Gratitude

Allow me to be quite passe with this post because seeing as how it's Thanksgiving, I've got a lot of thanks to be giving! This year has been a tremendous year for me: one of tremendous growth, adventures, explorations, happiness, sadness, good times, bad times, a year to definitely remember. I've been reflecting and pondering about everything that has happened to me over the past year and what blessings I've recieved whether they were blessings in disguise or what not. Let me just express my thanks for 10 things this year:

First... I'm incredibly grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the amazing change it has been in my life for the past 9 1/2 years. I believe I have more knowledge and understanding of the workings of God and have a better picture of what the eternal scheme of things. I'm grateful for my Savior and the Atonement in my life. I definitely would not be the same without all that this gospel brings into my life.

Second... I'm so grateful for my family! We are an insane bunch of people and have a tendency to be loud and crass sometimes; they have been an amazing source of support and encouragement when I'm off on my craziest adventure. They have laughed with me, cried with me, yelled with me (and even at me) and I would never have it anyother way. I love my family so much and I am so grateful for the whack jobs that it is made up of.

Third... so this may sound silly but I'm grateful for my dog. He's awesome. Whenever I would come home at 1 or 2 in the morning from a long day of school and work, he would always be the first one to see me and tell me hi.... even if he did stumble over to me from just waking up. He's an awesome dog and loves me no matter what I do to him, he loves to cuddle with me on the couch and my bed and just wants me to pay attention to him. I'm grateful for his love and unconditional patience with me.

Fourth.... I'm sooo grateful that I was able to go to culinary school and do what I ABsolutely love to do! I was so close to not being able to go to school for financial reasons but a miracle occured and I was given a once-in-a-lifetime-opportunity to do what makes me so happy. I'm grateful for the instructors I had at school, the people I got to cook alongside with, the adventure of going to Austria and everyother amazing experience I had while I was there. I grew so much and became my own kind of person from it. I will always be grateful for going to school and learning what I did to make me the cook I am today.

Fifth... I'm grateful for my mentor, Payton... of Chef... of Jefe... or whatever. This man is amazing! Not enough can be said about him and the advice he's given me. He's taught me a lot about patience and working through adversity even if you just feel like walking out everynight. He's my career consultant, my relationship consultant, and now... my hair consultant. I love this man and respect him so much. I can't wait to see what the future holds for both of us in this lovely world of food!

Sixth... this one is definitely odd.... I'm grateful for trials. Yep. Weird I know how can she be grateful for the hard times?! I'll tell you why... because there's always something to be learned from them. I don't believe there are such things as regrets as related to trials as long as you learn from them... if you don't, then time was wasted and you can tend to regret things. Over the years, llife has definitely thrown at me some doozy trials and hard times but I am so grateful for the lessons I had learned and growing up I did in those times. I've learned to look for the silver lining and look for what I can learn in these times and strive to be a better person. Be thankful for your trials because there's always a blessing to be had... you just gotta look for it.

Seventh... I'm grateful for my calling as a Primary teacher. I walk away absolutely exhausted after those two hours every Sunday but I have really learned to love my kids and be a teacher for them. They have taught me a lot about disipline, unconditional love, taking in the simple things and just slowing down for a bit. My kids are a riot but I needed to be their teacher and they needed to be my kids. I'm grateful to re-learn the gospel in such a simple way so that kids can understand important principles for happiness.

Eigth... I'm grateful for my health. I've never had be admitted into the hospital or depend on medications for my health. I've always been really healthy and have never had major life complications that would adversely affect me. I only get a minor cold once a year or less... I've been truly blessed with a healthy and working body

Ninth... shout out to my girls, my fellow MG's. Around August, I joined a support group of other girls waiting for missionaries and honestly... joining this group saved me! These girls are the epitome of faith, perseverance, optimism, devotion, dilligence, and obedience. The road of an MG is not an easy one nor is high sought after... but every single girl will tell you, once it is over and done with, that every single moment had been worth it. These ladies give me hope, reassurance, confidence, courage, strength, and support even when I didn't feel like I was getting much at home for doing what I am. They have always been there for me whenever I needed them and I have tried to be there for everyone of those girls. I am grateful for the Christ-like way in which they handle themselves, other members, and situations they have been placed into. Even though I have never met a majority of them face-to-face, they have become some of my closest friends in all of this and I will be forever grateful for their love and support.

