Gratitude

Well I had an AMAZING Thanksgiving break, thanks to my grandparents and the McCabe clan! I was able to spend a couple days with my best friend Nancy and her boyfriend Trevor (and Nancy's sister and her sister's family) and then the rest of the break was with my Nana and Grandpa and then my Mom and Dad and sibs.

On one of the mornings that we were up in good 'ol Poky, ID (I can't remember which day it was), my dad had us go around and share one thing that we were grateful for. The thing I chose to say was tithing, for without it, my tuition would be TONS more than what I pay now. However, I would like to use this blog entry to list the 30 (for all the days of November) things I am grateful for.

1. Tithing (see above for reason)
2. This AMAZING school that I am attending, even if some of the rules are a bit ridiculous (*cough* no sweats on campus *cough*)
3. My AMAZING roommates. I couldn't have asked for better roommates for my first semester of college. I hope my luck carries on and I continue to get awesome roommates the rest of my college experience (well, at least til I get married ;))
4. My best friend Nancy, for without her, my college social life would be non-existent. Oh and my life just wouldn't be complete without her.
5. My awesome boyfriend Chris. :) He's just amazing. We haven't really been able to see each other the past 2 weeks or so, but we'll get to see each other lots (hopefully) this week before we submerge ourselves (and by "we" I mean "him") in studying for finals, and then finals week. We also cuddle really close whenever we're together, so I'm always warm when I'm around him :D
6. My awesome parents. They have done so much for me in my 18 years of existence, and I have realized that I never really thanked them for everything they did. So, thank you to my mom and dad for: buying most of the things I wanted until I was old enough to pay for it myself; letting me drive the van (even after my accident. Thanks to my dad for being so calm when I told him about it on the phone, when I thought of all opportunities in life he would yell at me most); giving me a home (with food and my own room); actually deciding to have me; paying for half of my insurance; being so patient with me when I had my ups and downs in my life; teaching me to love the gospel; keeping the gospel constant in our lives; the list is endless. THANKS!!!
7. Scriptures. Even though I don't read them enough (gonna start working on that), they're pretty powerful, and I have been able to find so many new things in my religion class here at BYU-I compared to my seminary class at Riverton High [ha, I just realized the acronym (it is an acronym, right?) and the shortened name of my high school rhyme. Neat. :)].
8. This is most recently, but I am grateful for Dayquil and Nyquil, for without it, this cold would be unbearable. Oh, and those chewable tablets my Nana gave me. They're supposed to be taken when you first think you're getting a cold, and I didn't start taking them til Saturday (a few days after the cold arrived), but I really think they're helping. Oh, and cough drops. I used one today after I could NOT stop coughing, and it helped tremendously.
9. My apartment building's maintenance manager. He actually shovels the sidewalks [unlike CERTAIN people on campus (*cough* campus maintenance *cough*)]! --A little side note: Dear BYU-I campus maintenance: I have no idea what idiot told you it worked, but DIRT DOES NOT MELT ICE!!! In the words of Shakespeare, "Be not afraid of greatness," the greatness in this situation being rock salt that will actually melt the ice. Another great thing being shovels. I'm sure you have them somewhere in the place where you keep all the maintenance stuff, so don't be afraid to try new things and SHOVEL THE DARN SIDEWALKS ON CAMPUS!!! Its getting kinda ridiculous. Sincerely, Kelsi. Ahem. Sorry about that. Anyway. I think our maintenance guy's name is Rob, so THANK YOU ROB!!!
10. I'm grateful for coats. Without mine, I'd have hypothermia by now. Which would not be good. Oh, and scarves, gloves, and hats.
11. I'm grateful to have my camera back!!! I haven't been able to use it yet, however, due to having to charge the new batteries cuz someone took the ones I had out of my camera (to my family: sorry about that explosion I had...but really, it made me mad), but we should be set to go tomorrow! Now to find something/someone to take pictures of...
12. I'm grateful for Ryan Murphy (I think that's his name), for without his awesome writing skills and amazing/talented brain, Nancy and I (and sometimes Chris) would not be able to enjoy the awesomeness that is Glee. I'm also grateful for whoever the creator of Raising Hope and Bones, for without their brilliant minds, Tuesdays and Thursdays just wouldn't be the same.
13. I'm grateful that the cleaning fairies have FINALLY bestowed their gifts upon me. Its true what my mom always says: "You feel better about yourself when your home and room are clean."
