Thankful

photo via {Agricultural Law}

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

What a short year it has been for me since last Thanksgiving! Big Spoon and I had been dating for only ONE MONTH last turkey day and it was the first time he met my family - and it was quite an overwhelming experience for him (as he is an only child).

 Among those I have to be thankful for, my immediate family includes two wonderful, loving parents, my mother's parents, an older sister, brother-in-law and their two children, my younger brother, and my younger sister and brother-in-law. That's thirteen people (including myself), folks, in one house for the holidays. Big Spoon makes fourteen. For my family and for Big Spoon, I am grateful, lucky and humbled by their love. I am especially thankful this year for my fiance and the great in-laws I will receive by the next Thanksgiving.

This might sound strange, but I am really thankful for my job; for the customers, vendors and co-workers that keep our company afloat. It is certainly not what I imagined doing after graduating design school, but there is a great deal for me to be thankful for here. My Dad lost his job in 2008 and since that time, I have been more keenly aware of the extent that the bad economy has impacted our friends and neighbors. This might be the toughest thanksgiving that many families have ever faced.

Lastly, I am thankful that we have my brother-in-law safely home from his year-long tour in Iraq. Please remember all the troops serving overseas during the holidays. They give us a great deal to be thankful for as well.