30 Days: Day 7 - Our Sweet Pups

Today, I am thankful for our sweet pups.

Matt and I are both dog people, and we always looked so forward to the day that we would be able to get a dog.  After we bought our house in 2010, we knew it would only be a matter of time before we got a furry pet.  That summer, we went to the local shelter (with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law) intending to get a dog but it wasn't long before I was begging Matt to take two dogs home.

We sort of decided that we would each pick one.  We had been looking at the shelter's dogs online earlier in the week, and I remember thinking that the German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix (Tangelo) would probably not stay at the shelter long.  I was surprised to see that he was still there; in fact, he was in a meeting room with a family when we got there.  I figured that the family would get him and I'd have to find another dog, but one of the volunteers let us see him and I fell in love.  Tangelo was big and scary but as sweet as pie.  He had been brought in as the leader of a local group of strays, and his "wife" (Clementine) and "baby" (Kumquat) wouldn't be up for adoption for a few more weeks.  We still talk about how it would have been to have the whole family!

Matt picked a cute little English Springer Spaniel/Australian Shepherd mix (Tumbler) that I wasn't crazy about, but I let it be "his dog."  Really, it took me a few weeks to warm up to Tumbler; he has way too much energy for a dog.  He had been adopted and returned to the shelter.

When I told the volunteers at the shelter the names of the dogs we wanted to adopt, I was told that we couldn't adopt another dog with Tangelo.  I really wanted to say, "Well, I'm the one with the checkbook, so I think you'll give me whichever dogs I want," but we opted for putting the dogs together and seeing what happened.  The dogs did fine together - they probably sniffed each other and lost interest, so we moved forward and took both of them home.

There are so many funny and silly and ridiculous stories I could write about both of our dogs, but I won't (at least not right now).  We kept the names that the shelter gave them, adding an apostrophe (making it T'Angelo - a little gangsta, as I always say, since he spent so much time on the street).  Tumbler has calmed down a lot and they both love kids.  They are sweet and wonderful and sometimes annoying but most of the time awesome.

30 Days: Day 6 - Voting in Peace

I am so glad that I was able to go vote without feeling any fear, intimidation, or concern for my safety.  I know that, in other places, the privilege of being able to vote is not enjoyed.

So no matter what the outcome today, I am grateful for my chance to be a part of the process!

30 Days: Day 5 - Nights with Nothing on the Agenda

I'm so thankful for nights with nothing on the agenda!  We got a movie and enjoyed it with our sleeping little one :)  I had housework and other tasks on my to-do list, but I decided that they can wait until tomorrow.

I love our family and I LOVE our nights "in!"

30 Days: Day 4: Cupcakes

Today's post will be short but sweet...Exactly like my subject!

I'm so thankful for cupcakes - they are cute, yummy, and the perfect late-night snack!

30 Days: Day 3 - Children

I'm going to try to keep this post brief, as I have cloth diapers in the washer, a living room that needs to be vacuumed, a kitchen and hallway that needs to be swept, dogs that need to be taken out, baby shower preparations that need to be taken care of, and a tummy that needs to be fed (my own right now but also Aynsley's in a little over an hour).

Today, I'm thankful for children.  I'm not even talking about my own amazing daughter when I think about this, I'm particularly thankful for the children of others.  One of my best friends, Kristen, has four AMAZING boys (one who is extra-special to me because I was able to be there when he was born) and I love being a part of their lives.  Also, I get to spend my weekdays with sweet Gwen whose wonderful parents, Jimmy and Jessica, are a wealth of knowledge (well, more Jess than Jimmy ;) and a blessing to us.

It's no secret that I love kids; I've been serving in children's ministry in some way, shape, or form since I graduated from junior high.  I just love spending time with kids, so I often volunteer to baby-sit (sometimes I even get kids for trips and sleepovers!).  I love so much about kids - their innocence, the hilarious things they say, the way they mispronounce things, the way that each and every kid is so different.

I am so blessed to be trusted with the children at my church and the children that I get to "steal" from friends, and I'm so grateful for all of the wonderful children in my life!

30 Days: Day 2 - Church Family

Last night, I attended a prayer service held at our church.  During the service, I was pretty sure that my church was going to be day 2...And I was right!  Tonight's prayer service made me sure that my church family is what I'm thankful for today.

