2018 Word of the Year

With the new year, I've seen a lot of people choosing their "word of the year."  At first, I wasn't going to choose one...because it would be "one more thing to keep up with"...when I'm trying to eliminate things to keep up with and/or remember.  However, the other day, it just kind of hit me that I would choose a word, and this is what it was going to be for the rest of 2018.

thankful.

I always try to be a more positive or optimistic person* (but I know I'm not 100% of the time, haha), so I thought this would be a good word to start with.  I think this word will help me the most on bad days--even on those bad days, there's something positive that we may not always think about right away.

For example,

I had a terrible day at work and nothing went like I wanted it to, but I'm thankful I have a job to financially support our family.

I was stuck in traffic and everyone forgets how to drive when it's raining, but I'm thankful I have a car to get me places.

The kitchen is a disaster after dinner and I have no desire to clean up, but I'm thankful that we had all the food we needed to make dinner.  I'm also thankful for an awesome husband who does the majority of our cooking. :)

It's 2:00 am and I'm so tired and don't want to go upstairs and get Marshall's paci that he threw out of the crib, but I'm so thankful for him in more ways than I can count.

So, if I can stay in this mindset all year--and we'll see how much it happens--then hopefully it will be a good year!

Did you choose a Word of the Year for 2018?  If so, I'd love to know what your word is!

*The week of our wedding, we had a hurricane come through Richmond. I'm talking rain, rain, and more rain!  We were planning on an outside ceremony and cocktail hour, and three days before the wedding, Matt and I had to decide on whether or not we wanted a tent put up.  Well, we voted "no" and got some crazy looks for it, haha.  But, come Saturday afternoon, it might've been extremely hot and humid, but it wasn't raining!  I think this is the MOST optimistic I've ever been in my life. haha!

I'm Thankful For...

I'm thankful for Marshall's daycare.
I can't tell you how much time I spent this summer stressing and worrying over where Marshall would be once I went back to work.  We couldn't be happier with the daycare we found and we absolutely LOVE it! The owners and teachers truly love the kids and Marshall loves them! They take such good care of him and my favorite thing is when arts & crafts projects are sent home on Fridays so we can add them to the fridge ;)

I'm thankful for the LuLaRoe opportunity.
I've posted about it before on my LuLaRoe shopping page on Facebook, but I truly am thankful to have the opportunity to be a LuLaRoe Fashion Retailer! Coming from someone who used to dread shopping for clothes, LLR has been such a positive thing for several reasons: 1) I enjoy trying on clothes and getting new clothes!; 2) LLR has helped us SO much financially! We never have to worry about where the money is coming from to make my car payment each month which is SUCH a huge relief; 3) I've met so many awesome people through LLR! Whether we've met in person or just online, it's been great to make new friendships! (And I'm not even really a "people-person", except for LuLaRoe, haha)

I'm thankful for our family.
1) Well, you know the saying, "friends come and go, but family is forever." Family is always there for you and there to help you out.  Which leads me to #2... 2) We always have a babysitter. haha. I kid, I kid....but really.

I'm thankful for the essentials that are needed for living (that we can easily forget how fortunate we are to have).
Our house, electricity, water, our cars, our jobs, food on the table everyday, the air we breathe (Dad, thanks for bringing that to Thanksgiving this year, haha!),

I'm thankful for ridiculously random things that still make me happy.
The TV show, Arrow, for finally being a show that Matt and I can watch together and enjoy (this is rare, but it's something we look forward to every week!); For always having some type of dessert in the house, because I like dessert. But nothing too sweet; For Christmas music, because everyone's always happier when listening to Christmas music.

I'm thankful for an awesome forgiving God.
Because we all mess up sometimes, right?
Psalm 18:30: As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord's word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.

I'm thankful for all the things I forgot to mention, because it's after 9:00pm and my contacts are drying out and my brain is shutting off, so I simply can't list anything else tonight.

I hope you all have an amazing Turkey Day tomorrow!!

It's Never too Late to be Thankful!

I didn't do that Facebook thing a lot of people did/are doing where each day they post something they're thankful for.  I also was so wrapped up in the holiday and having Abby & Matt home that I never even pre-blogged a Thanksgiving post or got it up! (Nevertheless, I did think about it while Abby and I were on our Wednesday adventure and spent like an hour trying to find a place to eat!)  So, since I never posted last week, I still wanted to take the time to list a few things I'm thankful for: