Happy Thanksgiving!

#7. Is Thankful my job let me off work this week to go out of town. (This is one of our biggest time of the years, so I'm thankful for that).

#6. I'm thankful I was able to finish school and earn a degree (Thank you Great Grandpa and Grandma). I know not many people are fortunate enough to go to school, or even able to finish. As much as it did take discipline and hard work for me, I am thankful I was provided the funds to go from my grandparents. Without them it would of been extremely hard.

#5. I'm Thankful for my nieces and Nephew. Seriously they are the best little things ever. They remind me of the joys of being a kid and the fullness of life they have and bring!

#4. I'm thankful for the many different ways I can stay connected with distant friends and family. Through telephone and the internet. I am thankful I have those things so I can stay connected with those who live a long way away.
#3. I'm thankful for those who have dedicated themselves and even sacrifice their lives and fight to protect our country. Words can't even express my gratitude. Thank you!
#2. Of course everyone knew this was coming, and I thought I would save it for the last few: I am Thankful for my husband. He isn't perfect, but who is? I'm so very thankful for the man he is: Hard working and loving. He is most definitely my best friend and I wouldn't want to share this life next to anyone else. I'm thankful Lord that you gave me such a wonderful man to call my husband.

It's NUMBER 1!!!!I'm thankful for this day. For another day I get to live and ENJOY life! I have to constantly remind myself that I am to be ALIVE and well. I need to live life to the fullest because we are never promised another day! Thank you Lord for ALL you have given me and blessed me with. For everyday you have given me and will give me I will praise your name and give thanks!

To everyone: Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

#11. I am thankful both my husband and I have a job. At this time we all know it's extremely hard for people to find jobs, or even keep a job. People are being laid off every day, because of our economy. I'm grateful we both have good jobs they pay good! Josh has been working with a friend of his in Valdosta that he met several years ago. They are always up to something new and them have Josh working with them. It has been wonderful, because in the construction business (down here in south Georgia) you may not work for a month and then the next have so many people call you at once, but you can't get to them all. These guys have kept Josh busy every day and said they will have him busy for a long while longer. Thank you Lord for providing work for us!
#10. I' thankful I have a husband who will let me go all out decorating for Christmas! He isn't that big of a holiday person, but he knows how much I LOOOOVEEEE Christmas! Last night I was decorating and he helped me out as much as I needed. He even said he would put of the Christmas lights on the house the weekend..yay!
#9. I'm thankful my husband and I still go on date nights!
#8. Thank you Lord for keeping me, my husband and my family safe and healthy.

catching up...

#12. I'm thankful for girl time! I don't get it a lot, but every once in awhile, some good friends of mine will opt on driving over here and going out for some good girl time (BIG shout out to Kristen, your the best!).

#11. I am SUPER thankful that in 3 days I will be on VACATION!!! It's our annual girls trip and I am super excited! Tons of shopping and fun! I am thankful I get to go on a good bit a vacation time. Thanks to my mom, Josh's parents inviting us and the few times Josh will take me away :)
#10. Thank you Lord for Coffee! I never drank coffee unless I was treating myself to a Starbucks Frapp. In the winter time I would drink some hot coffee, but usually stuck to the hot chocolate. Well, it must come with age, because now I seriously can't go without!!! It's like my highlight of the morning. I guess I can also thank my Keureg for that too (instant coffee in a minute). I don't even think it's so much the caffeine that I'm addicted too, just more of the relaxation of sitting and drinking something warm and yummy.

#9. I'm thankful I still get to do what I love: Teach Dance! When I graduated I knew I was going to continue to dance, but it would be awhile before my own studio would come into play. Thankfully I had some doors open and I am still able to teach and dance! It is one of my favorite days of the week and it goes by so fast! I love working with girls who love to learn and are inspired by you. I get so excited for them when they learn something new or move away they never have. I am extremely thankful for the opportunity and hopefully soon it will become my career to do nothing but teach inspiring dancers!

