30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 13

Today I am thankful for sleep!

I can't remember the last time I had a "no alarm clock" Saturday morning--it has been over a month, maybe even two.  There is just something about being curled up in bed with no pressing issues to resolve that is pure bliss to me.  The bonus for this morning was that while I was warm in my bed, I knew that outside it was cold and rainy.

Listening to the rain is another thing to be thankful for.  There is something soothing about the pitter-patter sound on the window.  My uncle Gerry loved the sound of rain, too. (It seems that lots of people enjoy the sound of rain, but I think being a farmer adds another dimension to being able to enjoy what rain is.)   I'm grateful that one of the last times I spent some quality time with him, we were able to stand in silence in the doorway of his shed, listening to the roar on the metal roof and watching the rain come down in torrents.  The sound of gentle rain is soothing, and to me, there is something cleansing about a downpour.  I think it overwhelms my senses and causes me to stop, take in the world around me, and reboot.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 12

I missed a day!  What I would write about, however, was on my mind yesterday--it just did not make it into blog form.  Here we go...

Yesterday I was thankful for my job.  There are so many things I love about being a teacher in general, and I am particularly thankful to be working at my specific school.  I have great resources, great support, and am just overall very lucky to have been hired at Oregon High School.

So much of being a teacher is making connections with students.  Even the most disengaged teenager will make an effort if something about the classroom makes him feel like he belongs there.  Teaching can be exhausting, but it isn't any particular task that needs to be done that sucks the energy from you.  It's the fact that in one day I interact with at least 115 students, all of whom I know details about their lives or am in the process of trying to build that relationship.  Add to that the staff members I work with, and perhaps it becomes more clear why I am not often up for hanging out with more people on a weeknight.  Despite the energy those relationships demand, they are also by far the most rewarding thing about teaching.  Students, in all their diversity, make such a interesting and fantastic community of people to be around.  It probably helps that I also really enjoy the subject I teach.  If I disliked either the students or the math, I would be counting hours and days.  Instead, the only reason I dread my alarm clock is because sleep is one of my favorite things in the world (see the next post).  I sincerely love my job, and many times I forget that I get paid to do what I do.  And when bad days come?  Well, that is when I look forward to paycheck Friday :)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

Today's thankfulness post is going to pretty shallow, and I'm ok with that.

I am thankful for my DVR.  I am thrilled that I don't have to be home when my favorite shows air to be able to watch them, nor do I have to attempt to set up a VCR recording (which despite my tech-savviness, I still always managed to mess something up).  And when I finally do have time to watch tv, I get to skip all the commercials and replay any jokes that went over my head.  In case you want to know a little more about me and my interests (and you are reading my blog, so I know you do), here is a taste of what is currently on my DVR waiting to be watched:

• Chuck
• Parenthood
• Psych
• Community
• The Big Bang Theory
• 30 Rock
• The Office
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
• The Colbert Report
• Conan

...And once again I feel as though I watch too much tv.  I do multi-talk when I watch, so perhaps it's not as bad as it seems.  I really believe I could give up tv at any time and I would be just fine.  The most important thing to me is being able to laugh at and with something, so as long as I have other outlets for laughter, I will survive.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 10

Today I am thankful for having nothing to do.  I got a little overwhelmed with being busy recently, and it was nice to just sit around my house tonight in the quiet, do a little knitting, watch a little tv, and overall just be relaxed.

That's all she wrote tonight, folks.  Short and sweet and off to bed!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 9

I have been feeling a little "off" the past week or so.  Doing the first of these 30 days of thankfulness have been a huge help, not necessarily in being a complete remedy for a gloomy mood, but rather forcing me to write something positive each day and hence avoiding the sarcastic, narcissistic droning I would otherwise be tempted to produce.

