1. I have the best mom and dad on the planet. We have had a great week just hanging out in Florida and letting Alex play with his family.
2. Fried catfish. There are those who think this is a dirty-bottom feeding fish- but let me tell you... SO GOOD. Thank you David's Catfish House for my pre-Thanksgiving feast.
3. My OCD. I initially intended for this to be a list of 25, but my OCD indicated that a true list needs to be 50.
4. That my little boy likes Christmas music. He has wanted to kick off Christmas early. Just don't turn on a slow song.
5. That I have a whole attic full of Christmas stuff that I will put up promptly after Thanksgiving and take down promptly on December 26th.
6. Watching stuff with Alex- he loves the villians- the abominable snowman, the snow monster in Frozen, the big bad wolf.
7. Starbucks. Thank you for keeping me hydrated and giving me a little break. Every day.
8. For all the great trips I have been on this year- even though I was traveling for work, I have had some great food and some great company.
9. For my best team members ever - without Cynthia, Jean and Jennifer, I may not actually stay sane. OR sane-ish.
10. For yard sale toys. My mom stocks up Alex when he comes to visit. Right now a giant plastic shark is attacking the ninja turtles in a horse barn. I want my little boy to have a good imagination.
11. Netflix. Sweet netflix. You never require me to watch something at a particular time or plan ahead. Or even hit play on the next episode. No demands. Just sweet mindless TV.
12. This morning my sweet little boy wanted to sit in my lap and watch Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. SWEETEST THING EVER!!!
13. My little boy has officially cleared all of his MRI milestones for the year. GO ALEX!!!
14. That the idiot valet who took my car key off my housekey and kept it actually turned it in so the hotel could mail it to me. And that it came in the mail yesterday so I have keys when I get home.
15. That if I actually put my mind to losing weight- I would actually lose weight. I have sucked at meeting that particularly goal, but I am thankful there is always hope.
16. Elf and Home Alone. Hooray that the Christmas movie season has begun. It's Santa! I know him! I know him!"
17. I literally have the BEST NEIGHBORS EVER. They have three beautiful, sweet little girls for Alex to play with. We all try to take care of each other. We drink a LOT of beer.
18. Ms Deborah, who cleans my house. Thank you for coming over on Friday so when I get home on Saturday it will be clean and smell like lemon-fresh goodness.
19. For my flash of inspiration mid-year to start setting monthly goals and keep a blog. I have really enjoyed it this year.
20. For Coursera. I have taken a class on digital storytelling and learning how to learn. For free. January kicks off Buddhist Meditation.
21. For my friend Sarah. She is truly one of the kindest, most generous people I have ever met. I don't think she will ever know how much her friendship has meant over the years. And, oh by the way, three months until the Farmer's Market opens!
22. For Shutterfly. I am finally knocking off documenting some of Alex's milestones. Without stacks of scrapbooking stuff everywhere.
23. For books. Hard books to read- like the 1000 books to read before you die and for easy quick reads. I have been losing myself in books since I was old enough to read. I'm so glad that my parents raised me to love to read.
24. For music. How the hell else do you get through car trips, bad days, or the gym?
25. Slide. Because the Goo Goo Dolls just deserve their own list item.
26. Amazon. Because of you, a significant portion of my Christmas shopping is complete. And I have new Hunter Green boots.
27. Painting with a Twist. I am so glad to have found a creative outlet this year. I am NOT a great artist. But I do love painting.
28. Dollar-bin projects from Michael's. You occupy my child and his friends without the TV. You are the best.
29. The Thanksgiving kiddie table. I had one when I was little- now Alex and Jax are there and happy as can be.
30. Jennifer, Heather and Kristen- we don't get to see each other often, but when we do, it is like we had never even been apart. The definition of best friends.
31. NaNoWriMo Month - I didn't actually finish the 50,000 words- I was at 22,000 words, but at least I know that I have a story to tell.
32. I went on a four mile walk this morning around Spencer Field in Milton. Thank you for the fact that I live in a country that invests in places to walk and places for kids to play.
33. While on my walk I passed a Mennonite family. The children were practicing riding unicycles. Truthfully, it is the little things.
34. All over the news there is a bunch of shit-talking about our police. As someone with several close friends who are police officers- I appreciate all the things that you do. You risk your lives and sacrifice your time with your families, and do it all to keep me safe. Thank you.
35. For Sunday football. Not because I like Sunday football, but it does give me an afternoon off to do whatever I want!
36. Shopping. I love shopping. Purses, shoes, clothes, toys for Alex. Retail therapy = bliss.
37. Massage envy. Thank you for inexpensive massages to get the knots out of my shoulders caused by hunching over my computer. Holla.
38. Luke Bryan. He provides me happiness to look at and to listen to. His concerts are both an excellent venue for drinking beer and for spending some time saying "That's My Kind of Night."
39. Afternoon naps. People keep telling me that Alex is going to get tired of naps. I certainly hope not.
40. For living in Charlotte where there are always things to do - like now - after I ate a ton of Thanksgiving food- I am looking at my 5K options.
41. Pinterest and Etsy. Because what else do people do who are having trouble sleeping :)
42. The simplicity of Alex. I asked him what his favorite part of Thanksgiving was- his answer was biscuits.
43. Sonda, Stacey, and Keri- It doesn't matter what is going down in my personal life- you guys always know when to swoop in with wine and happiness!
44. Lists. If you can't figure out how to say something in a top ten list- then maybe it can't be said.
45. My phone. How else could I google whatever randomess pops into my mind wherever I am.
46. Heated seats. Only I would use my heated seats to drive to take a four mile walk outside. Or turn up my air conditioner so I can have my heated seats on.
47. Thursdays. Such a good day of the week.
48. The sweet way that my little boy sometimes just walks up to me and gives me a hug and a kiss. What better thing is there in the entire world? NOTHING!
49. Headed to the movies with my husband tonight- we used to go to the movies all the time, but now it is a real treat.
50. That I have such a great family both here for Thanksgiving and in other states. Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!
