Counting

"When I am troubled and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. And I fall asleep counting my blessings"

Bing Crosby was not a nice guy in real life, but I sure do love him in White Christmas.

Most of my posts have come late at night. One of the reasons is I feel like writing should be a wind-down, recap activity. The other reason is that when I've got a lot going on in my head I have a very hard time falling asleep. This post is going to be a list of all of the amazing things I have going for me. In no particular order...

1. My parents love me. We don't always see eye to eye. They don't support every decision I make (although they have been incredibly financially supportive lately). But, bottom line, they want the best for me and it comes from a place of love.

2. My little brother is my friend. After all these years of sibling spats (and we're good at those) we have finally arrived at a friendship. He gets life in my family like no one else ever will, and I hope that I do the same for him. Also, he lets me call him 'kiddo' (and take pictures like this one of him) even though he'll be 21 in March.

3. I have made incredible girlfriends in each of my life incarnations. My high school (mostly rowing) friends were the best sounding board, the best encouragement I could ask for. If it hadn't been for my college suitemates (plus one or two honorary 210s) I truly believe I would have left college and moved home. My friends here in Tennessee have been family when I had no one else, and bouyed me when my favorite words were, "I can't."

Lauz and Mieke, the loves of my life. Distance knows no bounds.

Jen. Her family is my family. Thank God for them.

Who wouldn't fall in love with these two?

4. I am so in love with my M, my heart grows like the Grinch's when I'm around him. I'm thankful he doesn't call me on the dopey expressions that he no doubtedly catches on my face on a regular basis. He's so smart and talented, and I am so blessed to have his love too.

5. I got a graduate degree for free. I'm not using it at the moment, but I will someday. And If I don't...well it was free.

6. In October I am starting my first 40-hour-a-week job doing something that I am passionate about. I waited a long time to find something that I would love doing. It's not in the right city, but I can work around that for now. (A wise man told me that when I'm 80, this will have been 1/80th of my life.)

7. I'm creative. Not to toot my own horn too much, but I love to do creative things and I think I'm pretty good at it. I make jewelry, paint, refinish, decorate, photograph, sew...Really anything that lets me see things in an artistic light makes me happy.

I painted this.

Those are the biggies. I bet dollars to dimes I sleep much better tonight.