365 Days of Thankfulness

There have been a lot of things that have come and gone in a year’s time, including people following me on social media. For the last year, I’ve been posting something that I am thankful for each day. The idea was spurred one weekend at church right after Thanksgiving. During the sermon, this idea of being thankful and having a thankful heart all the time, 365 days out of the year was brought up. Why do we spend only a few days being thankful? Why is it so popular to only post during the month of November about what you are thankful for? Also, how is it possible that some of those people that have accepted the “November Thanksgiving Challenge” give up because they cannot think of anything or run out of ideas?

So, that was the simple goal, 365 days of thankfulness. Below are 350+ days to this point. FYI, I am posting this blog now (and will be making edits to it) because I want to be sure I hit day 365 on December 4^th like I am supposed to. As you read through these, I really hope that you share some of your insights and thoughts about it all. Here are some of my insights that I seem to post on most while making this list:

• ·         Weather – Whether walking out to my car or in/out of work, raising my head and looking up into the sky always brings things to a deeper level.
• ·         Food – There is actually a sixth love language, and it is called food.
• ·         Mandy – This one is pretty obvious. I’m really thankful for her every day, but she takes care of me quite a bit!
• ·         Kenny and Sydni – With all of the time we spend with them, it just makes sense.
• ·         Matt, Jennifer, LG – What a blessing these two have been in our lives.
• ·         Work Ethic – Something I pride myself on.
• ·         David Hudson – I didn’t know him a year ago, but this man has become a close friend.
• ·         Kleenex, apparently – I didn’t realize how important Kleenex were in my life.
• ·         Justin Schielke – Best friend, duh.

I also noticed that I would be thankful for certain things and then many, many days later I would be thankful for something similar. 

Anyways, here they are!

Day 1 – (December 5) I am thankful for cold weather. Cloudy weather has always been my favorite. I pray for everyone's safety today and I am thankful for the reminder of the holiday season.

Day 2 – (December 6) I am thankful for lines. Standing in line and waiting is not exactly exhilarating, but it reminds me that I have two working legs and I am in general good health. It also gives me a chance to observe people see how they function, and pray over the ones that get exponentially frustrated and irritated. I'm probably the only one with a smile on my face.

Day 3 – (December 7) I am thankful for Christmas cards. I love sending them and receiving them. It reminds me of winter, love of friends and family, and general peace on earth.

Day 4 – (December 8) I am thankful for my lunch break at work. Seriously I don't know how I ever worked without you.

Day 5 – (December 9) crock pots. They make dinner so much easier!

Day 6 – (December 10) Thankful for Catch Phrase. Always a source of entertainment.

Day 7 – (December 11) Thankful for Blush wine. Enough said.

Day 8 – (December 12) I am thankful for my uncanny ability to make people smile.

Day 9 – (December 13) I am thankful for my work ethic and attitude. 30 days of working at Sprouts 

and I've been promoted! Now a new Head Cashier! #blessed

Day 10 – (December 14) Thankful for Chicken Noodle Soup...and lots of it!

Day 11 – (December 15) Thankful for our Kitchen Aid mixer. I/we've used it quite a bit lately! Ice cream, bread, cookies, shredded chicken...

Day 12 - (December 16) Thankful for an incredibly smart wife! She passed her qualifying exams. We have a future Dr. Pepper in the midst.

Day 13 – (December 17) Thankful for coffee, not because of the caffeine, but because of how delicious it tastes (of course this is more candy than coffee right now)

Day 14 – (December 18) Krispy Kreme doughnuts hot off the baking line.

Day 15 – (December 19) I am thankful for finding a great deal that you didn't even know about until the price rang up. Saved 30% today!

Day 16 – (December 20) Supposed to be between the 30s and 40s at work tonight. Naturally this is the one night where they needed me to work carry-out/carts/bagging! Today I am thankful for a coat. I realize that is something very simple that many do not have.

Day 17 – (December 21) Thankful for a "homemade" hamburger after work.

Day 18 – (December 22) Thankful for my tattoos. My heart with 1 Peter 3:7 spurred a conversation with a customer today. He and his wife reach one year next week. He asked me for my best marriage advice. I told him to be selfless. Focus on the other person and not yourself. That will get you a long way.

Day 19 – (December 23) Thankful for one of my coworkers. She has down syndrome and reminds me a lot of my brother, loves all and is friends with everyone. We get along really well! She gave me a Christmas gift of homemade spiced tea mix. Really touched my heart. Honestly, almost brought me to tears!

Day 20 – (December 24) Thankful for a good, safe trip to Colorado. Part Two! Thankful for the tradition of PJ pants from Jodi Gawf. I have cats and Mandy has cows!

Day 21 – (December 25) Thankful for Jesus Christ!

Day 22 – (December 26) Food bank donations at work. Grab and give bags from generous customers. This is only a fraction of the ones donated.

Day 23 – (December 27) Thankful for a fun day of shooting!

Day 24 – (December 28) Reminiscing the ole days at Nicholas Pepper bachelor party.

Day 25 – (December 29) Thankful for a great Broncos football team!

Day 26 - (December 30) Raider! Power!

Day 27 – (December 31) Thankful for a mom who cooks us dinner while we get ready for a NYE party.

Day 28 – (January 1) Thankful for dinner with friends and hilarious conversation.

Day 29 – (January 2) Thankful for funny looking relatives like Uncle Petey.

Day 30 – (January 3) Thankful that I know how to change a diaper.

Day 31 – (January 4) Thankful for weddings and dancing!

Day 32 – (January 5) Thankful for my wife's expertise in Tetris.

Day 33 – (January 6) Thankful for Dave Ramsey/FPU audio discs. Makes a long drive after a tiring week go by much faster.

Day 34 – (January 7) Thankful for remembering how to do stuff when coming back to work.

Day 35 – (January 8) Thankful for Kleenex ‪#‎allergies

Day 36 – (January 9) Thankful for feeling better when sick drugs.

Day 37 – (January 10) Thankful for my job.

Day 38 – (January 11) Thankful for epic (epyck) Braveheart quotes.

Day 39 – (January 12) Thankful for James 1:12. Definitely needed to read that one.

Day 40 – (January 13) After a bit of a frustrating day (no particular reason) I am thankful to have two days off from work, including our anniversary.

Day 41 – (January 14) Thankful for a lazy (ish) day.

Day 42 – (January 15) Thankful for four years of marriage! ‪#‎fruitandflowers ‪#‎itsanappletree ‪#‎thosearetulips

Day 43 – (January 16) Thankful to have two working cars again. The Nissan is back from the paint shop. The Escort has a new battery and new transmission speed sensor. Also thankful for the professional, courteous, knowledgeable, and upstanding people at Christian Brothers Automotive.

Day 44 – (January 17) Thankful for payday and food money.

Day 45 – (January 18) Thankful for blessings.

Day 46 – (January 19) Thankful for the BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!

Day 47 – (January 20) Thankful to not work the closing shift tonight.

Day 48 – (January 21) Thankful for Froyo

Day 49 – (January 22) Thankful for upcoming babies (not ours)

Day 50 – (January 23) Thankful that playing with Bandit (our shy and timid cat) will perk up any day!

Day 51 – (January 24) Thankful for budgets

Day 52 – (January 25) Thankful for old Disney movies on Netflix.

Day 53 – (January 26) Thankful for "our white flag, we surrender"

Day 54 – (January 27) My joints hurt and I've had some back spasms today, but I'm thankful to still be moving, able to stand, and able to do my job.

Day 55 – (January 28) Thankful for a wife who cooks dinner when I can't, so I have something to eat after work.

Day 56 – (January 29) Thankful for starting a new Bible study

Day 57 – (January 30) Thankful that "The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him, service becomes my everyday way of life" - Oswald Chambers

Day 58 – (January 31) Thankful to dig my cold feet under a cat curled up in my foot space of the bed.

Day 59 – (February 1) Thankful for grocery shopping with my wife.

