Little Bits Of Thanks

Just like everyone else, this time of year makes me reflect on all sorts of things for which I give thanks. Some are silly... like, I'm thankful my hair has finally grown back, after that little midlife I went through... as a Brunette. And the fact that my kids are finally old enough that I can break out my china and crystal for Thanksgiving dinner... without having the sweats and thinking they are gonna break it. :) I'm thankful the Twilight movies are done. And I'm thankful I got to check 'Seeing Madonna live, from the front row' off my bucket list. There are also the really important things... like, I'm thankful for everyone's health, all of our parents are with us, I have a wonderful extended family that I adore, a Nephew that loves the shit outta me, a Niece who is the cutest thing on the planet, that fricken election is OVER, my cat has stopped leaking an abundance of worm sacs out of her butt... and we can (sort of) afford Thanksgiving dinner for a dozen people. (I mean really...  I'm keeping the leftovers... as collateral... to ensure someone else has to do it next year...) :) But mostly... I'm thankful we are having a peaceful year. Some are not so peaceful, and those have made us learn to appreciate a good one...

Over the past month, I have been reading everyone's "I'm thankful for..." posts on facebook, and feeling a tad guilty. I think I'm in the stage of life, where I am forced to focus more on the stuff I'm not as thankful for. Life is crazy, and I seem to always be trying to put out fires, (And deworm cats) and keep everyone happy and healthy. I lose sight sometimes, of what is really there to be thankful for. Life is good... and sweating the petty is overrated. It's time for me to give some thanks...

If you ask my 9 and 11 year old kids what they are thankful for, they would most likely answer with a bunch of material biz. Their gaming systems, 3rd row seats to Justin Bieber, ipods, iPads, iPhones (Don't judge. Remember... it's in the spirit of Thanksgiving not to... and we like Apple products. So what?) and all that other junk. I would feel like I failed as a Mother, but when you are that age... that shit is important! Don't get me wrong, they also know (I remind them often) how lucky they are that their Father and I forgo vacations, and a whole mess of other things  every year... so they can live where we do, dance, play hockey, wear clothes... and fricken... eat? Kids are not cheap. (Perhaps, my Husband was onto something when he cut me off at 2. I was going for the Breeder's Cup... and he was waiting in the parking lot of the nearest vasectomy joint... whatevs. I'll never tell him he was right... but that goes without saying.) :) We have a very happy, loving family. Their Dad and I genuinely love each other. We are both healthy, young(ish), don't argue much, make it our lives work to ensure they have the best family unit we can give them, and show them what that exactly means. We still hug and kiss... a lot. (We even put a lock on our bedroom door recently... so they don't bust in ever again... wondering what all the hugging and kissing is about... and accidentally learn alll about it. That was the worst... Oh my God... shake it off... Ugh.) Even if they don't get that yet... and their 'stuff' trumps our loving environment... some day it will be very apparent to them, and they will come to me with all sorts of "Thank you"s... and... gifts? I don't know... it could happen. :) Until then... I'm also grateful for their 'things' that keep them busy and happy. As, sometimes... I'm not in the mood to be all of that. :)

As I mentioned, in so many words, I have a wonderful marriage. I'm pretty sure that is the thing in my life, for which I'm most thankful. We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last year, and are even more in love (Or... dependent on one another? Jury is still out...) than we were when we tied the knot. That man truly is my everything. He is my best friend, and makes me laugh every, single day. In fact, that has become our method of dealing with everything that comes our way. We laugh. As a family. A lot. We even have really funny kids. It helps, and makes me like them even more than I'm already expected to. :) We couldn't have made it through 2011 without a few, good, belly laughs. They were hard to find... but we managed.  My Husband works his ass off, and brings home the bacon, like I'm thankful I don't have to. I'm beyond thankful to him, that I was able to stay home and raise my kids. It is the  one thing I would not give up for anything in the world. Even in his heart of hearts, (Or... Jar of Hearts? Not sure...) he doesn't even know how thankful I am for that. He allowed me to be able to be that person... and I'm forever grateful.

