I have expanded my previous gratitude journal and changed it to list form in no particular order. Additions to come. As of 3/9/04, 331 listed and tons more unlisted.

01. After 11 years, I'm going to be paying off the credit cards that have plagued us and ruined our lives for most of our marriage.

02. I am happily married to the man I love.

03. He never gave up on me and waited while I went through my selfish revenge period..

04. I have a Christian Home with Christ in all our hearts..

05. I have two loving children who are healthy, caring, and smart..

06. I have a home of my own with a place of myu own and next year I can start fixing it up..

07. I can SEE without glasses or contacts after having lasik..

08. My children have all their grandmothers and two grandfathers..

09. I have an incredible job with flixible hours that can be structured around my plans..

10. I get great pay for minimum stress..

11. I have close interaction with wonderful, special needs families..

12. My employers are kind and generous with praise and gifts - bed, chest of drawers, scanner, copier, food processor, bonuses .

13. My mother is still alive..

14. My children have their father in their home..

15. I am becoming comfortable with living my own life..

16. Zack is making close friends..

17. Cub Scouts gives me and my boys an activity to draw us closer and help us make friends..

18. I have wonderful neighbors who watch out for us..

19. I am meeting a few good people I can pusue friendships and outings with..

20. Scarbourogh Faire is fun, educational, etc.

21. My house is becoming more organized..

22. Ebay auctions are fun and a way to buy things much cheaper...esp. Boy Scout and Rennaissance supplies..

23. My boss let me work with her weight watchers account...even though it hasn't done any good..

24. Automation is making things faster and easier..

25. CD-RW drive can back up my pc so no more crashes..

26. CD-RW lets me make my own cd's and "remove" scratches..

27. I have many available options for creativity using the pc for web pages, cards, posters, and other graphics..

28. I have a video camera for capturing the special times in my family's life..

29. I can get the kids game boy presents very cheaply on ebay..

30. Mr. Jones has billions of Counting Crows bootlegs on his site to download for free and copy onto cd..

31. I've been running into old co-workers from a decade ago and enjoying updates..

32. I've found the cheapest ink for my printer..

33. The insurance company has finally accepted the since the insurance of the lady that ran the red light three years ago paid me almost $6,000, I was not at fault and they will take back the rate increase..

34. I stocked up on some needed items from WinnDixie at 40% - 60% off..

35. The thrift store has nice clothes if you dig long enough going at $5 for a 33 gallon trash bag full and I got several suits for my boys..

36. I already got tons of brand new school clothes for Zack at Walmart for $3 each, including cargo pants that go with his cub scout uniform..

37. It seems my low sodium client is over all his problems now..

38. Zack is doing good studying his spelling words this summer..

39. Dakota is learning to spell and read Zack's spelling words and may even pass him up..

40. We're coming up with many ideas to make record keeping etc. at work much more efficient..

41. I have updated my web page and it's much more fun to work with..

42. My house payments are going down even though the house ins. is going up..

43. I got internet service from Academic Planet at $6.99 a month and it is much better than AOL..

44. I started a web page for our cub scout troop to keep in touch during the summer..

45. Zack will get to go to cub scout resident camp in July and I will be a leader there for one day..

46. I changed from Internet Explorer to Netscape and now I don't have as many problems on the pc..

47. I got 256 mb of memory added to my pc for the price my mother in law paid for 128 mb a month ago..

As of 6/20/02, 47 listed

48. Zack earned 3 Webelos badges on 6/25/02 and has the opportunity to earn 5 more and 2 beltloops during camp.

49. I am needed to help set up the pack in camp so I will get to be a part of the activities much more than expected. I can also stay until the end of activities on Friday night, even though the 2nd leader will be back by then.

50. Adam Duritz of Counting Crows has his own update page up now and he updates it more regularly than I do my pages.

51. The week after we get back from camp, CC releases their new album and appear on tv twice.

52. Work is flowing smoothly with all the changes that we are still trying to implement and we are coming up with very good ideas.

53. Our client with the blood clotting problem seems to be doing much better.

54. Another client who has been very upset with me lately for calling him on a little problem is now smiling and happy again.

