Thursday, November 22, 2012

Happy THANKSgiving!

Happy Turkey Day, y'all! How are you spending this day of thankfulness? Stuffing your face with deliciousness surrounded by loved ones? Relaxing? Working, getting that time and a half? Far away from home? Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, have a good Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has become my favorite holiday. I know, I know, I live and breathe Christmas, but still. Thanksgiving is like Christmas with out the stress. You've got the hope and promise of a whole month of holiday cheer ahead of you. You're surrounded by family without the stress of presents and gifts (don't get me wrong, I love presents, but you know what I mean). The point of the holiday is to get together with your family, eat some great food, chill out, and be thankful. I am thankful for this wonderful life I live everyday, and so often I think, how did I get so lucky? Since today is the biggest day of the year for saying thank you, I am going to blog my thanks. This is going to be long, because I am thankful for a whole lot. Feel free to skip it and continue munching on turkey or giggling with your family; this is about me and your Thanksgiving should be about you.

I am thankful for pharmacy school. SAY WHAT? You're going to lead off with PHARMACY SCHOOL? Yes. Because it means that Brendon and I are living the dream. We are right on track with where we've always wanted to be. Brendon has to work his butt (and brain) off, but he's doing so well and I'm so proud. Not every one gets this opportunity, and I am thankful that Brendon did. I am thankful for all of the wonderful people he has met through pharmacy school, friends and teachers and pharmacists. I am thankful that he is stressed and studying nonstop, because that means he actually cares about what he's doing. And I am thankful that we are almost done with half of our second year, because four years is a long time and it is nice that time is flying.

I am thankful for my job. This "job" has turned into so much more than I had ever imagined. I am thankful for this wonderful company for having so much faith in me, for giving me the confidence to do things I never thought I could, and for helping me kick butt and take names at work everyday. Thank you, Coffee Bean, for creating such a fun work environment where I laugh my way through my days. I am thankful for all the fantastic people I've worked with that have become such good friends and for working at a place that feels more like a family than a company. And of course, I am thankful I come home smelling like espresso beans everyday. Because it could be way worse.

I am thankful for this city we live in. I am thankful that we landed in Austin and that we've made our home here. I am thankful that we live in such a forward thinking city, in a state that is not always so progressive. Thankful that we didn't hate it forever and love it now. Thankful that we've learned our way around this big city and have found our little niche in it. Austin is such a fun, beautiful city. I am thankful for our small corner of it, in this big apartment with the little kitchen, that we don't pay too much for. I am thankful for all of the wonderful things we are so close to, for being minutes away from downtown, from parks, from lakes, and there is always something to do. And I am thankful for all of the good things Austin has brought us. You've thrown lots of challenges at us Austin, but you've also been very good to us. Thank you for being such a good little big city.

I am thankful for Sophie and Greg. THESE CATS. You know how I love them. I am thankful that they fell into our lives and allowed us to be their humans. I am thankful that they are healthy and fluffy and let us cuddle with them (sometimes). And I am thankful that Sophie let me hold her in the kitchen the other day for five minutes straight when I felt truly terrible and extra lonely. She let me sing to her and she purred the whole time. If you know Sophie, this is not the norm. I am thankful that Greg is always excited to see us (and give us headbutts) and that he loves us so dearly. I am thankful that these cats know the sound of our cars and our footsteps and come meeting us at the door when we get home. There's nothing cuter than sitting on the couch with Sophie and Greg, hearing Brendon pull up, and seeing them perk up and run to the door. And it makes me feel extra special when Greg runs and hides when it's anyone but us coming through that door. I am thankful that I am a crazy cat lady and married a crazy cat man, because I know, I know, it's spinster material with this paragraph here.

I am thankful for my friends, here and far away. I am thankful for you all, thankful for those of you in Austin, those of you in North Texas, and those of you who are spread across North America and chilling in the Pacific Ocean (shout out to the Chistys). Thank you all for being so fun, so weird, and putting up with Brendon and I. I am thankful that we have made such GOOD friends. Friends that are there for you no matter what. Friends that feel and are more like family. I am thankful for the quality of friends that have stuck around for the long haul. And I am extra thankful for my best friend Kristy. For her and her wonderful daughter Kennedy and her sweet husband Ryan who have welcomed us into their family. I am so lucky to have snatched her as a bff all those years ago. I miss and love you. One day we'll live in the same city again!

I am thankful for my family. I am so so so thankful for my family. I am thankful that they are just a couple cities down the road instead of a couple hundred of miles away. And that both Brendon and my families live in the same town and that they get along! I am thankful that we have so many "families", and at a time like the holidays when seeing them all might seem stressful, I am grateful that we have so many to see! And that they are all so awesome and fun. I am thankful that my family loves Brendon and his family loves me, that I have been welcomed into his family from day one, and vice versa. I am thankful for all of my wonderful family members across the state and across the country. We have family everywhere. We miss all of you and although we don't get to see you nearly as often as we'd like, we are thankful for the times we have had together. And thankful for the internet for keeping us all connected and making the distance feel so much smaller! Families are never perfect but I wouldn't trade ours for anything in the world.

And of course, you knew this part was coming, I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for Brendon Hogan. Oh, how I am thankful for him. I am the luckiest girl alive. I am thankful to have met my other half at such a young age, to have had all of these years with him. I am thankful that I fall more in love with him everyday, that I have never been crazier about him than I am now. I am thankful for all that he is, that he is so smart, so funny, and so kind. Thankful that he is such a badass, such a hard worker and so determined. I am thankful that he puts up with me and my shenanigans. I am thankful that he loves me. That he married me, that he loves us as much as I do and works hard at us everyday. That we are never bored together, that there is never any amount of time together that is too much. That as soon as he walks out the door I want him to come back. I am thankful that he is so supportive and has more faith in me than I do in myself. I am thankful that he takes care of me, helps me remember all the things I forget, helps me up when I fall (figuratively and literally), and that he always knows what medications I can and cannot take together. I am thankful that he is handsome and getting more handsome everyday, because, yes, I am shallow and it is really nice that my husband is cute. I am thankful for this loving life we've created for ourselves, for how far we've come and how hard we've worked. I could write about how grateful I am for this man all day, it seems cruel to fit it all into a paragraph. Simply, I am thankful that he exists, that we found each other, and that we are happy.

I have a good life. It is not always easy, but it is good and filled with good things. And as often as I say "I am lucky", it is not luck. Brendon and I have worked hard for this life. We have busted our butts everyday for who knows how long to be where we are, to have this wonderful life. We surround ourselves with good and push out the bad. And I am thankful that we are capable of this. Thankful that so many people in our lives are too. And I wish nothing but the same for everyone. It's your life, do with it what you want. And that's the best part, you can. Above all, I am thankful for this. The ability to live life and live it well. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

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