Happy Thanksgiving

I woke up at 5 a.m. and figured I was awake for the day. I guess early rising is something that happens as you get older.....

As I sit here early and alone it's a nice time to think of all I am grateful for. It would take volumes to list all my blessings. But here are a few that quickly come to mind.

Of course, the first two HUGE blessings I think of are my family and my testimony. They both go hand in hand. How much more my family means to me because I know of the significance of families and I know that we are meant to be together forever. This week as we added one more little baby into our family I just felt as if I had always known her.

One of the biggest blessings of the past year is Dad's surgery and his recovery from his heart problems. I am so grateful that he is still here with us. Both of my parents are the best and I could never express how much I love them.

Another huge blessing was going on a trip to Alaska with Greg's family for Rose's 90th Birthday. What a fun time we had with all of them. We will cherish those memories forever.



I am so grateful for Melissa. She has grown into the most beautiful, strong woman. Her faith always inspires me. She chooses the most amazing friends.

I am grateful for Sister Thomas' talk in the spring broadcast of Stake Conference. It inspired me to get going on my scripture study again. Doing that has brought me great joy. I finished the Book of Mormon and am now studying the Doctrine and Covemants. I've had a renewal of my testimony of both of those books.

I am so grateful that Greg and I have so much fun together. We went snowshoeing several times last winter....to Harriman State Park, to Jackson Lake, and to Taggart Lake. We went to Yellowstone Park in the spring to see the wildlife. We went to Teton Park for an overnight stay. We hiked the Palisades Lake hike in both the spring and fall. We also hiked at Big Elk Creek. We hiked the Coffeepot Trail. We hiked in the Tetons with Melissa. We went to southern Utah with Brenda and Steve. We hiked the Hidden Lakes Trail at Redfish. We also took the Vest boys to Teton Park and Yellowstone. We enjoyed our Redfish Lake Vacation very much. It has been a fun year. I'm sure I missed some activities.



I was grateful for the Razor Ride that I went on with Mike and Jenny in the Frank Church Wilderness area. It was amazing and I sure hope to be able to do it again.

I am so grateful for all the things we were able to accomplish here at home. Painting the outside of the house was a huge project for Greg. I tried painting one weekend and broke out in a rash. The allergy specialist at the University of Utah must be right about my allergy to paint. So, poor Greg had to do most of the work alone. The kids did chip in and help a couple of times which gave us a much needed boost.

How grateful I am for my sweetheart, Greg. I could never say enough good things about him. He is the most unselfish person I know. How I love him.

My little grandchildren bring me so much joy. The Special Days that I was able to have with each of them is something I cherish. My biggest fear is that they are growing up so fast and I am getting so many of them now that I can't spend as much one on one time with them as I would like. But I do my best and try to help out by watching them whenever the kids ask.



I am grateful that we have been able to keep going at work. The economy has certainly changed things there, but my boss has been able to figure out how to bid the jobs to keep us busy. I so much enjoy my work there. I'm grateful for the little bit of added income I am able to bring to our family. I am grateful for my association with good people at work.

I could go on and on. Of course, things are not all rosy. But, it's so nice to try to focus on the good. President Monson had so much wisdom when he counseled us to do that. You could be very scared all the time in this crazy world. But focusing on the good really helps to put things into perspective. For all who read this...I love you and hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving and are able to count your blessings as well.

PS.....How could I forget sweet Ziggy.