View Part 1 here (9/16/22 - 12/16/22)
View Part 2 here (12/17/22 - 3/7/23)
View Part 3 here (3/8/23 - 6/16/23)
View Part 4 here (6/17/23 - 9/17/23)
Family Member Morning Gratitude Tally
9/16/22 - 4/26/24
Senior 14 Tanner 12 Katie 11 Sam 10 Stevie Kate 9 Tiffany 8 McKenna Kate 7 Belle 6 Jen’s Dad 5 Adam 5 Diana 4 Lily 4 Jen’s Mom 2 Steve’s Mom 2 Junior 2 Inglenda 1 Kimmy 1 Jen’s sister Mindy 2 Jen’s sister Kim 1 Jen’s brother Steve 1 Dallas 1
———
Good morning. Happy ___day. Let’s pause, take five seconds, submit something we’re grateful for because happiness begins with gratitude. Today I am grateful for…
9/18 My little brother Steve. It was his birthday yesterday. He is just the most awesome guy. Happy birthday, Steve.
9/19 None
9/20 Steve knows when it is time to take me out to dinner because I have had a day.
9/21 Beekeepers who get honey for us because I am realizing that is a hard thing to do.
9/22 None
9/23 Ben Bikman and his development of HLTH code. He couldn’t find the perfect meal replacement so he made one. We absolutely love this. I like putting it with the Fairlife chocolate milk and also the protein powder. Grateful for this.
9/24 None (Sunday)
9/25 McKenna Kate made it home safely from California last night. Granted it was 2 AM but this is what it looked like in Dallas last night.
9/26 None
9/27 I don’t have to be perfect.
9/28 Teachers and counselors that are committed to our kids and support them in so many ways. Thank you.
9/29 None
9/30 Our family!
10/1 None (Sunday)
10/2 Babies and I’m so grateful we’re going to be getting another one.
10/3 None
10/4 I was able to spend the day yesterday with Tiffany and Adam and Lily getting them moved into their new home.
10/5 A cool albeit a little rainy morning in Dallas.
10/6 None
10/7 My childhood. I woke this morning thinking a lot about my dad and my mom as well but I am just so grateful for an incredible childhood.
10/8 None (Sunday)
10/9 I am done with my workout.
10/10 My ability to see.
10/11 Over the years as I have made mistakes, I have been able to admit them, learn from them, and make them right.
10/12 Our kids do the right thing in the morning even when their parents accidentally sleep in.
10/13 None
10/14 All of the people in the world who are trying to make peace.
10/15 None (Sunday)
10/16 Sunrises.
10/17 Julie and Robin, my two friends. Happy birthday to both of you.
10/18 Steve was able to spend such an enjoyable evening with Tanner and Katie last night.
10/19 Steve and Tanner are flying the helicopter back to Dallas today and I’ll be able to see both of them this evening.
10/20 None
10/21 Audio books.
10/22 None (Sunday)
10/23 Sam. He does what he says he is going to do and he is trustworthy.
10/24 Tanner. Happy birthday buggy, I love you.
10/25 All of the rain we had in Dallas yesterday. And now I am just crossing my fingers it’s out of its system and we won’t have any for this weekend and frankly next weekend as well.
10/26 Steve, who can get me laughing no matter what.
10/27 Tanner and Katie are in town. We’re going to be celebrating his birthday this weekend.
10/28 None (on stories but no gratitude)
10/29 None (Sunday)
10/30 A wonderful weekend spent with our entire family together. I love it when that happens.
10/31 Seasons. As I’ve been walking around I thought you know what I am so glad that God gave us seasons because it gives us something to look forward to throughout the year.
11/1 The moms at my moms of teens luncheon. They really helped me work through something today with my teenagers and they just have such great insights. I am grateful for each of them.
11/2 Tanner, that he is in town although he did not help me light this fire, did you, but I still love him.
11/3 None (on stories but no gratitude)
11/4 None (on stories but no gratitude)
11/5 None (Sunday)
11/6 So many dear friends.
11/7 None (on stories but no gratitude)
11/8 Steve. Happy birthday, Steve. I love you.
11/9 Sleep.
11/10 None
11/11 Our veterans and their families.
11/12 None (Sunday)
11/13 The spontaneous early Thanksgiving dinner we had last night with some friends. We just laughed and laughed. It was so great.
11/14 Belle. She is just such a constant companion. She is the cutest. She is not the smartest, but she sure is cute.
11/15 The Book of James. I am teaching Sunday school this week and wow there are so many good one liners and just awesome stuff in the Book of James.
11/16 Katie is coming into town for a short visit.
11/17 None
11/18 Sam. Happy birthday, Sam. I love you.
11/19 None (Sunday)
