thanks God

so, to keep myself from complaining about today and the negative things that went on--which i'm sorely tempted to explain but won't--i decided to start listing all the positive things that went on or just things i'm thankful for today.

the sun, being able to pray, being able to express myself through tears at times, pictures and video clips of my adorable nephew Isaac, 2 year-old Alicia i live with and our new "hello" game, baby Abby's smiles when i say her name, being 2/3 done teaching unit lessons for the week, God's forgiveness of me, a loving text from Leanne, the Velveteen Rabbit book that Gramma Glenda gave to me to borrow, a working/reliable car, drinkable water with a straw, soup for dinner, my 2 new part-time jobs, the fact that i dont have to teach high school math, the fact that i finished homework before 10pm tonight, comfy jeans, the note sitting on my desk from little 2nd grade Cristina, a 100% on a lesson plan i wrote for class, Nicole Nordeman's album "This Mystery," the anticipation of autumn, thoughts about my family, a tall nonfat iced white mocha from starbucks between classes today, a new study to go through on missions and thought-provoking questions about that, a short facebook post from Adrienne saying she's praying for me, being able to laugh with my professors, peanut M&Ms that were passed around in class, the encouragement of having given a non-believing family in my life a flyer for a church bbq/community day, a short conversation with a caf worker in the bathroom, the fact that i dont have to take my heavy computer to school tomorrow, 4 pillows to prop up against while studying, the healing that God's been doing in my heart both from pain and bitterness, a catchy song from Disney's "Anastasia", the fact that i didnt get sick from the people i live with who were sick yesterday, saying hi to the librarian, the thought of some dear friends of mine even though i havent talked to them in a while, the way the flickering lightbulb in my room stayed on while i was reading instead of turning off randomly, the ability to sit and rest my body physically, the way Terah did my dinner dishes for me, my name which i love, the knowledge that i'm going to call my mom tomorrow and see how she's doing, a solid education, the ability to take contacts out at night to give my eyes a break, God's intense love for me, a marked-up and note-filled Bible that i love and want to keep studying, the fact that i got to talk about the book of Job with the non-Christian boy i tutor, an air-conditioned house,

and i'm pretty sure i could keep going.
but for now i'm going to pack a lunch for tomorrow
and go to bed. :)