3 Thankfulnesses in 1 Post

Well, since I haven’t blogged for 2 days I guess that means that I owe you 3 things I’m thankful for. I do want to mention that the things I’m thankful for are in no particular order of importance. They are just things that come to my mind that day to be thankful for.

Wednesday: I was thankful for the Virginia State Bar. Why, because Joe was officially sworn in! It was actually pretty anti-climactic. Grammy Janet and I left early Wednesday morning to meet Joe in Richmond at 10 am. We got there around 9:45 and I changed Ella into her dress in the car (that morning I basically woke her up, changed her diaper and put her in the car in her jammies, so I had to put her in something else before the ceremony), then we went inside to wait for Joe who arrived a few minutes later. CUA put on a breakfast for all Alumni being sworn in, so it was great to connect with some of Joe’s law school friends we haven’t seen in awhile.

After breakfast we went to the auditorium and listened in on a short orientation they had for the new attorney’s. The swearing in ceremony began at 12:30. There were 1300 people being sworn in and they called each and every name…yes, every one. It took forever! Ella has perfect timing because about 2 minutes after they called Joe’s name and he stood up so I could snap a few pictures, Ella fell asleep. She slept like this through the entire ceremony (doggie was blocking the light).

After calling all the names they asked all the new attorney’s to stand and raise their right hand. They all took the oath together, and that was it. The ceremony was over. Like I said, very anti-climactic. In fact, when it was all over Joe said that he felt kind of bad for making us come all the way to Richmond just for that. I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!

Thursday: I was thankful for a good car that runs well and has good brakes…even if they did cost us a pretty penny. This is relevant because Tuesday after I voted I was in charge of taking our minivan to the shop to get an oil change and get the brakes checks. I haven’t done this since Joe and I got married (I’m not a big fan of taking care of car business) so it was a big deal that I was handling it. I had called ahead of time and made an appointment and they told me it would take about an hour. So Janet and I decided to drop the car off and spend an hour walking around Del Ray (a nice little area with a bunch of cute shops). Well, it took a bit longer to check the brakes and we ended up walking around Del Ray for 3 ½ hours! Ella fell asleep in her stroller and Janet and I were exhausted. But in the end we were very thankful because on our trip to Richmond the next morning we had a safe vehicle to travel in, and yesterday that safe vehicle took us all around Williamsburg, Richmond, took us to the Bass Pro Shop (am I a good wife or what!) and safely got us back home. Even more, I’m thankful that God has provided the finances to pay for these repairs so that we can keep our van safe.

Friday: Today I am thankful for my Mother-in-law, Janet. She is an incredible woman who I’ve had the privilege of spending the last 4 days with alone and without the interference of her son. She was game for anything and didn’t complain about walking around Del Ray for 3 ½ hours, or about sitting in the back of the minivan so she could be easily accessible to wipe Ella’s runny nose. She didn’t even complain about walking around the Cracker Barrel store for over an hour so that Ella could get some exercise before we put her back in her carseat.

My MIL (mother-in-law) has overcome a lot and come out on top. In a nutshell, her husband of 24 years (or around that…I'm estimating) was diagnosed with brain cancer. She had been a SAHM for 20 years and went out and got a job to support the family while also caring for her ailing husband. Throughout the 4 years of his illness she kept the family together and strong, and when he passed away Janet was the rock that kept everyone going. She has mothered 8 of the most incredible people I have ever met, and each and every one of her kids has a college degree, holds a respectable job and is a wonderful contributor to society. Personally I think that’s incredible and tells a lot about the character that was exemplified in their house. She is the grandmother to 10 (almost 11…Joe’s sister is expecting) grandkids and makes each one of them feel like they are her absolute favorite.

To top it off, she raised one of the most incredible men I know and for that I am eternally grateful!