100 Things to be Thankful For (51-60)

51) I am grateful for peek-a-boo, hide-n-seek, gimme a kiss and naptime... for these things keep my two-year-old alive.

52) I am grateful I have a wonderful man who can cook like Emeril!  Even if the portions are a bit too large!  (Honey, do you really think we need a 20 pound ham AND a 15 pound turkey for 3 adults and a toddler?)

53) I am blessed to live in a place where I feel  comfortable leaving my car unlocked with the keys in it.

54) Or that I can drive 30 miles to town for groceries and not freak out at mile 20 because I left the door unlocked!

55) I am thankful that I hung every holiday decoration (including Dad's ornaments) without that looming sorrow I half expected to have.

56) I am grateful that lightening did not strike me dead for putting up my nativity in a house full of heretics!

57) I am thankful for tums (I'm sure I'll need them later)

58) I am blessed to have sat down today for our first family dinner in our new home.

59) I am thankful that despite our families loss, we have actually hung 2 extra stockings this year.

60) I am grateful that I have to work tomorrow and therefor have a totally legitimate reason for NOT getting up at the ass crack of dawn to stand in the cold for those "great deals".

100 Things to be Thankful For (41-50)

41)  I am thankful that I have not run out of things to be thankful for.

42) I am grateful that I have so many great memories with my family.

43)  I am blessed to have a packrat of a mother who has saved everything... thus giving even greater meaning to those memories.

44) I am thankful I have a house big enough to hold all my mother's packratting that she is going to unload on me.

45) I am grateful that I am an only child and don't have to share my mother's JUNK with anyone.

46) I am blessed to be able to provide my daughter with MOST of the things she's wants.

47)  I am grateful that I was able to have MOST of the things I wanted growing up because I know how hard my mother worked to make that possible.

48)  I am thankful that my soap opera is available online so I can keep updated on the fake lives of the fake characters that I've been following since I was a tween!

49)  I am grateful for a king size bed (though I might actually sleep uninterrupted if we had a double-deluxe-supreme-king sized bed)

50)  I am blessed to be able to go to bed tonight with a clear conscience and a great outlook on life.

100 Things to be Thankful For (31-40)

31)  I am grateful for my mother, in all her quirky insanity.  She is the reason that I am everything that I am... though I hope I can keep a little bit more of my sanity with age.

32)  I am thankful for a mixed and tangled family.  It has taught me the value of holding onto what matters, as well as letting go of the things that don't.  It has taught me just how strongly blood can hold people together.  It has also taught me that no amount of blood can bind a family full of discontent.

33) I am blessed to have known a wide variety of people in my life and grateful that my parents never instilled judgement or discrimination in me.

34)  I am thankful for whomever invented the epidural.  I commend your strength and courage if you've done it naturally... however, I experienced 14 hours of petocin induced contractions with no progress.  I then went from 0 to Itsagirl-noshitweknewthat in 3 hours with an epidural... yes... I will commend the strength, but I will question your intellect!

35) I am blessed to have been pre-prego wieght within 1 week of delivery... again... be jealous!

36) I am thankful that most of you do not know my address and therefor cannot mail me 20 pound boxes of chocolates over Christmas to put my metabolism to the test.

37) I am grateful that I have enough self-restraint not to eat the ENTIRE cheesecake (I'll save a piece for the kid!)

38)  I am thankful that I don't have to show you naked pictures.  Let's just say the scale doesn't mean shit!  I might be skinny but I'm completely lacking in muscle, tone, or flablessness.

39)  I am blessed with the ability to argue intellectually.  To quote my BFF, this means "you can say 'go fuck yourself' using big words that leave the other person wondering if you really just said, 'go fuck yourself'."

40)  I am thankful that I'm almost 30 and still get carded in the tobacco store. (though 17 might be pushing it)

35) 

100 Things to be Thankful For (21-30)

21) I am grateful that I live in a part of the country that has been least affected by the recession.

22) I am thankful for the job I have (even if I hate every day) because jobs are hard to come by these days.

23) I am blessed to have many talents and hope that I can someday find the time to put them to a more constructive (aka... profitable) use.

24) I am grateful for the men and women who defend our freedoms.  No matter what one's political views are on any war/conflict... a soldier puts his or her country and people before their own lives and that deserves to be honored.

25) I am thankful for the technology that allows me to keep in touch with those I care about and make new friends that I would otherwise never know.

26) I am blessed to have amazing moments in my life like "Good morning Mommy.  I LOOOVE you!!

27) I am grateful that I have loved as much as I have and grateful that I have been loved as much as I have... oh, get your mind out of the gutter you hoochies!

28) I am blessed with a sense of humor that entertains me greatly (even if the rest of you don't get it)

29) I am thankful for the fact that I am unashamed at how I live my life.  Something I probably inheritted from The Queen.