14. I'm grateful for the advanced technology my generation gets to enjoy, because without it A) I would not be typing this blog B) the teenagers of today would not be able to survive without knowing what their friends are doing and when and where C) I would have to do my homework the hard way D) I wouldn't be able to send a text to my friends or mom or whomever and get a response super fast (speed varies according to person and time of day) E) Tuesdays and Thursdays (and every other day) just wouldn't be as awesome without TV F) It provides laughter when the old folks attempt to understand texting and Facebook :D
15. Food. Need I say more?
16. The gospel. I could go on for hours (I think) about how amazing the gospel is, but because this is already getting huge, I won't. Instead, I will just share a few of my favorite things about it: A) President Thomas S. Monson. He's such a sweetheart, and has a sense of humor. I look forward to his talks every conference. B) The scriptures. I know I already mentioned these above, but I just love them (even though I don't read them often). C) Temples. Those have to be the best buildings known to man. I can't wait to get married in one someday. D) Patriarchal Blessings. Those are just neat, and great to have because it is the Lord talking to YOU. I love mine, even though most of the stuff in it have yet to happen. E) The Atonement. AWESOME!!! And thats where I end that before I bore you all to tears.
17. I just barely thought of this, and it is really random, but I am grateful for the opportunity I had to be on The Silver Scribe (my high school newspaper), and for the amazing opportunity to be an editor my senior year. Without newspaper, I would basically be lost in the thought of "what do I want to be when I grow up?", although I'm sure I would have found my way to English somehow. Plus, newspaper held so many great memories for me, even if a lot of the days were filled with frustration.
18. I'm grateful to have an apartment instead of a dorm. Apartments are just better.
19. My laptop. I know this should be filed under technology, but I feel it should have its own "number". It has helped me so much in the 5 months that it has been in my possession. I hope to own it for a very long time.
20. Hoodies. They also keep me warm.
21. Awesome books. I love reading a good book (in mine and Nancy's Bookstore Nook). I hate reading an assigned book.
22. I'm grateful to just be alive and well (even if I am a little sick).
23. I'm thankful to live so close to campus so its not a long commute in the cold. Although, I do wish my classes weren't at the top of the hill. But, I'm not complaining, for besides the dorms I'd wager I have the shortest commute to campus.
24. Facewash. Even though I don't use it as often as I should (another thing I'm working on), pretty sure my face would be unruly if I haven't used it at all.
25. My (somewhat) knowledge of cooking. If only my college budget and fridge/cupboards would allow me to go beyond pasta, mac, ramen and quesadillas and go all out and make lasagna and enchiladas and hawaiian haystacks...definitely some of the meals I'm making when I get married.
26. I know I mentioned temples in my "rant" about church, but I would just like to expound on them. THEY ARE AMAZING!!! I don't go as often as I should (I should work on that...), but whenever I do go, I love the spirit that I feel there. And the grounds for each and every temple are always beautiful. I'm thankful for the crews that keep said grounds beautiful. I love the work that is done in the temple, and I seriously cannot wait (well, obviously I can wait a couple years, but I'm excited) to get sealed to my husband for time and all eternity inside of one of 134 (so far).
27. I'm grateful for the fact that I only have 3 weeks left in my first semester of college! Man, time flies...
28. Body care products (shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, straightener, curling iron, makeup, etc). Without said items, all of us would be disgusting.
29. I'm thankful for my siblings: Fabio (Mike), Bubbles (Caitlyn), LeFou (Megan), and Gonzalez (Laura). Even though they're crazy, they're a lot of fun. I had so much fun hanging out with them at Thanksgiving break, and I can't wait to spend time with them at Christmas break.
30. And finally, I'm thankful for everything that my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has gone through for me. I'm grateful to know that whenever I'm sad, angry, somewhat depressed, in pain, etc, He felt that pain in the Garden of Gethsemane during the Atonement. I LOVE THAT! He (along with my Heavenly Father) was there for me in my life when I needed it most and had no one to turn to. I can't wait to return to heaven and be with them again.

That was a lot harder than I expected, but I made it. I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving, and here we come Christmas. My mom has this awesome Christmas book, and it has a story (and a song) for the 24 days of Christmas. I wish I had it with me so I could type up the stories and put them on here, but that will have to happen in later years when I have my own copy of the book.

Have a great day!!