I am Thankful

I'm a day late on my thankful post but I'm sure you will all understand.  Yesterday was a busy day.  We hosted Thanksgiving for 8 but with all the food we made, we could have had 10 more people.  But hey, I do love my leftovers. I'll write about all the food we made later this weekend but first I wanted to tell you what I'm thankful for this holiday season.

I'm Thankful for...

...my husband Dave. He keeps me sane. But more than that, he also allows me to be myself, which is crazy and wacky.  He also is an expert turkey briner, roaster and turkey slicer.  And he really knows how to wash some dishes. In addition, he is a pretty sick xbox player. And he is finishing up his dissertation to become Dr. David in less than a month!

...my mother. My mom lives less than a mile away and I love spending time with her.  I really feel like she would do absolutely anything for me and I feel really privelaged to have such an amazing mommy. She's extremely smart, ridiculously fashionable (yes she wears skinny jeans and boots and looks AWESOME), very patient and loving.  I wouldn't be half the person I am today without her!

...my siblings. I have TWO now.  I've written about my brother enough so you get the idea that we are extremely close. Closer than any other siblings I know.  But he married Natalia who I absolutely love. Over the last four Thanksgivings, she has been my sous chef, professional taste tester and executive calmer-downer.

...having two parents who still get along and can sit next to each other at the dinner table on Thanksgiving even though they are divorced

...my new family.  My in-laws welcome me like their own and I love spending time with them.

...running.  Running is a privilege, an honor, a gift.  Not everyone can do it and the fact that my legs have carried me through over 1000 miles and two marathons this year is really special.  I feel lucky.

...mostly, I am thankful for my life. It's easy to sit back and think about all the bad things in your life and its a lot harder to think about the good.  But I think its important to concentrate on the happy things and to realize, wow, my life is pretty f#%$#%$ great. And I'm happy.  The key to being happy is ALLOWING yourself to be. My friend Debbie sent me this quote from her daily calendar.  I love everything about it.

I'm a big fan of living in the moment and enjoying the life you have now.  Sure, I'm a planner and I like to plan for the future but I'm a big believer in being happy in the life you live.  This quote says it all and more. Hope you enjoyed it!

Well, I want to tell you all about the food I made and the successes (and failures) I had in the kitchen.  It wouldn't be a big family gathering without something going wrong (hello fire-alarm).  But all in all, it was a fabulous day and Thanksgiving really makes me appreciate all the good things I have in life.

(All this I thought about on my run a little bit ago...running keeps me sane and keeps my brain moving! )

I had planned to write about Thanksgiving food and the running gear I tested out today from Ibex, but I will save that for another day.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?