places in my life. I have experienced a lot of different kinds of cultures and people and because of that, I have been able to break away from the "cookie-cutter" lifestyle (that kind of lifestyle kind of sickens me.. actually). I like that I have a kind of different way of looking at things and people.. to be able to see beyond the surface. It makes for a more interesting life.

9. I am grateful for my neighbors: Jenna, Kerri, and Kenzie.
They are so cute and fun! We don't hang out with them a whole lot, but I WISH we did! They are cool gals, I tell you. It's always fun when we have our random late-night chats when all we need is to borrow a cup of sugar ("Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbor!" I always think of that when I need to borrow stuff from them for baking purposes. Haha) and it turns into a long talk about something random. I love love love it! They're super funny too. And I love that we can hear each other quoting Baby Mama through the kitchen walls. We definitely lucked out in the neighbor department. We really should hang out more...

10. I am grateful for snow.
Call me crazy. I love that white fluffy stuff! In fact, it is snowing at this very moment as I write this. Why do I love snow, you ask? Because it proves that winter is coming. It gives the song "White Christmas" some real meaning. It is a change of scenery. It's fun! Bring on the sledding and snowmen! It causes school to be canceled occasionally. It's really beautiful to me. Romantic, almost. It's still and silent and peaceful. It gives me an excuse to wear boots and scarves and gloves! I love snow because it's a special treat that only some places in the world get each year. And I live in one of those places. :)

So those are some super random things that I am grateful for. Yay for gratitude! I think we all should try to think more about the things we're grateful for ALL YEAR ROUND and not just during the month of November.. Whaddaya say??

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU ALL TOMORROW!
Eat a lot & be thankful for friends, family, food, and everything you've been given in your life!

Out,
Jacquie.

PS - The neighbors that live on the other side of my bedroom wall are blasting Taylor Swift and I can hear them singing along in their male falsetto voices. Yes, they are all men over there. Haha. I just thought that was funny. Very irrelevant, but funny.