Day 9 - I am thankful for...

Fridays! Tonight, I get to hang out, cook dinner for my fiance, relax, and not worry about my papers/exams/thesis/reading... I get to just be. Thank God It's Friday!!! :)

Parker is coming to Chapel Hill for the weekend since I'll be driving to Greenville on Tuesday for Thanksgiving break (and my parents didn't think I should spend the time/gas driving home for two days, coming back for one and half days, and then back). I'm excited to spend some quality time with Parker, and if the weather is nice tomorrow, my sweet friend Amber is going to shoot some pictures of us! :)

Update on Mom: She is doing okay. The treatment obviously makes her tired and a bit sick. Her emotions are up and down like everyone else's. Please keep the prayers & encouragment coming!!!

Random: I saw a former student yesterday, which is always weird... but this one was one of my favorites from last year. He's the one who said the capital of Turkey was Rooster :)

Random #2: My friend who is a school counselor told the girls the other day that she had a student named "La-a." Which you would think would be pronouced "la uh" but the girl told her that "the dash is pronounced." Her name was "La dash uh." Seriously. I knew I was going to have trouble with some names in my class... but really???

Day 8

Boy, I'm feeling thankful for a lot of things today. This "I am thankful for" activity really helps me recognize all the blessings in my life. Have you noticed that too?

Today I am thankful for my education. I seriously love learning. I know I'm a nerd, but I don't care. I love reading (most of the time) and discovering new things. I love going to the library and looking at all the books. I think I might retire from my teaching career (that hasn't started yet) and be a librarian instead. I also love going to the manuscripts department in Wilson Library and looking at all the old documents. Its so cool, looking at slave letters or memo's sent by the Chancellor or scrapbooks from the 1800s... Maybe I should just research instead of being a teacher or a librarian. But then I'd have to publish my work... and I'm not really into that. I like to learn just for the sake of learning.

I'm thankful that teaching is a pretty awesome profession where I can follow through on my passions... and continue to learn.

I am thankful that I can learn at this awesome university. Actually, I am thankful that I live in a country that I am able to learn about anything and everything.

I mean, don't you just want to go to the library and pick up a good book and learn something new? I mean you won't have to take a test, or write a paper, or give a presentation on it... but just so do it for the sake of learning.

No? Ok, maybe I'm a little extreme.

But boy do I love to learn! I love my history classes - they are pretty stinkin' awesome. My history professors are pretty smart too... one is the Dean of the Honors Program, one is the chair of the Undergraduate History Department, one is a graduate of Yale, Harvard, & Stanford, and one is a world leader in research for the Holocaust - he even has his on [legit] wikipedia page. How awesome is that!?! I am thankful to go to this school and have these contacts, resources, and professors!

Day 7 - I am thankful for...

I am thankful for my friends that cry with me, hug me, & make me laugh. I am thankful for a sweet voicemail from friend who cried on the phone because her heart is breaking too. I am thankful for a friend that met me on campus, just to give me a hug, and ended up crying with me in front of tons of other people, including a tour group walking by. I am thankful for a friend that was on the bus with me and cried too, so I wouldn't feel so ridiculous. I am thankful for friends that send me messages of encouragement and scripture passages to lift me up. I am thankful for the people that lift me and my mom and our family up in prayer all day long.

I am thankful that my sweet fiance has lots of corny jokes to make me laugh, and that he doesn't laugh too hard when I don't get them. :)

I am thankful that my mom is a much stronger person than me. I am thankful that even though she was sleeping this morning, she answered my phone call so we could talk. I cried and cried, but as always, she is so strong and assures me that she will be just fine. And for that, I am thankful.

On days when it's hard to feel thankful...

...I am thankful for the peace God gives me, the guard He uses to keep the devil's lies away from me when I can't do it on my own, and the friends He blesses me with to wipe away my tears.

Today we got some sad news.

My mom's full body scans revealed spots on her lungs and liver. She started chemo this morning and will continue to have it once a week.

Please pray for us. We need your prayers and encouragement.

Sorry for such a short post, but I really don't know what else to say. I'm sad. I'm heartbroken. I hurt - we all do. So, that's all I can say about it right now...

Day 5 - I am thankful for..

On this wonderful, sunny Monday evening, I am thankful that God chose to use my family to share his glory. I know there is a greater purpose for my mom getting sick and our family having a rough several years... and I know it will serve God's glory. So even though there are days when I'm just sick of it all... today I am thankful that God saw something in us that he could use for his glory.

What are you thankful for today??

Day 4 - I am thank for...

Today, I am thankful for the outdoors. I am constantly amazed at the vastness of the sky, the intricate processes of nature, and the details of our world. Think about it, how big is the sky? How does the sun rise and set every day? How does the weather change? How does each and every tiny creature grow and survive? Think of all the details God created and perfected so our world could function as it does. It really blows my mind the way each of these infininte details work together to create what we see as the great outdoors. Boy do we take advantage of the beauty right outside our window...

The sunset at the Pamlico River...


The Pamlico River again...

The Atlantic Ocean at Atlantic Beach...
The vast sky on 264 west bound...

Day 3 - I am thankful for...

Not much time to post today... but,

I am thankful for sweet, cuddly, newborn babies!

This morning I went to see my friends Carrie & Beaty's new addition - Miss Halle Grace. She was so sweet and beautiful. I got to snuggle with her for a good while and catch up with Carrie. It was wonderful! I love babies and I love holding them and looking at them... and giving them back to their parents for all the hard stuff :)

What are you thankful for today??