Lucky Life With My Family

Tonight I was so tired and in a bad mood, but had to go out to Kroger for Liam's medicine. Yes, he has yet another ear infection! Per usual, as I left the store, my attention turned to the big red box over to my left. I'm sure you've seen and used Redbox before, too. How can you really resist $1 rentals? However, did you know you could reserve your rentals online? I had no idea until I recently heard about a new program through Redbox called Lucky to Have Friends Like You. Through your online Redbox account you can get a web address specifically for your friends. You email them, send it through facebook, twitter, etc. and every time one of your friends uses that specific link to reserve a movie, you get a free rental! Wow! It's a wonderful promotion and very easy to earn free rentals. Just sign up here if you don't already have an account.

Anyways, after I was happy with my Redbox selection for the night and, of course  another wonderful Scooby Doo dvd for Josiah, I hopped in the car. I was on my way home when a car stalled in the middle of the intersection. The entire family got out of the car and was trying to push it over to the side when another car pulled up from behind, got out of the car and started helping them. I was so surprised and so grateful to live in a place where people are so thoughtful and caring.

Here in the mountains of north Georgia, life is a bit slower than that of the city. People make small talk with each other in the store even if they don't know each other. We all wave at each other when driving past and there is just this feeling of being at home. Unlike Macon, where we lived when my husband was in law school, Jasper is safe and welcoming. You don't have to look over your shoulder when walking to your car alone. Many of us don't even lock our front doors when leaving the house.

As I was driving home, all of this was going through my mind and I realized really how lucky we are to live in such a nice place. In Macon, many children were home schooled or went to private school, not for better education necessarily, but for safety concerns. Gangs plagued the public schools and we heard about crimes every day on the news. Here, the public schools are some of the best in Georgia and safety is not really a concern.

I am grateful for my husband, my two boys, and my in-laws who are always around to help, but I'm also very grateful to be able to live a life with my family without fear. I'm lucky to live in such a beautiful place, surrounded by mountains and peaceful skies, with the people I love. Regardless of all the other things going on in our lives, it's nice to sit back and realize just how lucky we are.

A Snowy Day In Our Little Mountain Town

Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and redbox blogging program, for a $25 Walmart gift card from redbox. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”