I'm grateful for cute biker boys. Wade has a few friends he often goes mountain biking with on rocky terrain up in the canyons near our home. He usually comes home happy, fulfilled, and excited to share stories of crazy jumps he did or new challenging trails he found.
I'm grateful for Nathalie Bowman and The Carolyn Cooper Simply Healed Method. Nathalie and I had an energy healing session today to work through some of my blocks and negative beliefs that have been holding me back. It was one of the most empowering experiences of my life! Thanks Nathalie for your time and sweet gifts.
I'm grateful when there's peace in my home. Today was "one of those days." You know the kind I mean. This photo actually portrays quite accurately the way my kids felt about each other today. Yikes, they were ornery and mean to each other. Makes for one sad mama and eventually one sassy mama when I had enough with the contention. Usually, they're pretty good buddies, especially since we've been homeschooling and having so much fun family time together. But today was the exception. Ask my little sis. She came over to cook with me again and could even attest her niece and nephew were not the angels she hoped to see. Pray for me that tomorrow will be better. ;)
I'm grateful for the Prosperity Tribe, a group I'm a part of that helps me live my soul purpose, magnify my gifts, and share them with others. My Tribe friends are powerful creators that inspire me to be my best. They just think differently, more positive, more abundant, more grateful, and more joyful. And they're not afraid to earn lots of money while doing what they love. That's part of what we learn in the tribe. Because we're worth it! :) Since being a part of the tribe, I've been more consistent engaging in my morning Power Hour (prayer, scripture study, exercise) because I have a buddy who keeps me accountable. And I'm loving our weekly connections as a group whether it's a motivational phone call with training by Gerald Rogers, a evening event where we enthusiastically create synergy as a team and assist one another with our goals, or a Mastermind lunch like the one today. I left the restaurant with dozens of new ideas and effective tools for how to share this blog with many, many more people. I have a vision that I will inspire thousands someday to have joy and gratitude, even amid trials, just like I've been able to do as I've worked to overcome my Postpartum Depression this last year. Gratitude has been the best natural anti-depressant God could give me! I'm soooo thankful to Him for that. Are you ready to join me on my journey? :) Then let's thinks positive!
I'm grateful for week long St. George trips that are filled with happy moments such as the ones we spent at the splash pad, Merry Go Round, Tuacahn, Papa Murphey's, and bonding with family. Life is good. 
What are YOU grateful for?
I'm grateful for my friends from the old College Married Ward. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away (7 years ago in St. George), I was blessed to serve as the Relief Society President in the College Married Ward. I quickly learned that when you serve someone, you come to love them deeply without judgement. Wade and I developed lasting friendships with some pretty amazing couples. We shared meals, family home evening nights, and group dates with some of the raddest people on Planet Earth. Every couple of years, we've organized a party to get everyone back together. Christmas 3 years ago, we had over 20 couples attend. Two weeks ago when we were in town, we had smaller numbers since so many couples have moved to Timbucktoo, but those who came have a special place in my heart (Wilcox's, Gubler's, Colvin's, and Allen's)! We missed those who couldn't make it. Hopefully we'll get together again because my life is better from knowing all of these friends, and I hope to stay connected to them forever.
I'm grateful for birthday cake, and when we eat it for breakfast, it's even more delicious!
The sweet birthday girl was too busy snuggling with Great-Grandma to know we were sneaking into her cake at 7am. hehe
I'm grateful for my baby's birthday, both the day she was born and when we celebrated her one year birthday with family in St. George a few weeks ago. This last year represents so much growth for our family. Any of the trials we've experienced, big or small, I feel she has helped us overcome because of the joy she brings.
I'm grateful for service. It brings me joy to serve and for others to serve me. One of my favorite scriptures is Mosiah 2:17 "...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God." I believe that. I imagine our Heavenly Father smiling down upon His children when good deeds are done. Saturday, our ward had a Day of Service where we worked all day preparing meals, planting flowers, sanding, painting, etc. It felt amazing to work that hard. However, I don't feel I need a Day of Service set aside to smile at a stranger, take a meal to a new mom or someone battling cancer, to visit a friend in the hospital, to surprise my children by making their beds for them before they get a chance to do it themselves, or to leave a note of gratitude hidden inside my honey's lunch bag. There is so much goodness that can be done and should be done. When we teach our children by example to serve, all the better. It's been my goal for as long as I can remember to make someone smile every day, and I'm working on it. Thanks for making me smile. I love you guys.
What are YOU grateful for?
I'm grateful for the game of Red Rover. It's a classic American game most children adore. I was delighted to watch my kids, nieces, and nephews play after a baby blessing one Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago.
I am grateful for random.org that helped me randomly select the Top 3 Winners of my BIG GIVEAWAY today. You have all been so supportive of helping me share my vision with this gratitude blog, and I thank you! My hope is that someday thousands will be inspired by my words to think more positive and recognize the good things in life, even amid their trials. 
I'm grateful for massage therapy and how it brings healing and energy into my life. I mentioned in this post about my trade with Jozette, an hour of voice lessons for an hour of massage twice a month. It's a beautiful thing. I've been SO grateful for her and her gift of touch. I had a massage today and even enjoyed the sauna for a 1/2 hour beforehand. If the first place winner of my BIG GIVEAWAY lives locally, they will win a sauna and professional massage treatment at Jozette's spa. Absolutely divine. If they don't live locally, I have another place in mind just for them. Either way, someone will be pampered just the way they deserve.
