Things to be grateful for

A couple weeks ago(it might have been more than a month ago...time blends together) my sister posted on her facebook a status where she listed things she was grateful for, 3 a day for 5 days.  That didn't really fit with the usual sarcasm I post as my status, so I decided a blog post would be more appropriate.  Last year, I started a list of things I'm grateful for as a note on my phone.  Periodically, I add things to it.  So saying 15 things I'm grateful for, the challenge comes from narrowing it down to 15 things.  So here they are.  They aren't in particular order.  The numbers are simply to keep track of how many I've listed.  This will be a bit longer than my usual posts probably.

1. Technology: I love gadgets.  It's a slight addiction probably.  But there's so many things I love about technology.  I love the internet, the communication it brings, the info always there to be had.  I love having all of human knowledge in my pocket. I love that technology makes my work as a chemist possible.  I have a watch that tells me when someone across the world sends me a message, or calls me.  Before too long, we'll be signing up to become cyborgs!  It's a great time to be alive.
2. Mom: My mom has taught me a lot of things in my lifetime.  She taught me how to be compassionate, how to give what I am to help others.  She taught me how to cook.  She was an example of being humble enough to admit fault.  She taught me the importance of apology.  She believes in me, supports me, and is willing to drop what she is doing for me.  I wouldn't be who I am without her.  When I think of love, and when I think of perseverance, I think of my mother.  She's even an example to me while she's doing school now, after most of her kids are grown.  My mom's going to finish college.  So should I.
3. Dad: Dad is equally important to who I am, and I am grateful too for the things he's taught me.  Dad taught me how to stand up for myself, to expect respect.  He taught me the importance of making those around me feel comfortable, the art of being a gentleman.  He taught me the importance of doing my duty, even when I don't really want to.  He taught me by example how important it is to work to take care of your family.  Watching him work on projects growing up, I learned how to make my environment better, to think about what I'm doing, and to plan my approach to anything.  He's shaped who I am.
4. Siblings (and spouses and kids): Growing up, I didn't always get along with all of my siblings.  Sometimes, I still don't completely get along with them.  But I will always be grateful for my brothers and sister.  Growing up, they were a steady source of friendship when I needed it.  We're mostly grown, and live in different states now, but it's a source of comfort having them around.  I've lived with Jake for the last year, and that's been a great blessing in my life.  This summer, when I was by myself in Provo, no siblings around, it was hard.  (I'm glad Jake came back).  Taylor and Adam's spouses (Dillon and Kristen respectively) have also been a blessing to have, and I'm glad that we have them in the family.  And it would be hard to be the favorite uncle without my adorable nieces and nephew.  I'm grateful for my siblings, their spouses and their kids. 
5. Knowing how to cook well: In high school, I was in charge of cooking dinner for the family on Thursday nights.  I mostly think this was so my mom didn't have to plan the meal (she doesn't like picking what to cook), but it was great.  Mom was there to help if I needed it, but it was my job to get dinner ready.  I got lots of practice cooking, using recipes from one of the best cooks I know.  As a result, I am able to impress people here at school with my cooking skills.  I'm grateful for the training I've been given in Domestic Chemistry.
6. Moving a lot growing up: Dad's job moved us around a lot growing up.  I'm glad it did.  From moving, I got a lot of other things to be grateful for.  Moving taught me how to adapt, how to quickly make friends, and to not fear change.  I think my childhood was greatly enhanced by not living in the same place the whole time.  It was always hard moving, but I'm glad we did.  It shaped who I am.
7. Close friends over the years: Part of having moved a lot, is that I've had many many friends (not to brag or anything).  Over the years, I've had many friends, and many close friends.  I'm grateful for all of them, and miss many of them.  Sometimes, I think that moving so much made it too easy to say goodbye to friends, which may make it not seem like I don't care as much about them.  But I do, and I'm grateful for the friends I've had over the years.
8. Books: I love reading.  Just ask my family.  I've learned so many things from books, and have been on so many adventures.  I've always been willing to sacrifice sleep to read.  Books have been a constant source of entertainment for me.  Last summer it was awesome living with my good friend Travis while he was working on his book.  It was so exciting to get to see the process, and (right now) be a part of the process.  I can't resist reading a good book.  My kindle combines number 8 and number 1 into one awesome thing that I'm super grateful for.
9. Air Conditioning: I love having a cold house.  
10. Health: With how much I abuse my health (work and school make it hard to take care of), it's a miracle I'm as healthy as I am.  And I'm very grateful for that.  I would be a wreck without it.  I don't know how I'd handle it.  I look up to the people who go through trials of poor health, and come out sane on the other side of the problem.
11. Great Job opportunities: I haven't really ever had a problem getting a job when I needed it.  Part of that has to do with my parents, and not really needing a job for a long time, but the other part is something I've been grateful for.  I have more opportunities than I can take, and I'm grateful for every one of them.
12. Intelligence: I'm a pretty smart guy, and I'm very grateful for it.  Being able to learn quickly is the only reason I've survived this far in school (well, that and hard work), and I'm grateful for the intelligence that I was blessed with.
13. A car: A car is one of the greatest things about modern life.  It saves me a lot of time, and lets me go to more places in a day than would ever be possible without it.  Thanks to cars, I can be home with my parents or at my sister's house in less than a day.  In a couple days, I could drive out to my older brother's house in MN, a feat that used to take months.  What a great thing.  I'm grateful for the car I have to drive.
14. Both my legs: This is on my list of things I'm grateful for on my notes, and I thought it big enough to merit it's own bullet point.  Quite a bit of the things I like to do for fun revolve around being able to use my legs.  And even if they didn't, it would be extremely difficult to keep my same lifestyle without one or both of my legs.  These two chunks of meat deserve a spot on my list of 15 things I'm grateful for.
15. Failures: I don't like failing.  I don't think many people do.  Dis-irregardless, I'm grateful for the times I have failed.  It changes you.  It has reminded me that I'm not the greatest that as ever lived at everything I do.  That sometimes, I need to work.  And it gives me motivation to work.  It was during a time where I felt like I was failing at everything that I grew spiritually and mentally the most.  

So there you have it.  In no particular order 15ish things I'm grateful for.  I could go on.  I live a blessed life, and my list keeps growing of things I'm grateful for.  One things missing from this list is my gratitude for my faith, and my savior.  It is at the top of the list. 

The things that I'm grateful for most are those that shape my life, shape who I am.  I anticipate many more things to be added to my list in the coming weeks, months and years.