10,000 Thanks

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I really sucked failed at posting the things I was thankful for this holiday season. I set the goal of being thankful of something every day from November 1 - Thanksgiving, and pathetically I posted updates for three days before I got behind. I could make a ton of excuses: I was really busy (true,) I wrote them down but never transferred them into the blog (sometimes true), I won a million dollars (untrue) and I forgot (the most true.) But I can honestly say that every day, not just in November, but every day of the year, I try and stop and think about something I am thankful for in that day. Some days things are the same, and I have to remember all of the things I had been thankful for in the past. Some days I have wonderful new experiences I can be thankful for. Either way, I think that despite my inability to share my thoughts and my feelings, they are there. I am thankful for everything I have, and everyone around me.

Today, I wanted to give one last public thank you... to you. Whoever you are. Wherever you are. Whenever you happen upon this page. Thank you. Thank you for reading my rants and peering at my posts. Thank you.

Adventures in Gratitude: Turkey-Lent III

Today is November 1, 2012. Where has the year gone?! This year has been one of great change; and with change comes many, many things to be thankful for.

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Every year I blog about what I like to call Turkey-Lent.
Yes. I made it up.
Much how Christians show penance before Easter through Lent, I have decided to show my gratitude for all of the wonderful things that have surrounded me just before Thanksgiving. Each November, I show my appreciation for all of the things I have by giving up (or greatly reducing my use and/or consumption of) something I love. I believe in gratitude. I believe that we, as both individuals and as a society, should be thankful for all of the wonderful bounty that surrounds us. Food to nourish us. Shelter to protect us. Friends and family to care for us. Because of this, I always appreciate Thanksgiving. But I don't think it is enough. I don't think there should only be one day a year when we decide it is okay to tell everyone what we are thankful for. We should be doing it every day, as often as we can.

Unable to think of anything to give up that I hadn't already tried (or not concentrating that hard!) the last few years I decided to show my gratitude through various acts of appreciation. I used Facebook and twitter to show the world what I was thankful for, in hopes that other people will be inspired to share their own gratefulness. My goal was to use my status update and/or Twitter update to share at least one thing I was thankful for. My goal was to do it once a day, from November 1 - Thanksgiving.

This year I have decided to continue with my goal of public displays of appreciation, as it has indeed become a KWP tradition!

This year I decided I needed to get back to my Turkey-Lent roots, and truly give something up. I am blessed for all of the fabulous people, places and opportunities that surround me. I feel like the least I could do would be to give up something I really don't need. But I am horrible at this cold-turkey-lent stuff, so I decided to give myself some wiggle room. This year I promise to show my appreciation by cooking more and eating out less as evidenced by spending more time in the kitchen with my fabulous husband making delicious home-cooked meals in our beautiful kitchen. Also by partaking in dessert far less than I do today. Let's be real. I love me some dessert, and as blessed as I am to be able to afford such luxuries, I should not partake as often as I do. I am hoping this will not only make me healthier, but also more appreciative of the decadence of desserts.

So, I ask you my dear blog friends... what are you thankful for?

Random Thoughts of Appreciation 2012

1. Today I am thankful to to live a life of financial stability, so much so that I can regularly enjoy a fabulous evening out with my husband; eating a delicious meal with the man I love so much.  ♥ 
2. Today I am thankful for two big things. First and foremost, I am thankful for a job. I know that finding a teaching job in this economy would be challenging, if not impossible. I was very fortunate to be hired at a school that allows me to do all of the things I have ever dreamed of doing, to work with people that I enjoy, doing something that I absolutely love. ♥ Also, I am thankful to have a remarkably fabulous co-worker (who is one of the bestest co-workers I have had the pleasure of working with) who help me set up a brand new turtle-tank, after the last one sprang a leak right after lunch! 
3. Today I am thankful for calm weekends when I don't have to get up with an alarm. It makes me happy to allow my body the rest and relaxation it deserves! :)  Oh, yeah and I am thankful for Costco's chicken pot pie. Yum. 
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Photo of the Week: Week 44

This week was a nice, calm, fun week. But the highlights revolved around baseball.





We watched our neighborhood SF Giants sweep the World Series. (Go Giants!) Game 1 to Game 4. We watched every minute (or listened during the commute!) One of my students brought me back a Giants kukui nut necklace from Game 1! :)

















I even got to hear (and see!) an old CSU Stanislaus colleague sing God Bless America at game 2!















We celebrated a game 3 win with some bubbly!










On Sunday, we watched game 4 from my parents house where we had a pre-Thanksgiving turkey dinner prior to the game. Giants sweep the Tigers! (Cue applause!) Of course we enjoyed a little nephew time, too.