55. I get along splendidly with all my care providers and even feel close friendship towards them...every one that deals closely in our little program are one big, happy, and closely tied family. Care providers regularly ask me to pray for them and I regularly bring up their prayer requests in Sunday School...and they are regularly answered!

56. I'm on the 3 month countdown to having my credit cards paid off! (Then comes repaying Mom)

57. I made it home today riding on an empty tank with a tire that seems to be perpetually going flat on the verge of a thunderstorm.

58. Ron "got me" a kitten this weekend. It's a lovable but independent little 8 week old that he had the idea for but had me go get. She loves him more!

As of 6/26/02, 58 listed

59. I am so thankful my tires are under warranty! I just bought them in November and before this week had already received a replacement tire and had one flat fixed. Today I had two flats fixed.

60. I made $6.50 off the deal tire situation, though! Under warranty, I shouldn't have been charged anything but paid the charge before asking why it was billed. They keyed in the correct amount to be credited but it credited it double. I caught it and tried to give them the money back to even us back out to zero and they told me to keep it for my trouble.

61. Once I get my credit cards paid off, MBNA will offer another absolutely low interest rate and I will be able to transfer the one Ron is paying over to the lower rate.

62. My house payments have actually been lowered, even though the insurance went up.

63. We finally got the car insurance taken care of and back to the lower rate.

64. I actually got another raise last month.

65. No matter how stupid my posts are to the NG, someone will always answer. It's pretty neat when the reply comes from the webmaster of their official site as happened today.

66. I am able to focus on my gratitude list while driving to work when I used to be focusing on all my hopeless pain.

67. I have been averaging 1-2 sales every 2 weeks on half.com since becoming a member.

68. The bosses have reminded the case manager and I once again that it is up to us how we work out schedules. As long as the office is covered, we can take turns and only work every other week if work is caught up! LOL Whhooo Hoooo

69. We are getting things back under control at work well enough that the bosses are beginning to be able to spend more time at their home on the coast. They need the time off.

70. All of us that work there and all care providers have open invitations to visit the bosses at their house at the coast to watch porpoises from the back porch.

71. I actually felt rested today, even after staying up way later than I should have last night. And it is because I prayed for it.

72. Sugar is growing up and chewing up furniture and shoes much less now.

73. Coda will finally be going to kindegarten in September and then I won't owe childcare for him except for during the summer.

74. Zack will be riding the same bus with Dakota and they drop Dakota off first and pick him up last meaning Zack will always be there to supervise.

75. I get my new drivers license this year and I get my corrective lense restriction taken off.

76. Wow! Since starting a diuretic for her ankle swelling, Mom's blood pressure has gone down to 104/60 almost everytime I read it. That's a big change from 170/94! It had come down to 138/86 alot after changing to the trade name BP pill but this last change is unbeleivable!

As of 6/27/02, 76 listed

77. Sugar had been doing less barking lately and we were able to let her stay outside more...until she started breaking out and running away every day...we had to get rid of her.

78. We have begun having children in the church nursery and I have been able to take over this duty. I really enjoy it alot and everyone acts like I am doing a great service for the church even though it just seems to me like I am getting to be with kids.

79. D has not had any seizures except the very slight amount of blinking on June 17 in 4 months. He had been having awful seizures every three weeks before that.

80. D hasn't had to go back into the hospital since May and that was beginning to be a weekly occurance.

81. My RN license is going to cost half what I had thought it would cost!

82. Balancing the tires did take the huge jiggle out of the car. Now I will have to get them balanced every time anything is done to them.

83. We ordered an abductor pillow for D that might do alot to keep his blood clots from worsening.

84. Since I began packing Ron's lunches in sacks a week at a time, I don't have to get up at 5am anymore...even when they aren't packed! (He's so much more self-reliant!)

