30 Days of Gratitude Day 30 - My Lifetime Partner

Yeah! (insert jazz hands here, I did it!) I pulled off 30 days in a row of blog posts. I know for some this is nothing and you may be shaking your heads and rolling your eyes. But for me, this is HUGE! Taking time everyday to find a topic, write a thoughtful post, take/find appropriate photos, and get it posted before midnight was quite a feat. Which leads me to what the hardest part of this whole project (adventure!) was for me. Everyday that I wrote a post stating what I was grateful for, I had to strategically figure out a way to not include my wonderful husband, for everyday he gives me reasons to be grateful. **Disclaimer Alert **This is where it's about to get super sticky sweet and mushy so you have my permission to bail now if your not into that kind of stuff.

24 years ago tonight, I kissed this sweet, geeky, long-haired friend of mine at a New Years Eve party. He was my drinking buddy back then and my go-to guy friend on who's shoulder I could cry on about my other boyfriends or hang out and have fun with when I was bored. (I know, sounds kind of mean and selfish, right) It was, in fact, that kiss that changed my life forever. The moment I kissed him, he went from being that "guy friend" to something more. Something, at the time, I had no idea I would appreciate until the years and the stories unfolded. If you know us, then you know that I am not talking smack when I say he is my best friend. He is all those funny love stories rolled up in a cheesy taco. That whole "he completes me" stuff, he is that, too, but for reasons that are different to me. When he vowed to take care of me through sickness and health I don't think he knew exactly what he was getting into. We started our family as a surprise after being told my chances for pregnancy were slim. In fact, we were only married a few months when we found out I was expecting - so much for the first year get to know each other! He jumped into fatherhood with the typical excitement, fear and determination to be a great Dad and he has succeeded far beyond those goals. At one point in our marriage, I asked him if we could take my Grandmother in to live with us (thinking it would be short term). Many other young men (rightfully so) would have said that was too much of a burden, but not this guy. He said yes without hesitation and that short term plan became 3 1/2 years of taking care of her. He is gentle but not to be mistaken as a pushover for he is one of the strongest men I know. He supports each of us in this family with our goals, desires, and crazy ideas. He has never raised his voice to me ONCE! Do you know anyone like that? Believe me, I am not an easy person to live with at times and I have given him more than enough reasons to shake his head and want to run for the hills, however, he continues to love me daily with no conditions.

At this point he is probably smiling because here is the part a lot of people don't know. He is also my editor. Yep, every single blog post that I write, he does a check on to make sure my spelling and punctuation is legit. (Hey Hun feel free to add any thoughts in here because the cats out of the bag now and they know you're my editor.) Editor's note: thanks for the extended shout-out, but just because I'm "editing" doesn't mean I'm not making mistakes too... and for the record, I think you're giving me far too much credit... jus' sayin'!

When I took on this project I had to seriously ask him if he could be there every night to edit and put those cute little frames around all those photos (something I vow to learn in 2012). As you guessed it, he said "of course I will" and "you can do this Hun." Gosh, I could not get mad at this guy if I tried, not to mention that I absolutely never get tired of looking into his eyes (oops, sorry! Got side tracked just thinking about him). He works from home - I can't tell you how many times I get asked "doesn't it drive you crazy with him being home all the time?" They are shocked when I say "I love it!" He is upstairs in his own world and never bothers me with my daily duties, yet on the flip side, if J or I need to talk to him about something urgent he stops whatever he is doing and gives us that time. I'm sure as he is reading this, he is wanting to wish he could delete 90% of this because he is humble like that and truly doesn't believe it's true. He is quiet and observes, he does not put people down, he is sarcastic and fun with his closest friends and family members. He will not be the guy that stands out with the bold obnoxious laugh at a party but he is that guy that loves to have a good time and loves hanging out with friends. He sees our roles as equal, but is always a gentleman. He is respected in his workplace, with his friends, and within our family. He is an accidental writer, a tequila lover, a gardener, and a great listener. Most of all, on those days where I am going completely stir crazy, he can always, always make me laugh! And yes, to end this yucky, sticky sweet stuff, 24 years later we do actually finish each other's thoughts, and I am forever grateful to have a partner in life that I can do that with... I'm jus' sayin'!

30 Days of Gratitude Day 29 - The Grateful Heart Project

As I come to the end of my 30 days of gratitude posts, I am taking stock in what being a part of this project has meant to me. To be sure, it has made me stop and appreciate some of the little things that I may normally take for granted and for that, tonight I am thankful for not only being a part of this project, but also for two specific people.

First, thank you to Jote of the Bless Her Heart blog. She is the local blogger behind "The Grateful Heart Project". This little adventure seems to have taken off and gotten lots of other local bloggers inspired enough to take part in writing about something they were grateful for everyday for 30 days. I'd recommend visiting her site to see the blogroll of wonderful writers taking part. When I had first heard of the project through the AFBA, I was skeptical, but only because the thought of posting everyday for 30 days during one of the busiest times of the year was borderline insane for me. Then, one of my new and quite lovely food blogger friends talked me into it. So second, thank you to Maggie of the From Maggie's Farm blog for helping me see that this project was doable. In my humble opinion, she is the queen of combining different themes into her daily posts and was a true inspiration. Check out her wonderful blog post and see for yourself how talented she really is.

For the project itself, I first thought I would tackle it by jotting down a list of themes or ideas that I was thankful for. Somehow, that list got shuffled away on my desk and probably eventually ended up in the trash. No worries though, as that was something I am also grateful for. Without that list, I was able (forced?) to think daily about my gratitude and write what came to me in the moment. Being that I generally blog about food, my second concern was "Do I write about food that I am grateful for?" Or, "How will I be able to incorporate food into the things I am grateful for?" How about photos? I have never posted without including photos. Clearly, I was making this far more difficult than I think Jote had originally intended. I realize I do that more often than not, making things harder on myself instead of just breathing more, being a little more flexible, and taking a more relaxed approach. So that's what I started doing - breathing more and letting the things that I was thankful for just happen. Looking back now, I know that I learned some valuable lessons with this project. Yes, It is possible to post everyday. Yes, it is OK not to expect your readers to read every post. It's just as important for me to write what I feel and get it out there without worrying if anyone is actually reading it. Yes, it's ok to not write about food all the time. And most importantly, how cool was it that I, along with a handful of others, were taking time out everyday to really think about what we are thankful for... I'm jus' sayin'!