Day 60 – (February 2) Thankful for the Super Bowl! It's been sixteen years Broncos! #WreckemBroncs

Day 61 – (February 3) Still thankful for the Broncos, Peyton Manning, and all of the hard-working players!

Day 62 – (February 4) Thankful for delicious cookies with chocolate on the inside!

Day 63 – (February 5) Thankful for a new perspective on Abraham Lincoln.

Day 64 – (February 6) Thankful for letter writing. Thankful for Jay Leno!

Day 65 – (February 7) Thankful for people willing to stay late.

Day 66 – (February 8) Thankful for nice West Texas days.

Day 67 – (February 9) Thankful for the Harris family. They lost Phil Harris four years ago. What a great man and legacy. It was an honor to meet him.

Day 68 – (February 10) Thankful for Tabasco hot sauce on a scrambled egg.

Day 69 – (February 11) Thankful that my tablet came early! Yay airline miles!

Day 70 – (February 12) "The reason some of us are such poor examples of Christianity is that we have failed to recognize that Christ is almighty. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment or surrender to Jesus Christ. When we get into difficult circumstances, we impoverish His ministry by saying, “Of course, He can’t do anything about this.” We struggle to reach the bottom of our own well, trying to get water for ourselves." Thankful for John 4:11

Day 71 – (February 13) Thankful that I got a free lunch coupon from a customer!

Day 72 – (February 14) Thankful for Valentine's Day. Nothing says I love you like your wife bringing you coffee at work!

Day 73 – (February 15) Thankful for a day off to clean the house and celebrate Valentine's Day. We did our traditional heart shaped pizza and wine, then played our ironic tradition of a couple spite and malice games.

Day 74 – (February 16) Thankful for amazing hand scrub made by Brittany Yowell. This stuff is seriously awesome.

Day 75 – (February 17) Thankful to share some financial wisdom with a good work friend.

Day 76 – (February 18) Thankful for honest testimony and heartfelt encouragement.

Day 77 – (February 19) Thankful for delicious Digorno pizza.

Day 78 – (February 20) Thankful for running shoes!

Day 79 – (February 22) Thankful for the Kindle app on my tablet

Day 80 – (February 23) Thankful for a full tummy.

Day 81 – (February 24) Thankful for cupcakes.

Day 82 – (February 25) Thankful for a Gameboy Emulator on my tablet. Pokemon here I am.

Day 83 – (February 26) Thankful for not having a closing shift!

Day 84 – (February 27) Thankful for a tiny sprout of Basil in our indoor herb garden. Go little sprout 

go!

Day 85 – (February 28) Thankful for getting some grocery shopping done.

Day 86 – (March 1) Thankful for my integrity. Had two different instances of people paying for things I consider "luxury" food items, wearing very nice clothes, holding a Coach purse and a key to their Lexus, proceeding to pay with food stamps.

Day 87 (March 2) - I can't explain how thankful I am that someone taught me the meaning of a hard day's work, the importance of keeping your word, and "lazy" is a four letter word. Thankful for you Papa and I miss you all the time.

Day 88 (March 3) - Thankful for opportunity.

Day 89 – (March 4) Thankful for free Chipotle!

Day 90 – (March 5) Thankful for a wife who brings me food after work/before life group so I will not be hangry.

Day 91 – (March 6) Thankful for time to make some homemade soft pretzels. Pictures to follow soon.

Day 92 – (March 7) Thankful for Red Dirt (and if you don't know what that is, you don't know Texas)

Day 93 – (March 8) Thankful for spending the day with my wife!

Day 94 – (March 9) Thankful for church.

Day 95 – (March 10) Thankful for random flashbacks. I was looking at tonight's meal plan of Chicken and Asparagus and thought of the "Asparagus/Asparaguy" song from Alf. That led me to watching this video, which is one of my brother's all-time favorites. He will literally pass out from laughing so hard.

Day 96 – (March 11) Thankful for delicious wine!

Day 97 – (March 12) Thankful for a beautiful West Texas day.

Day 98 – (March 13) Thankful for Mandy picking up some Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. I've been needing a good beer!

Day 99 – (March 14) Thankful for being chosen as Sprouts Lubbock Employee of the Month!

Day 100 – (March 15) Thankful for being handy. I forget that I have knowledge and skills sometimes.

Day 101 – (March 16) Thankful for the many uses of paint stir sticks, for instance as a scoop for mashed potatoes.

Day 102 – (March 17) Thankful for a gentleman who came in to work tonight. He's an older gentleman who is in a lot and loves to ask about me, how I'm doing, etc. Tonight he said that he felt like he needed to pray for me. He said a quick prayer right there in the check stand. That was really cool and very moving.

Day 103 – (March 18) Thankful for "Redemption" by August Burns Red. My favorite part about this band is how their lyrics cut right to the bone. The depth of their words seems endless. "I trust in your for life to live, and air to breath."

Day 104 – (March 19) Thankful for a comfortable pair of jeans.

Day 105 – (March 20) Thankful for our stand up freezer and learning to can

Day 106 - (March 21) Thankful for preparation, whether it be 120 seconds or 120 years.

Day 107 - (March 22) Thankful for things that stir up emotion, imagination, and eloquent response.

Day 108 - (March 23) Thankful for fur children.

Day 109 – (March 24) Thankful for work shirts with other people's names on them. "Hi Dave, how are you? Actually it's Chris. This is someone else's shirt" ‪#‎redneck

Day 110 - (March 25) Thankful for Umcka

Day 111 - (March 26) Thankful for sinus rinses and Kleenex.

Day 112 - (March 27) Thankful for delicious sweet mint tea provided by my wife.

Day 113 - (March 28) Thankful for an end in sight with laundry.

Day 114 - (March 29) Thankful that now I can read comic books on Kindle!

Day 115 – (March 30) After listening to a speak negatively about his wife and ex-wives, I'm thankful that to the best of my ability, I respect my wife, uplift her over myself, speak highly of her, and VALUE the marriage to a woman that I chose.

Day 116 – (March 31) Thankful for sleep.

Day 117 – (April 1) Thankful for the start of April!

Day 118 – (April 2) Thankful for delicious pulled pork!

Day 119 -  (April 3) Thankful for Easter candy and chocolate on the rise!

Day 120 – (April 4) Thankful for catching up on TV shows like Castle. Cannot wait until The Blacklist is back on!

Day 121 – (April 5) Thankful for wine tastings.

Day 122 – (April 6) Thankful for a strong back. I've discovered that I'm stronger than most people (including myself) think. I realized that working bulk yesterday.

Day 123 – (April 7) Thankful for caffeine on early mornings.

Day 124 – (April 8) Thankful for a working water machine to fill up our drinking water.

Day 125 – (April 9) Thankful for thermals to wear under my work shirts.

Day 126 – (April 10) Thankful for sunlight.

Day 127 - (April 11) Thankful for the blood of the Lamb.

Day 128 - (April 12) Thankful that we have two cars.

Day 129 - (April 13) Thankful for birthday celebrations

Day 130 - (April 14) Thankful for getting to work a little early so that I had some time to read in the 

word.

Day 131 - (April 15) Thankful for Mandy's new adventure

Day 132 - (April 16) Thankful that sometimes my insomnia comes in handy.

Day 133 - (April 17) Thankful that after a year of slowly upping my lactose intake because of my lactose intolerance, I can drink half a glass of milk! I will always have done form of intolerance, but what an improvement.

Day 134 - (April 18) Thankful for wood stain.

Day 135 - (April 19) Thankful for an awesome Easter service and RAIN!

Day 136 - (April 20) Thankful for Easter!

Day 137 - (April 21) Thankful for knowledge.

Day 138 - (April 22) Thankful for my minor skills in creative design.

Day 139 – (April 24) Thankful for Autism Awareness at Sprouts. Round up your purchase to the nearest dollar and the proceeds go to benefit locally. It's awesome to share about my older brother at work!

