Thankfulness Thursdays :: Week 4

Today is week four of Thankfulness Thursdays where we meet up each week to share what we are thankful for from now until Thanksgiving.  You can write a simple list or focus on writing about one thing you are thankful for.  No rigid rules! 

Also feel free to use the above image in your blog post if you wish!

You can find out more information about the link up here.

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This week I am thankful for another year of life.  Yesterday I turned 28.

Another year passed of learning, growing, and settling into the woman I was designed to be.  Like the friendly man in the antique store said when he saw my birthday badge, "28 is a good age."  Old enough to have a little life experience under me...but still plenty young.  And I had to agree.  This last year has been really good for me and I am excited to embark into another year with a steadier head on my shoulders.

I feel like I have a greater sense of who I am and the purpose I am to live out...but also filled with the courage to confidently go about it.  I am a housewife.  I may watch my nephew, take pictures, and blog.  But 90% of my life, I am a housewife.  I am ready to be proud about that and not hide behind other things.

I am learning a lot about relationships, expectations of people, and how I handle what people think.  I am letting go of putting unrealistic expectations on people and allowing them to be who they are and accepting it within myself.  I am learning to embrace those people who really get me...and am lucky enough to have added a few more of these people into my life circle.  I want to pour into those people as much as they give back to me.

My best friend from high school and I always joke that we keep on getting better with age.  I love getting older.  I love learning and better understanding this whole thing called life.  I walk closer to turning 30 with pride and excitement for the knowledge and life I get to gain on the way there.

And through all of this, I am thankful for my husband who allows, provides, and supports me in figuring this all out.  I have a life I never would have imagined without him and I want to be more thankful as well as let him know how thankful I am for him.  I still make mistakes, I still can be a nagging wife at times, and I can be selfish and ungrateful.  But he still sticks by me patiently so that I am gracefully given a chance to figure myself out.

28 is going to be a good year.

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Some snapshots from yesterday:

My husband got home late the night before my birthday and I had stayed up editing an engagement session.  When we finally got in bed around midnight I said, "we should go get 12:00 birthday donuts!"  Being the indecisive person I am, we weighed whether it was worth getting out of bed for about 15 minutes and then finally went.  I am so glad we did!  PJ's and all.  And I was really surprised how many people come in to get donuts at midnight!

Brent surprised me by coming home early from work {9:00 am early!} so we headed out to celebrate all day!  Here I am painting my second birthday plate.  We have two birthday celebrations in my family where we celebrate two people in one party so I wanted to have two plates for each birthday person.  

Between the stress of trying to not make any painting mistakes in combination with the physical stress my body was feeling after just watching the nail biting The Dark Knight Rises, here I am pictured letting out some tension. 

And it's finished!  There are polka dots in the background that you can barely see.  I will be sure to share a picture of the finished plate on Facebook when I get it!  

And my sweet husband who has grown to learn only spoiling is allowed on birthdays!  {wink}

-Link to DIY Birthday Badge Tutorial.  People have a hoot over this badge I tell you!  A lady at Crate and Barrel asked me if I had won an award.  I told her, "an award for being born!!" 

-More birthday festivities posts to come soon!

What are you thankful for this week?