Thanksgiving 14 and 13

#14. Thank you Lord for cold weather. I love the cool crisp air! Actually, my favorite time of year is between fall and spring time; a little mix of cool and hot air, but I am also in love with winter time! I think it's the little bit of the northern roots in me. It's something about being bundled up and enjoying the outside, making hot coffee and sitting by a fire is my favorite thing to do! Living in the south, we don't get to enjoy it more than about 3-4 months, until the heat starts creeping back in. I do enjoy warm summer days, where you can lay out by the pool or beach and enjoy a cool drink, but it doesn't take too long before you are hot and sticky, and you really can't escape the heat (not with my husband who in the summer keeps the AC at 78 degrees). At least you can run from the cold, by bundling up! So, thank you Lord for these cold days, because you know we don't get them much down here :)
#13. I can't really go without Thanking God for always providing for us. I've never had to worry about going without the necessities, God has always supplied us with ALL we needed and much more! I am thankful my faith is strong enough to know that God will never let His children go without, and I am a firm believer in that. Thank you Lord for the food on my dinner plate, the clothes on my back and the roof over my head. You have given me more than enough!

16 & 15

# 16. I'm thankful for HOT water! If I had an addiction, it would be for taking hot baths! Seriously it makes everything better. Okay, maybe not everything, but it does help and make me happy! My husband knows one way to make me feel better is by lighting a few candles and making a bath. I thank God that the way of bathing in a tub carried on from way back when.

#15. I'm Thankful that we have made it to almost five years of marriage. It's been wonderful, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I just wonder how we still are here and haven't killed each other yet! I am thankful of where we are in our marriage now! We couldn't have done it without God and of course hard work and dedication from each other. I'm not going to go into all the mushy gushy stuff, but we have come a long ways from when we first got married. We both are more content in our marriage and I have a real good feeling the next five years will be even more wonderful!

A little behind...

I'm pretty far behind on my blog post for 25 days of Thanksgiving. So here's a few more!

#18. I'm thankful that at this time in our life we live so close to our families. I couldn't imagine not being able to share every birthday, holiday's or just getting together randomly. I guess some people don't have that choice. Josh and I have talked about moving, and I'm sure things (money) would be better in some other cities, but it just wouldn't be worth it to be so far from family. I'm not sure what God has in store for us, maybe one day we will be farther, or one our family members will move, but for now I am just thankful we are all so close and can enjoy life together :)

Happy Birthday Rebekah

#17 . I'm thankful I married such a handy man! If he wasn't, well we would be broke, or just without! Not to pick on anyone who would rather pay someone to do it, by all means if you have the funds do so! There are many things I wish we could just pay someone else to do, so we don't have to worry about it, but it the long run we save a lot more money and you have a sense of accomplishment after it's done. Josh and I both are pretty handy, and if we think we can do it ourselves for cheaper, we probably will! It amazes me how much my husband knows. He can probably do anything you ask (except crochet, haha..long story). It's nice to have a smart handy man at home and not have to deal with a middle man.

#16. I'm thankful for my new car! We decided to make a few changes with our vehicles, just because of the upcoming changes that will take place soon (with Josh's schooling and such). I guess I can't drive the big truck around forever. We sold my VW a few years back, and was planning to get me a new vehicle (I was eyeing the Lexus SUVs'). The plan was I would drive the truck around until we decided what to do with getting me a new vehicle . Well a "little while" did turn into a long while. I love driving that big thing around, for the most part (always a few negatives about it). We finally made some decisions on what to do, and one was to cut back as much as we can ( like I said a lot of this has to do with Josh going back to school). As much as I wanted and SUV, the price and the gas it would take wasn't really in our budget, remember we are trying to cut back. I'm not a big car person, but I did some research and looked into some cars I would be interested in if we could get a good deal. After awhile searching, and after selling Josh's big red diesel, we found a car in Tampa! We got a great deal, and I'm happy with it! It will do for a few years until Josh gets out of school and starts making the big bucks, haha! I'm just playing! It was rewarding to hear from my husband that he was thankful I wasn't demanding and wanted the most expensive car on the block like most woman would. He said he definitely would buy it all for me if he could, and someday soon he will!
I've only driven it around one day (Josh had a few things he wanted to do to it), but I'm liking it, and just how easy it is to drive, park, etc! So, thank you Lord for good cars and great deals!


Some pictures of the outside of my new ride!

It's a lot lower than I'm use too

Be back in awhile to write more!

