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2015, November: Gratitude

It's my thirteenth Thanksgiving in America and my second as a bonifide U.S. citizen. I like the holiday primarily because I LOVE Christmas dinner and Thanksgiving provides a wonderful opportunity to eat it twice every year. And, even better, two lots of leftover sandwiches. Mmmmm. I also very much like a holiday during which people think about what makes them thankful. Facebook has been full of gratitude this week and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. This is a time to be grateful and to count your blessings. So here are some of mine. In no particular order, I am thankful for...
  1. Declan. Of course. Holy-mother-of-all-things-amazing he's just the greatest thing in the world. I can't believe he's real.
  2. My bed. Several years ago, Christian and I spent far too much money on a new bed (we even financed it forgoodnesssake). But you know what? It's been worth every penny. Back when we were getting up at 4.30am every day and getting home past 7pm it was amazing. Now that we have a crazy child who makes lots of bizarre noises in the night? It is beyond incredible. It's like lying on a cloud.
  3. My Grandad's recipes. The main reason I love Christmas dinner is because of my Grandad's sausage meat stuffing and Cumberland sauce. I'm sorry, but if your Thanksgiving meal does not include these two items then it is just lacking. And the sandwiches? Leftover sandwiches are worthless without his stuffing and sauce. A. Maze. Zing. My Grandad was the best. His name was Bob and he was the first person to teach me to paint. Cool dude all around.
  4. Our new home. We love Idaho. We love our neighbors in Grant, we love the town of Rigby, we love Yellowstone (of course), and we love the community of Idaho Falls that my job seems to have plonked us in the heart of. When I dreamed of living in the mountains I did not think I'd find a place like this. Just don't tell anyone, because we don't want too many people moving here...
  5. Smart phones, Facebook, messaging, and video chat. I hate that I live thousands of miles away from my wonderful family but I thank goodness that we have the technology to allow them to share in our lives to a ridiculous degree. Yes, handwritten letters are wonderful and technology can make us unsociable and blah blah blah, but having Declan interact with his grandparents in England over FaceTime? Priceless.
  6. Christian's new-found talent in the kitchen. Since Declan was born (and I became useless for several weeks), Christian has been cooking dinner. He's bought implements, researched recipes, discovered a love for Alton Brown, and he ENJOYS it. Which I do not. Now, most evenings, I can sit down for a few minutes after Declan is in bed while Christian makes dinner, then I get to eat his delicious concoctions. He's really good at it and I'm THRILLED with this new arrangement. Hurrah.
  7. Sleep. I don't get much of it, but when I do I'm eternally grateful.
And... cowboy boots, heated seats, awesome friends/colleagues, Starbucks, diaper genies, slippers, tea, wine, Amazon, infant Tylenol, neckerchief bibs, Christmas trees, Netflix, non-slip bathmats, the list goes on. We've worked hard, made some good choices, and been very lucky. Happy Thanksgiving!

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