Giving Thanks

What a crazy year this has been - stressful, exciting, full of activity and so so so much to be thankful for each day! We have been talking a lot about what we have been thankful for in our life - the obvious things came up... a beautiful daughter, a sovereign Lord, a loving marriage, healthy family, supportive friends. So, we tried to be more specific and pick actual moments or specific things that we are thankful for.... here is L and my combined list in no particular order...

1. The way Charlotte Anne gets excited when you walk in her room after a nap - no drug could recreate the feeling it gives you

2. Don Juan's snuggle on the couch

3. Swanky - Made top 3 thing we miss about Memphis. I would pay about $50 for that fish taco right now

4. Watching CA pick up her little snacks. She is so careful and delicate - total opposite from her mom and dad that shovel our entire dinner in about 5 minutes

5. Lake Martin - not sure if it is the food, family, friends, water, peace of mind, dark rooms, proximity to Auburn or what... but that place is amazing

6. Good WiFi - we understand a bad connection and are now making that our #1 priority at the new house

7. Osa's protecting CA's dirty diapers. She will bite any animal that gets within 5 feet of the diapers.

8. Books (all mine). I love to read. I will finish 21 books this year - down from 37 in 2010.

9. Duck - L loves to kill them, I love to cook them. As L says, "If it flies... it dies..."

10. Healthy feet, knees, legs - we don't deserve them because we have used and abused them since childhood, but we are so thankful to be able to train for these races without any aches or pains.

11. Doggy Door - the best invention on Earth

12. Smocked Clothes - completely addictive

13. Spanish - we have benefited so much by speaking 2 languages. We have to figure out a good and sustainably way to get CA speaking Spanish while she is young.

14. Good co-workers. Bad ones ruin your week, good ones make work fun.

15. Renewed strength each day. This past year has really tested our ability to stay sane. Baby, move, new job, new work environment, new house... it can get really overwhelming, really fast. However, we serve a Lord that makes each day new. What a tremendous blessing!