Thankful # 19

#19. I'm thankful that God is a forgiving, merciful, loving God! The last few months have been somewhat of a dry time for me. A few months ago I was doing really good about reading and spending time with God, but when I started working it seemed like my time became so sparse that I didn't sit and take time out to read, pray, etc. We haven't been going to church every Sunday, and I don't by any means feel "bad" about it. I have learned that we are the church and you can't expect to go to church to get fed all the time, you have to be able to do it yourself, and by no means does going to Church make you a Christian. I do enjoy going to church, but it to be honest it only happens if I know Josh and I both have had time to rest, because sometimes we can make it a chore. I have been completely content with my alone time with God, but the last few months (like I said) have been hard and I have slacked in that. I can definitely tell the difference in my attitude. I thank God that his mercies are new every morning. I have decided to get back in my routine, not just because I NEED too, but because I looong too, and even more my Heavenly Father longs for it! It takes discipline, and sometimes I will think to myself "I could sit down for a little bit and read, or go do the dishes that reaaaalllly need to be done." It doesn't take more than a second to really listen to my heart, my spirit man to decide which I'd rather do. I talk with God all day, pray for people when I hear or feel like I need to, and I love just praising God, but just like any one longs for that alone time to talk to each other I know how important it is. Isn't that when you learn the most about someone, when you just sit and talk one on one?
I'm thankful that I can restart my daily quite time. I don't have to start all over, but instead pick up where I left off!

# 20

#20. I'm thankful for great neighbors. Growing up we never had neighbors, and when we did I was little, but our neighbors were great ( we lived in what I like to call a church subdivision, haha! All our church friends lived in the same neighborhood). When I was about 7 years old we moved to Boston, before my parents bought 25 acres out in the middle of nowhere. We had 1 neighbor we knew, and they lived about a 1/2 a mile from us. When Josh and I got married we moved into an apartment and didn't really meet anyone new. People move in and out of apartments, so you never really get to meet good friends.
I was a little worried about moving into a "neighborhood." I've heard too many stories about horrible neighbors. When we bought the house it didn't take long before we had a few families introduce themselves. It was nice to know they were both nice families, but I still was nervous something would go wrong and they wouldn't like us, or vice versa... We've only really meet about 5 families who live really close to us. The family across the street are a sweet older couple, who have a few sons who live right up the road, and then one who lives with them. They have been more than amazing! I almost feel like family. (These are the Hawaiian natives I talked about a few posts ago). Their sons help Josh and I with so much and really watch out for us. If Josh is gone for the night on work one of them will always call or come by and make sure I'm ok. We've had dinners together and boy can they tell you story after story. Our other neighbors are (to the right of us). Have a sweet little family. They are a family I want Josh and I to be like. They have two little boys and they are always outside doing family activities (throwing football or baseball, working outside), I love it! The guy actually came over the other day and volunteered on a Sunday to help Josh smooth all the dirt out. It was so sweet and greatly appreciated!
We just met another of our "neighbors" about a month ago. They are so funny and remind us of another couple we know. We are hoping to get to know them more. I feel safe knowing we are around good people.
So, I guess my fears of "horror neighbors" isn't a panic anymore! Thank you God!

Boys and Tractors!

The right side of our land is a lot lower than the rest of the land, and we have a creek that runs on the side of it. When it rains (a lot) sometime the creek overflows which causes the land to turn into a mini lake, Not good! When we first bought the land we talked about building it up one day, and also putting in our driveway. We can't really do any landscaping in the front until we did this, because we were going to have to dig out the existing "driveway" that was there. The guy Josh works with has a dirt company and he was able to give Josh a really good deal. We decided to go ahead and do it, as a part of our Christmas present for each other. So, they brought the dirt in this last week and Josh rented a tractor to spread it all out. He was excited because he loves "toys"! Since yesterday he's been spreading the dirt around and our neighbor even came over with his smaller tractor to help. Looks like we will be able to get the dirt all done my today! Then we will have to plant the new grass, hopefully by spring the new grass will be grown and ready for landscaping! Not sure when we will pour the driveway, but the first step was to get the old dug out. Josh really wants to do it soon, we just have to get prices now for that. I'm excited to see it all finished and then the front yard be complete!
Besides that...I'm working on going through and pricing things we've had set out of several months now to have a yard sale. We had a storage that had so much stuff in it. Some where things we had when we first got married and they wouldn't fit in our place. The other stuff was Josh's dads stuff he had in storage. When we got our new house we decided to get rid of our storage and we went through what we wanted to keep and things we didn't. I figured we could re-box it all and when we had the time we could make a few bucks off of our crap! Haha! So, I decided we needed to go ahead and have a Yard Sale. Make a few extra bucks before Christmas! I have to price it all now, because I'm not sure when I will have another free day to go through it all, before next Saturday.