I'm grateful to be my child's teacher. The connections we have been having as I homeschool these two cuties have been precious, and we are are LOVING it. But it's cool to see all the other ways they learn from me, too, including singing, dancing, playing the piano, cooking, cleaning, reading, serving others, swimming, soccer, basketball, even hula hooping. ;) Children are like sponges. It's true. They soak up everything around them, so my goal is to surround my children with goodness, joy, gratitude, service, and lots and lots of engaging learning experiences.
I'm grateful for French Immersion day. Every Wednesday, Wade doesn't go into the office till noon so he can spend quality time teaching the children French, math and science. He learned French in high school, served a mission for our church for 2 years in Paris, France, and we later returned to live there for a study abroad for a summer, so he's quite fluent. I, on the other hand, struggle with my French, so I'm learning as much as the children each week. :) After our French lesson, I usually leave for some ME time, buying groceries, running errands, or getting a massage. And he continues to work with the children. Wednesdays are the break I need to put everything I have into homeschooling the other days. Plus it's been really neat to have another language in our home. I'm so grateful for that.
I'm grateful for those brave men and women who rescued thousands from the twin towers terrorist attack on this very day 10 years ago. And I'm grateful for those thousands who innocently lost their lives. It's still humbles me to tears to think about it. Like many of you, I will never forget where I was when I heard the news. I was a Freshmen at Dixie State College, driving on Bluff Street to my English class, when the music on the radio stopped for an important announcement. I was stunned. However, it wasn't until I arrived to class that I truly understood the ramifications of what had just occurred. The following hours were emotionally upsetting for the entire country. So many questions arose. Why did this have to happen? I don't know the answer, but I do know I will never forget. 
I'm grateful for sunsets. Isn't that combination of purple and orange so pretty? I've taken better photos of sunsets than this before, but never with such a cute addition to the photo as this baby girl so I thought it would be fun to share. This was the same evening as my last post. We had met up with friends at Midway Swiss Days and soon discovered it wasn't quite as kid-friendly as Santa Clara Swiss Days that I was used to growing up. Don't get me wrong, Midway is one of our favorite places to visit, but their Swiss Days celebration has limited children's activities, and is so overcrowded that it would be easy to lose a child. And I kind of like my kids so I didn't think losing one would be fun. ;) So we headed to a nearby park with the Miles and McGary families. The picnic was nice, but the highlight for me was this sunset. What a treat!
I'm grateful for swingsets. I remember swinging with Katie Nicholls during recess everyday in 5th grade and debating whether Catherine should be spelled with a "C" like my name or a "K" like hers. There's something about swinging with someone that connects you as friends for always. That's how I feel about Katie, a forever friend. She's pretty darn cool, if you ask me. 
I'm grateful for YOU! Whether you're friends, family, strangers, or a strange family or friend, I appreciate your support as my readers. To celebrate the 100th day of sharing joy and gratitude on this blog, I want to say THANK YOU with a fabulous giveaway. The winners will receive some COOL PRIZES including a gift certificate for a professional massage, gift card to Target, a free meal at Cafe Rio (or a restaurant of your choice if you're not local), and more! 
I'm grateful for these chopsticks. They are just plain awesome, as are the people who gave them to us. Beth and Collin, our old next door neighbors, brought them back from their humanitarian trip to Vietnam before they moved to Cali earlier this year. We miss them so much and our BBQ's we used to enjoy regularly with them. So it's fun to find an excuse to use our chopsticks and think of Beth and Collin. As Beth would say, "Cheers!"
I'm grateful for happy food. To go along with yesterday's post with the fresh fruit, I wanted to share this fun photo of my kids with their spinach/chicken meatballs and cucumbers. They eat healthful food better for me when I make it more fun. Wouldn't you? Look at that cute happy face on their plates. Tempting, eh?
I am grateful for fresh fruit. It's so bright and colorful and just makes me happy knowing my body is getting the nutrients it needs. I often pack Wade a lunch for work, but this particular day, he put his own together. When I opened his lunch bag to double check if I could add anything for him, I was pleasantly surprised to find all this yummy fruit on top of top of the leftovers. It made me smile. 
I'm grateful for Wade's example as a dedicated athlete. No matter what sport he's involved in, he gives 110% and makes sure he has a blast doing it, too. The kids and I were at the finish line to support him and cheer him on as he completed the Salt Lake Half Marathon today. He ran it in just over 2 hours, which is awesome for his first one. Way to go babe!
I'm grateful for our kitten. Since we brought her home as a two month old in May, the baby has been fascinated with her. They are very playful together, and it's the cutest thing ever! Once Diamond was 4 months old, we helped her adjust to becoming an outside cat since so many of our family and friends are allergic to cats. When we realized a few weeks ago that kittens can get pregnant that young, we immediately brought her back in until she could get spayed, which happened Thursday. Now she's just healing from the surgery. :( Poor kitty!
I'm grateful for Tae Bo with Billy Banks. It's more than a great workout for me, it's comedy relief first thing in the morning. I laugh so hard at some of the moves they do as well as their awesome attire from the 90's. Let's be honest, don't you want a singlet like Billy's? It's hot. haha ;)
