Happy Thanksgiving!

30 Days of Gratitude: Procrastinators Edition

So I'm super terrible about keeping up with the blogging! I am behind so much on the gratitude for the month, but it by far doesn't mean I haven't had so many things to be grateful for over the last few weeks. As usual it has been a whirlwind of events and activities between work, church, and of course the ever fantastic SRMUN. At the beginning of the month it was really just a push towards getting everything done for work so I could go to SRMUN with no worries. I know I said it before but I was so thankful for those who helped assist get things in place for work. My two co-workers are awesome about helping to pull up the short comings I have and get things together. They are both really awesome and I don't say how much I'm grateful for their help, support, and their talents. Not many co-workers would be willing to help on a weekend when they are both off and busy!

I'm tremendously blessed with so much in my life, especially with family. I have my family-family and the collection of friends who over the years have become a family to me. My family, both those I'm related to as well as those who I've brought into my life are truly an incredible force in my life which are a force to be reckoned with each and every day. I'm never surprised at the lengths my family will go to support and uplift me. There are times I know they didn't just help me, they carried me through the hard spots in life over the last month.

I won't go into serious detail, but I'm ever so grateful for the help of my SRMUN family. SRMUN (Southern Regional Model United Nations) is an experience like no other. There really is nothing like a SRMUN experience. I remember being a first year delegate representing the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD for short - yes I know, yes I've made all the jokes as well). Now here I am several years later giving back to the conference which I really will credit with helping me to overcome the fear of public speaking. If I can stand in front of a room full of strangers, representing a country I have never visited, and speak about their programs and efforts I can pretty much do anything. I'm so thankful for the support I've found through MUN and how much my life has been impacted by the things I've learned through my MUN career. Making the decision to stick with the program and continue forward was by far the best decision I've made in my life.

There ares so many little things as well in my life I'm grateful for as well. You know them, the little things which make our lives easier, such as indoor plumbing, heating and air, cell phones which bring us closer, a warm bed on a freezing night, food being readily available for consumption, people who go out of their way to do something nice for someone, and so many more little things. Sometimes I think we forget those small things in our lives which add up to the big things; like waking up in the morning to a beautiful sunrise or seeing the blue sky after days of clouds and rain. The small things in our lives often go over looked and I for one am thankful that at least once a year we are reminded of the importance of taking the time to be grateful for the things and people in our lives which bring us joy and peace.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 4

So I was thinking today what was I most thankful for as I looked around my office this morning and saw stacks of papers which need filing, reports needing tweaking and glaring at me from my computer, trainings, and supervisions needed, and a plethora of other needful things with bright neon signs pointing to them. The more I stared the more overwhelmed I felt at the thought of making sense of it all and finding some way out of the mess I had let accumulate over the past several months. Our previous administrative assistant left us about two months ago and since then with all the other work needed I ended up just letting the filing go by the wayside because let's face it filing takes up times I don't always have each day. I felt overwhelmed for about five minutes before some creative thoughts began and within a few minutes a game plan was formed for tackling it all. I'm thankful today for the inspiration which comes in the most needful of times from our Heavenly Father. I'm thankful for His help and for those moments of clarity which come in the most random of places, but always when needed.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

Today as I sat in church listening to the testimonies of others and then hearing the lessons, I couldn't help but think how grateful I am for being a member of the church. I know it is rarely popular these days to profess any amount of religious belief and quite frankly that's another discussion for another day. But as I sat and was reminded of the simple gospel truths I thought of how thankful I was for those truths in my life. I shudder to think where I would be without the blessings of the gospel in my life. Today after dinner mom decided we were a little too consumed with distractions, which resulted in an hour long discussion about our lessons today. We sifted through various aspects of our lessons and the parts the teachers focused on during those lessons. I love those moments and I'm so thankful for the gospel foundation my parents gifted to us.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

I know I used this one last year, but it really hasn't changed! I'm so thankful for the temple being so close and being able to go inside each and every week. Sometimes I'm really not in the mood to get up so early on a Saturday morning after a week of early mornings, but I know once I step inside the grumbles will no longer matter. I know just how lucky we are to live in a temple district so close to home and to know we have the opportunity to partake in the incredible work which happens inside these walls. I'm grateful so much for the temple and the blessings it has brought into our lives! Now we're so lucky to have our dad working on the same shift as us and to get to spend some quality father-daughter time each week is just a cherry on the top!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

I'm a little behind so there will be some catch up for the these days of gratitude. I seriously sucked last year so I'm working to make sure I do better for it this year. November 1 found me finally back at work after my lovely bout with bronchitis. I do not recommend it to anyone because it was not a fun time. This day I was thankful for awesome co-workers who stepped up in a bind and really helped to keep the process going while I died on my couch. The doctor gave me some powerful cough syrup with codeine in it so I could sleep since the coughing kept me up all night long. Thankfully they were able to field the questions and problems while I went into a coma! I'm grateful for the team we've built and for the opportunities it brings into our work place. Our jobs are not the easiest in the world and knowing we can work together to solve the problems makes the job that much easier to face each morning.