Thankful Thursdays

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! This time of year just flies by. It seems like Thanksgiving gets overlooked sometimes (I agree Emily!) - when I went to look for Halloween decorations at one department store in the middle of October, they already had Christmas decorations up. I asked if they had any Halloween stuff still (after all, Halloween was still 2 weeks away), and they said they had never really put out any Halloween or Thanksgiving decorations this year (thanks Sears). I love Christmas decor as much as the next person, and Claire and I have been learning new Christmas songs for the past month, but come on!

So, to continue in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are five things I am grateful for this week:

1. Being the oldest of five siblings - I grew up being taught about responsibility, being an example, and making good decisions since my sister and brothers would copy me (according to my dad, also an oldest child). Of course as we got older that wasn't always the case, but I think that mentality has helped me along the way.

2. Having a mortgage that we can afford - sometimes I get house envy and I wish we could move to a bigger place, but at least we have a home and it's one we can pay for each month.

3. Finally! Some cooler temps! I love Fall weather, and the few weeks a year in Vegas where it is cool without a ton of wind are the best!

4. Old friends. Having good friends kept me in Vegas for much longer than I had anticipated staying after moving here in 2000, and that led to other developments in my life, namely meeting Matt, marriage and a family. I am also grateful to have friends that have known me for 25+ years. Man, 25 years?! That's a lot of history.

5. My love of reading - I am always reading two or three books at a time, and I am just so grateful to have access to wonderful stories, histories and helpful books, plus to carve out the time to read them. There are few things I'd rather do than read a book.