11/20 AI. I wanna figure out how that stuff works.
11/21 My regions of the world are still in my own region.
11/22 Washing machines. Mine is currently broken. We’re going on like day 3. The part I guess with the whole holiday is not coming in any time soon. So headed to the laundromat today to do laundry.
11/23 None (no gratitude on Thanksgiving!)
11/24 We are officially in the Christmas season. It is going to be so fun to celebrate it with all of you.
11/25 Diana. She has been out of town and wow I appreciate all that she does.
11/26 None (Sunday)
11/27 The beautiful world we live in.
11/28 A friend is expecting who has been trying a really long time to get pregnant.
11/29 None
11/30 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/1 That Lily is here with us.
12/2 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/3 None (Sunday)
12/4 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/5 I was able to go over to Tiffany’s for a couple hours and help her get ready for her upcoming birthday party.
12/6 Tiffany. I love you, love you, love you!
12/7 When we run out of eggs and milk we live close enough to a grocery store we can just walk up and get the goods.
12/8 The teachers from UP Elementary get to come over for the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. So we’ve been doing it ever since Sam and McKenna Kate were in elementary school. Even though they’re in high school now, we’ve just still kept the tradition that we do it at our house. Anyway I’m just so excited to see all of them today.
12/9 None (Posted a what are you grateful for today? box on a text slide but no gratitude)
12/10 None (Sunday)
12/11 Steve and I are going to slip away for a couple days to go spend some time with Katie’s parents in California.
12/12 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/13 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/14 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/15 Loyal friends
12/16 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/17 None (Sunday)
12/18 My family.
12/19 I can smell, because this (gingerbread fire truck) smells unbelievable.
12/20 Katie set up a service project for our family to do this morning.
12/21 Steven and Kimmy and Stevie Kate are coming into town.
12/22 Podcasts. I love listening when I am working out. It makes me feel like I am getting so much done.
12/23 My sister Mindy. Happy birthday.
12/24 None (Sunday)
12/25 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/26 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/27 None (on stories but no gratitude)
12/28 None
12/29 None
12/30 Our Family.
12/31 None (Sunday)
1/1 2023.
1/2 None
1/3 A wonderful Christmas break.
1/4 Food.
1/5 None
1/6 None (on stories but no gratitude)
1/7 None (Sunday)
1/8 Independent children.
1/9 None
1/10 Seat warmers and storage bins.
1/11 Evening walks with Sam.
1/12 None
1/13 Gas fireplaces.
1/14 None (Sunday)
1/15 I have a warm house.
1/16 No broken pipes.
1/17 None (on stories but no gratitude)
1/18 The beautiful world we live in.
1/19 Seasons. Seasons in the world, like I know spring is going to be coming. I’m grateful for seasons of our life. I’m even grateful for seasoning.
1/20 None (on stories but no gratitude)
1/21 None (Sunday)
1/22 A really fun belated birthday party we had last night for Diana. All she said she wanted is to cook for two days for all of us. She loves to cook. Best dinner, best celebration, we love you Diana.
1/23 None
1/24 None
1/25 Amazing friends!
1/26 I’m only stuck in a hotel in Ecuador and not stuck in a crashed plane in the Andes!
1/27 Jackie (Flight attendant who opened the doors for a claustrophobic Jen)
1/28 None (Sunday)
1/29 Gratitude and God winks (tattoo on guide’s leg and his story about his father saying “thank you” before he passed reminded her of her father).
1/30 None
1/31 Police officers that take human trafficking seriously because that is scary. And I am also grateful for an Asian American woman who understood the nuances of Disney princesses and was able to help.
2/1 None (on stories but no gratitude)
2/2 None
2/3 None (on stories but no gratitude)
2/4 None (Sunday)
2/5 I faced my biggest fears, I survived, I did it, and it gave me some confidence. (Stuck three hours on the runway with the doors closed)
2/6 None
2/7 Steve is such a wise guy and I am grateful for all the wisdom that he’s continually telling me.
2/8 None (on stories but no gratitude)
2/9 None
2/10 Stevie Kate.
2/11 None (Sunday)
2/12 “And that is what I am grateful for today.” (Steven and Kimmy coming back from their babymoon to relieve her of Minnie duties.)
