You are here: Home / Search for "ten weeks of thanks"

Search Results for: ten weeks of thanks

Ten Weeks of Thanks: Week #10 Faith

April 18, 2012 5 Comments

So this is my final week. And it’s crazy. I remember starting this and being like “When I finish this, the semester will almost be over!” Guys, has it really already been 10 weeks? It just blows my mind. And I also can’t believe the change I’ve seen in myself. I appreciate EVERYTHING. I know there are things I overlook still- I’m not perfect when it comes to gratitude, but this has definitely made me better. At least once a day I find myself just trying to wrap my mind around how blessed I am. And even though this is the most stressful part of my semester, it’s also the happiest I’ve been this semester, because I recognize how amazing my life is.

So the topic for this last week is Faith. And I want to throw out a little bit of a disclaimer. First, these are my personal views and I do not speak for my Church. I just speak as a member of it. I also understand that there are all kinds of faith and religion and spirituality and I respect each one of them. So please respect mine. (:

Now that we have all of that out of the way, I’m excited for this. If you remember my first post, I explained that I actually got the idea for this from church. So here are a few (of the innumerable) reasons why I’m grateful for my faith, why I’m grateful I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:

The Atonement

Every good thing in my life, everything I mention in this post boils down to one thing.  The Atonement. The ability to reach eternal life, the ability to repent for the wrong that I’ve done and move forward, there’s nothing bigger than that. There’s nothing better than that. With all of my heart I know that Christ suffered and died for us, for me. So that we could right our wrongs and return to our Father in Heaven. There’s no greater love, there is no love that is more perfect, and that knowledge saves me every day of my life.

The Book of Mormon

I’m grateful for The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ. It works right with the Bible and it’s taught me so many things. I love that extra help, all of those extra stories and lessons. Life is hard, and I’m grateful for any extra bit of instruction and comfort I can get. It makes me a better person.

Eternal Families

We believe that through making and keeping sacred covenants we can live with our families forever. That’s amazing. I’m grateful that I have the opportunity to keep the people I love for eternity. It isn’t easy, we have to be willing to do the work each and every one of us, but the work will be so worth it and it’s such a beautiful blessing.

The Uplifting Message

I am so grateful for so many things within my faith. I’m grateful for modern day prophets, for the organization of it, for institute classes and the beautiful people it has brought into my life. I’m grateful for the happiness and joy and comfort it has given me. I am grateful for the emphasis that is put on family, and on helping and loving each other. But more than anything, my faith in, and my relationship with my Heavenly Father is the most important thing in the world to me and is the thing I am the most grateful for. Without Him I am nothing.  I know that I am a daughter of God and that I am worth more than the world tells me I am. I know that I have a purpose. I know that you have a purpose. I know that Christ died for us and that He lives today. I know that the Creator of the universe and of everything we have ever and will ever see, knows me and loves me for exactly what I am and am not. And I know that even when life isn’t all sunshine and meadows, He is still there, teaching me and pushing me forward to better things.

Here are two of my favorite videos ever. I hope you’ll watch them. (:

What Matters Most

 Good Things to Come

So that is why I’m grateful for my faith. What do you believe? Why are you grateful for YOUR faith?

Thanks for reading along. It’s been quite a journey!

Tons of love,


Filed Under: Kayli, Ten Weeks of Thanks Tagged With: ,

{FOOD} Ten Weeks of Thanks: Week 9

April 11, 2012 6 Comments

Guys! It’s almost the end of my 10 week journey!


But it’s not over yet… (: So let’s talk about one of my favorite things EVER. Food.

Ahh glorious food. Here’s the thing, I’m a food kind of gal. Whatever I’m doing, unless it’s just something super exciting- I’d probably rather be baking. That’s something I inherited from my Granny- who was really who taught me almost everything I know about cooking. She showed me how to fry chicken and taught me how to rise dinner rolls. So I’m grateful for food because of that. Because it’s close to my heart. Because cooking is what has always brought our family together at the table. I’m grateful for farmers and ranchers, who grow and raise our food. I’m grateful food supports so many people, not just by sustaining them physically but by providing them with work. I’m grateful for it because nothing says “I’m sorry I was jerk face… my bad,” quite like a dozen cookies. That’s why I love food. It makes people happy. End of story.

