Hawks.

November 30, 2020

Day 1,486

     Hawks. I love them so. 

     Hawks are my love notes from God. They are His way of saying, "I see you. I know you. I hear you. I've got you."

     On days when I feel particulary weak, those are the days when I turn my eyes towards the sky because hawks are flying there. They are soaring there. 

     Sometimes, I don't know that I need them until I see them. And when I see one, I smile warmly and relish in the knowledge that I am seen and cared for.

     Feeling thankful for hawks and the promise they stand for. 

The whole bottle.

November 29, 2020

Day 1,485

Thankful for: 

a lovely Sunday at home with my loves. 

grocery shopping in the morning. 

a beautiful day; crisp, clear, and blue. 

winter is coming soon. 

a fire pit date with my husband while our kids played Avatar. 

opened up a bottle of my best wine just for me to enjoy; I enjoyed the whole bottle. 

two American spirits. 

90's jams playing on the speaker. 

singing out loud in the woods because it doesn't matter. 

my husband. 

big plans with my husband. 

my children; I don't deserve them. 

a new week starting tomorrow. 

sweet students to call mine for a whole year. 

this sweet and lovely life that I don't deserve; it's too good for me. 

Christmasy Day

November 28, 2020

Day 1,484

Thankful for: 

a day to decorate for Christmas. 

new Christmas decorations. 

our house looks so warm and cozy for Christmas. 

Christmas cookies; made fresh from scratch and eaten while still hot from the oven. 

time to make a gingerbread house with my babies. 

Harry Potter movies at night. 

the best Saturday. 

Five things that start with L.

November 27, 2020

Day 1,483

Thankful for: 

leftovers. 

lazy days. 

love; so much of it in our home. 

little cousins sleepovers and playdates. 

lovely days spent at home. 

Thanksgiving Day.

November 26, 2020

Day 1,482

Thankful for: 

Christmas lights in the distance. 

A day called Thanksgiving. 

The perfect roasted turkey. 

Mashed potatoes. 

Classic stuffing. Onion, celery, chicken stock, butter, herbs, bread crumbs. Smothered in gravy. 

Gravy. It's so good, it deserves it's own line on this blog post. 

Pomegranate. 

Cranberry sauce. 

Green beans. 

Bread made at home from scratch. 

Biscuits made at home from scratch. 

Pecan pie. 

Pumpkin pie. 

Fresh whip. 

Family. 

Family. 

Family. Three times I wanted to say it; it was no mistake. 

Episodes of I love Lucy. 

Crisp air when the sun goes down. 

The absolute silence of the woods on a clear, cold night. 

The warmness of our home alive with the sights and sounds of the holidays. 

A grand day. 

More things to be thankful for than I can even count. 

Pomegranate juice stains.

November 25, 2020

Day 1,481

Thankful for: 

a morning spent with my sister. 

Starbucks coffee. 

catching up with my friend through text. 

time to drive by myself and listen to music. 

holiday treats from Trader Joe's. 

the way Matt smiled at me when I came home; I love how he's always happy to see me. 

the way that Adelyn and Tobin ran to me and hugged me when I came home. 

the time and ability to clean my home. 

Thanksgiving is tomorrow. 

time to lay in bed after a shower. 

Higbee's face and eyes. 

an impossible whopper with cheese. 

stuffing. 

cookie bars. 

homemade bread and biscuits. 

pomegranates and the way the juice stains my cutting board and the way that Tobin is so excited to eat them. 

a good day. 

Last day.

November 24, 2020

Day 1,480

Thankful for: 

the last day of the week before Thanksgiving break. 

sweet students. 

my own sweet babies to call my own. 

hugs from my babies whenever I want them. 

"Sanderson Surprise" for dinner. 

the knowledge that I don't have to set my alarm for tomorrow morning. 

a day to go shopping at Trader Joe's tomorrow; I can't wait to get some holiday items. 

a day to bake and cook. 

Three things on a Monday.

November 23, 2020

Day 1,479

Thankful for: 

a good day at school with my students. 

one more day of school before Thanksgiving break. 

time to go shopping by myself at Wegman's for Thanksgiving. 

Super short, week.

November 22, 2020

Day 1,478

Thankful for: 

Sunday mornings. 

Adelyn; she helped me grade papers. 

the feeling of going into a new week with having any papers to grade. 

a fun family dinner at my brother's house. 

baby Oliver. 

I Love Lucy. 

a clean kitchen. 

a cleaner house. 

being able to leave super early tomorrow for work.

a scenic drive through the mountains today. 

a good Sunday. 

a super short week coming up. 

Saturday three.

