Skip to main content

Ten Things of Thankful: Reunion Continues Edition

The Ten Things of Thankful blog hop has been going for over 5 years now! It started with Lizzi, who had the wisdom to recognize the importance of gratitude in her own life, and who invited everyone to join her in giving thanks each week. A community was born, friendships were formed, and everyone benefited from writing posts, and reading and commenting on the posts of others. Lizzi encouraged nine other bloggers to join her in co-hosting duties (10 hosts for the Ten Things of Thankful). The hosting responsibilities have changed hands several times over the years. Co-hosts came and went, Lizzi turned the responsibility over to Josie Two Shoes, then I offered to help when Josie needed a break. 

 Through the years, I have appreciated the bloggers who have taken time to join us. This month, I want to invite anyone who has ever participated in the TToT to join us for a reunion. Of course, as always, this blog hop is one of no pressure, so don't worry if you can't make it. Also know that joining in one more time does not obligate you to weekly posts; I just thought it would be nice to catch up with all of the wonderful bloggers I have met through the years via the TToT. If you've never posted a TToT before, you are welcome to join us, too!

 This past week was filled with plenty of reasons to be thankful:

 1. Two of my granddaughters started kindergarten and transitional kindergarten.
Photo: My two oldest granddaughters, with their backpacks on their backs, pose in their living room on the first day of school (Thanks to my daughter for sending the photo!)

 2. Youngest granddaughter was released from the NICU and is now settling in at home.
Photo: Sweet dark-haired baby girl sleeps in her bassinet at home (Again, thanks to daughter for sending a photo!)
3. John's parents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

 4. My sister came to Utah to take one of her sons to college, so I had a chance to spend time with her and two of my nephews.
Photo: My sister and two of her sons pose with John and me as we take a selfie together
5. Thanks to the recommendation of one of the women in my ward, I found a vet for Drexel. Unfortunately, Drexel has come down with his first ear infection, but fortunately, it seems to be clearing up nicely with treatment.

 6. Internet shopping makes life convenient. We were able to figure out what pieces of our youngest daughter's dryer needed replacement, order them, receive them, and have John install them. For a small cost and some time, youngest daughter has the convenience of a dryer. 
Photo: John lies on the floor with part of the dryer in front of him. He is adding adhesive before attaching a felt pad to the dryer.

 7. This weekend we had stake conference at church. One of the speakers talked about how "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." He then went on to quote a verse given prior to the birth of Jesus Christ which says, "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all—for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." (The Book of Mormon, Alma 7:7) Jesus Christ is "the main thing," and as we keep our focus on Him, we have an increase of peace, joy, and strength.

 8. I'm feeling more confident about the half-marathon that is coming up in a few weeks. It will be the first half-marathon I will be running without John. (He's running his first marathon that day!) I'm starting to figure out specifics that help me feel good while running--music, pace, what to eat beforehand, etc. 

 9. Evening lightening storms--especially the ones that don't spark wild fires--are exciting to watch from the safety and comfort of my own home.

 10. John continues to be an inspiration to me in so many ways. I know I am lucky to be married to my best friend. 
Pin It

Comments

  1. MayAugust 19, 2018 at 10:52 PM

    Love the photos of all three of the granddaughters! The back-to-school shot is just adorable. They both look ready to go! And the baby is home! Excellent news! What a joy and a blessing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pat BAugust 19, 2018 at 11:28 PM

    Am I right in thinking the nephews are of the oldest and youngest and not the college freshman? I'm glad you got to visit.
    Oh, that looks like such an uncomfortable position for John to be in while fixing the dryer! Glad he was able to do the repair.
    Please, no sparks form lightning storms causing any more wildfires.
    Hope you have a good week.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousAugust 20, 2018 at 5:01 AM

    Your two little kindergarten granddaughters just captured my heart in that picture. That was the age group I taught and the joy they bring is fantastic. As do little bitty ones. I'm glad your littlest granddaughter is home from the hospital and settling in. John's a hero. Good luck in your half-marathon and thanks for continuing the hosting of this wonderful blog hop. PS - I love watching a good thunder and lightening storm from a safe place.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Tired TeacherAugust 20, 2018 at 8:52 AM

    Thrilled to hear your sweet baby granddaughter is home from the hospital. What a blessing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 20, 2018 at 7:54 PM

    Five years! How is that possible? Incredible how time passes in increments that are not felt until well past.
    John looks like he is one of those people who have patience to augment a talent for fixing things. (I suspect that patience is the more critical of the two).
    Thanks for taking over from Josie and continuing the adventure.

