Here are 13 Things I am Thankful for This Thanksgiving

1. God’s love and grace
2. Mr. Right
3. BusyBoy
4. GigglyGirl
5. My parents
6. My siblings
7. My in-laws
8. My friends: Charlice & Mike, Ken & Linda, Sean & Kate, Derek & Cheri, Karen, Susan, and Ali Johnny . Mr. Right & I would not have survived the last 18 months without you guys!!
9. All of my Republican Party Friends2
10. All my mommy friends
11. My home and my bed
12. My good health
13. That I live in a free country where we elect our leaders peacefully

What are you thankful for today?

Karen and I had several more classes together that year in our major, which was Information Systems. Every time we had a group project we teamed up together. She and I both worked on campus and understood what it was like to go to class and work full-time. We studied together so much that in one class each time we had a test we sat on opposite ends of the room. We knew that if we missed a question it was going to be the exact same question and we did not want to be accused of cheating by sitting next to each other.

I should have known immediately we were kindred spirits. She loved Mexican food as much as I did and still do. We love cheesecake. After exams we would celebrate with Mexican food and cheesecake. It was a fun tradition. We also both love roller coasters and warm weather. We are Southern girls who do not like the cold.

We worked on our resumes and cover letters together. Since we were in the same field, Karen and I went on several interviews for the same jobs. Upon graduation, we did not get our first or second jobs at the same company. But we made sure we kept in touch. We went out to eat occasionally and talked on the phone to keep in touch.

Eventually, I got a job at The Home Depot in the IS Department. It was a fun company to work for. Since it is a Fortune 500 company, there are tons of young people working in the corporate office. All of us on the fast track to moving up in our careers. Many of us still without children. We occasionally hung out together after work and always enjoyed eating lunch with co-workers. I told Karen how much I enjoyed working there and encouraged her to apply for a job. She got it and for several years we worked in the same building on different project teams.

Karen and I went to lunch often. We also had several other co-workers we enjoyed going to lunch with, especially Susan and Keisha. The four of us even went on a cruise together in 2002. When Karen was studying to get into a grad program, I would quiz her on her vocabulary words.

We talk about our goals and our mission statements. While we do not pass judgment on each other, we do hold each other accountable for our goals. Sometimes we tell each other it is time to quit feeling sorry for ourselves and begin working on our next steps towards our goals. She has written 2 children’s books that are yet to be published but I know without a doubt they will be published at some point. She encourages my political aspirations and enthusiasm.

Karen purchased a house near my home and has lived near me for the past few years. We do not work together anymore but we still keep in touch via email and phone calls at least once a month. While we do not go out to eat together a couple of times a week anymore, we do go out to eat every other month or so.

There are a few other friends that Mr. Right and I keep in touch with from college but only a very small handful that we keep in touch with on a regular and consistent basis. Karen is one of these friends. Mr. Right and I both love her and are extraordinarily grateful for her friendship over the past 18 (almost 19) years!

Happy Thanksgiving, Karen!

He has a group of guys he goes to play trivia with every other week.  He has been doing this for a couple of years.  He has a lot of fun when he gets out of the house with them.  They are actually pretty good at trivia.  They usually place in the top three.

These nights are enjoyable for me.  I can watch whatever I want on tv (and it certainly will not be Jeopardy), blog to my little heart’s content, surf the web researching whatever topic interests me the most at the time, read, or go on to bed.  The trivia game does not start until after the children are in bed so if I want help putting the children to bed I have it.   It is nice to have this quiet time for myself.  It is nice that my husband is out having fun with his friends.

I am thankful for Trivia Night.

Throughout all of this, never once did we have the stressed out feeling that we sometimes get when entertaining.  It is was so nice to work in tandem without the stress that often accompanies holidays.  Maybe I just felt too sick to worry or maybe we have had some many real issues this year that getting worked up over a holiday dinner did not seem that important.  Whatever the reason, I am thankful Mr. Right and I can pull off a nice holiday meal without stress and with lots of joy and satisfaction.

This Thanksgiving there is a lot for which I am thankful.

