This has been a challenging week. It's been hard for me to keep up. I told myself last week that I would try to do a Thankful Thursday each week and then I checked out this ladies blog that gives out a challenge to do on Tuesdays. This month it's self portraits. I was going to try to do that as well because if anyone looks at my photo collection they'll think I didn't exist.
Well, I took the photos on Tuesday, but still haven't downloaded them. Yesterday was one of the hardest days I've had in a long long time - and believe me, I've had my share of hard days lately. So I didn't get my Thankful Thursday in either. However, I've been thinking that blogs aren't supposed to be about guilt. No one in the world cares about what I "didn't" do - especially not my self portraits or lists of things to be thankful for. So I'm not going to go there. I'm not going to feel guilty for things I didn't do. I'm going to be Thankful for the choices I made and the things I DID do.
1. I give service to my daughter and her husband by watching their youngest - Livy, who is almost 11 months old - about 3-4 times a week while Jeni works and Dan goes to school full time. Some days I only have her for about 4 hours. Other days I have her about 7 hours. It's not hard to have her around - she's a joy. It's only hard because honestly, I don't get one other thing done when she's here. We just play and have fun. I'm trying really hard to be a wonderful grandma and I'm thankful for the chance I have to spend time with Livy.
2. I walked to my presidency meeting last night instead of driving the truck. It was only about 3 blocks - but I live in a neighborhood that is built on a rather large hill. To get to my house, you go up the hill and then back down again. My presidency meeting was on the other side of the hill. I know - still, not such a big deal, but I usually drive!! It was beautiful outside last night. Full moon - at least it looked like it, cold air (about 45 degrees), quiet. It was a good time to think.
3. I'm having my acrylic nails taken off today. For those of you that know me - you know that that's a big deal. I'm fairly vain and about 10 years ago I decided that I was sick of having short nails. My nails took the brunt of any frustration or anger or sadness I felt. Back then I was raising 7 children - 4 of them were teenagers and life was full of those emotions. So I decided to have nails put on. I've loved every minute of that. It's so fun to have people tell me what nice hands I have. However, my life can no longer
accommodate them, so off they're coming. I'm sad, but also excited about the prospect of not being a slave to my nail appointments. I'll keep you posted.
4. I'm thankful for choices. I'm making a lot of them right now. I've made a lot of them in the past - we all have. Good, bad or indifferent I probably won't know for a while how my choices will turn out, but I'm thankful that I have the opportunity to make choices and hopefully learn from them.
I'm going to be brave and post my 3 - yes THREE - SPT (Self Portrait Tuesday) photos for November. I think I told you that I did take the pictures, I just didn't post them. I didn't post them partly because I'm fairly vain (as I've already admitted to) and I'm getting old and I don't want to be reminded of that. I like to think that I'm the 19 year old in my brain!! But alas, if I was the 19 year old in my brain, then I wouldn't be nearly as "seasoned" as I am now. I'd be flaky and confused and well, YOUNG!
