25, 26, 27

Day 25 (Black Friday)

I'm thankful for my crazy family.  Black Friday is pretty much a holiday at our house, not because of the great deals we get, but because of the great time we have with each other making fun of those who are totally gung-ho about getting the deals.  We have a grand time getting up early (or in the case of this year, going out late the night before) and heading into the madness. This year, we actually went for the midnight deals.  My sister Laura's friend wanted a laptop, Laura & Lindsey wanted cameras, and I... well, I wanted a pair of boots. Yep... that's me.  A pair of boots.  Well, whatever.  We all got what we wanted and were home by like 4AM.  Plenty of time to sleep before heading back to DSM to sell jewelry. :)

Day 26

I'm thankful for friends.  Specifically in this instance, I'm thankful for Shelly & Geoff.  Oh, and Thomas, who kept me company via texting.  Shelly met me after work, and we went to a movie.  WAY FUN!  Then we came back to Ankeny and had dinner with Geoff.  Well... they had dinner.  I had chips and a Sprite.  Apparently something went wrong at the Vance Thanksgiving Extravaganza because like half of us are now sick.  Some throwing up, others (like me, THANK HEAVENS!) not.  Anyhow, that's not where I was going with this.  I'm thankful that I live in Ankeny now, and that I have great friends with which to hang out at a moments notice!

Day 27

I'm thankful for my daddy.  Yes, specifically my daddy.  I'm thankful for my mom, too, but today is my day to brag on my awesome dad.  I woke up this morning feeling pretty lousy, so instead of going to church, I went back to sleep.  When I finally got out of bed around noon, I decided I should probably finish making my room livable.  This involved a trip to Wal-Mart to buy another shelf for DVD & Book storage.  Those of you who know me (especially Pastor Van) know that me + tools (usually)= disaster.  Well, I'm proud to say that I put the shelf together all on my own.  I even had to go to the hardware store to replace a poorly made screw.  So what does this have to do with my dad?  Well, for starters, I had to call him when the aforementioned screw had issues, at which point I had a mini meltdown.  But, my daddy took care of it.  He told me what to do.  And then asked how I was feeling.  In other thankfulnesses about my dad, I'm thankful that for the past 22 years, he's handled all my handy man projects. And I'm thankful that I can just pick up my cellular device and talk to him whenever/wherever I want.

:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

So, I realized this morning as I sat down to write three more days worth of "Thankful Thoughts" that I haven't done very well at posting daily.  I've posted for every day, but not daily.  Oh well... it's the thought that counts, right? :)

Day 22

I'm sure you're all sick of hearing it, but I'm thankful for my best friend, Laura.  She may be my sister, but that's what makes our friendship so great!  Specifically, I'm thankful for the fleeting moments we're able to spend together.  I'm thankful that I can shoot her a text and set up a dinner date for minutes later.  I'm thankful that we can run to the store together.  God gave me the best little sister in the whole world, and since beginning this thankful thoughts project, I've realized just how much I take her for granted.  Well, not any more.  I love you, Helen!  (P.S.- Helen... can I get a double serving of that Paulie Allen Puffer? LOL!)

Day 23

I'm thankful for a fantastic new assistant manager.  The assistant manager at Greenberg's Jordan Creek, Chris, is awesome.  Mostly, I'm bragging on him today because once he found out how far I was driving to get home, he let me cut out 1/2 an hour early.  He would have let me go even earlier, but it didn't come up till half an hour before my shift was up.  Thanks for being awesome, Chris!

Day 24- Thanksgiving

I'm thankful that there is a day set aside entirely for giving thanks to our Creator for the many blessings he has given throughout the year.  The Vance family certainly has quite a lot to be thankful for this year, just as we did last year and the year before that and so on.  This afternoon, the family will come together for a mid-day meal.  Around the table will be many people that weren't here last year, or could have easily not been here this year.  Lindsey and her kids will be here for the first time since she moved to California six years ago.  My mom's parents are here for the first time in probably about the same amount of years.  My dad's dad will be here this year; last year he was in a nursing home recovering from his near death experience. My dad's brother's family will all be here.  All of them.  We could have lost half of them in a massive car accident last Easter. But we didn't.  Because God chose to bless us in that way.  There is rumor that my dad's sister and all of her kids (including an amazing daughter-in-law and adorable grandson) will be with us this year.  She hasn't been to a family Thanksgiving or any family event for that matter in probably five to seven years.  Yes, the Vance family certainly has an abundance for which to be thankful.

