Thankful 2010

This Thanksgiving day2010, I am thankful that:

• My family is healthy and happy (happy most the time anyway)
• My husband is so patient, loving, understanding and forgiving. He is surely my better half.
• My husband loves his job and gets to work from home.
• My son is so creative and makes me smile... and never holds a grudge :)
• My son is doing well in Kindergarten, has a great teacher and is having fun learning.
• I am still sober.
• God led me to a new therapist that diagnosed me with ADD.
• An awesome scientist created Adderall.
• My gall bladder is GONE!
• My new dentist isn't a thief and I don't have 9 cavities as the liar dentist told me. Thank you Dr. Jason Zimmerman (new friend and pediatric dentist) for referring me to the most honest dentist I have ever met, Dr. Dan Hong, Precinct Line Dentistry, NRH
• God placed me with a wonderful Bible Study small group... Mary, Beverly, Cindy, Davonna, Earline, & Cathy - I will miss you while we are on break!
• I lost some old friends but learned some very hard but valuable lessons from it.
• I gained some amazing new friends... Suzi B., Cindy Midkiff, Stephanie C.
• I am getting to know some new ladies I really like... Cindy Maxwell, Karin S., Jamie W.
• I am fully committed to one church home, Peace Lutheran, Hurst!!!
• Dustin and Kellie are still my friends.
• My friend Suzi is the kind of friend I can tell anything to and know she is gonna love me anyway.
  
• God allowed me to help Celebrate Recovery at COH get started!
• My new pound puppy, Goldie, is a total joy and not a big pain in the butt!
• We found Man's Best Friend NRH to help us train our dog correctly.
• I still have a wonderful sponsor who is always there for me (hugs and kisses to you).
• The "Heart Smart" retreat was such a success! And through the planning, Stephanie showed me true friendship and how taking friendship slowly really pays off. Thank you Stephanie!!!
  
• That Heather came back from Cambodia and is healthy, happy and engaged to Richie.
• My husband supports my weekend retreats away from the world!
• With my hubby by my side, I caught my first fish in Florida... Surf Fishing!
• Brett and I had a super fun summer together... swimming, crafts, bass pro fun camp, my mom visited (very thankful for that), Lido, Dallas Aquarium, play doh, playing restaurant and zoo keeper... just to name a few.
• My hubby had the skills, patience and desire to fix several broken things on his own... sprinkler system, car window motor, washing machine... just to name a few.
• We had a wonderful camping trip to Devil's Den State Park.
• I have wonderful, caring In-Law's.
• Vanessa moved to Texas (and I am super proud of all her progress and growth)
• Marissa and I didn't drown at the Water Gardens! And that she came to visit and we had a great time together... I love you Marissa!!!
• We are going to be in Virginia with my parents at Christmas!!! I haven't seen my dad all year and I will get to see my sister and her family too!
• Facebook allows me to keep up with my sister and her family (I love you Kristi, Brian, Alyssa and Reiley).
• Facebook reconnected me with two wonderful people from high school... Jennie and Stephanie.
• Jennie calls me every time she chops an onion.
• That attending my high school reunion is not required by law.
• We have the best babysitter in the world for my son... Rachael is awesome!
• There is at least one flavor of gluten free and preservative free crackers I like.
• I have kicked my caffeine addiction completely and have learned to love water.
• I finally broke down and got a smartphone! I'm not obsessed with the computer anymore 'cause its at my fingertips.
• We were invited to spend Thanksgiving with some wonderful people (thank you SO much Jamie)... and I only have to make mashed potatoes and pie :)
• God shows up even when I don't.
• God loves me enough to want to show me that all I have to be is me, nothing else needed. I'm fighting it... but I'm trying.
• Jesus lived and died for me.

And to think with all the ups and downs this year I was worried it would be one of the worst ever... its turned out to be one of the best! An attitude of gratitude truly does pay off.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

You might be if...

