10 on the 10th......10 photos of things I'm grateful for

It's time for another 10 on the 10th hosted by Leslie from Once Upon a Time and Happily Ever After. This month we're sharing 10 photos of things I'm grateful for.

For a person who loves photos, I had a feeling this would be really hard. Plus it slipped my mind til this morning that is was 10 on the 10th Day, so I was scrambling to find some before I had to leave to babysit my grandkids. So here's what I came up with off the top of my head. There is so much more I could probably add but we'll keep it minimal. 

Books: I am grateful for books. I've always been a reader and I remember when I was in grade school and Jr. High, I was always so excited for the book fairs. Now I love reading books from many genres, both fiction, non fiction, and even cookbooks..yep I just love reading cookbooks. I love magazines, online articles, and really love reading other peoples blogs. I love learning and being inspired through written and spoken words. I have more kindle books than I'll ever read (I'm a sucker for free). I've not quite caught the audiobook bug, but I'd probably get more reading done if I did. 

Technology: I know, I know...but I really am grateful for it because it opens many doors, even though it can open many cans of worms, and cause all sorts of problems. I prefer to look on the bright side of things and see it for what it is. An additional window to the world. I've loved the people I've reconnected with on FB and IG, the new pages and friends I've found. I love the creative outlet of starting a blog. I love the ease of ordering things online (usually). So yes, I'm grateful for technology. 

Travel: Never have I been. more grateful for travel now that travel could be threatened and has become more difficult. We haven't done much international travel, the last time being 2 weeks in 2019 to Switzerland and Italy. We would love to do more but that's all up in the air. I'm thankful we've visited many spots in the states, and we just love taking small and big trips and I'm hoping that doesn't change. If it does, I'll just live vicariously through everyone else I know. 

I'm grateful for my dad. He passed away in July and while our relationship when I was younger was rough, I'm so grateful I came to terms with it and was able to get past things and have a relationship that while not perfect and we probably both could've done things differently BUT we take relationships for what they are and hopefully when people are gone we have no (or minimal) regrets, and that's where I feel I was at when he passed. I now have no parents which is such a weird feeling. 

Nature: I'm grateful for the beauty of nature and where we live. I can never understand how people cannot believe in a Creator when they look at all the beauty around us. I have always loved nature and have been blessed to live in the beautiful PNW most of my life where I can enjoy such a diversity, from the ocean to the mountains, to even some "high desert" climate and landscapes. This was taken on our most recent vacation in Sunriver, Oregon. The stable horses were out in the pasture at sunset and it was just stunning! 

Life and health: Especially in the last almost two years, I'm thankful for the intentionality that I try and take in staying healthy. I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be and I'll admit this year has frustrated me with hormonal changes that have knocked me off kilter and that along with some other things have contributed to some unwanted weight gain that has been a struggle for me. BUT I'm so grateful for my life, my ability to see life as an optimist, even when things are hard or chaotic or heartbreaking. I'm grateful for being mindful of the importance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

Daughters: I gave birth and raised two amazing women and I'm so grateful for them. I don't always get to spend time with them both together, or even one on one because of lifes schedules, but last Saturday we spent a few hours together and I loved it. They have grown into amazing women and I couldn't be more proud. People used to ask my hubby if he wished he had a son, and honestly he didn't. He thoroughly enjoyed being a girl dad. Now, they wished they had a brother, but, well, that didn't happen. 

Grandkids: Oh, I love these two so much. They belong to my oldest daughter and I love being a Nonni. Indy (grandson) calls me Nonni Kiki, and I love it. His baby sister Pepper isn't quite talking yet, but she certainly has a voice. I get to spend Wednesdays with them and I love it. I'm usually tired by the end of the day, but it's worth it. They are so much fun. I'm loving watching her personality come out and I'm loving his imagination and zest for life. Maybe someday a few more will be added if my youngest gets married. 

My hubby: This year we celebrated being married 29 years. It's been quite the journey and hasn't always been easy or pretty (are marriages ever always that?). We've dealt with some roadblocks that made us go "plot twist" and continue on in a different direction. We drive each other nuts at times, are so different that sometimes I joke we should just live in different houses, but he has always been steadfast, loyal, such a hard worker and amazing provider, and cheerleader. An awesome dad, friend and employee. Here's to many more years together! 

Home: No matter what the structure is that I've lived in, I'm grateful for places to call home. From dorm rooms to apartments, to a single wide trailer. Then to our first stick built home and now our current home that we've worked so hard on to build and now finish the new addition. If you search home building and even read my weekend coffee shares I talk about our progress and the old posts show our entire building process. 

In the book, The Hidden Art of Homemaking that I read at Bible College, there was a passage that always stood out to me. It said, "we all live somewhere....some kind of spot in the world is where we each call 'home', no matter how temporary that place might be. This place should be expressing something of yourself. It should be communicating something of you to your visitors, but it should also satisfy something within you. You should "feel" "at home" here, because you have made it home with something of yourself."  She also talked about using your creativity wherever you are and not wasting it on somedays. I also loved reading the book "Love the Home you Have" by Melissa Michaels which is also so encouraging. 

So there you have it, my 10 pictures of what, at this moment, I'm grateful for! 

With Joy Unquenchable,

Kirstin