a thankful heart // vol. 1

amidst all the excitement for christmas holiday season, which stores have already prepared for and are already advertising, i got the feeling that something was missing. i love gift guides and christmas carols as much as the next person, but it was really refreshing to read leah's post on thankfulness. up there with the 4th of july, thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. it's a time for family, and a time to thank God for what he's done for us. inspired by leah's list of things she's thankful for, i, too, made a list:

//1//

i'm thankful for my job--for the chance to teach one of my favorite subjects to a great group of (only-sometimes-feisty) high schoolers. 

//2//

i'm thankful for a loving husband who is always up for an adventure--whether it's kayaking, camping, or just taking a walk through the crunchy leaves.

sidenote: i sneakily took this picture on one of our walks, 

just before devin climbed that tree 

and almost gave me a heart-attack as he swung from reallllllly high branches!

//3//
i'm thankful for best friends and diners on a saturday morning, where we get to catch up on each others' jobs, plans for the future, and crazy things that happened during the week.

//4//
i'm thankful for the chance to meet extended family! i finally (after 5 years) got to meet devin's aunt and uncle who live in ireland, since they're back in the states on a furlough.

//5//
i'm really, really thankful to be making so much progress on our house. i'm thankful that devin's so hardworking and willing to spend precious weekend-relaxation time fixing things and making this house a finished space. looking through my chronologically-ordered, carefully organized folder of "house pictures" really makes me thankful for the things we've gotten done. when we first moved in, you could see the plumbing running up to our bathroom because the bathroom didn't have 4 walls yet! now, walls are up, things are painted, the kitchen is remodeled, the floors are refurbished, and little details are getting done!

these are some bigger-ticket things i'm grateful for, but stick around for vol. 2 of a thankful heart to hear some day-to-day things i'm thankful for!

what are you thankful for?