I've got an ATTITUDE... of GRATITUDE!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

An Attitude Of Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude
Should be striven for each day.
This feeling of thanksgiving
Is God’s chosen way.

For everything you are grateful for
Will increase one hundred fold.
And within a humble heart
God turns wishes into gold.

For everyday I seem to understand
My gratitude increases,
So do joy and happiness
While despair and pain decreases.

God loves a merry heart,
And He loves the humble, too.
He continues to send His blessings.
Now my troubles seem so few.

An attitude of gratitude
Has filled my heart with joy.
I feel such love and happiness,
My life I now enjoy.
~ Author Unknown ~

I have had so much emotion and gratitude in my heart lately that I felt I should put my thoughts in writing.

So here it goes!
This has been a tough year on me mentally. I have allowed myself to worry more than usual, especially the last few months. I have worried about Brit beginning her new “college girl life” and struggling to find the right fit at ASU and wondering if she made the right choices there. I have also been so concerned about the status of our wonderful country, and the economy and how it has affected our cabinet business. I have had more sleepless nights than normal, and yet I have felt this OVERWHELMING sense of GRATITUDE. I have found myself thanking Heavenly Father for so soo many blessings in my life. There are so many things, small things that I am grateful for on a daily basis such as SMiLES from people, CHiLDREN and their innocence, EXAMPLES of goodness can be found in so many places, and there are people that love and accept me everyday. I am so blessed with AWESOME FAMILY and FRIENDS, a comfortable HOME, and everday convieninces that make life more enjoyable. I could make a list of more than 100 simple things I am grateful for but I want to focus today on the BIG ones, the OBVIOUS ones, the ones that really get me through this life. I am going to limit it to my “TOP 3”

THE GOSPEL
KIRT
BRIT

First I am GRATEFUL for the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. I am so blessed to have been given the knowledge I have and for the opportunities and blessing I am given through being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I am GRATEFUL for the plan of Salvation, for my SAVIOR and his example that has been given to me to follow. I feel his LOVE in my life on a daily basis. I am GRATEFUL for the opportunities I have to love and serve others. I am GRATEFUL for great leaders who teach and direct my paths for good. I am GRATEFUL for the scriptures that I can gain knowledge and strength and direction from. I KNOW I have a HEAVENLY FATHER who loves me, protects me, and blesses me daily. This has actually been the biggest source of comfort in my life. I actually FEEL his love, and it is amazing to me that at times when things are hardest in my life is when I feel His love so overwhelmingly! WOW!

I am Blessed.

I am GRATEFUL for my SMALL but HUGE family! KJBpete. (our e-mail) KJBproperties (one of our businesses) KIRT JILL BRIT. That is US! Although we are a family of just 3, we share a bond that is beyond comprehension. Heavenly Father gave us the challenge of Britney being an only child because we have been able to take it and make the very best of it and I know that it has blessed and strengthened each one of our lives. I love that we don’t need to reserve just Monday nights for Family Night, but we can, and often do have “Family Night” several times a week. I am GRATEFUL that this year Brit actually has an easier schedule than in High School. While she enjoys dating and her friends on the weekends, she actually spends many weeknights at home with her parents and we share so many GOOD times. We have some great times around the dinner table or watching movies! I am GRATEFUL for all of the LAUGHS that we have, the SECRETS that we share, and our abilities to WORK TOGETHER and help one another fulfill our needs. I am GRATEFUL that we can be BEST FRIENDS. Britney has told me that her parents are her BEST FRIENDS.

WOW.

For that I am GRATEFUL!

KIRT is the most wonderful, AMAZING man I know. I am GRATEFUL for the love and respect he shows me. He would do ANYTHING for me, and does so everyday. He is always by my side and helps and supports me with EVERYTHING! I am GRATEFUL that Kirt has accepted the fact that one thing about me will never change… and that is that “I LIKE THINGS A CERTAIN WAY” (ya-I am picky). He doesn’t always try to understand it; he just does his best to help me with whatever he can and wants me to be happy! I am GRATEFUL for his tenderness and sensitivity toward others. I never hear him speak ill of anyone. I am GRATEFUL for the added opportunities that have come into our lives since Brit has grown up such as our “old folk” trips to our cottage in Lakeside and more times together in an “empty house” (less teenagers around). I actually look forward to growing old with this man!

THANKS KIRT!

I LOVE YOU!

This is why I am GRATEFUL for my child…
BRITNEY jean Petersen absolutely AMAZES me everyday! I couldn’t have asked for a more OBEDIENT child. She is so close to her heavenly Father, she doesn’t care what people think of her, and she just tries to be the best she can be. I appreciate that for an only child she is soo NOT spoiled! She never asks for or expects anything; in fact she is always looking out for those less fortunate than her…THEREFORE… I am GRATEFUL that I “GET” to spoil her when I WANT TO! ha-ha One thing that I appreciate about her right now is that she has learned how to tell me when I am wrong in a way I can accept it and use it to my benefit. (maybe it’s called growing up but she used to make me soo mad when she tried to correct me!) I am GRATEFUL for our late night talks and advice sessions. I am GRATEFUL for our shopping trips, salon visits, and a few “secret” guilty pleasures that we enjoy! : )

THANKS BRIT!

I LOVE YOU!

WOW! I am so blessed. I love this time of year. I love to feel GRATITUDE in my heart.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tagged....

So I guess how this works is I'm supposed to write 2-7 random facts about me. So I chose some things that many people probably don’t know about me. Then I tag a few more lucky victims....

