A Month of Thanksgiving {Days 8-14}

Day 8: I am thankful for my mother in law, Lisa. I know that many can't honestly say that, but I most certainly lucked out in the in law department. She has welcomed me into the family with open arms and treated me as one of her own. She is not only family, but a wonderful friend as well...and a great Nana to Shaun and Finley. We are truly blessed beyond measure. 

Day 9: I am thankful for Shaun's teacher this year, and his new school. Last year seemed like a downhill battle- us against the school. There were nothing but problems and no solutions to be tried it seemed. Over and over again we heard the suggestion that he be medicated, with no alternatives being offered. This year is a complete turnaround...they are making every effort to help him reach his full potential and working with him, getting to know what works for him and have not once mentioned medication at ALL (other than to agree that it was not necessary). I can't say that Shaun loves school now as he did in California. Some days its still a struggle to get him to go, BUT it's easier than it was, and he has even made a few friends. I am beyond thrilled with the progress he's made and could not be grateful that they are not giving up on him. 


Day 10: I am thankful to the Marine Corps. Being a military wife has its challenges of course- deployments, living away from family, frequent moves, etc- but it has also allowed this small town girl to have experiences and see places that I would not have had the opportunity otherwise. It has taught me that I am stronger than I thought and forced me out of my comfort zones. It has allowed me to meet some wonderful friends whom I love and am forever thankful for. It is not something I ever imagined in my life, but I would not change our life for anything.
Happy Birthday, Marines!

Day 11: Today I am thankful to the veterans. Thank you for the hard work, sacrifices, long nights, time away from family...and for generally being awesome. Happy Veteran's Day to all of you!
I am particularly thankful for two very special men in my life- my heroes- not only for their time served but for the amazing people they are/were in life. To my husband, for being a wonderful husband and a wonderful Marine (I won't gush too much again- I've done that already!)...and to my great great Uncle Theodore Pyle, a WWII Navy veteran for always believing in me and in my dreams...for buying me my first laptop so I could write all the time, for telling me his stories and being a true inspiration to me. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him...I know Shaun would have loved his stories as much as I did...and he'd have enjoyed hearing the banter between him and Matt over Marine Corps/Navy as well. He was a great man, and a great hero.

Day 12: I'm thankful for my blog, A Modern Day Fairy Tale and the opportunities that I have been given because of it. I often hear comments about blogging being an easy way to get 'free' stuff, but there really is a LOT of work that goes into it. It is a job, and I have worked my butt off to get it to the point it is today. As more opportunities have started coming my way and I see my following quadruple from where they were this time last year, I am thankful that I am seeing the payoff of all that hard work. I am thankful to provide fun things for my kids, and myself-and though rare even my husband- that perhaps would not have been in our budget otherwise. As a child, I always knew that I was going to write- one way or another- and while this was never what I had in mind, I am thankful to have been given such an outlet, and the support of family and friends. And I am thankful for the wonderful connections that I have made through it. I am excited to see where it brings us throughout the next year!!

Day 13: I am thankful for Facebook...
No seriously! With living far from family and friends and frequent moves. it has allowed me to remain in touch with the people I care about easily. It has allowed me to become closer to people I did not really know as well before, and discover many things in common. It has allowed me to form new friendships with some wonderful women all across the U.S whom while I know only through the internet, are true friends just the same. It has allowed someone like myself-quite shy in person due to my social anxiety, to speak my mind freely where I may not have been able to.

Day 14: I am thankful for cloth diapers- for being able to actually contain the mess that inevitably comes from an exclusively breastfed baby...seriously.
In all things, give thanks!