AOG - Day 30

1- I am grateful for my dad. Today is his birthday and I wanted to how I feel about him. He is kind, loving, fun, witty, spiritual strong, an amazing example, smart, and charitable. I think my dad is amazing!

2- I am grateful for hard working teams. I get frustrated working with different people and different groups for each class but when it comes to crunch time, they pull through and get things done. Having a good team makes school so much easier.

3- I am grateful I made it through November. It has been a crazy, busy month!

AOG - Day 29

1- I am grateful for hot tubs. I love sitting and relaxing in hot tubs. This weekend I was at the Waldorf-Astoria resort at The Canyons. Being in a ritzy hotel, in the mountains, with a hot tub? Priceless.

2- I am grateful for peanut butter cookies. I got the recipe from a girl who collected different PB cookie recipes and she gave me her favorite.

3- I am grateful that the semester ends in 2 1/2 weeks. It is going to be a crazy busy time but I am excited for the Christmas break.

AOG - Day 28

1- I am grateful for BYU's win over Utah tonight! Though I was freezing cold by the end of the game, I couldn't help rushing towards the field after that amazing overtime win!

2- I am grateful I know the backroads of Provo so I could avoid most of the traffic to the freeway. I made it to Salt Lake with plenty of time to spare.

3- I am grateful for internet shopping. One of my favorite stores is only in Salt Lake. When I lived in Arizona, I would stop at Ann Taylor Loft at least every other week; now I visit online to watch for sales and such. I love that I can buy clothes online and then return them at my convenience.

AOG - Day 27

1- I am grateful for good parents. It has been nice spending the past few days with them. Though I've spent a good chunk of it catching up on sleep, it has been fun watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with my mom, playing Five Crown with my parents and Grams (even though she destroyed me), having my dad help me put up Christmas lights, and relaxing in the kitchen while my mom and dad continued with the daily grind of life.

2- I am grateful for the lessons we have learned in the past even though they may have been difficult and pain-filled. These lessons prepare us for the future and help us move forward with faith.

3- I am grateful for the Book of Mormon. My bishop challenged each of us in the ward to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover beginning November 1st and finishing Christmas Eve. I enjoy my daily interactions with these scriptures and the insights I receive.

AOG - Day 26

1- I am grateful for Thanksgiving Day and the opportunity we have to eat amazing food and to enjoy the time with family.

2- I am grateful that my mom feels safer when I drive then when my dad drives. He isn't a bad driver, but his cautious driving doesn't always make the rest of us in the car feel safe. I'm glad my mom lets me drive.

3- I am grateful for chocolate ice box cake. It is a divine dessert my mom makes every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I look forward to it every year!

AOG - Day 25

1- I am grateful I was able to spend some time with my sister today. We rarely get to have one-on-one time. It was fun to catch up on life.

2- I am grateful to be at home for a few days. It's nice to escape from school every once in a while.

3- I am grateful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in when I visit my parents. Long story on that one but I'll just say the couch used to be my bed. Not any more! :)

AOG - Day 24

1- I am grateful that my classes were cut short today!

2- I am grateful that between classes I was able to hang out with a good friend of mine.

3- I am grateful for the Thanksgiving dinner that I was invited to tonight. Yummy!

AOG - Day 23

1- I am grateful when a class is canceled that I didn't want to go to that day. Makes for a happy day when I am experiencing burnout.

2- I am grateful for people who make me laugh! The world is more fun when we make others laugh.

3- I am grateful for the ability to learn, grow, and change. The eternal mercy and grace that comes from the atonement humbles me and teaches me how to be a better person. It also teaches me the power of forgiveness...forgiving myself and forgiving others. What a powerful gift in my life!

AOG - Day 22

1- I am grateful for nine hours of sleep! Can you tell school has taken a toll on me? Getting sleep this weekend has helped me actually considering going to class this week.

2- I am grateful for good friends who talk with me through ideas and situations. Being in the RS Presidency has helped me more aware of the sisters in the ward; however those sisters seem to serve me more than I am able to serve them.

3- I am grateful for relaxing on the couch, listening to Christmas music, but really do nothing.

AOG - Day 21

1- I am grateful for ten hours of sleep! Blessed, blessed day!

2- I am grateful for fun times at the BYU football game but even more grateful for the warmth of my apartment after the game.

3- I am grateful for the beautiful music. I love the symphony and had the chance to hear Mahler's 2nd Symphony in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Amazing!

AOG - Day 20

1- I am grateful for the service of others. One of my MBA friends sat and talked with me when I needed insights and perspective. This person was not someone I would have thought to seek advice from but he was just what I needed.

2- I am grateful my former students won their state champion football game! I am even more grateful that it was broadcast on TV so I could watch it. I still miss the interactions I have with my students.