Day 140 – (April 25) Thankful for my time at Sprouts Farmer's Market. For those of you that do not yet know, I accepted an awesome position with Cabela's. They are opening a new store here in Lubbock. Two weeks from today I will move from a grocery store to an outdoor store!

Day 141 - (April 26) Thankful for sharing life experiences.

Day 142 - (April 27) Thankful for cool cars. Parked next to a Mercedes SL 550 Roadster at church this morning. 400 something horsepower. 0 to 60 in 4 something seconds with a 4.6 Liter Bi-Turbo V-8 and 7 speed transmission. Great curves and all leather interior. What a car!

Day 143 - (April 28) Thankful for beginning to learn better business practices.

Day 144 - (April 29) Thankful for hockey!

Day 145 - (April 30) Thankful for Top Gear.

Day 146 – (May 1) Thankful that Mandy Pepper-Yowell is finally home!

Day 147 - (May 2) Thankful that my mother had enough in her to push out a baby 25 years ago!

Day 148 – (May 3) Thankful for awesome music and a great date night with the wife!

Day 149 - (May 4) Thankful for baby showers

Day 150 (May 5) - Thankful for Cinco de Mayo with great friends and awesome conversation

Day 151 – (May 6) Thankful for finally getting the kitchen to a relatively clean state.

Day 152 – (May 7) Thankful for shuffleboard.

Day 153 – (May 8) "It's only through new adventures that you find your interests, passions, and strengths. It may also be where you find your pains, weaknesses, and failures. But if you don't take a new adventure once in a while you'll hardly learn something new, meet someone different, or experience much risk. Take the new adventures." So thankful for my last day at Sprouts and the people I've worked with. They got me flowers and signed a card. Tomorrow is the start to a new 

adventure!

Day 154 – (May 9) Of over 800 people interviewed, I am one of around 135 people selected for the Cabela's family. We were selected not just on our qualifications, but in our ability to uphold the Cabela's family standard, the brand's name, and our love for the outdoors. That's really humbling.

Day 155 – (May 10) Thankful for getting one of my guns cleaned.

Day 156 – (May 11) Thankful for catching up on The Blacklist

Day 157 – (May 12) Thankful that I am beginning to remember more of what is "In My Nature." Thanks Cabela's!

Day 158 – (May 13) Thankful that training is over and work will be start soon!

Day 159 – (May 14) Thankful for my patience (thought it started wearing very thin) after being on the phone with customer service for almost 2 and a half hours

Day 160 – (May 15) Thankful for trying something new. Vodka and Redbull!

Day 161 – (May 16) Thankful for an HOUR LONG lunch break. Wha?!

Day 162 – (May 17) Thankful for Brittany Yowell! Smart cookie graduating!

Day 163 – (May 18) Thankful for cookouts with friends!

Day 164 – (May 19) Thankful for my drive at work. Always working in top gear to be fast, prideful, and accurate.

Day 165 – (May 20) Thankful for my wife. She never gives up on her goals! So inspiring!

Day 166 – (May 21) Thankful for a new sketchbook. I know that I am not the most talented artist ever, but I still love to be creative. I cannot think of a better first drawing in my sketchbook than this #cabelas #itsinmynature #whatitsallabout

Day 167 – (May 22) Thankful for my ability to solve a Rubik's Cube. Video included.

Day 168 – (May 23) Today is pretty self explanatory. Thankful for rain!

Day 169 – (May 24) Thankful for being treated to a cookout at work and for spending an afternoon with Kenny Sprecher. Truly a great friend. I value his friendship deeply.

Day 170 – (May 25) Thankful for our little Coleman gas grill. It sure makes a fire!

Day 171 – (May 26) Thankful for it all this Memorial Day. Thankful for the fallen men and women, many I will never know, that gave up their lives so that I could be free. Thank you all for allowing me to celebrate this country's greatness because of your bravery!

Day 172 – (May 27) Thankful for my character trait of "helpful"

Day 173 – (May 28) Thankful for training modules ‪#‎nerd

Day 174 - (May 29) Thankful for knowing people who can fix a problem or knowing someone who knows someone who can fix a problem.

Day 175 - (May 30) Thankful for the confidence in my superior to leave me "in charge" for a day. The place didn't burn down, so that's a win.

Day 176 – (May 31) Thankful for the controlled and incredibly informative beginning to POS training ‪#‎lovelearning

Day 177 - (June 1) Thankful that the in-laws made it down safely

Day 178 – (June 2) Thankful for the incredible progress made in packing up our stuff.

Day 179 – (June 3) Thankful for some awesome help. Seriously couldn't have moved without you guys. Words really cannot express! Thank you thank you thank you!

Day 180 - (June 4) Thankful for Sydni Sprecher helping us move and all that she does to keep my wife sane.

Day 181 - (June 5) Thankful for Lori and Brad and letting us crash their anniversary. I offered to run into a pole and slice my face open like Nick but they vetoed that.

Day 182 - (June 6) Thankful for awesome Mexican food at Abuelo's Taqueria.

Day 183 - (June 7) Thankful for Running to Rescue and to support A21!

Day 184 - (June 8) Thankful for not being washed away or blown away with all of the wind, hail, and rain.

Day 185 - (June 9) Thankful for Cameron Nightingale, Mandy Pepper-Yowell, and Miles for getting our washer and dryer in the new apartment. Conveniently I had to "work."

Day 186 – (June 10) Thankful for getting my Cabela's work shirts today! They are running a little big on my lanky bones but I have them! I have my British Tan! It's like Christmas.

Day 187 - (June 11) Thankful that Dr. Pepper is like Holy Water in the Pepper-Yowell house.

Day 188 - (June 12) Thankful for more and more training. May be a bit overloaded with information, but I've never experienced this kind of detail and involvement to helping ME succeed at what I do.

Day 189 - (June 13) Thankful for a date night with Mandy! Delicious food and wine!

Day 190 - (June 14) Thankful to be able bodied and to help out Haley Hailey Baker and Thomas Wilson Ŧ with their new home.

Day 191 - (June 15) Thankful for Father's Day. Enough said.

Day 192 - (June 16) Thankful to be able to meet up with JD Harris since his work has brought him to less than an hour from Lubbock.

Day 193 - (June 17) Thankful for Star Trek. [startrek]

Day 194 - (June 18) Thankful for working for an amazing company. Also thankful for my own washer and dryer. It's amazing after three years of a terrible laundromat of how relieving it is to have our own. Never taking that for granted again.

Day 195 - (June 19) Thankful to be opening the doors to Cabela's Lubbock in one week!!!

Day 196 - (June 20) Thankful for a successful "smoke" test!

Day 197 - (June 21) Thankful for a bunch of people coming together on their day off to help with final touches.

Day 198 - (June 22) Thankful for a bunch of delicious homemade pizzas!

Day 199 - (June 23) Thankful for Audrey Yowell. It's her birthday! Happy Birthday mom! Thankful for helping some great friends out with some great deals tonight. Set some records in the West Texas store! Proud and Loud!

Day 200 - (June 24) Thankful for all of the people that came out for VIP night.

Day 201 - (June 25) Thankful for our first full day at the brand new store!

Day 202 - (June 26) Thankful for grand opening and getting to watch our own Kendra shoot the G/O ribbon!

Day 203 - (June 27) Thankful for paychecks with overtime. Should have some more of that coming up soon.

 Day 204 - (June 28) Thankful that I was on TV and did not cut off any fingers!

Day 205 - (June 29) Thankful for an evening with the wife watching TV and making dinner.

Day 206 - (June 30) Thankful for David Hudson and teaching me all kinds of cool things.

Day 207 - (July 1) Thankful for my dad! Happy Birthday you old man.

Day 208 - (July 2) Thankful for date night with the wife. Wine tasting, tacos, margaritas, froyo, and walking around the store together for the first time.