2/13 None
2/14 None (on stories but no gratitude)
2/15 A beautiful morning in Dallas. The geese are talking to each other. It is just beautiful here.
2/16 None
2/17 The songs of birds.
2/18 None (Sunday)
2/19 The Presidents. Happy Presidents Day.
2/20 None
2/21 When my children say thank you. Just for like small things. It makes me so happy.
2/22 Phone lines. I bet you are too. If you’re with Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T we are all down, aren’t we? Nothing like that to make you appreciate phone lines.
2/23 None
2/24 We get to celebrate the fact that Stevie Kate is getting a baby sister today.
2/25 None (Sunday)
2/26 McKennaKate
2/27 None
2/28 Tulips. They’re in bloom everywhere in Dallas, and this time of year they’re my favorite flower.
2/29 Rain because the city never fixed the water sprinklers they damaged.
3/1 None
3/2 The promise of spring and the seasons that we get to enjoy.
3/3 None (Sunday)
3/4 Steve is back from Deer Valley.
3/5 None
3/6 That artificial Easter grass. I’m not sure who invented it, but whoever did, thank you because it’s awesome.
3/7 Books.
3/8 None
3/9 I am about 80% better.
3/10 None (Sunday)
3/11 Steve loves me even though I sleep with a mouth guard and nose strip.
3/12 None
3/13 A beautiful snow storm.
3/14 None (on stories but no gratitude)
3/15 None
3/16 I get to get up at 4:45 because I get to go to a one year old’s birthday party today. We’re headed back to Dallas.
3/17 None (Sunday)
3/18 I get to go spend the day with Stevie Kate.
3/19 None
3/20 Azaleas. They are in full bloom in Dallas right now.
3/21 Lightbulbs. And mine seem to always burn out at the same time throughout the house, like, today.
3/22 None
3/23 Tiffany and Adam. Happy anniversary! I love you both. Muah!
3/24 None (Sunday)
3/25 None (on stories but no gratitude)
3/26 None (on stories but no gratitude)
3/27 None (on stories but no gratitude)
3/28 Spring and for new birth and especially for that one birth we’ve had this week. We are so incredibly grateful.
3/29 Stevie Kate. It is her birthday but shh don’t tell her. We’re not going to tell her it’s her birthday today because we are not quite ready to celebrate but ahh I’m so grateful for her.
3/30 Children and the joy they bring into our lives.
3/31 None (Sunday)
4/1 None (on stories but no gratitude)
4/2 Police officers and one in particular who answered my call yesterday.
4/3 Crock pots. I started making this yummy dish called barbacoa. I did a copy cat recipe for Chipotle because Sam loves it.
4/4 Steve wasn’t bitten by a Texas cobra also known as a water moccasin or a cottonmouth.
4/5 None
4/6 Comfortable bed and a soft pillow.
4/7 None (Sunday)
4/8 None (on stories but no gratitude)
4/9 None
4/10 Steve. After all these years when he walks into a room, my heart still skips a beat.
4/11 Electricity.
4/12 None
4/13 None (Posted a what are you grateful for today? box on a photo with Steve in a field of bluebonnets but no specific gratitude)
4/14 None (Sunday)
4/15 Just go look at my post. That’s what I’m grateful for (London’s baby blessing).
4/16 We can literally turn a knob and we have water that comes out.
4/17 A really fun dinner Steve and I had last night with some friends.
4/18 WiFi. Ours got accidentally snipped yesterday by the landscapers so we have no WiFi. You don’t realize how much you use it until you don’t have it.
4/19 None
4/20 None (on stories but no gratitude)
4/21 None (Sunday)
4/22 The incredible views we got yesterday over the Rocky Mountains into Monument Valley.
4/23 Both of them and their accomplishments. (McKennaKate took her first steps in 2010 and Tanner signed to play college football in 2014 on this date.)
4/24 None (on stories but no gratitude)
4/25 Steve likes to cook eggs.
4/26 My running pace is Steve’s unicycling pace because we love to workout together but he doesn’t like to run and I definitely don’t do that.
4/27 To be born into the family that I was. I miss my dad so much, but thank you Dad. And to my mom, I love you so much.
4/28 None (Sunday)
4/29 Ear plugs, eye mask, nose strip, compression socks.
4/30 None (on stories but no gratitude)
5/1 None
5/2 To be in Rwanda. We’re going to go visit the city today. Come along.
5/3 We are hopefully going to see gorillas.
5/4 None (on stories but no gratitude)
5/5 None (Sunday)
5/6 None
5/7 None (on stories but no gratitude)
5/8 Our escort because there was a leopard in the tree and a buffalo out last night and we are grateful that he escorts us to and from our room.
5/9 Security.
5/10 None

