A time to give thanks...

November is the month to give thanks, so I feel it is only appropriate to remember what I am thankful for.

Let me start with God. I feel like without Him, I have nothing and I am nothing. Enough said!

I am thankful for family-immediate and extended. I have the most unique husband in the world. I did not choose amazing because everyone claims to have the most amazing husband in the world. I have more than that! Kevin is a dream come true. He supports me in so many ways and shows unconditional love. He is a wonderful father and aspires to be even better. He is dependable, kind, and very generous with his time and money. I can only hope that Kiera inherits some of his wonderful attributes. Then there is Kiera, better know in this parts as Boo or The Littlest. We prayed and prayed to have a child. We never knew it would be so rewarding. We truly believe she is a gift from God. She is beautiful inside and out. Behind her stunning strawberry blonde hair and beaming blue eyes, you will find a little girl full of love for babies (real or not), empathy, and a musical sense that amazes even strangers. I cannot imagine my life without her. Then there is the extended family. I am thankful for a mother and a sister who are my friends. We have so much in common, it is like hanging with my girlfriends. I am thankful for my stepfather who stepped up to the plate and helped raise a daughter that was not born to him. I am thankful for my brother who always has fun planned and is there in any emergency. If he weren't my brother, I would be lucky to have him as a friend or even just a neighbor. He radiates all the characteristics that people yearn to have.

I am thankful for my extended family: my friends and my neighbors. When I moved to Houston, I knew one person...my sister. Within a year, she moved. Since then I have filled my life with the most amazing people. There are so many, I could not name them all. But, a few have really shown me that it is sometimes the differences that bring you so close together. For example, my friends Tasha and Staci. I don't believe we would have ever been friends had it not been for our children and IVF. We had very different upbringings and beliefs, but I now consider them my 2 am friends. I could easily spend all night hanging around them and having so much fun...and we have!!! I simply cannot imagine my life without them. Then there's Jillian. I never knew I had such a good friend so close to me for so many years. I have seen our friendship change and morph into something beautiful over the years and now we sit and dream about so much together. I am thankful for God keeping her in my life after all this time. My neighbors are not just neighbors. They are extended family as well. Maybe it is the hurricanes that have brought us closer together or maybe it is just luck. Everyone wishes they lived in Fairfield or the Woodlands, but really it is not the amenities or the scenery that make a neighborhood-- it is the people! I have been blessed in so many ways. I never would have thought that a couple of my friends on my street would be my parents age. Just goes to show you that you never know who you will be drawn to. I have no family in Houston, so I am thankful to fall back on my friends.

I am thankful for my talents and gifts. I feel like God gave me the best gifts of all... creativity and leadership. When I get stressed or tired from leading, I get to be creative. I think it is a pretty neat combination. I just pray that I get to put my talents and gifts to good use.

I am thankful for my life. I am thankful that God chose Kevin to be my husband and give him the job he has in order for me to stay home and raise Kiera. Also, I have time to further God's kingdom through Cypress Calling and still find time to scrapbook and write my blog. It takes balance, but it really is a great life.

I am thankful for my pets. Just the other day, my little cat, Onyx, had to go to the Vet because she was sick. She has never been sick. In fact, Kevin and I would have bet our life that she would be the last one to go to the vet. Just sort of gave us a wake up call...you never know when your last day is or someone you love's last day. She is fine, but for awhile we were very worried. I started imagining what life would be like without her and tears welled up in my eyes everytime. My pets mean so much to me. They are my furbabies and reside in my heart right next to Kiera.

There is so much to be thankful for that this post could go on and on. I just wanted to share a few of things that mean so much to me! Thank you for taking the time to read about our life. You mean a lot to me as well!!!