After A... but Before C... the Letter B!

Ah. The letter B. This is a good one. And I know... It has been more than a week since my last post. I warned you all that I am very bad at this.

1. Bryan. Yep. Funny that I should put that one first on this list. Bryan is my husband. Who loves me more than I can express and beyond what I frequently deserve. We met at the mall and I tease him that he was "shopping for a date". A statement which he will not openly deny. But we met, dated, were quickly engaged and married soon after. (Can you say "Whirlwind"?) Sometimes I feel very grateful that Bryan is as great as he is... because I occassionally question my rationale for jumping right into marriage at the ripe old age of 19. But we are going on 18 years now, and so I figure someone must have had some foresight there on my behalf. Bryan is a great husband and a fantastic father. The girls love him... as do I.
2. Beehives. For those of you who follow this post, who have no idea what a beehive is... it is a group of young ladies in my ward (church) from the ages of 12 to 13. And I am lucky enough to work with them. I get to hang out with them in class on Sunday and then again at an activity on Wednesday nights. They keep me young. They keep me patient. They teach me to love and appreciate those outside my normal circle. And they teach me to have faith and trust in my Heavenly Father.
3. Botox. There is nothing like not being able to make that face where you scrunch up your forehead and let people know that what they are saying is actually annoying the crud out of you. I love it that those muscles are paralized and my forehead stays wrinkle-free. Perhaps if I didn't make that face so much in the first place, I wouldn't need the Botox.
4. "Blessings". I put this on my list because when I pray I frequently just say that I am thankful for my "blessings", trusting that my Heavenly Father knows what I mean by that.
5. Butterflies. I think butterflies are one of the most amazing of all God's creepy crawly things. Imagine starting out as a tiny, squishy little thing and then morphing into something beautiful. Something with the power to fly high above ground that used to hold it. It is the ultimate example of change. Now, being the realist that I am, I recognize that not all change results in something beautiful... but sometimes it does. And for that, I am grateful.
6. Birthdays. I don't mind my birthday. But I like celebrating my kids' birthdays. I like to see if I can create a unique cake for them. I love to see them excited about their gifts and their parties. However, as both of my children's ages have hit the double digits, I have started to be a little less celebratory when their birthdays roll around. Marking the passage of time makes me more nervous as I begin to realize just how fast their childhoods are going. It makes me a little sad when I realize they are closer to adulthood now than I am ready for them to be.
7. Bella. Yep... I mean Bella Swan. I am addicted to the Twilight books. I am as bad as any teenage girl.
8. Baptism. I don't really remember a lot of details surrounding my baptism. I remember that my hair was in a braid and there were a lot of kids sitting on the benches next to me. (I got baptized in Utah where they do monthly stake baptisms and there must have been thirty other kids who turned eight in the month of April 1980.) And I remember that some guy (don't know who he was) talked for a VERY LONG TIME. But I do remember Taylor and Morgan's baptisms. They both looked so cute in their little white outfits, standing next to their daddy (who looked like he was wearing some white pajamas...). Both were relatively small events with just a few friends and family supporting my children as they took this all important step. I liked it better that way. It seems like a common thing that we do in our church. But when I stop to really think about the magnitude of the baptismal covenants, I am a little overwhelmed. I guess, since I was, like most of us, baptized when I was eight, I sometimes forget how important those things are.
9. The Book of Mormon. Yep, I've read it. Yep, I know it is true. Should probably be more diligent in my reading. I have the Book of Mormon on my iPod and I try to listen to them. I won't lie... sometimes I listen to them as I am falling asleep... in hopes that the monotone narrator will lull me into slumber. Maybe if Ilyana Kadushin narrated... nevermind.
