Sunday, November 16, 2008

Thankful

I love Thanksgiving. I think it is probably the most under-rated holiday there is. It gets completely lost between Halloween (a holiday I'll really never understand the obsession for) and Christmas (which, yes-- can get very materialistic, but is still my favorite).
In my opinion, Thanksgiving is a holiday that is all about being thankful. (I really just don't buy the idea that the Pilgrims and Indians REALLY sat down and had a home-cooked meal all those years ago. Hey, if I'm wrong, I'll gladly accept it... it just seems way too optimistic to me.)
I love the concept of focusing on our blessings in life. How often does the world do this? What a cool holiday, right? Right.

So here's my top ten of what I'm thankful for:

1. Blaine.
He is my everything. Sounds cliché and cheesy but I don't care. I love this man with all my heart and soul and the best part is--so does he. I love knowing that he'd do anything for me. I waited almost 27 years for my soul mate and I couldn't be happier. I'm so thankful to be married to my best friend.
2. Jake.
Just look at this little dude. Seeing Jake for the first time was one of the most defining moments of my life. I'll never forget it... Looking at him and Blaine and feeling so much love. (Plus, my mom got to be there, which was really, really cool for me.) We just love this boy and are so, so thankful we have him as a part of our little family.


3. The Gospel.
I don't talk about it a lot on my blog, but I am so thankful for the Gospel. I have a testimony of my church and my Savior, Jesus Christ. I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am to my Heavenly Father and His son, but I will say that I'm pretty sure I don't deserve how happy I am.


4. My home.
I love our home! I knew I wanted to live here from the first time we looked at it. It's just so perfect for us right now and it really feels like home to me. We love our little townhouse and I'm so thankful it's ours. I can't wait to see little Jake walking around with us here.


5. Diet Coke.
There, I said it. I love Diet Coke. I've been in love with d.c. for years and years now, and well--it's been a great ride! d.c. has been there for me through good times and bad, and I really don't see us parting ways any time soon. Favorite caffeinated beverage: I'm thankful for you.


6. Pop-culture.
I am obsessed. Have been since before I can remember. Whether it's TV, movies, music, fashion, books, magazines... I love it! I've always loved pop-culture trivia--I rock at "Trivial Pursuit: Pop-Culture Edition" (with Melissa and Noah on my team, of course!), "Name that Tune" games with the itunes or ipod, and I'd be amazing at "Scene-It" if my even-more-amazing brother, Scott weren't always playing with me. I've said this many times, but I'm convinced that the sophistication of pop-culture and other media directly correlates to the sophistication of society. Yes, there is a broad range there to dissect and yes, I AM this nerdy.



7. My family.
I know you all think that your family is the best, but you are wrong. MY family is the best... It's always been a Lee joke that we are a bunch of elitists who think our family superior to all others. The joke is that we are completely serious. I thought we were the only ones who truly thought this of themselves, until I met the Carters. One Thanksgiving dinner in New Mexico, Blaine's brother, Brent said to me, "It sucks that you'll never have Thanksgiving this good with your family, huh?" I love it. I love that I can be a snob with both families and be right. I am so thankful for my perfect, awesome families.

8. Technology.
From my cell phone to my home theater... I am so thankful for technology. And, I am thankful I married a tech geek who loves to get me all my shows, music and movies... who is currently building me a ripping machine so I can put all my cds on our server.

9. My health.
I know it sounds lame, but I don't think I'm grateful enough for this one. I mean, I am a relatively healthy person. I have no real health risks. I just had a baby and besides the castor oil fiasco, it went very well--no real problems with the pregnancy/delivery/post-partum bla bla bla. I've been pretty lucky so far and I'm thankful for it.

10. Being a stay-at-home-mom.
As thankful as I am that I worked, and as much as I loved (and really miss) teaching, I am so thankful that I am staying home now. It has been such a blessing to stay home. I'm so happy that I can. I really believe it's a personal decision and I don't think a working mom is better or worse than a stay at home one. I'm just thankful for where I am right now, that's all.

16 comments:

  1. Love that picture of Jake, and yes isn't awesome that we have great families AND in-laws??? It's a toofer!

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  2. and I am still super grateful for my garage! (remember when we went around the table and said things we were grateful for? yeah, I was the only lamo who didn't say "my family" duh, I though those were a given!)

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  3. oh I love this post!!! It's so great to take a step back and realize how lucky we are and all the blessing we have!
    BTW I love that Diet Coke is on the list - hee hee :)

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  4. Love your list. I too love Thanksgiving, the forgotten holiday. It really does rate with Christmas and Easter because of the religious significance of gratitude. An added bonus? We get to focus on all of our blessings while eating pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie!

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  5. This is a cute post! wow I'm amazed at the time you put in to this. I'm such a lazy blogger

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  6. That is a cute post! It reminds me to be more Thankful for the things I HAVE! Thanks for that great post. And hope you have a great Thanksgving this year.

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  7. HAPPY!!! Yes, d.c. is the best. Yes, that picture of Jake is absolutely adorable. Yes, our family is the BEST. And yes, giving thanks and the Thanksgiving holiday are underrated. Love YOU and love your thankful list!

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  8. WHATUP SIS,
    i am thankful for the nod to my superiority at Scene it. I now want to add ESPN Scene it to our S.I. library (friends S.I. 007 S.I. and the normal S.I.) but it is truly good to reflect on why we are happy and acknowledging the things that please and inspire us.

    Scotty

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  9. oh Al--that was beautiful and so good to read some things that you don't talk about your blog that often, but so good to read. i am so thankful for YOU! YOU are the reason I married your brother! Always will be the first LEE I ever knew. I adore you and am so grateful you enrich my life the way that you do and may not even know. love, love, love

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  10. THat was beautiful Alicia. You make me laugh too. Of course you should be grateful for Diet coke! I agree with you. I think that Thanksgiving is totally underrated and get forgotten about with Christmas so close.

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  11. I miss you. Remember when I use to drink Diet Pepsi? Those must have been dark days. Thanks for showing me the d/c light. Also you're the best w/the pop culture. BTW, I'm not usually a South Park fan but the most recent episode combines some awesome pop culture, mainly: vampires in high school, and annoyed goth kids burning down a Hot Topic. LOL!

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  12. So... you think you're Wonder Woman? Awesome.

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  13. so my eyes got teary as I read the first 2 about blaine and jake--I loved your top ten-thanks for sharing.

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  14. I loved this post. We should all be more thankful. I'm thankful for my BFF, and diet cokes with my BFF.

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