I'm Thankful Week: Day 3

I'm Thankful for.

God.

How cliché sounding...

No matter how cliché it really is, I am thankful for God.

I was not raised in a uber religious family. We did not attend church weekly, actually we still do not. When my parents divorced; my dad and I attended church every sunday however, that was short lived. In elementary school I had a very dear and close friend whom is mormon and I attended church with her on occasion. Other than those few and far between occasions my church going experiences amounts to funerals and weddings.

There is no particular religion that I claim to be apart of, I feel like I am not acknowledgeable  enough to associate to one in particular. What I believe in is faith. Faith that there is someone up there watching all that I do and guiding me as I go along...

 As I have gotten older and wiser, I have begun to notice all of the beauty that is surrounding me; the changing seasons, my family, a kind gesture of a stranger, the giggles of my nieces and nephews, and I think there is a God.  I have determined that he surrounds each of us with beauty everyday and hopes that we will see and appreciate what he has done for us. And for that I am thankful.

 I believe deeply in the thought that God would not put you into a situation he didn't think you could get through. To me that means that through life's roughest moments, during the most challenging times God is invisibly teaching us a very important lesson. A lesson that is based on one of my favorite sayings; "everything happens for a reason", each difficult event in our life happens to show us the beauty in all that is good. At that moment it might be very hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel but it will always be there and because of it you will walk away a stronger, better person.

I am thankful for God because of the person he has helped me become, each barrier that I have overcame had only helped me in this journey of life. I am thankful for him because he has helped me to appreciate the little things in life and all of the beauty that surrounds me...

For he has blessed me with a blissful life.

 

Until Tomorrow.

                                                               -Kaili

I'm Thankful Week: Day 2

I'm Thankful for: My Body

Please hold your eye rolling for a moment and read on...

How many of you think about all of the things your body is capable of? Most of us only think about the negatives when it comes to our bodies. Believe me, I was there too. However, I have come to a revelation that has leaded me to be thankful for my body.

Over this past year I have lost thirty pounds. It has been a tiring, difficult, trying, joyous, wonderful, challenging, and rewarding journey. Not only do I feel better and healthier, but I am wearing a size I never thought I would see in my clothing collection. I made the decision last December that not only would I make an effort to go to the gym on a regular basis but to also make healthier food choices. I do not recall setting a goal weight, I was not even out to lose weight in particular. I simply wanted a change and I set out to do it.

That being said, over the past year I have slowly begun to notice all of the things that my body is capable of doing. I can do things at the gym that were very challenging or next to impossible with much ease now. I have the ability and the will to push myself further then I ever did before. For the first time in years I have pride in my body.

Over the past week, as I have thought about all the things that I am truly thankful for, my body was a topic I really wanted to write about and share with you. I believe that many of us, women especially are incredibly too harsh on our bodies. We have become difficult to please; too much fat here, not enough muscle there, too many freckles, not enough height, so on and so on. I think it is time to be thankful for all that our bodies can do for us. We can push our bodies to do extraordinary things and not even think about it twice. Our bodies give us the ability to run, laugh, grow, recover and love. We can bear children; lift huge amounts of weight, run miles, and dance in circles. Our bodies are incredible machines, even during sickness, our bodies have the ability to recover and move on stronger.

I am thankful for my body because it has allowed me the ability to overcome obstacles both big and small. With it I have became stronger and more confident. Essentially, with my body acceptance I have become a happier person. So here I challenge you, next time you feel down about your body think about all of the things you can do because of it and instead be thankful for your body.

Until Tomorrow.


                                                                  -Kaili

                                                                                                 

I'm Thankful Week: Day 1

          I have decided to participate in  Making it My Own's I'm Thankful week. Everyday this week I will write about all the things that I am thankful for...will you join me too?

 I'm Thankful for:

 My Boys.

I am blessed with two amazing boys (well, one boy. one man.) in my life, two Jesses actually. These two are my family and ultimately hold the key to my sweet little heart. My boys have taught me alot about life and continue to teach me new things everyday; which includes patience, lots and lots of patience.
I met Big Jesse at a time in my life when I was very lost and just beginning to understand my place in this world. We believe that we were brought together by fate, that God decided we needed each other and at that time it was now or never. When Jesse introduced me to Little it was anything but ideal... Today you would never be able to tell that there was a time in our lives that we were not a family.

          Through these two I have learned that family does not require relation by blood, it does not mean we have official paperwork stating that our last names are the same. Because a family are the people you hold closest to your heart, the people that make you feel at home. Together, the three of us are a family. We are small in size and big in love. My boys taught me; that the best days are the ones spent laughing until you cry, that age is really only a number, being silly is way more fun then being serious and at times of need your familly will always be there, no matter what. 

           I am thankful for my boys, with their silly grins and beautiful blue eyes. I am thankful because through them I know true love. True love from the heart of my soul mate. And true love in the form of a little boy who truly is my child, maybe not by blood but from by really counts...

What are you thankful for? Please share...

Until tomorrow.

                                                                                             -Kaili

Please, do not forget to stop by http://makeitmyown.blogspot.com/ to see Jenn's blog. She is a super talented woman and creates some pretty inspiring and crafty blogs. Plus, her husband took those incredibly adorable pictures of my boys and I up there...

Pride, Traditions and a K-Town Beat Down

            Today I found out that a local high school football team here; the Kamiakin Braves will be playing my beloved Kelso Hilanders AND the game is here in the Tri-Cities!! (Note: western Washington teams only play eastern Washington teams during playoffs, not in regular season. In case you did not know) A wave of excitement came over me when I read the news; like about to run to the basement and dig out all my old blue and gold digs, EXCITEMENT. Unfortunately, the game is at 1pm and this Saturday just so happens to be the craziest busy day of the month for us. Bummer.

          However, hearing about Kelso making it to playoffs made me proud, the same pride that I know is being spread across my home town right now. I will definitely be at the game in spirit and silently cheering on those Hilanders. When I was in high school, (which I believe was the last time the football team made it past the first round of play offs, sorry boys...) there was nothing more thrilling to me then dressing up in blue and gold and supporting our team. Standing underneath those stadium lights with my dance team girls, I had a sense of pride that you cannot put into words, you just have to experience it.

               My point here is not to talk about high school memories that have longed past, but to remind you that the pride you feel for something that was once so close to your heart will never go away. So while I go about on Saturday afternoon with my responsibilities and momma duties, I will be thinking of those players in blue and gold, and those fans in the stands that made that long drive to support their Kelso Hilanders. I will think of all those memories being made and cherish my own. I know that those boys on the field and those girls on the sidelines will go on to do things far greater than high school football, but that they will always think back and smile about those memories being made.
(And maybe I will pull out some of that old blue and gold for good luck.)

                                              

P.S. Go Big Blue! Knock those Braves out of their undefeated season!


-Kaili