one of the best things about having a blog is the fact that you can shamelessly talk about yourself all day long and it’s kind of culturally acceptable.

well, yes THAT, and the fact that it’s basically a time capsule of thoughts, feelings, photos, and sentiments from days, weeks, months, and years past that may be recalled at nearly a moment’s notice.

so when i was thinking about how i may have approached the subject of giving thanks 365 days ago, a simple google search provided me this -an entry from the former home of trader joes, nike tempos & reality shows on november 17th, 2011.

thankful

in honor of the day of thanks that will grace our calendars one week (how is this possible?) from today,

i have spent the last few afternoons compiling a list of things that i am thankful for.

there are big things.
and little things.
and silly things.
and serious things.
and probably things i have left off of the list completely.
but seeing as i am thankful for each and every minute (that’s minute as in small, not as in the increments of an hour) of detail that makes up the life of your truly,
(even though i may or may not express it as often as i should),
there’s bound to be something i’ve managed to miss.

but for everything else,
a list of gratitude from me to the universe.

i am thankful for my Savior
and for a life splattered with the colors of His providence and grace.

for a family i’m so obsessed with, i’d choose them for my own even if genetics hadn’t already beaten me to the punch.

i am thankful for friends who know me full well and hang out with me regardless,
who think of me when they either come across a celeb or a high school acquaintance (both text messages are just as endearing) and most definitely make me laugh harder than linda of HVR fame.

i am thankful for ketchup
and for the “broil” setting on my oven (how else would my veggies get cooked?).

for most all of the items in the j.crew catalog
and for the fact that pearls will always be in style.

i am thankful for my DVR
and well, the bravo network as a whole.

for 7-11 coffee
and for the sleep timer on my bedroom television.

i am thankful for my backhand (think tennis, not compliments)
and my increased flexibility compliments of pure barre.

(and duh, i am thankful for pure barre).

i am thankful for my private school education
as well as all 85 of my fellow class of oh-three-ers.

i am thankful for what spanish vocabulary i have left in my arsenal
and for the summer in madrid i spent stocking that arsenal.

i am thankful for pedicures
and the make-your-own almond butter machine at jimbo’s.

i am thankful for oatmeal
and for friendships that transcend time, miles and life stages.

i am thankful for the gap
and for their jeans and strapless bras (finally found a good one).

for my freckles, moles
and the calluses on my feet.

i am thankful for plaid, beards and tattoos
and for the possibility that the future hubs will be a sporter of all three.

i am thankful for tina fey’s bossypants
and for the resulting inspiration to write a hilarious tale of my own.

i am thankful for trader joe’s, for stevia sweetener
and non-dairy creamer.

(and for the coffee that the latter two accompany).

i am thankful for foam (of the soy variety).

i am thankful for l’oreal voluminous mascara
and for my love/hate relationship with the side bang.

i am thankful to be a south paw
and for the fact that i know every word to every ‘n sync, britney spears and john mayer song.

i am thankful for dropbox music sharing
and for the stretch of coastline from encinitas boulevard to lomas santa fe drive.

i am thankful for brussels sprouts, for black-rimmed glasses
and for dandelions (and the wishes i make upon encountering and blowing on said dandelions).

i am thankful for summer vacations to yosemite
and the awkward accompanying family photos kept as souvenirs.

for vanilla body spray
and bobby pins.

i am thankful for hand-written notes, fresh ball-point pens
and the people.com twitter account.

i am thankful for ryan gosling, seth meyers
and matt bomer (even if he does play for the other team).

i am thankful for ross, joey, chandler, phoebe, rachel
and monica.

and of course for every last character to ever call dillon, texas home.

i am thankful for the slight shift in seasons (even if it is ever so slight) in my beloved city
and for the opportunity to wear any and all combinations of boots, tights, sweaters and scarves.

i am thankful for the gift of travel
for the vacations i have already logged
and most certainly for the ones yet to come.

i am thankful for the unexpected.
unexpected compliments.
unexpected opportunities.
unexpected friendships.
and unexpected laughter.

i am thankful for jeremiah 29:11.