Last... but certainly not least (that saying of save the best for last definitely applies in this instance) I am so grateful for my Honey, my Love, my otherhalf, and my best friend. We have spent more time apart than physically together but it has never really felt like he was so far away. I am so grateful for Taylor Jordan Brady being in my life. When we first met, I had no idea that things would turn out the way that they have; I never would've imagined anything coming from it. Then the second time... still never thought anything of it... then the third time, that's when I started to maybe think that it was more than just coincidence... that maybe there was a reason for him being around and I just needed to pay attention to it. I'm so grateful for who I am when I am around him. I'm grateful for his patience, his logical tendencies, his love, his drive and ambition to always be better. I'm grateful for his dedication to the Lord, for his willing to sacrifice of the certainty of our relationship to do what is his priesthood duty calls him to do and do it with all of his heart, might, mind, and strength. I am grateful for his example to me, for his love and all of his quirks. He is one of the most amazing men I have been blessed to know in my life and am so lucky to call him mine. I'm grateful that when I was so close to giving up and letting go of him, he listened to me, he understood me, but he held on and reminded me of what we had that was too important and too special to let go of. I'm grateful for his faith, for his strength and for his active standing in the church. He has been my best friend for so long and has helped me through so much. He loves me when others would've given up. I don't know what I did to become so lucky in my life, but I know there was a reason he kept showing up in my life and I thanks God every single day for him. He amazes me and I don't want to live without him. Exactly 2 more weeks until he is back home, as a "civi"... it is incredibly unreal and I don't know how to grasp it. As I reread one of his most recent letters, I read a sentence he wrote and it hit me smack in the face "he's so excited to come home to you and see you again!" I'm grateful for his excitement because it just fuels mine!

This year has been remarkable for me. A ton of blessings have been given/recieved and I'm so grateful for everything in my life. I hope to continue to express my gratitude daily for everything and not let it store up until Thanksgiving to truly reflect on my life over a year and be grateful for what I do have. I hope to be ever grateful for even just the small things in life; life itself is something to be grateful for.

Finally!!!

Dont' worry... it's not the finally... but...

Finally!!! My computer hadn't been getting internet for 5 days, so I've had to fall back on my iPod to stay in contact with the world around me (ie Facebook). Quick update as to the happenings of my life.

First of all. Practices started today!! In kitchen practices! It was amazing to see what my partner and I could come up with in 30 minute rounds with seemingly incohesive and random foods. We made it work! It was madness for 30 minutes but once time was called and we placed our plates on to the presentation table... what we had created was at times a little rough around the edges but the flavors and textures were magical and adventurous! I have more practical experience than my partner, I've been cooking a lot longer than he has. He, however, has been competing more than I have. He brings the speed and finesse, I bring the practicality and the knowledge to the table. It's been an amazing experience so far and I'm so incredible grateful to have this opportunity to go to Austria! A little bit of information though that I learned about the pressure of this current situation I have though is that.... last year, my partner and his former teammate he went with to Austria, got ranked SECOND place by .10 of a point. How the flip?! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Oh you bet I freaked out and almost got sick when I learned that! I immediately paid my check at the restaurant and went back to work in the library to study. This competition just got that much more real to me... Pressure!!!

Secondly. Yesterday marked a momentous day for me. 9 years ago, yep 9 years ago July 21, 2002, I was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints with my little brother! Let me just put a plug in for this for a second. These past 9 years have flown by sooo fast and honestly, I have to actually remember that I'm a convert some days, this all just seems like I was a member my whole life. I'm soooo incredibly grateful for the two missionaries that found my family on a secluded hill in San Diego and visited us every Friday to teach my brother and myself the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! My soul will be eternally indebted to them for their decision to serve a mission and to reactivate my parents as well as bring my brother and I into the church. This gospel has blessed my life tremendously in more ways than I can even comprehend. I love this church, I'm thankful for my testimony, I'm truly truly blessed! I am a Mormon and am dang proud of it!

