Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a holiday for gluttony -- lots of food and lots of drink, and I certainly worship at the oven and fridge in relgious fervor of both -- but it's also a holiday that gives us an opportunity to reflect on those people, places, ideas, things that we're grateful for. Yesterday, as we spent our holiday with friends, I was reminded of plenty that I am thankful for.

First of all, I'm thankful for my husband -- he's the kind of guy to wear a t-shirt and camo shorts to a holiday dinner and I love him for it. But more importantly, he's the most supportive person I know: He truly accepts me for who I am, and he provides me with the unique combination of feeling like I can maintain my individual identity while still having the security of couple-hood. Plus, he comes to my races and takes great pics for my blog (see below) -- which leads me to also be thankful for my good health and ability to run and race (again, see the post below).I am also thankful for my fur-baby, Scooter. Yes, he rolled in duck poop yesterday and then later coated himself in turkey grease (he's a delightfully sticky little bastard today), but again, I can't help but love him. And since I'm holding beer in both of these first two pictures, clearly, I am grateful for hopps, barley, and water and the delicious combination that it provides.All that beer made me brave, so I tried out the vocals on Rock Band -- I sang an awful rendition of Radiohead's "Creep" and then made some *slight* improvement with Weezer's "My Name is Jonah" and Garbage's "I Think I'm Paranoid." But I am thankful that the world is constantly inventing new ways to embarass myself and that my friends find me amusing -- even if they are laughing at me, not with me.
Which brings me to my friends. We can be a bit dysfunctional, like any family, but also like any family, there's few other people I'd rather be with on a holiday. I am VERY grateful for this group of people.
And lastly, I am grateful for fun times. I don't know how many of you got to enjoy a full-fledged Rock Band on Thanksgiving, but I did, and it was just one more thing that makes my life so much fun. "Fun" may seem like a silly thing to be thankful for, but it's one of my chief concerns in life -- I like to enjoy all aspects of my existence and have fun whenever possible: running, teaching, traveling, with family, friends, and at home. So, this, this right here? This was fun.
I hope everyone else had a fantastic holiday and enjoyed themselves as much as I did!