Living the Good Life

I wake up every morning to kisses from my husband and a gummy smile from my son.

Need I say more?

Regardless of the answer to that question, I am going to add. Money can't buy happiness, but, as James likes to say, money does facilitate it. Juice, in my mind, is a measure of wealth. I have 3 kinds of juice right now. (explanation: I could never afford juice as a college student. I couldn't justify the cost to benefit ratio.)

That is an excellent summary of why I consider myself rich. Feel free to stop reading here. The rest of the post is a tedious (and even sappy) list of things I'm grateful for.

I am, as of yesterday, 25 years old. Here are 25 things I'm grateful for:

1. Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.
2. My husband. He is really an ideal husband for me. Oh, my life is so good.
3. Dean.
4. Knowing the God with power to forgive, teach, and exalt his followers.
5. My Parents, the hereditary pair and the in-laws. Seriously lucked out on both accounts.
6. My brothers and sisters. Siblings make the best friends. I have 8 brothers, 5 sisters and counting...
7. My house. It is a beautiful place, a real haven.
8. Mine and James' cars. Subaru impreza and Honda Ridgeline. Both excellent vehicles. Having a car means freedom to go wherever you want.
   
9. My new knife set that James got me for my birthday.
10. I love my treadmill.
11. A washer and dryer in my house. (no more lugging laundry across parking lots)
12. Our new mattress! We totally got the one we wanted ($800 at the discount warehouse). Mattress Firm wanted us to pay $2100, which was more than I could justify.
    
13. I'm glad to live in America. I can't say that I approve of everything that the country does, but I enjoy the security and rights that make America great.
14. Libraries.
15. My education. I went to BYU, receiving a quality education at a fraction of the cost.
    
16. Modern medicine. Thank heaven for drugs! I would be lost without them.
17. James' job. He has a job he likes and is successful at!
18. Being a housewife. Don't fool yourself, it is certainly part of "the good life".
19. Internet. I have incredible amounts of information at my fingertips.
20. Chocolate.
21. My testimony. Testimonies, like spiritual gifts, are not easily bought. They are, however, always worth the price. I know that God lives! that knowledge is tucked away inside of me, deeper than my bones. It resides with my awareness of self, the knowledge that I am more than my physical body. I suspect it lives inside of everyone, but not everyone has met with that part of their inner person.
22. James', and Dean's, and my health.
23. The time in the middle of the night when Dean falls asleep on my shoulder and I can smell his sweet baby boy scent.
24. Plumbing.
25. Looking forward to another year that promises to be my best year yet!