In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

In the spirit of thanksgiving, I felt it only fitting to have an entry about thankfulness. so here goes...

My list of thanksgiving:

1) God's saving and unconditional grace. Throughout my life there have been a number of instances where I just sit and look at my life and think, I would not have made it here without unconditional grace and love. I just sit in awe when I think that regardless of anything, God still chooses me. It's a pretty unbelievable thing.

2) My parents who have also showed me unconditional love. They've always been there for me, have always encouraged me, and have always fought for my best. I am who I am today because of them.

3) My Brad who is amazing. If you know him at all, you know what I mean :) Few people in my life have ever encouraged me like he does. Not to quote Jack Nicholson, but Brad really does make me a better person. I love who I am when I'm with him.

4) A job I love and am proud of. It may have taken me 3 years to get here, but for the first time since i've been in the "Real World" not a day goes by when I don't want to come to work. Yes, some days I'd rather be shoe shopping, but some days, I really would choose teaching over shoe shopping. Yeah, really. And thats a pretty big statement if you've ever seen my closet. or my feet. Besides, this job is how I go shoe shopping.

5) My best friends. When I was in college my circle of friends was much bigger. My Fish Camp/Big Event/Pine Cove/Waterwood circle allowed me to have so many friends which was a blast in college, but now that I'm a big girl, the set (yes, a math term) of all my friends is much smaller, and it seems that the good ones have stayed and have been such a blessing in my life. When I need something, I have a few genuine friends that I know I can count on. I love those friends!

6) The Snead Family - This is Brad's family. It has been such a blessing and an adventure being a part of another family. I say adventure, because growing up as an only child with just my parents was a pretty quiet experience. Going to the Snead household is a lot of things, but I wouldn't say quiet has been one of them. Loving, yes, caring, yes, quiet...ehh, not so much. But, I've learned that siblings are a pretty cool thing :) I've really enjoyed getting to know them and for people that have only known me about 2 years, they have really taken an interest in my life and I am so grateful for their friendship.

*Obviously, I am thankful for more things too, but since this post is 2 weeks late, i figure I better just get it out there in cyberspace. Thanks and gig em'.*