The last five years I’ve used this day to share “fun facts” about myself, things that people may or may not know about me. This year I’m changing it up a little by sharing 37 things I’m thankful for for my 37th birthday. In no particular order…Here we go!

• My family, the three men I share my home with.
• Of course my parents who taught and guided me through life and continue to do so every day.
• My (much) older sister. I watched her very closely growing up and learned a lot from her successes AND her mistakes.
• Cooper. He’s not just a dog, he’s my sidekick and best friend.
• Starbucks. More than that, a Starbucks that’s less than 2 miles from my house.
• I’m thankful I found a man who is as into gadgets as I am, thus almost always indulging my need for the latest and greatest.
• While I’m on the subject of being thankful for my husband, I’m thankful I married a man who can cook or else we all might starve.
• I’m thankful to be off our ACA insurance plan and on an employer provided plan. Yep, that made the top ten!
• I’m so thankful that I got the boys into karate. It’s made a world of difference in their confidence level and given me a helping hand in making sure they don’t turn out to be assholes.
• Getting the boys into karate was the catalyst for me to get involved too. I’m so thankful that I decided to get off my ass and out on the mat, it’s challenging, rewarding and empowering and I love it and our Legacy MA family.
• I’ve been very fortunate to travel to some amazing places over the years. I’m so grateful for all of the places I’ve been and the things I have seen.
• I’ve met some amazing people over the years. Some of those people I’ve met in person and some reside in my computer. I’m so thankful I’ve the chance to meet and get to know so many cool people from so many different places.
• Sunny days.
• Sunny days with the sunroof open and the music blasting.
• I’m thankful I’ve been given the opportunity to wake up these past 13,505 (give or take a few for leap years) days.
• So thankful for bedtime every night.
• Bad days. Yes, I said BAD days. It’s the bad days that make the good ones that much sweeter.
• Chocolate cake.
• Even more than chocolate cake, I’m thankful for red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. So yummy!!!
• TV that takes me out of real life and into a much more glamorous make believe.
• Each and every time Bill comes home from a trip.
• Each and every time I get to go with Bill on a trip.
• Delta’s Comfort+.
• Hair color. So thankful I’m not stuck with all this gray on my head.
• My membership at Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. Regular massages are the way to go.
• A part time job that’s fun and rewarding.
• I’m thankful I’ve been able to live in the same general area for the past 29 years.
• Having the house to myself. I can blast music or enjoy the peace and quiet, it’s up to me.
• The DVR that lets me watch shows later.
• Netflix which lets me watch shows I used to love.
• My Sonos system which allows me to listen to my music throughout the house.
• My truck. It gets me from point A to point B and it makes me look badass while doing it.
• Texting. It makes it so much easier for me to communicate with people since I hate talking on the phone.
• Books. I’ve never been much of a reader but over the past few months I’ve really gotten into it and I’m so thankful that there are so many great books for me to read.
• The library. Books aren’t cheap and the library makes it easier for me to read a lot without breaking the bank.
• Crisfiled, Maryland. It’s a little escape from the norm and I’m so glad I can go visit (almost) anytime I want to.
• I’m thankful for another birthday that leaves me happy and healthy and I’m looking forward to many more to come.

I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know me a little better. Now it’s time for me to get back to spoiling myself rotten.

Hey! If you don’t spoil yourself, who’s going to spoil you?

With Thanksgiving rapidly approaching, I find myself quietly reflecting on some of the things I am especially thankful for.

I’m thankful to be spending another Thanksgiving on The Hill. I never thought I’d live in a house like this and now I’m getting ready to cook my second Thanksgiving dinner in my kitchen. Life on The Hill isn’t always easy, sometimes it’s a downright struggle. I’m thankful I have a husband willing to work three jobs to keep us here. I’m thankful that I was able to find a part time gig so quickly when so many are out of work. There’s not a whole lot left at the end of the day, but at least we are able to pay our mortgage and car payments each month, which in this economic climate says a lot.

I’m thankful to have a healthy and (relatively) happy family to share my time with. We don’t always get along but there’s no shortage of love here. I’m so thankful that I have two boys who are eager to learn and are truly loved by their teachers. I know some parents who struggle with getting their kids to love learning and it seems to come so naturally to my boys. I just got home from Cameron’s parent, teacher conference where I was told that Cameron is being put in an accelerated reading program. As someone who struggled with reading most of my young life, I am very proud that Cameron not only loves to read but is a strong reader.

I’m thankful for my friends, both in real life and online. There are some pretty amazing people in my life who have helped me through the tough stuff and laughed with me during good times. I know I am never alone. The ladies of the Philly Social Media Moms have been an amazing source of information and inspiration and I am genuinely thankful to be a part of such wonderful group of women.

I could sit here and go on all day about how fortunate I am to be me, but I won’t bore you with all that.

Even though I’ll be cooking here again this year, I’m not going to let myself get stressed out about the amount of food to be made or getting the timing of everything just perfect. This Thanksgiving I’m going to truly enjoy spending the day with my favorite people and remembering all the things I have to be thankful for.

Feel free to leave a comment and let us know what you’re thankful for this year.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!