Thanksday #17

These pictures alone are enough reasons to be thankful each day. But oh, how good is God to give me even more to be thankful for this week?

1. My dad comes to visit next week! He moved back to Washington State in October and we've missed him so. Can't wait for the kids to spend time with him.

2. Caramel Apples. Jaana's had an extremely loose tooth for. ever. I got her a caramel apple in hopes it would remove the tooth that's been dangling and moving with each breath. What did it do instead? Loosened another tooth to the point of bleeding and it came out instead. The other one is still there. At this point it should come out in a banana or applesauce. Or she could sneeze it out. At any rate, we're close.

3. Extreme Makeover: Church Edition. Our church sanctuary has been in the process of remodeling for the past few weeks, and it will be done for service this Sunday. I've been peeking at the process regularly, and there's just something so exciting about the smell of fresh paint and sawdust. So eager to see the finished product!

4. Cadbury Mini Eggs. I love Easter for many reasons (the most important being the resurrection of Jesus, of course). But a nice little bonus are these little eggs of candy-coated yummy goodness. They melt in my mouth and make my taste buds leap for joy.

5. Tylenol Sinus. My allergies are slowly turning into sinus issues, and if it weren't for Tylenol Sinus Daytime and Nighttime, I don't know where I'd be. (Actually, yes I do - I'd be on the couch, miserably complaining to all who would listen.)

6. Jergen's Self-Tanning Lotion. The weather in Hilton Head over spring break was cloudy and cold, and although I did get a bit o' color on the last day, it has long since gone. In order to break up the color difference between my legs and khaki capris, I've faithfully been applying this lotion and I'm back to a non-Cullen's color on my skin. Hoorah!

7. Kim Gruenenfelder. Do not judge me! But if you're looking for a hilarious, non-Christian, fiction, chick-lit read, she's your gal. Since spring break I've read A Total Waste of Makeup as well as the sequel to it, and laughed out loud many, many times. Again, it's non-Christian - there's a little bit o' language and a couple precarious situations, so consider this a PG-13 or NC-17 warning. But I value an out-loud laugh as much as I do anything, and that outweighed the negative for me.

8. New Curling Iron. Six years and a severely frayed cord later, I finally broke down and bought a new curling iron. And can I just admit, I had forgotten how hot curling irons are really supposed to get? I actually burned my forehead because I was so unprepared for the level of heat. Burned skin aside, it's worth every bit of the $23 I waited years to spend on it.

9. Flip flops. I'm sure I've made aware my love of fall weather and boots (I can't get enough boots!). But now that spring is here and the warmer weather is upon us, I'm loving my sandals and flip-flops. There's nothing like a good pedicure and nude toenail polish to kick-start your season. (Or whichever color you prefer.)

10. 20th High School Reunion. I don't know if the reunion itself is something to be thankful for or not...because I'm not sure I'll be able to go. (You know...Maui and all.) But the time is upon us and there has been posting after posting on Facebook about it all. At first it made me nauseous; everyone was reliving memories and posting pictures that reminded me of things I wanted to forget. It reminded me of who I was then, and the things I did...and I can guarantee most of it's better forgotten. But then God helped me realize that it's a good thing to see how far you've come, and how much you've grown and changed as a person. I'm thankful that my value and worth now come from Christ alone, and that I don't need to work so hard to seek approval from others. So for that, I'm thankful. And if it works out that we can make it to the reunion on the way back from Maui, then we just might do it.

Okay, your turn!