Day 10 - Heather

Today I am thankful for my sister, Heather!

She's Awesome!

The best sister anyone could have ever asked for, and God blessed me with her.

Sometimes I just don't know how I got to be so lucky.

She's always been there for me

To make me smile

To make me laugh

To give me advice

To listen

I love you skister! 

Thanks for being awesome!  Thanks for being you!

Day 9 - My Brother-in-laws

I have been extremely blessed to have 4 fabulous brother-in laws in my life.

My first brother-in-law...

Big guns, aka: Shawn
Shawn is the best man anyone could ever choose to marry their sister.
He is a loving husband, wonderful father to my nephews and spiritual leader of their house.

Shawn, you never cease to amaze me, you make me laugh in nearly every situation, and I'm so happy that you're part of our family.

Then, when I married Chris...I got these 3 brother-in-laws:

Jeff, Andy and Greg

I am a very lucky girl to have such great brother-in-laws!



Day 8 - My High School Friends

Today I'm so very thankful for my high school friends.

I have kept in touch with many of them, and I'm so thankful for their continued friendships.

We've laughed and cried together.

Good gracious...we've been through it all!

Thanks to you all, for always being there for me.

There are more of you than I've pictured here...but I don't have pics of you all and there's just too many fabulous names to list.

I love you!

Day 7 - My Childhood

This is baby Holly...

Today I'm thankful for my childhood.

I was born into an AWESOME family!

I have amazing parents and grandparents, and the best sister anyone could've asked for.

I also have some awesome extended family as well.

My childhood wasn't necessarily extraordinary by any means. 

But I always knew I was loved.

I always had the supports of my family and friends.

I got hugs and kisses every day from my parents.

I never wanted for anything (outside of maybe something super outrageous, like a corvette for my 16th birthday).

I was well taken care of, and I still am to this day.

Have you ever felt so blessed that you can't believe God chose you to have the experiences that you've been given and the wonderful people in your life to share them with?

I truly am blessed...and I can't think of anything in my childhood (good or bad) that I would change. 

Growing up as I did, made me the person that I am today.

I am truly thankful for my childhood and the people who made it as wonderful as it was.

Day 6 - My Pookster and Iahyn

Today I'm thankful for  a few things.

1st up...my College roommate!

Our freshman year, Ann lived across the hall from me and we became great friends...so we lived together the rest of college (well the rest of Ann's anyway).

I'm a little crazy...and Ann's more quiet (until you get to know her) attitude helped keep me a little more calm and collected most of the time.  And vice versa, my craziness helped bring out some of her wild tendencies too.

I miss my Pookster!

How we used to I.M. chat while we were sitting in our room at our desks virtually 5 feet way from each other.

Our conversations consisting of only movie quotes...primarily "Dumb and Dumber" movie quotes.

The odd things that for some reason seemed to only happen to us, or when we were together.

I never had a day with Ann that I didn't laugh!

We've been through quite a bit in the 13 years we've known each other! 

I wouldn't change a thing.

I can't wait to see all the amazing things that God has in store for her.

Next up...Iahyn (and really all of my honorary nieces and nephews).

4 years ago today, this little cutie patootie came into our lives!

Iahyn

Today I am thankful for Iahyn and all of my honorary nieces and nephews. 

There's something so special about being an Aunt not only to your own nieces and nephews, but about being an Aunt to your friends kids.

There are way too many names to list along with Iahyn's. 

But I am thankful for the opportunity to be an "Aunt" to him and to have him in my life.

 

Day 5 - Scrapbooking

Once a month (if we can swing it) a few friends and I get together to scrap.

I LOVE scrapbooking.

I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit obsessed.  I see nothing wrong with being obsessed with Scrapbooking.  Why, you may ask? 

Because for me, Scrapbooking is a stress reliever.  It's a way for me to be creative.  To work with my hands in a different way I would at my job every other day.  And it's a way for me to preserve memories.

I love looking at pictures, remembering certain moments in my life and the smile that they inevitably bring to my face. 

The way looking at one of my pictures from high school can take me back to that carefree moment with all my girlfriends.  Or how now, when we get together and take our crazy group picture, I think of the laughing and silliness that no doubt was part of figuring out the angle the camera needed to be to get the shot just right.

Or how I can look at pictures from college and it makes me think how much I miss my nursing girls and the sleepovers we used to have.  I almost want to run into the other room to pop in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

I love looking through the past 10 years...my nieces and nephews who were babies feel like they're all grown up now. How little they looked and how you could tell just by watching them observe their older siblings that they couldn't wait to be big and do what their brother/sister were doing. Looking at life through their eyes and wondering when we lose that passion for learning about the world and all that's in it.

The early pictures of Chris and I dating.  They make me think about how we used to take walks together every night and just talk.  It makes me think of the first time he took me to his parents house and we stayed up until 3am telling each other stories of our childhoods.  How far we've come as a couple.

Our engagement story is forever written down and documented.  How Chris came up with the idea of how to propose to me all on his own.  And it was beautiful, and romantic, and perfectly us.

Our wedding pictures...I finally married my best friend.  The commitments made that day that will last a lifetime...and how even though we're 7 years out from that day, those promises we still hold onto strong.  As much as we loved each other then, we love each other even more now...and how is that even possible?

And in years to come my nieces and nephews will see those albums and how much joy their Uncle Chris and Aunt Holly had spending time with them.  How much love we have for them.

One day, hopefully, when we have children, they'll appreciate the time their Mom took to document the story of her life, and their Dads life, and our life together.  Maybe it will give them a better understooding of who their parents are, were, aspired to be. 

Scrapbooking lets me go back in time to those special memories I hold close to my heart.

And no, it's not the same as looking at pictures in an album or on the computer.  With scrapbooking you can journal about the funny, loving, sad, creative, etc things that were said or done during those moments...that maybe weren't captured in those pictures.  You can explain exactly what you were feeling in that very moment. 

Those words, those explanations...I may not always be able to pass on if I just put my pictures in a photo album. 

How will my great grandkids know how special a moment that was...if I don't write it down.

So that's why I scrapbook...that's why it means so much to me.  That's why it's one of my obsessions.

Day 4 - Fridays

Today, I'm thankful for Fridays.

Fridays are my third favorite day of the week (Sunday being the 1st, Saturday being the 2nd).

Fridays have many reasons for being grand.

1.  It's the last day of the work week (for me anyways...I know some people work different shifts and jobs that require saturdays or all weekend long working).

2.  Every other Friday is pay day (today isn't pay day...but it's still a good day).

3.  After the work day is over I get to spend the evening and 2 glorious days doing whatever I want...which usually means spending time with those I was thankful for the first 3 days ;0)


I'm sure there are many more reasons...but that's all I got righ now.

Today I'm especially happy it's Friday, because if I had to go to work tomorrow and have another day like today...I may lose my mind.

So Thank you Friday...for being here!!!!!