Thankful

As the holidays approach, the days in which we all celebrate with our loved ones and give thanks, I smile to myself. Not only because I am excited to have wonderful food surrounded by the ones I love, but because I am extremely grateful for many great things. I feel many blessings surrounding me, and while holidays are wonderful, I am thankful that I am able to be grateful every day for what I have been given.

I am blessed with this incredible life, my health, and the love of the most beautiful people.

There are many gifts that I have been given that I love, but there is one that I cherish the most. I have been given the gift of my husband. A man I can't even begin to describe. He is selfless, loving, compassionate, intelligent, and so unaware of what he brings to so many of our lives. He is the perfect son, the most loving husband, and those who are blessed to know him, know what a kind soul he has. My life is better because his presence has made me a better person. I am forever grateful for what he has taught me and how I've been shown what love really is.

I wouldn't be able to love my husband with my whole heart, if I wasn't shown how by the most beautiful woman in my life. I am beyond thankful for my momma. She has always been and will always be my reason for life. She gave me my first breath, she has been my strength when I have been at my weakest, she is my very best friend. I am the person I am today because she has always shown me how to treat people, how to love, and how to be strong through the hardships. I have never met someone with such a selfless drive to help others, to open her heart for those in need, to always give more to people than she even has, without expectations. She fills my life with beauty, hope, and endless amounts of love. I am not only grateful for my momma, I am proud and honored to say that she is MY mom.

Along with having a mother that I am forever blessed with, she has also given me someone who I was able to grow up with, and continue to as the years pass by. We go through so many different stages in life and if you are lucky, you have a sister to experience these moments with. While not all our moments in our childhood were spent in perfect harmony, nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than the mischief and adolescent fights we got into. That was the start of the most beautiful friendship, one that I hold dear to my heart and continue to cherish in our adulthood. We have seen each other through dark times, and been there right by each others sides as we embark on life's most beautiful moments, marriage and the birth of my first nephew. I could not imagine a better older sister to look up to and hope that there are many more laughs and memories to be made in our future.

While I look to the future for hopefully more blessings, I can't help but reminisce about the past. I am so thankful for my grandparents, who were a huge part of my childhood. Not a day goes by that I don't remember them or picture their beautiful faces. They always showered me with so much love and affection, supporting me in all my endeavors. I miss them terribly every day and often find when I'm struggling, that their faces pop into my mind when I close my eyes tight, without even trying. They comfort me even though they are not here, and I can't describe how grateful that makes me.

I have pictured them a lot over the past 2 1/2 years, having been given a struggle I never imagined. While at first I couldn't find my strength or poise, I now am able to say that I am thankful for our struggles. It has made me realize how blessed I truly am, it has humbled me and it has allowed me to grow into a better person. As my husband and I travel this journey together, not all days are easy. Some days I feel I am losing my way, but I remind myself all the time, that in his time, all things are made beautiful. I am able to look to my husband for the strength I may not feel, and know that through every obstacle our relationship grows and gets stronger. I cannot ask for anything more than what I am already blessed with.

I look forward to what this life has to offer me, and hope that I can always see the beauty that is surrounding me.

Winter Bucket List

With every season comes excitement and brand new goals. As we go into the last month of the year, I find myself thinking of all the final things I want to accomplish this year. I've always loved the holidays but as I'm getting older and life is ever changing, I have a whole new perspective on it.

I have always loved spending time with my family. As the years have gone on, the family has unfortunately gotten much smaller. But no matter how big or small it may be....

My winter bucket list:

-Making delicious christmas cookies

-Find an ornament that symbolizes all the changes we have made this year, for the better.

-Spend as much time as we can enjoying the christmas lights- taking a drive, enjoying the moment

-Drink lots of hot chocolate!

-Make my christmas gifts this year

-See a play in NYC

-A night of appetizers n' drinks

-Sunday Brunch with the family

I just want to embrace the winter months, the time with the people I love and remember what matters most. Our health, our families, our love.....

Thankful Every Day

For the very first time in the eight wonderful years I have been with my love, we have NEVER been able to spend an entire holiday weekend together. I never understood what I had been missing, until this  Thanksgiving. Through the many changes we have made in the past year, we have finally found jobs that allow us to spend time together. Four.whole.fabulous.days. And fabulous they were.

We spent lots of time with family which was great. Spending time with out parents means so much to us and while our family may be small, it is full of love. Here is my beautiful and silly momma, I just love her.

We woke up early on friday morning and were out the door by seven. We had no plans to venture out on the infamous black friday, but why not? It wasn't rushed, it wasn't overly busy, and we did snag a few little things but we weren't planning on spending money. We were just enjoying each other's company.

Later that evening, I was graced with my husband's presence at the awesome movie Twilight and we had a nice date night dinner together afterwards. Let's just say I am no spring chicken anymore and my official bedtime has move up quite a bit since switching jobs!

Although, I was a champ and stayed up until 1 am on Saturday when we had our 2nd Thanksgiving dinner at my moms. The food was delicious and it was a fun, relaxed night.

I've learned a lot in the past year. I've learned what truly matters to me and while it hasn't come without difficulty, I am embracing my new found love for life. Every day is a gift, every day I am thankful, and every day I am blessed with a family that I love more than words.

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and continue to embrace this time of year....Tis the season!