I'm a cheat
Well, there it is. I missed practically a week of postings. Maybe I should take the easy way out and just make a list of 30 things I'm thankful for in just one post. Is that alright?
I was out of town this weekend on an impromptu trip to Middletown to visit the in-laws and didn't really have the time or adequate access to the internet.
I keep seeing Facebook statuses saying their Christmas decorations are already all up. What the heck?! It's not even Thanksgiving yet! I mean, it's almost here and I can't wait, but seriously, how about waiting a week and a half for one holiday to pass before getting started on the next one? Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm so excited to prepare a plethora of side dishes at my parents' home. I've gushed recently about brussel sprouts and I'm definitely going to make that this year.
Every year, I say I'm going to get a head start on my Christmas shopping (NOT decorating, those are two different things, I say) and I've started to compile lists for individuals but I'm hitting a wall with my brother and sister-in law. They both have zero interests, aren't excited or adventurous about food, hate to exercise, hate to read, don't watch movies anymore b/c of their kids, and basically never leave their house. How does one shop for a person with no interests? I'm actually thinking about baking more and perhaps giving those away as gifts.
As for me, I always have a wish list. The things I want just happen to be too pricey so I feel guilty when people ask me what I want for Christmas. They're usually things that are related to running, violin, or clothes. I would love a Garmin GPS watch, a Digital Recorder for my ongoing "violining", or perhaps a brand new funky fiber glass violin case. Of course, I'd feel much less guilty if I just purchased these items for myself and received nice, but more economical gifts from others this Christmas. I don't know what it is, but I'm always shocked at how un-hesitant my husband and the rest of his family members are when it comes to blurting out what they want for Christmas; on my side of the family, we always tried not to "demand" lavish gifts and usually when we ask each other--out of courtesy--what the other wants for Christmas, the response usually is, "Oh...you don't need to get me anything. I don't need anything." Every. Single. Year.
Hubby's side--now that's a different story. My MIL asked my husband if he wanted anything for Christmas (since we're going there for Christmas and my house for T-giving) as we were leaving yesterday, and immediately my hubby blurted, "Yes! A Northface jacket, please". Sheesh. It almost makes me blush since we're almost 30 years old. I swear I'm not being critical in a bad way. I really think it's just because I was raised slightly differently. That comes with the territory when your mom is a foreigner and didn't grow up celebrating much of anything because she was too poor. So it's understandable that my mother felt strange going overboard with American traditions and holidays. My dad didn't mind, well, because he was a penny pincher. Don't get me wrong-- I had great Christmases, but they just weren't always consistently spectacular. Maybe one year, I got something huge (like a 3 story Victorian dollhouse which now sits in my dad's shed) and then the next, I'd just get a few books and that was it. I didn't care.
Anyways, I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm a scrooge--I honestly love the holidays and when (or if) I ever have kids, I think I might make a bigger deal about them than my parents did when I was growing up.
Can I just go ahead and list 30 things I'm thankful for now? Okay here it is (the first few are ones I've already written about in previous posts to avoid redundancy):
30 Things I'm Thankful For
1. My job
2. Freedom and alone time with the husband
3. Choosing the RIGHT guy to be my husband!
4. My car
5. My students
6. Convenience at my fingertips (malls, grocery stores, etc.)
7. The right to vote
8. My family and wonderful in-laws that I get along with
9. Our military
10. My good health
11. The ability to learn and discover new ways to STAY healthy
12. The internet
13. The friends I've made since moving to Columbus
14. Of course, music and the wonderful gift of being able to make and teach it every day
15. Some of the best and loyal companions I've ever had: my two dogs
16. Not being a picky eater! I literally eat anything and everything.
17. My house and having adequate space to live in
18. Being debt-free (thank you, mom and dad for not making me get student loans)
19. Being the way God made me; I used to get made fun for being short and also always wished I was blond haired and blue-eyed. Now, I love my dark hair and eyes, and my being short has a ton of advantages: I look younger than I am, it's more or less easy to stay relatively trim, and according to a study I once heard on NPR, I'll also live longer.
20. Having a dad who always had the answer and solution to every problem. Thanks to him, we didn't have to hire someone to install our new floor in our condo, and I didn't have to pay someone to install my new brake pads--he's a jack of all trades.
21. Living relatively close to both sides of our family. Sometimes I whine about driving 1 1/2-2 hrs to visit, but that really is nothing compared to some families who have to travel across the country and, as a result, see their family even less. During less busy times, we visit family 2-3 weekends every month.
22. Being raised with faith and values. I haven't always consistently gone to church since leaving college, but I also can't say that I've abandoned my beliefs and I don't know where I'd be without them.
23. For the blog community and constantly being inspired by and always learning from others' lives.
24. Okay, don't laugh.... feminine hygiene products. Seriously, though, what did women do 200 years ago?
25. And on the same note, Tylenol.
26. Coffee!!
27. Shaving cream, razors and other hair removal products. Again, what did women do a few centuries ago??
28. Weekends
29. Electricity:P
30. Having the free time to write on this blog:)
I was out of town this weekend on an impromptu trip to Middletown to visit the in-laws and didn't really have the time or adequate access to the internet.
