Grateful, Joyful, Thankful!

 

Happy Thanksgiving Friends! I hope you all had delicious meals and were able to spend time with your loved ones! Thanksgiving is always one my favorite days of the year because I love to cook! Every year, my dad and I create the perfect turkey while my mom cooks the most amazing mash potatoes! We all get to take part in the Thanksgiving feast and spend some much needed quality time together. What's better than that?

  In the light of the season, I decided to share the 12 Things I am most grateful for this year!

1.  My friends and family. This year I've learned more than ever there is nothing greater than your loved ones. Whether that be siblings, cousins, parents, significant others, mentors, new friends, or old friends, the people you surround yourself with are so important! I couldn't go on without the amazing community I'm constantly surrounded with. Everyday I learn more and more of who I am and who I want to be through the ones that love me and build me up.

2. My Church. I love the church I go to and I am so thankful for all the amazing things I get to be apart of there. Whether that be serving, giving, or worship, I am always doing something that I love for and with my church. I am so thankful I have a place  The greatest feeling is finding a place where you can always feel at home and be comfortable enough to praise God together!

3. My Job.  I am so blessed to first of all have a job, and second of all have a job that I love! For those who don't know, I work in an after school program at an elementary school with my favorite grade, kindergarten. Everyday I am challenged by new adventures with my kiddos and I am always having the time of my life. As you can probably guess, I do want to be a teacher and am currently going to school to be. This job allows me to learn things first hand and experience all types of situations. But in reality, I am grateful that this job gives me the ability to work with these students at a deeper level and love on them, but that's a different blog post!

4. New Opportunities. This year has been such a time of growth and I've been so blessed with so many new and incredible opportunities that I am so excited about. Even the little things count1

5. Redding, CA. Okay, so most of my life if you asked I would tell you how much I hate Redding and how gross it is and how I can't wait to move far far away. But within the last year or so, I've had a change of heart. The day I stood back and realized the beauty surrounding Redding, I knew I had been wrong. The fact that I can drive almost any direction and end up somewhere completely breath-taking is enough to win me over. Whether it be watching the sunrise at Lassen to chasing waterfalls, I always find myself in awe of God's spectacular creations. Sure Redding has it's "bads" too, but when you open your heart you can see all of God's grace and beauty shining through the area.

6. Worship. Over the summer God challenged me to further my relationship with him by leading worship in my Junior High group. This was a crazy step for me, because not only have I ever been part of a worship team but it was always something that made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't understand why we had to do it all the time, why I would ever want to sing in front of a bunch of people, and why people keep putting their hands up in the air! It was then that I knew I needed to step back and open my heart to what worship really is; defined as the expression of reverence or adoration to God. Why wouldn't I want to give all I had to him? When I began to understand the why's and the truths of worship, I was able to love it for myself and lead it for the students.

7. Journaling. I shared this recently on an instagram post, but journaling has become a huge part of my life. I've always loved to journal, but it's something that I've really come to find a passion for. It's the perfect way for me to get all my stress and anxieties of the day, while at the same time being able to have time to spend with God wether that be through his word or art. I love it so much and I am grateful for what it's shown me.

8. My Car. This year I was able to save money and buy my very first car, that I love so much. My little 06 Corolla is a dream come true. I had never understood the freedom of driving before owning my own car, but now that I do I feel like I have the whole world and it's adventures at my fingertips!

9. My Aidan. Boy am I blessed to have the greatest man in the world by my side! Tomorrow, Aidan and I will be dating for two years and I couldn't be more grateful to have him in my life. Aidan is all my wishes and dreams come true and I am so thankful that God brought him into my life. I could go on forever about how much I love Aidan, but I'm sure you'll see that in tomorrow's anniversary post! 😉
10. A Bedroom. Some may have heard of the struggles of the year and the gaping hole in the wall that made living a pain, but after much construction my bedroom is finally done and cute as ever! You'll never understand the struggles of not having one until you don't!

11. Junior High. Oh how I love Junior High, and I don't mean the years I was in it but the youth group I volunteer for! This year will be going on my third year as a youth leader and I could not tell you how much I really really love it. Each and every one of those students has taught me more about myself and God's love. I am so grateful for all my students, all the fun we, all the love we share, and that I get to be apart of something much bigger.

12. God. Last but definitely not least. He was ever present within the year and I owe it all to him. To say that I am grateful it an understatement. God is good and God is love, and for that I am blessed.