Being Thankful

Thanksgiving. So much to be thankful for...

My family, of course. Everyone says that, right? So it's easy to skip over it kinda fast - it's such a given - but really that's what makes us humans tick. It's the source of our greatest joy (and heartache)... our relationships with others. I can't get over the richness my wonderful husband, my three kids, my parents, in-laws, and out-laws bring to my life.

For loving friends, good health, cozy home, good food and sufficient "stuff."

For our minivan that didn't need transmission work after all, a plentiful supply of multi-colored leaves for the kids to play in, crazy pooches that bring extra laughter (and sometimes aggravation) to our home.

For the smell of leaves in autumn, the rustling sound of wind in the trees, the contagious giggles of children.

For the peace that surpasses all understanding, for the hope of a better tomorrow, for this grace in which I stand.

And most of all, for the love of the Giver of Every Good and Perfect Gift, who fills my life and my heart in more ways than I can possibly comprehend. To God be the glory. Amen.

All I Needed Was a Pair of Jeans

I finally decided to buy myself some new jeans the other day. So, while all three kiddos were at their appropriate schools, I headed to the mall. Let me begin by saying that it's been a really long time since I bought jeans or have even had jeans that fit well, with the yo-yo-ing size of me thanks to the aforementioned three kiddos. Anyway...

So I'm in the first store, looking at the vast Wall O' Denim, and I'm thinking it can't be as bad as it looks. But I was wrong. There are like 20 different sizes, each available in S for short, R for regular, and L for long. There are six or eight different "fits" (low rise with straight leg, low rise with boot cut, mid rise straight, etc). And then there are the different washes or colorings and such. I wasn't too keen on the indigo dye that threatened to leave its mark permanently on the furniture if I didn't wash it just right (I don't need stress from my jeans, thank you). And I wasn't about to shell out good money on jeans with holes in them (after all, I need new jeans because my current jeans are growing holes of their own... the natural way). After trying on six pairs of jeans, I give up on store number one and move on.

I tried another little shop that didn't have many jeans, then proceeded to a large store that seemed to me to be a denim expert. But I couldn't even bring myself to try on any jeans due to sticker shock combined with an unintelligible sizing system that is either foreign, or an insider thing to make their followers feel cooler and "in the know." I was outta there!

I finally did manage to find one good pair of jeans for a reasonable price at my fourth store after trying on four pairs of jeans (and two pairs were mislabelled). All that work for one pair of jeans. This is why I hate clothes shopping sometimes!