30 Days of Thanks - Day 30

Today I’m grateful for this month to be over and for my favorite one to start tomorrow. December is clearly the best month because I was born and it’s the end of the year. It is the month of twinkly lights, sometimes snow, and the end of the calendar year.

December marks the beginning of winter which feels like the transition into the resting season and another symbol for the change we all begin to feel as a new year starts. Winter ushers in snowy trips to my best friend’s cabin, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. With winter comes darkness and that makes those twinkly lights and warm blankets even more special.

My birthday is just before winter, though I’d say winter is definitely my season. I love the winter adventures and finding cool things to do outside. When I lived in Texas, we’d often be seen on the pontoon in winter or I’d be hiking with my aunt at Dinosaur Valley because the weather was PERFECTLY mild. I’m excited to see what winter is like here in Ohio.

I’m thankful for everything December has to offer, what are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thanks - Day 29

Today I’m thankful for the cheesy holiday movies. I’m not talking the Hallmark stuff, though they have their place, but definitely the 90s classics like Home Alone, Christmas Vacation, and Santa Clause along with newer ones like Elf and Bad Santa. These movies are so fun and silly that they make me laugh over and over. There’s a whole bunch of them that get rotated through a few times during the holidays - and I’m not ashamed to admit I watch Home Alone all year!

There are also some more serious movies, that are still funny, that I love to rotate through like Love, Simon and Happiest Season. I love all holiday movies ranging from Jingle All The Way to Love the Coopers. Some of my favorite TV episodes were the Christmas lights related ones on Home Improvement every year. This is all over because the movies I love are always all over… what are some of your faves?

What are you thankful for today?

Watching Christmas Vacation from bed (before I decorated the bedroom tree)

30 Days of Thanks - Day 28

When I was asked to go in on Thanksgiving, it wasn’t that big of a deal. Today I’m grateful for the flexibility that comes from years of retail work and working in 24/7 operations like energy. I come from a family of shift workers, and sometimes we moved holidays to totally different days so we could celebrate together. Move Thanksgiving dinner to Friday? No big deal. (Now, if I am asked to go in Friday, I may be a little pissy). Thanksgiving is something I try to live all the time - daily gratitude, seeing and appreciating people more often than once per year, and enjoying good food more than once per year. I’m flexible with this because I don’t have a choice and there is no use fighting something you can’t really control.

Related to yesterday’s “thankful for therapy” post, I have been learning to control what I can and can not worry about. I have had a big issue with plans changing or shifts in decisions - which are normal - and learning to let go of things I can’t control and just learning to adjust how I react and adapt has been groundbreaking for me.

So, on this Thanksgiving (with many others) I’ll be at work for a while and it’ll be okay. Now, I do have plans to food prep all day after I get home, so the work thing better not be all day! What are you thankful for today? (I’m also thankful this month is almost over)

Thanksgiving some years ago - 2007 (17 years now!?)

30 Days of Thanks - Day 27

Today I’m thankful for therapy. I have a great therapist here in Ohio and a great psychiatrist. Together, we’re all managing my mental health. I’ve worked through so much since starting therapy regularly in early 2023 and I’m so grateful to have a third party sounding board that can respond. Therapy isn’t all about assigning blame or tearing everything down, it’s about understanding and learning how to recognize your own behaviors and thoughts. It’s learning how to and when to react and sharing ideas without judgment. I’m grateful to have good insurance to cover it and that I’ve found some professionals so quickly here. I’m happy to report that I’m doing what’s best for me and taking charge of my mental health and I highly recommend doing the same for yourself.

You don’t have to be any certain level of “whatever” to go to therapy, it’s literally for anyone who wants to talk things out and better understand themselves and their thought processes.

What are you thankful for today?

Chewy and I out on a walk for a mental health lol

30 Days of Thanks - Day 26

Today is my “I’m thankful for friends and family near and far” post. I wasn’t going to include this because it should be implied, but I am truly grateful for the connections and family I have on this Earth. I have family all over, but I’m so grateful that I’ve always lived somewhere close to them, sans the time I spent in the Pacific Northwest. I was always a quick drive or walk away from my aunt, uncle, and cousin in Texas and that was super fun. I have a ton of good memories, despite it being Texas. I’m back, close to the Great Lakes, and I’m so excited to be near my family again up here. I’m also close to besties spanning from Minnesota to Maryland. I’ve already hung out with friends I hadn’t seen in months or years more than once. I’m glad to be closer to Maine and the great DC area as well as only a hop-skip-and-a-jump to North Carolina.

I know that some relationships are the types that no time passes while others fade away and sometimes come back. I know that there are people I probably don’t want to see anymore and I know there are people I am so excited to see for the first time in years. All in all, I’m so thankful for the connections with everyone - no matter how long, short, or stable it’s been.

I’ve been looking through photos a lot lately as I piece together pieces I’m writing or just reminiscing and I am hopeful that some connections can be strengthened again. If not, maybe they’re just meant to be good memories. Either way, I’m so lucky.

