Thanksgiving.

Well, I sort of failed at my annual November giving thanks routine, but that doesn't mean I'm not and haven't been thankful all along. You see, as much as I love my blog and having the freedom to write and put my thoughts out there, I love even more that I'm at a place in my life where I don't HAVE to write 4 times a week to keep myself going. I'm busy - in a GOOD way. And I'm happy about that.

I just got back from California for the holiday and it was an adventure to say the least. In the last 10ish years my immediate family has gone from celebrating in our traditional way to giving up and going out to dinner every year. But since moving to Vegas we've been lucky enough to spend the last 2 Thanksgivings in California with the rest of the clan - but not without your typical family drama.

See, I LOVE spending time with my extended family so much. I love them more than anything and I get so giddy and excited about family get-togethers (unlike most people who tend to despise family time because of all the drama involved). Me? I sat at the dinner table watching everyone yelling about "PASS THE MASHED POTATOES DOWN!" and "WHERE THE HELL IS UNCLE JOHN?" and "YOU ONLY GET ONE ROLL THIS YEAR, KYLA! WE DON'T WANT A REPEAT OF LAST YEAR!" and I thought to myself, God, I love this. This is my family. We are loud and dramatic and crazy but we are together and we love each other and that's just about the best thing I could have in my life. It's not very often that we're all together in the same place at the same time, so when we are I try to soak it up and appreciate every second.

We even had a little "snort" of scotch in honor of Sally as we went around the table and gave thanks for all the wonderful things about her that we love and will miss. It was really special.

And of course, the after dinner jam sesh that I LIVE for.

And since I failed so miserably at blogging my thanks this year, I give you the top 10 things I'm thankful for this year:

10. Lessons learned.
Before I get too deep into the awesome things that make me appreciative, I'm also thankful for the sometimes not-so-awesome stuff. I may not be at the time it's happening, but I'm able to look back on the many, MANY lessons I've learned this year and be thankful. I've learned a lot about a lot and I'm a better person for it.

9. Vegas.

Moving here has been a huge blessing to me. It took some adjusting and a long time to get to a happy place, but it definitely has become my home in just one short year. I'm grateful that I'm here and I'm happy.

8. The ninos.
Sophie and Nick (the kids I babysat for for the first 7 months of the year) kept me sane when I first moved to Vegas. They kept me occupied and upbeat and on my toes. I was quickly headed down a path that included wading through a shit storm and without even knowing it, they kept my head above water. I love those kids. 

7. My God-sister Lindsey.

Of course I'm always thankful for Lindsey - or as I like to call her now, Dr. Murphy. This has been a year of changes with many ups and downs for both of us, but she's been at my side through EVERY single part of this year. I honestly do not know what I would have done without her next to me, arm-n-arm, helping me through.

6. My siblings.

Duh. I love Ashley and Connor more than the average person loves their siblings. And I miss them both more than the average person misses their siblings. And lucky for me, I've had the opportunity to visit both of them in their cities this year, San Fran & Seattle.

5. Sally.
Thanksgiving was not the same this year, but I won't be forgetting our toast to our gal any time soon. She was all around.

4. New friends.

The new friends I've made both in Vegas and around the country, since moving here and since starting my job. They've made me wonder how I could have possibly gone so long without them. Surrounded by some really great people and couldn't be more happy about having them in my life.

3. My job.
I can't express how thankful I am for dR and the entire dR team. I'm so lucky that the universe placed me right where I was supposed to be. I thought I knew where I was meant to be and I fought kicking and screaming to get there, but thankfully the universe had a different plan for me that I just couldn't see and I could not be happier with the outcome. I can't imagine a better fit for me. I'm so grateful. Note to self: trust the universe.

2. Cory.

Soulmate. Always. And I'm thankful that living in Vegas has allowed us to live closer together once again and for the first time in 11 years, spend SO much more time together. It's been more important than ever to me this year, and it's been incredible having her close.

1. My fam.
They've shown me on multiple occasions throughout the year - they've got my back. No matter what. And for that, I couldn't be more thankful to have the family that I do.