Grateful

Norman Rockwell's Thanksgiving Painting

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all enjoy the somewhat bizarre holiday tradition of tucking into tons of food. Personally, I think there could be much more fitting traditions established that expresses gratitude better, like donating tons of food to charity while going hungry to realize how thankful you really are, but that is a soapbox I should stand on later, instead of being unthankfullike for this fabulous chance to gain weight. So I'm off the soapbox.

I love Thanksgiving, really. I love turkey and pumpkin cheesecake and watching It's a Wonderful Life on NBC and getting time off work. I also really do love how Thanksgiving prompts us to remember our blessings. When Shaun and I were first dating, we went to Colorado for a 3-day weekend. Long story short, we go stuck (literally, really stuck) in a blizzard in the middle of the night. To pass the time and ease the tension, we played a game where we took turns saying things we were grateful for. We went on for well over an hour, and it was an uplifting and bonding experience for us. I highly recommend playing such a game. We have so much to be thankful for, and it's so good to remember. Today I am especially thankful for all of the nifty modern conveniences that make Thanksgiving food prep way easier (like oven bags, ovens, beaters, etc.) and for our amazing family. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving, friends! It really is a wonderful life.

25 Things I Love About Shaun

1. He has a beautiful voice. I love hearing him sing.
2. He is always so good at saying thank you for anything I do.
3. He has a genuine smile and a catchy laugh.
4. He's very patient.
5. He is fun loving and adventurous.
6. He helps me with my ab workouts, no matter how tired he is.
7. He has a strong testimony and shares it without any hesitation.
8. He is so good with kids. He'll be the best dad someday.
9. He has nice manly hands. He's completely manly, but I especially like his manly hands.
10. He's very ambitious and determined.
11. He's very dedicated.
12. He loves to serve others.
    
13. He makes me laugh. A lot.
14. He is really sweet and sensitive.
15. He has deep, soulful eyes.
    
16. He has a great sense of fashion. It's so nice not having to worry about my husband running around wearing embarrassing ensembles. And it's so nice that he can help me with my own ensembles.
17. He is really smart. He can fix any issues in our house and can learn how to play any instrument.
18. He plays along with all of my silly games.
    
19. He even lets me call him Pookie. In public.
    
20. He places my needs above his own.
21. He is a gentleman.
22. He treats me like a princess.
23. He is such a great example, and makes me want to be so much better.
24. He has major artsy skills, like painting, crocheting, sewing, and he's man enough to be proud of it. =)
25. He is so kind to everyone he meets. He is so loving and Christlike.

I love you Shaun! Happy 25!

xoxo.

Happy Birthday Shaun!

Today is Shaun's 25th birthday!

Happy Birthday, Honey!

I love you, and hope you've had the perfect birthday weekend!

Beautiful.

Do you love Shaun Nelson?

So do I.

Sunday is Shaun's 25th birthday. That will mark a quarter of a century that this beautiful man has been on the earth. I think it's definitely cause for all of us to celebrate. So we will! We're having a little birthday party this Friday, Nov. 20th, and you are invited. Just email me at lanettenelson at gmail dot com for more info. I'm sure Shaun would love to see you!

One month.

Until Christmas vacation begins for us. Can't wait.