1. Each and every moment I have with my sweet Colby boy, whether it's the good, the bad or the ugly. Each and every day the Lord gives me to get up, get going, and be a productive person in some way, shape or form.
2. Three of the most lovely, patient, generous, fantabulous parents EVER. I couldn't do what I do for Colby without them. No way. I have other family members who are pretty cool, too. Wish I got to see them more than I do.
3. God, Jesus, all that forgiving of my sins stuff, along with my church, the Cathedral, and my mom and stepdad's church. They have been very kind and generous to us over the years.
4. My girlie friends. I have several exceptional women in my life that are fun to be around, genuine, supportive and all around good peeps. They have helped me through so many hard times. Loves my BFF's!
5. The Sellersburg Moose Lodge. What a great group of people, very generous, thoughtful, and they can plan a heck of a fundraiser when called upon to do so.
6. Colby's school and the amazing staff there. Wouldn't even think about sending him anywhere else. You must have a special calling/gift to work there I do believe. They're all so wonderful.
7. Cincinnati Children's Hospital. Without this facility, there would be no 10-year-old Colby. I'm quite sure of it. Exceptional hospital, so glad it's only 2 hours away.
8. Booze, in particular vodka, Miller Lite, red wine, white wine, Bailey's, homemade margaritas, RumChata, lemon drop shots and flavored vodkas. Okay, let's just say booze.
9. My thyroid stuff is done and over with.
10. The seasons. I would hate to live in a climate that never changed. Autumn is my favorite, summer my least favorite. I don't do humidity.
11. Four sweet, dedicated, professional nurses. I never thought it would work out, but we all work together to take care of Colby. So glad to be wrong about that.
12. Music. Sometimes the only thing that keeps me sane is sticking in my earbuds and turning on my iPod. I listen to everything from Bocephus to Beyonce to Buck Cherry.
13. Hand dip, soft serve, on a sugar cone, in a Blizzard, accompanying a piece of cake of pie, any flavor, any add-ins, all things ice cream.
14. Contact lenses, because wearing glasses on my face sucks. Now if I can just find the nerve/money to get lasik surgery.
15. SMA mommies and groups. We share good news, bad news, information, supplies and support for each other. Nice to know we're not alone in this wild and crazy SMA journey.
16. Match.com. Okay, I'm being sarcastic on this one. However, it has provided many laughs and good stories over the last couple of months. Honestly, what a waste of my time.
17. Facebook has allowed me to stay in touch with friends, get back in touch with others, share pics and what's new in our lives. I'm not as addicted to it as I used to be, but I'm a regular Facebooker for sure.
18. Colby's ECO eye gaze. It's been a long time coming, and Colby has come a long way on using the ECO for communication. He said this today, "I have to have to have Spongebob please favorite understand favorite." How cool is that? And his awesome speech therapist for taking the time and learning to use it.
19. Homemade cookies. Eating the raw dough (don't act like you don't.) The smell when they're baking. Nothing better than eating a hot cookie fresh out of the oven.
20. Birth control pills. Self explanatory.
21. Indiana Hoosiers basketball. Born and raised on it. Love it, especially this season. GO IU - fight fight fight.
22. Will Ferrell movies. If you ain't first, you're last. Favorite movie of all time, though, is "Fried Green Tomatoes."
23. Spongebob Squarepants. Not for me of course, but for Colby. He still absolutely loves the little square dude who lives in a pineapple under the sea. He's so content when he watches, like it's his first time, even though he's probably seen the episodes at least 100 times each.
24. Nail polish. When I need a pick-me-up, I paint my nails. It's my thing.
25. The ability to think for myself and make my own decisions, along with deciding what is best for Colby. I'm probably independent to a fault. Not that there's anything wrong with that, right?
26. Being raised in a small town. I like being able to say, "My hometown doesn't have a stoplight" or "I can name every single person in my graduating class." There were only about 70 of us.
27. The ability to stay positive and have a sense of humor. Let's face it, we've been through some shitty times around here. Most of the time I can find some glimmer of hope, or some goofy humor in what's going on around me. You may call it sick and twisted, I call it survival. Colby is a pretty funny kid, too. His eye gaze comments or facial expressions are hilarious sometimes.
28. Any beach. Any ocean. Anywhere. Can't wait to take Colby on vacation again some day, where we can plop our butts in the sand and watch the waves all day.
29. I have the physical strength and mental toughness to be a good mommy to Colby. SMA is not for wussies! There's a saying that goes something like, you never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option. Something like that. Yeah, I get it.
30. Each and every moment I have with my sweet Colby boy, whether it's the good, the bad or the ugly. Each and every day the Lord gives me to get up, get going, and be a productive person in some way, shape or form. Most thankful for these, so they're worth repeating.