1. First and foremost I am thankful for Mr. Right and our strong marriage.  This year has been a challenging year for us.  We faced job loss, the closing of Mr. Right’s company, which resulted in a mountain of debt from under which we may never climb out.  We also faced illness and miscarriage.  Mr. Right had routine but serious nasal and throat surgery.  We went through a fertility treatment and were pregnant for a very short time before finding out we were losing the baby.  Through all of this, we have been able to continue to put one foot in front of the other knowing that we were walking this walk hand in hand and that the most important thing is that we have each other.  I love Mr. Right.  I am so very thankful to God for him and for our marriage. 
2. Next, I am thankful for our children.  BusyBoy and GigglyGirl are such sweet and loving children.  It feels good to have their love.  It feels even better to give my love to them.  I am so glad that we have two children to love.  It took us quite a few years to get pregnant.  There were many Thanksgivings and Christmases that I was sad because we did not have children to share our holidays.  This will be our fifth Thanksgiving with them.  It is a wonderful feeling to share the holidays with them and to give them all of my love.  I love hearing their feet patter down the hall in the morning to cuddle with us before facing the day.  I love holding them, caring for them, playing with them, reading with them, and living life from day to day with them.
3. I am also thankful for my extended family – parents and siblings and Mr. Right’s parents and sibling and our in-laws.  They have been with us this year.  They have given us their love and their compassion.  I love watching the faces of our parents light up when BusyBoy and GigglyGirl are excited to see them.  I am thankful we have a family we enjoy spending time with and whom we can trust.
4. This year our friends have truly rallied around us.  There are 3 couples in particular that have sustained us and have given us the love we needed exactly when we needed it.  The Ps, Bs, and Js are some of the best friends anyone could ever hope to have.  We are so blessed to have them as our friends.  Instead of judging us (at least to our faces), they have given us a helping hand, prayed with us, and surrounded us with Christian love.
5. Additionally, there are other friends who have been incredible to us this year.  I am thankful for all the other friends.  The ones who have made me laugh, listened to me, allowed me their shoulder to cry on, helped out with the children when needed, and been such good friends to us.  For each of these people, I am thankful.
6. I am thankful for the new business opportunities that have come our way this year.  I am hopeful that I can continue to do political consulting.  It is something I enjoy and it is fun to get paid for something I enjoy.
7. I am thankful that we have a roof over our heads, food to eat, and clothes on our back.  While these are things I might normally take for granted, this year I have learned to be thankful for the little things and the big things in life. 
8. I am thankful I have learned how to blog.  It has given me a creative and positive outlet and I enjoy it so much.  I have learned more about people from various parts of the country.  I have opened my life and shared stories, which is fun.  I have researched and learned things that I might not have taken the time to do otherwise.  Thanks to all of you who leave comments.  I love reading them and knowing that other people are out there reading my blog.
9. I am thankful for the Bible.  It has given me strength and peace this year.  I have learned to appreciate Psalms much more than I ever have in the past.  I have been able to relate to stories in the Old Testament that never touched me before.  I am grateful for the deeper and better understanding of the Bible.
10. I am thankful that I have learned this valuable lesson this year:  No matter how many plans and goals you make in life, sometimes things do not go according to plan.  When this happens you can adjust and keep striving toward the end goal or you can wallow in self pity.  How you handle the change is up to you. 
11. I am grateful for tivo.  It is a luxury item that Mr. Right and I indulge in. It is so much fun to watch the shows we want to watch when we want to watch them.  I love tivo and I am really grateful we have it. 
12. I am thankful for books to read.  I love reading.  It gives me an escape from the everyday life and allows me to go places I might not otherwise travel.  I especially love books I can download onto my Palm Phone so that when I have an insomniac night, I can read to my heart’s content without bothering Mr. Right.
13. Finally, I give thanks that Mr. Right had to close his company.  While it has been a tough year, we have matured and gained wisdom.  Mr. Right was burned out on his industry and really needed to make a change.  It is good that he has done this and walked away from it while still learning and making positive changes for the future.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving (or this Thursday if you do not celebrate Thanksgiving)?  Leave a comment below to let me know.  Be sure to check out the other Thursday Thirteen posts at the official site.

Happy Thanksgiving!!