Thankful

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with fun times with family and good food. Sorry I’ve been a little quieter around here lately. It’s getting to be that time of the semester where classes are wrapping up and project deadlines are looming. I also just wanted to get to enjoy some time with my family over the holidays. I love this time of year.

Thanksgiving, and really the whole holiday season, is a time of giving thanks. Here’s what I’m thankful for today and every day.

My Loved Ones

I am so blessed to have incredible people in my life: my parents, my sister, my future in-laws, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, and friends. I am fortunate to have real and meaningful relationships with people who love me and care about me and go out of their way to show me that constantly. For that I am ever grateful. I am so thankful to my Dad and Diane for always supporting me and being there for me and for putting a roof over my head. My Dad is the most incredible guy, he showed me what love is supposed to be like and what a good guy is supposed to be like. I think that is one of the greatest things a father can teach their daughters.

Josh

He also falls in to the loved ones category but he definitely deserves his own special shout out. He’s what I’m thankful for most of all. To have someone know you so deeply and love you so fully is one of the most precious gifts. I’m so excited to get to spend my life with him, to love my best friend.

Good Food

A picture of my Thanksgiving dinner. Let’s be real here, I love food. It’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. As my stepmom says, there are two types of people, those who eat to live and those who live to eat. I definitely live to eat. This is embarrassing but I’m always talking about food and meals and places I have eaten or want to eat. I’m fortunate to always have access to a fridge overflowing with fresh, delicious foods that nourish me and taste good.

My Health

Health was something I never really understood people being thankful for when I was younger. Everyone I knew was healthy, I thought that was normal. Then I got older and started to see how many people struggle with health problems and it made me so thankful that my body works, that it moves, and that I get the opportunity to enjoy each and every day without pain or health complications. As I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that health is a gift and it can be fleeting. So many situations and circumstances are out of our control. The best thing we can do is control what we can control, namely diet and exercise. And be super thankful we have healthcare.

To try and encourage myself to stay healthy during the holidays I’m participating in the Runner’s World Holiday Running Streak. Their mission is pretty simple, join their online group, run at least a mile every day between today (Thanksgiving) and New Years, and share your stories and encourage others on the group to do the same. I’m going to be making modifications to this a little bit for me as I’m waiting on that methacoline test to see if I have exercise induced asthma and I’m spending two weeks at Josh’s parent’s house where my lungs are going to be inflamed because of their cats and my cat allergies. For me the goal will be to get in a real run when I can and when it is okay for my lungs and spend the other days doing some type of light to regular workout. Whether it’s walking a mile or doing pilates when I’m at Josh’s over Christmas I want to make sure I’m staying active.

My Education

Pure and simple, knowledge is power. I’m thankful for growing up in a family that prioritized education. I’m thankful for being raised to be a critical thinker and to go after my dreams. I’m thankful that even though I can be a ditz or say dumb things or get lost a mile from my house I never doubt my intelligence because I was raised to feel confidence about what I can do and my abilities. I’m thankful to be earning my Bachelors degree this year, and hopefully continuing on to get a Masters in the future. As Oscar Wilde says, “You can never be overdressed or over-educated.”

You!

This blog is one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve learned so much about myself and who I am as a person and what my dreams and goals are. I have gotten to meet so many amazing people and work with some truly incredible companies. I’ve also learned so much and connected with so many of you. It truly has been an incredible journey, one that just keeps getting better with time. So thank you for reading, for letting me share my life with you, for sharing your life with me (through your blogs and comments), for encouraging me, and for teaching me new things every day.

Question of the Day: What are you most thankful for?

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