Giving Thanks in 2011

2011 has been quite an exciting year for me: starting in chronological order, one of my best friends moved back to DC, I met my indescribably wonderful boyfriend, my parents moved back to DC, my best girlfriends got to be reunited several times (once in Chicago in February, and twice in DC, with trips to Austin and Chicago hopefully in the works for next year), I moved in to a wonderful new apartment, and my family is preparing for what promises to be an unforgettable European Christmas vacation.

I truly am blessed, and I try to take a moment each day to give thanks for my amazing family, my wonderful friends, my incredible boyfriend, my job, the roof over my head, my good health (other than some pesky ankle injuries) and the health of my family.  I know that Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on all of those things that we have to be thankful for, but I really do have to pinch myself every day, because I truly am blessed. When I think of all of the amazing and inspirational people in my life, it is impossible to imagine my life without any of them, so I am so grateful for each and every one of those people.

Having my family back in DC has been such a blessing.  You really can't underestimate the convenience of having your parents just a metro ride away, so I have definitely taken advantage of that (in a positive way) and have gotten to spend some quality time with them.  To know that I have an open invitation to stay there if I need a night away or a home-cooked meal is such a comfort, and I am so grateful to my parents for opening up their home to Tim and I, not to mention Dan and both Tim's and my friends.  My mom has been a saint for, among other errands, driving me all the way up to Rockville when I was still ensconced in my Comcast drama, and I could not be more grateful to her for that (did I mention that this was at rush hour?).  I look forward to all of the memories we will be able to make as a family now that we are all reunited in DC.

I feel consistently grateful for the amazing support network of friends that I have, both friends who are in DC and friends who are far away.  I am such a lucky girl, and I hope that my friends know how much I love and value them.  To those who don't live in DC, I hope they know that I am always thinking about them, even when we haven't talked in a while and all have our stresses that keep us from staying in touch as much as we once did.  I am so glad that we did get to have as many reunions this year as we did, so I look forward to many more of those next year :)

I wake up every morning and go to bed every night feeling so blessed that I met Dan.  I'm not going to gush too much in case he's reading this (I once gave him my blog URL so he could look at one of my past posts, and I don't know if he actually reads it), but he is such a sweet, loving and giving boyfriend, and I really couldn't ask for a better one.  Even if I'm having a terrible day, even a text from him, never mind actually seeing him, is enough to instantly lift my spirits, and I can honestly say that I've never been happier.  I think that, come Christmas season, he will absolutely regret having met me, what with my abounding holiday cheer, but I think he'll come out the other side just fine :)

I really can't wait for a Thanksgiving holiday of relaxing.  We'll be visiting my grandparents for a few days, and then I think we'll be back in the city, but it will be so refreshing to not have any pressing engagements!  I wish you and all of your families the happiest of Thanksgivings!

Kristen