Gratitude for life

A new year has come and it seems like we will all be more busy than ever, but then why take time out of my schedule to write a blog? For me, it is a small way to get my feelings out of my head and down on paper (or the electronic equivalent), and to share with friends and family what is happening with our lives. I have loved to journal since I was younger and the entries were mostly meaningless, but at least it gave me a habit and even a love of sharing the important life moments. Going back and reading some of them from many years ago brings people, feelings, and happiness back to my mind.

The phenomenon of talking to myself has become overwhelmingly present since having a baby and I find the need to express my thoughts more every day. This isn't a new feeling though, I was a sub which limited the amount of my interaction to the students I saw. I don't nearly get enough time to converse with friends as I used to and although I have a wonderful husband who loves to listen to me talk, my interaction is lacking outside of that. I don't mean to complain but with this understanding of why I would blog, I have a better understanding of myself and hope you do too.

On to the real reason for my thoughts today: how grateful we am for all our blessings in the past year and looking forward to this next year of growth and learning.

1. Being a parent.

I consider this to be the most important blessing we received this past year and something I personally have wanted to do my whole life. I was blessed with knowing what professional career I wanted early in my education but before all that I was 110% sure I wanted to be just like my mom and have a family. This whole being a parent thing comes with some ups and downs but when I follow the best parenting advice out there I know things will turn out great. The best parenting advice out there is: follow your instinct! We were trusted with the care of this perfect little spirit and that means we alone know what is best for her and our family, even if that instinct is to ask someone for help, we are guided to know what to do. We will feel blessed the rest of my life no matter what happens because we now have Claire in our eternal family.

2. Having the Church in our lives.
Not only were we both raised as part of the Church of Jesus Christ here in the latter days, we are living in one of the best wards we could have chosen without even knowing it. We have been blessed with great friendships and wonderful opportunities for growth and service as well as having help when we need it. I have a real love for these people in our ward who are in similar situations and still find time to reach out in friendship. Our bishop is the perfect amount of caring and goofy to make our time in the ward be wonderful and fun. This ward helped us keep our commitments and grow in the gospel so when our children start to learn the gospel we can help them find their own testimony.

3.Teaching English early in the morning.
Anyone who doesn't know that I teach for an online Chinese company called VIPKID should know one thing: this is so convenient and perfect for almost anyone! It has been a fabulous job to have and we feel blessed that I was able to teach through the summer and the time I took off from subbing to stay at home as a mom. The blessings of a flexible schedule, early morning teaching that doesn't interfere with other obligations, an added income, ease of traveling, and to do what I love all from home make it perfect. On top of being a perfect job I also enjoy teaching these Chinese students English because it is so fun and rewarding! I may complain about being tired most days but it is all worth it to see the improvement in the students I see.

4. Claire!
This has to be a different category than being a parent because she is what blesses our lives more than anything and makes us happier than we could have ever imagined being. She is growing so fast and I am sad I might miss any of her sweet smiles while working, not made easier when I get videos and pictures of her from my husband while at school! She is almost 5 months old and we have been able to observe her personality coming through more and more; curious, adventurous, stubborn, and so much more vocal. The changes that have happened over the holidays have made us realize how fast she is growing and we cannot wait to see who she will be in the future.

5. Chris's military benefits.
We have been so lucky to have the financial support that the military gives those who go to school and the unparalleled health care they provide for the family. We see the blessings when we look at our situation every month as we budget and find that we only spent more than we made the months Chris was not in school. Knowing that we are secure in our finances helped us be happy about the decisions we made and not worry that bringing Claire into the world would be hard on any of us. The military is an honorable profession and we've been blessed to not have to go through a deployment yet either (still praying for that not to come soon). Although we don't know if our situation will keep us a military family, I will forever be grateful for the way it has helped us in our early years as a couple and family.

6.  Getting back to substitute teaching.
School will start soon for Chris and we've been able to figured out a schedule that works for me to sub some days. I know being away from my daughter will be hard, but we decided it is something I was going to start back up. My long days at school will not go by fast or be as great as being at home with Claire, but I know this is what will help my future career. I am so grateful to have a flexible schedule and a sub coordinator who will work with me and is understanding of our situation. She told me she is very excited I decided to sub again and will always call me first for jobs because we have a good history. I feel overly blessed to have made a good impression with her during my subbing last year that she is so willing to give me work as often as she can.

7. For health and strength.
Not to brag...but look at that mile time! I was able to recover from delivery more quickly than I expected and was jogging a mile in 15 minutes just 6 weeks after having Claire. I think running basically a 9-minute mile time within 4 months of being allowed to workout again was an incredible blessing. Not only is my speed returning, but my endurance as well because within a week, I also did a 5K under 35 minutes. I have been blessed with free time to work out and also the ability to gain my strength back with no problems, and I only see improvement in my future as we start to hit the weights again. As we support each other in our health goals, we help each other feel good about our lives and know that we will teach our children how to be happy with their health, too.

Other blessings include:
8. Daily food.
9. Family that lives close.
10. Two fully paid off cars.
11. No student loan payments.
12. Loyal and good friends.
13. Time to develop talents.
14. An adequate apartment.
15. Generous people.
16. Financial security.
17. Safety while traveling.
18. A good doctor.
19. BYU-I and its teachers.
20. A close temple.