Today, despite not exactly feeling "happy," there is a lot to be thankful for:

• My computer lives!  Sunday night some water was spilled near my beloved macbook, and after 2 days of air- and rice- assisted drying, my computer has turned back on with no apparent damages.  Hooray!
• I have a backyard.  I love backyards.  Today the weather was so splendidly warm when I returned home from work.  I knew I should exercise in some way, but going for a run just did not seem appealing.  Instead, I spent the remaining daylight/dusk raking leaves in my backyard.  Raking leaves may not be my most favorite thing in the world, but Sophie was running around the yard for some extra company and the weather was so unseasonably fantastic that I couldn't help but enjoy it.  It also helps that I knew I would not be able to accomplish the whole process of cleaning up leaves from my yard in the limited natural light, so the task seemed way less daunting.
• I have good friends who care about my life.  I was able to spend a little time chatting with Kristen and Laura after a church meeting tonight, and it is so refreshing to talk with people who actually want to hear the long version of your answer to "how have you been?"  And those just happen to be the two ladies I saw tonight, I have so many other friends to be thankful for!
• God is great.  At our "family meeting" at Blackhawk Church tonight, we were given a little glimpse at what different ministries have been up to this year.  God can do some amazing things with ordinary people.  Not only is God great, but God is love.  And consider this: "Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails." (1 Corinthians 13:7-8)

Reasons for thankfulness abound, even when I am reluctant to admit it.

Oh, and here's a bonus item for the thankfulness list:

• Coca-Cola.  What can I say?  That carbonated beverage just has a way of winning my delight.  I have been trying to avoid it because, truly, there is absolutely no nutritional way to defend having coke as part of my food intake.  But when weakness won out today and I opened that bottle cap, the fizzy smell that filled my nose was just the greatest thing ever.  

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 8

I am thankful for my cat, Sophie (named after Sophia Germain the 16th century mathematician, of course). I am in a bit of a bad mood tonight and really just want to sleep, and Sophie has cuddled up right next to me in bed as if to say 'yes, let's forget our troubles and enter into sweet dreams.'

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 7

Today I am thankful for my gadgets:

- My cell phone and the wonderful feature of automatic clock changing. It is so nice to change time zones and go through daylight savings without worrying about what the real time is.
- The GPS (a very recent addition to my gadgety items) that allowed me to make a detour with ease on my way home from my parents' today.
- The rewind button on my DVR's remote. What a beautiful thing! Although, I catch myself only barely paying attention to what's on tv (I tend to multi task while I watch) because I know I can rewind if I missed something I actually wanted to hear or see. This may or may not be effecting my non-tv life... Case in point: it really disappoints me that my car radio does not have a rewind or pause button.
- My iPod, which I use as a computer-alternative. It acts as my calendar/planner, alarm clock, access to the internet, occasional note taking device, and of course player of music and video. Tonight, I am typing this blog post via iPod touch since my computer met with a glass of water and its fate is not yet certain (my sister tells me it was the cat's fault, but I was not around to witness and will therefore try to refrain from judgement).

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 6

Today I am thankful for the community where I grew up.


We had a bridal shower scheduled for my sister at 2pm today.  Life decided to happen, however, despite our plans.  Eli's (Becky's fiance) grandfather passed away Thursday morning, and the family had their funeral service today.  So after exploring all of the options, we decided to go ahead with the shower today but to push it back to 5pm.  Thankfully, we have such great family and friends who were understanding, flexible, and loving.  Many people who were going to be able to make an afternoon shower were not able to come to an evening shower, which was a little sad not to have some of our close friends available to celebrate with Becky.  Overall, though, it was still a fantastic shower, and I hope Becky felt the love from those who were able to "shower" her, whether physically present or not.

Becky's shower cake: From Miss to Mrs. With Our Best Wishes!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 5

Today I am thankful for my church community.  Specifically, I'm thankful for the elementary ministry I have been volunteering with for the past 6 or 7 years.  Here are a few reasons why I love being involved with this ministry:


  * It is great to be able to work with younger kids.  I think elementary age kids are fantastic, but I like my little kid time in smaller doses.  I'll spend all day with high schoolers and hold on to my sanity most of the time, but I give props to elementary school teachers who spend 7 hours a day with the little balls of energy.  I will treasure my hour or two on a Sunday, but that's enough for now.


  * Not only do I get a chance to connect with kids, but being an elementary ministries volunteer has connected me with adults both in my and other generations who I probably would not have otherwise come to know.  But now because I do know them, when I am out and about in "big" church (aka, adult worship services), I have a much more diverse spectrum of people I call my friends.