85. My husband has actually been fixing things around my mom's house and really helping her out alot.

86. Hot baths have been helping my sinuses and body pains alot and have been helping mom's BP alot too.

87. Zack has really good friends now that seem to be with him all the time. He has been a loner for way to long.

88. Dakota will be getting his own set of friends when he starts school in just over a month.

89. I love the stress relief I get from scrap-booking online and working on family tree info for the boys.

90. Our Webelos scouts may start becoming much more active since everyone liked hiking so much.

91. Webelos earned alot of badges etc at camp.

92. We may change our meeting night to Thursdays so we can attend Round Table meetings on Tuesdays.

93. Ron has actually been rubbing my back when I ask him to!

94. Ron finally got the truck he has been wanting and it's an automatic so I can drive it too!

95. Ron rearranged the ceiling fans and got us a new fan with lights in the den. We can see! We can see!

As of 7/7/02, 95 listed and tons more unlisted.

96. Ron is not addicted to tv football...Star Trek 8 days a week is hard enuf!

97. School is starting off great and the kids both enjoy it.

98. I can leave for work straight from home instead of taking Coda to Mom's.

99. My bosses surprised me with my third day off work today.

100. Although, the car ins. people sent us a messed up bill, our problems really have been fixed and we will get a 10% discount next year.

101. In October, we will take defensive driving and get an additional 10% discount on our car ins.

102. We are finally climbing out from under our debts!!!

103. We have plans for the future including fixing up the house, taking classes, and going on outings.

104. We are able to keep a client that has been having problems and will be getting a new client next week.

105. My sister is beginning to enjoy hiking and the Cub Scout Leader's wife is too.

106. God WILL help me fix my weight.

107. Ron has agreed to my budget change proposal and will be paying the utilities starting in October.

108. We are enjoying a stray black cat who may eventually keep our cat company.

109. The kids have actually done some of their chores without being asked since starting school!

110. I am actually HAPPY!

111. I have been keeping the nursery at church and we are starting to get some regulars that are real blessings.

112. Our blood clot client seems to be back into a regular type of schedule and hasn't had any problems in over a month.

113. My backaches and headaches have diminished dramatically. I still have them and have them bad when I do...but only a fraction of the time that I used to have problems.

114. God is helping me tune out my low self esteem when I begin whining about my weight etc. I will be able to totally focus on that stuff soon enough after I get this most major bill paid off.

115. When we had survey in June, they decided that we had to start filling out time sheets dating back to January. I finally caught them up (for the third time) today!

116. I'm figuring out the basic idea of how to make my own "templates" for using my Bravenet web page account. (I only have 2 MB left on Yahoo but I have 100 MB on Bravenet.)

117. We are planning on doing alot more weekend outings for the cub scouts.

118. The hot air balloon races will be in town all next week and we will get to see them at a free Avalon concert next Friday night.

119. I get to take Zack and his friends to a free night of skating Friday.

120. Ron never puts me down for how disgustingly ugly I look.

121. My mother is still alive and walking (although slowly) and will be 80 years old in April.

122. Zack earned his World Conservation Award along with several others within the past couple of months.

123. I got a "new" printer from ebay for $15 with $10 shipping. 124. Zack's friend found the 2 Christmas present game boy cartridges that have been missing since January. Now we just have to find the third one that is still in the missing Game Boy Color.

125. I've been going to the gym for the past month or so. I will be going back to hiking more but at least I am working.

126. After buying some supplies, Ron will be doing my oil changes now for half the price I was having to pay to wait 2 1/2 hours for service at Walmart.

As of 8/21/02, 126 listed and tons more unlisted.

127. Free paint from Marlyn! 11 gallons plus 3 more partial gallons to re-paint the whole house.

128. Paid off the credit card!

129. Able to buy mini blinds for each room as I paint them.

130. Received a gift certificate at church for watching the nursery all the time.

131. I am really getting orgainzed while painting the house and shipping alot of stuff out to donate.

132. Ron's company picnic was great fun for the whole family.

133. I will probably feel good enough about my house to invite people over for the holidays.

134. All my clients are out of the hospital and getting meds adjusted that will hopefully correct everything.

135. Making the house look new inside really makes me happy.

136. Ron cut a ton of tree limbs for me but unfortunately, left the dead ones that were my main concern.

137. We finally got new shower walls where everything was peeling and looked so awful.

138. Zack only got one C on his reprt card and he is really doing sooo much better in spelling.

139. Zack has alot more guts than I ever did and is runninf for Junior Councilman in his school.

140. I'm getting the hang of Bravenet web pages so I won't run completely out of space. I am learning to make my own templates.

