Although I am guilty of not blogging in FOREVER and giving grief to others for not updating theirs (hehe), I have been still regularly reading blogs. One that I like to follow is a friend and sorority sister of mine Keith Ann. One thing she is doing on her blog has been very inspiring to me. Every other day or so, she is blogging five things she is grateful for. Her inspiration for doing so comes from here and what a wonderful (and so true) post. The past month or so has been stressful with pregnancy, balancing work/home, and finding time to spend with my husband who is currently doing work and school full-time. It’s enough for me sometimes to want to shut down, wallow, and complain. However, when I read Keith Ann’s initial gratitude post, I jotted down a couple of things I was thankful for in my mind and began to think about those when I became frustrated or wanted to complain. It has definitely kept me more upbeat, more motivated, and more peaceful about circumstances in my life. Because my perspective on a lot of things has shifted since mediating on what I was thankful for, it has challenged me to rise this blog from the ashes and start my own 1,000 gifts. Every day (or at least every other day), I’m going to challenge myself to post 5 things I am grateful for starting with the five things I often think about when I want to complain:

1. The gift and blessing of meeting my son in August

2. My crockpot

3. Cookie dough Frostys from Wendy’s

4. Nathan’s foot rubs

5. Happy hour at Sonic (I’m pregnant. I think about food A LOT)