I am thankful for kind strangers. For the sweet person who found my wallet in Walmart and turned it into lost and found. For the kid who held the door open for me when my hands were full and I was running through the rain this morning. For the sweet couple who stopped on the interstate on Sunday to pull Clay and mine's cars out of the muddy shoulder when we got stuck. Be good to people and stop to help those in need. Small gestures can be so very powerful.

Today I am especially thankful for warm winter coats. It's chilly out there folks and I'm thankful for warmth.

This one from GUESS looks pretty cozy!

I'm thankful for books and the calming presence they provide. I'm also thankful that I am able to find joy in reading. No matter how weird life gets, you can always count of getting lost in a good story. Right now I'm reading...

I'm reading this for one of my classes and it's fascinating. It compares the health care systems of 6 different counties. You'd be surprised and how terrible the American system looks. It's scary.

I just bought this last night and it's already got my laughing out loud. I must read for any fan of The Office or awkward people.

I am thankful that we celebrate a holiday like Thanksgiving. It makes me happy that all of America is given time off for the sole purpose of being thankful for the blessings that we have. It's a pretty cool concept when you think about how ridiculously "busy" our society is now.

Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for my mother. Every single day I realize more and more how amazing she is. She does it all and does it well and still finds time to listen to me whine about my trivial problems and then reminds me of how trivial they are and how thankful I should be. She's awesome. I love her.

Isn't she presh!

I'm thankful for my dad's taste in music and that he made us listen to it all the time and learn to love the greats. As I'm typing this post, I'm listening to James Taylor, one of my dad's favs. It's such great music and so much better than the majority of the crap on the radio today. Yay Oldies!

His voice melts my heart.

I'm thankful for all of my sweet and wonderful friends from life. I categorize a "friend from life" as someone I've known for a very long time and can't just fit into on childhood, high school, church, college, etc. friend category because they are more than that. They've known you through all of your awkward phases. They've helped you through all of your ups and downs. They know where you've been and they are excited to see where you are going. I'm lucky enough to have several of these and they are all such beautiful, caring, funny, courageous, and sweet people. Don't know what I'd do without you ladies. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures from throughout the years. I wish I had some of the REALLY old pictures to scan in, but I'll save you all the embarrassment.

Auburn love! P.S. Codi, your hair is LONG!

This is what lack of sleep does to people...

HG4E. I love you guys!

Sweet Katherine! She's going to run the world someday.

I love Sofy so much that I braved the FREEZING cold for several hours for her! :)

Please ignore how gross I look. Otherwise, I really like this picture!

I'll be back later to continue my thankful love fest!

Thankful: Hymns

I am extraordinarily thankful for church music, especially hymns. Hymns are so beautiful, special and magical. They have the ability to put the word of God in your heart unlike any other medium. I am truly moved every time a hear a hymn and when life sucks and nothing is going right, I find great comfort and connection when I sit down at the piano and just sing.

Beautiful.

Thankful: The boy

I am thankful for the weirdo in the middle

He enjoys to have as much anonymity on my blog as possible so I will not go into too many details except for to say that I am thankful for the relationship that we share.

A Week Full of Thanks

In typical Alex fashion, I got a little behind on my blogging. A nasty cold and mounds of homework have left me little time to actually blog about what I'm thankful for but fear not! I have been counting my lucky stars on a daily basis. In an attempt to catch up and get back on track I'm going to list last week's thankfulness in one post.

Isn't this banner cute? It's from my Tiger Eyes buddy, Ashley's Etsy Shop. You should check it out!

1. The roof over my head.

I've always had a safe and comfortable home/apartment/dorm to live in and I hadn't ever really thought too much about being thankful for it until this past April. Hundreds of people in Tuscaloosa lost their homes and I could have very easily been one of these people. Six months later, there are still people living in hotels and at neighbor's houses. I am so very blessed. 

2. My college roommates. 

As I'm sure most of you know, I had some crazy roommates and interesting living situations while I was in college. I was also fortunate enough to live with some amazing young women who turned into my best friends. I definitely learned from all of my roommate experiences, both good and bad and I think I'm a more caring, patient and observant person for these experience.

3. Cell Phones

I really hate technology sometimes and I especially hate being expected to be available to all people at all times. However, I'm so thankful I live in a world where cell phone exist. I watch reruns of Seinfeld and want to pull my hair out thinking about how frustrating it would be to be waiting on someone to meet you for dinner and have no idea where they are when they are 30 minutes late. Say what you want but cell phone make life much safer and easier. And for that I am thankful. 

4. That I live in America

I will not get into any political debates here but we all know that our country is going through difficult times right now. I know I often joke about moving to Italy and opening up a fruit stand or becoming a cheese farmer, but the truth is, I'm so thankful that I live in America. I am thankful to be able to express myself however I want and not be punished for it. I'm thankful for my right to vote and that our countries leaders, while they act like children sometimes, are truly good people. I'm thankful for our country's heritage and how ballin' our founding fathers were. U-S-A! (p.s. I love the Olympics)

5. Air Conditioning 

I'm thankful for air conditioning. We live in Alabama. It's hot. Today was NOVEMBER 14th and it was 78 degrees outside. I've spent a week in August in an apartment with a broken air conditioner and I will be forever thankful for this marvelous invention. Air Conditioning is yet another reason why I'm thankful that I live in America. 