Day 209 - (July 3) Thankful for a teaching lesson on how to starch my shirts

Day 210 - (July 4) Thankful for my freedoms. I am thankful for America and everything that it provides for me, my family, my friends, my community, and the hope it gives to those that live in less fortunate countries around the world. Though I try to keep humble and boast in nothing, I realized that I fall short and I take many things for granted, including my freedom. I do not know what it is like to live without that freedom. On this Independence Day, I thank all of you that have served in the military, police, and uniformed services, past and present. Without your service my life would be different in ways that I cannot begin to understand.

My thankfulness and respect goes out to all of the servicemen and women who keep these borders safe every hour of every day. Though I was given a small taste of what that is like with my father serving 25+ years (28 I think), I know that I cannot repay what you have helped to provide me.

That being said, I do find it hard to honor some people on days like today. I respect your service and I will ALWAYS respect your service, but it does not give you the right to treat me like dirt. Your service does not give you a "act like an ass" card. My family, steeped in military service and tradition, taught me that a soldier is humble and thankful. You don't put your life on the line for a discount on your groceries or purchases. You do it because it is the right thing to do. Don't mix that up and get angry with someone because they do not provide a military discount. The sense of entitlement saddens me.

Do I believe that the VA and government needs to take better care of our veterans? Absolutely. But please remember that you are heroes, not gods. I don't want to trivialize what you have given all of us and please do not trivialize what we do to honor you. We still honor you with all of our hearts and minds. How arrogant it sounds to ask for more than that.

It amazes me how much my country has changed even in just the last few years. Bigger government, bigger taxes, bigger control. Sometimes it makes me wonder how we celebrate our freedom once a year and then the other 364 days focus on more laws, more regulations, and more control.

This year I have been noting what I am thankful for every day. I hope in doing so I learn a little bit about what is important to me and how to live out my freedoms to the fullest.

Thank you to everyone who have put on a uniform and protected my freedoms.

Day 211 - (July 5) Thankful for the end of the pay period. A fat check is going to be coming soon!

Day 212 - (July 6) Thankful for clean, starched, and pressed shirts and jeans.

Day 213 - (July 7) Thankful for the opportunity of real health insurance because of work. It's going to be weird going to the doctor again.

Day 214 - (July 8) Thankful for heart to hearts with the LG

Day 215 - (July 9) Thankful for Erin Elizabeth Potts and Taylor Potts. Happy Anniversary!

Day 216 - (July 10) Thankful for help from people more knowledgeable than me!

Day 217 - (July 11) Thankful for free Chick-fil-a, slurpees, and almost free doughnuts.

Day 218 - (July 12) Thankful for morning of fish. All I caught was a 4.5 inch baby catfish on my first cast of the day. Barely a nibble after that, but awesome still!

Day 219 - (July 13) Thankful for recognition. Helped customers with the most Kiosk orders last week so I got a duck call pin!

Day 220 - (July 14) Thankful for "living like no one else" so that later we can "live like no one else." It is always a good reminder for why Mandy and I do what we do.

Day 221 - (July 15) Thankful for my patience and my undying willingness to help people.

Day 222 - (July 16) Thankful that fishing is still fun even when you don't catch anything.

Day 223 - (July 17) Thankful for learning mad Tetris skills from Mandy Pepper-Yowell in order to fit everything in ISP.

Day 224 - (July 18) Thankful for a day to sleep in.

Day 225 - (July 19) Thankful for the weekend and successful grocery shopping.

Day 226 - (July 20) Thankful for Mandy finally being home!

Day 227 - (July 21) Thankful easy-going closing shifts.

Day 228 - (July 22) Thankful for people who are really appreciative when you do everything you can to get them what they wanted.

Day 229 - (July 23) Thankful for free pizza. It may have been frustrating to get the wrong pizza to start, but they made it right by providing us the correct one as well as free cheese sticks. I am thankful for people that make mistakes right and that I am not a person to take advantage of situations like that.

Day 230 - (July 24) Thankful for Mandy finishing her dissertation! Only a matter of time until she is Dr. Pepper!

Day 231 - (July 25) Thankful for my uncanny ability to dissolve heated situations. Not always the best at it, but it seems to be an increasing talent.

Day 232 - (July 26) Thankful for having enough food budget money for Oreos! ‪#‎letthecrackaddictionbegin

Day 233 - (July 27) Thankful for a short shift at work and an afternoon of playing video games.

Day 234 - (July 28) Thankful for my take action attitude. I don't always have the right focus, or miss things that need to be done, but I am thankful that I will do whatever it takes to keep the "machine" running smoothly.

Day 235 - (July 29) Thankful that three years ago two amazing people got married, Kenny and Sydni Sprecher. Also thankful that seven years ago I met this cool guy named Jesus because of an invitation from Justin Schielke, Jan Schielke, Jared Schielke, Jay Schielke, and Ronald Schielke.

Day 236 - (July 30th) Such a busy two weeks and I'm finally able to post. Thankful for Mandy and Kate to come home and visit!

Day 237 - (July 31st) Thankful for some answers on my plants. In two weeks I will be finding some lady bugs.

Day 238 - (August 1) Thankful to place my order for my shotgun! Dove and duck season, and 5 stand here I come.

Day 239 - (August 2) Thankful for a weekend off. I wonder how that happened!

Day 240 - (August 3) Thankful for church with family and small revelation about our future.

Day 241 - (August 4) Thankful that I found my hunter safety card.

Day 242 - (August 5) Thankful for showers. Such a thing that I take for granted.

Day 243 - (August 6) Thankful for Mandy Pepper-Yowell! She is now officially a Dr.!

Day 244 - (August 7) Thankful for a safe drive for family.

Day 245 - (August 8) Thankful for psychic paper. It gets me in and out of everywhere. WHOever I may be.

Day 246 - (August 9) Thankful for Dr. Pepper's graduation! Delicious food! Great day all around!

Day 247 - (August 10) Thankful for my uncanny ability to make people laugh.

Day 248 - (August 11) Thankful for a bit of rain this morning. However, that means my allergies are going to suck this week.

Day 249 - (August 12) Thankful for a big box of Kleenex.

Day 250 - (August 13) Thankful for Netflix. I can absorb myself into absolutely anything that I want. In my case that is either a documentary, BBC, or Star Trek related.

Day 251 – (August 14) Thankful for people coming together to help a widow.

Day 252 - (August 15) Thankful for hunting licenses to officially go on sale!

Day 253 - (August 16) Thankful for all of the people who come in to the store and share their outdoor stories.

Day 254 - (August 17) Thankful to have the means to donate clothes, school supplies, and other things to a child who lost everything in a fire.

Day 255 - (August 18) Thankful for Duck Dynasty. Always entertaining me!

Day 256 - (August 19) Thankful for mindless videos of Jimmy Fallon and Whose Line is It Anyway on Youtube.

Day 257 - (August 20) Thankful to have a little bit of time to start preparing for fantasy football. Still behind from where I want to be.

Day 258 - (August 21) Thankful for inspiration from Adam.

Day 259 - (August 22) Thankful for an afternoon and evening with Mandy Pepper-Yowell.

Day 260 - (August 23) Thankful for an early morning of fishing with David Hudson, gender reveal with Jennifer Fraley-Nowacek and Matthew Fraley-Nowacek, and a house warming party with Sydni Sprecher and Kenny Sprecher.

Day 261 - (August 24) Thankful for my first fantasy football draft of the season and getting to watch some SNF!

Day 262 - (August 25) Thankful for a delicious dinner from the wife. Amazing chicken, veggies, and garlic bread!

Day 263 - (August 26) Thankful for a new whiskey. Ole' No. 7 will always have a special place in my heart, but it is time to branch out. You're up Mr. Williams. Impress me. #whyamisayingwhatwhatway

Day 264 - (August 27) Thankful for small tokens of appreciation for all of my hard work.

Day 265 - (August 28) Thankful for finishing my ESPN FFL rankings!

