1,000 gifts

raleigh, wilmington and virginia beach

my family - Matthew and Sevilla

best friends

April 26, 2012

For today’s post and for a little challenge, I am teaming up with Sarah from Fairy Tales Are True to try and list 1,000 gifts in my life. Her post was inspired by the book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp. The title itself says it all. It is a challenge, a call to action – to not just live right where you are but to live fully where you are – be present. When I started this blog I hoped to document and journal the things of which I am grateful for and the 1000 gift challenge seems to go alongside with that perfectly. I think one of the most important things in life is to be aware of what you haveand not of what you don’t have. If you are always concentrating on what you want, you will miss the blessings and gifts in front of you now.

So without further ado, here is the beginning of my list. Check the side button often because it will be continually growing….

1. My husband’s smile

2. My puppy’s sleepy eyes

3. The fact that no matter how old Sevilla is she will always be a “puppy”

4. Cooking dinner with Matt

5. Daily chats with my mom

6. My favorite nightgown

7. Red Wine

8. All Reese Witherspoon movies

9. My oldest nephew, Chase’s phone calls

10. Dark chocolate popsicles with raspberry filling (I know right – Weight Watchers from Harris Teeter)

11. My blue heels

12. My blue tennis sweatpants from high school

13. My husband’s text message every morning when he gets to work

14. My husband’s persistence

15. My pink satin pillowcase

16. E News

17. Finishing our first study as a small group

18. Walks with Sevilla

19. My new bike

20. Bike rides with Matt

21. Daily emails with old friends

22. Support of my parents

23. Fantasy Football (yes babe, I said it. It is a gift in my life too – because you love it)

24. College Football – Pack, Deacs and Hokies

25. My first year of marriage in Winston-Salem
26. Afternoon thunderstorms
27. Dinner with great friends
28. Watching American Idol with Matt
29. Friends' Successes
30. Old pictures
31. Sweet In-laws
32. Crazy Nephews
33. Work Friends
34. My Chai Latte
35. Sleepy Husband
36. Laughs with my co-workers at lunch
37. Stories about my co-worker's kids
38. My Skinny Chai Latte from Port City Java
39. Anticipation of upcoming vacations
40. The opportunity to plan a party for a friend
 41. Collaboration at work
42. After dinner walks with my hubby and my pup
43. The unpredictability of my kids at school
44. My Moon and Lola necklace I wear every day
45. My husband's patience to watch a William and Kate special with me
46. Hot tea in place of coffee

47. Going to bed at 10 pm

48. The sound of my puppy eating (weird I know, but I’ve always loved this)

49. Searching endlessly for a picture of Blake Lively’s wedding dress

50. Hearing my husband pray

51. Slight chill in the air

52. Anything with pumpkin

53. Shopping for my husband’s birthday

54. Leaving church challenged

55. Birthday celebrations

57. College Football

58. NFL Football

59. Weekends at home

60. Baked Salmon

61. Fall leaves

62. All things pumpkin

63. Halloween costumes

64. Especially Sevilla's costumes

65. Running in the rain

66. Sunrises

67. Skinny Pumpkin Latte

68. K-love

69. A friend's familiar voice

70. Remembering something funny

71. College football

72. My alma-mater

73. Target tank tops

74. Facials with Vanessa

75. A small chill on a walk

76. Chase's voice

77. Wade's laugh

78. Easton's smile

79. Matt's haircuts

80. Burning a birthday cake

81. Fresh salmon

82. Singing while driving

83. The gift to be able to exercise

84. My students' smiles

85. New opportunities

86. Closing chapters

87. Casa Nuestra Two Goats Red

88. Dallas, TX

89. Sparkle shorts

90. Late night chats with besties

91. Laughing until my belly hurts

92. Splitting your pizza with friends

93. Person of Interest

94. Beating Matt in Jeopardy

95. Losing to Matt in Jeopardy

96. An understanding husband

97. Hope for the future

98. A positive sign

99. Crying to a loved one

100. Feeling the closeness of God through a song

scott piner

101. Relating to blog friends
102. Making blog friends

103. Being still

104. My small group's encouragement

105. Pregnant friends

106. My mom's selflessness

107. My dad's hero-like nature

108. Hot apple cider

109. Going to bed at 9 pm

110. Waking up at 7 am

111. Buying presents for Matt

112. Candles

113. The calming nature of a clean house

114. Girls' dinners

115. Sweet encouragement at work

116. Saying no

117. Dinner parties

118. Salted caramel anything

119. Field trips at school

120. Learning more about myself

121. Friends' birthdays

122. Singing happy birthday to friends

123. Anything thing with glitter

124. Christmas shopping

125. Wrapping paper

126. A handwritten note

127. An encouraging text

128. Pink skies

129. Birds chirping early

130. Sevilla barking at her puppy friends

131. Sevilla rolling over so the 3-year-olds can rub her belly

132. My mom's friends

133.  Another nephew on the way

134. Sweet sisters I can talk to to

135. My sister's new opportunity

136. Sevilla's haircut

137. Sevilla's Jackie-O peacoat

138. My Uggs

139.Cozy socks

140. Pajamas all day

141. Crockpots

142. Challenging blogs

143. More of Him

144. Less of me

145. High Heels

146. Rompers

147. Weasels

148. E News

149. Clean counter tops

150. Chocolate glazed donuts

151. 4 people in the back seat

152. Gingerale

153. Decorating

154. Sunshine

155. Egg and Cheese on an English Muffin

156. Cream cheese icing

157. Spinach

158. Green smoothies

159. Lunch breaks

160. Arts and crafts

161. Old friends and coffee

162. Optimistic friends

163. Matt's gray sweatpants

164. My red sweatpants

165. My vacuum

166. Engagements

167. Apple sauce

168. An entire festival of apple sauce

169. My old dance costumes

170. The fact that my mom throws away nothing

171. The fact that I inherited that trait

172. Tailgates

173. Cowboy boots

174. Beer pong at tailgates

175. Kickoff at Carter-Finley Stadium