I am thankful...

I love Thanksgiving. I love the turkey, the stuffing, the pumpkin pie... I love it all.

I love that Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to think of all the blessing we have and how much we have to be thankful for big and small.

I started a "thankful list" in a word document today and couldn't believe how quickly I got to 100.

I am thankful...

1. For my marriage to my sweet husband
2. For the laughter in our marriage
3. For all the kind things Patrick does for me
4. For my family that loves and supports me
5. For nieces and nephews that I love so much
6. For our home
7. For being able to teach high school for the last 10 years
8. For being able to travel the world
9. For living in a beautiful state
10. For having the mountains all around me
11. For beautiful sunsets
12. For e-mail
13. For food to eat
14. For Patrick’s job and the blessing it is for us
15. For new windows on our house
16. For sweet friends that care about me
17. For little friends in our neighborhood who come over and visit
18. For our health
19. For the blessing adoption will bring to us
20. For a thick steak
21. For my thick white comfy anklet socks
22. For cute Sister Huish, who we get to sit by at church every Sunday
23. For My computer
24. For my love of cooking
25. For Mario Kart Wii competitions with Patrick late at night
26. For the beach
27. For my car
28. For faith
29. For the power of prayer
30. For the Temple being so near and being able to go so often
31. For big white puffy clouds
32. For BYU football season tickets with Patrick
33. For painted toenails in the summer
34. For distinct seasons and the unique beauty they bring
35. For the opportunity to serve a mission
36. For peppermint herb tea
37. For fresh pineapple
38. For the good friends I have in Ghana
39. For having the opportunity to volunteer in Ghana
40. For the opportunities I have to trust my Heavenly Father
41. For the Food TV Channel
42. When Patrick bring me flowers- just because
43. For Costco-smile
44. For a comfortable and warm bed
45. For a daily HOT shower
46. For a husband that confesses to love everything I cook
47. For good books
48. For Patrick’s incredible singing voice
49. For crunchy leaves in the Fall
50. For the Spirit of Christmas
51. For surprises
52. For the chance to be with family during the holidays
53. For homemade chocolate chip cookies
54. For the knowledge of sign language and the opportunities it has given me
55. For the Scriptures
56. For back and foot massages from Patrick
57. For memories of a great childhood
58. For a knowledge of where I came from, why I’m here and where I will go when I die.
59. For Patrick being my human heating pad every night
60. For my grandmother, who saw the very best in me and who I adore
61. For my cell phone
62. For my fingers and toes
63. For people that are good examples in my life
64. For chocolate
65. For swimming pools
66. For Patrick’s strong manly hands
67. When Patrick texts me just to tell me he loves me
68. For fun chick flicks that make me laugh
69. For music that makes me smile
70. For hot soup and grilled cheese on a cold day
71. For AC in the summer and the Heater in the winter
72. For digital cameras
73. For shooting stars
74. For past students that have become good friends
75. For inside jokes that make me smile
76. For a hope that one day we will be parents
77. For my parents and their marriage
78. For my washing machine
79. For being able to live in a free country
80. For blogging and keeping in touch with family and friends
81. For our yearly river trip
82. For a husband who is a kid at heart
83. For clean running water
84. For more jackets than I need
85. For a knowledge that I am a daughter of Heavenly Father
86. For amazing in-laws: parents and siblings
87. For our garden in the summer- YUMMY tomatoes
88. For happiness in my life
89. For a husband that will listen to me go on and on and on…
90. For my education
91. For the chance to eat dinner with Patrick every night
92. For church callings
93. For a Prophet to guide us
94. For General Conference to learn from our leaders
95. For ice cream
96. For electricity
97. For yummy smelling lotion
98. For fresh flowers
99. For experiences that help me to grow

AND
100. I am thankful for my Savior and His infinite sacrifice for all of us!

We are so blessed. We have so much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The flight of the bumble bee

Several years ago I was sitting in the front room of my apartment reading a book. I had been teaching school and loved my job but, I have to admit, was ready to find the love of my life and get married. I mentioned this frequently to my very patient Heavenly Father in my prayer each morning, night and several times during the day.

As I sat there enjoying my book, I heard a buzzing sound. I soon realized that a little bee had sneaked past the front door and was now trapped between the window and the blinds right above me. I opened the door and twisted the blinds to give this little critter a chance to escape.

Nothing happened.

He continued to fly around in his confined space in a frenzy, repeatedly hitting his nose against the glass trying to get out. He was becoming more and more frustrated.

Having compassion on the little guy I opened the blinds completely and, being home alone, began talking him through what was going on.

“Come on buddy, I know you want to go outside, but you can’t get there that way.”

I took my book and gave him a gentle swoosh towards the door. He spun around for a little bit and then headed back to the window, once again beating his nose into the glass.

“If you would just turn around you would see that there is a way out.”

This time I grabbed a pillow from the couch and gave him a mighty thud towards the door. I stepped back and hoped for the best.

He flew around dazed for a bit, turned towards the door and happily flew away.

I sat back down to resume my reading when a thought came to my mind as if it had been spoken out loud...

“Erin, stop beating your nose against the glass.”

I suddenly froze. In my life I was acting like that little bee and I had just learned a very important lesson. I needed to follow the path Heavenly Father had for me and make me into the person He wanted me to become. I needed to stop beating my nose against the glass.

We all have desires, righteous desires that we hope and pray will come to fruition. But, it’s when we can align our will with HIS that we can find the path that is truly ours. Some of the time we need a gentle prod while other times we get quite a jolt. Both can be painful at first but, if we allow it, can lead us to a better way. He does this because He loves us.

"The Lord gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding and compassion which polish you for everlasting benefit. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching, and that generally entails discomfort and pain." Richard G. Scott

Now and then I find myself beating my nose against the glass and with a smile I think of that little bee and the lesson he taught me that day.

I hope I never forget it.

The Best Thing EVER...

Patrick and I LOVE being Uncle Patrick and Aunt Erin. It is the best thing EVER! We wish all of our nieces and nephews lived close to us. We would have them over everyday and play until the sun went down.

Last week was Emma's 8th birthday. We planned to go to Kentucky, but decided to keep it a surprise and not tell her we were flying out. When my brother picked us up from the airport, he called home to Emma and told her that he was bring her an early birthday gift and to get ready for a big surprise.
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This was SO much fun!

Throughout our entire visit Emma would come up to me and, for no reason, give me a tight squeeze and say, "I can't believe you are here". Oh, melt my heart.

Emma had lots of visitors: my parents from Cali, my sister Lynell and Lonica my niece from Utah, and her other grandparents also from Cali. It was a FULL house and so much fun!

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We got to do lots of fun things...

Halloween was great with a bunch of cute trick-or-treaters! We had a Little Bo Peep, a Supergirl, a Bumble Bee and a Batman. My mom was a nice witch and my dad, well, he escaped from the loonie ward. My cutie Patrick was a perfect Charlie Brown, so I decided to be his crush, the Little Red Headed Girl...We also got to be there for Emma's birthday party, a "pampering party". Lynell did the girl's hair super fancy, the grandmas and my sister in law painted fingernails and I got to do the make-up. We're so girlie!

But the highlight of our trip was being at Emma's baptism. The Spirit was so strong.

She is such a sweet little girl! We are so proud of her!We love you Emma! Happy 8th Birthday!