First Thanksgiving

It’s my first Thanksgiving of the year. I’m always thankful that I get to celebrate this holiday twice every year! Tonight, we celebrated with a homemade meal of delicious baked chicken (poultry is poultry, right?), applesauce, cranberry sauce, kale salad with Hollyhock’s yeast dressing, and mashed potatoes drizzled with oil made from basil from our garden. When I’m done writing this, there’ll be a piece of freshly baked pumpkin pie and whipped cream waiting for me. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

The meal capped an amazingly fun-filled weekend. A blow-out birthday party for a friend’s 60^th, the final episode of Season 3 of “Downton Abbey” (we’re finally caught up and ready for the new season), “Funny Girl” on the big screen, dinner with dear friends celebrating their one-year anniversary, a big clean of the house (I know, but I love a clean house!), a spin around the neighborhood with my camera on a sunny day, perfect sweater weather, and precious time with my sweetheart were just some of the highlights.

I’ve got so much to be thankful for today, and every day:

My health, and that of my family and friends.
My family and friends.
My home.
My cat.
My work.

Not a very unique list, perhaps, but I don’t take any part of it for granted. I am so grateful.

I also spent some time this weekend looking forward to all of the fun things that I’m planning for the coming months. Vacations, visits with family, life celebrations… I love having all of this to look forward to, and to start putting some specific pieces in place to see all of these happen. Life is sweet in the present, and getting better every day.