141. Mileage money is really getting to be alot with all the traveling I am having to do for work.

142. Jerry got his second Lasik treatment and is very happy with it now.

143. I love my husband and that is incredible after all we went through.

144. Zack is handling bullies at school without a second thought anymore. He is learning to laugh them off.

145. Zack is very helpful.

146. Life is flowing really well now.

147. We got a Defensive Driving discount on the car insurance.

148. Ron takes us out to eat almost weekly. He is actually spending money on the family.

149. Bonnie started hiking with me alot in August.

150. I do get alot of exercise when painting with all the up and downs.

151. They captured the snipers that killed so many around Washington DC.

152. I can actually afford to take the car to the carwash as needed now!

153. I will lose weight eventually.

154. I have really been uplifted by the Highland Worship cd and even made a copy of it for one of our care providers.

155. Dakota has alot of friends and is even getting phone calls.

156. We have alot of new cub scouts this year and actually have 2 leaders for each age group.

157. Star took the Webelos to sell popcorn and they made their quota to keep 33%.

158. The crises at work are slowing down.

159. I haven't been obsessing on debts...until tonight when I got an NSF charge for not deducting the $10 that went to savings.

160. I cleaned out the storage room for Rons tools and hunting supplies.

161. I cleaned the garage and have alot of stuff I will be donating.

162. Zack is becoming much more mature.

163. We love our new cat (who turned up being pregnant) and she is very loving in return.

164. I am starting to add money to pay Mom off.

165. Mom still gets around and she is almost 80. She is still alive!

166. Nobody is really down on me right now...nobody picking on me.

167. I finished five quarterly reports in one day.

168. I was able to help 2 two year old children that were wandering around near my office and they didn't get hurt before the postman found them.

169. Zack got a new cub scout shirt from ebay and it is the right color and the right size.

170. I got another copy of an old Jewel cd that really makes me feel good.

171. Zack is reading really big books now...probably why his spelling and writing is improving.

172. Dakota is singing and drawing pictures all over the place.

173. Got to see a cool Riverdance show on tv.

174. Dakota is going to be a track star when he grows up. He is FAST!

175. Dakota and I are reading about 4 books a day.

176. Zack is helping with room prep for painting...without being asked.

177. Zack is doing the dishes now...still has to do most of them over again, but he will learn.

178. Trish gave us a ton of clothes (mainly for Zack but some for me too) and they all fit.

179. I have joy joy joy joy down in my heart! Four years ago, I thought I would never have it again.

180. Ron never comments on my weight.

181. Zack has many good friends now. He is really blooming.

182. Zack's writing is actually legible now.

183. I was able to buy Zack some more cub scout supplies without feeling guilty.

184. The printer I got from ebay works really well...since I found the packing popcorn stuck inside it and got rid of that.

185. Our cats are getting along now.

186. Blessings seem to be flowing to me and my family.

187. My kids like Tae-bo and do it with me.

188. Both of my kids regularly say that they just want to be with me. I really need to see the blessing in that more often.

189. A couple of months ago, Celebrate Waco had a free museum day where me and the kids were able to go to The Discovery Center, The Dr. Pepper Museum (it was discovered here), A historic house, A pioneer village, and the Cameron Park Zoo. All for free.

190. My flexible schedule at work is such an incredible blessing! Even as busy as it is, the bosses give us several days off when they are in town.

191. Soon we will be on health insurance again and be able to see the dr for just $15.

191. My children aren't prejudice in any way. What a blessing! They both have wonderful friendships with other races and a mentally challenged boy.

192. Zack mowed for me when I first started my painting projects.

193. The cooler weather came just at the right time and is very exhilirating for me.

194. Ron is convinced he is going to be getting us some venison. Last time he did, it lasted a year.

195. Ron bought a new deep freeze to hold his deer but it will really help when we find meat bargains too.

As of 10/24/02, 195 listed and tons more unlisted.