I grew up in Texas and am moving out of state for the first time in my life after I graduate from college. I want to commemorate my time growing up here by getting a tattoo of a symbol that represents Texas. Things is, I'm not really sure what. I don't want anything super corny like the shape of the state or the flag. I was considering a bluebonnet but I haven't seen any I like. I like the stick and poke style so I'd go for something like that (simple, cartoonish lines).
Suggestions/inspiration appreciated!

Hey there, you can call me FX.
I gave up on all romance a long time ago and decided to focus on school/career. Well, turns out no man can be an island and I'm just not cut out for the hermit life.
Some facts about me: INTJ/INTP, mild social anxiety but I can pretend well enough. I'm a full-time engineer who hangs around robots too much. My job demands a lot, and is about to become a lot more demanding, but I will make time for people who are important to me.
I used to do little electronics projects (nixie tube clocks, musical LEDs, that sort of thing) in my free time but covid havoc has basically killed that, so now I'm getting into low-maintenance gardening. Just a few fig and date trees for now, I may start bluebonnets in the fall. I'm a casual hiker as well, but in Texas that's a miserable experience about 8 months out of the year.
My media diet is pretty sparse.I will end up pulling all-nighters with long video games and spend the next day as a zombie, so I mostly stick to small indie titles these days. I'm not hugely into anime or TV shows but my interest can be piqued. I listen to random Let's Plays/history lectures/game soundtracks when I'm working on other things, and the local 90s/2000s/classical radio station when those are not available.
Oh, and I moonlight as a volunteer codekinda-sorta-artist for an erotic text-based game (yes, really).
Down to brass tacks then, If you haven't guessed from the title, I'm looking for a long term relationship. I'm not big on making grand abstract statements so here goes.
I'm looking for someone who:

