I am Thankful. Day 6.

CRAP! I realize it is past midnight, due to a craft supply run to Wal-Mart, and that might mess up my daily gratitude post, but oh well. This will still be Day 6 and tomorrow (which is technically happening right now) will be Day 7. Who cares about the dates. Not I.

Not that it's hard to think of things to be grateful for, but when I sit down to write them out in a blog post, it can be difficult narrowing it down. I guess there's too many good things. There are a few posts that will inevitably happen and for some reason I am putting them off for now. I think tonight's will be something that has been happening slash on my mind the past few days.

I am thankful for my sisters.

 Love this picture of us!

 My mom is basically a sister too!

The most recent, in Hawaii-- August 2010.

My sisters and I are all quite different. We vary in age, me being the youngest by nearly 6 years. We vary in height, me being the shortest at 5'6". We vary in where we are in life, me being the newlywed. We vary in the location of where we currently reside, me being the only Cache Valley-er. We also vary in the way we look, me not being the only brunette (Melia), but basically, we don't look like identical twins-- that's for sure. I guess we do have a similar appearance and have physical attributes that tie to one another. 

BUT we are actually very similar to. We come from the same two people, the greatest parents on earth. We were raised to have the same values and beliefs. We all have been through the temple (and how special it was to have all my sisters at my endowment session and wedding). We kind of all have the same voice, or so we're told. We can all flare our noses, some better than others (Cami... and Melia). We all MOSTLY like shopping (Melia is the only exception, but it's growing on her). And we all love each other. Yes, we do. Even after years of fighting (some more than others), we've come to this wonderful point in our lives where there is a lot less fighting and a lot more bonding. It's actually a very beautiful thing and way more fun to be sister-friends, than sister-enemies.

I love my sisters a lot. Sometimes I wish we all lived on the same street and saw each other often, but then I think about how we might start that whole sister-fighting-enemy thing again. It's fun when we all get together, because it doesn't happen TOO many times a year, but it's really quite fun. I do wish it happened more and maybe one day it will. :) I'm just grateful to have the sisters I have and for the differences and the similarities that make us have the sisterhood that we do. They are and always have been such great examples to me! I can't wait for the many adventures I am yet to face that they know a lot about, like motherhood, so I can use their wisdom and advice to better myself! Being the youngest isn't so bad, even if I did complain about my "four mothers" when I was younger, now I'm pretty glad. :)

Love my sistah's. Love them dearly. SO grateful for them!

smile.

Is this not the cutest shirt you've ever seen? 

I kind of wish I had one myself. :)

Plus that face-- oh man, I sure love it.

I LOVE having this guy around and will miss him when he goes back to Arkansas! 

Thank goodness Christmas is just around the corner... 

Oh PS-- I am selling one of my camera lens's. Check out the details at my photo blog. 

Thanks friends!

I am Thankful. Day 5.

Going on five days in a row-- impressive, if I don't say so myself! It's fun each night to think back on my day and what stands out to me and how grateful I really am for those things in my life! Today, I thought of a few good things. Ones I am going to save and ONE that I will post about for day 5 of gratitude. 

I am Thankful for Quick Communication.

my cute honey on his ipod-- it's the best i got "technology" wise. photo stolen from Miss Audrey Baer.

Although this can be seen so negatively, as it is something that is abused and obsessed over, but I would like to focus on the positive side of text messaging, emailing and "facebooking". 

Right now I am in Springville being with my family as my sister visits from Arkansas, while Tyson is in Logan. This isn't the first time we've been apart and it definitely is never easy or fun to be away from your spouse, but quick communication definitely makes it a little bit better. The fact that I can just send him a quick message telling him something exciting during my day is great! It's great that we are able to talk to one another so easily, especially when we are apart. 

I know that this goes back to last summer when we spent the first half of the summer, two hours apart, seeing each other every weekend and spending the weeks in different cities. To going six weeks without seeing each other, with very, very limited text messaging, and with emailing every couple of days. Of course there was still that "quick communication", but it was a bit less quick and THAT was not an easy time. No, we weren't married and yes, we still were able to talk. Oh and how we grew and matured during that time. Especially our love for each other! But I am glad we don't always have to go that route. I am glad I usually get to see him every day, but I am even more glad for quick communication so we know what's going on with each other with just the click of a button! I am sure there will be other times in our marriage I will keep on appreciating this, so I think it's a valid thing to be grateful for!

I am Thankful. Day 4.

Are you impressed that this is my fourth post in a row? I am too. I like this blogging often. It doesn't take very long to do and these posts are definitely good ones to be doing! It makes me think a lot more about my gratitude and that is something I need to do more often. 

I am grateful for Photography.

