Tis the Season to be Thankful

I am thankful for many, many things. Lately I feel like I am going to burst with excitement because I am so thankful for the little things in life. This year has been a whirlwind of immense joy, laughter, blessings and a mild amount of "toughness" (as I like to call it). As we ALL know, this year's economy hasn't been the greatest (let's be honest here....IT HAS SUCKED!!!!!!), and being the wife of a studly real estate God (as I like to call him), I know just as well as anyone how tough this year has been!

The beautiful thing about this whole crazy year (at least for me) is that there has truly been a shift. This shift has taken place at all levels. My friends, family, neighbors, co-workers....everyone seems to be "going back to the basics." By basics I mean friendship, love and time spent laughing as being higher on the priority list than plasmas and designer purses. For this I am thankful. I feel like I have been able to actually FEEL the holiday season and appreciate it. It also feels like it is moving at a pace I can actually take in. On top of that, I am so thankful to be part of a huge family that feels the same way. I can't tell you how liberated and light I feel. I actually feel more thankful for everything I have than I ever have before. Now THAT'S my true holiday spirit.

In the spirit of this overwhelming feeling of thanks, I thought I would write a short list of the things I am most thankful for.

In NO particular order, I am thankful for:

• my husband telling me I am beautiful everyday when I feel like a big fat cow!
• my mom taking me to lunch and laughing with me when I tell her I feel like a big fat cow
• Wes' parents driving all the way up from AZ to spend Christmas with us and my family
• this perfect, little (well not sure she's so little) angel growing inside of me
• going to church with my family and spending time laughing and eating Sees candies
• chocolate
• the smell of Christmas trees
• my husband ALWAYS asking if I need anything and making sure I'm not "over doing it"
• laughing with my sisters
• my ADORABLE niece and nephew who put a smile on my face every time I see a picture of them (they'll be here in January!!!!!)
• baked goods
• Wes scratching my back or playing with my hair every night when we go to bed to relax me. I'm OUT IN SECONDS. It's my favorite.
• all of the advice Sandy gives me about motherhood. I LOVE that I can always get the truth and nothing but the truth from her, even if it's scary! hahaha
• cookies
• my absolutely beautiful God daughter, Kaia, who is the most gorgeous little peanut you could ever imagine!
• Dag Rune and Katrina. They are our eternal friends and are ALWAYS there for us.
• Wes giving me his white under shirt every night when we go to bed so I can wear it as a jammie shirt (I can't fit into my own so I wear his every night). It smells amazing and is already warmed up for me!
• spending time with all of my families over the holidays. We have so much planned! I can't wait!
• ottomans and putting my feet up after a long day
• when Wes talks to Liv and she kicks him in the face
• dessert
• spending time relaxing in bed on a Saturday morning with Wes and Sam (we're taking these in while we can!)
• a healthy family
• spandex and anything with elastic
• My husband. He is the most amazing, smart, thoughtful, patient, strong person I HAVE EVER KNOWN. HE IS MY ROCK and my bestest friend in the whole world. I am SO THANKFUL for every piece of him.
• peanut butter
• our parents. ALL OF THEM. Wes and I have the most amazing parents. They support us no matter what and have raised us to be who we are today. Now that we're about to be parents, I can only hope we can do as well as they did. :)
• our siblings. ALL OF THEM. Both Wes and I have amazing families. We are SO LUCKY to have siblings that we can learn from and laugh with.
• ice cream
• my friends. I truly love my friends. I don't get to see some of them very much these days, but the best part about them is that I KNOW that we can go months without seeing each other and the SECOND we are back together, it is as if we were never apart. My friends are amazing. I am so thankful for their calls to see how me and the baby are doing.
• my job. I feel truly blessed to be part of such a strong, growing company in this economy. We are booming with business, my clients are very happy and I'm part of a company that actually CARES about its employees and their families. My co-workers are also so great to be with day in and day out. I couldn't be in a better place.
• ice cream

I could go on and on. We are truly blessed. This felt so good! Now it's your turn. You should sit down and make a list of what you are thankful for. There's no time like the present.

Now go, spend time hugging, laughing and being with the ones you love! Tell them how much you love them and are thankful for them.