I Am So Blessed

I've been thinking a lot lately about the economic crisis that this country is hurdling toward, not to mention the ever-rising gas prices. I try to push it out of my mind, but it's hard to forget. I can easily get bent-out-of shape if I think about it too much. Last night, I realized--I am so blessed. Instead of freaking out about things I cannot control, I should count my blessings. So that's what I'm going to do here. In no particular order:

I have a wonderful husband. He's not perfect, but he's great. He's funny and knows his stuff. He's ambitious and committed. He works hard to take care of us. He's a Proud Poppa and Nora absolutely adores him. Let's not forget that he has an awesome, but dangerous job. He's literally saved people's lives. He's also seen some pretty horrible stuff, but he doesn't let it get to him. (That takes a special kind of person).

I have an awesome daughter. As anyone that is a parent can tell you, children change your life in ways that you cannot imagine. Nora has enriched our lives so much that sometimes it feels like we can burst with all the love we have. She has not only brightened our lives by just being her, but she has also made our relationship as husband and wife stronger. I can't even remember what life was like before we had her. It's tough being a parent, but the rewards far outweigh the stress.

I've finally figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Anyone that knows me very well knows that I had a tough time in college. I originally went to become a high school agricultural education teacher. I love, love, love agriculture, but I don't think that I'm destined to teach it. I took some time off of school, went to work, got married, had a baby, etc. When Nora was 18 months old, I went back to work as a substitute teacher. The experience has really opened my eyes. I had no idea how much I'd love teaching grade school kids vs. junior/senior high kids. Any time that I sub as a grade school teacher, the day flies by and I really enjoy myself. I've made the big decision to go back to college to obtain my degree in elementary education. I'm going to do it part-time, so it will take me a few years, but it should work out well. I'll go back to work full-time when Nora is in school full-time. I might have taken the hard road to come to this decision, but I wouldn't have known what I really wanted to do unless I took the long way around. It's funny how life works out.

I LOVE our house! It's not new, it's not fancy, and it's not huge--but I adore it. My step-dad's grandparents were the original owners, then he owned it, now we are working towards owning it. I love the history, the character of an old house, and how solid it is. It needs a lot of work, but it just makes me love it even more when we complete a project and make it a little bit more our own. We couldn't have gotten a better deal on it anywhere. It's just another piece to the puzzle of our lives that is now starting to come together.

I love our town. I've lived in big towns, small towns, medium-sized towns, and in the country. By far, our town is my favorite place we've ever lived. It's a tiny town with the population of about 2,500, but there is a lot that goes on here. We have plenty of stores to keep us from going into "town" all the time. There are a lot of activities that are always going on. We love our church and the friends we've made so far. We go for a walk, people wave--some even stop and chat! We are also blessed to have a great school system here--both for my work and for Nora's eventual education.

...to be continued