Thankful Thursday...ish

I've had the idea for awhile now of doing "Thankful Thursday" posts. The concept is simple: to create a short list of things you're grateful for in your life. They can be big or small, deep or trivial. The point is to take a minute out of each week to reflect on your blessings. I've seen this on other blogs, and I think it's a great idea.

The truth is, though, I've had kind of a rough day. It started off trying to track down our state tax refund, which we filed via certified mail (thankfully!) on March 17th. After being on hold for 40 minutes, they told me it could be another 4 weeks before it was entered in their system, and who knows how long after that before the check would be issued. Nice.

Fast forward to the afternoon, when I met David at the credit union to open a MMA (I hate being a grown up sometimes and dealing with financial stuff.) Then I spent an hour and a half at stupid Wal-Mart where my ever-growing pregnant size was insulted by a stick of a woman that I'm sure had the "best" of intentions. Whatever.

I went to the post office, came home, unloaded the groceries, and fought with a horribly rude customer service rep while trying to figure out where the stuff was that I ordered 12 weeks ago. (But somehow I was the one in the wrong?!) I swear it should be a requirement for everyone that conducts business to go through at least one year of basic business school. I think it would help them learn how to behave more professionally and remind them who pays the bills at their companies. I cancelled the order, by the way.

I then did laundry, paid bills, tried to finish packing my hospital bag (still not finished) and cooked dinner. When David got home, we spent most of the evening researching mutual funds and trying to transfer my 403B into an IRA. This is a huge pain, and I HAVE a business degree.

My head is throbbing, my blood pressure is rising, the neighbor's dog is barking, and it feels like a million degrees in here even though the thermostat is set far from it. I really want to go for a run, but alas, my 9 month pregnant state would not fair well with that. SO, instead, I'm choosing to move ahead with Thankful Thursday. My thought is that by getting this vent off my chest, I'll be able to put this day behind me and focus on what I DO have. Hopefully, I'll feel better and be able to sleep more peacefully. So here goes...

I'm thankful for:

1. My sweet husband who washed the dishes tonight and helped me put away laundry, without me even having to ask or hint!

2. My ever-growing belly. I may feel huge and ugly these days, but I know there is a precious, amazing, beautiful baby girl inside of me that is so worth it...

3. The fact that we are blessed enough not to need our state refund right away and to be able to deal with things like MMAs and IRAs. I know a lot of people are just trying to scrape by these days.

4. Wal-Mart. Okay, I still hate Wal-Mart. But how great is it that we live in a country that has stores where you can get anything you could possibly need and most of what you want without having to hike barefoot for miles and trade livestock for it?

5. My bed. I have the most comfortable bed in the world. I may not be sleeping great these days, but I know what little sleep I do get is thanks to my amazingly cozy bed. So, off I go to plop myself into it and rest up for what I know will be a great tomorrow....

Thank you, Lord, for do-overs!