Thankful.....

Since I only had a day between Vegas and Michigan, I didn't get a chance to do my "Things I am Thankful For" list last week. Better late than never....and in no particular order :)

*Our son - I can't even put into words how much we love him. He is funny, smart, energetic and reminds us about the important things in life. He does not care if I have no make-up on, the house is a mess, the dishes are piled up, etc. He loves us unconditionally and teaches us to see life through the innocence of a child. I am so excited this Christmas that he actually understands some of what is going on. I have the best Christmas memories from growing up and I hope that Rob and I can create some that he will look back on and smile when he has his own kids someday.

*My husband - my best friend, my love, the best daddy in the world. I don't know what I would do without you. We share in eachothers joys and you are there for me when I need to cry/vent/be sad...and usually end up making me laugh :) I love you.

*My parents - you have shown me how marriage should be. Anyone can be happy when times are great and smooth sailing. You have shown the boys and I what unconditional love is....not something that most kids have the benefit of these day. You are the best Gramma Airplane and Papa in the world; Justin adores both of you. I wish the miles didn't keep us so far apart, but we'll make it through!

*My siblings - rarely does a week go by that I don't talk to my brothers and my now sister! I wish I would have listened to my parents 15-20 years ago when they told us that someday we would like eachother. We wasted a lot of time living in the same house and not wanting to be together...now we drive hours on end just to see eachother for a day (or a few hours!). Justin talks about you guys all of the time - he loves his un-kles :) I love you guys!

*My grandparents - all of you! I am very, very, very fortunate to still have all of my grandparents...and a great-grandma! Up until high school, I had 5 great grandparents living. Not many people have that treasure. I am so glad that Justin is growing up with so many loving grandparents too!

*My family - aunts, uncles, cousins, and everyone in between! Our family has stayed so close over the years and I know that we can count on eachother for anything. Even though we live in many different cities/states now, we still make an effort to all get together and that means the world to me!

*My in-laws - Kent, Sue, Kurt, Godsie, Buzzy, etc. You have welcomed me into your family with open arms since Rob and I met. If we are even in a pinch you guys are willing to drop anything and help us out...it is truly appreciated and not taken for granted! You are so good to Justin; he loves coming to the country :)

*My friends - make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold. I never really understood that when I was younger, but that is becuase there was not a difference between the two. Now it is perfectly clear. It goes back to childhood friends like Kristi. We don't talk as much as we used to, but we can still pick up on a conversation right where we left off. Then there are the college friends; nights we will never remember with friends we will never forget :) And now Rob and I are so lucky to have the friends we do; especially K&J - life here would not be the same without you.

*My job - I am so fortunate to have a job that I truly love. A job that allows me to do engineering, sales, golf, dining out and most importantly be a mommy with a flexible schedule...all the while paying a few bills along the way.

*Health - knock on wood here. Sure we have ear infections, colds, etc. but we have been VERY fortunate health-wise; especially for the size of our family. On Thanksgiving we lost my Uncle Bo to cancer. He will always be remembered as the barking uncle - he had a dog bark down to a pat and he would always scare the kids :) For my great-grandma having 11 kids, and most of them having kids and so on we have been very lucky as far as health and longevity!

*Home - Everynight we do prayers with Justin. After we read them from his book, we do "special prayer" where we let him bless anything he wants to. Not too long after we started doing this, he would of course do the whole family, the dogs, hockey, etc. and then one night he said "home". That made Rob and I smile. We really have found our home. We've moved a lot in the last few years, but finally it feels like we are home. We love our jobs, our house, our town, our friends and life in general in Central Illinois.

*PALS - Justin's daycare. I can't say enough good things about this place. Sure it's a beautiful building with a nice playground, great security and such but it's the people that make it so special. Ericka and Stephanie are so good with Justin. We know he's probably not the easiest child in class (read: bully), but they are so good with him and they really give us piece of mind when we are at work. I am glad that I have gotten to be friends with his teachers...they are truly special people!

*This blog! If it were not for this blog, I would have lost touch with a lot of friends from college. I am closer to some of you than I was at Tech, but it's the bond of going to a small school and knowing everyone that is really special. Sure college was fun - drink, taco bell, sleep, class, repeat - but now is when it's really nice to have friends like you to share thoughts, ideas, hard times, good times and everything between with!

Okay, so this got really long - but it really comes from the heart. I am going to be printing all of these blogs and the comments that follow and put them in a binder for Justin for when he is older. I want him to know the things that I am thankful for and how lucky he is to have such a loving family/friends.