Today I am grateful for cheese in a can . . .

What more is there to say?  It's awesome!

Today I am grateful for Arizona sunshine . . .

It was really cold today!!!  (For Phoenix, anyway.)  Thankfully, even when it's cold outside, we usually have plenty of sunshine.  I love the feeling of sitting in the car with the sun shining through the windows and moon roof.  It's just so cozy, and it makes me happy!  :)

Today I am grateful for Blockbuster Express kiosks . . .

We rented a DVD last night from the Blockbuster Express kiosk inside our neighborhood QT.  I love that they're cheap and convenient, and it doesn't hurt that I can pick up my favorite iced tea while I'm there!

Today I am grateful for those rare days when I have nothing I have to do . . .

There was absolutely nothing on my calendar today!  This is such a rarity that it really is cause for celebration.  I sat around in my sweats and did whatever I felt like all day.  I sorted through some pictures, wasted time on the internet and basically did a whole lot of nothing!  It's really nice to have a day like that every once in a while. :)

Today I am grateful for family time . . .

I love Thanksgiving!  Not for the food, but for the chance to spend time with family.  We're a little dysfunctional, to be sure, but we are endearingly so.  I'd be concerned if we were "normal."  Normal is boring, but crazy makes life interesting!  Regardless of the insanity, there is an abundance of love in our family, and that's why life is worth living!

Today I am grateful for electric blankets . . .

I have been freezing all day today!  People who don't live in Phoenix don't understand, but our 60-degree weather is a far cry from our 120-degree summer weather and it feels a lot colder than you would think!  I heard on the news today that tomorrow is supposed to be the coldest Thanksgiving here in almost 80 years!  Thankfully, a very nice friend of mine got me an electric blanket for Christmas several years ago, so I have been under it and feeling nice and cozy for the last several hours!

Today I am grateful for telecommuting . . .

I'm really not feeling well today, so the last thing I wanted to do was drive 2 hours to work this morning.  Telecommuting to the rescue!  I literally worked from bed today, so it wasn't a total loss.  Too bad I can't work from home every day!

Today I am grateful for opportunity . . .

"It is often hard to distinguish between the hard knocks in life and those of opportunity."

~ Frederick Phillips

Opportunity is a funny thing.  Sometimes you're looking for it in the wrong places while it just passes you by.  I am hopeful that I will recognize it when it comes knocking and that I will seize it with everything I've got!

Today I am grateful for Arizona Broadway Theatre . . .

ABT opened a few miles from our house about 5 years ago.  We saw a couple of shows the first season and then became season subscribers for each season since.  My 16-year-old and I saw 42nd Street there today, and it was another wonderful production.  I'm so glad I can share my love of theatre with my daughter, and having such a quality playhouse right in our backyard is very cool.  We may not be able to get a season subscription next year, so I am enjoying these shows while I can!

Today I am grateful for my big family . . .

Growing up an only child, I always wanted a bunch of kids.  For the longest time, I told my mom I was going to have 10!  Thankfully I came to my senses and stopped at 4!  Tonight I have the house all to myself, and I'm actually kind of lonely.  At least I have the dogs and cat to keep me company, but they aren't very strong conversationalists!  :)

Today I am grateful for photographs . . .

I have always loved to look at photos, so when a friend introduced me to scrapbooking several years ago, I was hooked immediately.  I literally take thousands of pictures every year, and I have boxes and boxes of them waiting to be scrapbooked.  I'll probably never get them all done, but I don't care.  I enjoy looking at all of my pictures whether they're in scrapbooks or not.  :)

Today I am grateful for the American Society of Women Accountants . . .

I joined ASWA 12 years ago and began serving on the board of the Phoenix Chapter shortly after joining.  I then began serving on the national board in 2003 and am now Immediate Past National President.  As my term nears its end, I can reflect on all that this experience has meant to me.  It has been a lot of work, but I have gotten so much more out of it than I have put into it.  I have made lifelong friends, developed skills I wouldn't have had an opportunity to develop otherwise and even led a delegation of women accountants to China!  I am so proud of my involvement in the organization, and I'm excited to watch the future leaders guide us to even more success for years to come. 

Today I'm grateful for online defensive driving courses . . .

I got a speeding ticket a few weeks ago, and while the police officer was writing the ticket he told me that I could do my defensive driving course online!  What can't you do online these days?!?!?  Anyway, I started the course tonight (because I have to have it completed by Friday and I'm a very accomplished procrastinator!), and I must say it's pretty convenient.  It's timed, so if you're a fast reader, you have to wait to go on to the next section, but it's still better than the alternative!

Today I am grateful for compassion . . .

Not everyone is capable of giving compassion and not everyone receives it. I am glad that I can give it and that I have received it many times. The other day, my oldest daughter gave a homeless man some money. There's no way of knowing how the recipient felt about it, but it made my daughter feel really good to do something, however small, for a stranger who is obviously less fortunate than we are. That human touch is what makes us all, well, human, and I don't want to know what this life would be without these gestures of kindness.

Today I am grateful for busy days . . .

Today flew by, and I love it when that happens. Funny how your perspective changes. Several years ago when work was crazy-busy, I never felt like I could catch up. These days I feel TOO caught up most of the time. My brain sure does like the challenge!