I can't believe I have not updated this page in SIXTEEN MONTHS!!! Shame on Me!

196. God continues to totally amaze me with blessings, even when I don't recognize or appreciate them. 197. Ron's employers have decided to reimburse for up to two months of smoking cessation aids and he has sweetly decided to give me half of his supply. I have gone 41 hours without a cigarette! Probably the first time I have gone this long in 20 years! I am a non-smoker...I do not smoke...I QUIT! And at $179, that was something we could not have afforded on our own!

198. I have been selling stuff like hotcakes on Half.com lately. I am so shocked at the amount of money I am making. For some reason, I had thought it was cheaper to sell there than on Ebay but I am about to change tacts and possibly make more money.

199. Work has not been as busy recently. Our case manager has had physical problems and has had to lower her work hours but I have been able to as well. We are currently in a routine of her working Wednesdays and Thursdays and me working the other 3 workdays. This is fantastic for me.

200. I am finally losing weight! (We'll see how long that lasts with the smoking cessation.) I now weigh the least I have weighed since I went on the Atkins diet right after I started this job in 1999 or early 2000. Lately I have been sorta doing a combination of Atkins and Weight Watchers Point System. I just really have to start exercising again!!!

201. I'm still showing heavy ketone loss even though I have been cheating with a hamburger or a hot pocket now and then.

202. My mother-in-law's husband raised a duck from egg to 3 weeks old and gave her to us. Now she is laying eggs like a mad-woman.

203. It's spring! It's beautiful! My gas bill is going to be lower and it will be a few weeks before we need the air conditioner.

204. Last year, God helped me pay many unexpected debts in full including new tires at over $400, my youngest son's dental work at almost $700, and a tune-up which should be regular maintenance but on a Hyundai costs about $400...and still I was able to pay off my credit card debt that I have been working on for 12 years or more!

205. I was the Tiger Cub leader for awhile and as much as I enjoyed it, I thank God that I no longer have that responsibility! I am much better as an Assistant (which I am).

206. Our Cub Scout Pack merged in with the Elm Mott Pack and it makes it much more exciting for the boys even though we have to travel farther. Rather than only three Tiger Cubs including Dakota, we have about 9 with 6 or so attending regularly.

207. Dakota recently received his Tiger Cub Rank and three Tiger Track beads to recognize 10 electives completed each. Within the past couple of weeks, he has earned his Bobcat Badge and another Tiger Track bead.

208. Sometimes I forget about the irritations I no longer have to deal with. I no longer have to get up an hour early and make Ron's lunch. Wow. I went from that to preparing several sacks once a week so he could just grab one out of the fridge and now that he started us on the Atkins diet about a year ago, he mainly eats vienna sausage, tuna, or kippers at lunch.

209. I am thankful that I enjoy fishing once in awhile and especially that I am not forced to go fishing all the time like when we first got married. I enjoy having the choice.

210. After all this many years, I recently moved the case management charts between our two desks and now we can roll our chairs to them to file instead of having to carry 10 pound charts around the room to get room to file.

211. Both of my kids earned tickets to Six Flags to be used this summer by reading six hours on their own. I am very proud of them. Now to just get Ron to pay for his own ticket...

212. Got Dakota a very expensive looking, very warm ski-type coat for $15 a coupla months ago that looks like it will last a coupla more years.

213. We have a $1 movie theater that actually has pretty new movies. They were showing Lord Of The Rings Part III last month and it is still having a buzz on tv entertainment shows.

214. It actually snowed in my hometown for Valentine's Day of 2004. It reminded me of Wyoming.

215. I have found that orange oil furniture polish really makes me appreciate my house. (That's weird to put on a gratitude journal!)

216. My dentist gave be a really big unexpected refund recently! (Just when I was stressing over upcoming huge bills)

217. My car tags cost was less than I expected by about 70% and I didn't have to have any work done to pass inspection.

218. I painted Dakota's faded pink tricycle with red spray paint and it looks brand new...maybe I can make some money off it?

