Grateful for Two Hour Delays (Among Other Things)

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It's been a weekend since my last post....let's briefly re-cap my gratitude.

So, grateful for:

• STILL being on Cloud 9 from last weekend in Seattle!
• Animals that enrich our lives....including the Phantom Chicken!  (That's right, that last chicken we were sure was coyote scat last week, has actually resurfaced in different spots on the 7 acres, daily....however she won't let us catch her since she's discovered that she can fly!) 
• Wrapping up 5 weeks of coaching a Parks & Rec volleyball clinic for girls, ages 8-12....(It was bittersweet as they've all improved & had fun, but I'm slightly grateful to not have to be up & ready so early on Saturday mornings now!---BONUS, I did score a new t-shirt, many thanks from parents, and oodles of hugs from my girls out of it!---This past Saturday was the. best. volleyball. day. ever!!!  I will miss them all until next year.)
• A husband who still has work.
• Reuniting with my old ortho-office gals for one of the girls' wedding reception!  (She married Mr LKP's best friend!  So we celebrated, and Mr LKP & I danced until my feet felt like they were gonna fall off!)
• An infertility heart 2 heart with one of those sweet gals from my old office.  (Infertility issues have just made themselves known in her life this past year.  We had lots of catching up to do, and necessary info-sharing to take care of.  I hate knowing she's aching as I do, but good to know we are there for one another.)
• Church.  (It was so uplifting yesterday.  Basically got my butt kicked by the Holy Ghost, and realized I need to not only be more aware of the promptings I AM receiving, but to follow through on them more often...also I realized that as my trusting & leaning on the Holy Spirit increases, my receptiveness improves as I'll be more familiar with the frequency....ya know?  Like dialing in a radio station, it's a matter of clarity....FM vs. AM.)
• Edifying interviews with the Bishop!  (Went so well.  I'm feeling refreshed.  My outlook is much brighter after receiving his advice & counsel.  My confidence has waxed stronger.... I'm looking at my life from an invigorated perspective now!)
• My husband: my forever love, my best friend, my partner in crime!
• Dandee's month of random acts of kindness...tasks I can ACTUALLY DO that are within my comfort-zone, and that I don't have to feel guilty about not doing....well, cause they're EASY to do!  (Day 3: Write a letter to a friend & mail it... Day 4: Listen, really listen.... Day 5: Share a smile & a warm hello.)
• Our first snow flakes here on the Ranch...of this year....in our area....and they were HUGE!  (I loved every single one of them....the critters, except the chickens, loved them as well....King Tuffy kept trying to catch them, Willow kept barking at them, Sir Linus & Hula kept rolling around in it all!)
• Baton-ing down the hatches for the REST of the "winter storm." (3-7 inches from last night until Tuesday is expected---I'd say we're easily at 4 or 5 inches currently---temperatures expected to be as low as 8 this week.  As for all the prep, things got stowed away in the "barn" & pump house....with more to follow today.  Our lovely auxillary heater came out of storage.  The insulation caps were placed on our house's spigots.  The heater IN the pump house was turned on so the place'd still have water this morning!  We're considering christening the wood stove later tonight....am digging warm socks, snow gear, hot cider, & hankerin' for a re-read of either Caddie Woodlawn or some Little House books , followed by Bing Crosby's "An Axe, An Apple, & a Buckskin Jacket" today!)
• Fingerless gloves/mittens.  (Mini-Me is addicted to these bad boys, and I heart them cause now she's actually WEARING something on her hands without me having to remind her.)
• A 2-hour delay.  (Beautiful as the snow is, around here it slushes before too long, and then refreezes.  Add to that the fact that most people around here don't know how to drive in the snow, including new out-of-state transplants in the past year.  So uber-dangerous!  Plus, us being so far from the school & heavier traffic, ours freezes a mite-bit quicker out here.  ....Not sure how the Phantom Chicken fared through the night with the blanket of snow & this morning's bitterly cold temps.)
• Our 4WD rigs!  (Nothing on the road troubles my mind when I'm behind the wheel of Mr LKP's Jeep or my Suzuki.  Grateful for less fear!)

So, there ya'll have it.  Today I'm feeling abundantly blessed.  Are there other things in life I'm still hoping, praying, and wishing for?  Yes!  (As a matter of fact, I still DO toss coins into fountains when I pass by.)  But will I take these blessings that the Lord is giving me now?  Yes.  (With humility & a full heart.)  Will I still pray for those other things in life, not just for me but for my friends & family whose hearts are tender & are aching?  Yes.  (Hope is definitely worth holding on to.)

Love you all.  
Have a wonderfully blessed Monday.  
May your Thanksgiving prep help bring the feeling of home & comfort closer to your heart.  
And please, be safe no matter where you are or your weather!