10. The Bigelows. Tammy Bigelow is my very best friend from when I was in 7th grade. She has been a part of my life for longer than she hasn't. And I am a better person because of her. And her family is great. Tammy and her husband are probably the most righteous people I have ever met in my whole life... I like hanging out with them (secretly hoping that if they get translated and I am standing close enough, I might make it too...). And her children are adorable. Sara (Tammy's oldest) is one of Taylor's very best friends. Megan (Tammy's middle child) is just a little bit younger than Morgan and they get along quite well, and Spencer (Tammy's youngest) is so cute that my husband actually said "If we could be guaranteed to get a "spencer" I would actually wish for another child." We hate that the Bigelows live in Utah. Too far away!
11. Babies. Who doesn't love a good baby? So perfect. I loved my kids when they were babies. So different from each other. I guess that is how it is though, we are all different people. I like that even so early I could see their own little personalities develop. Right now, I just like borrowing other people's babies. I also like giving them back when they stink or won't stop crying.
12. Beauty. Not just talking about physical beauty. (Though I won't lie... I like that too...) But I am talking about the beauty of a sunrise or sunset. The beauty you see when the light shines through the trees and just the right angle. The beauty of watching your children grow up and make good choices. The beauty of being on the receiving end of a kind word, a smile, or a hug.
13. The Bahamas. Have you seen the bahamas? I haven't. But I am SO EXCITED for the Disney Cruise to the Bahamas that we are taking in a mere 234 days. (Keith has a count-down clock on his computer... He's excited too.)
14. Budgets. Don't really love them. But there is some satisfaction at looking at the cute little graph that shows me where all of my money went! And living within our means was a hard lesson learned a while back. So I am firm believer in the budget!!
15. Bed. It seems that I talk about this a lot. Apparently sleep is one of those things that I focus on way too much. But I do love my bed. Not just any bed. MY BED. It is as perfect as any bed out there. Basically, my body would be best served if I could sleep standing up, but my comfy, squishy bed is the next best thing. Hotel beds are the WORST! I do look forward to returning from vacations just so that I can crawl into my own bed at night.
16. (King) Benjamin. He is my favorite from the Book of Mormon. What a great guy. I think I like him so much because he didn't abuse his authority. He loved his people, not his power. I think his reminder to everyone that no matter what we do, we are still in debt to our Heavenly Father is good counsel. And we need to love others. And serve others. Even when it's hard to love and serve.
17. the Bosch. I have heard the debates. The bosch versus the Kitchen Aid. I am a firm supporter of the Bosch. Tragically, after 19 years of faithful service, my bosch has finally reached the end. So, I am working on purchasing the new (and even BETTER) Bosch. Yah!
18. Books on Tape. I love listening to books on tape. When I got old and my eyesight was started to go, I found that listening to books caused less headaches than reading them. (Actually, a good pair of glasses solved the problem, but by the time I figured that out, I was hooked on the book on tape.) It is totally about the narrator, though. Bad narrator = bad book. And, as an added benefit, when you're listening to a book, your hands are completely free to do other things, like laundry or dishes. (Not that I choose to do those things while listening to books, but the option is there.)
19. Better and Best. It is a blessing to ponder on how I spend my time. Are the things that I do better? Are some of them best? I will admit... have a quite a few "good" things (and to be completely honest, some things that wouldn't even rank that high...). But it helps bring balance. Which is another good B word!
20. The Bernalillo Ward. That was our little ward in New Mexico. It started out as a HUGE ward, and then they split the ward into a very tiny ward. (Since we have moved away, I think it became huge again and has split several times again...). But when we were in that tiny little ward, we made some great friends. There were no cliques. There was no way to hide. People just loved everyone else. And served each other like they really wanted to. It was probably the best ward I have ever been in. I worked with the Young Women in that ward too. I have found most of them on facebook (I know... there it is again...), but I am so grateful to see what beautiful, strong women they have become. Some are married. A few have kids already. I would hope that I had some small part in the people they have become. But really, I learned more from them than I ever taught them.