219. I got a citation for fishing without a license...but it was in the car so it was dismissed!

220. Zack is looking towards taking weight training as an elective in school next year and is starting to watch his weight and exercise more. He is also using Dad's weight set.

221. We actually have started socializing, however minimal it may be, with some Cub Scout parents that live nearby.

222. Last year I changed banks from one that was all the way across town (about 20 miles round trip), to one just around the corner (6 minutes round trip).

223. When I was billed an NSF charge because of debit card charges going through faster than checks, the charge was taken off because the lady is the one my mother and I work with and she knew I wouldn't let it happen again.

224. After all the bills I was able to pay off last year and still pay off the credit cards, I have been able to pay more to house principle almost every month except the next three or so due to once a year bills. At this time, even on regular payments, more goes towards principle than interest!

225. Luckily I caught on before I made the mistake of refinancing because paying as I am will cost about $5000 less than refinancing as I was about to do last year.

226. I found a sale coupon for Checks Unlimited just when I was ready to have to order checks...four boxes for $16 with free upgrade to special edition, free special print front, and free shipping!

227. From estimating my 2003 IRS taxes due down to the actual amount due, the total changed from over $1300, to $960, to $643, down to $543!

228. Zack got braces last week and no one made fun of him at school. They actually told him he looks cooler with them.

229. The downpayment for his braces was expected to be $500 but they only made me pay $100!!!!!

230. His orthodontist is only open on Saturdays so he won't miss school with his braces.

231. Although kids continue to pick on Zack like they have done pretty much all his school life, he has learned to handle it much better and has several good friends who will stick up for him.

232. As much as I enjoyed being the church nursery worker, I am very thankful that they hired someone to do it so I don't have to.

233. Two of our more difficult clients have transferred to other facilities which will probably keep us out of trouble with survey.

234. I'm going to get to go on a "Sister's Only" vacation with Bonnie this June...like we did in 1987.

235. Ron finally put in 3 more electric outlets in the den so life is much safer now. He has also been re-wiring.

236. I got 90 books at the annual library sale for $16.50.

237. I found Zack's great condition "old" clothes that fit Dakota right before Christmas...three laundry loads full. From now on he will have about that many already supplied and being six years apart, Dakota doesn't really notice that they are hand-me-downs.

238. I have learned real creative financing by continuing to use two credit cards but paying them off in full every month. One closes on the first and one closes on the fifteenth so I only use each card for two weeks a month which gives a six week gap in the time the payments are due. Then I can pay even more to extra house principle.

239. I found loads of $2 Beyblades at the flea market just when Zack, Dakota, and all their friends were Beyblade crazy and they cost $6 each at Walmart.

240. My purse was just sitting on a chair at home several months ago when I was afraid it was stolen.

241. I found my date planner/journal after it was lost for 3 days.

242. Saddam Hussein was captured.

243. My car doesn't squeal anymore...had something to do with it being too cold instead of a major problem.

244. Got a good Christmas bonus from work that was lost in my junk mail and found just in time for unexpected bills.

245. Since quitting smoking only 40+ hours ago, the wrinkles above my nose are already less noticeable!

246. Ron put cable in the kids room so I can kick them off my tv.

247. Ron has put the re-wiring of our electrical in one pvc pipe rather than the three squirrelly looking pipes the other guy used.

248. I got new doorbells that actually work and don't stick.

249. My sister found my Dad's watch...still ticking after 18 years!!!!!

250. I have 1000 baseball cards I might just sell on ebay.

251. I didn't have to notify insurance or pay anything (or even receive any damage except a black streak on my fender) when I accidentally backed into a truck a coupla months ago.

252. I'm back in a cd club but the cd's I picked sell like hotcakes on half.com.

253. Ron fixed the door leading outside from the den. I could never get the thing to lock or close right and now it slides like butter.

254. I really don't miss non-diet soda much anymore...wow!

255. My back hasn't bothered me much at all in the most part of a year when it used to kill me all the time and I had to use Magna Blue sometimes more than once a day.