Today I am grateful that I have polite, likeable kids . . .

My 13-year-old spent the last two nights at her friend's house. When my husband went to pick her up this morning, her friend's dad made a point of telling my husband how much he likes my daughter and how polite and helpful she is. It always makes me feel good as a parent when I hear that my kids behave well when we aren't around. Now if I could just get them to clean up around here like they do at other people's houses!

Today I am grateful that stress makes me eat less, not more!

I realized today that I have actually lost a few pounds recently. Always eager to find the "silver lining," I decided that there is actually a bit of an upside to stress. Not that I want to use that as my weight loss strategy long-term, but I'll look at it as a positive for now! :)

Today I am grateful for love . . .

My life is so full of love, and I do feel truly blessed by it.  When I'm having a bad day, I can always count on someone to care enough to try to make me feel better.  No matter what happens in life, I will always be rich because I will always have people who love me and whom I love just as much!

Today I am grateful for our military personnel . . .

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

~ Elmer Davis

Today I am grateful for all those men and women who have risked and continue to risk their lives to preserve our freedoms that many of us take for granted. Those who have given the ultimate sacrifice have done so with courage and valor, and I can't even imagine what they experienced. I am proud that my father served in Vietnam, and I am proud of all those other heroes whose names I don't know. God Bless America.

Today I am grateful for TV shows that I can watch on the internet . . .

With 4 kids and a 2-hour one-way commute to work, my time is pretty limited. But I still like to watch TV to unwind at night. Since the DVR is always monopolized by the kids, thank goodness I can watch some of my favorite shows online! Tonight it was Dancing With The Stars, which I just started watching this season because of Kurt Warner. Of course, now I'm totally hooked!

Today I am grateful for pasta . . .

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that bring us happiness. I had spaghetti for dinner tonight and it occurred to me how much I love pasta! It reminded me of when I was pregnant with my third daughter and sometimes had it twice a day. Do you think that could be why she's so fond of it herself? :)

Today I am grateful that my children know how to fight their own battles . . .

I have always tried to teach my children to attempt to resolve conflict with their friends on their own before getting me involved unless violence is part of the equation. I'm always proud of my kids when they exhibit this behavior. Learning to deal appropriately with conflict as children gives them an edge as adults, and my job is to teach them what they need to know to be happy, well-adjusted grown-ups. Only time will tell if I'm successful, but my biased opinion is that I have pretty great kids!

Today I am grateful for laughter . . .

Does laughing count as a workout? I've been having a great time with my girlfriends today, and my abs are actually sore from all the laughing I've done! Today was the second day of our weekend scrapbooking retreat, and we were cracking each other up left and right. I have always thought I have a pretty good sense of humor, and I do tend to gravitate toward funny people. I am raising a bunch of clever kids, and when our family all sits down to eat together (which, unfortunately, isn't very often), it almost always turns into a big ol' laugh-fest. Oh, how I love the sound of genuine amusement!

Today I am grateful for distraction . . .

I had the opportunity to scrapbook with good friends this afternoon and evening, and it's just amazing to me how good friendship and girl time can be for the soul. Yesterday was a tough day for me emotionally, but all was forgotten today as I caught up with some friends I haven't seen in awhile and a couple of good friends I see regularly. We laughed, ate, scrapbooked, ate some more, laughed a lot more and ate even more! Such simple things to do, yet so incredibly cathartic. We are on a weekend scrapbooking retreat, so the good news is that I have until Sunday afternoon with these ladies. I won't have to think about the real world for a little while longer.

Today I am grateful for hope.

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come." ~ Anne Lamott

Today is a down day for me. With my husband and I both in the homebuilding industry, things have been tough on us with the poor economy. Some days I feel okay and others, like today, not so much. Cody has been trying to get into another industry as he has been unable to find a job in homebuilding. He has been working a temporary position for a week with a commercial solar company, and he really likes it. Today I am hopeful that an opportunity will come for him in the near future. We could certainly use a break! :)

Today I am grateful for my cousin, Nekole.

Today is her birthday, and I've been thinking about her all day. I'm an only child, but Nekole was like a sister to me growing up. My aunt and uncle treated me like I was one of theirs, and we spent tons of time together when we were kids. She has always been my very best friend, and she has a heart of pure gold. She is one of a handful of people I can honestly say I would die for without hesitation. The girl was born with a bit of a wild streak, and for some reason her ideas always sounded reasonable to me until we got caught! Unfortunately, we have lived on opposite ends of the country for more than 25 years now, but the strange thing is that even though we only get to see each other once or twice a year, it always feels like I just saw her yesterday and we just pick up where we left off. Happy Birthday, Nekole! I love you!!!! <3

Today I am grateful for my right to vote.

I got to the polls just in the nick of time to cast my vote tonight. Now that the elections are over, I'm hoping our elected officials will focus on what's important, and I can't say I'll miss all the radio and tv campaign ads!

Today I am grateful for technology!

After several months of sharing my "Today I am grateful . . ." status updates on Facebook, I decided to create this blog so that I can elaborate on what I'm grateful for each day.  I've always loved writing, so this is my opportunity to express my gratitude for my numerous blessings and further my creative writing skills at the same time. Now that's what I call multi-tasking!