This is NOT supposed to be funny. This is a real peek into my alcoholic life and it's sad. I thank the Lord everyday that I didn't DIE due to my alcoholism.

You might be an alcoholic if...
you consistently hide your drinking from someone you love, respect and trust.

You might be an alcoholic if...

you have a picture in your memory album of the server you used most on your very first cruise AND you still remember his name (Eduardo). Don't panic... this alone does not mean you are an alcoholic.


You might be an alcoholic if...

the very first wedding planning decision you made was to switch to white wine (even though you hated the taste of it) just so you wouldn't have to worry about spilling red wine on your white dress.


You might be an alcoholic if...
the only time you drink is when you are happy... or mad... or sad... or excited... or celebrating... or blah... or lonely... or trying to embrace or avoid feelings.


You might be an alcoholic if...

the words "adult beverage" appeared on the invitation to your son's first birthday party.
(p.s. I don't live there anymore so don't even try to find me at that address)


You might be an alcoholic if...

you have ever gotten into a car (alone) with two complete strangers then ended up in some place crazy...like in a 40-year-old drug dealer's basement.


You might be an alcoholic if...
you drink even when you don't want to.


You might be an alcoholic if...

the first panic attack you ever experienced was in a grocery store isle as the clerk explained that you had just moved to a DRY town (that was in 2003 - Bedford ain't DRY no more).


You might be an alcoholic if...
you drink alone. Drinking alone is NOT normal.


You might be an alcoholic if...

you NEED to have multiple boxes of bad tasting wine in your fridge to sleep well at night (and you are the only one drinking it).


You might be an alcoholic if...

you have ever driven to a gas station to buy booze just so you could pass off the expense to your spouse as a gas purchase.


You might be an alcoholic if...
you completely ignore the warning labels on your prescriptions that say "do not consume alcohol while taking this medication". Seriously people, do you realize that consumption of alcohol nixes the effects of most every prescription drug??? I took depression meds for YEARS while drinking heavily. I could have just flushed cash down the toilet and gotten the same result.


You might be an alcoholic if...

you have ever sneaked your empty bottles into the neighbor's recycle bin on the curb so your trash man wouldn't think you're a drunk.


You might be an alcoholic if...
you promise yourself you are never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever going to drink again AND you mean it BUT you are unable to keep the promise no matter how hard you try.


You might be an alcoholic if...

filling your glass back up with wine before it is empty still only counts as one glass in your head.


You might be an alcoholic if...

you really truly believe the lie that you are a better driver when you are loaded.


You might be an alcoholic if...
you purchase your booze at several different locations just so the clerks won't realize how much you are buying.


You might be an alcoholic if...

the people you consider your "closest" friends are all regulars at the same bar and you don't know any of their last names.


You might be an alcoholic if...
the only Sunday you look forward to attending church is on communion Sunday (those Lutherans are big on Port you know).


You might be an alcoholic if...

you instinctively lie to your Dr. when he or she asks you how much you drink.


You might be an alcoholic if...

you randomly tell people you are a recovering alcoholic BUT you don't really think you are an alcoholic at all SO you still drinking regularly.
The good news here is that you are closer than you have ever been to actually becoming a recovering alcoholic... good luck!


And last but definitely not least...


You might be an alcoholic if...

you've ever wondered if you are an alcoholic. People without an alcohol issue never ask themselves that... because it is not an issue.
(You don't wonder if you are pregnant if you've never had sex. You don't wonder if you have irritable bowel syndrome if you never have problems with digestion. You don't wonder if you are a diabetic if you don't have blood-sugar issues. You don't wonder if you are a homosexual if you've never been attracted to the same sex. I rest my case.)

All of these "you might be if" statements were true in my life and as I said... this is NOT supposed to be funny. Only you can decide if you are or aren't an alcoholic. If you think you might be... get help. I quit many times on my own... only to start again. The time I was really able to quit... I didn't do it, God did it for me with the help of others who knew what to tell me to do.