256. Magna Blue works wonders on my back when it is needed, seems to renew itself up to 24 hours later, and actually helped my 93 year old neighbor.

257. I caught my first catfish last Saturday...the biggest two fish caught out of the two family group on the outing.

258. I have learned to not only bait my own hook with both worms and minnows, but also to take the fish off once I catch them.

259. Zack's friend caught a boy trying to sell Zack's Game Boy Color that had been stolen out of our house along with several other items while we were in church many months before. He was able to get it back and return it in March of last year.

260. Zack sold enough Boy Scout candy last year to pay for his summer camp and several other camping trips, his membership renewal and a badge university they will be having in a month or so.

261. Zack will be earning his Recruiter badge and his First Aid badge tonight.

262. I was able to change me and the kids over to Ron's employer health insurance which is a million times better than what I was able to get with my employer (simply because there was only the three of us on ours). In the process, I ended up getting a $100 a month raise and save the bosses $260 a month.

263. Dakota gets all E's and 100's on spelling and we hardly have to study at all.

264. Dakota is 12 weeks ahead of what he is supposed to be on his reading level and is presently in a creative story-writing mood.

265. Zackary loves band and I was able to buy his trumpet at a pawn shop for $119 when the band store wanted over $1000 for their cheapest model.

266. Dakota saved me money on all his dental work last year by not having to be put to sleep. He's a real trooper.

267. I quit having to pay for my gym membership every year by buying an elliptical trainer of my own which is just about all I used at the gym.

268. When I did smoke (so many hours ago) I was able to get my cigs for $9 a carton including shipping over the internet. The cheapest in town was over $16 a carton.

269. They just passed a law where you can no longer buy cigs over the internet to be shipped to my state. I would have never quit if this and Ron's job reimbursement had not aligned up with the great blessings I have been having recently in order to give me faith that I could actually do this thing.

270. My last haircut was over 6 months ago and it's not that shabby yet! Of course, at that time I got it cut twice in two days cuz it looked so horrible.

271. Equate PM pain reliever works wonderfully for my awful headaches and backpain.

272. I finally gave in and replaced my battery after it went dead about 4 times last year.

273. I thought my wedding rings had been lost while shopping when the zipper on my purse broke but my son found them on opposite sides of my bedroom a month later!

274. My sister hooked me on a historical novel series called The Zion Chronicles which really has gotten my curiosity up.

275. I learned alot when she took me to celebrate Passover Seder with Zola Levitt last year.

276. I was able to attend the Feast of Trumpets with Zola Levitt and view some of the Dead Sea Scrolls several months later.

277. I was able to see COUNTING CROWS FROM THE ELEVENTH ROW with my sister last July!

278. Zack is third chair out of twelve in the trumpet section in the school band.

279. He would have been allowed to participate in solo competition if he hadn't had problems on his report card (supposedly related to bullies picking on him). 280. I'm allowed 20 grams of carbs each day on the Atkins diet...not the 0 grams I had been allowing myself. No wonder I gained all that weight when I went off it the last time!!!

281. My sister in law has a pet coyote that is fantastic to play with.

282. We had a fantastic outing at one of the Tiger Cub's birthday parties at Putt Putt Golf and Go Kart Racing. I think we will remember it for a long time to come.

283. Ron was able to get three deer during hunting season this year.

284. I have been getting alot of use out of the deep freeze that Ron bought. I still have it pretty much packed full with ice from our ice maker, 38c a pound brisket we got last 4th of july, 57c a pound turkey we got at Thanksgiving, and, of course, 88c a piece tv dinners that the kids love.

285. Got Dakota's Cub Scout shirt and scarf for $5 on ebay.

286. Got a scanner/printer/copier/fax machine for a very good price...too bad it only works right on the kids pc...

287. Bonnie gave the kids her pc for Dakota's birthday last year! It was blown so I still had to pay out about $100 but it was still a great deal.

288. Zack got his Arrow of Light last year and crossed over into Boy Scouts.

289. He is finally starting to put in the work towards earning his Tenderfoot Rank and the badges he earned last summer but didn't complete the paperwork on.

