22 Days of Thanks

I am sitting here on my couch, in my pajamas, feeling half-comatose with a food hangover. Today’s Thanksgiving feast was plentiful.

This month, I’ve been posting on my Facebook page (my personal one) every day with something I’m thankful for. I’ll continue to do so through the end of November, but to celebrate the day itself, I’ll share here the things that I have listed so far.

November 1: Thankful for the cozy, dry home I have to sleep in tonight. Remembering and thinking of so many people in NYC, NJ, and all over the world who are praying for the same.

November 2: Thankful for the friends I have, both near and far. And that although we are all in the midst of very busy times in life, we can pick up right where we left off whenever we talk and/or see each other. It’s the best kind of friendship!

November 3: Grateful for a house we have the opportunity to make our own. Even if I find myself painting something for the one millionth time, and swear to myself repeatedly that I will NEVER do this again.

November 4: Thankful for an extra hour on a Sunday. Even though I hate the time changes, blah.

November 5: Thankful for 1st floor laundry! The convenience is totally worth sacrificing half the space in our large pantry closet.

November 6: Grateful to have the opportunity to vote. And thankful to have been raised to make my own decisions, while also being tolerant of others with opposing opinions.

November 7: Thankful for a gigantic, cloud-like bed I get to collapse into at the end of each day.

November 8: I’m so thankful for my baby girl, today and every day. She is the joy of my life and makes me laugh every single day. I couldn’t love her more.

November 9: Thankful for the opportunity to spend time with my dad and see my grandparents and other family this weekend.

November 10: Thankful for good wine.

November 11: Thankful for veterans and the sacrifices they have made on my behalf and for the betterment and safety of this country, particularly for my brothers (Chris and Trevor) and my dad who have all served.

November 12: Thankful for vacation days, and that I have a job (one I really like!) to return to tomorrow.

November 13: Thankful for my husband. He’s my partner in life, a wonderful father to Nora, and an overall good guy. I think I’ll keep him around. :)

November 14: Thankful for digital photography. I have thousands and thousands of photographs of our lives, and of Nora throughout her first two years. Priceless.

November 15: Thankful for the Buffalo Bills. They never let us down when we… wait. Scratch that. I’m just thankful for craft beer.

November 16: Thankful for bedtime with Nora. Those moments of rocking and reading books, then snuggling and singing songs… they are all too precious, and too fleeting. Enjoying every moment of it while she still lets me.

November 17: Thankful for flannel sheets.

November 18: Thankful for the ability to DIY so much of the work around our house. It is trying, it is exhausting, but we are slowly and surely getting it done. Fourteen months in, and we still have projects coming out of our ears.

November 19: Thankful for closet clean-outs. It feels good to purge, and everything looks so nice and organized now. Plus, I’m donating three garbage bags full of clothes. Win-win-win.

November 20: Thankful for my team at work. It’s really great to work every day with people you genuinely like.

November 21: Grateful for a woodburning fireplace. It’s a perfect backdrop to an evening, especially one that kicks off a 4-day weekend.

And tonight, in addition to all of these things above, I am thankful that this year, we had the opportunity to have BOTH of our families around the same Thanksgiving dinner table… and that it was able to happen without having to host it/cook it myself. :)
(Thanks, Mom.)

I’m certainly counting my blessings.

I hope all of you have had a Happy Thanksgiving. Can you believe it’s over already? On to CHRISTMAS!