22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 17 - My Stretchy Comfy Pajamas

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am thankful for.

Day 17:

I am thankful for my stretchy comfy pajamas. After indulging in a magnificent epicurean delight with my husband that started with an amazing bottle of red wine followed by a 3-tiered seafood appetizer consisting of lump crab cakes, sea scallops and grilled oysters; a scrumptious main course of incredible fish with the most delicious sauce; followed by a decadent gourmet banana pudding for dessert... I am thankful and grateful for my stretchy pajamas so I can let the food digest in comfort while I sit on the couch watching TV with my husband. I am thankful for a delicious dinner date with my husband and my comfy stretchy pajamas.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 15 - My Neighborhood

Day 15: I'm thankful for my neighborhood and the location of where we live. Realtors always say, it's all about, "Location, location, location!" I really love where we live. I enjoy our neighborhood and everything it has to offer: beautiful streets lined with old live oak trees, shaded jogging trails, convenient location that is so close to so many great restaurants! If you follow my posts, you know how my hubby and I love to dine out so it's wonderful to be walking distance to what's called "restaurant row" - not that we ever walk! We're also only 15 minutes away from the airport, 5-15 minutes from the theme parks depending on which one you're going to, and good shopping is in every direction you turn - hooray for that! Our neighbors are great - all friendly, neat and quiet. I love that I feel safe in my neighborhood. We're also just moments from downtown, interstate, turnpike and Bee-line (toll roads). I agree, it's all about location and yes, I love ours and I'm thankful and appreciative to have so many conveniences handy an close by. I'm thankful for our neighborhood.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 13 - My Comfy Bed

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing something I am thankful for.

Day 13 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my comfy bed. After a busy, long day when I'm tired like I am today, I look forward to crawling into my bed and snuggling with all my fluffy pillows with my hubby next to me along with my furry kids. And as I lay in my bed and close my eyes reflecting on all that I am blessed with in my life, I say my prayers of gratitude and that always helps me fall asleep with a happy heart. I am thankful for my bed.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 12 - My Friends

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am thankful for.

Day 12 of Thanksgiving:

Just a few of my friends - there are too many to show!
I'm a lucky woman to have so many people to call friends.

I am thankful for my friends, old and new. I'm fortunate and grateful to have some great friends. One of the things I love most about my friends is the diversity of them. I'm not one who has to be around people or have friends that are exactly like me. So while I'm a married Asian-American woman in my forties who is a Christian, a registered Republican, a "cheating vegetarian" who loves food and wine, dogs and all animals, and currently works part-time - I love that my friends are women and men of all ages. I have friends who are white, black, Asian, and Latino. Friends who are Republican, Democratic and Independent. I have friends who are straight and friends who are gay. My friends are Christian, some are Baptist while others are Catholic and Methodist and Mormon. Others are Jewish and Muslim, and yes I even have friends who are agnostic and atheist. I have some friends who are vegan, some who are vegetarian, but most who are meat-eaters. 

Some friends I've met through work, others I went to
school with, others I met on vacation.

A lot of my friends have pets and friends who don't like animals at all. I have friends who are busy career people, others who are in school - some who do BOTH at the same time and some who work two jobs to make ends meet. I have friends who are married, divorced, single, separated and widowed. Some friends who are retired and some who gave up their careers so they could raise their children. 

While my friends are diverse, the thing ALL my friends have in common is they are good people with good hearts and because they aren't exactly like me, I learn so much and gain different perspectives that I believe help to make me a better person. I am thankful for my friends.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 10 - Beautiful Days

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 10 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for beautiful days with gorgeous blue skies and gentle breezes. I love being outdoors and playing even now as an adult. And when the sun shines and the temperature is perfect, mid-70's, like it was today, I love playing in the theme-parks or going to an outdoor festival so I can enjoy the weather. This is the time of year I love living in Florida the most because the weather is so nice and I spend as much time as I can outside. I think I must've said, "If today was any more beautiful, I just don't think I could stand it!" to my friend Jeffrey about a dozen times yesterday and thankfully he agreed wholeheartedly or I think he would have slapped me because I would've driven him crazy sounding like a parrot! I am thankful for beautiful days.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 8 - My Husband

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 8 of Thanksgiving:

I am deeply thankful for my husband and the incredible relationship we have. Tom and I have been married for 10 years and I can honestly say he has been more than I ever imagined a husband could or would be. At our wedding reception, one of our friends congratulated us and shared how happy she was for us; that we seemed perfect for each other because we were "good" for each other, but she thought it was unfortunate we hadn't met earlier in our lives so we had more time to spend together. I thought then and I still believe now, that God brought us together at the most "perfect time". I truly believe if we had met each other sooner, we wouldn't have appreciated each other as much. We don't ever take each other for granted and that's what makes our relationship and marriage so great. I am thankful for my amazing husband who came into my life at the perfect time.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 7 - Good Health

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 7 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my healthy body. I went through a really tough time with an incapacitating shoulder condition that lasted for two years a couple of years ago and because of that, I don't take a single thing about my body for granted any more. We're given one body in this lifetime so I show my gratitude for the body I have by taking care of it. I've learned how to listen to what my body tells me it needs and I take care of it by exercising regularly, getting rest, eating good-quality healthy food and limiting the "junk", and keeping my surroundings positive. I am so thankful and appreciative for my good health and plan to continue to do what it takes to stay healthy because without your health, nothing else is possible.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4 - Clocks and Bagels

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 4 of Thanksgiving:


Today I am thankful for an extra hour of sleep because I was tired and needed it. I'm also thankful for Everything Bagels because they taste so good! Clocks and bagels are both round - and today I am very thankful for both!