    ReplyDelete
  6. GirlieOnTheEdgeAugust 20, 2018 at 8:33 PM

    Your oldest granddaughters are so cute and happy, they are smiling on their first day of school. That is wonderful! I was not a child looking forward to the first day of school. Ever lol
    Everyone must be very relieved to have the littlest member of the family home:)
    Congrats on finding a vet for Drexel. That is always one of the challenges of moving, finding a good vet. Glad to hear his ear is on the mend.
    Best of luck on your upcoming half-marathon!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. KerryAugust 21, 2018 at 4:53 PM

    Glad you've found a vet. I just last night listened back to a tape cassette recording my brother made of me when I got my guide dog, twenty years ago now it was. It was more emotional than I'd have thought.

    Can't believe it's five years too, for this here TToT. I am so glad I found you guys. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Conversations are so much nicer when more than one person does the talking. :-) Please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts; I'd love to hear from you!

Popular posts from this blog

Monday Mentions: Equate Crutches

Have you ever needed crutches? I hadn't, until a week ago.  I'm pretty sure I strained a muscle while running a half-marathon.  (That sounds kind of cool, doesn't it? I'm not actually that cool; the last time I strained a muscle it was from carrying too many shopping bags at once.) In any case, I found myself in need of some crutches. I sent my husband to the store to get some. Photo: A pair of crutches leans against a wall  Not that crutches are all that complex, but because I hadn't used any before, I wondered if I could figure out how to adjust them to fit me properly. I shouldn't have worried. John came home from Walmart with their generic store brand of crutches, complete with instructions. First, I needed to take out a long bolt that went through the hand grip. Then I needed to find my height range, push down two metal pieces, and slide the crutches until the little metal pieces came up in the hole near my height range. (Having two people for this...
4 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: Live from Oregon, part 2

stock photo of old computer monitor When I was 10 or 11, I remember sitting next to my dad in our living room and reading computer code to him as he entered it into an Apple computer. We would finish the exercise and he would hit enter (or was it "run"?) and wait expectantly for the green type to appear on the screen. If we were lucky, the whole conversation would occur. Most often, there would be an error either in my dictation of the code, or in the typing of the code. We would then go painstakingly back through the lines, character by character, to find and correct the error. After what seemed like hours (and might have been), we would succeed and the computer would finally run the entire program. It was magical! My dad designed and built an earth-sheltered, passive solar home decades before solar panels were commonplace. He also was on a 9-month waiting list for a Prius, when hybrids were not seen on every street.  While my dad is definitely on the cutting edge of technol...
5 comments
Read more

Ten Things of Thankful: Oregon Edition, Part 3

  A western bluebird, sitting at the base of a house window, looks inside Thanks (1) to those who have sent well-wishes for my mom's recovery. Her wrist is healing up nicely. I met a friend from high school for lunch this past week. It was so nice to have a chance to visit with her for a couple of hours. She is one of those friends who it doesn't matter how much time has passed, we can pick right back up into meaningful conversations. Lunch ended all too soon, but I'm so thankful (2) for her, and I'm thankful (3) that she reminded me of the importance of reaching out to others.  Being in my parents' home this week, visiting with a long-time (I'm not saying old!) friend, and with Mother's Day tomorrow, my mind naturally reflects upon the women in my life. I'm thankful (4) for an incredible mom--a gentle woman who taught and loved and guided us (and still does.) I'm thankful (5) for grandmas who were different in their personalities but united in their...
3 comments
Read more