Counting my blessings.

Today, I wore a 3/4 length sleeved white tee shirt to work. It's a nicer one, so I figured it would be okay. It's not tight, but, being a cotton tee, it is form fitting. I also don't wear white tops very often, seeing as how I am clumsy and usually end up with something on them.

Apparently, it is the perfect article of clothing to highlight my ever growing belly.

I've had so many people come in here, and just stop and look at it. Many comment on how it's growing. It's like, today is the first day anyone's noticed. I walk into a room, and people look at my stomach before my face. It's kinda funny.

I met up with my husband last night after cake class. He had gone to meet some friends of his at a sports bar to watch the Suns game, and since there were only ten minutes left, I figured, why not. Well, Rascist H was there and she was totally cracking me up. See, she had gotten to the point where she was acting cordial towards me, but since this whole thing with Amber happened, apparently she's renewed her commitment to pretending I don't exist. It was quite comical. I just reminded myself that she's a sad, angry person, and she has to be mean to others to make herself feel better. I don't because I know that I am truly lucky, and with the exception of the whole Amber/friends thing, life is really really good right now.

I count my blessings every day.

I'm married to a wonderful, patient man. He loves me, he takes care of me, he tries to make me happy, he's faithful, he helps around the house, he's kind (except for when he gets on a roll teasing me, but no one's perfect!). I don't have to rag on him because he won't show me affection. He's thoughtful and pays attention to my likes and dislikes. He lets me veto wardrobe choices when shopping. He's not shallow or materialistic. He isn't prone to angry outbursts, fits of rage, jealousy, etc. He gives AWESOME hugs! I don't have to wonder if he'll love me if I gain 30 lbs, because I did, and he still does! I hope I never get to the point where I take him for granted.

I'm expecting a baby! We got lucky and didn't get pregnant too soon, but we didn't have to go through the ordeal of "trying" once we decided it was time. This is a good time for us.

We just bought a new car. Everybody is talking about tightening their purse strings, but because we live in an apartment and haven't bought a house yet, we didn't lose a lot of money on one when the prices were out of control and are actually in the perfect position to buy in the next year or so. We've managed to pay off all of our credit card debt, and our student loans (combined) have dropped under $30,000. Our credit is finally in a good place due to diligence and hard work on our parts, so we knew that we would be able to afford this.

I have GREAT in-laws. I read stories online about scary in laws, and everytime I do, I thank the stars above that mine are awesome. My mother in law likes a lot of the same things I do, and we have a lot in common. Neither one of them are pushy, and never tried to rush us into anything (like having a baby or getting married) and let us do things on our own time. They're both kind, generous people and I'm glad to be able to call them family.

I have a good job. It's not the best job, or the highest paying job, but things around here have settled to the point where it's not bad coming to work every day. My new boss has really made the effort to help me be comfortable with where I am and what I am doing. I feel like my talents are more appreciated these days, and like I'm more a part of the team, instead of just feeling like a lowly Peon of an administrative assistant like before. I used to get walked on, and she really put a stop to that.

I am creative. I can solve problems on my own. I can make things from my own ideas and don't always have to copy something. If I do see something that inspires me, I'm able to put my own twist on it so it is my own. I'm good at most of the creative endeavors I take on. I've dabbled in scrapbooking, sewing, beading, painting, pencil drawing, cake decorating, and been pretty good at most of them.

I don't have a shrew of a mother over my shoulder always criticizing or second guessing me! That is a blessing in itself!

We can afford "fun" things: scrapbooking, a big TV, taking cake decorating classes. We can go out with people and not have to whine about how we're so broke right now.

While I'm at it, I'm thankful for a VERY patient cake decorating instructor. She was so patient when I was ready to chuck my ball of gum paste across the room last night because my carnation bases kept cracking! She's awesome. Even though I only planned on taking the two classes, now I think I'll take the rest of them because I like her so much and she makes them so much fun! I'm glad I signed up for these, and went out on a limb and did it all by myself instead of feeling like I had to drag someone with me for support.

I'm a kick butt cook. I can throw something together without a recipe if I need to, because I have a good understanding of what tastes go together well. I am not beholden to a cookbook, frozen dinners, or chicken in the George Foreman grill everynight (although, I do enjoy those things!). I know how to follow a recipe without being slave to it. I know how to finesse my finished product so that my cake will come out a little bit better than the next person who used the same recipe. I understand the visual impact of food, and how you eat with your eyes first, so I'm not making a bunch of bland, unappetizing stuff in my kitchen.

I have really really really cute dogs. They're mostly well behaved. The little one LOVES me and snuggles with me at night, even after I accidentally kick her off the bed. (Sorry Gidget!) I paid cash for one, and adopted the other, so I didn't contribute to puppy mills or go into debt to finance them. They were very responsible additions to our family.

We have a nice home. Yeah, it's an apartment, but we've worked to make it look like home, and not just a place we stay for now. It's in a nice part of town, close to everything we need. It's nicely decorated, and well stocked with everything needed to run a home. We don't have to live with a family member, or in a family member's home. we are self sufficient. We are smart enough to know we don't need an enormous house to be somehow worthier. It's pretty (except for the nasty apartment carpet that we really must clean, and the couch that has just seen better days) and I enjoy spending time there.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head, but I know there are a lot more!