First post!

I've decided to join the blogging world for a couple of reasons, but they both revolve around my sweet new son, Ethan. First, it will allow me to stay in touch with friends and family who live far away (especially the grandparents who are hungry for every Ethan update), and second, it is a good way for me to record all of Ethan's little milestones and sweet moments; it's much faster to type it up than to write it down, and I know I'll want something I can look back on once he's a teenager who's too cool to let me kiss his cheeks 8,000 times a day, as I do now!  But I also hope to pepper the blog with things not Ethan-related as well.  I think that having a place to write down my own thoughts and observations might be nice, and so I am going to begin with one of those posts today.

November is the month of Thanksgiving, a holiday that, all too often I fear, is treated like the red-headed stepchild between Halloween and Christmas.  People focus on the delicious food and the holiday sales, and sometimes forget to actually take a breath and be thankful for their blessings.  I know that a lot of people this year might feel like there isn't much to be thankful for.  The economy is in bad shape, many families are struggling financially or have lost their homes, and lots of people have been out of work for far too long.  However, I think that even in bleak times, it is important to realize that we are fortunate to live in a great nation, and even at our worst, we are still so blessed compared to most of the world.  And, although I might sound like Pollyanna here, I think everyone could benefit from remembering the saying, "If you can't change your situation, change the way you think about it."  I am certainly not trying to downgrade the validity of people's frustrations, but even when everything else is beyond your control, you can always control your outlook, and sometimes that's what makes the biggest difference of all.  For example: I hear a lot of people complaining about our current President, and while that's fine (after all, the freedom to disagree is one of the fundamental things that makes the United States wonderful), I often want to tell these people, "Look- you voted.  It didn't go the way you'd hoped.  You can't change that.  So you can spend the next two years complaining and being miserable, and bashing the President, OR you can pray for him."  Guess which one most people choose?  And at the end of the day, whether they choose to be positive or negative, these people are still going to have the same President for the next two years; they're just a lot more unhappy about it in one scenario!

Now, this is not intended to be a political post (so please do not write a political diatribe in the comments section); that was just an example.  This rule can be applied to even the most mundane aspects of everyday life.  Like this morning when I spilled wet coffee grounds all over my kitchen floor, as a sleep-deprived new mom, I was still SO thankful for the coffee, I couldn't even get upset about the mess!  I am not saying it is always easy to be positive; in fact, it is often the more difficult choice to be happy.  Let's face it- it's easy to be grouchy, to say the mean thing that comes to mind rather than to hold your tongue, to focus on what's wrong instead of trying to see what's right.  As I get older, I realize more and more that happiness is sometimes more a choice than a feeling, and we take so much for granted.  So, with this in mind and in honor of Thanksgiving, I decided to challenge myself to stop for a few minutes every day this month to focus on something I am thankful for.  My only rule is that I am not allowed to repeat items, since I know I have plenty of blessings in my life.  Since today is November 2nd, I am going to catch up and write down 2 thanksgivings.  Warning: these will probably be a little sappy, but take heart; in general, I am not a mushy gal.  Tomorrow's post will probably be something ridiculous like, "I am thankful for leftover candy corn!" 

1. I am so unbelievably, deliriously, incredibly thankful for Ethan.  God blessed us with a baby who is not only healthy, but SUCH a joy!  He is so easy and so happy, it's intoxicating; my cheeks hurt from smiling whenever I'm around him!  With a baby around, every day brings a new discovery (even though they are usually things only the baby's parents would ever care about, like, "Honey! He blew spit bubbles for the first time today!!), and I am blessed to be able to stay home and experience every single one of them; I am loving that.  And what's amazing is that I didn't even know he was missing from my life, but now that he's here, I truly can't imagine life any other way!  I know that every cheesy greeting card under the sun has said this in one way or another, but it doesn't make the sentiment any less true.

2. Sometimes I forget that most of the world probably finds my romantic history a bit nuts: I married my high school sweetheart, the first boy I ever seriously dated, and my first real kiss.  While I didn't know at age 15 when I met Clay that he was "the one," I can't imagine life any other way.  Though, of course, I am thankful to be married to someone I love with all my heart who is my very best friend, that's not the thing I am most thankful for; after all, every married person can (or rather, should be) able to say the same thing.  What I think is the best part of all is that I have already spent almost half of my life with him, and we're only 26!  My husband literally grew up with me.  He is a part of almost all of my formative memories, funny stories, and big milestones.  It is a closeness that is difficult to explain, and I'm sure some people might read that and think, "Yuck!" but to me, that's the best part of our relationship.  He really, truly knows and gets me, and loves me anyway.  He's seen every quirk, every flaw, every mood, and he stuck around.  He saw me at my most insecure, self-absorbed state (high school), and loved me then.  He saw me grow and change in college, and loved me then.  He saw me gain 45 pounds during pregnancy and loved me even then! :-)  When I stop to think about it, I want to pinch myself; I hit the relationship jackpot!  Clay is exactly the man I need to balance me out, perfect for me in every way; he makes me laugh, keeps me sane, and is just the best guy I know.  And having a child with him added yet another layer to our relationship- seeing him with Ethan makes me love him even more.  He is such a good dad!  I am so thankful for him, and for the fact that being married to him is F-U-N!  I can't wait to see what the future holds.    

So, I challenge you all (all 2 of my readers, har har!) to stop and be thankful for something today too.  Big or small, I bet it will help you have a great day!