Thanks a lot!

The past week was a really tough one at school. I slept very little (because we had lots of tests), had some pretty serious back pain, and got a cold! On Thursday, though, we had a speaker at our Christian Medical and Dental Association lunch who spoke about being thankful. He talked about the value of a written thank you letter, and the importance of thanking those who help us. He told the story of the 10 lepers who were healed by Jesus, of whom only one came back to say thank you.

It was the perfect week for thinking about the people and things I'm thankful for, because otherwise I would have been wallowing in my sadness over tests, and pain, and sickness.

Here are just a few of my thank you's...

To my family-Thank you Mom and Dad for being such amazing parents. I truly believe you are the best parents any kid could have. You are so much fun, have such a strong marriage, display great faith, and have taught us so well. Greg and Leslie-you guys sure have made me laugh over the years. Greg, your generosity and compassion always warm my heart; Leslie, your artistry and friendliness make you so unique and likeable.

To my husband-Thank you so much for being my dearest friend, my spider-killer, my trash-taker-out-er, and my encourager. I honestly don't know if I could make it through the tough weeks of school without you. I have loved every day that I get to spend with you in marriage more than the last. Thank you so much for loving me.

To my favorite teachers-I have been so blessed to have excellent teachers at school and at church in my life. Denicia Hubbard and Randa Upp, thank you for spending the time each week to come up with amazing Wednesday night bible class lessons for grade school Christians. Thank you, Mrs. Stringfellow, for teaching me that I'm actually not that bad at math (even though this week I accidentally said that 3+3+3=8). Thank you, Mr. Pickens, for climbing onto your desk during boring science lessons to make sure we were paying attention. Thank you, Ms. Penick, for having the scariest incredulous eyebrow raise at Wylie High that kept us all up studying grammar rules at night just to stay away from its gaze.

To my friends-Too many of you to name, but thank you all. You fill my days with laughter, you fill my mind with happy memories, you keep me accountable, you stand by me, and you share my triumphs and downfalls. Thank you for being my friend.

To my blog readers-Thanks for reading! Your comments make me want to keep writing, and it makes me so happy to know that I can (sometimes) make you laugh with my silly stories from dental school.