November Gratitudes - Day 28 (private swim lessons)

Today I am grateful for the folks to whom I have the honor and joy of teaching private swim lessons. I am grateful becuase it gives me the chance to earn some extra money, which I can always use, but also because I really enjoy watching my clients learn how to swim. What a joy and pleasure!

November Gratitudes - Day 27 (hot sauce)

Today I am grateful for hot sauce. I just love spicy foods, and I like to "spice up" most foods that I eat. I order my Thai food "Thai spicy," and I go in to the Taco Bell store when I order so that I can raid their hot sauce bucket, thus ensuring that I get enough for my burritos. Louisiana hot sauce is my friend, and I run through bottles of the stuff far faster than any normal person should. I always laugh that I should have been born in Louisiana where everything is spicier, and I mean it! Thank goodness for hot sauce!

November Gratitudes - Day 26 (Comedy TV)

Today I am grateful for really good comedy tv shows. Honestly, they are my favorite shows, and I can watch re-runs over and over. A few of my favorite characters include:

- Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute on The Office
- Courtney Cox as Monica Gellar on Friends
- Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker on Modern Family
- Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family

November Gratitudes - Day 25 (Hacienda)

Today I am grateful for the chance to enjoy Hacienda whenever I am home. Hacienda has the most amazing salsa (made yummier with ranch dressing stirred in), awesome margaritas, and super fresh guacamole. I certainly love getting to see my parents when I am home, but gosh, I look forward to making at least one visit (or more) to Hacienda every time I am in town. Just a month till Christmas - yummy!

November Gratitudes - Day 21 (short work week)

Today I am grateful that this is a two-day work week. I am exhausted, and am delighted to know that after Tuesday I am free for five days!

November Gratitudes - Day 19 (new washer/dryer)

Today I am grateful for my new washer and dryer. Earlier this month my apartment complex management decided to switch the way they billed us for our water usage. As a result, those people without washers and dryers would have been disadvantaged. So, the management of my cmplex decided to buy a washer/dryer set for everyone who did not own one. I was the lucky recipient of one of these sets!

P.S. The cats love the dryer too!

November Gratitudes - Day 17 (Duvee)

Today I am grateful for my duvee. I know that a duvee can often be confused with a comforter, but it's just not the same. A duvee keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Duvees are perfect for snuggling in on cold mornings and are easy to wash by simply removing the cover. I just love my duvee.

November Gratitudes - Day 15 (chapstick)

Today's gratitude is sort of silly! Today I am grateful for good chapstick. I know, silly, right?

Seriously, though, I love chapstick. I absolutely hate to have dry lips, and my lips are so much happier after I apply chapstick, whether it be in the winter or summer. Some would say I am slightly addicted, especially since I have a huge basket of various kinds of chapsticks, but I just really like to try new types.

Anyway, thank goodness for moist, healthy lips! :-)

November Gratitudes - Day 14 (second chances in graduate school)

Today I am grateful for second chances. In 2004 I started a M.A. program in History at the University of Kentucky with the intention of continuing on for my Ph.D. The three years of my life spent as a student in that department were among the worst of my life. I started graduate school full of self-confidence, but one semester wiped that away. Not only did my confidence fade, but so too did my love of history. Finally, on a whim that third year I randomly took a class in the department of Educational Policy and Evaluation Studies. It was amazing, just how I had always imagined graduate school would be. Transfering departments cost me 2.5 years of graduate school, but it was completely worth it. I found my passion and confidence again. I found my way back to academia because I felt supported and encouraged in ways I never could have imagined in my "lost" years. Yep, I'm totally grateful for the chance to start over, and for second chances!

November Gratitudes - Day 13 (reading)

Today's gratitude is sort of abstract, but... I am eternally grateful that I was born with a love of reading. I know that an interest in reading can be honed and encouraged, but I firmly believe that you either love to read, or you work at it. I am so grateful to have been born with a love of reading because of all the opportunities it has afforded me. I have visited magic lands, followed along on amazing adventures, and learned more about myself because of my love of reading. So, today I am grateful for my love of the written word!

November Gratitudes - Day 12 (good neighbors)

Today I am grateful for good neighbors. I am infinitely lucky that I have the wonderful neighbors that I do. My neighbor upstairs, Lorie, loves cats as much as I do. We each have more cats than we should, and take time to feed and care for the feral cat family that live in our parking lot. Below me lives Greg. He is a fellow graduate student, so we get to co-miserate on the stresses of coursework and life while trying to break into academia. Across the hall is Brenda, a sweet woman who watches out for me; plus she has an adorable golden retriever named Jake. Next door lives Shayla, a kind single mother, and her two kids. They are honestly the best kids ever! Finally, down the hall lives Barbara, a sweet retired woman and her dog Bella. She fundraises for the March of Dimes, loves her dog, and is always so excited to engage in a conversation. Honestly, I hit the neighbor jackpot, and I am so grateful to live where I do!!

