Another Thanksgiving post

Guys. It's the end of November. How is that even possible?

Remember last year, how one of my biggest lessons was thankfulness no matter what happens, even for the littlest things? Well, I haven't been doing a very good job at that this year, but November has been a good reminder, because "thankful" lists have been popping up everywhere. It's a cliche thing to do, I know, but I've forgotten just how important it is, not just for one month of the year but every. single. day.

There's a book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I haven't had a chance to read it yet*, but I do read her blog, and she has some really wonderful things to say. She is all about thankfulness, and she has an ongoing thing where she challenges people to find 1,000 things to be thankful for in a year. It's been an on-again, off-again thing for me, but I want to start keeping track again. It sounds so small, but it's amazing the difference it can make. I'm currently at 500, so I thought I'd start sharing a few with you guys**.

***

501. A free weekend to go hiking at Star Mountain with Mike. It's only been forever.

502. Half-price coffee (or cider!) at Inman St. before classes.

503. Accountability and reminders to make God my very first priority. So vital, yet so easy to lose.

504. A text of appreciation from my boss. (It's a small gesture, but a rare one, so it meant a lot!)

505. Conversations with random people at work.

506. Learning what it means to help someone without words.

507. Little kids. They make my life better. (Josiah, a 6-year-old, after yawning: "I am NOT tired. I was just clearing my breath. I never get tired.")

508. Sharpie pens. They are THE BEST for doodling during class. And at work. And at home. And anywhere, ever.

509. Cardigans, scarves, and boots. Fall clothes are my absolute favorite.

510. Mike spending Thanksgiving with my family.

511. Survivor nights with the best friends.

512. Soup. (Colder weather requires warmer food.)

513. Giving class presentations that are actually interesting to me.

514. The stage of life I'm in right now.

***

(I know. This is kind of a November/Thanksgiving-esque cop-out, oh-crap-I-haven't-blogged-in-forever kind of post. Except I really do mean it in the sincerest way possible. Really!)

Next up: CHRISTMAS. (I'm only slightly reallyreallysupercrazy excited. Just a little.) I have lots of post ideas, but probably zero time to actually write them. Still--I'm optimistic, so until then, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

*There's a Christmas gift idea, if you needed one. Because I know you're all totally going to buy me gifts, right?

**Ideally on a more regular basis instead of just Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving 2010!

Listening to: "Betty" by Brooke Fraser
(If you haven't heard her new album yet, you should. Brooke Fraser is always great, and this is definitely no exception! "Betty" is probably my favorite song, but there are plenty of good ones to choose from. If you get it on Amazon, there's a bonus acoustic version of "Flags." I'm a fan.)

The semester is almost over.

What. The. Heck.

How is that even possible?! It's been an interesting one, that's for sure! For once, a semester isn't ending on a lame note. It's about time! I'm kind of torn between being extremely ready for break (I hate school) and not wanting to leave at all (I love people).

One fun thing I've done of late: Lee Family Thanksgiving! A group of about 20 of my friends got together on Monday and had a big Thanksgiving dinner. Sooo good. We had SO much food, including 2 turkeys that my boyfriend made (stuffed and all!). I vote this becomes a tradition. (Well, you know, for the one year we have left in college...)

Best turkey I've had all year, and that's not an exaggeration.
I was definitely impressed.

Family :)

I spend the majority of my life with these people.

I'm currently on my last day of Thanksgiving break. It's been good, I guess. Between hanging out with my cousins and playing with Lizzie & Emma (cutest. kids. ever. No, really--they are), going to the movies with Zach, Joey, & Rachel, and eating 2 Thanksgiving meals (2 of the 4 I've had this week), I can't really complain!

Like I said. Adorable.

Emma loves playing with my hair.
Lizzie is just awesome & hilarious in general.

Now, I'm ready to get back to school and finish up these last couple of days of classes and finals, then spend an extra few days just hanging out. I'm pretty excited about that. :) Hopefully, there will be plenty of adventures between now and then, so expect another update sometime in the near future!

Thanks, God.

I'm thankful for my little brother's random humor, my mom's listening ear, and my dad's corny jokes. I'm thankful for meteor showers and mountain air and laughing under the stars. For incredible friends who are there to keep me smiling, even through the hardest times, and who keep loving me, even after seeing the good and the bad in me. For hiking and Owl City and driving with the windows down. For acoustic guitars and waterfalls and Steak 'n Shake runs after midnight. I'm thankful for the fact that I can write cliché "thankful" blog posts and feel okay about it. :) I'm thankful for autumn leaves and how they blow around and crunch under my feet, for Christmas lights, the color green, and warm, fuzzy blankets. For songs that describe my life to me, rainy days, and giant bear hugs. For violins and good movies and long conversations about nothing in particular. I'm thankful for late-night adventures and old friends and meeting new people.

I'm thankful for the difficult times because I've learned to fully trust.

I'm thankful for Your amazing, amazing love.

I'm thankful for knowing that there's a point to everything that happens in my life, and that You are going to walk through all of it with me.

Thanks, God. :)