In which I'm grateful for stuff

Thanksgiving approaches...time to think about all the things I'm grateful for. So in no particular order, here's some of my list:

1. My family. This includes those related by blood, and those related by love. Joe and all the kids (both mine and his) fall in this category.
2. My extended family...parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc.
3. Good friends...so very hard to come by, but the very best ones don't let time or distance separate them. You can pick right back up where you left off like it hasn't been a year since you've seen each other, and you can tell each other anything without fear of judgment. All y'all know who you are.
4. Going to school... I absolutely love going to school and learning new things. I love all the people that I have had the opportunity to meet and get to know as a result of being in school. There are a whole lot of things that I have learned since I went back and they have changed my life for the better.
5. Being smart...I know that sounds boastful but let's just call it truthful for the sake of argument. My mind is one of the most precious possessions I have...and the contents of it are the only things I get to take with me into the next life, so I am very careful to protect it from any harm.
6. My parents...I know I already included them up there in family, but they let me and the kids live here for more than a year and a half so far, with no concrete end in sight. Not to mention all the free babysitting they do as a way to support my education, and sometimes my social life ;) They are awesome and deserve an individual shout out.
7. Food and shelter. Pretty basic things but not everyone gets to have them. I'm so grateful that I do.
8. The gospel...it's a pretty big category and if you can think of it as related then throw it in here, I'm grateful for it.
9. Love. It's incredible to be loved for who you really are. I feel like the most amazing me that I have ever been...I wouldn't trade it for anything.

So there you go...just 9 short things. There are a lot of individual things that I'm grateful for, but most of them fall into those categories.

My kids will be gone for Thanksgiving, and Joe's on the boat so I get to catch up on all my schoolwork and sewing projects for Christmas while they're gone. Christmas for us this year will fall on December 11th, so we have just 18 days left in the countdown. This is shaping up to be the best Christmas ever, I'm so very excited for it ;)