Last year, I made a list of the things I was thankful for, using every letter of the alphabet. It gets hard when you get down to those more difficult letters (looking at you, Q, X, and Z) but it’s a really fun way to look back on the year and think of all the good things in it. Here’s my A-Z thankful list for 2021!

A – ASMR. These days, I don’t know if I could fall asleep without ASMR. I usually get in bed, read my book until I start feeling sleepy, and then I set my alarm, pop in my earbuds, and open up YouTube to watch ASMR videos for 20-30 minutes. Here are some of my favorite ASMRtists: Bluewhisper, Calliope Whispers ASMR, Madi ASMR, VedaASMR, WhispersRed ASMR, Moonlight Cottage ASMR, and Peony ASMR.

B – Baby Lucy. What a fun addition to our family! Lucy is just the sweetest little lady (but also very feisty; she can hold her own against Chip). I am so obsessed with her and I am so excited for the end of December, as my mom and stepdad are going away on vacation and I’m going to be on dogsitting duty. Yay!

C – Car. My new car is definitely something I’m thankful for this Thanksgiving! It’s been a long time coming and she is the perfect car for me. I love her so much!

D – Dr. Pepper. My obsession. Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda and I drink way too much of it.

E – Eloise. My heart and soul. Eloise is my extroverted cat (she’ll hang out with guests when they come over) and she’s also near my side throughout much of the day. Sometimes, she’ll even lie down right in front of my keyboard, which can be a bit of a hindrance to getting work done but she’s cute and soft and I don’t mind it.

F – Football Sundays. I love our Football Sundays so much. It’s great to spend so much time with my family and, of course, I love watching football!

G – Girls’ dinners with Rachel and Mia. Sometime over the summer, my mom and I started meeting up with my cousin Rachel and her 9-year-old daughter Mia for Monday night dinners every few weeks. It has been so nice to have these dinners with them! I love them both to pieces and it feels good to remain connected with them in this way.

H – Hot baths. I love bubble baths with a passion, as you all know. I take one almost every day and there is nothing better than sinking into that hot water and playing Candy Crush on my phone while I soak.

I – Inauguration. It feels like a lifetime ago, but Biden was inaugurated this year! What an incredible day that was. A day filled with hope and promise. While things haven’t exactly progressed like I’d hoped with Biden’s presidency, we are still in a much better place today than we were this time last year.

J – Job. I celebrated 8 years at my company in August. This year came with a ton of new and exciting changes, including a lot more responsibilities and a pay increase. I’m happy that I love where I work!

K – Kayaking. So I only went kayaking once this year, but I loved it so very much and I would like to try to plan more kayaking trips in 2022!

L – Lila. My sweet introverted girl. She is my little model who really knows how to pose for a picture. She’s more skittish than Ellie, but she’s just as sweet and incredibly snuggly (on her terms). I love her dearly!

M – Mom. My mom is truly my best friend and my favorite person. We have such a special bond and it’s one I don’t take for granted. As I’ve gotten older, our relationship has been less mom/daughter and more friendship, which means we both lean on each other when we’re feeling low. I don’t know what I would do without her!

N – Nephews. My two nephews are such a joy! Jovy is 13 and Dominic is 6 and they are such fun little dudes. Jovy is obsessed with sports and his whole wardrobe is basically jerseys at this point. Dominic is hysterical and I do believe he has a future in stand-up comedy. Get ready, world!

O – Olive beating cancer. What a whirlwind year my friend Mikaela and her family have had with Olive’s cancer diagnosis at the end of 2020 and learning that it was a rare, aggressive form of cancer that only a handful of people ever in the history of our world have had. Olive being so young (13 months when she was diagnosed) meant a lot of surgeons weren’t willing to do surgery to remove the tumor. I am so thankful that Mikaela found a surgeon who was confident he could do the surgery, that Olive made it through surgery with flying colors, and that she got through all her rounds of intense chemo. It’s been four months since her last round of chemo and she’s had clear scans ever since. Her hair is growing back, her energy levels are normal, and she gets to just be a kid after 8 months of doctors and hospitals and imaging scans. This is what I am most thankful for this year.

P – Peloton. I am so glad I hopped on the Peloton train! I don’t have a Peloton bike because, woof, those are pricey. Instead, I bought a $400 bike off Amazon that is lodged into a corner of my bedroom and I prop my laptop on my bed to stream the workouts. It’s working out for me just fine!

Q – Quaint home. This year, I’ve been able to invest some time and money into my home to make it the cozy place I want it to be. From new wall hangings and more bookcases to a comfy sectional and a new TV, it’s been a year of figuring out what I want different areas of my home to look like and then making that happen.

R – Reading dates with Amber. Amber and I love having reading dates! We typically meet in a park and chat for around 20-30 minutes and then we set a timer (45 minutes, usually) and read silently next to each other. It’s a really lovely way to spend time with a friend and get some reading time in!

S – Sectional. I bought my sectional in January of this year and it is one of my most prized possessions! It is so comfortable and cozy, and I have taken many a power nap on that couch during my workdays.

T – Traveling again. I didn’t do a lot of traveling in 2021, just a four-day trip to Chicago in August, but it was so lovely to be able to travel safely again! Mom and I are even considering a cruise for 2022 (as long as they uphold their “vaccinated guests only” policies), which is super exciting to think about. I haven’t been on a cruise since 2019 and I miss them so much.

U – Ubereats. You all know that my biggest budget kryptonite is restaurants. I order takeout at least 3-5 times a week, even though I know I would save so much money if I just a) went to the restaurant and picked up the food myself or b) stopped ordering takeout so often. Alas, I don’t see either of those things happening anytime soon! I love the convenience of Ubereats and I really don’t enjoy cooking (especially for just one person). Ubereats has been a lifesaver for me.

V – Vaccinated. I got vaccinated this year! It was such a thrill to get my COVID vaccine and know I was protected from the virus.

W – Wedding. Celebrating Sara and Natalie’s wedding was such a beautiful thing. I love both of those women oh-so-very much. I cried throughout the ceremony, danced my heart out with my family, and enjoyed every minute of the wedding.

X – eXcellent shows. From Bridgerton, which put me in a TV slump for weeks, to Brooklyn 99, which helped me through some really tough days, to The Crown, which had me going down so many royalty rabbit holes on the Internet, TV has been good to me this year.

Y – YOU GUYS. I am so thankful to the people who read this blog. I am thankful for the people who comment regularly, those who comment every once in a while, and those who prefer to stay anonymous. I am thankful for the blog readers who email me to let me know that they’re there and those who check in on me when more than a few weeks have passed since my last post. This blog truly feels like a community and knowing that my words are making a difference in people’s lives is nothing short of amazing.

Z – Zzz’s. Naps are my happy place and I usually plan my weekends around my nap schedule. 🙂 This year, I’ve gotten into taking shorter naps (it used to be very normal for me to take a 3-4 hour nap) and I think that’s a very good thing. A one-hour power nap on the couch usually gives me more energy than a four-hour nap in my bed!

What’s something you’re thankful for this year that starts with the letter “S”?