Week 2, Day 4: So much to be thankful for.

Thank you, Josh Groban, for the title of this song. They express my feelings of gratitude perfectly. As I reflect upon the changes that have come over me this past year, I realize how very much I have to be grateful for. I have been given much.

MI FAMILIA

My parents have been married 30 years this year. WOW. I am grateful for their loving and committed marriage.

The closest thing we got to getting the whole family together. This was at the wedding celebration for my cousin, Arden and his wife in Ohio. How we missed Zach, ME and fam. They were in Arizona, days away from the arrival of their fourth child.

This is the now family of six! We are waiting to hear the name of the new little one, to be announced at his blessing this Sunday. Clockwise from the top: Zach holding Macsen, Alix, Layla and ME holding her newest son. Love this family.

This is the little guy. I have fondly called him "4.0" for the past month. I can't wait to know his name.

Nate and his wife, Paige and their daughter Emersyn Jayne. They took me with them to St. Maarten in July. It was heavenly. I am grateful to have spent precious time with them this year.

I took my oldest niece, Layla, on a little outing this summer. We went to Taco Time, went mini-golfing, and to get slushies. We also got gumballs!

This lovely woman is my Aunt Leslie. She has fought a tough fight with breast cancer that returned as brain cancer this year. She is a fighter, a loyal aunt and friend, and more generous than anyone I know. She has blessed my life in a million ways. Her example of courage and fortitude never cease to amaze me.

These are my lovely sisters. They teach me how to do my make-up, give me great fashion tips and make me laugh harder than anyone else. I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

This is my sisters and I with Arden and his new wife, Amber, and my cousin, Canyon. We had a wonderful time going to A&A's wedding. These two taught me A LOT about loving another person. I am so glad Amber is in our fam.

This is my cousin and sister, Bec. To explain, she is my cousin, but after sharing a room with me for a year, I feel she is more like my sister. I don't see her much at all, but I am still so grateful to have her in my life.

This is my lovely cousin and former roommate, Sylinda. We have had some FUN adventures this year, including an 8k race, a Chicago concert, parties, sushi, and more. She was always the "grown-up" really cool cousin, and I am glad she finally let me into her oh-so-cool life!

WONDERFUL FRIENDS

These lovelies are my roommates. I told them that this picture would never see public, but I honestly think it's the only one we have together! I am grateful for them!! They are Christine "Spicy" Weiss, Katie Elton, my besty, Sarah Jensen and I.

This is my friends and I at Indian food for my birthday. From the left clockwise: my bff Sarah, Katie E. and her fiance Mike, my former wonderful VT-ers, Angie Evans and Jillian Taylor, my friend from my mission, Camilla Stanfield, Spice, Sylinda, Jared Arndt and me!

This is Barbie Madsen, Clarisa Wanlass, and I at Clari's bridal shower/bachelorette party. We had a blast and it was fun to send Clari into the lovely married world. LOVE these girls! (I am WAY dark because it was just after St. Maarten.)

The two pictures above are my wardies at the Sizzlefest this summer. I had SO much fun. I seriously have a wonderful ward.

This is my dear friend Annalee. I can't even begin to tell you what she means to me. I got to see her this summer just as she was getting ready to head to Vienna for her husband's job. She is also expecting a baby in January. What a lucky baby to have a momma like her!

The girls above are my friends from high school. It has been so fun to follow their lives, and a few of them in particular. I am grateful in particular for Katie Campbell, the beautiful girl in gray on the front, and Kelli Manwaring, the beautiful and sunny one on the bottom front right. I am so glad to have them all as friends.

The darling girl in front is one of my dear friends. Taylor Wheeler and I worked together in DC (we were waiting for Pope Benedict to pass our office in this picture), and have been able to catch up for a few times on the phone this year. I love this girl!

This young man, Jared Arndt, was my first "real" relationship ever. Yeah, I know I am 26. He was a big part of my year, even though it was a small part of it. We had a great time together, but things did not work out in the end. He blessed me because he helped me move forward in many critical aspects of my life. Thanks, Jared.

 

This was at Ingrid Michaelson with my besty, Sarah, Taylor Grayson, and a few of Taylor's friends. WHAT a fun concert this was. I was blessed to do many fun things this year!

PROFESSIONAL LIFE

This is a picture of a taping I coordinated for the dedication of the Kyiv, Ukraine temple. I work for Church Public Affairs and it is a dream come true. Some of you may know this, but I was unemployed for the first five months of the year. It was a time of great stretching and growing and ended with an internship that I am still doing. It has given me some incredible experiences and has restored a confidence in myself that I had somehow lost. Heavenly Father knew what he was doing to guide me to this place.

I took this on my morning commute to work. Seriously? I walk out of the Conference Center, past the glorious Salt Lake temple, the reflecting pond and into the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It is seriously therapeutic. I am also grateful to live in this temple district. I always felt a special bond with this temple, but being allowed to attend it often is wonderful. I also worked in it while I was unemployed this and it grounded me and reminded me always of the things that truly matter most.

FREEDOM

I don't know why, but this year more than ever has caused me to reflect on the blessings of freedom. Maybe it's the fact that this year more than any other has grown me up and suddenly I realize the glorious value of true freedom. I don't know I was so lucky to be born here, but so it is. I so hope I never again take freedom for granted.

MY LORD, MY SAVIOR, MY GOD

I write to you as one of the most imperfect people I know. The good news, though, is that I am not lost, nor am I hopeless, because of Christ and His cleansing and enabling atonement. I draw strength from Him daily and even hourly. I am blessed and grateful to carry His name, and I treasure my witness of Him.

There are many other things I have to be grateful for. I thank the Lord for all that I have and am.