1) I worked for “Fashion Gal” (lala….get into fashion… get into fashion gal…lala) from 1981-1991. I was managing 2 of their stores and about 60 employees when I left and had trained most of the other managers in the 8 other valley stores. I loved merchandising. I would move 800 lb. jean racks all over the sales floor, and set up lots of displays. I learned a lot in those 10 years. It was a great life experience for me. Do I miss it? Absolutely NOT! Retail is not always fun and having to go down to the store at 3AM because the alarm was set off is something I could never miss. But the experiences there made me a better person.

2) Staying on the fashion line, I was always known as “miss accessory” in my younger days in high school. I always had the purse, watch, etc. that matched my outfits. Come to think of it, Brit’s friends always compliment me on my accessories to this day. I guess that wore off a little on Britney too as she gets into the accessory a bit also. We now can share some accessories.

3) I grew up in Parker, AZ., a small town on the Colorado River near Lake Havasu. I loved it! Many Arizonans don’t know much about Parker, but we would get tons of people on the weekends from California beach cities to go boating and floating on the Colorado as it was a little resort area. In the summer I lived in my swimsuit and we loved floating the river. My first kiss happened there…haha . I moved to Mesa when I was 15.

4) I married my high school sweetheart. An interesting fact about us is that he was able to serve an honorable full time mission and still be married 3 months before his 21st birthday. How is that possible? Well he left the day after turned 19 and he served during the short 3 year period that missions were only 18 months! We got married 3 months after he got home. I am sorry to his parents for all the worry we put them through as we were pretty serious in High School. But we were destined to be together and it all worked out! YAY!

5) OK this one is a little weird and Kirt and Brit are the only ones who know this and they make fun of me but I am confessing… I have this extra sensory perception thing that causes me to feel pain in my body when I see others get hurt physically. Seriously! That is why I don’t like watching violent movies (but I love scary ones) or fighting scenes. And growing up, fights at school absolutely terrified me! I could never stand in the circle to watch. Some movie previews can be the absolute worst. It is a REAL thing for me. It’s like someone has a voodoo doll of me and is poking it. I DON”T LIKE TO SEE PAIN HAPPEN! Even if it is in a fictional scene of a movie. Remember the movie Home Alone? Well ya, that one was hard on me when he gets back at the robbers! AM I weird or does anyone else experience this?

6) In 3rd grade my best friend (who happened to be a boy…David Shephardson) and I got sent to the principles office and got a good paddle on the bottom with one of those big wooden paddles. WHY? You ask? For showing each other our underwear! Haha Each day we would show a very small piece of our underwear from the top of our pants to each other. Then we would bat our eyes at each other and giggle. OK it really was pretty innocent! But we got caught and therefore to the principles office. I would take a paddle (which really did hurt!) for that underwear experience any day. David and I remained best friends until after I moved to Mesa . In fact I may have to look him up again in Utah and reminisce about those days!

OK THAT’S IT! I NOW TAG Hmmmmm Amelia, Gail, Lori, Kenzie, and Tracy!

I still LOVE Halloween, after all!

It's all OK! I have discovered that....

I still love Halloween, after all!

This year I was beginning to worry that I no longer enjoy Halloween.

I didn't put up decorations.
I bought pumpkins but we didn't carve them.
I didn't buy candy.
I didn't make any plans for fun.
I didn't buy my fun dinner items.

Hmmm...

What was wrong with me?

So October 31st came.

...and...

That is when it hit me!

YAY! It's HALLOWEEN!

i like halloween :)

...SO...

I Bought candy on my way to work.

I bought cute pumkin bread bowls after work.

I put my pumkins and scary witch on my porch.

I got invited to a party and yes! I will go!

Britney invited friends over to get ready for their parties.

I got to help with hair, make-up , and costumes.

I still felt like a "MOM".

My baby isnt too old to dress up.

In fact this was one of her favorite years

with lots of fun parties to go to.

We had so much fun!

.

The cat, Tinkerbelle, and the Witch!

I made my chili and served it in fun pumkin bread bowls.

Ahem...

[Mine looked much better than this mock picture haha]

It was YUMMY!

We passed out candy during all this.

I just love seeing the cute kiddies in costumes, and I especially like the very polite ones who thank us for candy.

(Good job parents! There was quite a few)

After we got the girls off, Kirt and I scrambled for costumes. Kirt found a very cool "afro wig" and I put my favorite scorpion tattoos on my chest and arm along with some wild hair and Amy Winehouse type make-up, and we headed out. We went and saw our fun nieces and nephews cute kids and went to Adam & Kelsies party at their new home. It was fun to get out with Kirt and have a SPOOKTACULAR time. (haha ya corny)

So I guess I still pulled HALLOWEEN off somewhat...

I didn't get enough good pics though...

.

.

...and my Christmas decorations are

going up within the next two weeks.

This year I will be READY!

Can't wait til CHRISTMAS!

Thinking...

Today’s Thoughts…
ABC style…

ANGER does no good

BLESSINGS are ABUNDANT

CHOOSE to be HAPPY

DEPEND on YOURSELF and the LORD

EVERYTHING [happens] for a reason

FINISH what you started

GLAD the election is over

HOLDING on to HOPE

IBUPROPHIN will help a headache

JOY is a wonderful thing

KINDNESS is never WASTED

LIVE*LOVE*LAUGH

MUCH can be done!

NOBODY is perfect

OPPORTUNITY is everywhere

PEACE.POSITIVE.PURE.PRECIOUS.(good things)

QUALITY time is QUITE good :)

RESPECT Others

SEEK INSPIRATION and SMiLE :)

TAKE TEN when you need it

UNDERSTANDING helps

VOLUNTEER yourself

WISH WISELY upon a star

X-TRA effort usually pays off

YELLOW is a happy color

ZEBRA prints ROCK!!!

the end.