gratefulness and goals...

today's sermon was on being grateful, which reiterated a lot of what i have been reading and studying lately when trying to achieve your goals and changing your way of thinking.

i am grateful for my husband, we have known each other for more than 1/2 of my life. (my goal is to be more patient, loving, and grateful toward him.)

i am grateful for my 16 year-old son, he amazes me at some of the most unexpected times. (my goal is to help him realize how amazing he truly is and help him to become an amazing man.)

i am grateful for my (soon-to-be--tomorrow) 11 year-old daughter, whose passion and compassion are wild and unruly at times, just like her mama. (my goal is to help her realize that i love her and accept her for who she is, and how amazing her personality truly is.)

i am grateful for my 2 year-old son, he is turning into such an amazing little guy, loving, funny and smart, and never ceases to bring "delightful"-ness into our lives. (my short-term goal with this little guy is to help him learn to use the potty and live without his "bopi" during our upcoming spring break.)

i am grateful for my home. yes, it is a 3 bedroom apartment, and most of the time it seems to be too small for our family, but it is "home" because it's where all of my most treasured items (see above) are kept. (my short-term goal is to get things in order and ready to move into a 4 bedroom home by june 1. my long-term goal is to begin planning for building our own home within the next 2 years.)

i am grateful for my health. i know i need to lose weight and get into better shape, but i am healthy despite that fact, and can do almost anything i want because i don't have any physical limitations. (my goal is to lose 60 pounds by june 1 and begin training for a sprint distance triathlon.)

i am grateful for my job. i love working with children, and teaching in a title 1 school is definitely different and challenging at times. i would love to have my own classroom and not be a floating teacher, but i love my kids, all 120+ of them, and am so glad i have the chance of getting so many hugs and smiles every day. (my goal is to get hired in a position where i have my own classroom for next school year.)

i have other things for which i am grateful, and definitely have more goals that i would like to meet in the areas of finances and business. as my husband and i begin to really build our own business, those goals will be realized and we will have many more opportunities to help others and do ministry than we've had the privilege to do in the past.

i am grateful for my goals, to better myself, my family, and to help others. this is going to be the best year yet!

"I AM"???

i have been following randy gage on his blog, twitter and even youtube lately. he doesn't usually bring religion into his posts, but if you listen to him long enough you will see that he does have religious beliefs that drive what he does and how he lives. as someone who grew up in "fundamentalism" it's been a long journey to where i am from where i began. i still believe the core beliefs of my faith, but i have come to realize that there is a lot more to it than what i was raised to believe. the power of thought is very evident in the bible, and randy's most recent post "the i am" really made a lot of sense when considering how your thoughts affect things.

the following quote is what really struck me:

God, Infinite Intelligence, I am, or whatever label you may use to name It, is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent. ‘I am’ cannot be sick, depressed, weak, poor, or negative in any way.

So if we follow this train of thought that God’s name is “I am,” every time we say, “I am sick,” “I am depressed,” or “I am weak,” we are speaking God’s name in vain.

so, what faulty thoughts are you thinking about yourself and manifesting in your life? time to rethink things and remember that "as a man thinketh, so is he." i am!

my dream house...

i was looking at local homes for sale. this one would be perfect for our family. it's 5 bedrooms, 3 car garage, has a "game room" upstairs (which would be perfect for the kids for so many things), has a den downstairs, and the 5th bedroom is downstairs and could double as an office/guest room. the lot on which it's located is nice and big with plenty of room for a pool and a playset. the cabinetry inside is perfect for my decorating style, and i like how the floor plan is laid out when comparing it to the feng shui bagua.

time to start putting together a decorating "dream"...

(i love making a dream board digitally and being able to share it on my blog too! fun!)

my dream car...

i have been looking at this vehicle for awhile now. it's been on my dream board, i notice them every time i see one on the road, it's perfect. it's not a minivan, it's not an SUV, and it has room for my whole family...it's sleek, modern, and all-around amazing! i will be buying this car within the next 24 months...and as a bonus, i will be supporting my big brother's job when i do. next on my list is to test drive it...maybe over spring break, that would be a great "date" for my hubby and me!