November 21, 2020

Day 1,477

Thankful for: 

Patty and Armando spending their entire day at our house putting up our new chandelier. 

spending time with Patty, Armando, and their kids. 

a lazy start ot the day. 

Soup for dinner.

November 20, 2020

Day 1,476

Thankful for: 

students who are willing to help me carry things or do things for me while I'm on crutches. 

my foot is feeling better. 

today is Friday. 

being ready to go at 4:00 pm on the dot. 

coming home to Matt. 

Matt bought me soup for dinner. 

soup and a sandwich in bed while watching whatever shows I want. 

Stick fort.

November 19, 2020

Day 1,475

Thankful for: 

a good Thursday. 

beautiful weather. 

time to build a stick fort with my 3rd graders outside. 

my x-rays showed that I didn't have a broken bone. 

an air-cast to help support my injured ankle. 

Matt bringing me a bowl of soup for dinner. 

tomorrow is Friday; I can't wait to relax this weekend. 

people who care about me. 

people who love me. 

Grand and glorious.

November 18, 2020

Day 1,474

Thankful for: 

easy dinners to make. 

the cold air. 

Armando's mom saving the day by letting Tobin come to her house to learn. 

coming home to Higbee. 

a grand day at school. 

helping my kids build a stick fort. 

watching The Little Prince with my students today; they loved it. 

Matt bringing me tea at night. 

Matt bringing me a bag of peas for my hurt ankle. 

Higbee laying with me because he knows I'm hurt. 

tomorrow is Thursday which means it's almost Friday. 

being able to use the words grand and glorious to describe the weather outside. 

A negative covid-19 test for Tobin.

November 17, 2020

Day 1,473

Thankful for: 

extra time to be with my babies at home because Tobin's temp was high after he was playing; lesson learned: do not take temperatures AFTER a child has been running around outside in a heavy winter coat. 

a negative covid-19 test for Tobin. 

time to come home and clean up the kitchen. 

Taco Tuesday. 

time for Tobin to get caught up on his work. 

Armando's mom; she's going to watch Tobin tomorrow. 

time to sleep. 

Cold air, colder air in the forecast.

November 16, 2020

Day 1,472

Thankful for: 

a good day back to work. 

seeing my sweet students again. 

seeing my babies sleeping soundly in their beds. 

only the rest of this week until the weekend when we can all relax and sleep in. 

cold air. 

colder air in the forecast. 

Home.

November 15, 2020

Day 1,471

Thankful for: 

a safe drive home. 

McDonald's for breakfast. 

clean bathrooms. 

time to listen to Dave Matthew's Band, 90's rock, and all kinds of other music. 

our home. 

our toilets. 

our floors. 

our blankets. 

our pillows. 

our beds. 

our woods. 

our sinks. 

The sights and smells of home. 

A few pictures of our trip.

November 14, 2020

Day 1,470

One more day left.

November 13, 2020

Day 1,469 

Thankful for: 

Another amazing day of vacation. 

Watching my kids have fun and enjoy themselves. 

Matt's mom; she just keeps on taking care of us and blessing us beyond measure. She's so kind. 

One more day left of this vacation. 

Universal Studios.

November 12, 2020

Day 1,468

Thankful for: 

A great day of fun. 

Diagon Alley. I could have spent an entire week just in this one section of the park. It was incredible. 

Fun Slytherin gear. 

Seeing my kids have the time of their lives. 

A delicious dinner at the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium; a French steampunk restaurant. 

A hot shower at the end of the day. 

Matt's mom and the way she loves us. 

My husband and the way he loves us. 

The best vacation. 

Islands of Adventure

November 11, 2020

Day 1,467

Thankful for: 

Suess Landing in Islands of Adventure. 

The Cat in the Hat ride. 

Hogsmeade. 

The Harry Potter ride. 

Jurassic Park. 

Water rides. 

Eating dinner at Margaritaville. 

Fancy fruity blended drinks after a long day of walking. 

A hot shower and a comfy bed after a long day of fun and walking and excitement. 

Magic Kingdom.

November 10, 2020

Day 1,466

Thankful: 

A day at Disney's Magic Kingdom. 

Seeing Cinderella's castle. 

Fun, kiddie rides. 

Pizza for dinner. 

The kids watching Avatar in their own little bedroom. 

The Disney themed condo we all stayed in. 

Seeing the Cinderella castle all lit up for Christmas. 

Watching my kids experience fun and joy and happiness. 

A beautiful Christmas ornament that Matt's mom bought us. 

All of the hundreds of ways that Matt's mom blessed us during this trip. 

We're only halfway done with our trip. 

Hollywood Studios.

November 9, 2020

Day 1,465

Thankful: 

Hollywood Studios. 

Lots of steps today; over 20,000!

A delicious dinner at the Sci-Fi diner. 

