A Year of Gratitude - July 2024 Snapshot

I mentioned at the beginning of the year that my word for 2024 is GRATITUDE.  To help myself keep the focus on this word, I started keeping a gratitude journal on January 1, and I’ve been writing at least 3-4 things I’m grateful for every single day.  Some days I’ve felt so overwhelmed with gratitude that I haven’t been able to pick just 3-4, so I’ve listed even more. 

To hold myself accountable, and to keep this word at the forefront of my mind all year, I thought I might share a little snapshot of the musings from my gratitude journal each month here on the blog.  I’ll only be pulling one item from my gratitude journal per day to share here (okay, maybe sometimes more than one) as I don’t want to go overboard, and also because some of the things I write are things that I’d like to keep private.  :o) 

Some of the things will be really big things like good health and good relationships, some things may be humorous, and some things will be the little things that most of the time go unnoticed.  Overall, though, the purpose of this whole exercise (and my choosing of this word this year) is to remember that even on the very worst of days, there is ALWAYS something for which to be grateful.

Always.

July was a great month!  The kids and I had lots of lazy time at home, lots of productive time at home, and lots of end-of-summer-break fun!  The best part about the whole month is that I didn’t have any crazy facial/neck tension from my braces rubber bands, and therefore, I noticed that a lot of my lingering dizziness faded significantly for a lot of the month.  I did have days where the dizziness and boat-rocking were present, but it wasn’t too bad at all.  As a matter of fact, I think it was the best month for my symptoms that I’ve had since my vertigo started back in July 2023.  That, of course, did wonders for my mental state, and I felt generally lighter and happier in July than I have in a very long time. 

Unfortunately, as I type this, they changed my rubber bands at my last appointment, and they are causing tons of face and neck tension, so the dizziness has come back, but at least I had a good run in July!  Haha.

Anyway, enough of the chatter, let’s get to the best parts of the month…

In July I was grateful for…

 

1. That my vehicle broke down at home instead of while we were out somewhere running errands.  And it broke down on a day that Brian was working from home, so we were able to use his vehicle to get where we needed to go.  I was also grateful that it ended up just being a dead battery.
2. So.much.productivity at home.  I was able to dive deep into the master to-do list and check things off of the list that have been on there for years!  I haven’t been able to do that in a very long time! 
3. That Brian cleaned off the porch for our Fourth of July party, so I didn’t have to.  It’s one of my least favorite chores and I dread it.
4. A super fun day swimming and hanging out with friends and then eating dinner and doing fireworks with family for Fourth of July.
5. A lazy day on the books after an exhausting Fourth… and the sweet sounds of Jacob playing Clair de Lune (one of my very favorite piano pieces) on the piano.
6. Brian’s homemade chocolate chip cookies.
7. A trip to our newly renovated museum, quality time with my little family, and a surprise seeing my Big Daddy’s picture hanging in the museum!
8. Happy mail from a friend that made my day.  You know who you are.  <3
9. Finally getting my vehicle back after having it sit at the dealership for a while because they were too busy to get to it.
10. A fresh haircut for Maui… she always looks extra cute and snuggly after she gets groomed!
11. The ability to walk, drive, and do normal activities on this one-year anniversary of my vertigo.
12. A guitar gifted to Olivia (since she is about to start taking lessons) from my aunt and uncle since they had one that they weren’t using.
13. Drawers under our bed that no longer slide out constantly!  Brian installed magnets on them, so they no longer open randomly throughout the day and night.  That has been a pain point for nearly 15 years and it is finally solved!
14. Having both of my babies under the same roof again after a couple of days of outings and sleepovers with friends.  I always miss them so much when they’re away!
15. A good, cozy thunderstorm that cooled things off outside tremendously.
16. Everyone who shopped through my links on Amazon Prime Day… it’s because of all of you that I get to do what I love and provide for my family!
17. One-on-one time with my Boo that was spent browsing the local music store.
18. That Olivia’s new guitar teacher is so enthusiastic that she is going to start taking lessons.  We all love Mr. Steve, and his excitement to take her on as a student is great for her confidence.
19. A fan-girl moment when one of my favorite new artists sent me the kindest DM, for my Momma and Daddy who were willing to step in at a moment’s notice to watch the kids for a bit since Brian couldn’t get off of work in time for me to go out with my girlfriends, and for time with my girlfriends making flower arrangements.  Time with them always fills my cup.
20. A successful birthday party for Jacob with his friends… and for his tribe.  He has such a great group of friends!
21. Olivia’s hugs.  She is such a loving, cuddly child and she is constantly giving me hugs and snuggling with me.  I hope she never stops.
22. Tennis skirts from Amazon.  They are seriously the most comfortable things ever, and they are so cute!!
23. Thirteen years with my rainbow baby!  Happy birthday, Jacob!  Oh, and for the look on his face when he opened his birthday gift from us – his first cell phone – it was truly priceless, and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.
24. The outpouring of love from family to Jacob on his new phone.  He was thrilled to get so many calls and texts from family members and friends.
25. A seamless transition from voice lessons to guitar lessons for Olivia… we thought for sure it was going to be impossible to get a good time slot with Mr. Steve since he’s so popular, but as luck would have it, the day we canceled her voice lessons and booked her guitar lessons, the slot right after her normal voice lesson slot permanently opened.  So, she and Jacob will still have lessons on the same day, and they’ll be back-to-back so we don’t have to split them up or have some awkward waiting period in between times.  Thank you to the people who moved/canceled their lessons in that time slot!  Haha.
26. So much laughter and fun at poker night.
27. Electricity.  It’s something we take for granted until it goes out for nearly eight hours.  Especially in the summer when it’s blazing hot.
28. Lunch at my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s after weeks of not seeing them.
29. How each of the kids come straight into my office and give me the biggest hug every single morning when they wake up.
30. Lots of upcoming fun plans!
31. Pool time and sleepovers for the kids.

 

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! 

Happy Monday, y’all!  What is something you’re grateful for today?