My Top 10 Thankful's this year (in no particular order)

1.  My Mom. I knew I had a good Mom, but I didn't know until now just how great! I will forever be grateful for her example and that she taught me to do hard things. She never coddled us and I am so grateful now because I am strong and independent.
   
2. Healing. I have gone through a lot this year but I am healing and happy. I really didn't know if and how I would get here, but I am. 
3. John. Every marriage has good years and harder years. This has been our best year yet! He is so dedicated to being a good dad and husband and he really works hard at making us work. He is willing to change and has made some amazing changes this year. I am so proud of him and love him so much! Its fun to be so in love :-)
4. Caleb, Davis, and Beckham. We are hitting such a fun stage of life right now and I love the excitement and humor they bring to me each day. I love their hugs and their jokes. I love that they love to be around me and want my attention and praise. I have great kids!
5. Belief. My testimony of our Savior and Heavenly Fathers plan has been strengthened so much this year. I am so grateful that I know that I can be with my Mom again forever. I am so thankful for our Savior for making that possible.
6. Support.  I have great friends. They have lifted me up and carried me this year when I wasn't a very good friend. I love this quote: "Friends pick us up when we fall down, and if they cannot pick us up they lie down and listen for awhile." I had friends who did just that this year!
7. Neighbors. I have great neighbors and this year I had a new neighbor move in right behind me! (if you saw where I lived you would understand why this is so great - our neighborhood is still mostly undeveloped) I can not begin to tell you how grateful I am she shares ingredients!
8. Disneyland. Davis, Becks, and I spent the beginning of the year at Disneyland every single day from 3:00-6:00. I was so absorbed in being a daughter and caregiver while living with my parents, that those precious hours away from all distractions to just focus on being a Mom were heaven sent. Since we have passes this year we have spent many trips back and those fun times have really helped our family heal through play.
9. Peace. I feel like John and I spent so many years worrying about money and the economy and this year I just let that worry go. Nothing has changed in our financial situation. He still works in construction in a stinky economy but it doesn't weigh me down with worry anymore.
10. Walls. It has changed my life to get a block wall around our yard! It seriously has blessed me in so many ways! My garden did better, my kids stay contained, we can finish off our landscaping, we were able to bury our trampoline....all that by a simple wall retaining dirt. Blessed wall!

I feel like I just got started! There are so many other things I am grateful for, but these were the first 10 things that I thought of so they must be important. Wait I have to add 1 more...I got new clothes. Updated clothes that fit my body right now. I am SOOO grateful for them!

Maybe what I am most grateful for is gratitude. I love in the Veggie tales Thankful Song where the lyrics say, "Because a thankful heart is a happy heart!" Its true. I am grateful and it makes me happy!