... and I am thankful.

it's 5am and everyone is awake in the Thompson house.  Yup.  All both of us.  Not exactly as I'd planned (although I have no issues with Matt waking up before 5 even if he does, I like to sleep until 7-ish and start my day when the normal people do...).  But I'm thinkin "not exactly as I'd planned" is about par for the course these days.  So i roll with it.

It's coming on Thanksgiving and people are Thankful.  It's my favorite holiday and time of year because it's a holiday about coming together with the people you love and giving thanks.  No presents needed.  It's simple and calorie-laden which are two of my favorite things...  And so, a list to look at to remind me of some of the things I'm thankful for this year.  (a bullet point list in random order?  Don't mind if I do...)

• The Cell Phone.  There was a time this year when I would have given anything to not hear a phone ring (work calls at all hours of the night will do that to a person), but now it's something I am most thankful for.  The cell phone is with you when you're not sure weather to buy marshmellows at the store, and you can call your husband.  The cell phone is with you when your husband has been training for days at a time and you need to talk to a human.  The cell phone helps you call people miles away to make sure they have something before you spend an hour to get there.  The cell phone will let you text someone when you don't want to call them.  The cell phone is magic and I'm thankful.
• The Automobile.  When is the last time you didn't have use of a car?  For me, it had been months since I gave up my car (even for the day), and let me tell you... even feeling you have the option of going somewhere is wonderful.  After weeks of not having a car, we got one this weekend.  A sporty little Nissan Rogue.  I sit up high, I don't have to know where my key is (honestly, as long as it's in my purse it doesn't matter... I just push the button and go), and there's room in the back for me to pick up my dog today.  The automobile is endless amounts of freedom and I'm thankful.
• The Family.  I have a large Utah family.  I know people's business, and they know my business.  If there's a problem, someone steps in to get it done.  I can call them when I need to make decisions and they give me advice.  I can call them when I need to talk, and they give no advice.  I can call them when I'm feeling the worst version of myself, and they still love me.  The family is a rock in the storm and I am thankful.
• The Family (part 2).  I got married this year, which means I have more family.  And they are understanding when I get depressed and don't call them back.  And they are worried about me in our new adventure, and they are there just waiting to be as supportive as I let them.  And so far, not one of them has said anything about how it takes me time to let people be supportive.  The second family is patient and giving and I am thankful.
• The Internet.  It used to be that when you wanted pictures of something, you would get pictures developed and printed, and if you wanted someone far away to see them, you would use the mail.  Well thank you internet, it is now almost instant!  I knew what my neices and nephews were for Halloween on Halloween.  It used to be that when you wanted to talk to someone, you had to call them (which is inappropriate when one of those people is at work and you call them all day).  No longer an issue, thanks to our friend the internet: IM all workday long...  The internet has hours of distraction, easy ways to tell everyone about something, and countless amounts of information.  The internet listens when I write about things nobody cares about.  The internet is informational and I am thankful.
• The Husband.  The husband doesn't like to be blogged about so this will be short (ish... as if I can do short...).  The husband is understanding and fun to be around.  He works hard all day long and is patient when he comes home to a wife who is having a breakdown.  He is funny and awesome, and litterally learns things overnight that others learned in training for weeks.  The husband is brilliant and kind, and I am thankful.
• The Oven.  Yesterday we got our oven fixed.  It was taking about an hour for the temperature to reach 350 degrees, and that wasn't okay with me.  The oven is useful for baking things when you want to drop things at the neighbors, the oven is useful when you want to eat chicken.  The oven is working and it gives me hope that I can pull off a Thanksgiving dinner if I have to.  The oven is useful and I am thankful.
• The Friends.  The friends are there for frantic phone calls from the grocery store, or IMs when you have a question about anything.  The friends keep you moving forward, or are there to vent to when you want to just stay where you are.  The friends tell you to stop being crazy.  The friends tell you to go ahead and be crazy.  The friends are priceless and I am thankful.
  
• The Present.  Okay, I may not be where I planned.  I may not be where I am confortable.  But I am somewhere that's a growing place.  And years from now, I will be more thankful for right now.  The present is growing and I am thankful (ish).

 What are you thankful for?