Blessings All Day Long

Today was a full day; from beginning of the day to its end, there were blessings to be grateful for.

This morning, I was grateful for the blessing of my girls' schools starting late. Very often I complain that the girls don't start school until 9am. While this will likely be useful as they get older, these days the girls wake up at 7am. It doesn't take an hour and a half for them to get ready, so most of the time the TV gets turned on to keep everyone peaceful before we can head out the door. This morning, the television never was turned on. Instead, all three girls were busy coordinating a musical production full of song, dance, and overall silliness. It was nice to have all my children ready for their day and taking their extra time to play together - what a great way to start the day.

This afternoon, in honor of Veterans' Day Ben went to Ava's elementary school to speak to a fourth grade class about his experience in the military. When he came home he said it went well, and that the kids were especially impressed when he mentioned that one of his ships had participated in anti-piracy missions. After school, one of Ava's friend's big sisters, who was in the class Ben talked to, ran up to Ava and said, "Your dad is SOOO cool!!" It was fun to see Ava's reaction. She of course loves her Daddy, but someone else admiring her dad brought out a new sense of pride in Ava. It made the gratitude of Veterans' Day very personal for Ava.

Finally, this evening I took a big step in my new business endeavor and hosted my first Thirty-One party. The party was at our friend Katy's house, and went better than anything I had hoped for. The total amount of sales was double what my goal was for my first event. But most importantly, I felt like I succeeded. I was able to sell the product, answer people's questions, and make sure everyone had a positive and enjoyable time. I am on such a high from having done so well. I am blessed to have a wonderful woman like Katy volunteer to help me by hosting my first party at her house. I am blessed for the women from my Thirty-One team who have been coaching and encouraging me and answering my thousands of questions. Mostly I am blessed to have this opportunity to do something I seem to enjoy while making a little extra money in the process. It really was a fantastic day from start to finish.