Thank You

I don't know about you guys, but sometimes I get so caught up in all of the day-to-day madness that I turn into a giant ball of stress and forget that I have a lot to be thankful for in my life. Since it's Thanksgiving, the national day of stuffing your face and remembering what you're grateful for, I thought I'd share a bit of what I'm grateful for with all of you.

First and foremost, I'm grateful that I married such a great guy who is willing to put up with me, because ten out of ten ex-boyfriends will all agree that I'm a giant pain in the butt. Someone loving you for exactly who you are with no exceptions is something no one should ever take for granted, even though I know I sometimes do. I like to think that if Josh and I were a celebrity couple, we'd be Marge and Homer Simpson. It's not always perfect. We get annoyed with each other sometimes, but at the end of the day (whether that day was good or bad) we're still a team. And, like Homer, Josh can always get out of trouble by making me laugh. He's the guy I've loved for a decade plus one, and it doesn't get much better than that, kids.

I don't know if there will ever be words to properly describe how incredibly thankful I am for Ben and Layla. They are the reason why I work hard, strive for more, and try to be the best possible version of myself. They've taught me a lot so far, the most important being how to love completely unconditionally. It will be a long time before I can sleep in, travel lightly, be spontaneous, go to the movies to see something other than a cartoon, or sit on the couch without being climbed on, and I am one hundred percent okay with that. I'm thankful that I'm lucky enough to spend every day with them, watching them grow in every way possible. My only complaint is that they are both growing up way too fast.

I'm thankful this year to have such an amazing family and family-in-law. I lost my dad this year, but I gained a little brother and a sweet little nephew. I had a lot of ups and downs this year but I always felt like I had my families to help me through. Thank you for all of the support. I love you guys!

Last, but certainly not least, I'm thankful for all of the great friends I've made and all of the old friends I've reconnected with this year. I went from being isolated on Mom Island to having a really amazing group of friends. I've spent a lot of my life feeling like I was more of a guy's girl than a girl's girl and I really feel like I'm appreciating women's friendship for the first time in my life. I'm also thankful for the book club (and all of its wonderful potential) for providing me with a cause to strive for and further direction in my life. I love the unwavering enthusiasm of all of the members and how quick they are to not only support the cause, but to make sure we all have more fun than any book club before. You rock, ladies!!

Husband, kids, family, friends...I may not have the most creative list of things to be thankful for, but I'm incredibly thankful nonetheless. This has been a year of love, friendship, and opportunity, and in many ways it's also been a year of struggle and loss. But good or bad, I wouldn't trade my life for anything in the world.

Happy Thanksgiving.