30)  I am blessed with an unabashed honesty.  This means that those who love me do so knowing the real me.  And those who hate me probably have good reason.  And once you've made up your mind it probably won't ever change because I don't keep secrets about myself or how I feel about you.

100 Things to be Thankful For (11-20)

11)  I am thankful to have siblings who I can share the good and bad with and yet never have to share my parents with :)

12)  I am grateful that I can eat half a turkey and never gain a pound (*be jealous*)

13)  I am blessed to have people (even strangers) who love me as much (if not more) than family.

14)  I am thankful that I grew up poor enough to know how to make a dollar stretch, but not so poor that I noticed.

15)  I am grateful that I have passed on good looks and good manners to my daughter (hopefully that will make up for her screwed up genetics).

16)  I am blessed to have had a colorful life and a mother who taught me when life hands you lemons, use them to garnish your cocktails!

17)  I am grateful that my parents did not allow their religious beliefs to cloud my mind.  While I have nothing against any religion (except Christian Science... even then, only when children are involved) I am grateful that I was able to form my own beliefs... and very very grateful that I'm not confined to 1800 attire and the belief that we came from outer space (though it's fine by me if you like that lifestyle).

18)  I am grateful for the mistakes I made in my life.  Each has made me stronger, wiser, or in the very least... given me something to blog about.

19)  I am thankful that I have in-laws that either a) I love to death... or b) I never have to see!

20)  I am thankful for the "luxury" of owning 4 vehicles free and clear... even if they are old and could croak at any moment.

100 Things to be Thankful For (1-10)

For those of you who don't know (or are pissed off that I haven't posted much this year) I must admit that I have had a year which I hope I never have to repeat.

To recap...

Last October Dad's health declined to a point that we began discussions about moving him to Kansas to be closer to family.  By March, this situation became critical as all three children witnessed just how serious things had become.

In April, while in the middle of hunting for our own dream home, we began looking for an additional house to suit the needs of Dad and The Queen.  In May, the hunt continued for two completely different houses within 30 miles of each other. 

In June we found both of these houses.  And while Dad's house was a quick and easy purchase, ours became a headache of "yes", "no", "maybe", "no", "yes".  On June 30th we moved my parents into their new home.

July brought more discussions about our house while tending to Dad's medical needs.  And on July 30th, Dad lost his long fight with COPD.

August brough a new house, a new job, and a trip to Michigan for the funeral.

September is a blur of unpacking and October brought two new members into our home when my best friend and her daughter returned from Hawaii.

November brings the idea that we will once again be searching for a house that meets the needs of The Queen.

The holidays are fast approaching and for the first time I am not looking forward to them.  The budget is tight which puts a damper on the "giver" in me.  The heart is heavy with the void my father has left.  And while I fight the urge to break out the Christmas tree and start decorating, I know that when the calendar rolls over to that day it will bring with it mixed joys and sorrows.

In an attempt to brighten a dreary holiday for my family I want to count my blessings this year.  Starting now...

100 Things to be Thankful For

1) The part of my family which I hold dear is small, but I am thankful for the strong bond that can hold us together despite the daunting circumstances.

2) I am thankful for the joyful days that we had with my father while he was here and that he could be playing with his grand-daughter the day before he went to the hospital.

3) I am thankful that even though Dad's mind couldn't express how things needed to be done, he has left behind a son who knows what needs to be done.

4) I am blessed to have in my life the strongest, smartest, most resiliant woman I know -- My Mother.

5) I am thankful that I am an only child and only have to share her with the people I want to :)

6) I am grateful to have the most wonderful man in my life.  Despite our quarrels (and the fact that we have totally incompatible/stubborn personalities) we love each other through thick and thin.

7) I am grateful to have had the greatest father in the world.  His presence in our lives means more to me than any other person because he didn't have to be.  He was not bound by blood or legal documentation... he spent twenty-plus years putting up with our shit because he loved us.  There is simply no other explanation for that kind of self-torture :)

8) I am thankful that I have a two-year-old who is attached enough to miss us before we're gone, independant enough to play alone while grown-ups step outside for a break, and cared for enough to know her numbers better than her peers.

9) I am grateful to have friendships that can stand the test of time.  Friends I haven't seen or spoke to in 10 years who will drop a card or pick up the phone when I truly need it.  Friends who I trust to care for my child as much as I do.  Friends who can brighten my day and lift up my heart... and friends who still read the crap I write here despite a great lapse in time/exciting material.

10) I am grateful for the roof over my head.  It was a battle to get us here in this dream home, but after 2 months here I have no regrets.  I can still picture myself in this house when I'm 80.  I have no buyers remorse!