Things to be Thankful For:

Yesterday was a good day. I woke up craving Denny's biscuits and gravy (don't judge me) so we went for breakfast. And then I was craving a bit of sunshine, so we went to Ontario Lake to do some swimming and lay by the water together in the sand. It's only about 30 minutes of driving, we payed $8 to park and got the whole afternoon in the sunshine. Seems very worth it to me. I keep forgetting my camera when we go out, so you get to see my very not so classy and cliche cell phone photo of us at the beach yesterday. Mr. Eckstein doesn't like this photo very much because he says he looks dorky in it, but that's kind of why I love him. I think he's adorable. Also, this is not his blog, it's mine.

Oh yeah, I found a job! It's really not ideal, but it's practical, Panera Bread! Most of my friends and family don't know what Panera Bread is because we don't have any back in Arizona. It's a cafe, bakery, and restaurant. "Restaurant" being used loosely because I don't have to seat anyone. Very cool! I didn't want to work with food because truthfully, people are mean when they're hungry! They aren't patient and they don't like it when you mess up. Luckily, at Panera Bread, I get to take everyone's order at the counter and i'm done with them! Thank goodness for that.

Things around here seem like they're going slow, but they're really going fast. I can't believe it's almost August, it still feels like April to me. Where did the Summer go? Everyday feels like a vacation to me because I'm away from home and I guess I just haven't adjusted yet. I'll get there. 

Things have been going smoothly, nothing to complain about; except Mr. Eckstein was called in for formation this morning (a Sunday morning!) because someone in 1st Squad got a DUI last night. Awesome. Overall, we are very blessed, and we have a very good life. Every once and awhile Dugan or I will stop throughout our day and recognize everything good we have and feel grateful that our life is the way it is. I hope all of you do it too! We all have very good things! If your biggest problem is your family is frustrating or the price of gas or your cell phone bill, start looking at things a little differently. You have a family, which is more than a lot of people have, you have a vehicle to put gas into, and you have a (i'm sure a really awesome and high tech) cell phone! We're all much too angry and negative at some of the wonderful things we are given. This month, I vow to try and refrain from complaining and instead stop, step back, and appreciate anything I have that I have to complain about.
I hope everyone's summer is just as beautiful as ours is up here in New York. It rains a lot, but I'm used to the desert. Everywhere rains a lot for me.
Have a good week, everyone!