5 Things I am Grateful For...

I receive a daily "tune up" e-mail that is sometimes interesting, sometimes thought-provoking, always insightful. Some days I read them, some days I send them straight to the delete file. I received on a couple of days ago that I kept because I wanted to write about it. It read:

Just as you are certain that your life will be filled with abundance in the future, appreciate what you have right now.

Focus on five things you are grateful for today.

Only five? Really? Cause I could list sooooooo many things I am grateful for. Let me see if I can cram them into five.

1. My husband. I think some women would be grateful first for their children, but I wouldn't have any children if it weren't for my husband! And I haven't shared in writing (I don't think) our story. I tell it several times a year to new people I meet who ask how we met. But since this blog is for our kids to have a collection of stories from our family life together - here goes.

I was getting ready to graduate college and looking for a job as a television news producer. I wanted to work ANYWHERE... except Louisiana. (Funny how I ended up back home, but at 21 years old - I was ready to fly the coup!) I ended up in Maine. My mother nearly fell apart when I left. I moved to THE farthest point in the United States! But as I was looking for an affordable apartment (on a $23,000 salary), I ended up renting furniture. Since I was a recent college graduate with NO money, I couldn't rent a moving van to bring furniture with me to Maine. I had NOTHING. Just my car and my dog... and we drove three days to get to Maine. Luckily, my sweet friend Nancy offered to ride with me and stay a day or two and then fly home.

So one afternoon, I drove down the street to the Rent-A-Center furniture store to rent a couch and a bed. (Did I mention I was broke?) When I walked in, a creepy guy approached me to see if I needed help. Uh, no thanks!! I just wanted to browse. But after walking around a bit, a handsome young man caught my eye. Apparently I caught his eye as well. I remember it vividly... I was checking out the couches (hideous floral patterns, maroon and blue colors - yuck!), so I decided to ask the handsome young man if there were other patterns to choose from. Unfortunately for me, there were no other patterns.... but he did recommend a sister store in town that had other varieties.

Fast forward a little bit and I found a couch at the store he recommended......but this sneaky little blonde southern girl decided to turn on the southern charm and go to the handsome stranger's store to pay for the rented furniture.

(Kennedy - if you're reading this, your mama wasn't desperate... just mildly curious in the young man. You don't need to be obvious like your mama was!)

So I went to the store where the handsome young man was and started paying my bill there weekly. I could have mailed in my payment once a month, but why waste a stamp? It was really on my way to work... Who am I kidding? I wanted to see the young man! I finally learned his name - Chris LaPierre. When I visited, I smiled, said "hello," and hoped he would eventually ask me out. After weeks of this, no such luck. So - in typical Jennifer Skinner fashion, I took matters into my own hands. I got with some co-workers at my new TV station job and suggested we have a big group gathering and I invited Chris and his friends to join us. It would just be a big group of friends, meeting for a drink after work. (wink, wink!)

Well darn it - EVERYONE backed out! My plan backfired. But when I approached Chris to see if we should reschedule, he said we should just go out together...the two of us. We went on a date that weekend and were inseparable from then on. My friends thought I was crazy for falling so fast. My parents were shocked on a trip to Maine when Chris told my dad, just six months after meeting me, that he loved me and was going to take care of me for the rest of his life. When I say everyone was skeptical, I mean - EVERYONE.

And now, nearly 10 years later - he is the man I was MEANT to marry. He is my everything. So that was a very long-winded version of how we met, but when I say I am grateful for him - I mean it.

2. My babies. Not everyone is blessed with babies as easily as I was. No major complications, no dramatic birth stories, no major fertility trouble. I am blessed to have Kennedy and Brady in my life more than I can ever express. Being a mother has made me a complete person. I would do absolutely anything for them. I honestly did not know it was possible to love this much. Kennedy is my sassy, adorable, and tremendously loving little girl. She has a spirit that makes me smile each time I think about a quirky thing she says or does. She loves to sing, dance, and snuggle. And Brady? Who knew boys could be so much fun? To hear him, at 2 years old, say "Mommeeeeeee!" absolutely melts my heart. I thank God everyday for blessing me with two beautiful, healthy, and happy children.

3. Girlfriends. What would I do without girlfriends? I love being a mama, but sometimes mamas need a little girl time. Drinks, laughs, dinner, movies, concerts, whatever it may be - spending time with Susie, Shelley, Deanna, Deni, Emily, Kandi, Jean, DeAnn is priceless. I am blessed to have a group of girlfriends that I can be myself with.

4. My sister. My sister is amazing. Truly. I never in my life would have pictured her leaving Louisiana because that's just not typical behavior for her. She's more of a homebody... and I don't mean that in a negative way. She just stays close to home. But she moved to Arkansas, had a baby (my sweet niece Lauren) AND got her MBA while she was very pregnant. We have gotten so much closer since we both became moms and I am extremely grateful for that.

5. My humor. I don't always laugh, but I sure do love to! I like to make other people laugh. I enjoy being silly with Chris and my kiddos. Sometimes when a really good song comes on the radio, I'll grab a pen and use it as a microphone. I like to have dance parties in the living room. I like to have tickle fests with the kids. I LOVE it when Chris makes me laugh. It's one of my all-time favorite things to do.