Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Today would be one of my favorite holidays... whats not to love about a long weekend full of nothing but food, drinks, football, friends, family...followed by crazy Black Friday women shoppers running around as if we were at the running of bulls! Yes, for those not in the US, IT IS THAT BAD! Stores open at 4AM...lines start to form outside as early as tonight!

Aside from that, today is a day for being thankful. I have a hundred and one things that I am thankful for...really, I am a lucky person. I am thankful for my family and the sacrifices they have made for me - the opportunities they have given me. Im thankful for my friends - you really do discover who your true friends are when you are down and out...the past few weeks I've discovered a lot about who my true friends are. Im thankful for my job - for the great people that I work with. I really do have a great job - I can come and go as I please...as long as I perform, they give me as much flexibility as I need, even to move half way across the country. And they truly believe in me and my abilities. Im thankful for my health - that's something that we all tend to take for granted, actually waking up each day, because in reality, we are not promised tomorrow, so Im so very thankful for every day, for every sunset.

Im thankful for so much...for the freedom to just be who I am...my life and everyone in it. We tend to go about our days always focusing on what we don't have...always wanting more...but today is about focusing on what we have - all of our blessings. It's times like this that I do think about Noah and his family as well - he was a very big part of my life and I do love him very much still. In my heart I wish we could be together...but I hope he is happy today. It's all I ever wished for him and he knows that...to be happy, safe, and feel loved. The simple things in life...you know, sometimes simple isn't so bad ;)

Off to the family for Thanksgiving dinner - or more like lunch, we eat early. I have a few items that I need to cook. We tend to keep it healthy - not a lot of heavy foods - I'm making a cranberry sauce, rice dish, and my famous green bean casserole! Not a big turkey fan, so my mother is roasting chicken as well. Then maybe heading out with friends tonight for drinks and football - it's become a tradition.

Got home really late last night - we went out to dinner then came back and watched Iron Man...what a great movie!! Played with little Van Angus - he is getting so big! The doggies were definitely up past their bed time! My friend Tara was baking her goodies...husband Allen was enjoying them...and Kenny, he was just tired. He had to work today so he wasn't too happy about that. He also had to take a dish to work, but he is a man...and of course "MEN DON'T COOK"! ;) So Tara baked him up a macaroni and cheese casserole. That was very nice of her! I would have given him a recipe with step by step instructions and told him to make it himself!

Today officially kicks off the holiday season! I wish everyone out there a very happy Thanksgiving! Even if you don't celebrate it, I hope that peace, love, happiness may find you, no matter where you are.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.