Here are a couple of my favorite things to make and the links to them. (:

Next week is the FINAL week!!! The topic for next week is FAITH. What about your faith are you grateful for? Why?

Happy Wednesday friends! (: And happy eating!

 


Filed Under: Kayli, Recipes, Ten Weeks of Thanks Tagged With:

Ten Weeks of Thanks: Week 8 Inventions

April 4, 2012 5 Comments

Hello, hello, loves!

I hope you’re having a wonderful week!

Today’s topic is inventions!

The first thing I’m grateful for, ELECTRICITY. Dudes, I hate when the lights go out. I literally don’t know what to do with myself for the first hour. Don’t get me wrong, I like to be unplugged and have (believe it or not) spent days without my phone. It was awesome, but I love having lights and internet and all of that wonderful stuff.

The next thing I’m grateful for is the printing press. Ahh the printing press. The thing that produces my favorite things. BOOKS. I would talk about how awful life would be without books, but I can’t imagine it, and therefore, have no idea of where I would even begin to describe the awfulness. So I’m just going to be happy I don’t have to worry about that. (:

Next, I’m super grateful for those little socks you wear with flats. Didn’t see that one comin, did ya?! GUYS. Those things save my life! And they’ve been around for awhile but I was just kind of like “meh.” But apparently every one and their great aunt knew about the gloriousness of them and decided to not tell me! Let me illustrate my love for them to you.

Me before tiny socks: “Bah, flats aren’t even comfortable! They’re just sweaty and cut my heel!”

Me after tiny socks: “I need to buy more flats, I freakin love those things.”

See? They have a special place in my heart.

And finally, I’m grateful for snail mail. It makes my whole day. I always go out and check it in the afternoon and if nothing is there I go back in a couple of hours, because surely there’s an ad, a saver, SOMETHING. (: It’s just a fun thing. And lately I’m more grateful than ever, because it lets me send love and support to the people that are far away. And that’s awesome.

Next week’s topic is FOOD. Oh you can bet I’m gonna be all over that. (:

What deliciousnesses (is that a word?) are you grateful for, why?

 


Filed Under: Kayli, Ten Weeks of Thanks Tagged With:

Places I Love: Ten Weeks of Thanks Wk #7

March 28, 2012 1 Comment

I would say I’m sorry I missed last week, but if I’m being honest, when I left for spring break I happily left my computer behind.

Not that it was super easy. I missed the full version of Pinterest and YouTube is slower on my phone. Real world problems, you know. (: BUT I learned a couple songs on piano, and I made a cake, and I slept, it was awesome. And I feel like this would be the perfect place to start the talk about places that I’m grateful for. Just three. Not that I’m only thankful for these three places, I have more than I could count. And I could talk for days about each. But these are the ones I feel like are the most important. So, three valleys. No names, no pictures. Just what I want to share. Cause that’s how this works. (:


Valley #1: The valley closest to my heart. It’s home.

Where I spent most of my break. I spent my whole life, up until college, living in one house, in that one valley. It’s quiet and beautiful. It’s deathly cold in the winter and warm and rainy in the summer. It smells like fresh cut grass and wild sunflowers. I love everything about it, which is why I don’t have tons to write about it. Because it’s too special. It’s a pretty legit place to be.

Valley #2: The valley I wanted to run off to every weekend once I could drive. (:

It was “town” and even though it’s probably the rest of the world’s idea of a small town, it was huge compared to home. We’d go and eat Chinese and go to the park. And then a lot of our youth group activities for church were there, and I made all of these amazing friends and did all of this crazy fun stuff like Dance Festivals and going to the golf course and the occasional carnival, hanging out in the parking lot and cruising around. I have nothing but happy memories there. And every time I go back to that place it just makes me smile and makes me think about strawberry blizzards and starry nights and Izze and pickups. It’s as magical as it sounds. (:

And then Valley #3: I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved it.

