Give Thanks

With the day of giving thanks upon us, it's no surprise that I've started to consider all that I appreciate about this glorious holiday: overeating an abundance of calorie-laden pies, much needed time with the Sturos Bunch, raptly watching the Macy's day parade with my siblings...
I would hardly be a good American if I didn't contemplate what the pilgrims and natives first initiated: lovingly joining around a table of lushly prepared cuisine and then bickering over who overcooked the bird.
In all seriousness though I have a lot to be thankful for and have been giving it considerable thought in the past few weeks. So I have compiled a list. Here goes:

I am incredibly thankful for these things:

-Fetching gray vests that only cost $1.00 and never cease to make me look anything other than incredibly hip
-Bluegrass bands that are so wholesome and talented it brings a tear to my eye, but shh, if anyone asks I never cried
-Believing that humanity will come through for you... and then by golly they do
-Sharing shoes, nail polish, jewelry, pizza, cookies, beer, and laughter with a new roommate
-Receiving really good advice
-Barns
-Hearing church hymns that I forgot I knew the words to
-Finding a drawing from my 5-year-old sister stating she loves me more than the whole universe. If that isn't unconditional love, I don't know what is
-Learning to play poker with pears as players
-Adeste Fideles
-Watching When Harry Met Sally over and over again
-Old-fashioned Christmas lights
-Pioneers... oh you know who you are
-Discovering a whole slew of wonderfulness in Wisconsin that I was not at all prepared for
-Cows
-New Vocabulary words
-Friends with accents
-Paid vacation
-Coming to the conclusion that even without makeup, spanx, or a boyfriend to tell me so, I can still believe in my own beauty
-Seeing a grown man look adoringly at his wife and children, then tell me with perfect sincere clarity that he is very lucky
-Knowing that no matter what else life happens to bring me, I have thus far been truly blessed in my endeavors

-Oh and did I mention an overabundance of pie... particularly of the chocolate variety