I had my first ever wedding nightmare last night. Everything went 100% wrong in my dream. In fact, for some reason, the wedding was 2 months early. I was wearing a really heinous pink veil that was attached to a pink rhinestone tiara with a single pink feather. I looked like native american barbie, but in a really bad way. My dress was too big, gappy and awful, and the comb attached to my hair ruined my hairstyle, so I looked like I stepped out of the 80's with poofy hair. I woke up and was so glad to find it was all a horrible nightmare! Hopefully that will be the end of that.

A month of thankfulness - day 1!

Today I begin my journey to a thankful heart. Well, I think I started before today, but I just started my basket of blessings project (thanks steph!).

Day 1: Choosing gratefulness.

It can sometimes be difficult to see the good in a horrible situation. Right now I can think of the storms in the south, the earthquake in Japan, or any time where it seems easy to think God is 'picking' on a certain region, "exercising wrath on sinners". Everyone usually blames either karma or God (or lack thereof), thinking that bad things happen to people that deserve it, or wondering how a good God could let something bad happen. What most people don't think of is the good things that can come from all the horrible things in the world.

I feel like I have led a pretty charmed life. Don't get me wrong, I have had my share of trials (the start of college a-HEM), and several things ranging from high school age and beyond, I'll leave out the gruesome details. I have learned nothing on this earth ever goes as planned, or as we think we want them to. What I do know is that in my life, the things that I have gone through have definitley affected me in BIG ways. I have learned to appreciate the challenges, because I learned from them. They really have made me stronger, and have also made me rely on God, I think that's why He gives us challenges.

Moving on to the topic of the day, I am supposed to write about someone who has made a big impact on my life. I could choose the obvious, but instead I will choose my dear friend, bridesmaid, and former roommate, Jann. We lived together for 2 years, and it's crazy how bonded we became. Sometimes I think the best friendships are the most emotional ones. We used to have hours-long conversations about who knows what. These weren't silly little conversations either, they were philosophical discussions about ALL THINGS. She probably knows me better than most people because somehow I was able to be completely real with her, which is difficult for me.

As roommates, she and I both went through big life changes, and she helped me to survive mine. When my world seemed to be shattering, she helped me to move forward, and I have always been grateful for that. She is the person who asks the hard questions, and helps me to be honest with myself. I know that it goes against her normal tendencies to be close to someone so far away (I'm the same way), and she and I have had our arguments, but I am grateful to have her friendship.