Thankful part one

It's November, five days in to be exact...when did that happen? This year is seriously flying by and I really need it to slow down. While I am in complete agreement that every month/day/second of my life I should reflect on all that I am thankful for however; like many I get caught up in the hustle and bustle of day to day life and most of the time sometimes forget to reflect on all of the wonderful blessings in my life. Personally, the month of November reminds me to appreciate all that I have. While I try to count my blessings throughout the year, for some reason I always get extra appreciative during the holiday season. I absolutely love getting together with my family, celebrating holidays and making life long memories. So, I've decided to do a weekly thankful post for the rest of November.

The topics in these posts are not going to be in any particular order, just things I am thinking about at the moment.

The first of every month I sit down, organize all of our bills, talk to Butch about them and then we pay them. This may not sound like anything special. Everyone has bills, and most everyone tries to pay them on time/ in full. While I realize it is more difficult for others, I am so grateful that we do not struggle. In no way am I bragging. Butch and I work extremely hard for our money. Fortunately we have never been in a situation where we absolutely couldn't pay bills. Yes, some months are a little tighter than others, but luckily we are financial stable. This is not a materialistic blessing, to me at least. I am thankful that we both have jobs that allow us too provide the necessities for our son and each other and then some. I know I am fortunate to have a job that I absolutely love and although he does not love his job, the time he gets to spend with us at home is, "worth it" in his words. Not having to struggle to make ends meet is an incredible blessing that I know others are not as fortunate to have.

Similarly related to our finances is the fact that I seriously have a dream job. I am completely obsessed with my school and students. I truly love going to work. Is it perfect? No. Do I make a lot of money? No. If I could just teach it would be wonderful but for anyone that is a teacher or knows a teacher, you know that is not the case. There is a lot more that goes into my profession. However, since I was in high school I knew I wanted to be a middle school teacher and my dream was to go back to Herndon. I am so incredibly thankful that the timing could not have been more perfect when I was hired for my current job. God has impeccable timing.

Something I have been struggling with lately, well since Beckham was born is our living situation. Do we have a house? Yes. Is it my ideal situation? No. Did I ask to live him when I found out I was pregnant? Yes. And that is always Butch's response. I wanted to live here. I did and love our location, but honestly we are outgrowing this house. We are comfortable, don't get me wrong, but as Beckham grows his toys get bigger along with everything else and I can't even imagine having another baby in this small house. I did want to live here because when we found out we were pregnant we were renting a house that was way too big, expensive, needed way too much work (that we couldn't do because we were renting) and the list goes on. So, our alternative was moving into one of his parents rent houses that his Mom was actually in the process of remodeling. I knew the location would be perfect and did not realize how quickly we would outgrow the space. Butch and I discussed living here a year or two. It will be two years June 2014, so roughly seven months. I am already planning another baby in my head and it just stresses me out to think about living in this house for much longer. With all of that said, we have a house. It is small but it keeps us warm in the Winter, cool in the Summer and dry when it rains. It has all of the necessities we need to live a healthy life and honestly, good things come to those who wait. We are not in any kind of rush, per say....I am mostly because of future hypothetical plans. But, if need be we could live here forever. I don't know what the future holds for us. I am grateful that we have a house and a place to call home.

This first week of November, I want to think about and appreciate our home, our careers and our financial stability. I never could have imagined this life. Three years ago I was in such a dark place. I did not think I deserved this kind of happiness. I am forever thankful for Butch coming into my life during that time. God truly only knows where I would be.