Thankful Thursday {on Wednesday!}

Updated:

Wow.  Note to self...today is Wednesday, not Thursday!

I guess that is what happens when I've been sick for almost 2 weeks.

Oops!  Oh well.  It will be Thankful Thursday on Wednesday instead.  :)

I started Thankful Thursday last year, and have decided to continue it. 

Because....why not?

Yesterday evening {while shopping at Target} I called the farm to talk to mom.

However, what I heard more of was 2 of my nephews in the background.  :)

One crying {the 1.5 month old} and one talking...LOUDLY {the almost 2 year old}!

So I asked to talked to Carson.

Grandma {mom} hands the phone to Carson, and he yells...

HI COLEIGH!!

The best part...Grandma never said my name the entire time she talked to me or when she handed the phone to Carson.

She just said 'someone wants to talk to you'!

And honestly, this isn't the first time this has happened.

How does the little dude know when I call?  He always says 'HI COLEIGH' to me before I say 'hi' to him.

This little dude.....he has no clue who I am...yet

But I like to steal him from Grandma and Mom whenever I can!

:)

 

Now for these kids.....

They are always excited to see me.  

 However, as they get bigger, I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to handle them running full-force in to me.  But I'll keep trying, until they begin tackling me.

During one of my visits to their side of the river, I took the kids on a little road trip to town, while jamming out to some country music with the windows open.

Let's just say, any time they see me now, they ask to do that again.  And being the {self proclaimed} favorite aunt that I am, I try to honor their demand request.  

Oh, and whenever they see a vehicle like mine, they holler out to whoever they are with, that they see Toby.
{That's the name of my ride.}

So yup.  I'm thankful for being an aunt, and my awesome niece and nephews.

Even though they can all get a lot crazy and loud at times, I still love them!

I'm so happy that the niece and all the nephews are all within a long 3 hours driving time....instead of some being in Iowa and the rest being on the other side of the world.

:)

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for:

Well, again...TRAVELING.

After leaving my sister's home on Sunday, we made our way across....

Germany,

Austria,

and Czech Republic.

The ability to drive freely across the country borders is something that I found hard to believe.

{Plus, I was really hoping to get some new stamps in my passport.}  :)

Once I return back to good ol' Iowa, I will try to recap my trip.
I know I won't do it justice...but I will try. 

If any of you are interested in traveling pretty much anywhere in Europe, I know of a great gal who could be for hire as your tour guide!  Gina [and Jay] and her friend Delila will get you wherever you need to go.  :)

Being in Europe, today was like any other day.  We had no turkey, mashed potatoes, greenbean casserole, etc.  I sure did miss it...but not enough to miss out on this trip.  There will always be another Thanksgiving next year.  :)

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for:

Airplanes!  And the freedom to travel. 

Since I will be getting on one later today to go visit my sister and brother-in-law!  However, not too trilled about all the stipulations with traveling now.  But let's not talk about that.

Traveling to Germany seems to be pretty easy.  Unlike traveling to some countries, where you have to request to travel there, get a visa, get shots, etc.  None of that for me.  :)

In addition, I will get to visit a couple of other countries while over there.  I can't wait!

Books & Libraries

I have a problem when it comes to books.  I really like them....a LOT!

With not having cable, reading comes in quite handy.  In addition, when I kid wrangle, sometimes the tv systems are too difficult to figure out.  So my books come in pretty handy.

While flying to/from Germany, I will be stocked up on books. 

If you have any suggestions of books/authors, please send them my way.  I'm always up for trying a new author.

Thankful Thursday....Weekend Edition

Yes, a little late.  Only by 3 days.  :)

But to continue on with my Thankful Thursdays (or weekends)...

I am thankful for:

Birthdays:

Every time a birthday is celebrated, it's a time to reflect on what was, but to look forward to what is yet to come, and to be thankful for that life that we are living.

Technology:

With the use of technology, all of my family was able to be 'together' to celebrate my nephew Carson's first birthday.  Sure, Gina and Jay were in Germany.  But thanks to laptops with a video camera and Skype, they were able to join in on the party fun as well.

