Sometimes I get so caught up in the moment, with whatever seems to be flustering me at the time, that I fail to see the bigger picture. And the bigger picture is always comprised of a ton of things, both small and large. In an effort to remind myself just how good I have it, I've written a little gratitude list.
Today I am thankful for:
- The ability to live, breathe, eat and sleep in comfort. Not only reserved for the 11th anniversary of 9/11, but just daily. Sometimes it's incredibly easy to take that for granted.
- Friends who have made the commitment to stand with me and Mike on our wedding day, even when they live hundreds or thousands of miles away. We are truly truly blessed to have them in our lives.
- Family who has jumped at every chance to help make our wedding day a dream come true. Words can't even describe. From my mom chopping down berry bushes, my stepdad building picnic tables from scratch, Mike's dad hauling off a billion and seven pounds of brush, his stepmom + sister watching Toby when we need some free time... they've each lifted such a weight off of our shoulders.
- That special man I'll share a last name with in only 25 days. He's a keeper. He also inspires me with how hard he works to learn a new skill. This past week? Dude learned to sew. And may or may not have made a dress from scratch. Yeah... I rolled my eyes at his ability to pick up + master everything, too!
- Toby... that animated and exhausting little child. There are days I swear he's 3 going on 30. He's such a big help around the house. Every day is a new adventure and he's reminded me how exciting it is to explore and learn.
- The fact that I'm marrying into such a wonderfully welcoming family. Mike's family definitely falls into point #3 above, but it's worth mentioning how "at home" I feel when I'm with them. It's something I appreciate beyond measure.
- The ability to wake up every day and do something I love. Be it design work, blogging, photo work, etc. I owe a lot of that to y'all.
- The beautiful weather we're having as of late. Autumn is on the horizon and the breeze/air is a welcome change from the heat and humidity.
- Coffee. Always coffee. Most of my days would be in shambles without it. That probably says more about me than anything.
- Sons of Anarchy, which comes back on tonight. My list is starting to take a very lighthearted turn and that's okay. SoA is really worth acknowledging. (Amirite?!)
- A clean house. Okay, well, maybe it's not exactly clean right now, but we're working on it today. Seriously, I'm 150% more productive when I have a clean canvas around me. You'd never know that by looking at my office.
- Glitter. Even though it's terribly inconvenient to clean up and use, it sure does make everything pretty. I'm currently trying to resist the urge to wear at least one glittered accessory at all times.
- Fresh flowers. They make everything better.
- New friends. Especially for this socially awkward girl.
- Pinterest. I know, I know. But I've reignited my passion for design as of late just by browsing some of the recently pinned items in that category. It reminds me of exactly why I started doing design in the first place. It also motivates me to really explore my style and aesthetic so I can do what I love, rather than just what pays the bills.
- Netflix. And the fact that Mean Girls and Clueless and A League of Their Own are all currently streaming instantly. I'm not even going to discuss how many times they've been played in our house. Seriously.
- Tattoos. And having the ability to express myself in silly ways like tributes to Clueless and A League of Their Own ;)
- Novelty fabric + dresses. Between a pie dress, a cheeseburger/ice cream dress and a few flamingo dresses, I feel like I've cornered the market in my closet. Sometimes you really just need a silly patterned dress to put some pep in your step. I've got a few ideas in my head for fabric I'd like to whip up and make into a dress (you know, if sewing didn't make me super anxious haha)
- The power of positivity. A little cliche, I know, but my life took a huge turn once I decided to just look on the bright side of things. I've wandered off that path quite a bit, especially lately, so I'd like to make it more of a priority to just be positive. Not the "fake" kind, but just a generally optimistic person. I think I'm a more enjoyable person to be around when I'm not complaining (and that can probably be said for most people!)
Big and small, when I look at a list like this I can really see how great things are. Every day doesn't need to be filled with dresses, glitter and flowers, but sometimes those are just the cherry on top. Today I'm going to help clean the house, top to bottom, and maybe pick out some flowers at the florist when we go inquire about wedding flowers. Here's to making the most of today! What are you grateful for? (Feel free to write your own post and leave a link below so I can check it out!)