Day 266 - (August 29) Thankful for a win from my CSU rams. Doesn't matter how we do the rest of the season as long as we beat CU. Rocky Mountain Showdown rivalry runs deep in my family.

Let me say this, I always try to stay humble in victory. My loyalties run as deep as anyone else. I love football as much as anyone else. At the end of the day, it is always just a game. It's a game I love, but it is a game.

I have been a diehard CSU fan since I enrolled in 2007. I have been watching the rivalry game as long as I can remember. This is the first year, in all of those years, where I can honestly say the Rams played football tonight. Usually it is luck, screw ups, and more luck. The Rams have always looked a bit disorganized and shaky. This year they looked solid, confident, and knew what they were doing.

This year we had a football game, not some rivalry game filled with cheap shots and lucky advantages on poorly executed plays. I know there are going to be comments like there are every year... missed penalties, unfair calling, whatever. This year CSU came to play. Well done Rams!

Day 267 - (August 30) Thankful for a blessing of resourcefulness and the graciousness of others to lend when in need.

Day 268 - (August 31) Thankful for my Cabela's family. They never cease to amaze, astound, impress, surprise, and inspire me. Thanks to all of you for everything you do to make my job amazing! From the front door to the warehouse, what an outstanding group of people.

Day 269 - (September 1) Thankful for labor day and the pictures flooding my FB with the opening of dove season!

Day 270 - (September 2) Thankful for help from others so that I can help others.

Day 271 - (September 3) Wow. Pretty speechless after Do Something at Trinity. Hold on everyone, we're in for a ride...John 14:18

Day 272 - (September 4) Thankful for a hot, delicious meal waiting for me on my dinner break made by Mandy Pepper-Yowell

Day 273 - (September 5) Thankful for Fun Friday! Doughnuts, colaches, football, free hats. Cabela's is awesome.

Day 274 - (September 6) Thankful for beautiful rainy weather!

Day 275 - (September 7) Thankful for traditional church services once in a while!

Day 276 - (September 8) Thankful for morning snuggle sessions.

Day 277 - (September 9) Thankful for grilled cheese sandwiches. It's the simple things.

Day 278 - (September 10) Thankful for two working legs. I walk a lot (sometimes 40 miles a week) and even though I am often sore, tired, and stiff, I'm thankful for the freedom of walking. A man in a wheelchair reminded me of that today.

Day 279 - (September 11) Thankful for all of our heroes. I can go into a long story about 9/11 and how it changed the world, but there is no need. I have no words to give other than, "Thank you."

Day 280 - (September 13) - Thankful that I can put food on the table. I often get frustrated by the amount of money in our food budget from week to week. It is not that we do not have enough, but we've set it up so that we buy what we need and put our "excess" towards other things. Soon we will loosen our restrictions. The grocery bill at the register will not be as much of a concern. I complain when I cannot buy a bag of chips. In reality, I have so much more than many others. Many others have more than me, that is also true, but we are living within our means, putting that money I was originally going to spend on oreos on something greater.

Day 281 - (September 14) Thankful that people come visit me at work!

Day 282 - (September 15) Thankful for watching football on rainy days.

Day 283 - (September 16) Thankful for starting back up Life Group.

Day 284 - (September 17) Thankful that Mandy Pepper-Yowell is home safe and sound...and for potato soup.

Day 285 - (September 20) Thankful for finishing fast tracks at church and an awesome birthday celebration with David Hudson

Day 286 - (September 21) Thankful for a lazy day around the house.

Day 287 - (September 22) Thankful for splurging on Arrow season two and the new premiere of The Blacklist.

Day 288 - (September 23) Thankful for being able to score free stuff by taking a bit of training. Can't wait for my soft sole inserts.

Day 289 - (September 24) Thankful for my friends making it home safe despite crazy flooding.

Day 290 - (September 25) Thankful for my ability to make decisions, but when I'm not comfortable I have to wisdom to know I'm in over my head.

Day 291 - (September 26) Thankful for Fun Friday and free doughnuts. Kolaches for the win.

Day 292 - (September 27) Thankful that I work for a company who takes their outfitter health very seriously. Morale is always a huge thing for a business. Everyone knows that the fastest way to my heart is through my stomach. Thankful for free pizza and snacks today.

Day 293 - (September 28) Thankful for the entertainment that is Matthew Fraley-Nowacek doing his touchdown dance...or jive...or strut...I'm not really sure what it's called but it involves cavorting around and gyration

Day 294 - (September 29) Thankful for the one year anniversary of Justin and Kelly. What an awesome wedding weekend y'all had. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world! It was a great weekend for everyone, but especially for me and my wife. We had an opportunity for re-connection as we entered into a new stage of our lives. All the time I wish we were closer, but everyday I am thankful for the impact this family has had on me and my future. Every time I open my study Bible and see "August 7, 2007" I smile and think of how different my life would be. Love you all!

Day 295 - (September 30) Thankful for a hard working young lady named Mandy Pepper-Yowell

Day 296 - (October 1) Thankful for an evening snuggling with cats. They're warm and lovable little fur balls.

Day 297 - (October 2) Thankful for the caffeinated magic of Dr. Pepper (the soda, not person).

Day 298 - (October 3) Thankful for winning a car decal in our Fun Friday game!

Day 299 - (October 4) Thankful that David Hudson is one of the few people behind me in certain TV shows, and I can finally be "that guy" to hassle him about spoilers.

Day 300 - (October 5) - Thankful for my relationship with Brittany Yowell. There are many times that I wish we were closer, but I am thankful that she turns to me when she needs things. She never hesitates to ask because she always knows I'm there to help her out!

Day 301 - (October 6) Thankful for being able to push through one more day of work before two days off!

Day 302 - (October 7) Thankful for wisdom of the meaning of hard work and financial peace.

Day 303 - (October 8) Thankful for an amazing day of dove hunting. I need a day like that to boost my spirits and refresh my soul.

Day 304 - (October 9) Thankful for whiskey and ginger. Justin Schielke got me hooked on these last year. So refreshing!

Day 305 - (October 10) Thankful to invite little baby Kalin in to this world. I couldn't be there in person, but I know that it was an amazing experience. I was having kind of a rough day and when I saw the picture in the hospital, things turned around. My heart is filled with joy and excitement for the Schielke family!

Day 306 - (October 11) Thankful that 26 years ago Justin Schielke was born! Best friend, best man, and best buddy ever. He'll also be the best dad (at least until I have kids, because then we'll share the title) Happy Birthday friend and happy first day of being a dad!

Day 307 - (October 12) Thankful for successful grocery shopping trips. $9 to spare!

Day 308 - (October 13) Thankful for the reminder that sometimes when you least expect someone to say yes, that is often when it's the easiest sell.

Day 309 - (October 14) Thankful for Voxer. It makes communicating with Mandy Pepper-Yowell SO much easier when our conversations are longer than a text message, but we are not available for a full phone call.

Day 310 - (October 15) Thankful for my grandfather's 86th birthday, Lori Pepper's multiple anniversary of her 25th birthday, and for the support of my friends when I'm having a rough time.

Day 311 - (October 16) Thankful for getting some much needed sleep, safe travels for Mandy Pepper-Yowell and WOW night. Them Mary Kay girls have got it together and always inspire me.

Day 312 - (October 17) Thankful that the person that was hospitalized in Lubbock does not have Ebola.

Day 313 - (October 18) Thankful that I know how to blow a duck call ‪#‎donaldduckcall ‪#‎deadduckcall ‪#‎sickduckcall ‪#‎maybetheduckwillcomeoverifhesanidiot

Day 314 - (October 19) Thankful for a much needed lunch with Kenny and Sydni!

Day 315 - (October 20) Thankful for clean dishes.

Day 316 - (October 21) Thankful for new ideas.

Day 317 - (October 22) Thankful to put my feet up for the rest of the evening.

Day 318 - (October 23) Thankful for a Broncos victory and getting some camo SUPER on sale!