This prayer summit has become something wonderful.  Last year, it wasn't a priority for me to attend, so I was only a part of the typical Sunday morning service.  This year, Matt and I planned to attend the evening services (in addition to our regular Sunday morning service) and I'm so glad that we made that decision.

Last night, I took Aynsley (Matt was still asleep after his first night back at work and a morning in court) and was blessed to have one of my best friends keep her while I was a part of the worship team.  The worship was, in a word, wonderful, and tonight's worship time was the same.  Due to Aynsley's current feeding schedule, I'm not able to stay for the whole service, but even those brief moments of worship have helped to encourage me.

Our church family is such a blessing to us, and I could go on and on about the wonderful community that we get to be a part of (and I did so here), but I'll try to keep it brief and let you know how much I appreciate the amazingness that is our church.

We have a fantastic pastoral staff, and I am so glad to be a part of a church led by such godly men and women.  Our church spreads generational lines - we have brand-new babies and we have members in their nineties (I'm pretty sure...).  We have people that remind us frequently that they pray daily for Matt, people who brought us meals during those first tiring weeks as new parents, people who lift us up and support us and encourage us in every way possible.

Just sitting in the pews these last few nights, I realized how thankful I am for so many members of my church family.  We are close with Pastor Carlos and Kristen Lonberger and so blessed by their friendship and their four wonderful boys.  I truly look forward to seeing Sarah Warren each Sunday morning and, although our chats are often pretty brief, she's sarcastic and fun and I love her.  I got to hear a beautiful song from Sarah Smith last night and her beautiful voice matches her beautiful heart - she is one of the most caring people I know.  Pastor Joy is an encouragement to me and I love spending time with her - I feel blessed to be a part of the children's ministry that she leads.  Joy Schroeder has been through such an ordeal with cancer but I always see her with a smile and an encouraging word.  Lindsay Fulda is a beautiful, talented teen that I adore - I can't wait to see what God has planned for her future.

Really, I could go on and on and on and on and on about all of the wonderful people at church (really, I could), but those are a few people who stuck out to me over the last two nights of the prayer services.  My heart is full as I think of these wonderful people and the wonderful place that we get to be a part of here.  I am so grateful for my church family!

30 Days: Day 1 - Sight

I've seen a few bloggers do 30 or 31 days of thankfulness or holiday preparation and I thought a fall blog project might be fun.  We have a lot of computer drama going on at the McDaniel house, so it's a pretty big commitment.  I'm not 100% sure I'll be able to post every day, but I'm going to try.

For a "30 Days of Thankfulness" project, I've decided to write a post each day during the month of November.  Once I decided to do this, I immediately struggled with what kinds of things would warrant blog posts.  Big, important things, like family?  Salvation?  Or small, less important things, like chocolate and picture frames?  I decided that I wasn't going to worry about it or plan it out.  So each day's post will be unplanned (although I have the feeling that Thanksgiving's post might still be family...You know how it goes).  And I'll try not to make the posts too long or boring,  but they might involve a story.  Today's post does!

Most days, I have a good half-hour to an hour stretch of time to myself - everyone in the house (Matt, Gwen, and Aynsley) are asleep at the same time.  I usually take a shower, get ready for the day, eat lunch if I haven't already done so, and relax for a few minutes.

Today, Aynsley woke up early and, as I put Gwen down for her nap, I got Aynsley up from hers.  After I fed her, I grabbed her bouncy seat and a teething toy and set her up in our bathroom.  I took my shower and, once I got out, I started to talk to her (saying really, really cheesy things that I say to her, like "sunshine baby" and "sunshine pie" and other cheesy things that I call her).  I didn't have my contacts in, so I had to squint to see that she was smiling at me.

Thankfully, I put my contacts in within a few minutes and was able to see her bright, beautiful smile.  If you know me well, you know that I have terrible eyesight and need glasses or contacts to function.  I am so, so grateful for my (corrected!) sight.  It's one thing I'm thankful for today.

Without my sight, I would never see the way the wind moves through the leaves in a tree.  I wouldn't see a gorgeous sunset as I'm watering my flowers or the beautiful color of my husband's eyes.  I wouldn't see Aynsley's sweet smile or the incredible blue of the sky when it's that unbelievable color on a clear day.

I am so thankful that I get to see all of these amazing, wonderful things, and so, today, I'm thankful for my sight.