Thankful Thursday

I came across this idea at Elle's Studio.  But her Thankful Thursdays started back in October.  I'll just be keeping mine to the month of November.

I am thankful for:

God and His Son, Jesus: 
I would not be who I am today without God or Jesus.  It is by their love and sacrafic that I am a new creation in their image.  I am not perfect in my walk with the Lord, but who is?  But by putting my faith and trust in the Lord, surrendering and living my life for Him, His plans for me will be better than I can fatham.  Even though where I am at now in life is not what I had planned for myself, I know it is His plan, and for that I am thankful.

Family:

For the past almost 3 years, I have had family living across the oceans in other countries.  (That's really why I started this blog in the first place.)  I had one sister and family move to China for work, and a few months later my other sister moved to Germany to be with her husband.  Wow.  Talk about family moving away.  (But my parents and brother and his family are all still in the area.)  Yes, it has been hard. 
But with technology these days, we are able to chat online, webcam/Skype, and even call them 'locally' without it costing an arm and a leg. 
During the years they have been 'away', I have met/talked with some others that have family move away, and are almost upset about it.  For me, how can I be upset with my sisters living their life and experiencing new things?  Sure, it's not fun that we don't get to spend many holidays together like we use to, but the time that we do spend together means so much more.  Instead of taking that time for granted, we treasure it so much more.

Now with my older sister and her family back in the states, I look forward to happily making many roadtrips across the river to visit them.  I will be making a plane trip across the ocean soon to visit my other sister.  And I have made many quick trips to the farm to visit my parents, as well as my brother and his family.
  Whether it's in China, Germany, Afghanistan serving our country, Illinois, or in the middle of corn/bean fields in Iowa, God has blessed me with a great family.  We have also learned to throw our worries out the door, and trust God with our family, even though it is hard. 

Wherever my family may be, I am so thankful for them.

Seasons of Change:

Sometimes change is hard.  But when it comes to the change of seasons/weather, I love it.  If you don't know this by now, I love harvest season fall.  Being the farm kid that I am, this is when farmers see the benefits of all their hard work throughout the year. Plus, how can you not love 'sweater weather'?  Or the crunch of leaves or the joy of playing in them?  Or the smell and taste of pumpkin?  Yup.  I am so thankful for fall. 

Thankful

I am thankful for my job...and to even have a job.

Yes, it is something that I often take for granted. But lately I have realized how blessed I am to have a job...especially one that I enjoy. I'll be the first to admit, there are sometimes bad days, but I would take many bad days over no job any day.

Being employed by a state university can have many great benefits. But, it can also have some side effects. Recently, our university had to try to cut almost 25 million dollars from its budget. The side effects of that cut for me....a reduction in my retirement plan, not as much in health benefits, and 4 days of unpaid leave. However, working for a federally-funded program, the university will not benefit from any of that money. Our funds can be used for our program only. The university is not allowed to touch any of that money. (However, once we spend money, they will get 8% of what we spend for 'housing' our program.)

I understand that the cuts were needed. But for a program like mine and many others, those cuts will not benefit the university. Because we are a grant program, we have to have a budget planned out 4 years in advance.

I say it's not fair that my program has to take the cuts too, even though the cuts won't benefit the university....and people across the hall are probably thinking had our program not taken these cuts, it's not fair that they have to and we don't.

But, nothing in this world is fair, and people can't expect everything to be (that includes me as well). Plus, I'd much rather have these little changes at the university instead of many people being laid off. Just too bad the state unions don't see it that way. Jeesh. I won't even get started on that.

I look forward to spending more great years in the TRiO community...budget cuts or not.

Thankful

I am thankful for the brave and dedicated men and women who serve our country so we can be free (even though we all know freedom is not free). Even though there are many in this country who believe otherwise, these men and women are fighting for what they believe and are called to do, and I am forever grateful for them.

Thank you 1LT Jason Feldt (and Gina) for your service to your country.