A is for...

1. Atonement. I don't fully understand it. I don't know how Christ took upon Himself all of the sins and suffering of everyone. But I do know that it is probably the single most important event in the history of everything. And as I learn more about it, I am more humbled by the magnitude of the love our Savior must have for us.
2. Air. That seems like a pretty good thing to be grateful for. I particularly like the air right after it has rained.
3. Ananda. Ananda is the oldest daughter of my oldest sister, Traci. That makes her my neice! Isn't she gorgeous? But not only that, she is one of the strongest, sweetest people I have ever met in my whole life. I remember when she was born. I have watched as she has grown up into a beautiful young women, despite some rough roads along the way. Ananda is now married and has a cute little baby of her own . I want to be more like her when I grow up!
4. Alpharetta. That is where I live. It is a great suburb outside of Atlanta, Georgia. We have lived here for about 4 1/2 years. I love it. It is so green and filled with trees. The traffic is bad... and the humidity in the summer is a little annoying, but it is close to my sister.
5. Age. I like to believe that wisdom comes with age. I also think that patience and a sense of humor develops with age as well. And, luckily, I work somewhere where your age doesn't matter because my sister has all kinds of fun gadgets that can all but stop the passage of time. (Okay... a bit of an exaggeration, but I like to think that I look much youner than I actually feel!)
6. Albuquerque. That is where I used to live. We lived in Albuquerque for 5 years before moving to Georgia. It is the opposite of Alpharetta. Everything in Albuquerque is brown. But the skies were really something to look at and you couldn't beat the sunset. We have great friends who welcomed us into their family when we moved there. And we miss those easy, friendly relationships.
7. Agendas. I am grateful for agendas. I love a good calendar. I like tasks and organized checklists. I like the satisfaction of checking things off when I am done... and the knowledge that those things I write down are less likely to be forgotten. (Not completely unlikely... but less likely.)
8. April (the month). April is one of my favorite months. It is the month of my birthday. (And who doesn't like a good birthday?) But it is also the month when the weather starts to change and the world wakes up. The flowers start blooming and the trees look like they are covered in popcorn. (yep... you're totally thinking about the 'popcorn popping on the apricot tree' song right now, right?) Everything is new in April. I like the fresh start.
9. Alma the Younger. I used to get really annoyed when everyone talked about how great Alma the Younger was. I wondered why we didn't focus more Nephi. You know, the guy who didn't do anything wrong in the first place. Who had the perfect faith from the beginning. But as I get older (and hopefully wiser), I realize that there is a lot more of Alma the Younger in me than Nephi. And I am grateful for that gospel principle. Of knowing that no matter what, I can have a "do-over"! I need a lot of do-over's.
10. Adriano. He is the guy who, week after week, cleans my messy house. How could I not be grateful for him??
11. Afternoons. I love the afternoon. I love the winding down of a busy morning. The settling into a busy evening. I love picking Morgan up from school and having her hang out with me. (Usually at work, much to her dismay...).
12. Aching Bones. I know... why be grateful for that? Well, it reminds me of where I have been, physically. It reminds me of how amazing the human body is... how we are able to adapt. It reminds me of gat people who have cooked meals, cared for my children, offered their prayers and support, and been my arms when mine weren't working well enough. It also reminds me of good doctors, who despite being frustrated by my quirky body, were willing to give it all they had and more.
13. Aunt Tiff. My sister is the best. And when I get the the T's I will tell you all about her. But for now, I want to express how grateful I am that she is my daughters' aunt. She is very generous, and (according to her own daughter) a bit of a "softy". But more than that, she shows my girls that it isn't impossible to achieve great things. She also shows them that sometimes you have to work really hard!
14. Apples. Who doesn't like apples?
15. Art. I think art is great because it can be so personal. No matter what you like or dislike, there is art out there to satisfy you, in so many different forms. Theater, music, print, portraits, photography. Anything that my daughter Morgan makes. The things that Taylor is able to create on the computer. It is all art. It is something to ponder and appreciate.
16. ABBA. I grew up with ABBA music. I still love to sing the songs. (much to the delight of my husband and children.) But I really am "thankful for the music - the songs I'm singing..."
17. Atlanta Dermatology, Vein & Research Center. This is where I work. (By the way, I am the Practice Administrator). It is a great place to work. I only live about 5 minutes away, which in Georgia traffic means I need to be extra-grateful for the place. I work with some very nice people. It is interesting to be in a smaller work environment and watch how people interact with each other. For the most part, I see good cooperation and people taking pride in their work and enjoying their time here. It is fun to see! Plus, we have Botox here. But I guess I should write about that under the B page!
18. Airplanes. The only way to travel.
19. Asleep. I love being asleep. I love curling up with my blanket and my memory foam pillow and I love it when my dog snuggles in at my feet.
20. Adversity. What? Grateful for adversity? To be truthful, I am not. I usually make fun of the people who say they are. It is hard for me to stand and say "thank you for all this crap.." (sorry Morgan, but crap is just the best word for that sentence.). But I am working on it. I may not be able to find the words to express Gratitude for my trials, but I no longer ask who I wronged in a previous life. So that is progress, right?

How it all started...

I have tried blogging before. To be completely honest, I was really bad at it. A year (and only two posts) later, I thought that blogging just might not be my thing. So, I joined facebook. Facebook is easy. I get constant reminders that people want to be my friends, or someone from elementary school has found me and wants to catch up. Folks write on my wall and I respond back. Facebook is what is on the surface.

But I want things to be more than what they are on the surface. I want people to know more about the person I am, or at least the person I want to be. So, after a nice discussion with some fine women, I thought a great place to start would be to ponder on some of the things I was truly grateful for. Unfortunately, I surprised myself when my list started including things such as "Zoloft, Lortab, and a comfy bed..." Perhaps I was focusing on the wrong things. So I pulled some inspiration from a talk by President Monson titled, "Finding Joy in the Journey". About midway through the talk it says: "Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings."

So there is was, the inspiration for this blog!

As for the title of my blog? Well, that was from a book about a bad cat... not really applicable to this story at all, but I thought it sounded like a nice idea.


So, here's how it will work (in my perfect world... of course, I am all about flexibility these days!) I am going to try to post weekly about the things in my life that bring me joy. The things that, for whatever reason, I am most grateful for. But only those things that start with the right letter. Yep, I am going by the alphabet.

I will start with A and progress in the normal fashion until I get to Z. That makes for about 27 posts (I am totally counting this as one... even though the letters don't start until next time). That's only 25 more than I was able to accomplish on my last attempt at blogging. That shouldn't be too hard, right?

So, feel free to join me on this journey as I try to do as the Prophet suggests and, "relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family. Because one day each of us will run out of tomorrows."