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Three Gratitudes - Day 9

Today  I am thankful for:

1.  Half Days & Vacation Days. I'm very blessed in this department, because Purdue is very generous in this department. I'm thankful that I can plan them when I feel like I need them, and that I have a boss that is pretty flexible about when/how I use my time. Just when a week begins to crowd in, I can take an afternoon off to refresh my mind, and I feel like I come back a stronger employee because of it. I can take those afternoons all to myself to nap or accomplish other "un-kid-friendly" tasks (like wrapping Christmas gifts like I will this afternoon!) or I can grab the kids up and spend a random afternoon at the Columbia Park Zoo or the park or in Mom's pool in the summertime! I'm thankful for flexibility and free days. Looking forward to one this afternoon after our Holiday Party! :)

2. I'm thankful for combine rides with Dad in the fall. Or more recently (and scarier) semi rides to the elevator with Dad, since Trent has taken over the combine! :) I'm thankful that he and I get that time one on one...or used to, until my kids came along and my existence in this world ceased. However, I'm still thankful because it warms my heart to see Colton asked Dad 20 questions and for Dad to revel in the fact that Colton loves farming. He can't wait to take Em on rides and loved it this past fall when she fell happily asleep in his arms while Jason drove the semi for the first time! So much of my heart is in agriculture and the memories made while growing up on a farm. I am thankful that Dad &I can share that and that we're teaching my kids to have the same values and passion for agriculture. You can't replace cab talks and cornstalk conversations. (afterall, beans are boring....)

3. I'm thankful for our camping friends. Funny how we group friends like that, isn't it? I guess they are our friends even when we aren't camping, but because of the adventures we have had at different campgrounds around the state we've gained some really great friends. We enjoy the stories we share, the fiascoes we've tackled, the meals we have prepared and shared together around the campfire. I really appreciate the memories we're building for our kids....all of them. We love the kids we camp with and I truly love watching them all play and interact.  I have so many fond memories of our own camping trips growing up, and I'm thankful that we can provide that same kind of experience for our kids. To Jason and I, it's a mini-get away where we can relax with a cold beer around a warm fire on a summer evening....but to our kids it's a 3 day playdate with some great friends! I'm thankful that we have the goods to go on such trips and that our kids are good on those trips, which allow us to keep going on them! Overall, I'm thankful for the friendships we've forged with our "camping friends" and I am hopeful for many more years of memories ahead! :)

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