Talk about a year to be thankful… this year I married the weirdest, most amazingly perfect man ever… we bought and moved into a perfect house that we absolutely adore… we celebrated 6 months of marriage in Fiji where we swam 100 ft under the ocean… and we found our we’re having a little baby. Oh, I also got a new job in there, too! Talk about a lot to be thankful for… I’m literally overwhelmed and overflowing with pure gratitude and love this Thanksgiving.

If it’s not obvious, Thanksgiving is literally my favorite day of the year. While I love my birthday and celebrate the entire month of May (which we refer to as Maylissa), Thanksgiving trumps all of that by a long shot. In our family, we squeeze anywhere from 15-25 people around one table and literally feast. This feasting is usually laced with some cocktails, so you can imagine how loud and rowdy it can become. At the end of the meal, as we serve up dessert, we go around the table and everyone says what they’re thankful for. I’m sure this sounds like a lame tradition, but in our family, it’s become something we all cherish and look forward to. It’s great because depending on the person or the moment, the “thankfuls” can range from tear-jerking to hilarious. My dad, who usually takes the cake for the drunkest of the bunch, tends to start with some drunkly, sappy “thankful” and end with a cheers to gin and tonic. It’s heartwarming and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

So today, as I sit at work attempting to get focused and finish the one dang task I need to get done today, I can’t help but be thankful.

Prepare yourself for some cheese, because here’s my Top 10 List.

I’m thankful for…

1. My husband and everything he brings to my life. Compassion, reason, love, protection, companionship, affection, sweet kisses, family, happiness, completeness. He’s literally my everything.
   

   My hubs ❤

2. My parents. I am a very family-oriented person and couldn’t be more fortunate in this department. I live less than 15 minutes from my parents and see them at least once a week. They are amazing and supportive and fun. I can’t say enough about them. My mom takes my sis and me for manicures every week, she listens to every little thing I want to bitch about, she hangs out with me whenever, and she is just perfect. And my pops… I am literally him in female form… well, maybe version 3.0… but still, our humor and work ethic and thought processes are so similar. My success to date is a direct reflection of the qualities I received from my dad. Not to mention the fact that he’s hilarious (although I would never tell him that), fun, and provides such perspective.
   

   My pops.

   

   Me & the Momma.

3. My siblings. My sister has been so amazing and supportive and helpful during these first couple months of pregnancy. It’s so amazing to not have to Google everything… I mean, I do anyway, but I don’t have to! And my brother bear, who has named our baby Mattilda Geraldine (his name is Matt)… he brings the perfect level of humor-laced concern and care to my life and I really appreciate that. Of course, my family doesn’t end there. I have the most IT-savvy and funny brother in law out there who was 50% of the cause of the cutest dang niece and nephew a girl could ask for.
   

   My siblings (and parents)!

   

   With the Gabbers.

   

   Can you tell I love him a little?

    

4. The other part of my family. I am also seriously blessed to have married into an amazing family. My MILly (Mother In Law) is literally the sweetest and most caring woman around. I can’t express enough how grateful I am for her calm presence in my life. And Pop, Mark’s 96-year-old gramps… he calls both my puppy and I “Short Stuff” and I just totally love him. He has the best stories and such a great vibe. Then there’s Mark’s dad, Ivan, and stepmom, Amy… just the sweetest people to be around. And so fun. Amy and I have a similar love of shopping. Two peas in a pod. And of course my sister in law, her husband and their two sweet little princesses. What a perfect group of people to “acquire” into my inner circle.
   

   Pop’s missing from this one… but how cute are the rest of ’em?

5. My grandparents. While it hasn’t been easy, my Grams and Gramps recently made the move to Wisconsin and I couldn’t be more excited. Although they don’t know it yet, they are going to be able to be a part of not only my pregnancy, but also the life of another great grandchild. I’ve never gotten to live in the same state or even region as them, and this feels like the perfect time for it to finally happen.
   

   How cute are they?

6. My friends. I have the most perfect blend of girlies in my inner circle. Each of us has a unique strength that ensures that there is always someone there for you for every type of happening… whether sad, happy, exciting, overwhelming, angering… you name it. And, they’re seriously fun. Not many people have the support circle that I’m lucky enough to lean on. It’s pretty amazing.
   

   How gorg are these girls?

   

   The sassy bridesmaids.

7. Health. I am so lucky that all of the people I love in this world are in relatively good health.
8. My job. While I complain about work quite a bit, I have to admit that I’m pretty damn lucky. I get paid to do what I love and to do what I’m good at… I get paid to be creative, to go against the grain, to be a pain in the ass and to say what people don’t want to hear. Not to mention the fact that I get to do it with some pretty cool people. People that aren’t just cool based on the surroundings. My “counterpart” at work is one of the goofier people I know and I totally love that about her. She definitely makes work feel less like work and more like I’m getting paid to hang out with a friend.
9. My pup and kitty. Seriously, they are so cute. And even when they wake us up super early or throw up on our stuff, I still just love them so much. They bring so much joy into every day. I never had pets growing up, so the fact that I get to come home every day to a wagging tail and purring kitty is just amazing.
   

   Our little family.

10. Our baby. When I was young, I once took every stuffed animal out (about 30+) and used hot loops to attach them all together. I then dragged my entire brood around the house and claimed they were all my babies. Even then, I knew that I was destined to be a mom. While I love my job and the excitement of career, my life’s aspirations lie within family. I want to be an amazing wife and an even more amazing (and patient) mother. For years, I have had this looming fear that I wouldn’t be able to have children and look at me now… pregnant after our first month of trying. I am literally the luckiest girl in the world.

My cousin and I practicing our care giving skills.

Symptoms

Who cares!! I’m having a baby 🙂