things i'm thankful for...

• my funny family...as cheesy and dorky as we can all be, and as many times as many of my relatives say "so i says to him i says..." I still love them.
• turkey, mashed potatoes & corn (of course mixed together), my mom's black cherry jello salad, sweet potatoes (which I didn't think I liked until today), green olives, rolls, and so on...
• the fact that i have TONS of wonderful friends all over this country, and i probably don't deserve to have such great friends or as many as I do. I'm truly blessed.
• that I get to work with one of my best friends, and some days that is the only reason I can make it through the day. But I'm thankful that I have a job, and most of the time, one that I really do like.
• that my dad got a new liver this year and we can help him down the road to recovery now with a lot less worry about when it could happen...so thankful for him, and in a weird way, thankful for the donor and his/her death so that my dad could have new life.
• that I'm not the same person as I was in high school...i'm thankful I went out in Streator last night w/ Amanda and got to see some old acquaintances, but it makes me see so clearly how different I am now than I used to be.
• the sweet, simple prayer my cousin Shelby prayed today thanking God for the food and for our family and that God loves to hear us pray just like that sometimes.
• having none of the lights on in the house except the Christmas tree lights and just the candles in the windowsills...as my mom said last night, "the Christmas tree just makes the room warmer..."
• the smells at this time of year...cinnamon, pine, pumpkin spice, berries, and yes--even the smell outside when you know snow is on the way...I may hate the cold, but I do love the smell when snow is coming.
• and on that note, i'm thankful for the first snow every year
• good sales the day after Thanksgiving and the bittersweet excitement of waking up at 4:00 a.m. to go shopping w/ my mom. We know. We are crazy. And we're only contributing to the madness.
• all of the good movies that come out right around the holidays...can't wait to see the new Will Smith movie, The Pursuit of Happyness, and The Holiday (with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, hottie Jude Law, and Jack Black), and i'm curious to see how good or accurate The Nativity Story will be.
• my apartment. Sometimes I don't like being there all the time, but when I'm not there I realize how great it really is and how cozy it really can be. I am thankful for my kitchen and my bed and my shower and my closets...just the simple things, i tell you...
• decorating the Christmas tree...from putting on the ornaments, to listening to my favorite Christmas music while doing so, to the memories in the back of my mind from decorating when we were little, to the old ornaments we find each year that i made in like 1988...
• just the feeling you get at this time of year...nostalgia, tradition, warmth, peace, comfort, even the longing that comes when I wish I had someone to cuddle with on the couch, but the excitement about starting new traditions someday, and the childlike spirit this season brings, and the wonder of it all...
• experiences of the past year...friendships made, lessons learned, risks taken, growth that happened, places traveled, dreams planted...
• dark chocolate, peppermint hot tea, a glass of wine, a hot bath, a good book, a good laugh, seeing old friends, good conversation, new music, weddings, warm weather and sunshine, sunsets, comfy sweatpants and a hoodie, flip flops, chocolate covered strawberries, beautiful photography, piano music...
• good words either written or spoken
• my Grandma Shirlye and her patience with her own immobility. I am thankful for her persistence in all she's gone through and for her faithfulness even when she just wants to give up. I'm praying God will just bless her with some more strength...
• a God who is more creative than we could ever imagine, and that He gives us eyes that can sometimes see it, ears that hear it, lips that can taste it, fingers to touch it, noses to smell it, and hearts to feel it all... I'm just thankful.