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1 - Munchkins, Not the Eating Kind the Hugging Kind

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 1 of Thanksgiving:

Even though I don't get to see them as often as I wish I could because we don't live in the same state, I adore my two little munchkins. For not getting to see them as often as I would like and considering they are not my grandchildren biologically, I'm always amazed at how genuine their love is for me and how real our relationship is. I love being their Nonna as they give me so much joy I can't even begin to describe or put into words. I look forward to seeing them grow up and into the beautiful women I know they will become one day because they are beautiful souls that shine inside and out right now who are being raised by two amazing parents.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 3 - What Makes A House A Home

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 3 of Thanksgiving:

Anytime I am away on a trip, regardless of where I've been or how long or short the trip was, I always look forward to getting home and getting in my own bed at my house. Last night, as I watched the music special on NBC that was put together to raise money for victims of Hurricane Sandy, the meaning of "home" meant even more and I was so thankful to have a home to go to.

I love our home and how comfortable it is. I love that it is so bright with all the natural light that comes in. I love that we have big windows so we can always see the outdoors while being inside. I love the memories that have been made here. But the thing I love the most is our two dogs who are always here with us and greet us with their wagging tails. Living in my home with my husband and two furry kids all together with the the love we have for each other that makes it a "happy home". I am thankful for my home.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 2 - I Can Fly!

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 2 of Thanksgiving:

For as many times as I've ridden on an airplane, I NEVER take for granted how incredible a feat it is that hundreds of people are traveling thousands of feet in the sky over mountains and cities and deserts and towns and oceans and seas in climate-controlled sheets of metal that has been welded together!  I am thankful that Wilbur and Orville Wright did not give up when everyone thought they were crazy. It's because of their great determination and of their discovery and invention I can travel so easily to see the people I love who live in a different state as well as venture to far-off cities, countries and islands to discover new places.  I am thankful I can fly!

Each time I fly I'm also so thankful for the crew (both inflight and on the ground) who get our plane to our destination safely each time. While we relax on our flight, they are working the entire time, not only to ensure our comfort by providing snacks and drinks, but they are they are there for our safety if needed and in many cases have been heroes in the past for others.

And each time I land safely without harm, I am thankful to God for giving me one more day to have another chance to live my life and get right anything I may have gotten wrong. Every day we are given is a gift - I am thankful.

Gratitude

Gratitude and Being Thankful

I saw this sign on being thankful one day when trolling through Facebook and reposted it to share with my friends.  I wish I could remember the page I originally saw it on, but I apologize because I don't.  I typically save photos with inspirational, motivational quotes that I like, then on certain days when one "speaks" to me, I re-share it with my Facebook friends.  A lot of times the photos will have a credit or source on it, but this one didn't so I am sorry and will try to remember to add a source the next time.  Any way...

Several years ago, I was watching the Oprah Winfrey Show (I know there are a lot of people who didn't love her show like it did, but I really felt I learned things from watching it so try to keep an open mind if you weren't a fan of hers.)  If you don't know about Oprah, she was someone who journaled regularly.  I was never able get into a regular habit of journaling although I had made several attempts over the years.  On one particular show Oprah started talking about keeping a "Gratitude Journal".  Basically, the premise of this journal (as I interpreted it) was that no matter how down you might feel, or how badly you think your situation is at the time, you should always be able to come up with FIVE things to be thankful for.  At the end of each day, you should write out those five things in the Gratitude Journal.  Through doing this, you'll start to realize you truly have MANY things in your life to be thankful for and you won't feel so down or awful about whatever your situation is.  

Well, I don't even really remember what I was frustrated about in my life at the time when I watched that episode.  I believe I was in my late 20's and think I may have been feeling like my life just wasn't what I had planned for it to be.  I probably wasn't in a dating relationship and I wanted to be married with kids, didn't love the job I had at the time, had a debt that I was having to work hard to pay off and I never had enough money to do what I wanted to do, you know... the usual frustrations of a single woman in her late twenties.  I was feeling sorry for myself and a little down.  I thought, "What the heck?  I should give this Gratitude Journal thing a try."  

I must admit, the first couple of times I had to think really hard to come up with FIVE things I was thankful for and I only came up with three, but honestly, I was making it harder than it needed to be.  They don't have to be super significant “things”, they could be ANYTHING , just as long as you are genuinely thankful for it (this is according to the Book of Donna).  And it's kind of fun to mix in things like "I am thankful for a husband who loves me and is supportive in everything I do" with "I am thankful for seeing the big burly man I saw running with his tiny toy dog because it made me smile".  I've been thankful for things like "discovering I had a flat tire at 10 am in the morning in the parking lot of the YMCA instead of 10 pm at night on some dark road" to "the military men and women who risk their lives to fight for our freedom" to "remembering to throw my umbrella in my purse" and "hearing an old favorite song on the radio that brought back great memories".  Oh, and I don't write mine in a journal - never was able to make that a habit, but I do "give my thanks" every night before I go to sleep before saying my prayers.  What I learned about doing this is:  When you're truly grateful for what you have, you'll be surprised how spectacular you and your life really is or becomes!  

Let me know if you already keep a Gratitude Journal or if you decide to start one, or if you just do it in your head like I do, and what you think about the process and if you gain any insight for it or through it.  Thanks for reading this - I'm grateful you took the time!