11. Being valued at my job.

12. The lessons in humility I learned working under my former boss.

13. The amazing works of MC Escher.

14. Grant money that allows Tom to go to school.

15. Watching episodes of Doctor Who on the computer with Tom.

16. The great big smile I get from Harper everyday when I come home from work.

17. Angel Food Ministries and all the good food we now have!

18. A weekend away with my best friend.

19. The new Bath & Body Works scent Butterfly Flower that reminds me of tropical adventures.

20. The power surge this morning, which inadvertently allowed me to sleep in after a night of restless Harper.

21. Autosave.

22. Three hole punches that work.

23. Slow cookers.

This post (or post series) is inspired by this post, which was in turn inspired by this post.

I love it!

I am often ridden with anxiety, stress and other painful emotions that seem to attack at the oddest times. I've never learned how to appropriately deal with them, and they've ganged up on me recently. Giving thanks for all God's blessings seems like a wonderful way to begin changing my response to these stressors.

So I begin:

1. Free coffee at work, and those of us who rotate bringing in the good creamer.

2. Having a job that I love.

3. Puppies

4. The space heater in my office for those chillier days

5. Tom, of course, without whom, who knows where I'd be?

6. Harper, who even at 9 months, seems like he's been here my whole life.

7. Whiteboards and dry erase markers.

8. Paying off debts.

9. Mom, who always encouraged me to get out of Michigan.

10. Did I mention coffee? Yes?... Okay, I'm thankful for my own office, with a view and sunlight and everything!

The sweet smell of debt-less-ness is wafting through the windows in my mind. I can almost taste it! Now, granted, we still have a chunk of student loans to pay off,  but we are getting there. I've freed up 10% of our monthly budget that can now go to paying off other debts even faster. In addition, we have a decent savings fund set up now too!

I know money is a touchy subject for some people, but for me, the weight lifting off my shoulders as I learn how to appropriately manage our money is so exciting that I just can't help but share. I am so blessed! I am blessed that Mom gave us the Dave Ramsey kit that helped us get started towards this place, I am blessed that God has allowed me to be a steward of his gifts despite my mistakes in the past, I am blessed that Tom and I can have open, frank discussions about money and budgeting, I am blessed that Dad trusted me, and I am blessed that I have begun to figure out this whole finances thing while I am still young.

To all of you who've helped me get this far, I thank you.

TOUR GUIDE: To your left, folks, is the Washington Monument, to your right, the White House. And over there, just beyond the Capitol, is the National Debt!

There's something huge

Red, white, and blue

That's grazing in D.C.

It's gobbling up the taxes

That are paid by you and me

It doesn't seem to notice

We really can't afford

The billions that it's costing us

To pay its room and board

It doesn't roam

But seems content

To dwell on Capitol Hill

As long as trucks keep pulling up

With tons of green-back bills

We've got to feed the big guy

We really can't forget

It has an awesome appetite

Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: The debt was born in 1790 when our new government took over 75 million the colonies spent in the Revolutionary War.

We've got to feed the monster

So it doesn't get upset

It's got an awesome appetite

Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: Alexander Hamilton, our first Secretary of the Treasury (he's on the 10, you know), wanted a federal debt to provide a reason to establish taxes to support our new nation.

The debt was young, they kept it small

They didn't know back then

In 1812 another war would make it grow again

By '66 the Civil War had cost the nation millions

The government in Washington now had a debt of billions

TOUR GUIDE: The Civil War ran up a debt of almost three billion dollars that still wasn't paid off by World War One.

We're spending money we don't have

Or so it would appear

The deficit is that amount we overspend each year

Though congressmen and senators

Make vows to cut its size

Despite their honest efforts

The debt just seems to rise

TOUR GUIDE: Now the debt's over 4 trillion dollars and still growing...

A balanced budget would be great

To spend within our means

To stop the monster in its tracks

Before we bust our seams

It feeds on just the interest

Its appetite is whet

It never, ever stops to rest

Tyrannosaurus Debt

TOUR GUIDE: And this is the U.S. Treasury. It sells Treasury Bonds, bills, and notes, and savings bonds to finance the debt. The U.S. government promises to pay the owner interest plus the value of each bond at a future date.

We've got to try to tame the debt

And bring it down to size

To let it grow unchecked like this

Is certainly unwise

The debt's a monster problem

That we really can't ignore

I guess we should be grateful

That it's not a carnivore

We've got to keep on servicing

Our trillion dollar pet

It's got a monster appetite

Tyrannosaurus Debt

A fiscal misadventure

With trillion dollar dentures

Tyrannosaurus Debt

In our home, we have been sharing and passing around a low grade fever, coughing, and general lethargy. It started about the time we left Michigan. It was a very... good?... no, meaningful trip. Tom's father had a scare the Wednesday before last, and Aunt Teddy, Tom's great aunt, passed away. 

We went up to Michigan for the funeral, and to spend time visiting with Tom's father. The funeral was beautiful; a wonderful Catholic ceremony, full of all the people she had impacted during her 93 years. I can say this, because I hardly knew her, but I thought the funeral was amazing - celebrating the much loved life of a 93 year old woman is a shining example of how I hope to go, when I do. 

We spent time with Tom's dad every day. The last time we went to visit, his father's eyesight had deteriorated, but he has since undergone corrective surgery. To see his dad playing with Harper was really uplifting. 

So the coughing, low-grade fever, and lethargy is worth it. But I am ready to feel 100%

I've recently discovered the fun that is Doctor Who. I am currently watching the first season of the 2005 series. The Doctor has been played by eleven different people, over the span of forty seven years. I've always loved time travel!!

Tom is also excited; I'm not generally a sci-fi kind of gal, and this is something he loves that we can share. The episode I am currently watching is about a killer death robot collected by a conceited power hungry internet genius. And The Doctor will soon save the day!

Thank goodness I don't have to help him...