Thanks Tank #27

It's been awhile since I posted a Thursday Thanks Tank but even though I haven't posted anything in some time each Thursday I think a little more on the things in my life that I am thankful for. I love this exercise of consciously and purposefully taking time to think on the things that make me thankful. Here's my list for this week!

1. I am thankful for my new gym membership! I am excited to be able to be "hitting the gym" with my very good friend Heather. I'm excited to be setting some goals and hopefully being able to reach them.
   
2. I am thankful for a good deal on said membership. I've been meaning and wanting to get this membership for close to a year now. It's actually my Mother's Day gift from 2008! By waiting this long, I'm only paying half of what I would have been paying if I'd signed up before now! Yeah, me!!!!
3. I am thankful for the chance I had this past weekend of hanging out with my sister! We got to go up to IKEA on Saturday and have a free breakfast and then had a whirlwind shopping trip. She got lots of neat items for her home! My whole weekend was actually spent with family and it was really nice to be able to get out of the house and relax! Friday night we four girls went to see a movie. Saturday late afternoon all of us "kids" went shooting at the shooting range. And Sunday was spent out at my parents. It was a wonderful weekend!
4. I'm thankful for a chance to get together with my "other" family (my sister and mother-in-law) on Monday and scrapbook together! We hadn't done that for a long while and it was lots of fun!
   
5. I am thankful that things have been going so smoothly with our puppy but I'm also thankful that he should be going to his new home this weekend! Unfortunately, I've gotten a little attached to the stink pot so I'm praying I don't have some sort of crying fit when he leaves!
6. I am so, so thankful that my husband was able to figure out the problem with our washing machine and that we should be getting the rather inexpensive parts in the mail tomorrow! I am SO BLESSED to have a mechanically inclined hubby to do these sorts of things!
7. I am thankful for how responsible my kids are (usually) in the morning. I've gotten spoiled with them always getting up with their alarm and doing their normal morning routines without much help from me. It takes mornings like this morning (when they slept through their alarm) for me to realize that most 8 & 9 year olds need a little more coaching from Mom to do what my girls do on a normal day all by themselves. I'm very blessed!
8. I'm thankful that our very dear friends who were unable to make it up for Christmas from Oregon are coming up for Valentine's Day! I would be going insane with impatience if I didn't have so much work to do to get my house ready for company!
9. I'm thankful for my church, my church family and friends and how I miss it when I don't make it to church. We are SO BLESSED to be a part of a wonderful group of believers who love the Lord and are such an encouragement to others!