coat disorder

thankful:

today, natalie and i went coat shopping.  if i haven't mentioned, i am in desperate need of a winter coat.  being without one here {even just at the beginning of december} is devastating!  fortunately, we have a water heater.  in my small circle of kindred spirits it is fairly well known that i hate coats.  winter clothing as a whole, to be honest.  i have a phobia of feeling like a marshmallow.  if it's too tight i won't wear it because it makes me claustrophobic in my own skin.  if it's it's too big i won't wear it because i feel like a man.  coats are difficult for me.  so after turning in a massive research paper this afternoon {that i've been losing sleep and hair over for the past week}, and despite natalie's looming research paper, we headed into town in search of a suitable coat.  she didn't really know what she was getting into, despite her superior knowledge of my coat disorder.  we found one. sort of.  see, i bought one, but i'm not sure i'm entirely satisfied with it.  and. . . that's a lot of money to spend on something i'm not absolutely in love with.  i like it an incredible amount, but i'm not sure if it's love, quite yet.  so. i bought another coat online - one that i am absolutely in love with!  if it fits, i'll take one back, and voilá!  so it's undecided, but the good thing is, within the week i'll have a coat, and it was incredible fun with natalie bringing me just about every small- and medium-sized coat in the store.  so. . .

1.  natalie: i'm thankful for a sister that will let me drag her through the ordeal of choosing a coat, despite how difficult and ridiculous i am every time i put another one on.  it was a darn good thing i wasn't alone, or i wouldn't have come out with anything!

2.  water heaters: genni and were talking about how absolutely cool it would be to have one of those water heaters that never runs out of hot water - the ones that heat it as it enters or something specific like that.  then, i realized that i am blessed to even have a water heater, even if it runs out of hot water after i do the dishes.  i am so absolutely grateful for hot water when i wake up in the morning and freeze upon getting out from under the covers.  hot water is an absolute piece of my physical salvation sometimes and i am thankful for that water heater!

3.  coats: natalie has one i've borrowed this week and oh was i ever thankful for that coat!  walking to class with just a jacket had my lips blue and goose bumps on my goose bumps on my entire body.  i'm happy that i have a coat.  so many people don't and this week having one to borrow (and now having one in my possession) makes me want to buy one for every poor college student in provo that isn't warm enough - not to mention the rest of the freezing world population.  this christmas, i wish for everyone who needs a coat to have one.

4.  finished research papers: i was so relieved today after turning in that paper that i could have danced. . . i should have danced!  next paper, i will.  i'm so thankful that i have the ability to be in a place where enough is demanded of me that i write things i never thought could come from my mind.  i love feeling stretched; i love feeling relief when the result of said stretch is pleasing.

5.  God-given time: i've needed a coat for quite some time.  i've needed a little escape this week with someone to give me a tad bit of coat-support.  i just haven't had time {and didn't expect to have time} until during finals week.  today, i was blessed with a few hours {and so was natalie} in which to relieve some stress and buy some warmth.  i'm thankful when God gives me things i don't expect sooner than i expected.

by the way, what were you thankful for today?