A Coach giveaway! & Thankful Thursday

First things first: Let's talk Mackey Madness.

If you're not already following Megan (what a great name, right?!), you totally should be. Not only is she a super cool and fun blogger (I've been reading her blog for a couple months now, so I'm speaking from experience!) but she is also hosting a giveaway. Entering is easy- you simply have to be a follower and leave a comment telling Megan your favorite thing about blogging.

And the thing that one lucky winner will receive?

*drumroll, please*

A super cute Coach purse! Which I absolutely adore.

Take-home message: Follow Megan. Enter her giveaway. And be happy, because even if you don't win, you are now following a really amazing blogger (if you weren't already).

And now, a few of the many things I am thankful for on this Thursday...

1. My school's beautiful campus. USI may not be the biggest school, but it's certainly the prettiest college campus I've ever been to. Even despite the huge amount of construction that has been underway this past year, walking through campus makes me smile.

 2. Things like text messages and Skype, which help me stay connected to my family even though I'm living 3 hours from home. Amber texts me regularly with things like this-

Kelly's shining a flashlight in my face... "Alright, kid! You're going to jail!"

And this-

Kelly just said, "I want a hundred dollars," and pulled a five-dollar-bill out of Mom's purse.

And especially this...

Kelly just told me, "I love my best friend Kelly Clarkson."

(That's my girl. I've taught her well!)

 3. The little reality checks I've been getting from God lately. The kind that makes me stop complaining and realize just how well off I am.

 My entire schooling is 100% covered by grants, scholarships, and/or loans. Tuition, housing, meal plan, student fees, etc. All of it. Not only that, but I've also gotten a refund check every semester so far, because I've received more financial aid than needed. I am so unbelievably grateful for all of this, because if that weren't the case, I most definitely wouldn't be here right now.

When my laptop crapped out on me at the beginning of this year, I wasn't too worried. I was expecting to use my refund check from this semester to buy a new Macbook. However, God had other plans for me... One of my biggest grants was canceled for this semester. When I went to the FinAid office to ask about it, I was informed that it was canceled because that grant is only for freshman and sophomore students. Because I have so many credits already, even though it's only my second year, I'm technically a junior already.

Well, crap.

Thankfully, that still left me with enough financial aid to cover this semester. But it does mean I have no laptop. And I'm only getting 2.5 hours a week working in the language lab. And I'm having no luck finding a second job that works with my schedule.

The selfish voice in my head wants so hard to be upset about these little things. But thanks to some gentle reminders from my mother, I'm quickly learning to be thankful for what I DO have.

-I'm living in a great apartment, going to a wonderful university.

-I have a car that I love, which gets me safely from school to home (and vice-versa) whenever needed.

-I have wonderful roommates who have basically given me full access to their laptops whenever needed, knowing that mine is dunzo.

-And I can also check out a Macbook Pro at the library whenever I want to.

-I am never starving, or freezing, or unloved. 

Moral of the story... This week, I'm most grateful for the gentle slaps in the face that have made me aware of how selfish and ungrateful I must sound when I try to complain about what I don't have, when what I do have outweighs that first list a hundred times over.

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Don't forget to head over to Mackey Madness and enter Megan's giveaway! :) You've got until Sunday, February 13th, at 12:01am Central Time.

And please please please take some time today to think about what all you've been blessed with, and consider all of the people/things/etc. that you're thankful for.

xoxo