Thankful

The longer I'm away from home, the more I find myself missing, loving, and admiring my family. As a kid growing up in your parent's home, it's easy to take things for granted and not enjoy life. Being away has shown me many things, and today I'm thanking God for them and counting each of them as blessings.

I'm thankful for my parents, and how dedicated they were to protecting me. I'm thankful that I grew up in a conservative household, and that my parents took/take raising us as a high responsibility. I'm thankful that they homeschooled me, and that they allowed me to continue living at home until my wedding day. I'm thankful for their rules, discipline, teaching, and how they gathered us into the same room multiple times a week for dinners and family times.

I'm thankful for my siblings, as crazy as they are, and I'd do anything to just be around them and surrounded by that silliness now. I was so blessed to grow up in a family that knows how to have fun! I love looking back and remembering growing up with all these people, and even though it could be annoying, loud, insane, I wouldn't want to have grown up any other way.

I'm thankful that we lived so close to grandparents, and that family was always priority over holidays. My grandparents are the best ever, and now that I'm married I'd say what I'm most thankful for are the marriages in my family. Every couple is different, yet works together so well, and each is a great example for my marriage. I miss them all, but I'm so thankful I get to go back in a month to spend more time with them.

I hope they all know my heart is with them today, and that I'm very much looking forward to seeing them again!

 Last Thanksgiving, eating lunch with my family on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson

So blessed!