290. Dakota isn't sick to his stomach all the time anymore...since the dr. gave him allergy medicine. Go figure...

291. I have been the clearance queen lately...getting tons of expensive clothes, shoes, toys, and bike and camera gear for $2 to $3 each...I can sell some stuff on ebay...

292. Christmas and birthday presents are pretty much stored up for the next coupla years.

293. I actually sold an LP record album on half.com. If I could sell all that I have...

294. Dakota hardly had to use the training wheels on his bike and went straight to doing stunts such as riding while standing on the seat. I wonder if I should be thankful for this or not?

295. The boss paid for me and the case manager to go to a workshop in San Antonio last year...when I really needed a break.

296. I got one of my old printers to work for my pc after thinking they all needed new printheads.

297. I got something like 14 bottles of ink at Sam's for about the price of one at Walmart to refill the printer inks myself.

298. After last year's vacation, Ron won't make us hunt for gold in New Mexico again. Next time we'll get to go to Tennessee and the areas I wanted to go to.

299. I finally bleached the mold on the walls and it really worked out well.

300. Got us alot of rechargeable batteries off ebay. I love finding ways to save money and cut costs.

301. Jeff tuned Zack's guitar and is buying strings for mine at a buy one get one free discount. Then he's gonna fix mine up too.

302. Got another air conditioner for the den last year that seems to work better than what I was using before.

303. I sure loved getting the child tax credit back in the middle of last year...and the other IRS refund the year before. Wish they would keep that up!

304. I was able to buy a replacement library book from ebay for 75c when Zack spilled Big Red on the one I was reading.

305. I was able to stock up on those long lasting fluorescent light bulbs and they seem as bright as before.

306. I switched back to Southwestern Bell telephone from Sage and I'm saving about $20 a month.

307. I switched from TXU Electric to Energy America and I'm saving money there too.

308. I am the editor of my chapter's GPAA newsletter.

309. I love my flexible work schedule! I'm taking off for Spring Break next week and will still hopefully get two weeks in June.

310. Bonnie gave me a gift certificate to a Christian Bookstore last year and I got a Strong's Concordance. It's very interesting.

311. Zack actually cooks, does laundry, and dishes....once in awhile.

312. The boys had always wanted a trundle bed to get more room to play and we were given one by my sister-in-law.

313. One of my high school friends was going to my church for awhile and we got to hang out and I was even able to be of some help to her. I think her husband came and took her back to Oklahoma.

314. My step-daughter had a son in January. Even though we still would have never heard from her again if it was left to her, we were able to find her and visit for a short time.

315. When the filling in my front tooth fell out three times last year, I wasn't charged to have it fixed. Whew!

316. We haven't had to worry about lice since Dakota got out of Kindegarten. Yippee Ki Yo!!!

317. Mom has been giving me extra money for getting her groceries.

318. She didn't charge me for childcare last year. That was a big savings even though she charged a rediculously low price when she did charge.

319. I am still seeing wonderfully after my Lasik done 9/13/01.

320. I paid down the mortgage enuf to not have to have PMI insurance anymore.

321. Coda was on a soccer team and really loved it.

322. Ron did my car tune up and saved $300 in labor.

323. I got the timing belt on the internet for $35 when Hyundai wanted $100 for it.

324. I have still been able to by my blank CDR's for $2 for a 50-pack.

325. My garage and house are really becoming more organized.

326. My bosses got me a new cell phone last year that doesn't lose it's charge within an hour.

327. I got a new camcorder that is fantastic, light, and has tons of features. AND was on a one year 0 interest plan.

328. My phone and answering machine finally work right since going back to SW Bell. Forever it seems, it was only ringing twice.

329. I've found that my boys are really good at frisbee and dominoes and that I enjoy playing with them. Now we need to work on chess...

330. Coda has been able to spend a week at a time with Mimi and both boys really enjoy the break from each other.

331. Ron built a trailer to pull behind his Explorer and carry tons of vacation stuff.

As of 3/9/04, 331 listed and tons more unlisted.