Thanks

Thanksgiving :) Possibly my favorite time of year.... well, I say that about every holiday, but nonetheless, I love it all the same. True to tradition, I journeyed with my family to the not-so-far-away land of Idaho to visit with my mom's side of the family. You know what I found there? A lot of cousins, a lot of food, and a lot of laughter. To sum it up- bliss.

Not to say that family reunions are usually insanely contentious, because they aren't, but this one was exceptionally fight free. Of course that may be due to the overwhelmingly fun atmosphere we all were exposed to. Activities for the week included: Bunco, Deal or no Deal, a treasure hunt, Chucky Cheese' s, gingerbread houses, A Just Dance Tournament of Doom (I won the under 18 bracket thank you very much), lots of movies, and lots of cousin time. All in all, this year I'm grateful for family. And memories. And health, and home, and love.

Aside from the reunion making me grateful for family, other sources have made me more reflective. In less than a year, I've had two of my friends lose their mom's prematurely. One death was expected due to a fight with cancer, and the other a complete shock. I'm not particularly close with either of the girls, and don't get me wrong, I know that everyone's time here on earth comes to an end, but it still breaks my heart. Its made me think differently. Not that I really fight with my mom a lot, but its made me be more careful in how I speak. Like, what if this conversation was the last conversation I had with my mom? Would I regret the things I said, or unsaid? Or to extend, what if this is the last family dinner we have together? What if.

I realize that living in a world of "what ifs" isn't the kind of life I want to live, for there is no guarantee that we will make it through this life unscathed. No, more than likely, we all will come out with some battle wounds, but still, putting a little more thought into my actions couldn't hurt.

Anyways I really don't have much else to say except for that I am now officially addicted to Pintrest and I'm so thrilled for C Jane Kendrick and their new baby girl :) I can't wait for the official update on her blog :) (hows that for a smooth segue;))

Until next time ....