And now Kassi lives there. And I get to go all of the time. (: I think I really fell in love with the place when we went to the temple there. The town sits in the desert but it’s somehow still green. It’s bigger but it feels small and it’s comfortable. Probably because Kassi’s there, more than anything. I spent the end of my break there. (: I went and spent the weekend and we took the kiddos (not HER kiddos, by the way, but a niece and nephew) to the carnival. Which pretty much made my whole life because I LOVE carnivals. I love that valley. I love that it’s like a bajillion degrees but the mountains have snow on them, and that summer is the longest season there. I love who it keeps, and I love that it’s welcomed me, too.

So there’s that. :) I’m so blessed y’all. It’s crazy.

Next week’s topic is inventions. Think technology. What are you grateful for? Why?

I hope you’re having a beautiful Wednesday! By the way, there’s a linky below if you’d like to share the places YOU’RE thankful for. :)


 

 

Filed Under: Ten Weeks of Thanks Tagged With: ,

Ten Weeks of Thanks – Kassi’s Week 4

March 21, 2012 10 Comments

Hello there friends!!!
So Miss Kayli is off enjoying her Spring Break… And as such is taking a break from the computer! Can you blame her… she’s still in her first year of college… I got tired of the computer when I was in college too! haha.


SO, I’m going to use her break to catch up on MY Ten Weeks of Thanks! She’ll be back next week with her week 7… which will give YOU plenty of time to get YOUR post(s) ready if you’d like to link up with us. :) Week 7’s topic is Places, so next Wednesday, if you want to share what PLACES, anywhere in the world, that YOU’RE thankful for… we’d love to have you!

Until then, here’s my week 4 – People who have passed on that I am thankful for… And as always, this is only a select few… The list of people I am thankful for could go on and on… You’ll notice my list is . Over the last two, almost three now years we lost three people very close to us. So it’s them that I’ll be sharing today.

Granny. One of my most favorite people in the entire world! I remember once when I was just a tyke, and it only happened that ONE time… I was being naughty and got a spat on the bum from my Granny. I’m not sure who was more shocked, me, her or the people who saw it happen… She and I were tight. She never really got mad at me.
I was born just over a year after she lost my grandpa (). My mom always said I came at a time when she needed someone to love more than anything. And she loved me like crazy. And I her. When I graduated from college I moved home to care for her. She lived with my parents then. That is a time in my life that I will truly cherish forever.

My mother in law. Oh this lady… She could crack you up like none other! And she always had my back. Which was awesome being that I married her son… She would say, “If you guys ever break up, we’re keeping you.” :) She said that about all of her daughters in law. There’s three of us and a daughter and every one of us has a house full of trinkets and treasures thanks to her. She loved to yard sale and would always bring everyone a little something home…. You know… like a set of couches. 😉

We lost her in a car accident in 2009. That was and still is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to go through in my entire life.

Grandpa S. My husband’s grandfather. My mother in law’s dad. We lost him just a year shy of my mother in law. A spunkier cowboy you have never seen! He made it as a team tier in the National Finals Rodeo several times. As far as I know his love of roping and riding is where my husband got his love from. We are lucky to have a few photos of them roping together. When I met him he was one of the first people to include me. The hubs and I dated for over five years before we got married. But being married didn’t matter to him… I was already a part of his family.

**************

Tell us lovelies… WHO are YOU thankful for?

If you have sometime today or in the next few days, here are the linkups (and their topics) in Kayli’s Ten Weeks of Thanks Series thus far. We would absolutely LOVE to hear what/who you are thankful for. :) By the way, some of the links had closed… But I’ve re-opened all of them until April 1st if you’d like to join in anytime before then… :)






And don’t forget, next week’s topic is PLACES.

Be thankful friends!


 

Filed Under: Kassi, Ten Weeks of Thanks Tagged With: , ,

Today is a Blessing: Ten Weeks of Thanks Wk #6

March 14, 2012 3 Comments

So this post is later than normal, but it’s because this post is about TODAY. I think today is a blessing.
 And here’s some evidence of that:

First of all, today is our Papa’s birthday! And I’m absolutely thankful for him and everything he’s done for me. He’s an amazing man and fantastic grandfather. Happy Birthday Papa!!! (: As far as random little things about today go, I’ll start here!

I’m grateful for fresh laundry, it smells so good!

I’m grateful for long lasting birthday flowers that are keeping the dining room table pretty, 9 days and counting!

I’m grateful for my Shine Necklace.