I'm also really thankful for my girlfriends.  I would be a much different (and lesser) person, without each and every one of them. I'm so thankful they are in my life... and each one serves a different purpose to me and my family. My closest, sister-like friends, are my go-to girls for everything. Most of them have been in my life for decades... and I would die without them. (Especially my actual Sister... but I've already covered that a bunch... She rules... I'd die... lucky panties... blah blah blah...) I have always been the type of person that surrounds myself with people I dig for different reasons. A plethora of varying personalities makes me tick. Samesies is boring. In that area... I have never been lacking. From the ones I talk to daily, to the ones I see a few times a year, they all are amazing women in their own ways. I learn so much about life through our (sometimes drunken) conversations and debates. What would life be without your girlfriends?! I hope I never know... they make everything better, and I'm so thankful for them.

I'm thankful my Husband and I have jobs. Thanks to an economy that is in the shitter... that isn't a given anymore. We may not live in a mansion... or spend our Winters on a yacht, in St. Barts... but we get by. We have a home we love, food on the table, reliable, safe vehicles, and a bunch of other things we feel we need. I'm immensely thankful for that.

I'm thankful for wine. The end.


I'm thankful we live in a country where I don't have to be afraid to let my children go outside. In a world full of crazies... we live in a place where that is taken for granted.

I'm thankful for my darling, furry, babies. They make me happy, and even with worm sacks leaking out of their asses... they still warm my heart. We have lost many animals. (And probably shouldn't be allowed to adopt any... ever again...) but the ones we have right now, are the perfect trifecta of awesomeness. My oldest, Bijou, is the only thing I have left of my 'single girl' life. (I hold that dear to my heart... really... really... dear.) :) When she croaks, I will lose it. Until then... I'm just thankful I was able to nurse her back to health, and keep her for the last 15 years. She was my first baby. She rules.

I'm thankful I had so much fun, and made so many memories in my singlehood. (Is that even a word? I'm making it be one for now...) I have had some life experiences that still amaze/shock/tickle(?) me. I never had a problem with packing in as many 'fun units' as possible... whenever I could. I'm thankful a lot of that is in my past, but I'm not gonna lie and say I wouldn't want to do it all over again. Thanks late teens/early twenties! You were everything I ever wanted you to be... and then some.

I'm thankful that Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday. Unlike other holidays, I have no need to feel like a hypocrite celebrating it, and being a glutton... and drinking in excess... and all those other 'ungodly' things that people judge you for when it's supposed to be about Jesus.

I'm thankful, also... for Amazon.com. With Christmas fast approaching, that invaluable website will most likely save my life more than once. Fuck Black Friday... crazy people trampling each other for bath towels. No thanks. I'll forever be thankful for Cyber Monday :) (And sorry I said fuck just now... it was supposed to be about Jesus... see what I mean? WWJD?!!) :)


I have to try to remember how many things I have to be thankful for. I could go on and on... but I have too much cooking, cleaning and laundry to do. I'm hosting Thanksgiving on Thursday. Busting out my 'good dishes', blending our families, and being EXTREMELY thankful that is supposed to be in the 60s all week. As much as I am thankful for my home and all of that... I would eat my first born for a bigger kitchen. Since my Mother and Law and I are doing the cooking... it's a good thing everybody else can go play outside... away from the... well... the other stuff that goes along with cooking in a tiny kitchen with your Mother in Law. :)

Before I go... there is one more thing... I'm having trouble figuring out if I'm thankful for Ke$ha or not. She was on the Today show this morning... in all her pantsless glory. She only has what... 2 songs!? And she took time off to play with animals? I don't get it... what does she have against pants? I'm confused... and would be thankful for any inpt on how I'm supposed to feel about that broad. :)

Count your blessings, and Gobble Gobble!!