This one was inevitable. I knew it was a post I was going to do (like a few other ones that I know will happen), but I didn't really plan when it would happen. Although, this kept coming to my mind today a few different times! I can't even express how grateful I am for photography. Not just for my camera or the knowledge of photography I have or my ever-gaining ability to take pictures. 

It's about passion. It's about the emotional connection I have. It's about my desire to help others. It's about capturing moments, memories and personalities. It's where I think I've been blessed with creativity and how that doesn't only affect my photography, but it affects me as a human being. Creating is something that will be a part of my life forever, as any role I partake in, and especially as my role to be a photographer. 

I am so grateful for this gift, desire, and passion I have to take photos.

I am Thankful. Day 3.

I am thankful for Hawaii. (Seriously).

 Overlooking Waimea Bay.

 On top of Diamondhead.

 Sunset Beach.

 

That's T out in the water!

I had to include this picture-- it's my favorite picture of T.

Oh man, lately I have seriously been missing this place! I've been ever so fortunate to grow up being able to visit this place pretty frequently. Over the years, I've fallen in love. Oh and it definitely has not worn off. Each time I go, I fall more in love and cannot get enough of that Hawaiian air and beautiful sunshine! 

It was especially awesome this last time, because T got to experience paradise for the first time ever. Let's just say, he's pretty smitten himself. We can't look at pictures too often, or else our heart's just yearn to get back to where we belong! 

I sure hope our own children have the chance to get to fall in love with Hawaii just like we have! It's the perfect place for EVERYONE, no matter your age. It holds so many of my favorite childhood memories, especially ones with family. It has the best shave ice on the planet. We stay on the best beach in the entire world. Oh and if you haven't noticed, it's BEAUTIFUL! 

I love living in a place of seasonal changes and being surrounded by mountains; but how can you not fall in love with white sand, aqua blue water, palm trees and green covered everything!?! I love this place and I'm sooo grateful I get to travel there. It's a place I truly have felt peace, comfort and the spirit and I know that it was a masterpiece in our Heavenly Father's creation.

I am Thankful. Day 2.

Today, I will start with something very fitting and that is definitely on my mind right now! I could generalize this and put "family", which who knows-- that may happen later in the month. 

But today, 

I am grateful for my nieces and my nephews. 

All 17 of them! I know that I posted about these cute kiddos once or twice before, but I must recognize them again because they are seriously the cutest, funniest, coolest kids around. 

I first fell in love with the idea of nieces and nephews when my oldest sister Cami had her first baby, Ryan. Now that baby is nine and a half years old and will soon be taller than me. Of course this love only grew as she had more children and I came to love each one of them almost like they were my kids. It was really exciting when I married in Tyson's family and adopted 11 new nieces and nephews! The craziest part is, I love them like I've known them their whole lives! 

This is on my mind, because my sister Alison and her baby Will are coming to visit tomorrow. I'm so excited! Being the only nephew I don't see often, it makes it very exciting. Plus, as my husband would say, I'm kind of obsessed with this chubby cheeked baby boy! I can't wait to hang out with them and take a bazilliion pictures of Will. 

Nieces and nephews are the best. I love children and I always have. I am a little worried how much I will love my own children, because I love those 17 buggers a whole lot. I can't wait to be a mama and to be just like my amazing sisters, sister-in-laws and of course my own mom and my mother-in-law! 

I love you kiddos! Always and forever. -- Your favorite aunt KT

PS: a post without a picture? No way. Oh-- here's 17 pictures for you. :)

The Hafen Kids:

Ryan

 

 Emma

 Josh

 Claire

Lauren

The Henrie Kid:

Will

The Spence Kids:

 Alana

 Parker (and Oscar-- not a nephew)

 Anna

The Casselman Kids:

Connor

 Chase

Abby

Claire

The Allen Kids:

 Isabel

 Brooklyn

Hunter

The Anderson Kid:

Easton

I am Thankful. Day 1.

Last November, on my old blog, I tried to do a gratitude post every day. I wasn't 100 percent successful, but I did get some good posts in. Ones that I definitely like to go back and read and remember my gratitude for those things. 

I decided this November, I am SINCERELY going to try to write a gratitude post every day of the month. 

There are for sure at least 30 things I am thankful for and we all know is the the time of the year for gratitude, although it should really be every day of our lives. :)

 

 I am thankful for Spiritual Enlightenment. 

One reason I picked the books I did for this picture is because I am currently reading each of them. But also because there are so many ways we can receive spiritual enlightenment, even if it's a short scripture followed by a brief quote, like in Stand A Little Taller.

I am not a huge reader, but these are things that I do find great joy in reading. It's amazing how much the words on a page can really speak to you, especially when you are seeking guidance, or comfort, or just needing that extra boost of spiritual happiness. 

So today, that is my gratitude post. I hope to continue to do this each day and it will be so great to see the things that stick out to me in my life that I am truly grateful for. Even if they are the simple things, because sometimes those are really the best. :)