6. My health

I'm thankful to have been blessed with good health thus far in my life. I'm also thankful for health insurance. Even though I have not really had to use it, it's comforting to know it will be there for me when/if I do. 

That's all for now folks! I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday and that the wonderfulness continues throughout the week!

Thankful: Tiger Eyes

I'm thankful for the wonderful group of girls that I got to know over my two years as a Tiger Eye. These ladies had a huge hand in shaping who I am today and they were an incredibly solid foundation and support system for me while I was in college.

Here are my flags from my freshman year. The leadership and positive attitude of our captain taught me how to handle difficult situations with grace. The "Fantastic 4" was also born from this group. I got into too much trouble but had some of the best times in my college career with these girls.

 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the dance team girls from my sophomore year. The older girls on the team were such powerful role models for me and helped me realize the importance of having a strong female support system. I had so much fun on my year on the dance team and I was almost constantly laughing until I cried the whole season.

I couldn't imagine my life without the experienced I had and the friends I made while on Tiger Eyes. We've all grown up now and moved onto bigger and better things (I've gotten several wedding invitations and birth announcements from former Tiger Eyes) but we share a special bond with each other and with all former and future Tiger Eyes members, which I will be thankful for for the rest of my life.

Please excuse the poor quality of these photos. They were lifted from Facebook.

This is one of my favorite picture. I love these two ladies to the moon and back!

Fantastic 4 demonstrating our super powers. Don't Ask.

This picture makes me laugh SO hard!

Thankful: Kindle

E-book and e-readers are a technology that I am completely on board with. I absolutely love my Kindle and am so thankful to it and Amazon for rekindling (pun intended) my love for reading. It is so much easier (and cheaper) for me to read and buy books now. I think I'm Kindle's number one fan!

Thankful: Education

 I am thankful that I had the opportunity to receive a quality education. It is something It is something that I have taken for granted and something that I complain about often. However, I see and meet people who do not have the resources available to pursue higher education and I count my lucky stars.

Thankful: Reggie

You all knew it was coming. I love my sweet puggle! 

I'm thankful for this little booger. He may annoy the mess out of me and I may even be tempted to drop kick him at times (I probably shouldn't admit to that. I love animals and would never hurt one), but I don't know what I'd do without him. Reggie came to me at a time when I really needed something soft and snuggly to love. It's such a comforting feeling to know that this little guy is waiting for me when I get home everyday and that I'm the highlight of his life. I love him dearly and am so thankful that we were able to save each other.

Thankful: My home town

I am exceedingly blessed to have been raised in Auburn. It's a ridiculously safe community that is in its own little bubble in the state of Alabama. Having the university there make Auburn a hub for cultural diversity and provides many opportunities and entertainment that a small town in East Alabama would not otherwise have.

There's just something magical about Auburn. I love it and it will always be my home.

Thankful: My love of cooking

I am thankful for my love of cooking and food. I grew up in a home where we only ate out once a month, if that, and both of my parents are excellent cooks who made sure I got in the kitchen at a young age. I love trying new recipes and being inspired by new tastes and smells. For me, food is not just an essential need. It's a way of life. I'm not a very creative person but I like to think I can work a little magic in the kitchen and making a successful dish is one of the most satisfying experiences.

I love food. 

I love cheese.

I love to cook. 

I love to cook with cheese. 

The end.

P.S. I'm a little obsessed with my Kitchen Aid (pictured above). Her name is Buttercream. She's pretty ballin'

Thankful

I'm copying one of my bloggy friends a listing something I'm thankful for every day in November until Thanksgiving because I really have so much to be thankful for! In true Alex fashion though, I'm starting a day late. Oops. Some of these will be silly, while others will be super cheese but true. I hope you enjoy!

November 1: Family
I have come to realize more and more as I get older that I'm incredibly fortunate to be apart of loving and solid family. It's something that I use to take for granted but now I hold my family near and dear to my heart. I love them more than just about anything and could not imagine any part of my life without every single one of them in it.

I was fortunate enough to spend some quality time with my immediate family and a few of my cousins, my aunt, and my grandparents this weekend. We ate ourselves silly, we laughed until we cried, and we reveled in lounging around the house. It was rejuvenating and so very special. This picture is from my graduation from Auburn. It's so special to me because my Nana and Granddaddy met each other at Auburn and started the wonderful Smith family. Also, my Nana had major surgery last week and I wanted to give a special shout out to this lovely lady!

November 2: The beauty of nature
I Drove down the back roads on the way home this weekend and was continually impressed by how beautiful rural Alabama is. I'm thankful to be surround by such breathtaking beauty. I especially notice nature in the fall when the leaves are turning and it's not raining or hurricaning every other day. This is a picture of the fall foliage by the river in Tuscaloosa. Beautiful.