Fancy, fruity drinks with glow light ice cubes. 

Amazing rides. We all especially loved Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. 

Rain. It kept the heat and the sun away. 

A fun Frozen show. 

So many memories made today. 

Animal Kingdom.

November 8, 2020

Day 1,464

Thankful: 

For a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. 

Beautiful birds. 

Sweet otters. 

Manatees. 

A fun safari ride to see animals. 

A super fun Avatar ride and conquering my fear and Adelyn conquering her fear to give it a try. 

Rain and rain ponchos. It keeps the heat away. Matt's mom got us all ponchos. She knew we would need them. She's always thinking ahead. 

Watching and listening to parrots fly across the park. 

Watching Tobin get super excited about animals. 

Eating dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe; it was delicious. It was also fun to see Addy and Tobin experience the Rain Forest Cafe for the first time. 

A delicious turkey wrap. 

Watching the fish swim in the fish tank. 

Bed time after a very long day. 

Epcot.

November 7, 2020

Day 1,463

Thankful for: 

Chick fil-a for breakfast/lunch. 

A day at Epcot with my family. 

Being able to ride Mission Space: Earth with Tobin. 

Riding rides I've never been on before like the Journey through Time. 

Things like coke and popcorn. 

Holding hands through the park. 

Having nice, new shoes to wear to the park. 

Hand sanitizer provided by Matt's mom; she thinks of EVERYTHING!

Seeing my babies enjoy themselves and have new experiences. 

Watching Matt and his mom have fun with the kids. 

Getting lots of steps in. 

Cloudy weather that kept the rain away. 

Carry out bacon cheeseburgers. 

Wine and American Spirits outside with Matt's mama. 

Mild Florida weather. 

Going grocery shopping with Matt's mom; she never skimps on anything. 

Having time to talk and relax together. 

95 South

November 6, 2020

Day 1,462

Thankful: 

For a good day at school. 

For sweet students. 

For great co-workers. 

For an able sub to take over while I'm out this next week. 

For the fun of driving away as a family for a week of fun together. 

For pizza for dinner. 

For night drives with my love while our babies and his mom sleeps. 

Empty roads. 

Drives down 95 south. 

15 years.

November 5, 2020

Day 1,461

Thankful: 

Today, I am celebrating 15 years of happiness and love and adventure with the love of my life, Matt. 

We went to an old spot for a date night, Mike's American Grill. 

Matt tells me all the time that he loves me more today than he did when we were dating. 

He tells me every day that I'm beautiful. 

He tells me every day that he loves me. 

He tells me every day that I'm his girl forever. 

I have zero doubts about his love for me. 

I have zero doubts about his promise to me of forever. 

God knew I needed to be loved the way that Matt loves me. 

I feel very thankful to be in mad, crazy love with my husband. 

Cold, blustery, clear, blue.

November 4, 2020

Day 1,460

Thankful for: 

A cold, blustery day. 

A clear, blue sky. 

Sweet students. 

A good day at school. 

Coming home to Adelyn and Tobin. They are always so happy to see me. 

Coming home to Matt. He's always so happy to see me. 

A walk with Higbee and Matt. 

Easy dinners of bagels and eggs. 

Time to write about what's good. 

The smell and feel and quiet of our home. 

A good Wednesday. 

A day spent entirely with my sister.

November 3, 2020

Day 1,459

Thankful for: 

A day spent entirely with my sister. 

Long drives so we can talk. 

Lattes and scones. 

Hair appointments. 

A new haircut. 

New shampoo. 

Lunch at La Madeline with my mom and my sister. 

A delicous sandwich and a cup of tomato soup. 

Pastries. 

Another long drive home. 

Six things on a Monday.

November 2, 2020

Day 1,458

Thankful for: 

A good day of parent-teacher conferences. 

Hearing that my students are happy. 

Another long, hard day of work. It feels good to have it behind me. 

New shirts. 

A new belt. 

Vacation coming very soon. 

Halloween party.

November 1, 2020
Day 1,457

Thankful for: 

Another day of hard work behind me. 

The feeling of being accomplished. 

Coming home to all my loves and hearing, "MAMA," when I walk in the door. 

A lovely Halloween party at my brother and his wife's home. 

Fun party games. 

Being able to love on baby Oliver. 

Oliver's smile. 

Ryker, Casey, Sophia, and Odette. 

Good food. 

Yummy desserts. 

Seeing the kids play outside and having fun together. 

Watching my mom and dad walk in the house in Halloween costumes. 

Treats from my mom for the kids. 

Watching the kids do a scavenger hunt. 

Driving home on a clean, dark, starry night. 

The feeling of getting into bed after a good day. 

A full day with people I love.