My man loves Tractors!
The front part of the land. There is too much to get it all in one shot
The drive way all dug out. It still has to be leveled

Thankful # 21

# 21. I'm thankful for great in laws! There are A LOT of families out there who don't get along real well with there in laws. I love my in laws. They are a lot like my family in so many ways, so it makes it real easy to be with them, and hang out. They are so sweet and definitely treat me as a part of the family. I'm never nervous about being around them, and they are real open and I love that! I pray my relationship will continue to grow with each one of them. I feel comfortable talking with his mom about things and I really long for a deeper relationship with her, and I know with time it will come. I definitely thank God for in laws like them :)

#22

#22. I'm thankful for the Mom that I have. My mother and I have a really good relationship (all of us girls have a great relationship with her). We've had our spats and probably share of fights and mean words, but we are always quick to forgive and make up. I'm glad I can be open with my mom and not afraid to tell her what I think or feel. My mom goes over and beyond for us girls. Everything she does is for us. She is our best friend! She will spend her last dime on something for you if she knows it will bring a smile to our face; she definitely knows how to spoil us girls. She knows how to make a bad situation good and she can handle any situation you aren't sure of. She is our biggest fan in life! I could go on and on...
I'm so thankful I have her as my mother and one my best friends :)

Number 23

Yeah, I know I'm three days behind (I warned you I would be)

#23. This may seem kind of strange to some of you, but (if you are married) have you ever been told right before you got married "Marriage if great, but it's definitely different than being single." I was told that a lot before I got married, but quite didn't understand it until after I got married. Marriage is great, but definitely has different pluses and minuses to being single. haha! I get the same thing when people tell me about having kids. Even though we haven't had any children yet, I think I kind of understand it a little more. I'm sure having kids is great, and no one would trade it for anything, but it's definitely different than having no kids. So here is goes, number 23: I'm Thankful for the, almost, 5 years I've had with my husband without any kids. (everyone gasping now!). About 6 months after we got married I thought about having kids, we both really wanted them, but knew we were in no place financially to have them. We decided on a time frame, of course not keeping God in a box, but a time we would start to try. I can't say it hasn't been hard, seeing all my friends getting pregnant, but to be completely honest I could not imagine having to raise a kid with all we had been going through over the last 5 years. I think our relationship has grown so much and we have learned a lot about each other. When we do have kids, I believe, it will be a lot easier. We won't be learning how to live together and learning how to be parents at the same time. People have their opinions about us and our decision, but I really thank God for the time we have had, just me and my Joshy :) We have been able to do things, most other couples with kids can't do, not everything we planned on, but a lot! We also know God is in control, when we did get the news we were going to have a little one last May, it was great and we were both thrilled! Now that its changed it has allowed us rethink something's and make sure we have done and grown as much as we think we can, before bringing a little Nealey into this world! I am excited for that day, again, to share the news with my family and friends, but until then I'm going to be thankful and enjoy my time with just my hubby and me!
Will write more later on :)

25 days of Thanksgiving

I love this time of year. When the Holidays come around. For me spiritually it almost gives me a boost! It's a reminder of the bigger things in my life as well as the most important things.
I always write down things I'm thankful for, and Praise God for the blessings He has given me. I think this year I will share some of them with you, and what better time to do so than the month of November with Thanksgiving less than 25 days away. I know I won't be able to blog every day, so I may have to catch up on the times I do blog. Here you go:

# 25. Today, I am thankful for this beautiful home I have. This house may not be a mansion, but it's perfect for my husband and I. As much as I would love to have a BIG house, it isn't anything I need right now. I think we take for granted the little things, and think we deserve the big things. I'm learning to be thankful for what I have now and not desire for the bigger and better, because one thing that will always be true is " there will always be bigger and better". This little house God provided for us is exactly what we need for now. Until God blesses us with something else, I will be thankful just to have a warm cozy place to call my home.

# 24. I'm thankful for my 2 sisters. They seriously are my best friends and I know they always will be. I'm thankful we are as close as we are, and even though we have had our fights and disagreements we are always there for each other. We tell each other the truth, we are each other's 100% fans and supporters, we are quick to give our opinion but even quicker to forgive. Although we enjoy having some personal friend time here and there, we know we have more fun just being together during our girl gathering. They are usually the first to know secrets or "news". We have a pack, that no one else can cross. Not many people have this and I'm thankful I do!