Day 319 - (October 24) Thankful for fun Friday (we won even though the contest was CLEARLY RIGGED), free doughnuts, an autographed football, a wife to make dinner while I timed the DCR, and last but probably most important...Sydni Sprecher's birthday! Happy Birthday friend!!

Day 320 - (October 25) Thankful for an evening of fishing with David Hudson. Apparently he caught a fish, but I didn't see anything so I call shenanigans. I did get to practice my duck call for the mallards on the water. Also saw lots of big Canadian geese.

Day 321 - (October 26) Thankful for Mandy Pepper-Yowell doing a bunch of house work today so that I could just watch the games and take it easy.

Day 322 - (October 27) Thankful for FINALLY having a win in fantasy football!

Day 323 - (October 28) Thankful that 11 years ago I passed my board of review and became an Eagle Scout.

Day 324 - (October 29) Thankful for watching the World Series and eating a ton of carbs!

Day 325 - (October 30) Thankful that my camo finally came! Deer season here I come.

Day 326 - (October 31) Thankful for new glasses. Can't wait for them to come in! And 50 cent corn dogs at Sonic.

Day 327 - (November 1) Thankful for day two of my three days off!

Day 328 - (November 2) Thankful for pills that make my stomach/intestines feel better when they're having a rough day ‪#‎ibstroubles

Day 329 - (November 3) Thankful that I don't need the month of November and Thanksgiving to remember to be thankful! Going 325+ days strong.

Day 330 - (November 4) Thankful for voting and for free soda! That's all I really come for at our work functions that provide food.

Day 331 - (November 5) Thankful for Guy Fawkes! Remember, remember!

Day 332 - (November 6) Thankful that after a rough day, Jim Gaffigan can give me some laughs and make everything awesome! Also, thanks to my wife for making delicious breakfast burritos and cookies.

Day 333 - (November 7) Thankful for First Friday Art Trail and getting to see some of Adam Guerra and Justin Soto's work. That was pretty cool

Day 334 - (November 8) Thankful for decent data entry skills. I had not idea how often those would come in handy.

Day 335 - (November 9) Thankful for having some car knowledge as well as helping out some ladies making "life books" for foster kids.

Day 336 - (November 10) Thankful Mandy's Mary Kay events. They are always incredibly inspiring and uplifting.

Day 337 - (November 11) Thankful for cold weather, roaring fireplaces, hot chocolate, Matthew and Jennifer and our Life Group, and last but certainly not least, our veterans. A lot to be thankful for on Armistice Day. The freedoms I have to do pretty much whatever I want with my life is something that I take for granted everyday. Thank you to people like my dad (who I guess is officially a veteran now), my friends, and my family for writing a blank check to the United States of America. To those who have served or are serving, lives lost, deaths forgotten, and all of the families in between...thank you. All of you. Thank you!

Day 338 - (November 12) Thankful for my brother's ridiculously long text messages. Everything ends with an exclamation point! Everything is always so exciting

Day 339 - (November 13) Thankful for the start of a new journal. We'll see how it goes!

Day 340 - (November 14) Thankful for Fridays that are actually Fridays!

Day 341 - (November 15) Thankful for foster baby sitting training and getting to post some of my thoughts on our blog.

Day 342 - (November 16) Thankful for the first snow off the season!

Day 343 - (November 17) Thankful for good deals on Woodchuck and wine.

...oh and Kate's birthday

Day 344 - (November 18) Thankful for Mandy cutting my hair. No one does it quite so well.

Day 345 - (November 19) Thankful for pedometers. They help remind me that my 25-40 miles of walking at work every week isn't just all in my head.

Day 346 - (November 20) Thankful for a great morning meeting with Pastor Tommy.

Day 347- (November 21) Thankful for phones apps that help you track your hours. Being responsible with the money you spend starts with being on top of the money you make.

Day 348 - (November 22) Thankful for safe travels for my family as well as my in-laws.

Day 349 - (November 23) Thankful for Rosa's tortillas and tacos.

Day 350 - (November 24) Thankful for ordering a new pair of much needed shoes!

Now…for those of you playing at home, doing the math in your head, and seeing that I’ve missed a few days. It’s not really that I’ve missed them, but I just got off on my countdown. That’s easy to do in 365 days!

Day 351 – (February 21) Thankful for Jimmy Fallon’s editing team, making videos of Brian Williams rapping.

Day 352 – (April 23) Thankful that NFL season starts in 134 days! ‪#‎hurryup

Day 353 – (September 12) Thankful for sleeping in late and getting a bit of recovery on my day off.

Day 354 – (September 18) Thankful that 29 years ago Mandy Pepper-Yowell was born!

Day 355 – (September 19) Thankful for delicious French Dip sandwiches and free doughnuts to take to people at work.

Day 356 - (November 25) Thankful for all of the people saying Happy Thanksgiving at work. Maybe I've never noticed it before, but it has seemed more prevalent this year!

Day 357 – (November 26) Thankful for getting some wood pallets to break apart and make into some cool things.

Day 358 – (November 27) Today is Thanksgiving, a day of thankfulness, but in reality everyday is a day of thankfulness. Almost a year has gone by of being intentional of what I have to be thankful for, sometimes requiring my to be very introspective.

Unfortunately the attitude of many, many people is that "thankfulness" is a once a year kind of thing on some holiday where we eat turkey and too much bread. What is even more unfortunate? A lot of people are not even truly thankful on a holiday dedicated to being thankful. I remember a customer coming in to Sprouts last year the week of Thanksgiving and I asked if she had any big plans. She said that it was a stupid holiday filled with gluttonous hypocrites who serve only themselves and are thankful for things that are truly meaningless. That breaks my heart. We aren't all like that. 

Today, I am thankful for my current employer, Cabela's. Today I not only get the day off, but it is a paid day off. I have been watching commericals for different retailers showing what times they will open on Thanksgiving day and our direct competitor, Gander Mountain, blew everyone out of the water. They were open at 8am Thanksgiving morning.

I was starting to complain about being to work at 3:30am for black friday...I have nothing to complain about!

Day 359 – (November 28) Thankful for a successful Black Friday at the store. Crazy, crazy morning, but things went well and people were in great moods. Giving them hot chocolate and s'mores before we opened sure helps!

Day 360 – (November 29) Thankful for movies with the in-laws. White House Down and White Christmas.

Day 361 – (November 30) Thankful a new pillow. Still getting used to it, but I'm hoping that it will help my neck/back!

Day 362 – (December 1) Thankful for already having some boxes of .243 and not having to buy any for hunting or sighting in this week.

Day 363 - (December 2) Thankful for when district big wigs know my name and who I am without looking at my nametag!

Day 364 – (December 3) Thankful for confirming the zero on my hunting rifle and getting to shoot off a few rounds.

Day 365 – (December 4) So, today is the day. One year later. One year of posting something that I am thankful for and I'm going to be honest, figuring out what this last thankful would be was difficult. Jerry Minson made the point that it had better be good!
I've been thinking about it all week. What is it that encompasses this entire year's worth of posts that is not too cheesy, mundane, or overly repeated. I was actually a bit worried about it as I was driving out to hunt this morning. But 5am, by yourself, on a dark morning, on country roads, sure makes you think.

So here it is. The end all, be all, as it were. After looking back over an entire year of thankfulness, today I am thankful for life.
Even after being reflective on all that I have been blessed with on a daily basis, I still take so many things for granted. Shoes, coats, a job, a roof, top ramen. Though I often get discouraged when there is not "enough" money in my pocketbook, or not "enough" food in the pantry, this has been such an eye-opening experience. I have been blessed with this amazing thing called LIFE, and what a life I have.
Looking back over the last year (and years before that)...wow! How my life has changed. How my attitude has changed. Last year at this time, my heart broke for the people coming into my new job that hated the holiday season. I didn't want to be like that. Two years ago, I was complaining about my water being shut off (again) for maintenance, our milk going sour, and my frustration with a sports analyst who made an anti-gun comment in regards to suicide prevention. Three years I was trying to find ways to make more money because my job wasn't making ends meet. Seven years ago I hated my life all together. I was a cynical, sarcastic, and down-trodden person.
I've always been a huge proponent of self-reflection and introspection and in looking back on this year, still all that I can say is wow. In our home, we've given more because we've realized how much we've been given. We've been more patient because we've realized how much "better" we have things. We've been more trusting. We've been more understanding. We've been more willing to help out. A simple change in attitude and purpose can change the world. I've never really believed that until now.
Day 365...Thank you for this life!

