Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Dear Blog: I.O.U. Many "Thankfuls"!

Well, I guess I can't stay on "Blog-cation" forever.  Boy, am I ever behind.

First of all I should address the reason why I chose not to blog in recent weeks.  It is because I was either implementing the biggest event I've ever organized (my 40th Birthday Party), or I was physically not present in my house due to a vacation we took for 5 days immediately following the biggest event I've ever organized, or it is because I have been mentally and physically recuperating from all of the activity in July, making blogging seem like an insurmountable task.  I think those are all pretty good reasons for why I've been "gone" from here, but it kind of bugs me that I've missed 12 days of posting my thankfulness (including today).  I owe my blog A LOT of Thankfuls!

Here it goes (and for the record, I am not saying "Today I am thankful for . . ." because many of these things were things I was possibly thankful for as far back as 10 days ago . . . )

635.  The gift of Physical Strength, Stamina and Endurance that came from one source and one source alone:  GOD.  Recently I experienced a fatigue that I have never felt before (or at least not in recent years, anyway).

636.  The gift of Feeding Close to 100 people.

637.  The gift of Celebrating Forty Years of LIFE!

638.  The gift of Numerous Friends and Family who were able to share in the celebration party.

639.  The gift of Not Running Out of Food. I've never cooked for this many people before; it was a bit unnerving, I must say.  But, I think everyone left with the opportunity to be well-fed.

640.  The gift of Many Gifts to acknowledge my birthday.  I specified on the invitation that gifts were not necessary; many people did not adhere to that suggestion, and therefore I was blessed with many beautiful things.

641.  The gift of Phone Calls, Texts and E-mails from friends who were unable to attend the party.

642.  The gift of Birthday Cards.

642.  The gift of Help with Cleaning-up after the party.

643.  The gift of Well-behaved dogs at the party.  We kept Pepper in the outdoor kennel; Alaska had 3 other doggy friends join her to hang out with all the people.

. . . . I hope some of this is making sense.  I still feel a bit "out of sorts" after all the celebrating and traveling we've done in the past 11 days.

644.  The gift of Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes.  I finally found a recipe for vanilla cupcakes that turned out well.  For any of you who bake, you know that can be challenging.  For some reason, homemade white cake/cupcakes tend to be heavier than their homemade chocolate cake counterparts.

645.  The gift of Late-night bonfires and chatting with friends around the fire.

646.  The gift of Beautiful Weather, perfect for an outdoor party.

647.  The gift of Random thoughts and thankfuls. . . . If you've made it this far, wow.  Good for you.

648.  The gift of Safety in Travel as we headed out to visit family in another province.

649.  The gift of Many Sisters.  I've seen A LOT of my extended family this summer, and it's been great to reconnect.  We've had them visit us and we've visited them.  They are always such gracious hosts and hostesses.

650.  The gift of My Parents, who raised me with the knowledge of God's goodness.

652.  The gift of Horses for Wayne and Mitchell to ride while visiting my sister.

653.  The gift of Dogs and Cats for Ty and I to enjoy while visiting my sister.

654.  The gift of Bringing Home a Jet Tub, purchased from my sister at a very reduced rate, since it was once hers.  This means that our dream of having a main-floor bathroom is one step closer to becoming a reality.

655.  The gift of Doing Nothing.

656.  The gift of New Patio Furniture.

657.  The gift of A Beautiful Yard.

658.  The gift of The Great Outdoors.  This year I've actually come to appreciate SUMMER more than I ever have before.

659.  The gift of Science Centres and Cool Dome-Shaped Theatres.

660.  The gift of Reconnecting with Nieces and Nephews.

661.  The gift of Watching Movies, Drinking Pop and Eating Chips.

662.  The gift of Sleeping In.

663.  The gift of Boys Who Got Along during our vacation.

664.  The gift of Drumsticks with Silver Tips.

665.  The gift of Taking my husband and boys to an Ikea store for the first time in their lives.

666.  The gift of Ikea Yogurt/Ice Cream Cones.

667.  The gift of Pink Lillies at my sister's house.

668.  The gift of Pink Lavatera at my other sister's house.

669.  The gift of Friends and Family to take care of our pets while we were gone.

670.  The gift of Celebrating My Dad's 84th Birthday!

And now, for TODAY's Thankfuls . . .

671.  The gift of Finding Out that a very good friend had a baby girl late last night.  I'm so thrilled for her and her family!!!!

672.  The gift of Learning a New Game with the boys called Ticket To Ride.

673.  The gift of The Generosity of a Friend.

2 comments:

~Rain``` said...

I would love to get that white cupcake recipe from you. I haven't found the right one yet!

Sounds like your holiday was FUN!

~Rain``` said...

I don't know if my previous comment saved... oh well... Sounds like your b.day celebration and holiday was a blast! Well done! I gotta get that white cupcake recipe from you one day!