Withhold your judgment, please

But here's the thing. Toddlers and Tiaras and Sister Wives are both on Netflix Instant, and so help me, I can't look away. Chris hates both shows, and hates even more that I have wasted any time watching either one, but can you really blame me? They're both perfect making dinner/folding laundry/picking up the house sort of shows to have on in the background. Admittedly, Toddlers and Tiaras can get old pretty fast, because every episode is essentially the same. But Sister Wives--I mean, you guys, it's about people who live in my same county! Sometimes they go places that I recognize! AND THEY ARE POLYGAMISTS! How could I NOT watch that? And it actually has truly changed my perspective on the FLDS peeps (well, some of them. The ones who are in prison and still trying to manipulate everyone--Mr. Jeffs--no opinion change on him), which I'm sure was their intention. So good work, Brown family and TLC.

Also, hey blog! Nice to see you again! Remember how I was going to blog about being thankful for things and then only did it once? I am the best blogger of all time. Does anyone want to pay me to put ads on my sidebar? It would totally be worth your money.

I didn't just come here to talk about trashy shows and me neglecting my blog, however. I wanted to actually list some things I am grateful for. So, in no particular order, things I am thankful for even though Thanksgiving is over and it's not cool to be talking about gratitude anymore:

-Christopherson. I know it's a stupid cheesy thing to say, and I am dying that I'm about to say it, but--I seriously do love that kid more now than I did 4-ish years ago when we got married. So much so that I'm like, what? How did I even decide to marry you? We weren't even in love back then! NOW we are in love.

-My fam. They are fun, they are funny, and I love them lots. The additions by marriage to our family are awesome too, and I love that we now have 10 people

-Chris's fam. I know they are also my fam, but I wanted to separate them out. I have an interesting in-law situation. I have 2 mothers in law, 2 sisters in law, and 2 brothers in law, each of them very different from the rest. But they are all great, I love them, and am glad to know them.

-Food. I was thinking the other day about how food is delicious. And isn't it nice that other people already figured out what's poisonous and what isn't, and that it's possible to take cacao beans and make chocolate out of them, and that steak, potatoes, and asparagus are a match made in heaven? I'm really glad that other people already figured out food pairings and recipes, and now I just get to follow their instructions and make delicious food. No trial and error necessary.

-The internet. Sometimes I hate it too, but mostly I am really thankful for this crazy place. We can stay in touch with people we might not have otherwise, write things and publish them for other people to read, verify facts during an argument, buy stuff, look up movie times, find amazing craft/clothes/decorating/hair/exercise ideas (ok, I'm mostly just talking about Pinterest), read every Ensign article from the beginning of time, watch movies and TV--it really is all pretty incredible.

-The mountains. Nearly every morning, as I'm leaving my house to walk to work, I look up at those glorious hunks of rock and thank Heavenly Father for them. They are just so beautiful, especially with snow on them, especially in the morning, and I love living so close. If we ever end up in a flat place I don't know what I will do with myself. One of my favorite quotes from anyone, ever, is this one from John Muir: "The mountains are calling and I must go." I feel you, John. I feel like that often, and I ignore the call too often, with stupid excuses like, "But now that it's winter it's dark outside and freezing and I can't go to the mountains!" Ok, that's probably a good excuse, actually, but you know. The point is--I LOVE the mountains. A lot.

-Peeps. I have so many great people in my life. High school friends, college friends, ward friends, old ward friends, study abroad friends, former co-worker friends, friends of friends, cousins, aunts, and uncles--and I love them all. They enrich my life and make me feel so loved and so happy. I think I get my energy from being around people. There have been times that I've been feeling tired or like I don't want to do anything, but then I'll go to a Relief Society activity, or someone will come over to our house, and I am bursting with energy by the end.

-My testimony of the gospel. I feel so much comfort in my knowledge of the truthfulness of my church. Of course, sometimes I have doubts about things, or my faith wavers, but below all of that, I have a solid foundation. I really believe all of it, and it makes me so happy and fills my life with peace. I know that no matter what happens in my life, God loves me, Christ atoned for my sins, and I can live with my family forever and ever. And, separately from the gospel, I am thankful for the CHURCH, as an organization. I love being part of the LDS Church. I love my ward, I love my calling, I love Conference, and I love the Prophet and Apostles. I love the Book of Mormon, which is a fairly new development in my life, to be honest. It's not like I hated it or anything, but I don't think I ever truly LOVED it until recently. Our bishop challenged us to read it by the end of the year, and even though I am seriously lagging (still in Alma), I have enjoyed reading it so much. More than I ever have before.

-My bod. I am pretty healthy, and I am very grateful for that. I'm thankful that with some training, I can run a really long distance and not die or anything. Other than that one thing it is not doing too well, the thing where a little person grows inside you, it works just the way I want it to. I'm thankful that if I'm diligent and exercise, and watch what I eat, I can lose weight and look the way I want to. If I ever get stronger will power in dieting, I will be grateful for that too, but for now, I'm grateful for the medium amount that I do have.

-Lots of silly things, like the following: Samples at Costco, old guys who wink at you, Christmas lights in fancy neighborhoods, my coat with the fur collar, pictures of baby animals, texting, Stephen's hazelnut hot chocolate, showers, our beautiful Christmas tree and all the presents under it, the fact that we have money to buy a Christmas tree and all the presents under it, giggly Chris, my favorite pen at work, seasons that change, having a sewing machine, the huge windows at my house, and NPR podcasts.

Happy Thanksgiving back. 2 weeks later.

Because now it is CHRISTMAS! And we are both so excited about it this year! Nearly every day Chris tells me hasn't been this excited about Christmas in years, and/or asks me if he can open something early. Our cards are sent, almost every present has been purchased, and now we can just enjoy life.

Also, it's my birthday on Sunday? HOW DO THESE KEEP HAPPENING? It's crazy, right? You feel like you're 20, and suddenly you're actually 26, feeling like the oldest girl in your ward, and like people are starting to raise their eyebrows about your childlessness. (Not my fault, people. We're working on it.) The point is, it's my birthday, and I can't believe how old I am getting.

But the real point is, it's CHRISTMAS! It really is going to be SO much fun and I love it and can't wait for Chris to open his presents and for me to open mine and to sleep out by the tree on Christmas Eve and eat treats and hopefully go out to dinner at Mi Ranchito with my fam and to spend a few days in California with the fam there and Christmas is just really really great.