Time to Buy Some Muck Boots

This is Chris, and this is my first time posting on our “Pepper-Yowell Adventures” blog. Mostly this has been an avenue for Mandy to post crafty things, food stuff, and misc. updates in our lives. I miss writing (blog posts specifically) and I thought this would be a great medium to talk about stuff. The good stuff. The bad stuff. The ugly stuff. Per most of what I write and share in my life, my goal is to be transparent, open, and honest, keeping in mind the need discretion on certain topics. So #herewego.

I titled this post “Time to Buy Some Muck Boots.” If you aren’t sure what those are, I’m not sure if we can continue being friends. Growing up, muck boots were the definition of hard, messy work. The question was not, “am I going to get dirty?” The question was instead, “how dirty am I going to allow myself to get in order to get the job done?” Would I be willing to get knee deep in mud to help out an animal, or reset a fence post, or fix a barb line?

Muck boots. They’re simple rubber boots that go over your legs to help you get less dirty. It is time for the Pepper-Yowell’s to buy some “muck boots.”

When Mandy and I first got together, like many couples, we had the discussion of how many kids we were going to have. That discussion also included the aspects of adoption. We were both on the same page going into our marriage of having one of our own and adopting the rest. Fast forward almost five years and the season of “starting a family” has become very prevalent. We can’t throw one of our cats right now without hitting a pregnant friend, or recently pregnant friend, or with babies under the age of two. They’re everywhere. Seriously. Everywhere.

I feel that every couple goes through that phase when they are first married, even at the wedding, when distant relatives, friends of the family, and some people that you don’t even know asking when you are going to start popping them out. It is as if there is this unspoken rule that in order to be “officially” married you have to get to work and start bringing in little replicas of you into the world. Who wants that?

Just kidding. I do. But that wasn’t something that we wanted when we first got married. We had enough of a time being married without children that we did not need to introduce a third wheel that would be 100% dependent on us. We were taking two single people, with single people problems, and putting them together under the same house, sharing the same bed, the same dishes, etc. After a while, many people continue to have those “single people” problems and to “fix” that they get the idea that having kids will solve their problems. For the wife, often times that fills their need for love (both giving and receiving) and for men…well…having kids means having sex. I’ll be frank. Many men think that sex is like a wrench for a relationship. The more you work it, the better things are.

Mandy and I were not one of those couples. We made the decision to be married, and be just the two of us, for a while. That probably sounds very selfish to a lot of people. Let me clarify by saying that I have nothing against anyone that had kids within the first few years (or months) of their marriage. I’m just being honest that it was not in our game plan. That brings us to the current day.

Mandy is finally out of school, we’ve gotten a little bit older, and have grown to be a little more mature (except when fry bread is involved, in which case I am basically a five year old). Now seems like a great time to start a family. We expected that. We had discussed for a long time of starting to have kids once Mandy became Dr. Pepper. What we did not expect was for the Heart Gallery to show up at our church and tear open our hearts.

Heart Gallery, if you aren’t familiar, is a bunch of pictures of adoptable kids currently in the foster system. Their story is generally attached to a headshot, and the pictures are set up to show people who these kids are and that there is a need to be filled. These kids need homes. These kids need families. Seeing their photos and videos for a month at church wrecked me, so Mandy and I finally decided that it was time to start getting some more information.

We went to an informational meeting, which was a panel of representatives from the different foster and adoption agencies around Lubbock and the South Plains. They started out talking about the different costs, what is needed in order to foster, the difference between fostering and adopting, all of which was information that I thought I knew but ended up not really knowing anything. Local and state fostering is nothing like the international stories that I had heard before. How naïve I truly was.

The meeting then got…gritty. I learned very quickly that it is not, as Rocky Balboa says, “all sunshine and rainbows.” Many people walk into fostering and adoption with this idea that everything is going to be awesome. There will obviously be a few hiccups here and there, but once they get their kid, everything is going to be perfect. The kid will be happy to finally be in a loving home. They will get everything that they truly need. You may work through a few issues, but nothing you can’t handle.

That’s not really reality. Not saying that it doesn’t happen or that it is not possible, but I learned that fostering and adoption is messy ministry. It is not all sunshine and rainbows.

I was naïve in thinking about the kids that are currently in the foster system. Everyone that I had ever talked about this subject had adopted a child that was either a newborn or less than one year of age. Sometimes it was from another country, such as China or Africa. I heard about the crazy adoption costs that they had to spend in order to get their child, but once they got them, everything seemed to work out like any other parents. Taking on children from other countries seemed so much nobler than kids in our own city. My thought was, “at least the kids in our cities have grown up with freedom.” How naïve I was.

1000. One thousand. That is the number of kids in the Panhandle region of Texas that are currently in need of foster homes. 700 of those are from Lubbock and Amarillo alone. That does not include the kids that are in foster homes, but have not been released for adoption because their cases are still in progress. There are 6000 across the rest of Texas. 6000 kids that are waiting to no longer have to sleep in an emergency shelter. 6000 kids that need a foster home JUST so that the chaos that has become their life can begin to become more “normal.” That is staggering to me. I heard these statistics in our foster babysitting training class this morning. What really amazed me that there were just over a half dozen people in the class. There were maybe two dozen at the church informational meeting a few months ago. I think there were more representatives from the agencies than people looking to get information.

How is this possible?

It’s messy ministry. Why would people want to open up their homes, their lives, and subject their family (especially their biological children) to messed up and broken kids? To some, it seems irresponsible to bring a drug addicted baby into their home. It seems irresponsible to bring a sexually abused boy into a place with other kids. They will abuse other kids and those kids will abuse more kids, and the cycle will never end. That’s what we’ve all been told. It’s messy. If it wasn’t, there wouldn’t be a need to take these kids out of their homes, up-turn their lives, and try to re-locate them into something better.

In the state of Texas there is a category known as “special needs.” This is not simply the traditional mental or physical needs that most of us think of. Special needs in Texas are in reference to the “undesirable” kids. These are the kids that no one really wants. In fact, the state of Texas has an incentive program just to get people to take care of these kids. You may think to yourself, “wow, how messed up are these kids?” Here are the qualifications to meet for special needs:

Minority over the age of two.

Any sibling group.

Any child with physical or mental disabilities requiring additional care.

Caucasian over the age of six.

That is a lot of kids, about 50% of the ones in the foster system. People don’t want these kids. That rips my heart wide open.

So…where am I going with this whole post? Where am I going with contributing to this blog in general? My goal is to provide Mandy and myself with an outlet to the world of what this process really looks like. Right now, we plan to adopt in the next few years, most likely a sibling group. But through starting this process, we’ve been hearing the same things over and over and over again. Foster parents need support. This is hard, difficult, exhausting, and often frustrating work.

Our avenue to start this adventure is with foster babysitting. This will probably be another post all in itself, but not just anyone can watch your kids when they are in foster care. They have to be trained, in babysitting, CPR and first aid. They have to pass background checks and get fingerprinted, and a few other things which cost money. You can’t just hire the teenage girl down the street. You can’t even ask your parents if they aren’t certified. That creates a lot of isolation and loneliness for foster parents.

Right now, that is one of the greatest needs. That is where we are going to start.

That’s it for now (I can go on for ages, but it’s time to click the publish button). I look forward to creating a dialogue with everyone that reads this blog and walking this journey with Mandy.