3- I am grateful for relaxing nights after very long weeks. I was able to talk with my sister on the phone, watch my brother play football, talk briefly with my parents, then watch a couple of movies. It was so nice to just relax.

AOG - Day 19

1- I am grateful for random lunch breaks where I can catch up with friends not in the MBA program.

2- I am grateful for the few hours I had today to do laundry. Now I just need to find time to fold it.

3- I am grateful for compliments. It is always nice to know someone noticed the effort you took to look good for the evening.

AOG - Day 18

1- I am grateful my presentation went well.

2- I am grateful for my sisters who help me out in life. The listen to me, invite me on vacation with them, and one let me borrow all her kids pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals to help me with my presentation.

3- I am grateful for moments when I can forget about school and just relax.

AOG - Day 17

1- I am grateful for agency. Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself (2 Nephi 2:16).

2- I am grateful for be willing to take risks in life. I don't risk my health or my safety. But I take a chance on people, on opportunities, on new ideas.

3- I am grateful for Jane Austen. As my sister's roommate once said, "Where's my Mr. Knightly?"

AOG - Day 16

1- I am grateful for the successful installation of Windows 7 and my friend who spent time on the phone helping me.

2- I am grateful for the Book of Mormon challenge our bishop gave us. As a ward we started our reading on November 1st and should finish by December 24th.

3- I am grateful for my bull-headed, risk taking, no regrets personality. I believe I have lived a better life because of it.

AOG -Day 15

1- I am grateful for ten hours of sleep! Apparently I was really tired.

2- I am grateful for the power of pondering. When I don't have answers to questions it helps to sit and write my thoughts down on paper. As I work through these, I come up with answers. Most of the time, I discover things I didn't realize.

3- I am grateful for needing help. Often I am too independent and try to do things on my own. It is good for me to rely on others for help.

AOG - Day 14

1- I am grateful for the beauty snow creates. Just add Christmas lights and its a bit of heaven on earth.

2- I am grateful for lazy days. It is nice to just have a day to relax and read a book.

3- I am grateful for pedicures and how nice and relaxing it makes me. Plus my feet look pretty now.

AOG - Day 13

1- I am grateful for beautiful music. Though I don't claim to have a singing voice at all, I appreciate the talents of others.

2- I am grateful for the ability to cook. Coming from a family of ten, I had many opportunities to cook for others. This skill has been beneficial in many ways.

3- I am grateful for my car. The poor thing is dying on me but it has endured with me through the years and many, many travels. These include Arizona, Northern California, Southern California, Las Vegas, and five years of commuting.

AOG - Day 12

1- I am grateful that I recognize when I'm being tired and irrational. Tonight I was feeling the effects of two short nights. On two separate occasions, I became jealous of two different girls. I had no reason to be jealous but that green monster started to creep inside of me. Gratefully, I had some sense left. I realized I was tired which was causing me to be irrational and pushed aside those jealous feelings...almost. :)

2- I am grateful for answered prayers. I heard in a RS lesson to prayer for specifics. Tonight I asked for three specific things. Two happened and I believe the other will come too.

3- I am grateful for my grandma. Grams is fabulous! I love talking with her on the phone and visiting her when I have a chance. I have sweet precious memories with Grams including feeding the ducks, walking along the golf course, getting ice cream, and having Rook tournaments. She truly is an amazing lady.

AOG - Day 11

1- I am grateful for warm blankets. I love cuddling up in a blanket and falling asleep on the couch. All I need now is a warm fire and Christmas music.

2- I am grateful for the five years I was a teacher. It has been so useful in many aspects of my life. I really hope I can find a job that combines education with business.

3- I am grateful we live in a technology age. It makes it easy to keep in touch with friends in Arizona, Japan, California, Ohio, Virginia, and England. So much fun!

AOG - Day 10

1- I am grateful for nine hours of sleep! Getting enough sleep sure makes it easier to handle the craziness that comes with being in MBA school.

2- I am grateful for the people in my teams at school. I have learned so much from those in the program especially those who I work with in teams.

3- I am grateful for my brother and sister-in-law. They invited me over for hot chocolate after my brother's intramural football game. It was fun to talk and laugh over hot chocolate. My new sister-in-law is a sweetheart and I am glad she is part of our family.

AOG - Day 9

1- I am grateful for home evening. I usually avoid singles ward home evenings for no reason in particular. I just do. Last night I went and enjoyed getting to know new people in my ward.

2- I am grateful for the friendships I have made while here in Provo. I have met so many great people that are in the MBA program with me. I will miss these people when I finally graduate.

3- I am grateful for Costco. I am definitely in the Costco love group.

AOG - Day 8

1- I am grateful for nieces and nephews. I am really glad they are old enough to play games that are fun for me too.