Coincidentally, the same day as the 9 year anniversary, yesterday also marked only 4 1/2 months left! Yes you got that right folks... he's coming home fast! In yesterday's letter, the significant other expressed his excitement at how fast that very important day is approaching! I'm so incredibly grateful for this experience to have shared with my Honey! He makes me so proud and I'm so happy to have a missionary! If you had told me 4 years ago, that I was going to wait for a missionary, I would've laughed at your face and told you that you were an idiot! I guess I was proven wrong by a Higher Source. Talk about having to sit down and eating some humble pie... this one is a delicious one though! I have to put together his last package within a few weeks for his birthday and it's weird to start getting into the mentality of "this is the last such and such thing I have to buy." Honestly... I think the post office will miss my business a lot and my frequent visits. It's a lifestyle I've gotten used to and to be quite honest... it's weird to think he'll be home... BUT I'll get over that quite quickly I'm sure.

Lastly, I just want to express my appreciation for my fellow MG's (graduated and still in the waiting) that have helped me so much over the past year to get through all that I have! Seeing them get their men back has helped give me hope that I actually stand a chance in doing all of this! It's been an amazing journey and I love and appreciate all of the support, advice, love, excitement, concern, and what have you that these girls have given over the time I've been a part of this Secret Sisterhood. I'm just really grateful and happy and all I can do is express it! My life is wonderful. 'nough said.

Gratitude

I had an enlightening moment tonight... rather a few moments actually. I was having a bit of a rough week this past week, just a mix between stress from work and school on top of a few things that haven't gone the way I would've liked them to go, but that's life right. Just gotta roll with the punches, no matter how many or how hard those punches are. My mom and I were just talking tonight about a tour I took with my mom and brother at the jail facility my mom works at and somethings were said about my relationship status that kinda hurt and I was getting all frustrated with my whole love life situation.

I was sitting on my bed, trying to catch up my boy with my already flopped week with some unfortunate events and was definitely having a pity party for one... yeah selfish enough to keep all this misery to myself. As I was telling him about my day in church, all of a sudden I had remembered that over the past few weeks or months, I had began to think about all of the little things I was blessed with. I felt like I needed to write them out in his letter and let me tell you... I have been one reeeally ungrateful punk lately. I honestly, have no reason to complain or think how my life is so hard. The only things I have to really tackle are my wandering thoughts and how I deal with stress... bam. That's it. I have all of my limbs, I have wonderful vision. I have safe shelter, a family who loves me, supportive friends, quite a few talents, I have an education, I have an amazing and caring boy who treats me like a queen, I have an awesome dog that waits up all hours of the night until I come home and cuddles with me on the couch, I can read and write, I have a 4.0 in school....

Need I say more?! There is a scripture that says something around the lines that nothing offends God more than those who do not confess his name in all things. Definitely also includes those who are not grateful for all that the Lord sees fit to bless them with. So what if my knees belong to an 80 year old... at least I have them. So what if I have more curves than a road going down a mountain, at least I don't have medical issues that would make me a walking death trap. So what if I get annoyed at my family once in while, at least EVERY single one of them is safe and I am able to see them everyday. So what if my boyfriend is 2,000+ miles away... at least I have one (and a pretty dang good one too!) that loves me and treats me better than I could've ever imagined. There's just sooo much to be grateful for and I honestly can't find any true problem that I have that other's don't. So, Marlee, get over yourself and start embracing the blessings you do have. It could be worse... it could be raining.

Sooo... hopefully this bit of rambling made sense to you all and I'm just not putting things out in space. Maybe I am. But this was just my little piece of thoughts I had tonight that I'd thought I'd share.