Thankful

First and foremost, I am thankful that I have such a great family . . . I am blessed with a sister and two brothers that understand exactly because of our similar genetic make up and because we were all there for all of the weirdness. It was a beautiful thing, when I mentioned that my neck hurt from "the accident" and my sister said "Oh, I remember that phone call." and then did an dramatic renactment of it. (I was sucked into a piece of machinery when I was eighteen)

And again, my parents raised four of us . . . and managed to make sure that we all became responsible adults. It didn't always look like their hard work would pay off, but it did. Due to my career path, I know what a difficult task that must have been.

And I am thankful that we are all healthy, especially now that we have taken away Mr. Crabbypant's motorcycle.

I am thankful for the amazing friends that I have. The friends who listen to my cracked out news on the phone (M especially) and the fact that I have people who will listen to me carefully and point out when I am full of shit . . . cause sometimes I am. I am thankful that I have friends with strong enough personalities (M2 especially) to tell me what they really think about any given topic, including our lives. I'm very glad that I have people who will come with me on my cockamaimie plans (E2) and who will have a good time, no matter what.

I am thankful that I have friends that truly make me a better person. (in the case of Princess, a person with better hair . . . and she's probably going to be disappointed this time)

I am thankful that I have a job that I love (even though I bitch about it) and students who are continually challenging and lovable at the same time. I have students who are truly inspirational people, who function despite being in worlds of chaos. And sometimes, they'll pretend to be excited about what I'm presenting for that day. I also thankful for the fact that I get to work with Princess . . . and therefore get to think about a higher level of my craft for people who care.

I am thankful that my brother went out and bought a fork for me today . . . so he could have his first Thanksgiving. And that I can spend the afternoon, and the evening . . . and the morning when I'm at Best Buy at 4 a.m. with Mr. Crabbypants . . . with my family. This is awful, but I'm thankful that there is a Costco next to my brother J.'s restaurant, because now I can send Mr. Crabbypants down there to retire and know that he will be happy and fulfilled. Sit at the restaurant, drink beer and watch the employees . . . and then walk over to Costco. Mr. Crabbypants heaven.

Oh, and I'm thankful that Z. has what Mere has called the "zombie gene" and feel lucky that he has found me . . . because I also have the "zombie gene" . . . and we can go to Tim Burton movies and "skeleton stores" together. He's growing out of the zombie gene, though I'm sure it will make a roaring goth comeback in high school, and I still get to be the "cool" aunt who knows were to get the best jean jackets when you need them.

So yeah, this is sappy, but I have a great life . . . and I am thankful for it.