I’m grateful for my pretty smelling perfume.

I’m grateful for awesome weather, perfect for the upcoming Spring Break!

I’m grateful I got out of class early today. I’m grateful I don’t have much homework. I’m grateful that the newest episode of Khloe and Lamar replayed this afternoon! (: I’m grateful I wasn’t late to class this morning. I’m grateful for snail mail and smart phone drawing games. I’m grateful for good friends, good food, and you. I hope we can all learn not to take our small blessings for granted. (:

Happy Wednesday!

Next week’s topic is: PLACES. What geographical places are you grateful for? Why?

 


 

Filed Under: Kayli, Ten Weeks of Thanks Tagged With: ,

Ten Weeks of Thanks Week #4

February 29, 2012 5 Comments
Week number four is here, sort of a sad week, but it’s happy too. The topic is People Who Have Passed On. 
This week I’m only doing three. 

The first is Kassi’s mother in law. I love her and I miss her all the time. I didn’t get a chance to know her very well, but I still felt super close to her. And sometimes I think about her and know she’s watching out. She always made me laugh, and she could tell a mean ghost story. She makes me want to love life, she makes me want to laugh harder and take risks, because you only get so many chances while you’re here, and you never know when they’ll run out. But more than anything, she raised my sister’s husband. A pretty cool dude who takes amazing care of Kassi and gets great joy out of teasing me. I’m crazy thankful for that.

 Next is our grandpa, Granny’s husband. I never got to meet him, but I got to know him anyway. Through my Granny’s stories, through the look in her eyes when she talked about him. The love they have for each other is something that you could feel and see, without ever actually feeling or seeing it. My mom’s stories help too, she talks about all the fun stuff they used to do and things they used to talk about. I’m thankful that he helped give me the amazing life I have. That he gave to my mom the values and stories she would give to me. I painted a picture of him and my Granny a few years ago, and while I got to know his face, his thin brown hair, the light in his eyes, I got to know his heart, and I know he’s up there watching too.

Next is Granny. For those of you that don’t know- Granny really is the inspiration for this blog. She taught us to cook and bake and get crafty. When I was little, Granny would buy me coloring books and sketch pads, she’d save tissue boxes and paper towel rolls for me and would let me play with her scrap fabric. My Granny tapped into my creativity before I even knew that I had any. She was always encouraging me and teaching me new things. She wanted me to sing. She wanted me to paint, and try making dinner rolls on my own. She’s the lady I want to become. The one with a stash of cookies and dollar bills for any kids that might come along. Sewing and writing and loving everyone but always SO tough and so funny. I’m grateful she gave me her example. I’m grateful that she taught Kassi and I both how to be, and then gave us each other, so that when she couldn’t physically be there anymore, we could look to one another. I’m grateful that even though she knows we’re okay together, she still shows up in conversation, in a funny story, in the mixing bowl while we whip up something sweet, that’s her. That’s her showing us what to do, and loving us up close, even when heaven seems far away. 

Next week’s topic is Things in Nature. 
What about the world around you are you thankful for? Why?

Join , and . 


Happy Wednesday :)

 


Filed Under: Kayli, Ten Weeks of Thanks

Ten Weeks of Thanks – Kassi’s Week 1

February 22, 2012 2 Comments
Ok… So I’m a little behind… 
But you didn’t think for one minute I wasn’t going to join in on my sister’s linky party, did you?!? 
So here I am! Finally. Sorry bout that… heehee. 
 I’m going to follow Kayli’s lead and choose five things I’m thankful for to go along with each topic. 
So this week, I’m thankful for these physical abilities…

Sight. I’ve worn glasses since I was in about 5th grade I think it was… Contacts since about 6th… Without one or the other I am a complete wreck! Like I can BARELY see anything… So near sighted it’s ridiculous!
My give me sight. Sight to see my sexy hubs. Sight to read the Hunger Games books (which I LOVED!!). Sight to see what I’m typing as I go along writing this blog post… You know, all the good things in life. 
Typing. Yep, that’s totally a physical ability. All day long I sit at a computer for my 8-5 job. I type emails, blog posts, tweets, etc. I’m pretty proficient at it thanks to my mom who realized what an important skill it was going to become and taught me at an early age… Typing is a key essential to being able to do my job. Typing is also essential to Truly Lovely… another thing I don’t know what I’d do without! 

