Thankful Tuesday

It's Tuesday again, which means it's time to list what I'm thankful for.  What's great about doing this every week is that I start to be more concious of gratitude during the week.  I'll be in the midst of doing something and think, "Man, I have got to put this on my list!"

Today I am thankful for:

1.  Funerals
Yesterday we went to a funeral to say goodbye to Adam's distant aunt, Oma Greer.  This was our third funeral to attend in the last two months.  We love old people, and one of the downsides to being friends with lots of old people is that you have many funerals to attend.  We always make an effort to attend the funeral so we can see friends we haven't seen in a while and offer condolences to the family in person.  While it's great to send a sympathy card, in my opinion, it's better to give a hug in person.  We always take the kids with us, too.  While it is stressful to keep your kid quiet during a funeral, the mourning family always thanks us for bringing them.  It's comforting to them to see cute kids that care about their loved one.  It's good for the kids, too, to learn that death is a fact of life and that we should be grateful for each other while we can.

2.  Good books
This weekend I finished the latest Outlander novel, An Echo in the Bone.  Each book in this series is gigantic--about 600 pages each.  However, the author sucks you in and makes the characters so real that you feel like you know them.  I highly recommend Diana Gabaldon.

3.  Google Calendar
This year Adam and I put all our events on Google Calendar.  This solved many marital disputes about scheduling.  Adam puts his events on there and I put the family events on and we can check it from anywhere.  The paper calendar in the kitchen is now obselete, but we also don't argue about "When were you going to tell me about this party?"

4.  Small wonders
We got Capt. Midnight Sugar Dot Express Boyette his first tag the other day.  Petsmart has a machine at the front of the store that uses a laser to engrave.  All four of us were huddled in front of it, fascinated at the technology.  What I love about kids is that they bring a sense of wonder to everyday activities.  Sometimes we have to make a U-turn just to see road construction.  Other times we have to huddle over a small machine to watch it work. 

5.  Chick-fil-A
If you haven't had a Chick-fil-A Chicken Biscuit, you are missing out.

6.  Dallas Mavericks
What a fantastic series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat.  Adam and I watched each game with excitement.  Yes, he had to wake me up when I fell asleep, but I was still excited.  We love watching sports where both teams are equally good.

7.  Adam's copy-editing skills
Adam reads the paper every day and gets frustrated at errors that the Dallas Morning News copy editors missed.  When he sees enough of them, he writes a letter to the appropriate editor and usually gets an acknowledgement of his correctness.  I am grateful that I have a copy editor that lives with me who can proofread everything I put to print.  (Except this blog, so if you see errors, they are mine.)

8.  Words with Friends
Yes, I'm probably addicted to this game, but it's pretty awesome when you put down two letters and get 30+ points.  Plus, it makes me feel smarter.

9.  Air-conditioning
We replaced our AC last Labor Day weekend, and we are so grateful.  I can't imagine living in a time when there wasn't air-conditioning.  I truly thank God every time I walk in the house and am hit by a burst of cool air.

10.  Cool Band-Aids
Nothing heals an injury as quick as a character band-aid.  Maybe a kiss from Mom, but it might be a tie.  I love giving the kids a band-aid and having them, instead of cry about their injury, start saying, "Awesome!  Lightning McQueen!"