Happy Thanksgiving!

This year for Thanksgiving I will be headed back home with my fiancé to celebrate with his family, since I just saw my entire extended family a few weeks ago. Thanksgiving is at my best friend's house, which happens to be his cousin. Isn't that fun?

In the spirit of giving thanks, here is what I'm thankful for this year:

Being engaged to my best friend! I have always known I wanted to spend my life with him, and now everyone else knows it, too. I don't think I could have found a better match for me if I tried. I am thankful he makes me laugh uncontrollably everyday, tells me I'm pretty, cuddles me until I fall asleep, takes me on dates, let's me decorate the apartment with my crafts, and tells me he loves me more than anyone ever needs to hear. This week I am especially thankful he has the week off of work and has a BEARD! (He can't have one at work.)

I am thankful to be so close with my mom and talk to her nearly everyday. I am thankful she allows me to be who I am and takes an interest in my life. I am thankful she is a woman who had a career and successfully (though it can be argued my brothers were a success) raised 4 kids.

I am thankful for my dad who tells me I need a cover for the furnace and a carbon monoxide detector, and asks me how my car is running. I am thankful he raised me to be a competitor and to always do my best.

 I am thankful for my 3 siblings. I love being in a big family and having lots of people around at holidays. I look forward to a time when we all have kids and go to "grandma's" (MOM'S!) for the holidays. I am thankful to be the oldest sibling, which pushed me to always set a good example and pursue my dreams.

I am thankful for my very loving grandparents who have set a great example in love for 50 years. I am thankful for phone calls from grandma to check in and see how I'm doing. I'm thankful for zuccini bread, mashed potatoes, peas, and meat loaf. I'm thankful for grandma's catch phrases, such as "Oh for Pete's sake," "You stinker!" and "For $2 tomatoes we'll have to eat the stem and all!" I am so thankful to have 2 very supporting grandparents who came to all my athletic events, invested in my education, sent care packages when I was in college, came to visit every place I ever lived, and made me genuinely happy to be around them.

I am thankful for all the friends I made in college. I'm thankful that we stay in touch and make efforts to see each other. I am thankful for girl talks, karaoke, dancing, sleepovers, fort building, race-running, shopping, movie watching, Italy-traveling, and concert going. Special thanks to my girls Tonia Tessum, Andrea Hrubes, Erin Schmidt, Maddy Strauss, Heather Clark, Rachel Lewis, Stephanie Ewing, Jamie Rathjen, Emily Scholtes, Kristina Strong, and Hannah Peterson

I am thankful to be living in a nicer apartment than I could have imagined, with rent that's cheaper than any of my crappy college apartments

I'm thankful to be living in a new city, with lots of things to do and lots of culture to keep me occupied

I'm thankful for the gift of creativity and the motivation to create new things each week

I'm thankful to be a teacher. I am thankful for every little mind I mold, especially the naughty ones. I am so thankful to be in such a rewarding profession.

I am thankful to have 3 weeks left until I'm an official college graduate!

I am thankful for my health and the health of my family. It's something that I often take for granted, and it's important to realize I'm very fortunate

I am thankful to live in a country where I'm free to believe what I want to believe

I am thankful to be an open-minded, free-thinking individual, accepting of many different walks of life

I am thankful to be celebrating my 23rd birthday in 4 days :)

I am thankful for being cuddled up with my fiancé on the couch, fire burning, about to watch a movie, pop some popcorn, and drink some wine. Life is good.

What are you thankful for?

P.S. I always get a bunch of people on Facebook telling me they like my blog! Some people who I never thought would click my link. I am getting an especially high amount of traffic after posting our engagement. I'm sure there are others out there who frequent my blog and are not telling me :) And that's ok! I'm trying to gauge who my audience is-- if you are a follower, be sure to click the "Join this Site" link at the top left hand corner. That would really make me happy :)