2- I am grateful for homemade food. Too often I rely on processed foods to help me as I run from one activity to another. A good home-cooked meal is greatly appreciated.

3- I am grateful for the little mistakes we make in life because they help us avoid the big mistakes that could come later if we didn't change after the little ones.

AOG - Day 7

1- I am grateful that rearranging my bedroom made that much of a difference. Such a simple change helped me sleep better.

2- I am grateful for Stake Conference and the uplifting messages that were given tonight.

3- I am grateful for all the great friends I have met the past year. I will miss them when we all graduate in April.

AOG - Day 6

1- I am grateful for forgiveness. That even when I mess up and make mistakes, people overlook my weaknesses. Hopefully with forgiveness comes second chances.

2- I am grateful that my presentation went well today.

3- I am grateful for friends who listen to me vent. Sometimes I don't make sense and I feel like a psycho crazy girl but they listen and love me anyway.

AOG - Day 5

1- I am grateful for my time at ASU and all I learned there. Right now I am using the material learned in classes for a project in MBA school.

2- I am grateful for the impression to stop at that green light because I didn't hear the sirens or see the fire truck that would have destroyed my car and me.

3- I am grateful for hugs. I like hugs. They make everything seem better.

AOG - Day 4

1- I am grateful for google documents which allows my team to work on a project without being in the same room. Project completed!

2- I am grateful for MBA friends and the good memories I have with them. Today it was disrupting all the students in the Blue Line as we sang Happy Birthday to four women in our program.

3- I am grateful for a good roommate who supports me even when she doesn't entirely understand why I do what I do. She is considerate and kind and wonderful!

AOG - Day 3

1- I am grateful for the Biggest Loser. I love that show! I find that the quality of television has decreased over the years and this is one show I actually look forward to watching.

2- I am grateful for dessert night. Every other Tuesday I get together with my sister, her husband, my brother, his wife, my cousin, and my brother-in-law's brother for dessert. Usually we sit around talking while eating good food but I enjoy catching up with them.

3- I am grateful for block classes. I only have one class on Tuesdays and Thursdays because I dropped two and only added one. Such a blessed day!

AOG - Day 2

1- I am grateful for the compliments my RS sisters gave to me about my lesson (the topic was hope in the promised blessings of the Lord). I scrapped 3/4 of it during sacrament meeting because I felt I should share personal experiences instead of laying on scriptures and quotes about hope. The kind words of others helped me know I had followed a prompting of the Lord and made the right decision in scrapping my original lesson.

2- I am grateful for friends who let me have their parking spot when I desperately need one. Thanks again Joe!

3- I am grateful for foot massages. My left foot gets sore easily as a result from an injury two years ago and the same foot is still suffering from tendinitis (a leftover from London). Getting a foot massage today was oh so nice!

Attitude of Gratitude - Day 1

1- I am grateful for Christmas music. Yes you heard me. Christmas music. I'm not talking about the secular, guitar strumming, drum beating music. I'm talking about the O Holy Nights, Silent Nights, and others that invite the spirit of Christ into your heart.

2- I am grateful to be in the Relief Society Presidency. I was scared out of my mind and wondered how I could be a benefit. Well, I love it! I love being involved with the sisters.

3- I am grateful for the atonement of Christ. My life would be nothing without it.

Attitude of Gratitude

Last year, my friend Chloe introduced me to the November Attitude of Gratitude Challenge. I enjoyed reflecting on the events of each day and was amazed at how remembering the good things that happened buoyed my spirits and helped me recognize how the Lord was blessing my life. I have decided to accept the challenge again this year and I invite you all to participate too.


From Chloe's blog:

Well folks, the trees are changing colors, the days are getting shorter, and you can just smell autumn in the air. It's time for jackets and pumpkins and the November Attitude of Gratitude Challenge. Participation is completely voluntary. For those of you who have not played before, the challenge is outlined below.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS:
* Each day during the month of November you will send an email to me, at least, but feel free to invite others to participate and you can send your gratitude emails to them, as well. (For those of you blogging it, please leave a comment so I can follow you if I'm not already.)
* Definition of "things"- the term "things" is used here to encompass a lot of stuff including, but not limited to: a certain set of circumstances, an event, an inanimate object distinguished from a living being, possessions or effects, a deed or act, a product of work or activity, an idea or notion, a piece of news or information, a person, a memory, anything that makes you smile.
* The challenge is to come up with three ORIGINAL "things" each day. Try not to repeat entries.

WARNING OF POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS!!
Please note that challenge participation may result in any or all of the following:
- you will be surprised at all the Lord has done for you
- angels will attend
- you will feel help and comfort
- you may find yourself singing as the days go by
- your doubts will fly