• Is between 24 to 31 years old. Outside of this range I will struggle to understand your slang and pop culture references and I'm clueless enough as it is.
• Is kind and patient. I'm slow in my replies because I'm agonizing over every word.
• Likes to give physical affection. If we did nothing but cuddle for a whole weekend I'd probably still be starved.
• Is a (medically) healthy weight and discreet with piercings and tattoos. Physical appearance is secondary, but I won't lie and say it doesn't matter.
• Doesn't smoke.
• Doesn't drink much. I'm a lightweight and can't keep up.
• Is okay interacting with people of different backgrounds and can be civil over disagreements. You may interact with my family, of which I am the black sheep, at some point. I want to keep a lid on drama.

Other things:

• Please do not bring in kids. I cannot give them the upbringing they deserve. I have doubts about whether I could do that even for my own hypothetical biological children.
• If we really do hit it off, one of us is probably going to have to relocate. My industry is not super widespread, and I own a money sink house so keep that in mind.

If this interests you, hit me up in PMs and introduce yourself. We can exchange photos if you want and prove you're not a robot (no offense to any sentient bots reading this).

Hey there, you can call me FX.
I gave up on all romance a long time ago and decided to focus on school/career. Well, turns out no man can be an island and I'm just not cut out for the hermit life.
Some facts about me: INTJ/INTP, mild social anxiety but I can pretend well enough. I'm a full-time engineer who hangs around robots too much. My job demands a lot, and is about to become a lot more demanding, but I will make time for people who are important to me.
I used to do little electronics projects (nixie tube clocks, musical LEDs, that sort of thing) in my free time but covid havoc has basically killed that, so now I'm getting into low-maintenance gardening. Just a few fig and date trees for now, I may start bluebonnets in the fall. I'm a casual hiker as well, but in Texas that's a miserable experience about 8 months out of the year.
My media diet is pretty sparse. I will end up pulling all-nighters with long video games and spend the next day as a zombie, so I mostly stick to small indie titles these days. I'm not hugely into anime or TV shows but my interest can be piqued. I listen to random Let's Plays/history lectures/game soundtracks when I'm working on other things, and the local 90s/2000s/classical radio station when those are not available.
Oh, and I moonlight as a volunteer codekinda-sorta-artist for an erotic text-based game (yes, really).
Down to brass tacks then, If you haven't guessed from the title, I'm looking for a long term relationship. I'm not big on making grand abstract statements so here goes.
I'm looking for someone who:

• Is between 24 to 31 years old. Outside of this range I will struggle to understand your slang and pop culture references and I'm clueless enough as it is.
• Is kind and patient. I'm slow in my replies because I'm agonizing over every word.
• Likes to give physical affection. If we did nothing but cuddle for a whole weekend I'd probably still be starved.
• Is a (medically) healthy weight and discreet with piercings and tattoos. Physical appearance is secondary, but I won't lie and say it doesn't matter.
• Doesn't smoke.
• Doesn't drink much. I'm a lightweight and can't keep up.
• Is okay interacting with people of different backgrounds and can be civil over disagreements. You may interact with my family, of which I am the black sheep, at some point. I want to keep a lid on drama.

Other things:

• Please do not bring in kids. I cannot give them the upbringing they deserve. I have doubts about whether I could do that even for my own hypothetical biological children.
• If we really do hit it off, one of us is probably going to have to relocate. My industry is not super widespread, and I own a money sink house so keep that in mind.

If this interests you, hit me up in PMs and introduce yourself. We can exchange photos if you want and prove you're not a robot (no offense to any sentient bots reading this).

I have an existing state of Texas tattoo with a music staff, music notes, bluebonnet (slight blue coloring), initials of family members, and dates of death. The tat takes up a small portion of my upper shoulder.
I'm looking to expand this by adding a new name/date of death up top, and extending it down to the elbow for my first sleeve.
I want Texas wildflowers in greyscale with a few colors pops, a memory of my black lab, half shelty/Samoyed (she ate bees, lol), and music. I have two current dogs that are my everything, second to my wife (who is choosing the wildflowers that she loves). One is an English cream golden retriever, and the other is a pit mix.Any thoughts or designs are welcome! Thank you. I'll be working with some artists in Austin, TX aswell. So excited to collaborate.

I have an existing state of Texas tattoo with a music staff, music notes, bluebonnet (slight blue coloring), initials of family members, and dates of death. The tat takes up a small portion of my upper shoulder.
I’m looking to expand this by adding a new name/date of death up top, and extending it down to the elbow for my first sleeve.
I want Texas wildflowers in greyscale with a few colors pops, a memory of my black lab, half shelty/Samoyed (she ate bees, lol), and music. I have two current dogs that are my everything, second to my wife (who is choosing the wildflowers that she loves). One is an English cream golden retriever, and the other is a pit mix.
Any thoughts or designs are welcome! Thank you. I’ll be working with some artists in Austin, TX as well. So excited to collaborate.

I got this tattoo almost a year ago of a bluebonnet it’s pretty thin just black ink probably about 2 inches long. It’s located on my wrist on the outer side. I want to spice it up and make it coole more special but just don’t know what direction to take. I want to keep the flower theme though. Can anyone draw something up or have any ideas? bluebonnet tattoo

Hello everyone. I’m not sure if this is allowed or not but I was looking for some help with a tattoo design I have in my head. I want to get the outline of Texas with the Texas flag inside slanted in one direction. At the bottom of the state shape I am wanting bluebonnets coming up in it. I’m thinking they might be about from Del Rio to Beaumont on a map if that gives any direction. I am not a talented artist and my drawings wouldn’t place in an elementary art fair so I am reaching out for help. Anything would be appreciated from those more talented than myself. Thanks in advance and have a great day!

I have been wanting to get a tattoo for some time now and I have just moved to Baton Rouge not too long ago. I am looking/asking if there are any good tattoo shops near Bluebonnet. I want to get it this weekend and it's a simple line art dolphin tattoo. Any information will help me out!! Thank you 😊