10 Things I Am Grateful For

1. A Toothbrush - I spent the night of Thanksgiving at my brother's house in Brentwood with the rest of my family.  After stuffing my face with piles of plaque-promoting foods, I found that I had forgotten a very important item: my toothbrush.  I resorted to rubbing toothpaste all over my teeth with my finger and went to bed with a less-than-fresh feeling in my mouth.  There really is no substitute for a good toothbrush.  Whoever invented the modern-day toothbrush deserves about 40 million pats on the back.  I am truly grateful for their insight.
2. Jeans - After a long day at work, there is nothing better than slipping out of my dress pants and putting on some comfy jeans.  I am grateful for the clothes on my back, for the clothes in my closet, and for the stores just down the street that allow me to remain properly protected against the elements. :)
3. Nieces and Nephews - I just spent the last four days surrounded by children, all of whom are five years of age or younger.  While each one definitely had their little moments of insanity, I also enjoyed their moments of laughter and discovery.  I love them all and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to watch them learn and grow. :) 

4. Movies - Anyone who knows me well knows that I love movies and good quotable lines.  I just recently splurged and bought the movie We Bought a Zoo.  I'm grateful for those who put time and effort in to producing good quality entertainment for my enjoyment.
5. Rays of Sunshine Through Puffy White Clouds - This past Friday, I had to walk in the rain to get to the bus stop.  After that rather miserable walk, I looked out the window as we rolled down Ygnacio Valley Road and saw the sun shining through the clouds onto the hills.  I'm grateful to know that there is always light behind the clouds.
6. Food - Thanksgiving is one of those holidays when everyone feels justified in filling themselves to the brim with delicious food.  I loaded my plate with mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, corn, green beans, and rolls then sat back with a contented smile on my face when I was done.  I'm grateful for the abundance we enjoy.
7. My Job - Though I don't always know what I'm doing and I am sometimes asked to do things that go beyond my field of expertise, I am grateful for the opportunity I have to learn new skills and gain experience.  I am grateful for others' generosity and understanding as I become accustomed to a new field.  After going through quite an extensive period without a steady income, I am grateful to have a paycheck and the means to support myself.
8. My Country - Despite some recent disappointing events, I am very happy that I am an American.  There are so many people in the world who don't know what it means to be free.  We do.  I'm grateful to live in a country where my voice can be heard and where I have the right to stand up for what I believe in.  I am grateful for all those, both past and present, who have made this country great.
9. The Temple - Over the past year, I have been able to attend the temple quite regularly.  I can not tell you how many answers to prayers I have received while in the temple.  I have felt comfort and peace there even when it felt like the whole world was crashing down around me.  I am grateful that, through making and keeping temple covenants, I can be with my family forever.
10. My Savior - I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and that He loves and cares about me.  There have been so many times in my life when I have been able to rely on His strength when I knew that mine was not sufficient to make it through the day.  With his help, I have been able to accomplish so many things I would have never thought possible.  I am grateful for the Atonement and for the sacrifice Christ made on my behalf so that I could overcome the trials and tests of this world and move on to a better one.

Classic Celia Moment #1

This is the first installment of what, I am sure, will become a common occurrence on my blog: recountings of what I will call "Classic Celia Moments" or CCMs.  My sister Lisa came up with her own acronym a while ago (CLMs) to describe those times in her life when events occur that she feels only happen to her.  They are the kinds of stories that, when related to others, produce a laugh and a loud, "That would happen to you!"  Although Lisa's stories generally involve falling down, walking into glass doors, dropping spaghetti sauce on white shirts, etc., mine seem to involve animals or bugs.  It's probably because I'm not too fond of them so I notice their presence more than the average person.  Whatever the reason, I feel that most CCMs will fall into the animal/bug category.

So, Classic Celia Moment #1:  A couple of weeks ago, my sister and brother-in-law were dropping me off at my apartment after a nice evening of babysitting my nieces.  I did laundry while at their house so I placed my laundry basket in their trunk for the short drive over to my apartment.  When we reached my complex, I stepped out of the car and made my way around to the back to open up the trunk.  It was dark and I wasn't fully aware of my surroundings.  I set the laundry basket down on the ground next to me, swung the trunk lid shut, and took a step to the right.  As I did so, I felt something squish underneath my foot and heard the rather nasty sound of thick liquid splattering on pavement.  I pulled my foot up quickly to find that I had stepped on a frog/lizard/insect/whatever-thing (I'm still trying to figure out what the heck this thing was) and that all the liquid that was in this creature before my unfortunate misstep was now foaming to the left of it in the parking lot.  The creature had somehow flipped onto its back and its legs and arms were flailing about as it tried to right itself.  At the sound of my strangled cry, my sister got out of the car and stood beside me as I tried to figure out what this monstrosity was.  Our speculations were cut short, however, as the creature did eventually manage to right itself.  As it began to limp (rather quickly, I might add) toward the car, I grabbed my laundry basket and ran up to my apartment while Brittany hastily got back into her car, shouting, "Make sure you wash your shoes!" as her vehicle sped out of sight.  Needless to say, I was grossed out for the rest of the evening.  The still visible splatter mark in the parking lot of my apartment complex will forever serve as a testament of the events of that disgusting night.

Yes, you can say it.  That is the kind of thing that would happen to me.

This is not at all what the "creature" looked like.

UPDATE:  If you wish to know exactly what I stepped on, my sister has figured it out.  Type "Jerusalem Cricket" into Google at your own risk.  Yuck!

(By the way, this is my 100th blog post!  Here's to over four years of being a member of the blogging world!)

Happy Halloween!

It's that time of year again.  It's that time when we can bake 10 loaves of chocolate chip pumpkin bread and feel justified in doing it.  It's that time when we can shove handfuls of Reese's M&Ms down our throats and say we're doing it for the sake of the holiday spirit.  It's that time when adults and children alike can dress up like lunatics and approach doors late at night and ask for free candy.  It's that time of year when we can act like the devil's angels and grim reapers and not feel at all sacrilegious.  It's that time when we can get together with friends and watch scary movies that give us nightmares or cheesy old "creepy" classics that make us chuckle.  Really, though.  Who doesn't love Halloween?

I took this picture while on the drive to work on the morning of Oct. 30.  (I know it wasn't technically Halloween but close enough.)  I thought it fit the spirit of the season :)

Picking out pumpkins in Brentwood with the fam!

Bruce was Buzz.

Sophie was an adorable little pumpkin.

Sydney was the cowgirl, Jessie.

Rhyan was a cute little ladybug.

All ready to go trick or treating!

The awesome decoration Brittany and Melissa made.

At the Halloween dance in Berkeley.

Mrs. Incredible and the waitress from Roswell.

I hope everyone had a "spook-tacular" night!  (Yeah sorry, that was lame but it needed to be said :)