Dancing. I’m with . Dancing is one of the funnest past times I can think of! Turns out I got lucky… Hubs is a great dancer! I wouldn’t say it’s his favorite thing, but he doesn’t mind taking me anytime I want to go… and we have a lot of fun together doing so. 

Dancing with our wedding party. 
Running. I hate it. Absolutely. I ran track in high school and hated every stinking step I had to take to get around that track. But let’s be honest… it keeps you healthy. It keeps you looking good. AND it can save your life as you run away from something scary… SO I am thankful I can run. 

Riding. I grew up learning to ride a horse with my Papa and my dad. Riding horses is a huge part of my family’s history, past and present. It’s what we do. Then I found and married the hubs. Riding horses to rope is his thing. If I couldn’t ride I’d be very left out, now wouldn’t I… 
Click here for the links ups for ,  and .  
We’d love for you to join us! :)
Be thankful lovelies! 

Thanks for reading Truly Lovely!!! Like us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/TrulyLovelyBlog
Filed Under: Kassi, Ten Weeks of Thanks

Ten Weeks of Thanks: Week Two

February 15, 2012 3 Comments
I’m a little behind today. My life is nuts right now… It’s a miracle I’m not asleep. So, sorry homies. But this is good, because even if my life is a little wild this week, I was on the look out for things to put on my list. It kept things in perspective. So here are my five MATERIAL POSSESSIONS that I’m thankful for:

I’m thankful for my dream catcher. 
So I’ve had this gorgeous dream catcher for I don’t even know how long. And apparently (Correct me if I’m wrong sis.) {Kassi here – She’s not wrong, mine is hung over my headboard as we speak!;)} our mom made each of us one when I was really little. For some reason I don’t remember that, but I DO remember when she explained what it did to me. Something to the effect of if you put it over your bed, it catches the bad dreams so you won’t have nightmares and that it would keep me safe. Which was huge, because I used to have the worst nightmares ALL the time. I like to think maybe it isn’t just superstition or legend, that it really does keep the bad dreams away. So I brought it with me to school, and now it’s more than just a dream catcher. It reminds me of home, it’s a gift from my mom. 

I’m thankful for my printer.
I’m so glad I own that fantastic hunk of plastic. :) For all the times I remember at 11:00 that I need a paper for the next morning’s classes or I need to print an email for a meeting. I can pull out my printer and in just a minute or two I have whatever papers I need in my hands. I’m so glad I don’t have to drive to campus in my pajamas and find a printer or copier. That’s awesome.

I’m thankful for my headphones. 
Sometimes I just need a minute. Just a minute to be by myself and not think about homework or tomorrow’s classes or whatever drama is going on. My headphones give me that. I plug them in, put on some Josh Abbott or Greyson Chance and give myself a second to just chill out. They entertain me between classes, they help put me to sleep some nights, and they help me focus. They’re small, and maybe not worth much, but they do a good job.

I’m thankful for my phone.
I know that’s pretty standard. But really, my phone saves my life. It keeps me connected to everyone, it saves me from awkward situations. It has all of my music and a camera and a map. Stuff that I use EVERY single day. It wakes me up in the morning and tells me what time it is. It’s my favorite thing. 

And finally, I’m thankful for my boots. 
Kassi’s hubs likes to make fun of me for wearing them all the time, but I love my boots. {Kassi here again, yeah, he really does. Weirdo. He wears HIS almost all the time too…. haha.} These are definitely not my first pair. I’ve worn through four pairs in the last few years. They just made sense at home because of the mud and the stuff I was doing everyday and now boots are just a thing for me. They’re the most comfortable shoes ever as far as I’m concerned.  And I never have to stop and tie them. Bonus! :) 

So yeah, there are my five! You can link up to each week for a month, so if you’re interested, it’s not too late. And while you’re at it, grab a button.




Next week the topic is PEOPLE WHO ARE ALIVE TODAY. Who in your life right now are you grateful for? 
Let them know while you can. :) 
OH.. and P.S. THIS is still going on! Just scroll down to enter Days 1 and 2!!!

