Giving Thanks Indeed…

Happy Thanksgiving!! (If you’re not in America, Happy American Thanksgiving and Local November 24th!!)

Here at Jill-Elizabeth.com I have a LOT to be thankful for this year, and I think today’s post will be all about listing those things – 24, I think, since the holiday happens to fall on the 24th. So here goes – in no particular order:

My Top Twenty-Four Things to Be Thankful for This Year

1. My Family – the new (The Husband, The Step-Kids, The Francleparents, and all the Francles and Merzes) and the old (the pArents, Mamy, The Reardons, Lynna) members of whom make me happy (and sometimes crazy) every day…
2. My Health – gall bladder issues aside (teehee), I continue to get up of my own volition every day and all of my 2000, oops 1999, body parts continue to work mostly the way they should mostly all the time
3. My Brain – which also continues to work mostly the way it should mostly all the time; of course my definition of working “the way it should” is open to some interpretation and may not mesh with the way everyone would say it should, but I don’t really care about everyone (sad but true, I’m selfish that way)
4. Books – in all their myriad forms, from the traditional paper versions that I have always loved, to the new-to-me ebooks that I am growing to enjoy way more than I ever thought I would
5. Youth Hockey – without which I might not have found The Husband or The Step-Kids
6. My Friends – without whom I might not have lived long enough to have found The Husband or The Step-Kids or to be able to try my hand at this whole writing thing (actually, come to think of if, even if I had lived long enough, absent said friends I would most likely have been too crazy/broken/bitter to end up with any of the other thankful good things on my list, so I’m going to express The Thanks for them twice)
7. My Friends – see above
8. Words – from writing the blog and fiction to reading to clever bits o’ word play to Scrabble/Word Feud, I don’t know what I’d do without my ever-expanding vocabulary
9. The Color Orange – what?  I just like it.  Plus it’s the color of nacho cheese, pumpkins, Cheez-Its and Kraft macaroni and cheese, all things for which I also happen to be more than a little thankful…
10. Swype – how much easier is texting now, seriously?  Sure, you get the occasional gaffe or ridiculous misunderstanding, but hey, that’s half the fun!
11. Aruba – it’s not just for solo, leave-the-world-behind singleton vacations anymore; now it’s new and improved for Honeymoons!
12. Mr. Potato Head Halloween Pumpkin Costumes – are you aware that you don’t have to carve pumpkins/jack o’lanterns anymore?  Seriously.  You can buy a box full of stick-in decoraions that turn your regular pumpkin into something cute with minimal effort and mess!
13. Barenaked Ladies – they’re funny, they can sing, they’re Canadian – what’s not to be thankful for??
14. First Class – I admit it freely, I am a princess when it comes to vacations and traveling.  I am more than happy to pay a little bit more to walk in front of you, line jump, and be served free cocktails and decent food while lounging in my 160 degree reclining adjustable seat with extra leg room.  I cost a little more, but I’m worth it.
15. Hair Color in a Box – speaking of costing a little more but being worth it, I want to take this opportunity to thank the good people at L’Oreal for Feria, without whom I would be a mousy-haired dishwater blonde instead of a saucy redhead…
16. Parmesan Goldfish Crackers – the snack of champions and one third of my writing inspiration food
17. Sour Patch Kids – see above, part two of three
18. Wasabi Peas – see above, part three of three
19. Pharmaceutical Companies – not only are they responsible for the inspiration for one of my book ideas (teehee, which they may not love, but which I don’t really care about), but they also make my life better on a daily basis (and no, Husband, I am NOT a hypochondriac, they really DO help)
20. Sunglasses – I have oddly sensitive eyes, so first of all I am thankful that sunglasses allow me to see; second, they allow me to stare and roll my eyes and make dramatically annoyed eyes without the object of said staring/rolling/annoyance seeing; third, they look cool.
21. GPS – I hate to drive and have the world’s worst sense of direction.  Without GPS, I would never be able to fulfill my step-parental duties as a chauffeur to hockey practice, dance lessons, cheerleading practices/competitions, football games, concerts or school functions…   Oh, or find my way home.
22. Stupid People – their only redeeming quality is their ability to provide endless mockery and angry-girl-rant fodder for me/mine, but oh, how important that quality is…
23. My Lime Green Laptop – while I really write best on the desktop at the fabulous custom-made desk my uncle made just for me in my study, the laptop lets me get out into the world and spend time with my family and still get something done…
24. Dry Cleaners – laundry is, quite possibly, my least favorite household chore.  From the folding to the sorting to the stinkiness, I hate doing laundry.  I am now the wife of a hockey player, the step-parent of a hockey player/actor/boy scout, and the step-parent of a singer/dancer/actress/cheerleader/girl scout.  All I do is laundry.  So I want to say an extra shout-out of thanks to dry cleaners, those unselfish saints who will willingly (even if not enthusiastically) take my laundry and wash/dry/press it for me…  I don’t get to take anything there these days, mind you, but I’m still thankful that the dry cleaners exist because I know that if I ever desperately need them to, they will take the laundry off my hands.

And one more for the road:

1. Lists – I have a pathetic need to organize: thoughts, books, files.  I don’t always do it right away, but I do still feel the need/yearning for order and direction.  You may not have noticed, but I occasionally also need them to provide inspiration for the blog thing…  😉