Thankful

Well, here we are, the last day of January. What a month it's been!

#27: Print wedding photos/bridal portraits for frames and albums.

#34: Sell/donate stuff we're not using.

#37: Walk/jog/run at least three times a week for a month.

#73: Finish my graduation scrapbook.

I have to say, I really love the small group that Tom and I are involved in through our church. It's amazing how a group of people we've only known for a few months has become such a vital part of our lives. This week they actually helped me with a ton of my goals, and they probably didn't even realize it! One of the ladies suggested using Snapfish to upload my bridal portraits and all the photos from our wedding. That site is awesome; I'm thinking of doing a photo book for the bridal portraits and a collage for some of the wedding photos, to put in this big frame I got for Tom...for our one-year anniversary...about six months ago. :-/ The next goal involved the main thing we do in our weekly meetings, which is discussing Sunday's sermon; we recently finished a series about stewardship, and we decided that a practical application would be to get rid of some of our old stuff, so Tom and I have made a nice pile of things to give away. Also, I started walking this week, and I've asked the ladies in the group to help keep me accountable; that was always the thing that seemed to be missing when I tried getting in shape before, so I think it's really going to make a difference. And finally, the ladies decided to get together for lunch this past week, and afterward some of us worked on scrapbooking and organizing photos, so I finally made some headway on the graduation scrapbook my mom gave me almost three years ago...!

#28: Watch every Best Picture winner from 1960-2013.

(By the way, they announced this year's nominees last week. I've already seen three of the 10 Best Picture nominees for this year, and they were all great; I'm hoping one of those wins...!)

For our date movie this week, we were actually going to rent RED, but they didn't have it at the Redbox we went to (does that count as irony?), so we decided to watch something on-demand. There were lots of options from the list of winners I haven't seen yet, but we went with One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I honestly think that might be my favorite one we've seen from that list so far (it's between that and The Godfather right now); it was a little dark, but as Tom pointed out, I seem to enjoy movies like that. Weird, I know. Speaking of weird, this movie was from 1975, and Jack Nicholson had the lead role; seeing him so young was...well, weird. He was actually pretty handsome back then! I mean, he was no Tom Duttweiler, but not bad! :)

#52: Call a friend/relative to catch up.

OK, I was actually the recipient here, not the caller, but I think I'm going to count it because talking on the phone is somewhat difficult for me. Actually, I recently got phone calls from not one, but two good friends I haven't really talked to since Tom and I moved to Louisville, and I talked to both of them for almost an hour!

#85: Volunteer at Jeff Street once a month until we move.

The Jefferson Street Baptist Center is a homeless shelter in downtown Louisville. It's an amazing place; there's a real focus on helping people get back on their feet, and there are programs where the Bible is taught, so they're taking care of people spiritually as well as physically. I feel like we've seen it all there...addictions, mental illness, you name it; but thing that really breaks my heart is that a lot of people don't think their lives are going to get any better, even if they try to make it so. The first few times Tom and I volunteered there, I left in tears, not only because of the sheer hopelessness that we encountered, but because of the overwhelming shame I felt for ever complaining that we didn't have "enough." Anyway, we went back on Saturday and spent a few hours passing out coffee and toiletries that were donated by individuals and local businesses. I'm a firm believer in the idea that no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. I may not be able to find anyone a job, and I can't give anyone a place to live, but I can give someone a cup of coffee and a smile in Jesus' name.

I'm just feeling incredibly thankful coming off of this weekend. There are so many blessings in my life, none of which I deserve. I really feel like God has been teaching me lately to focus on the positives instead of on what might be lacking. I didn't work again this past week, but look at the great experiences He allowed me to have instead. (And no, I haven't been lazy on the job front; in fact, I had an interview this morning that I think went very well!)