I'm Thankful For

Since it is Thanksgiving I thought this was a good time to share with you just what I am thankful for.

1. My 2 beautiful, healthy children ~ although Hunter makes me want to strangle him on a regular basis I thank god for him everyday. And my sweet little Maisie ~ last year on Thanksgiving I was 35 weeks pregnant and ended up at the hospital to be monitored for fear that I was going into pre-term labor; fortunately she opted not to make her appearance and hung out for another 3 weeks arriving healthy and fully mature!

2. My wonderful husband ~ I honestly don't know what I would do without him ~ he is my best friend. There are plenty of times that I would like to strangle him as well ~ sometimes he and the boy in unison ~ but we always figure it out and move on.

3. Another Thanksgiving with my parents ~ particularly my dad. He has been through so much in the last 30 years health wise it is truly remarkable that he is still here with us. Of course I am also very thankful for my mom, but she's in pretty good shape so we just don't ever think that this year could be the last with her, it's a real crap shoot with dad.

4. Celebrating Maisies's first Thanksgiving ~ although she doesn't know what today is all about, she will in time. She went to her first Thanksgiving Parade downtown today ~ a real tradition in my family ~ I have been going with dad for 30 years now which gives me a lifetime of memories to be thankful for.

5. My brother and sister ~ we have always been a close family that hangs out together. While today we are scattered around, not one of us has ever strayed far enough to not be just a quick car ride away. We may not see each other like we used to, but there aren't many days that pass between phone calls. Bryan and I used to go see a movie every Thanksgiving after dinner was over ~ we haven't done that in a long time and I really miss it ~ we pass a movie theater on the way back from my parent's house and I think of those times every year.

6. My furry 4 legged children ~ they make me laugh and love me unconditionally. When they aren't here the house just isn't the same, instead it is eerily quiet ~ and that's not an easy feat given the 2 kids who live here!

7. The roof over our heads ~ we were so very fortunate to have gotten through Ike with the little damage and inconvenience that we sustained. My brother and his family were unfortunately not so lucky and have still not been able to move back into their own home. There are so many families just like them, many of who don't even have a house to repair because it was washed away altogether, we were very fortunate.

8. The food on our table ~ not just today but everyday. With the economy in the state that it is I feel very blessed to be able to go to the grocery store and get what my family needs without having to worry if I can still afford to pay our mortgage or electric bill. This also ties into my wonderful husband and what a fantastic job he does providing for his family.

9. The clothes on our backs ~ there are certainly many families on a normal year who don't have warm clothes, but this year with Ike having ripped through our area there are so many more. Again we are so fortunate to have escaped essentially unscathed.