31 Things I'm Thankful for in my 31st Year!

Yesterday December 1st, I became 31 years old. Funny how 31 is way less anticipated than 30, yet saying you are 31 just sounds way worse than saying "I'm 30". This year came as kind of a surprise. I haven't really celebrated my birthday in years really, as far as parties go. I'm usually the one who celebrates for other people and keep my own day kind of quiet I guess. This year, because it fell on Thanksgiving weekend, I at least got to spend some time off from work and hang out with my family for the holiday. 

It also occurred to me that being a thirty-something is kind of like being a real grown up. It makes you want to take note of where you are in life and what you've accomplished. I don't think I'm ready to do that, so instead I decided to make a list of thirty-one things I'm thankful for...

1.       I am eternally thankful for my a family who lived a life of faith so that I was able to grow up knowing that no matter how silent the world may feel, I have a God who loves me and a savior who died for me.

2.       I am thankful for mornings and the ability to wake up to a new day and a fresh start when the night may have seemed too dark.

3.       Coffee. For those mornings when I just need something to get me going.

4.       I am beyond thankful for the ability to call myself a mother. Motherhood has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life. To experience the love that came so naturally to me the second I laid eyes on my baby has changed my heart forever.

5.       For my Jonah. I am thankful he is who he is. His sweetness, his Wild(er)ness,  his fierceness, and his determination. I am thankful for his gentle nature, his loving heart, and for his physical health from the tip of his head to the soles of his feet.

6.       Mickey Mouse – he’s a savior in these tantrum filled days.

7.       For my husband. When I think back on our early days and how we met, I can do nothing but shake my head and think “how the heck did we get to where we are today?” I am thankful for his wit (insert eye roll), his nervous habit of talking way too much (it allows me to do what I do best – listen), his passion for unique things, learning about the world, exploring, and absorbing every bit of knowledge he possibly can. I am thankful that he puts up with me.

8.       Ice Cream. For the nights when I just deserve a treat!

9.       My son’s father (same person as my husband, I just felt like this role needed its own number). I am thankful that God chose him to be the Jonah’s father. He loves him fiercely and takes care of him in different ways than I do. He meets his needs in ways I’d never even think to. He teaches him how stuff works in a way that Jonah just gets. He craves time with him and is perfectly content rocking him to sleep and carrying all twenty-nine limp pounds around the grocery store by himself.

10.   Grocery Carts and the times when Jonah will ride in them.

11.   My parents. I am thankful they showed me how to love each other. I am thankful that they can drive each other crazy, but are still on the same team. I am thankful they made our home a place where we felt loved, safe, and that their love just grows as each person is added to the mix.

12.   Biodegradable Disposable diapers. I am thankful that I can just throw them away and not have to worry about it. 

13.   I am thankful that I am a middle child. This wasn’t always true, but as I got older I found that the shadow wasn’t such a bad place to be and fighting for my individuality made me who am.

14.   I am thankful for those to chicks I am sandwiched in between, my sisters. They are my best friends, the people who know me best and accept me for my faults. They highlight my emotions and reflect my best qualities. I am thankful that I don’t really even have to say please or thank you, or will you, or can you. They just do, will, and are there.

15.   Facetime. Best invention ever.

16.   I am thankful for big extended families. It’s hard to keep up, but extended family is like the extra you don’t know you need, but are glad you have and don’t know what you would do without them. I am fortunate to have a LOT of extended family.

17.   A camera built right into my phone. I use it every day and take it for granted.

18.   Old friends. I am grateful to have been able to maintain friendships for over twenty years. I never thought I’d be at a point in my life where I say “oh we go way back, I’ve known her for twenty years”. Well guess what friends I met in sixth grade or before, we’ve been friends for more than 20 years! Different schools, different cities, states, and lives – I love that we can pick up right where we left off when we manage to get together.

19.   Facebook. No matter how much drama it brings other people, I am fortunate to have never had that issue. I see it as all good. I get to see my friends and their kids and pray for them when they need it. All because of Facebook.

20.   New friends, past and present. I am thankful for people who came into my life at certain times. Whether they are in my life now or not. I am grateful that I have never felt friendless. There are people at one time or another; I would have said were one of my best friends, which I just don’t talk to anymore. I hate it when that happens, but mostly miles separate us and I hope they know I love them.

21.   The USPS. I love getting mail. Whatever it is. I’m glad they deliver it. (I probably just jinxed myself and will go home to find a jury duty notice.)

22.   I am thankful for my in-laws, the whole lot. I did really well in that department. I gained a second set of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Through my sisters I gained two brothers and through my husband I gained a sister and two brothers. It’s really rare to find that you actually get along with all of your siblings and their spouses. I LOVE that we all actually like each other.

23.   Nieces and Nephews/Jonah’s cousins. Reese, Finley, Clark, Emma, Laurel, Connor, Jude and Benjamin. I love those kids like they are my own. Even when they could care less if I existed, I still love ‘em to pieces!

24.   Photography, as a hobby, as a business, as a passion. I am thankful for it all and the people that come along with it. 

25.   A place to call home. I am thankful that I grew up in one place, that I can call home- Pearl, Mississippi.

26.   Nail polish. Thank you for making toes a little less ugly.

27.   My Grandparent’s home in country. A place where family gathers and children are bonded together by their memories for life.

28.   Diet Coke and its lack of calories. It just makes me feel better – shut up.

29.   Hand-me-downs. Clothes, furniture, grills, etc. We use ‘em and love ‘em!

30.   Hope. I am thankful that at thirty one years old, I still have hope that my life will be even better in the next 30 years.

31.   Blogging and Social media. I am thankful for the people, the connections (short and long withstanding), the opportunities, the freebies, the togetherness, and the inspiration this community brings. May it live long and prosper.

Man I though I’d never make it to thirty one, but now I want to add a bunch more stuff! Like clean water, soap, sewing, my education, being a social worker, strollers, ibuprofen, and heath bar cookies. There is just so much I have to be thankful for. I hope you all had a great thanksgiving! I will be sharing some of our experience tomorrow. I can’t wait to spend the holidays with you all! 

follow our journey on bloglovin' 

 

or follow using your favorite reader via RSS feed