Birthday Blessings

Yes, it is time for the birthday blessing list. I really debated...do I write just 29 which is how old I plan to tell people I am OR do I just lay all 40 out there (this has been a hard birthday for me to swallow)? Since I write these every year, I figure I can't really fool anyone out there in blogger world. Might as well do the whole shebang.

So, here it goes, in no particular order. Please don't count up how many are food items. And yes, many are repeats from previous year. What can I say? If I like it, I like it.

My Birthday Blessings (an annual tradition)
40. Red Bull Sushi with a side salad topped with ginger dressing
39. watching the brilliant colors of the sunset each night
38. my i-Touch. It wasn't a "need" but it is a truly appreciated "want"
37. a clean sink (which is unfortunately rare around our house...our dishwasher cannot keep up)
36. a sleeping Marley pup in my lap at the end of the day. I can say all day long that she was a gift for the kids, but I know why we really got her. My sanity. :)
35. "chance encounters" with people that have God's fingerprints all over them
34. an ice cold Mountain Dew
33. the imagination of our youngest as he tells me stories with elaborate details and hand gesture...oh how he can entertain me
32. the ironing scene, mostly wordless, of Niles on Frasier. The funniest 5 minutes on television I have ever seen (If you haven't seen it, look on you tube; you won't be sorry)
31. white lilies
30. new school supplies
29. a hot bath with a new magazine
28. freshly fallen snow without even a footprint or blemish(preferably on a Friday evening so it is melted before Monday...NO snow days!)
27. pillow talk with my man (at the end of the day when we catch up on our day's happenings, our kids, etc.)
26. reading a good book (just finished The Help. Wow!)
25. Excedrin Migraine which has saved my day a time or two
24. Pizza with mozzarella, Parmesan, cheddar, and feta (and any other cheese I might find)
23. the faith of my oldest child...may I have even a tenth of the faith he has!
22. our Christmas tree full of ornaments that tell stories of years before
21. Facebook. Where else can I get more birthday wishes than my actual age? Or an encouraging word on a hard day? Or even just a restaurant suggestion or a reminder of upcoming events?
20. My co-workers. Not only do I have a job I love, but I get to work with people I truly like.
19. walking barefoot on the beach
18. the (very) dry sense of humor of child 3
17. Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares with sea salt caramel (a little different this year since they added the sea salt)
16. hiking The Natural State with my family
15. my digital camera to record memories with my children
14. sitting outside as my children play in the dusk on a summer evening, lightning bugs flying around us
13. wearing a pair of jeans and a comfortable t-shirt
12. high school football games
11. the generous heart of child 2; she truly takes joy in giving
10. butterflies and ladybugs
9. an afternoon nap
8. not setting my alarm clock on a summer morning
7. a God who makes me His top priority even when I don't make Him mine
6. holding hands with my husband
5. my blonde hair, one of the few parts of my body that hasn't betrayed me as I get older (yet)
4. air conditioning
3. blogging
2. my family (husband, kids, parents, sister, in-laws, cousins, grandmothers, aunts and uncles
1. You. Thank you for taking time to read this. Thank you for being a part of my life.
32.