Thanks for reading Truly Lovely!!! Like us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/TrulyLovelyBlog
Filed Under: Kayli, Ten Weeks of Thanks

Ten Weeks of Thanks: Week Number One!

February 8, 2012 8 Comments
It’s finally here! The first of ten. :) For those of you who don’t know, I’m doing a project of Ten Weeks of Thanks and you can join in the fun, it’s never too late and I’d love for you to get in on it! For those details, the original post is . Last week I announced that the topic for today would be Physical Abilities. I spent the week trying to think about little things under that topic that I’m thankful for instead of just the big things I already recognize. It was hard. I had to work on really thinking about what I’ve been given and understanding that the normal is actually really extraordinary. 
So here are my five:

I’m thankful I CAN READ.
It seems obvious to tie this to sight, but it isn’t just that I’m grateful for sight, but for what it gives me. I can read words. I can take in entire stories and lives and emotions and a single word never has to be said out loud, all because I can read. I can look at a book and understand lessons and assignments. I can write this right now because I know how to read. On any given day I take in so much written content, there’s no way to measure it. Books, scriptures, road signs, blog and Facebook and Twitter posts. It’s a simple thing- but there are so many people who never even get the opportunity to learn. And let’s be real- I don’t know what I would do if I had never read Harry Potter, or The Hunger Games, or Hattie Big Sky, or If I Stay, or Remembrance, or…or…or…


I’m thankful I CAN REMEMBER.
 I just started college, so it’s not like I have decades of memories to recall. But the short amount of life I have under my belt has been amazing. It’s never been perfect- but isn’t that the point? EVERY memory is a lesson at the least. And I’m just thankful I can look back at all. What if as every day went by, it left us completely? What if tomorrow you woke up and didn’t recognize anyone or anything? I think that would be awful. I’m grateful for that part of the brain that stores all my happy times and stupid choices. I’m grateful that for now at least, it does a good job of keeping it all in there.

I’m grateful that I CAN DANCE.
Fun fact: There is more than one version of the Cotton Eyed Joe, and I can do two of them. I can also legit two step, macarena, chicken dance, electric slide, YMCA, cupid shuffle, do the Love Shack dance, I can jerk, Dougie, AND I know how to do the jitterbug. I also awkward 80s dance like a pro. That’s not to say I do all of them particularly well- or that I even do them right. But I can do them. :) I can get out there and make a total fool of myself. I love to dance. More than a lot of things. I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about what I would do if I couldn’t bust moves and look ridiculous.

I’m thankful I CAN BAKE.
Random thing to be thankful for? Maybe. But homies, if you know me- you know I have to bake. Even if I don’t eat it. I’m totally cool with giving all of it away as long as I can stir it up, put it in the oven and decorate it. It’s a stress reliever thing. And there’s something comforting about knowing that no matter what- if you put certain ingredients together, stick them in the oven and watch them, you’ll get something good. Always. It’s also something that ties me to my Granny. Proof that she’s still with me because she taught me how to do it. That’s priceless. 
And last- I’m so grateful I CAN WALK.
It’s something so obvious, but something I hadn’t really put much thought into before. Everyday I get up and walk around the house getting ready. I walk to my car. I walk up and down stairs to get to class. I walk around the grocery store to shop. I walk up the steps into church. And Tuesday, while walking to class, I saw a young man in a wheel chair, and I thought “What if that was me? What if I had to work through a million obstacles just to get to school in the morning?” And I was amazed at how happy he seemed. Those that can’t walk or are bound, even for a little while, to a chair or to a bed are a kind of strong I don’t think I could ever be. And that I don’t have to go through that, is something I don’t want to take for granted.

So that’s my list! Now it’s your turn to link yours up and share what YOU’re grateful for! Also, next Wednesday the project moves forward with MATERIAL POSSESSIONS. 
What are five material things that you are grateful for?

And please, take a button!


You’re all amazing and I love the heck out of you.
I can’t wait to see your lists, and hopefully see you back here next week. :) 

Thanks for reading Truly Lovely!!! Like us on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/TrulyLovelyBlog
Filed Under: Kayli, Ten Weeks of Thanks
Next Page »

Follow Us on Twitter

Like Us On Facebook