Thankful

First, I am thankful for a four day weekend and second, I am thankful I didn't come near my computer the entire time (which explains why this is five days late). Third, I am thankful I also didn't go near any retail outlet on Black Friday (or Saturday or Sunday for that matter). That whole "tradition" is just silly if you ask me.

But now, for my real list of "thankfuls." This year I'm thankful for so many things, here are just a few of them:

1. I'm thankful for my husband. We've had a hectic schedule this year, but the past 8 months have been our best ever. There's something magical that happens when you get married and something even more special that sets in once the dust settles. I love you James.

2. We are thankful for our jobs. Both James and I love our jobs. We have been lucky enough to find work careers doing what we love and what we're good at. We are both in challenging positions that keep us motivated and stimulated. James worked his bum off this past year and got a healthy raise for his efforts. Hard work pays off and we're definitely thankful for that!

3. Family. This year my brother and sister-in-law moved to Connecticut. To be able to see them every week and watch our niece and nephew grow up has been so wonderful. And soon we'll be neighbors!

4. We are thankful for our health. My chronic running related injuries have taken a significant turn in a positive direction this year thanks to a simple change of running shoes (as in simply taking them off). I'm thankful that I can now run without pain and that I'm enjoying marathons again. James has had a very good year controlling his type 1 diabetes. In a year where we have seen some of our cohorts stricken with life threatening illnesses like cancer, we really couldn't ask for anything more.

5. Mom and Dad. Among all of the great things they do and (mostly) good advice they give, we wouldn't be able to build our new house without our parents. Enough said.

6. We are thankful for our creativity. While our handiwork takes on different forms for each of us (I'm not sure I'd ever get James to pick up a paintbrush or sit at a sewing machine and you'll never find me cutting metal in his workshop) our desire and ability to create is a big part of who we are. Our biggest DIY project is right around the corner and we can't wait to put our creativity to the test in designing our new home.

7. Our friends. I think we have the greatest friendships in the world. Okay, that might be a little biased, but seriously, how many people can say they've had the same BFFs since second grade? As we get older and our lives are filled with many, many more things than they were in grade school (or even college for that matter), it's been interesting to see how friendships have changed with the times. Some friends come and go pretty quickly, but most of our core friendships have stood the test of time and for that, we are most definitely thankful!

8. We are thankful for Summit. She is the best. dog. ever. Okay, again, probably biased, but Summit is a special dog. Crazy? Yes, definitely. But she's perfectly ours and perfect for us. And she knows exactly how to stick her nose into the middle of any of our silly arguments and squash the drama before it starts and she's a pretty good toe warmer on cold winter nights.

9. We are thankful for the good fortune to be able to be in a position to build our own house next year. We will never take that for granted.

10. Finally, I am thankful for time. Yup, that's right, I am thankful for growing older and experiencing life - the good and the bad. I'm thankful for my marriage and for grown up responsibilities. I am thankful for the mistakes we've made and the lessons learned. I know we have a long way to go, many more mistakes to make, but that's a beautiful thing afterall, isn't it? Let's just hope we don't make too many of those mistakes on the house, eek!