  * I love worshiping with kids.  I personally am a kinesthetic person, and I enjoy activities most when I am moving.  When we worship with elementary age children, motions to go along with songs are a must.  I lead the worship songs once a month with 2nd and 3rd graders and I have a blast every time!  And it's not only fun, but because I get to move and am free to be the somewhat silly person I am, I also connect to God in a way I can't always recreate in "big" church or in my own quiet time.


  * Which brings me to my last point: I learn so much from going through the Bible with kids!  The lessons are always presented in a way to meet the kids where they are developmentally, but going through that "kid version" of a lesson never fails to reveal something about God I didn't know or had forgotten.  Or sometimes as I'm talking to the kids about what God desires for their lives, I am convicted that those truths apply to me as well, even if I am not focused enough to remember all the time.


Thank the Lord for kids and the blessings they bring!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 4

Today I am thankful for the public library.

About a year ago I discovered that the library not only offers free access to so many books, music, and movies, but also Wii games!  Granted, the waiting list to check out the games can be a little long, but after waiting all that time it can be a pleasant surprise to be checking out a game you forgot even existed.  Today I picked up 2 games that I didn't realize would be ready for me this week, so there's a double surprise!  I won't have time to play them in the immediate future, but I'm sure I'll find some time before they are due back in two weeks to have a little fun.  Libraries are awesome.  And they would still be awesome even if they didn't have Wii games. 


I'll leave you with the words seen on a poster at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear:  "Freedom is not free, neither are libraries, fire departments, police stations, and public schools."  (...ok, I don't remember what the poster actually said, but I think I quoted it right up through the fire department part.  Taxes help pay for libraries, and I'm grateful for it!)

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 3

Today I am thankful for our political system.


Not because the elections turned out in what could be considered "my favor," but because the process of voting reminds me I live in a democratic nation in which I have a voice and impact on government.  Sure, the system the founding fathers set up may have flaws, but the goal of the system is still to be of the people, by the people, and for the people.  If I do not particularly agree with those who were elected yesterday, today that no longer makes a difference.  The elected officials for my area still represent me, whether I voted for them or not. I can exercise my right as part of the populous to petition my representatives to act for the good of the state or country as a whole and on behalf of the interests of the people they represent.  A large part of an individual's political power is at the polls on election day, but we have many other avenues to make our voices heard on every other day of the year as well.

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 2

Today I am thankful for Ultimate Frisbee!

I play in pick-up games with a bunch of people at Vilas park in Madison whenever I don't have other commitments (which sadly, is not as often as I'd wish).  The group plays on Tuesday evenings and Saturday mornings, but since the daylight hours are quickly slipping away, tonight was the last Tuesday night game to be played until daylight savings hours begin again in the spring.  But it was fantastic to get out in the fresh air and exercise my legs and lungs.  As an added bonus, I get to wear cleats when I play, and I personally think whenever you get to wear specialized footwear you reach a new level of sports-person-ism.

Extremely thankful for beautiful weather in this last week of daylight savings before eternal darkness takes over for 4 months!

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 1

I am totally stealing this idea from my friend Amanda because A) it is an awesome idea, and B) I'm a terrible blogger and maybe this will give me reason to be blogging in the month of November.


I am thankful for good friends: old and new.  New friends that were at my house tonight for lifegroup and stayed late talking about life and relationships and just being honest and real.  Old friends like Sarah, who was willing to be my host and guide this past weekend as we trekked to our nation's capital for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.


I'm thankful that I can experience the world through a lens of humor, and that laughing about a situation does not dilute its importance but can actually create better dialogue and more understanding.  I'm thankful that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have jobs that do exactly that.


I'm thankful that I finally visited the capital city of the United States. Just being on the National Mall reminded me how thankful I am to live in this country.  How great is it that we are so free?  How fantastic that I can disagree with you and say so, yet neither one of us is "less patriotic" because we disagree?  How amazing that when we embrace our differences, we become an even more united and great nation?  I do love this country.