I keep seeing Facebook statuses saying their Christmas decorations are already all up. What the heck?! It's not even Thanksgiving yet! I mean, it's almost here and I can't wait, but seriously, how about waiting a week and a half for one holiday to pass before getting started on the next one? Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm so excited to prepare a plethora of side dishes at my parents' home. I've gushed recently about brussel sprouts and I'm definitely going to make that this year.
Every year, I say I'm going to get a head start on my Christmas shopping (NOT decorating, those are two different things, I say) and I've started to compile lists for individuals but I'm hitting a wall with my brother and sister-in law. They both have zero interests, aren't excited or adventurous about food, hate to exercise, hate to read, don't watch movies anymore b/c of their kids, and basically never leave their house. How does one shop for a person with no interests? I'm actually thinking about baking more and perhaps giving those away as gifts.
As for me, I always have a wish list. The things I want just happen to be too pricey so I feel guilty when people ask me what I want for Christmas. They're usually things that are related to running, violin, or clothes. I would love a Garmin GPS watch, a Digital Recorder for my ongoing "violining", or perhaps a brand new funky fiber glass violin case. Of course, I'd feel much less guilty if I just purchased these items for myself and received nice, but more economical gifts from others this Christmas. I don't know what it is, but I'm always shocked at how un-hesitant my husband and the rest of his family members are when it comes to blurting out what they want for Christmas; on my side of the family, we always tried not to "demand" lavish gifts and usually when we ask each other--out of courtesy--what the other wants for Christmas, the response usually is, "Oh...you don't need to get me anything. I don't need anything." Every. Single. Year.
Hubby's side--now that's a different story. My MIL asked my husband if he wanted anything for Christmas (since we're going there for Christmas and my house for T-giving) as we were leaving yesterday, and immediately my hubby blurted, "Yes! A Northface jacket, please". Sheesh. It almost makes me blush since we're almost 30 years old. I swear I'm not being critical in a bad way. I really think it's just because I was raised slightly differently. That comes with the territory when your mom is a foreigner and didn't grow up celebrating much of anything because she was too poor. So it's understandable that my mother felt strange going overboard with American traditions and holidays. My dad didn't mind, well, because he was a penny pincher. Don't get me wrong-- I had great Christmases, but they just weren't always consistently spectacular. Maybe one year, I got something huge (like a 3 story Victorian dollhouse which now sits in my dad's shed) and then the next, I'd just get a few books and that was it. I didn't care.
Anyways, I hope I didn't give the impression that I'm a scrooge--I honestly love the holidays and when (or if) I ever have kids, I think I might make a bigger deal about them than my parents did when I was growing up.
Can I just go ahead and list 30 things I'm thankful for now? Okay here it is (the first few are ones I've already written about in previous posts to avoid redundancy):
30 Things I'm Thankful For
1. My job
2. Freedom and alone time with the husband
3. Choosing the RIGHT guy to be my husband!
4. My car
5. My students
6. Convenience at my fingertips (malls, grocery stores, etc.)
7. The right to vote
8. My family and wonderful in-laws that I get along with
9. Our military
10. My good health
11. The ability to learn and discover new ways to STAY healthy
12. The internet
13. The friends I've made since moving to Columbus
14. Of course, music and the wonderful gift of being able to make and teach it every day
15. Some of the best and loyal companions I've ever had: my two dogs
16. Not being a picky eater! I literally eat anything and everything.
17. My house and having adequate space to live in
18. Being debt-free (thank you, mom and dad for not making me get student loans)
19. Being the way God made me; I used to get made fun for being short and also always wished I was blond haired and blue-eyed. Now, I love my dark hair and eyes, and my being short has a ton of advantages: I look younger than I am, it's more or less easy to stay relatively trim, and according to a study I once heard on NPR, I'll also live longer.
20. Having a dad who always had the answer and solution to every problem. Thanks to him, we didn't have to hire someone to install our new floor in our condo, and I didn't have to pay someone to install my new brake pads--he's a jack of all trades.
21. Living relatively close to both sides of our family. Sometimes I whine about driving 1 1/2-2 hrs to visit, but that really is nothing compared to some families who have to travel across the country and, as a result, see their family even less. During less busy times, we visit family 2-3 weekends every month.
22. Being raised with faith and values. I haven't always consistently gone to church since leaving college, but I also can't say that I've abandoned my beliefs and I don't know where I'd be without them.
23. For the blog community and constantly being inspired by and always learning from others' lives.
24. Okay, don't laugh.... feminine hygiene products. Seriously, though, what did women do 200 years ago?
25. And on the same note, Tylenol.
26. Coffee!!
27. Shaving cream, razors and other hair removal products. Again, what did women do a few centuries ago??
28. Weekends
29. Electricity:P
30. Having the free time to write on this blog:)
Comments