Blog Link Up: A Thankful Heart '16

Sunday, November 6, 2016
Three years ago I decided to do a series of posts during the month of November about all the simple joys in life that I am genuinely so very thankful for. 
Each week, on Sunday, I would post a few things that made my heart feel that much more full.
It could be something as small as the meal I ate the night before or as big as my faith and family.
Either way, it reminded me of the many blessings I have been given and somehow my days felt brighter and my heart felt happier.
There are far, far too many things that I take for granted and it's about time they get some recognition.
Although I fully realize that I should be giving each of these things recognition no matter what time of year it is, November just seemed fitting :)
So once a week from now on, you will be hearing bits and pieces about the things that are giving me "A Thankful Heart"

Around June of this year I began thinking about this link up again.
That's the way things work in the blogging world, you always have to be thinking about the next thing before it happens.
I was so excited because the year had been going great for us and it was only halfway done.
I could already see my posts unfolding and I was just so excited.
Then, the unexpected happened.
On July 30th of this year, we received the tragic news that my father in law unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack.
It rocked our worlds and brought more sadness and stress into our lives than we ever could have been prepared for. 
Amidst chaotically packing and frantically trying to buy a new car (things we needed to do after his passing), this link up popped into my head once again. 
I literally laughed aloud, and to myself thought, "yeah that's not happening this year, there is literally nothing I have to be thankful for right now."
Once most of the chaos died down, I met up with Natashia for a play date at the park.
We sat and talked while eating lunch and watching our babies play.
I think I had talked to Natashia like two other times in my life, and yet I felt completely comfortable spilling my deepest thoughts and feelings out to her.
She listened and understood my emotion, and shared a bit about her miscarriage earlier this summer.
We sat there after sharing these deep feeling of sorrow and began talking about the blessings that have come from these horrible trials, and suddenly my world began to get brighter.
We started hanging out weekly along with Steffanie and it quickly became very obvious to me that these were the friends I had been waiting to find.
They made the craziest days instantly better and I felt so comfortable with them instantaneously.
That's when I decided that this link up has to happen this year, if only for myself... to understand all the blessings in my life amidst the chaos and trials.
So I asked them to throw an event with me to promote it and to co-host each week, and here we are doing my very favorite posts of the year all over again :)


This last year I decided to include every other blogger that wants to participate in this series by creating a link up so we can all read each other's reasons to be thankful easier and get inspired through each other's gratitude.
All the rules will be listed below the reasons I'm feeling extra thankful on this same post.
The linkup will go live every Sunday at 12 am MST. 
Bloggers will be able to submit their own "thankful heart" posts each week.
I'm hoping this link up will be a fun place to make friends, reflect on all you have to be thankful for, inspire and uplift, and grow your blogging community.
This is not just for those that claim to be "bloggers" but anyone that has a blog!
Anyone that enjoys writing on their little piece of the internet :)
Happy Posting!

1) My Motherhood Journey

Should I start out sappy? Yeah I think so. My Oaklyn girl is my best friend. She is everything I could have dreamed of in a daughter and more. She definitely has a spicy personality, but I wouldn't trade those tantrums for the world because she is my greatest adventure. I've been a mother for almost two years now, but the journey started nine months before that when I saw two pink lines on a pregnancy test with tears in my eyes. Motherhood has taught me more than I could've ever imagined. From the moment I felt my tummy and said "there's a baby in there, my baby is in there!" to just tonight when I kissed her little forehead three times while whispering good night just as I always do, it has been an incredible journey. My motherhood journey has been filled to the brim with highs and lows. I fought PPD for a long 10 months and dabbled with it on and off even after, I screamed into a pillow countless nights in a row when I was so tired I could hardly breath on my own, and I wondered if I would ever find "myself" again on the hardest days. However, motherhood has taught me exactly the person I'm supposed to be even if I never remember that carefree teenager I once was. It has taught me how to put someone else before myself and that being selfless fills me with the love My Savior has for me. Motherhood has also taught me the most pure, unconditional love out there. I can't believe my journey has just started as a mother. I am so thankful I have been blessed with the opportunity to love and be loved by a child I was able to create with my sweet Hunter. 

