Thankful! :)

Today was a good day! I woke up this morning and for some reason turned on the news.  I never actually do this but I did and noticed a list of school closings.  I didn't even know we were supposed to get snow!  Well, it turns out that my work was closed so I got a snow day! Yay! It's one of the perks of working in a school setting. :)  When I finally got up, I decided to make bacon and eggs for my mom and I.  As I was preparing our breakfast I noticed the senior van outside.  They were here to pick up my mom because apparently she had called because she wanted to go.  That left me with the house to myself for a few hours.  I was able to get a few things done and eventually went outside to shovel the snow, which wasn't too bad.

Once I finally got moving and out the door, I went to meet my friend Terri and we did a 3-mile run by her house.  I took a shower and then we went out to Dinosaur BBQ for dinner (Good thing we ran first!).  It was yummy and we had a great conversation!  I am often thankful for what I have but our conversation made me realize again how thankful I am that I had a decent childhood.  It also got me more excited about becoming a foster parent.  I want to help give other children positive experiences like I had when I was growing up.  I always felt like I could do anything because that is what my mom made me believe.  So many children grow up with negative experiences and I have the ability to provide positive experiences for them.  It doesn't mean it's going to be easy but even if I can help in some small way, I'm happy to do it. :)

   Terri ("the martian") and me at the start of our snowy (which quickly turned dark) run!

I'm also thankful for all of the support that my friends provide me through kind words of encouragement and through so many other helpful things.  I am having a "painting party" the weekend of February 2-3 and so many people are willing to help and I am so appreciative.  I posted it on Facebook and I posted the fact that I am preparing to become certified to become a foster parent.  So many people have written such kind words of encouragement and it makes me smile. :)  One thing that I have learned is that people in your life (at least in mine) want to help you to succeed.  I enjoy helping others when I can and people enjoy helping me too.  I can't tell you how much that means to me.  It is sometimes a difficult thing to ask others for help but friends really want that opportunity.  When you have something exciting happening in your life, people want to be a part of it just as they want to be a part of helping in times of need.  This is what friends and community are all about.  With all of the negative things that happen around the world, its important to recognize that there is a lot of good too.  I am so thankful for all of my friends and supporters.  To all of you reading this blog, thank you for the role you play in my life.  I am truly grateful for you!  Stay tuned for more happiness in 2013!