My Thanksgiving Mulligan

It turns out that I had more than one Thanksgiving epiphany.

Every year, for the past three or four years, before eating dinner my mom has required that we go around the table and everyone say what they are thankful for. In the past few years I haven't taken it too terribly serious because Ric would make a joke and then I would follow up with another. But this year Ric didn't joke. And no one else did either. And when we made it around the table to me, I couldn't figure out how to say what I was thankful for. I know that I'm thankful for my family and my job and Paul and my friends and for life in general, but I just couldn't figure out how to adequately express that. So since I'm much better at expressing myself with the written word rather than the spoken, here's what my heart was properly communicating to my mouth.

I'm thankful for my family who always supports me, no matter what the situation. They may not always agree with the decisions I make, but they always support me. They allow me to make mistakes and grow from them. When I make those mistakes they catch me on my descent and when I succeed they're proud of and happy for me.

I'm thankful for my job because it gave me a sense of security in my life again. It made me feel like I had a purpose again and gave me health insurance for the first time in months.

I'm thankful for Paul because he is hands down the most amazing fiance that any girl could ever ask for. He loves me unconditionally and tels me how much he loves me every day. When I'm with him I'm happy and when I'm not with him I'm thinking of him and looking forward to when I will see him again.

I'm thankful for my friends because they just get me. I don't always see them as much as I'd like but they're the sort of friends who you don't have to be with every day to stay close. I miss them when I haven't seen them but we get together again and things are right back to normal. They, along with Paul and the fam, are all my better halves. The math might not add up correctly but I do not care.

On another note, Paul and I successfully hosted our first dinner party yesterday. Paul's friends from high school, Jess and Zach, came over because Zach is home from Afghanistan for a couple of weeks. Paul and I worked together and in just over an hour produced baked penne, salad, garlic bread, and cocoa crispy treats. An added bonus is that Paul officially has all of his groomsmen in place. Score one for marking an item off the wedding checklist.