The year of the sunset.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 331

     Matt has said it several times the past couple of days, and I think he's right. 2013. The year of the sunset. The number of amazing sunsets this year has been astronomical. I am literally running out my door practically every other night to capture another glorious evening of setting sun, cloud, and color. I only got a few pictures of tonight's awesome show...

     I mean, even on nights when you think it's just going to be a ho-hum sunset, it ends up being fantastic. Beyond fantastic. I can't get enough of them. It has kind of got to the point where I just want to go sit on my favorite hill from about 4 to 6 each night. Just sit there and wait for the glory and splendor of the evening to unfold.

     Tonight was a special night for the kids. I have no desire to watch any Hunger Games movies. I just...don't want to. Can't explain it. Anyways, Matt, Patty, and AJ really wanted to go see Catching Fire. So, I volunteered to stay home, and watch the kids while they went out. The kids were super excited about it. Aren't sleepovers the best?

     Thankful for this year and it's beautiful sunsets. Some were so beautiful they made me emotional. Sounds silly to some people, I realize. But nature does that to us. When we sit at the beach, we feel relaxed and at peace. When we stare at lighting and dark clouds from a wicked storm, we feel humbled in the presence of a great force we can't control. When we sit under our favorite tree in the fall or the spring, we feel at home. Why shouldn't a sunset make me feel anything else but emotional. Thankful for sleepovers. Thankful for sweet children to kiss goodnight. Thankful for Addy and Casey who talked excitedly for quite some time before drifting off to sleep. Thankful for Tobin and Sophia who communicate through smiles and laughter. It was a good day. And a cozy night. Made especially cozy by the warm glow of our Christmas tree. Christmas tree glow is the best kind of glow.

Leftovers.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 330

     The day after Thanksgiving is pretty much the only day of the year when it's perfectly acceptable to eat pie for breakfast. And eat pie we did. Paired with some homemade lattes. It was a pretty sweet morning. We arrived at Patty and AJ's house around 8:30. We had "breakfast," fed the kids a real breakfast, and then we just hung out. Relaxing. Talking. Picking at more pie. Sipping lattes. Talking about summer vacation. Then we all sat down together to usher in the beginning of the most exciting time of the year by watching, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. After that, it was leftovers time. Which is perhaps my most favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday. The leftovers. It was a glorious meal. I personally prefer my leftovers swimming in gravy.

     This evening before dinner, Matt, Adelyn, Tobin, and I bundled up and went walking. It was a beautiful night. And we spotted some signs that the Christmas season has arrived. Christmas lights. It was a pretty exciting walk. And I love walking in the cold.

     Thankful for leftovers. Thankful for relaxing mornings. And relaxing afternoons. Followed by relaxing evenings. Thankful for pie for breakfast. Thankful for walks in the cold. Thankful to be able to spend time together as a family. Thankful for a day done well.

Thanksgiving.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 329

     What a lovely day. I love Thanksgiving. One of my favorite days of the year. Family. Food. And thanksgiving. I've been seeing article upon article lately on the subject of thanksgiving. There was one in particular that struck me the other day. I saw the words, "the power of gratitude." And I've seen it before. The word, power, attached to the word thankful, or grateful, or thankfulness, or gratitude. Power. I'm living proof of it. My life has been completely transformed by that power. No lie...I used to live every single day in complete and utter fear, panic, and terror. Everything was scary. Everything was evil. And there was this little sinister voice always feeding my fear with two simple words...what if? My life was dark. And I wasn't even truly living. I was just surviving. Just existing.

     Being thankful changed me forever. It is the most powerful medicine I have ever known. It is the cure for a myriad of ailments. Be it anxiety, fear, loneliness, sadness, depression. It works. And it works fast. And it lasts. Because it forever changes the way you see the world around you. And it changes the way you see yourself in it.

     Tonight, I am thankful for the power of thanksgiving. It has changed me. Fear and anxiety no longer define me. Thanksgiving does. It is my power. It is my source of a depth of happiness I never knew existed. Thanksgiving made me come alive. It opened my eyes. It allowed me to wake up and really start living deeply. It allowed me to be fully submerged in the deep end of life. Not just splashing around near the steps. I am just so thankful for all that being thankful has taught me. No lesson in my life has taught me more.

My boy loves him some pomegranates!

This family sticks together.

Project 365 * 2 -- Day 328

     Tonight, I'm thankful for my amazing family. My family that sticks together through every circumstance. We laugh together. We cry together. We rally together. We are happy together. And we are sad together. Nothing affects one of us without affecting all the others. I'm thankful for the love between us. It's stronger than any other love I've ever known.

     So thankful for family. Without my family, life would seem pretty meaningless. Thankful for the love we have for each other. It's the kind of love that nothing can break. Thankful to have such amazing people to call my own. There aren't words strong enough to say how thankful I am for them. Words aren't strong enough, or big enough, or good enough to express how much I love them.

Adelyn, helping me do some baking. 

Sleeping on the floor. 

Oh, Tobin. How embarrassing. The back-up pink cici!