November Gratitudes - Day 11 (military)

Today's gratitude should be obvious... but if it's not, today I am grateful for the American military who keep our borders and our people safe every day. Thank you for your service to this country and for risking your life to secure everyone's freedom. Thank you to your spouses, parents, children, and friends who sacrifice daily while you are away; their service, while different, is appreciated. Thank you, especially, to my brother-in-law Roman and cousin Bryan who have served in the Army and Marines with pride.

November Gratitudes - Day 10 (swimming)

Today I am grateful that my parents recognized how important it was for me to learn to swim and enrolled me at the YMCA when I was young (5 months, actually). Not only am I able to save my own life in the water, but swimming remains one of my most favorite things to do. Because my parents valued the importance of learning how to swim, I was able to get my first job as a lifeguard, I am able to teach swim lessons to little ones and show them the joy of the water, and I am able to find fun and exciting things to do around the water every summer! Yep, today I am grateful that I am part fish and feel completely at peace in the water!

My friend Liz and I at Lake Michigan in August of 2000

Rafting with a church group in Tennessee - July, 2008

Myself and Stephanie at Lake Cumberland - August 2009

Rafting solo at Lake Cumberland - August, 2009

Trying to throw me off the tube - they never succeeded! August, 2009


Jet Skiing on Lake Independence - July 2010


Relaxing on Lake Independence - life is good! July, 2010

November Gratitudes - Day 9 (health)

Today I am grateful for my health. Sure, I am slightly overweight, have allergies, and occasionally get migraines, but overall I am super blessed to be in good health. I know there are a lot of people that can't say that, so I don't take it for granted.

November Gratitudes - Day 7 (University of Michigan)

Today I am grateful that I am a Wolverine. When it came time to decide on a college, I had narrowed my options to 5 schools: Butler University, Hillsdale College, Valparaiso University, Eastern Michigan University, and the University of Michigan. Most people are surprised to hear that I initially decided on Valparaiso, but changed my mind at the last minute to the University of Michigan. I had decided on Valpo for a couple of reasons: their pre-law/law program, the fact that I could have joined the swim team, and that it was a mid-sized college; plus, there was that whole pesky question of how I would pay for UM when Valpo had given me some really great scholarships. When my UM financial offer came in, though, and after I had made a campus visit to Ann Arbor, I knew that UM was for me. Honestly, it's one of the best decisions I ever could have made. I made great friends, discovered my passions, studied abroad, worked with a research scholar, and attended UM football games. ;-) (we know how important football is to me!) Ultimately, I discovered who I was in Ann Arbor. I started college a shy, quiet girl from a small city and emerged full of confidence and with an education - both in and out of the classroom - that I can't imagine myself having found anywhere else. Yep, I am super grateful to be a Wolverine!

This is my college buddy Wilhelmina and I at UM game several years after we graduated, it was so much fun being back in the student section!

November Gratitudes - Day 6 (Christmas tree)

Today I am grateful that it's November, which means I can finally put up my Christmas tree. I know, I know, I really shouldn't do that till after Thanksgiving, but I just can't resist. I love Christmas, and I love my Christmas tree.

I was lucky enough to foster a momma cat, Molly, as she gave birth to two babies, Allie and Oliver. This is Allie right around 6 weeks... she loved to climb the Christmas tree, what a character!

The first year Katie lived with me she knocked the Christmas tree over 3 times. I love this photo because she had just knocked over the tree and looks like she is trying to pass it off as someone else. Max's stare gives it away, though.

This is the Christmas tree at my parent's house. My mom has somewhere around 30 boxes of ornaments, so she swaps them out from year to year, but the tree always looks like home. Do you think this is where I got my love of Christmas?!?

This is one of my favorite ornaments of my mom's. It reminds me of snow and of the magical feeling of Christmas. I can't really explain why.

It's safe to say that my Christmas tree is going up next weekend, and I can't wait.

November Gratitudes - Day 5 (my car)

Today I am grateful for reliable transportation. I am fortunate enough to have purchased a new car last year, and although it wasn't cheap, I am grateful to know that my car will make it where I need to go. I love Big Sexy (yes, I name my cars).

November Gratitudes - Day 4 (fireplace)

Today I am grateful for good fires in the fireplace over the winter. Before I lived in a place with a fireplace, I never could have imagined the joy I would find in a home with one... but now, I can't imagine living without it. I love cozy evenings with a roaring fire, snuggly cats, and steaming cups of tea. I LOVE my fireplace and am already looking forward to this winter!

November Gratitudes - Day 3 (my job)

Today I am grateful that I have a job that is steady and consistent. A job where I have great benefits. A job that I can count on not going away. Sure, I complain about my job at times, and I sometimes think that the people I work with aren't the nicest... but, at the end of the day, I am lucky, and I know that.