i am thankful for jeopardy, scattergories
and telepictionary.

for high school football
and college football
and even the NFL.

i am thankful for sunrises
and moonsets.

for gchat
and instagram.

i am thankful for breakfast dates
and coffee dates
and most definitely romantcial dates, too (though the latter are few and far between).

i am thankful for horizontal stripes
and the freedom of expression (in any form of medium, most notably fashion).

i am thankful for hand-holding
and cuddles.

for lingering hugs
and first kisses.

i am thankful for the smell of cinnamon
and for babies (they are really just the best).

i am thankful for this.
this blog.
these followers.
these stories.
these laughs.
these laments.
these sleeves of emotions.

and for sarcasm.
i am thankful for sarcasm.
good grammar.
and wit.

i’m bound to think of a hundred and ten more things i am thankful for,
but for now,
on this day,
one week until we officially give thanks,

i am thankful for these things.

amazingly enough, i am still very much thankful for each and every one of the aforementioned items. some now more than ever (good grammar, gchat & instagram, and for friendships that transcend time, miles, and life stages). but i’ve also been lucky to enough to have a myriad of additional blessings fall into my life over the course of these past eleven months.

so while the above list certainly encompasses many of the reasons i find myself so very grateful this november 22nd, it certainly is in need of some amending -a few laud-worthy additions that 2012 has so graciously provided me with, and whose existence i have become so unabashedly thankful for.

i am thankful for good girlfriends. the kind that not only make you want to be a better person but who never miss your mean girls, clueless, or friends reference.

for restaurant food (in general)
and the ability to moonlight as an unoffical reviewer of it.

i am thankful for red hair dye
and for highlights.

for my ever-growing bubble necklace collection
and for season one of the newsroom.

i am thankful for spotify (oh gosh am i ever thankful for this)
and for ben howard, the lumineers, mumford & sons, and the biebs, too.

for the starbuck’s gold card
and for the solana beach baristas who have my venti ice water waiting on the bar every tuesday and thursday afternoon.

i am thankful for my pure barre family
and for my recently appointed ambassadorship.

for edamami and urban plates
and for the amazing humans who are kind enough to accompany to said places on any given weeknight.

i am thankful for hot rollers
and for the new j.crew factory online store.

for drawn out text conversations
and the whatsapp ap.

i am thankful for dad’s airline miles
and for a social calendar so full it warrants their exploitation habitual usage.

for friends of friends who have simply become friends
and for long-lost friends who are no lost (or long, either).

i am thankful for maybelline lipstick #140 & #435
and for gap sales that make it so hard to say no.

for social media-birthed bonds with women whose souls have found their mate with mine
and for andy, my favorite trader joe’s employee.

i am thankful for even more fortuitous reunions with the class of 2003
and for the frothy monkey in nashville.

for march 20th, 2012
and for august 22nd, too.
(and every single moment in between)

i am thankful for the privilege to stand beside two of my best friends
unite their lives with their best friends
and for the dancing that ensued afterward.

for the city of nashville
and the city of savannah, too.

i am thankful for baseball caps
and makeup-less saturdays spent divied between honey’s and the forum.

for the fancy pants theatre in del mar
and yogurtland.

i am thankful for my j.crew anchor dress
and my sparkle toms shoes.

for “atta girl” emails
and for a regular online contributorship centered around the world of fashion.

i am thankful for venti iced coffee with a little bit of soy
and for at-home movie dates.

for weekly life updates with my grandma
and for you.

yes, you.

i am thankful for the overwhelming love, support, and faithful readership of both friends and friends-to-be. sure i may still write and post daily outfit photos even if y’all were to spontaneously unsubscribe, but gosh am i grateful that for now, for this year, y’all have stuck it out with me.

so as we venture into this four-day holiday weekend centered around food, family, football, fashion, and fun, i want to once again express my gratitude to you. to those just stopping by on a whim (or via facebook link) and to those who i’ve tricked into tuning in on the regular –y’all are really just the best. 

now go put on your thanksgiving pants in preparation of tomorrow’s activities and be sure to wear your helmet when you venture out with the crazies come friday morning.

and be thankful, too.

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