What are you thankful for today?

A few of my first visitors in Ohio

My Aunt already came, too!

Some more besties who visited me!

I’ve now seen my brother twice in two months… more than I had before my gram’s funeral

30 Days of Thanks - Day 25

Today I’m grateful for my gramma’s ornaments which are now on my tree. When we were cleaning out her house, I took several of them and now have a whole tree devoted to them. As a kid she used to have the best trees, and since they’d get a real tree, we’d often do it right around my birthday weekend. The trees ranged from BIG to HUGE then to a little smaller as they aged and didn’t want to do so much.

This year I have the space for a whole tree filled with the ornaments from her, and I think it’s quite lovely. I’m thankful for that and other things to help keep the memories alive. Here are some photos from years past and my current tree.

What are you thankful for today?

My tree this year!

30 Days of Thanks - Day 24

I’m thankful to have space for guests. I have a dedicated guest room here in Ohio, with a queen bed and plenty of space. I have a second room with an air mattress, and a sofa that sucks you in. I’m so grateful to have space to house people and have them stay over if they want.

I’ve always had plenty of guests - and space for them - but not a dedicated room with a proper bed and privacy. Get on it and plan a damn visit already, I’ll be waiting! Having people come visit and getting to explore new things together is one of my favorite things in the world. I love making breakfast and cocktails and whatever else having guests entails. There’s lots to see in Ohio, I promise.

What are you thankful for today?

The guest room - humble, but comfy. The overhead lighting is killing me, the lamps are way better.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 23

Today’s is simple - I’m thankful for coffee. I was going to say that I’m thankful for my Nespresso, but I think coffee in general is just a better idea. Nespresso is kind of expensive and wearing me down, so we’ll see how much longer that lasts.

I’m not one of those “not before my coffee” people in any way, but I do (as mentioned a couple of days ago) enjoy my morning, quiet time with a coffee. I don’t even drink coffee every day, but I do enjoy the flavor enough to want it everyday. I did decaf for a while, which was fine, but I do enjoy a little caffeine boost.

I used to have a grind and brew coffeemaker and I loved it. My Cuisinart had a built-in burr grinder and a thermal carafe. The cost to operate was much less than Nespresso, so it’s something I’ve contemplated again. The fresh ground and brewed coffee was just unbeatable. I do enjoy going out to get coffee, but not so much these days.

What are you thankful for today?

If anyone wants to get me a gift, this would be it: Cuisinart Automatic Grind and Brew

The other morning, during my quiet time

A little slideshow of morning coffee during the pandemic when I was taking calls down at the lake in Wisconsin - I miss those days.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 22

Today I’m thankful for clear, starry night skies. In Olympia, I had an okay view and Portland was a little rough because of the city. Here in Ohio, I have a really good view and a pretty dark neighborhood. Wherever I have lived, regardless of the city lights, I would find a way to see the big dipper and other key constellations. One of my favorite memories is laying on the beach of Lake Huron at night in August looking up at the meteor shower and stars. Some of the best skies were up in Mt. Rainier National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, out in the middle of nowhere Nevada, the deserts of New Mexico, and up near the Boundary Waters in Minnesota.

When I was in Hawaii last year, we were able to have a guided star tour with super cool telescope! Here are some of those photos.

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What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thanks - Day 21

Today I’m thankful for quiet, early mornings. One of my favorite things is to wake up early, turn on the holiday lights, and brew a fresh cup of coffee. I was looking back at Facebook and I am thankful for this every time I do this 30 day summary. I love an early morning. I love watching movies in the early morning or even baking something tasty. Alone time, when it’s quiet and calm, is so important to me. I am not sure I was always an early morning person, but since about 2011 I’ve been one and nothing has changed. I can’t stand sleeping in too late nor do I enjoy just laying in bed doing nothing in the morning. If I’m going to lay in bed, and do nothing, it’ll be for an afternoon nap when the day is annoying and busy and everyone else in the world is awake.

I like quiet things, alone time, and mornings a lot more as I age. What are you thankful for today?

30 Days of Thanks - Day 20

I’m thankful for artists like Kacey Musgraves and bands like Lord Huron. Furthermore, I’m grateful that they’ll be coming together on my 40th birthday in Nashville where I’ll be in the audience with two of my favorite people.

The music they put out makes me feel things. I’ve had an ear for Kacey since I heard her on a Josh Abbott song from way back in the day when I lived in Texas. Her voice was the most magical part of the song, and she is still that way when she duets with any guys. Golden Hour could quite possibly be one of the most perfect albums in the history of music, in my opinion, and I listen to it quite often.

Lord Huron have a haunting yet folksy quality about them and it can be very calming. I enjoy all of their music, but it’s actually the more trippy album Vide Noir that really speaks to me. They always get me with the lyrics and nothing will beat “lost in time and space…”

I am so thankful I get to see them both play live, together, to ring in 40 years on this planet. I’m grateful for the people going with me, who continuously change my life for the better. Cheers to good music that makes you feel something. What are you thankful for today?