2) The Best Friends a Girl Could Ask For


I have been blessed with some seriously incredible friends. Those ladies in this picture just so happen to be two of them. That event I was talking about earlier, was this event right here. We threw a Friendsgiving and it was everything I could have hoped for. It would not have happened without these two incredibly talented friends right here. From the moment I told them about the event, they were nothing but helpful and supportive. Their ideas and abilities just kept amazing me and I couldn't think of anyone better to have thrown this with. Not only are they super good at throwing awesome parties, but they really are amazing friends and support systems. They have let me vent to them and they've trusted me with their own feelings. There is something to be said about a friendship when you feel completely comfortable when you are your complete self. If it weren't for these two, my mind would probably still be stuck in that rotten place it was a few months ago. I have no doubt that they were placed in my life just when I needed them. Along with them are my friends I've had for countless years. I can't begin to tell you how many wonderful people rallied around us when our family experienced the loss of Hunter's dad. The outpouring of love and support we felt from our true friends made me understand just how important it is to build relationships with those around you. I'm so thankful for the best friends a girl could have. Seriously.

3) Photos

A photo is worth a thousand words. I've always loved capturing moments, but more so now than ever. This photo is Hunter's absolute favorite of him and his dad. I don't want to share too much from the week after his dad passed away, but this memory is one that will forever be engrained in my memory. While in the car on the way down to California, Hunter brought up this picture and how badly he wanted to find it. It was all he wanted. I couldn't understand why he wanted this one thing so bad, but I knew it meant a lot to him so I helped him look. We looked through stacks and stacks of photos and thought we might never find it. Then we found it and Hunter's whole face lit up. As he held it and looked at it, his huge smile quickly turned into tears rolling down his cheeks uncontrollably. He explained that he remembered how incredibly proud his dad was of him in that moment. And seriously, you can just tell by his face. Hunter was an incredible quarterback and led our high school team to several victories, but this game was one for the books. His dad was hands down his biggest fan and Hunter loves those memories with him. He always wanted to watch Hunter's practices, he arrived to games hours early, he coached him to be his best, and he genuinely loved watching him play. All of those memories and emotions flooded Hunter when he held this photo in his hands and I understood just how important it is to capture moments that will last a lifetime. I have a photography business on the side and love capturing moments between loved ones. I love capturing candid shots of my daughter and being able to look back and say, "that was her first this or that." A photo holds an incredible amount of emotion all bottled up into a memory. I'm so thankful it is so easy to capture and store memories nowadays. 


Link Up Rules:

1) Please subscribe to, follow, or just check out your host and co-host's. (first 3 links)
 2) Visit and comment on at least 5 other blogs. This link up is meant to create a blog community so don't be shy!
 3) In your post, please either share The"Thankful Heart" image above or link back to this post on your blog post.
4) Make your post more appealing and creative by adding whatever pictures you please and as many reasons to be thankful as you'd like! (remember that the post you link up should be about what you are thankful for!)
(#5 is optional but, very much recommended!)
 5) Share your post on instagram using #thankfulheartseries (with your choice of picture) and go check out other posts! Be a friend and comment on or like other posts :)



14 comments

  1. You are the sweetest! This is an amazing idea and I love being apart of it. Its important to show gratitude. I believe when we do, we are happier! We have so much to be grateful for. xx

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    1. I couldn't agree more! Thanks so much for your post as well, I really enjoyed it!

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  2. This is so awesome! I'm going to go work on my post right now and will be linking it up later. Thanks girls!!!

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    1. I seriously loved your post Crystal! Thank you for sharing it :)

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  3. I'm glad you decided to this again and I'm so happy to be a part! I'm very sorry for your loss...we, too, had a tragic loss this summer. My SIL passed from concern August. It's wonderful to focus on the positive.

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    1. I'm so sorry! It seriously is the worst pain I've felt, I'm sure you can feel that too. Yes, focusing on the positives keeps us going :)

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  4. I am really excited you are doing this again! I am going to try to do all four weeks because this was a hard year to feel thankful a lot. Thanks for doing this!

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    1. I'm so sorry it was a hard year Maria! Hugs to you!

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  5. How long will the link-ups be open for? I don't usually post on Sundays but want to link up at least once this month :)

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    1. I'd love that Britt! I usually keep it open all of Sunday and Monday :)

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  6. So excited for this!! Loved your post. I'm also so thankful for photographs. We live so far from family that they get to watch my kids grow up through pictures I share with them. We're excited to be moving closer to home!

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    1. Yes I agree! My mom literally just asked me for a picture of my daughter haha

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