Pioneer Day Gratitude

I am posting a little early this week due to a little late July getaway we have planned. Here in Utah, it's a state holiday known as Pioneer Day! July 24, 1847 is the day that the first group of Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, and their leader, Brigham Young proclaimed, "This is the right place!" Pioneer Day is a big deal here in Utah.  State offices and many other businesses are closed and there is a huge parade through downtown Salt Lake City, and fireworks at night. Today, as I celebrate the arrival of the pioneers and settling of the Salt Lake Valley, I am looking back with gratitude on what went right during the last seven days.  To do this, I am once again joining with Suzanne over at Living to Tell the Story for Friday's Fave Five.

😊 In the spirit of Pioneer Day, I will start by saying how grateful I am to live where I live.  Utah is not my home state (I was born in Colorado) but Charly and my two oldest children were born here in Salt Lake City.  I have lived across this awesome country in seven different states and I am truly grateful to now call Utah home, and I hope to do so for the rest of my life!  There are many beautiful places across the country and many great states, but Utah is the place for me and I am thankful to be here.  (U.S. News and World Report agrees with me.  You can see why Utah is ranked as the #1 place to live in the United States by clicking here.)

😊 I began the week in a sleep deficit due to staying up too late a couple of nights.  My brain tends to wake up between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m. no matter how much sleep I've had, so I was tired for the first several days of the week.  Finally, one afternoon, I went into my bedroom, closed my door, and took a lovely, long, deep nap.  It felt so good, and I woke up refreshed and feeling so much more upbeat.  I'm now trying to go to bed earlier, because I don't want to get into another sleep deficit with all that we have going on this coming week. I am grateful for the opportunity to get some extra rest that my body really needed.  It helped me feel much better!

😊 We had to go visit our insurance agent this week to review our coverage and make sure that everything is as it should be.  Our agent is so kind and helpful. She really goes above and beyond in her job. She has excellent information, ideas, and advice based on her knowledge and experience. Because we have several properties and some specialized insurance needs, I am grateful for the help of a good, honest, knowledgeable insurance agent.  

😊  Last fall, I had several sessions with my physical therapist after I injured my back putting up tables for a church activity.   My excellent physical therapist got me feeling much better until I recently aggravated my arthritic back again by pulling weeds and helping to move furniture that we had sold on Facebook Marketplace.  I went back to see him this past week, and once again he reassured me that my back and knee troubles are due to arthritis, He gave me some strategies and exercises to deal with the pain and discomfort when it comes up.  While I don't like having arthritis, I am grateful that I can combat the pain by staying active, and I am thankful for a good physical therapist who is helping me do just that!

😊 Charly and I wanted (and needed) end-of-summer-break pedicures.  I never thought I was a pedicure-kind-of-gal, but both Charly and I were having some problems with our feet and we decided that we to take better care of these important body parts that literally keep us going.  About Christmas time, we started getting pedicures every six weeks or so.   There are nail salons all over, but some are definitely better than others.  Last week, we found a new nail salon three blocks from our house, and the technician did a great job!  She also charged less than the place we had been going.  I am grateful that we found a good nail salon so we can keep our feet healthy and pain-free. 

😊 I received my LAST Welcome Back to School email this week.  As much as I am looking forward to retiring, I wanted to go back and work for a few more months (4 - 9 months) so that we can get our finances all ready for retirement.  There was some concern that I would not be "welcomed back" after a problem that arose last spring, when I got in trouble for reporting a s*xually inappropriate website that another teacher had.  Without going into more detail, I will say that the LBGTQ teacher crowd and the teacher's union were not happy with me at all, and I was afraid that I would not have a job this school year.  Teaching in a public school in our current societal culture is a true minefield, but I will continue to stand for right and true Biblical/Christian principles no matter what- even if I lose my job.  I am grateful for the prayers of blogging friends and others, and I am grateful that it looks like I will be able to retire on my own terms, instead of being pushed out.  I am grateful that the cultural tide seems to be going back to conservative common sense (at least for now). I believe that everyone deserves love and kindness, but I will not condone what is clearly wrong, and the s*xualization of children is wrong. I am grateful that I didn't lose my job for doing the right thing, and I am grateful that this coming school year will be my FINAL year in the classroom.  

😊 At risk of repeating myself, I love flowers, and I love having flowers everywhere in my yard!  I am grateful for all of the colorful beauty I have out in bloom in all parts of my yard right now.  Flowers of all kinds make me happy!

What are some things you are thankful for?  Thanks for stopping by.  Have a good weekend!

Until next time,

😊Deb💖

"Not every day is perfect,

but every day has something 

to be thankful for.  

Gratitude turns ordinary moments 

into golden ones."

~Anon.