I'm Thankful Anyway!

I am thankful for...

My husband, who actually read Twilight before he took me to the movie last night, and also works hard to let me be a stay at home mom

My children, who keep me humble

My home. While it may not always be clean, it is always welcoming

My parents, who taught me the important stuff

My health

A car that starts

A job that pays the bills

An education to back me up, just in case...

The ability to read anything I want, and also to understand it (something I took for granted before having first-graders)

Friends and family who like me the way I am, social ineptitude and all

The promise of being together forever with my loved ones.

Now, I will try to keep these tremendous blessings in mind as I tell this very sad tale...

My family believes in the sport of Black Friday. Yes, it is a sport in every sense of the word: strategy, quick reflexes, fleetness of foot, etc.
We strategized after Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and came up with our plan. The morning was to begin at Wal-Mart at 3:30 AM. I came home, checked my ads, set my alarm, laid out my clothes, got my coat, keys, and purse out at the ready and went to bed so I would be energized the next morning. I was prepared for the cold, I was prepared for the sleep deprivation, I was prepared for the battle ahead...
Alas, the one contingency I didn't plan on was the one that occurred. The power went out around 2 AM and didn't turn back on until 5:15! I was awoken at 5 by my cell phone ringing in the next room. It was my sister, wondering where I was. I had missed it! It was so sad...kind of like a child missing Christmas morning *sniff*. Burke, the sweet guy he is, was quite sympathetic even though he just doesn't "get" the fun of Black Friday. I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and left to go paw over the leftovers. I did get a few things that morning, but ended up having Burke check online for some of the deals I had missed out on. I probably could have saved the hassle and the gas by staying home, because he was able to find just about everything I was looking for.

Although I was very disappointed, I can put it all into perspective. Things are not important, people and relationships are. A friend in our ward lost his father on Sunday. I am so grateful to be able to have all of my family with me this Thanksgiving, even if they are a few states away. I love you all!