There are many things I am thankful for....

Happy Early Thanksgiving! I can’t lie, this holiday isn’t really on my top 5 list of Holidays I liked to celebrate for a number of reasons, but mainly because of the fact that it doesn’t include a huge feast of ham. Everyone always talks about overeating on this holiday, and actually I really think I under-eat. I don’t like Turkey, but I do like the fixings. Stuffing is one of my favorites and since Brian doesn’t like it I don’t usually make it ever, so that’s always a treat on Thanksgiving. I also love the canned cranberries. Yes, the canned ones. I dislike the feeling of whole cranberries floating in jelly in my mouth. My mouth is getting that pre-throw up feeling just thinking about it. Yucko! Anyways, back to the reasons I don’t like this holiday. Not all of the family is here for this holiday usually. People who live far away don’t come home because it’s not the “big holiday” like Christmas. So we don’t get to see everyone. Some people have started to have their own Thanksgivings so we don’t see them either….it’s just not the same as when we were all kids, and that’s fine…again, it’s just not my favorite holiday, but I do love the 3 day work week J

There are many things I am thankful for this year, oops I almost had to catch myself from starting to sing Brian’s Thanksgiving song…J Yes, he made up a Thanksgiving song…..There are also many things I am un-Thankful for, but I like to focus on the good things..the Thankful for things J

I’m thankful for the family and friends I have that have been here through all the good things this year and all the bad things. Family (and friends sometimes) can really cling to your last nerve, but they always seem to be there (and not the bad kind of being there—like when everywhere you go or turn Allie is there, or calling you) when you need them the most. And, for that, I am thankful.

I’m thankful for my “new” family. Brian’s mom and Mike, Brian’s dad and all the aunts, uncles, etc. They are an amazing bunch of people and I’m thankful they have made me feel so welcome into their family. I’m also thankful they have gotten to know my family and STILL welcome us all into their lives. J

I’m thankful for our new apartment. This new apartment has allowed our family to grow with our two puppies, Kili and Goombah and has allowed Brian and I the room to just be ourselves. Our last apartment was so small and while cozy, at the same time it was a bit uncomfortable.

I’m thankful for the most amazing event of my life…my wedding. We had so many people play a part in making it one of the greatest days of my life. The weather held off until we were on our way to the reception…our guests all had an amazing time, we had an amazing time. Our cake was just as good as we remembered it…and our honeymoon was amazing as well!

I’m thankful for something that may seem a little odd, but I have to say it really meant a lot to me and affected me in a way I didn’t think it would. During the dollar dance at the wedding my great uncle came up and danced with me. Now, he isn’t a very social guy, and he’s very..I don’t know the word….blunt. I never expected him to dance with me, but he did and while we were dancing he looked at me and he said, you’re grandma would have been so proud of you, and I had to hold back the tears, because without sounding vain, I know she would have. She always used to talk about how excited she was going to be the day I got married, and how I better find someone that was good for me…She would have loved Brian so much, and Uncle Kenny knew that and when he said that to me, I just couldn’t help but see my grandma in his eyes. It just felt like she was there with me, and I needed that because aside from that being one of the happiest days of my life, when I saw my grandpa sitting in that church, a part of me was so sad that she couldn’t be there to sit with him, to see my dad walk me down the aisle, to see me get announced as “Sara DiVito.” I am so thankful for that one minute dance that night. Maybe that was her way of being there with me….God does work in mysterious ways.

I’m thankful for my husband. Not because I think I should be, or because people tell me I HAVE TO be, but because I want to be and because I truly am. I am thankful that he loves me and that he hasn’t killed me yet for talking while he’s reading or watching football. I’m thankful that he does little things that irritate me everyday and because he does things that I love everyday. Those irritating little things make my life, our life together, that much better. I have learned, slowly but surely (and I’m still learning everyday) that I can’t expect Brian to do things the way I have done them, or do them and that makes our lives that much more interesting. I’m thankful that he is there for all the good, exciting things that happen in our lives, but I’m even more thankful this year for him being there during the most difficult times. I sometimes think I can’t imagine my life without him, and the best part is that I won’t ever have to.

I’m thankful that God gave me the strength to get through the hardest part of this past year. There were days I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it, and days when I sat in the bathroom, closet, in bed, anywhere, just crying uncontrollably because I didn’t think I would get past it…but I did, and I have so many people to be grateful for having in my life, but there came a point where I needed to overcome it myself, or try to overcome it myself, and that’s where God came in..and while I know he can’t possibly be proud of the way I have utilized my faith recently, he still came through for me…amazing.