Ugly Beauties

Last night my dear friend, Laura, and I were talking about the ugly beauties of life. We are still reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and she talks about these in the book. She talks about perception and the way we look at these sometime ugly things & change them into ugly beauties. 

My day looked like a lot of ugly beauties. Seriously. And I spent most of my day thinking "that is annoying and very ugly" and then trying to switch my mindset to "I am thankful I have _____."

Here are some of my ugly beauties today:
Alarm clocks going off so early   (I have a job to wake up for..)
The internet was down at work   (we have internet & other luxuries)
LOUD students   (they are full of joy and laughter)
Computer issues   (funny that these are my issues, again, thankful to OWN a computer)
Crumbs & messes left from kids in my car   (I get to spend time with sweet kids who love this time so much I had to BEG them to get out of the car today)

So it was a ugly beautiful day. At first glance, I would have labeled this day a 
"bad day," but it really wasn't once I changed my perspective. Sorry if you're getting sick of me talking about perspective and focusing on the good, it just keeps coming up in my life :)

(Quoting a woman who began focusing on gratitude), Ann Voskamp writes, "I can feel the gratitude starting to soak into my soul."

I love that. Let it seep in & change us.

Gratitude

This week, I am thankful for ...

this view-off our front porch

children & their desire to learn

pumpkins on porches

warm slippers for crossing hardwood floors on cold mornings

a quiet, empty beach

Cats in bow ties (he hated every minute of it)

afternoons spent fishing in our neighborhood

halloween parties and wonderful friends

Gratitude.

Oh you know, just went MIA for a few weeks. But I'm backkk.

So my favorite season is upon us & I couldn't be happier. There are so many things to be thankful for- here are just a few things that I'm thankful for over the past few weeks or so.

For American flags & film jobs in Wilmington.

For sleeping kittens who cuddle up beside you

For friendships that endure life changes & miles of distance

For market lights on the porch & warm summer nights with friends

For visits with friends and time to slow down & catch up

For surprises on my pillow from my sweet husband.

Thankfulness.

Its important to focus on all that we have in this world full of so many "wants." When we begin to count all the good things, we often realize that we are more blessed than we realized. 

Here's what I'm thankful for recently:

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel after 8 months of extremely hard work & long hours for Will. This picture was actually taken a few weeks ago & as of right now we (hopefully) only have 2 more weeks to go!

Leisurely bike rides with Will & explorations in our new neighborhood:

   

Sweet little Clyde, the newest addition to our family:

Fridays that begin with this:

Lazy rainy mornings complete with blankets, hot tea and a Britt's donut (the best donuts in the world, I promise):

Giving thanks

A few things I'm thankful for this week:

For sweet coworkers who bring hot tea on a cold, rainy day.

A table for eight filled with great friends & homemade pasta

For my wonderful dad who sends singing telegrams on Valentine's day to my mom.

Patton & all the joy he brings our family.

Things I'm learning lately.

I've been learning a few things recently.

1. Be thankful for quality time. Will has been working a weird schedule the past few weeks which involves working Saturdays, so our time has been limited. I am learning to appreciate every little moment- whether it be just a few minutes of catching up or a whole day with him. Also, pretty thankful for days that end with this.

2. I like thin mint girl scout cookies? You may wonder why there is a question mark on that statement. I have never liked chocolate. I grew up despising it. I know, I know... its "un-american." I've heard that a million times. I still don't really like hershey bars or chocolate cake, but hey, I like thin mints! They are delicious & even better after sitting in the freezer. I've been missing out all these years!

3. Go-with-the-flow really is the best motto for life. Even at a young age, I claimed that statement & attempted to apply it to all areas. For some odd reason, people think that adults should have it all together. Weird, right? Welp, I don't and neither do you. I'm learning its best to just be open to opportunities and don't get so caught up in your "plan." Let's just go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

4. Krispy Kreme can bring a lot of joy to a film crew working on a Saturday night. I brought some glazed doughnuts to Will and his coworkers this past weekend and I think they may have made filming in the freezing cold a little bit less miserable.

Blessed.

During this time of Thanksgiving, I am reminded of all that we have been given & the blessings that flow so freely. I have so many things to be thankful for that it can often be easy to become numb to them. We are blessed with wonderful family that pour into us and care so deeply about us individually and our marriage; with friends who will drive miles to see us and support us in important events, with a fruitful year of work for Will and so many more things. Oh, we are so thankful!

I am once again reminded of the blessings we have & pray that we can be a blessing to others. I hope that we can bring joy, happiness & crazy love to all those we encounter. 

Will and I have always said this, but I'll say it again, we are blessed in relationships & somehow the friendships and blessings just keep flowing.

Little things

Flowers and a surprise visit at work?... Always make for a great work day. Thankful for these beautiful flowers & a thoughtful husband.

I am also thankful for beautiful sunsets in the Port City & Will's photography skills.