A Word from the Weathersbys: Gratitude Challenge : Days 13, 14 & 15

Man oh man. Finding time to blog daily has been tough. I've been a busy bee. But right now, it is 12:14 am on November 15th. I am working a graveyard shift at work to help get Christmas underway and pay for Clay's unexpected root canal. He and I are reading Dave Ramsey right now. Can't wait until we have an emergency fund so things like this won't throw us off financially in the future and random grave shifts will no longer be necessary. Anyways... onto the gratitude posts. :)

30 Days of Gratitude Challenge : Days 13, 14 & 15

Day 13: Today, I am grateful for my health. Ever since I have had Ellie, I haven't had any serious problems with my ovaries or cysts. I've been blessed to only feel sick a few days since she's been born - and it's never been enough that I haven't been able to care for my babe. I hope (fingers crossed!) that this will continue!!

Day 14 : Today, I am thankful for my Grandma DeAnn. I love all my grandparents - they are the best. But she and I have a special relationship. She had a good hand in raising me since she has lived in my dad's basement for as long as I can remember - and was always there for me while I was in high school to listen to my crazy stories and to offer me advice. There aren't many kids that get to hang out with grandma every single day, but I did. She's always been a hard worker - she's in her seventies now and works a part time job at the local library. I've never known her to not have a job. I've also never met a woman who loves to brag about her grandkids more that she does. You should see this woman's home - she's got pictures of them everywhere and will talk them up to anyone who will listen. She calls me at least once a week to make sure I'm still alive, and every time she does I always end up on the phone with her for a half hour or more. She's getting older now, so sometimes I end up hearing the same stories two or three times, but I don't mind. Last night I spent some time with her. The one thing about my grandma - she NEVER lets me leave her house without meat or potatoes or something she's bought too much of. This week, it was apples. She had them in the garage in a box. She grabbed a plastic bag to fill it up and I followed her out to help her.. While she was in the garage, she suddenly looked so old to me, and I haven't looked at her that way for a long, long time. It made me so sad to think that one day - probably sooner than later - she's not going to be in the basement at dad's house anymore. I'm so glad I have the memories I do with her, and am so glad she's able to love on my Ellie. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do when she's not around to talk to anymore - when that awful (for me) day comes around, it's going to be tough. So I need to enjoy every second I have with her, no matter how old and crazy and forgetful and crazy she can be. Because one day, I'm going to wish I had her around to tell me what to do. :)

Grandma DeAnn meeting Ellie.

Day 15 : Today, I am grateful for my dad and Kristen.

I don't even know where to start with these two. Let's just say, my step mom is a saint. I don't even want to think about where I would be without her. Throughout my entire life, she has been the one person who has always been constant. She's the most logical, patient person I know. (For those of you who know my dad, you know she has to be to be married to him. Haha.) She has always been someone I can talk to who will be impartial to any person or situation and give me great advice, and has been a great example to me my entire (well, the years she has been in my) life. I am so grateful I am one of the few who can say "I love my stepmom!" Because I do. She's amazing, and I couldn't be more grateful that she married my dad all those years ago and came into my life.

Kristen holding Ellie for the first time.

My dad? Where to begin?!... haha. He's nuts. He can be kind of a jerk. He's stubborn. The things he enjoys - he's super passionate about. He's not very sensitive. He's got a crazy sense of humor. Very, very logical. Almost too logical. There are nights where I leave his house and hate his guts. But there are also nights I leave his house, and am beyond grateful he's my dad. That man has done so much for me over the years. There were nights in high school where I'd be struggling - and he would stay up late at night and talk to me until two or three in the morning, then turn around and go to work at six. Just a few weeks ago, I had a major panic attack over something that had been told to me which made me believe Clayton wouldn't be able to be sealed to Ellie because he and I haven't been sealed in the temple yet, but Ellie is born in the covenant because of my previous marriage. This panic attack happened at one in the morning. I called my dad, and at first - he was so mad. He was like "Seriously Kort, why are you worrying about this NOW?" (My dad doesn't understand anxiety.) Haha. After I hung up the phone with him, he called me back. My dear ol' dad got out of bed and searched his scriptures and his huge library and found an answer for me that helped calm me down and settle my fears. The next morning, I got an e-mail from my dad with more information and scriptures to back up the answer he had given me, and with a little note telling me he hoped I was feeling better, he loved me and was proud of me. And sure enough, when Clay and I met with our Bishop a few days later, my Bishop gave me the same answers my dad had given me. Another thing I'm grateful for - is the memories I have with my dad. Hunting, fishing, camping, ward activities, playing basketball in the back yard, hilarious moments and conversations - I feel blessed to be able to say that my dad enjoyed spending time with me and doing things with me. I remember we had a daddy-daughter date young women's activity once when I was younger. One of the games we played was a "how well do you know your daughter" game. My dad smoked the competition - there were dad's who didn't know much about their daughters. My dad knew the answer to almost every question asked. I'm grateful for the way he raised me - he's taught me to use my brain in super emotional situations and to try and see the big picture. He's also done his best to teach me to choose the right. The times where I wasn't living like I had been raised to, he didn't judge me. He didn't throw me out, or ignore or belittle me. He didn't treat me differently. He was there with open arms as long as I was always honest with him. I'll always be grateful for that. There are a lot of things I love about this man. He's definitely his own person - but he's a good person. And everyone who knows him says I'm definitely his daughter - I guess I'm just like him in a lot of ways. He and I have a love-hate relationship, but can be two-peas in a pod. I sure love do love him.