Thankful Thursday

I just finished re-reading one of my all time favorite books, The Alchemist.  There's a quote from this book that has stuck with me the last few days, "When each day is the same as the next, it's because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises."  Unfortunately, I think I have become one of those people that feels like each day is the same.  My life is very routine right now, but I also have so many blessings.  I think it will help me recognize them more if I write them down.  Today happens to be Thursday, which gives my title some nice alliteration.

• The first thing that I am always, always grateful for is my cute husband, Michael.  He is a huge blessing in my life. Recently as I've taken steps towards fulfilling some of my dreams he has been extremely supportive and encouraging.  He has a way of making me feel like I can conquer the world. (Sorry for the cheesiness!!)
• I was accepted into Texas A&M!!  I will be majoring in marriage and family therapy.  I'm so excited to go back to school!  I think I'm going to start out slow with just one class, but it feels good to be moving forward!
• I'm really grateful for my new running shoes.  My mom and dad bought them for me while we were visiting them, so I'm double grateful for them!  They're so comfy!
• The can of Raid we bought.  It makes me feel less creeped out by killing bugs when I can spray them down from a distance.
• Workout DVDs.  There really isn't anywhere nearby that I feel safe running, so I'm glad that I still have a way to workout.
• The Alchemist, it's such an inspiring book, all about achieving our goals, or "personal legends," and learning how to listen when God speaks to us, among a bunch of other things.  It's one that I could just read again and again and get something new out of it every time.
• Ceiling fans, and box fans.  Even though it's blazing hot outside I can get by without running the a/c because of these two things.  We turn it on at night, but it's nice to be able to save the money by not running it through the day.
• The video game "Final Fantasy IX."  This is another of Michael's most favorite video games, and it is entertaining. I'm on the last disc, very near the end.  It's been fun. It has an intriguing story line, which is what keeps me hooked!
• Study guide books.  I love my GRE study book, which sounds weird because I also hate it.  It has been very helpful though in preparing me to take the test in a week and a half.  I can't wait to be done with it!!  I also love scripture study guides.  I always get so much more out of my scripture studying if I read with something else.  I just finished The New Testament and loved reading Revelations!  I learned so many new things with the additional insight I received from the institute study guide.