It’s time to buy some muck boots.

Skirting the Issue

I follow a blog on Instagram called Simple Simon and Co and saw them post about Skirting the Issue, click the link for more information. I knew that I'd be spending some time with my family, and we're all big sewers so I thought why not take a day and sew some skirts! We did a different size for each skirt/dress so that when we donate these skirts to a local foster home they have one for every size girls to juniors. I'm going to add later the basic skirt pattern that we used to make the skirts, and photo's of us making them, but here are pictures of all the skirts!

Stuffed Crochet Christmas Tree

Throughout this winter I've been going crazy crocheting things to keep myself sane. It's a great stress reliever and I love hand making things for people. Blankets have long since become boring for me unless they're for new babies so I have been trying new things. Stuffed animals, trucks, etc. thanks to this wonderful book called Cuddly Crochet by Stacey Trock. I added the light bar to the top of the truck, and changed the headlights because I was making it for a cop friend who drives a truck and I was trying to mimic it to the best of my abilities. The blue bird turned out much better than the red bird because it was my second time around so I learned what to do and what not to do. Ultimately my "nephew" loved the little birdie so it was a success!

I then decided to make a Christmas tree as a white elephant gift because it was easy and cheap and this was how it turned out:

I just thought it would be a cheap white elephant gift, the person that got it loved it and when I posted it on facebook my grandma then saw it and said she wanted one. So I decided to make bigger one and actually write down the pattern. Plus I had this super cute piece of fabric from a jar of bean soup that I thought would make a perfect "tree skirt." Grandma loved it and here's how it turned out:

Here's the pattern:

You are working in the round for this whole pattern so you will crochet in the back loops the entire time. It WILL help if you have a stitch maker to keep track of your rounds. If you don't have a fancy stitch marker you can use run of the mill safety pins to keep track of the end of your rounds so you know how far you've made it.

For the Tree:

Round 1: ch 2, sc 3 in 2nd ch from hook.

Round 2: sc 2 in each st.

Round 3: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 4: sc in each st.

Round 5: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 2 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 6: sc in each st.

Round 7: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 3 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 8: sc in each st.

Round 9: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 4 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 10: sc in each st.

Round 11: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 5 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 12: sc in each st.

Round 13: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 6 st, repeat from * 2 times.

Round 14: sc in each st.

Round 15: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 5 st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 16: sc in each st.

Round 17: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 6 st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 18: sc in each st.

Round 19: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 7 st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 20: sc in each st.

Round 21: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 5 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 22: sc in each st.

Round 23: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 6 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 24: sc in each st.

Round 25: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 7 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 26: sc in each st.

Round 27: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 8 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 28: sc in each st.

Round 29: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next 9 st, repeat from * 5 times.

Round 30: sc in each st, fasten off with long tail

For the bottom of the tree:

Round 1: ch 2, sc 6 in 2nd ch from hook.

Round 2: sc 2 in each st.

Round 3: *sc 2 in next 2 st, sc in next st, repeat from * 3 times.

Round 4: *sc 2 in next st, sc in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 5: *sc in next 2 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 6: *sc in next 3 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 7: *sc in next 4 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 9 times.

Round 8: *sc in next 11 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 4 times.

Round 9: *sc in next 4 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 12 times.

Round 10: *sc in next 12 st, sc 2 in next st, repeat from * 5 times, fasten off with long tail.

For the ornaments (Not worked in the round, can use multiple colors):

ch 2, sc 2 in the 2nd ch from hook, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, fasten off with tail.

For the tinsel I used an old bead necklace, cut it, and slip it through stitches to hold it in place. Use the tail of the ornaments to sew them on around the tree randomly. Stuff the tree and use the long tails of the bottom of the tree and the tree to stitch the bottom onto the tree. If you have a cute piece of fabric you can just stitch that onto the bottom.

Nut Butter

My parents destore  to surprise us and c  I doisit for about a week. Imicrowaveso nice to have someone actually come visit us in Lubbock! We went driving around Lubbock, seeing the sights, spending WAY too much money at Sprouts and other various locations. Mom had brought some homemade cashew butter with her and then ended up using almost all our peanut butter to make an amazing asian peanut sauce. All that toif you Ayotte it in the fridge, like I do, then you might want to microwave it for 20 -30 second to make it more  say we decided to buy some dry roasted, unsalted cashews and attempt to make some homemade cashew butter with my Magic Bullet (TM) because my mom had used her full size food processor and said that a small food processor would work better.

Doesn't just look so awesome! Don't worry I'll have the recipe below so you don't have to zoom in on the picture!

We took the dry roasted cashews and ground them in the magic bullet.

Then I suggest adding the salt and grinding one more time, especially if you chose to use any form of course salt. Then we added olive oil one-half tablespoon at a time, and honey one teaspoon at a time since we weren't sure how much it would take of either of them.

Then we ground it, add more honey and olive oil, ground it more, etc. until it became a thick paste, like peanut butter :-)

Then I scooped it into a half-pint jar, ready to be eaten and enjoyed!

I haven't tried almonds yet but that will be next and I will update the blog accordingly! Now that you've listened to me ramble on and have suffered through my amateur photographs here's the recipe:

Nut Butter

1 cup dry, roasted, unsalted nuts (choose any nut you would like, we chose unsalted so we could control the amount of salt in it)
1/2 t salt
2 t honey
2-4 T oil (peanut, almond, olive, vegetable, if you can stick with whatever nut you're using)

Blend or grind nuts in a small food processor or a magic bullet. If using sea salt or Kosher salt add after nuts are ground and blend or process again. Add honey and oil one teaspoon or tablespoon at a time and blend well. Add just enough oil to make it smooth, if you do more than one round as the blade gets hot it will be more doughy than buttery, just be prepared for that and don't over-add oil.

NOTE: If you store it in the fridge, like I do, then you will want to microwave it for 20-30 seconds before you use it to make it spread easier. Microwave without the ring and lid :)

Happy Fall Y'all!

Hey Y'all!

I'm super happy that it's fall and I had found some cute printables that said "Give Thanks" but I wanted to make my own that said "Happy Fall Y'all" and get some Texas spirit into the fall! I have made two different banners, one more simple, and one more complex and festive. I hope you enjoy!

Pictures to come!

Befit Go Beach Body AKA Operation Bride

We have officially started Operation Bride for the majority of the bridal party for the wedding coming up in January. The Official schedule was posted by Lionsgate Befit on their Twitter account, but we couldn't find two of the videos so we put together a schedule with all the links to the videos!

Week 1	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3	Day 4	Day 5	Day 6	Day 7
	20 Min Total Core & Thighs Workout	10 Min Sexy Arms Workout	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	REST	30 Min Powerhouse Yoga Workout	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout
Week 2	Day 8	Day 9	Day 10	Day 11	Day 12	Day 13	Day 14
	REST	20 Min Total Core & Thighs Workout	40 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 2	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	REST	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout & 10 Min Sexy Arms Workout
Week 3	Day 15	Day 16	Day 17	Day 18	Day 19	Day 20	Day 21
	30 Min Powerhouse Yoga Workout	REST	40 Min Fat-Burning HIIT Workout	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout	REST	20 Min Total Core & Thighs Workout
Week 4	Day 22	Day 23	Day 24	Day 25	Day 26	Day 27	Day 28
	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	30 Min Powerhouse Yoga Workout	REST	20 Min Lean Legs & Abs Workout	10 Min Beach Butt & Tummy Tuck Workout & 10 Min Sexy Arms Workout	40 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 2	REST
Week 5	Day 29	Day 30
	30 Min Total Body Bikini Blast – Level 1	40 Min Fat-Burning HIIT Workout

Be aware that at Day 25 we may switch to Befit in 90, which is their version of P90X. So this will be our ramping up month and then I think we're going to switch to a much harder workout but it's way easier to follow because it tells you what videos to do for each day!

Enjoy!