But, even if none of these people were seated around our table this year, we would still have plenty to be thankful for because no matter what happens here on this earth, Christ still took the punishment for my sins at Calvary.  And He is still the conquering and reigning King.

So in the midst of enjoying family, eating more food than you ought, and watching football or "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving," take a moment to be thankful for the ONE thing that truly matters most.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

Fireworks, Fellow Believers & My New Job

Day 19

I'm thankful for my sister Laura and for the wonderful person that invented fireworks!  Friday night we went out to Jordan Creek mall for the annual Tree Lighting event, which ends with fireworks.  We LITERALLY had the best seats of anyone.  Literally.  Not even joking.  And the sweet thing is that we only got the best seats because we were late and had to make a plan B.  They were literally (yes LITERALLY) shooting the fireworks so that they exploded right over our heads!  It was SOOOOO awesome!

Day 20

I'm thankful for the bond believers share in Christ.  I went to church with Laura and we had a marvelous day!  We started out in little kid Sunday school, where Laura taught a hand full of street kids about David & Goliath.  Then we had service, which was given to a missionary to France.  Finally, we ate ourselves silly at a marvelous potluck! WOWSERS!  Those people know how to do a potluck!  Then, I went over to the pastor's house with all the Faith kids for the afternoon.  We watched Megamind, and had a fantastic time.

Day 21

My new job is wonderful!  Seriously, I'm so glad to be back at Greenberg's.  I know there will be days that I "hate" my job, but in the big scheme of things, I really love it!  Every time I answered the phone today and there was a fellow Greenberg's employee on the other end of the line, I was kindly welcomed back to the company.  I like working with beautiful jewelry, and I seriously like not having to sell people things they don't want.  All the add-on stuff at Greenberg's is worth it!  Not... magazines... (if you don't know what that means, don't ask...)

Only 2 more days until Thanksgiving!  I can't believe it!  I LOVE this time of year!

A Place to Call Home & Excellent Customer Service

Day 17
Well, it's done.  My worldly goods have all been packed in boxes and bags.  I'm thankful for my awesome daddy and his stellar puzzle solving skills.  I was SURE that the massive amount of boxes and bags would never EVER fit in my car.  Before he started loading the car, I said to my dad, "I'm afraid I don't give my car enough credit on size, and I highly underestimate the determination of my father."  Turns out I was dead on.  He was able to get pretty much everything in that I hadn't set aside for next week... and then some.  I have like three things left on my list of "get this at Thanksgiving."

Along with that, I'm sure this will come up again, but I'm thankful that when I get in my car today and drive to Ankeny I have a place to go and a fabulous couple with which to live.  God provides in ways that I don't expect, and I'm always amazed at how perfect His plan is!

Day 18
I'm thankful for excellent customer service!  My dear Iris (yes, my car has a name.  Don't judge) had a dangerously low tire last night!  And, of course, we didn't realize there was an issue until AFTER dad had packed the car to capacity.  Well, how on earth am I supposed to make a trip to Mt. Pleasant and then on to Ankeny on a flat tire (especially when the spare tire is buried in the trunk under mounds of tightly-packed stuff)?!  I'm thankful that I still (for the next few hours) live in small-town Iowa.  The local mechanic and his wife LOVE us, so they were able to squeeze me in first thing this morning.  There was, indeed, a nail in the tire, and removal of said nail cost right around $10!  And my mom even paid the bill as a "thanks for taking me to Keokuk yesterday" gift.

And next time you hear from me, I'll have a new address! :)

People, Pizza, & Packing

Well, it's been a busy week, that's for sure, so I'm a little behind in my "daily" thankfulness quest for November. Here's me catching up:

Day 14

We took my beautiful niece to her check-up, which had to be done in Iowa City since she was born premature. So today, I'm thankful that Alexxa is healthy and whole.  I'm thankful that she is developing normally, and that she is growing every day!  When a child is born 9 weeks early, there is no guarantee that he or she will be "normal."  I'm thankful that, despite all odds, Alexxa is as close to perfect as possible!

Day 15
Here's something random, but entirely true.  I'm thankful for the genius that invented PIZZA.  Pizza is my absolute favorite food of all time, and I eat it two or three times a week.  I mean seriously!  There are so many different ways to eat it, and a HUGE variety to choose from.  Pure. Genius.

Day 16
Well, I did a little more packing today. I really am not a fan.  However, it did give me reason to be thankful. I'm thankful that (1) I'm not a pack rat and (2) that I am super organized.  I can't imagine trying to pack if either of these things were different about me.


Hopefully, I'll be back to the daily thing soon, but since I move on Friday... well, we'll see what happens...