Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I am spending the long weekend with Mike’s family up in Chicago and they have welcomed me into their household with open arms and absolutely delicious food. Especially during the holiday season, it is very hard to be so far away from my parents and Greg! Luckily I’ll get to go home for winter break and spend Christmas in Ventura with them. 🙂

Something I like to do often, but especially on Thanksgiving, is to make a “gratitude list” of all the blessings I have in my life and all the reasons I have to be thankful and happy. Often I make a mental list {it is a great way to fall asleep … counting your blessings!} but today on Thanksgiving I want to write a list down. So here it is:

my {ever-expanding!} gratitude list

• my amazing, supportive, one-in-a-million parents and brother, and all of my terrific extended family, too!
• my fun and thoughtful and lovely friends, near and far
• my health {something that I didn’t used to appreciate nearly enough, but feel more and more grateful for the older I get}
• that I always have not only enough food to eat, but also enough grocery money to buy organic fruits & veggies & dairy even though they are more expensive
• my safe, warm, cozy apartment that is feeling more and more like home
• my parents’ home in Ventura that will *always* feel like home and welcome me back with open arms
• the opportunity to pursue my passions for writing and teaching as a career
• the incredibly supportive teachers and mentors I’ve had throughout my life — from my first-grade teacher who gave my shy self confidence by casting me as the lead in our school play, to my middle school and high school teachers who encouraged my love of writing, to my teachers at USC and now at Purdue who have helped me develop my own writing voice and  nurture my own creative identity
• my goofy dog Murray, who never fails to make me laugh with his antics and happy doggy smile
• long walks through an autumn park or on the boardwalk by the Ventura pier
• rain falling softly outside on a lazy Sunday
• snuggling up on the couch with my sweetie
• all the books I’ve devoured and all those I have stacked on my nightstand, waiting for their turn
• old movies, especially It’s a Wonderful Life, Some Like it Hot, and It Happened One Night
• watching Bing Crosby Christmas movies every year with my Gramps
• warm chocolate chip cookies and a big glass of milk
• shopping dates with my mom
• lunch dates with my dad
• my brunch date tradition with my brother
• 3-hour Simone’s coffee dates with my friend Erica whenever I go home to visit
• a hot cup of tea, an empty hour or two, and a journal or good book
• browsing Target with my friend Holly and stocking up on Taylor Swift cards
• sending and receiving handwritten cards from those I love
• sunsets {and the occasional sunrises, when I’m up early enough to see them!}
• Christmas lights twinkling cheerfully against a night sky or the snow
• hugs and kisses and even tears saying goodbye because it’s a blessing to have so many people to love
• being part of such a wonderful community of bloggers, and that you would spend a few minutes of your day visiting my little corner of the internet here!

Happy happy happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a blessed day with those you love!

❤ Dallas