Thanksgiving Day was a good, quiet one. I started my day with breakfast and then reading on the couch while sipping an iced coffee. Then, I went for a 15-minute walk outside and got ready for my day. Around noon, I drove over to my mom’s house where my stepdad was hard at work making our Thanksgiving meal. He did an amazing job!

My brother, sister-in-law, and nephews came over a little after 1pm and we soon sat down for our meal, which was so very delicious! I love Thanksgiving food so much. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching football, nibbling on dessert, and chit-chatting. We all left a little after 4pm. I read for a bit on the couch before take a nice lil post-Thanksgiving feast nap. Perfect!

And now it is Thanksgiving evening. I brought home some pumpkin bread, so I’ll likely heat up a slice while I watch the evening’s football game. I also need to work on my pre-cruise to-do list. There’s a lot I need to do before we leave on Sunday morning!

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, if you celebrate. If you don’t, I hope you had a lovely Thursday!

For the last two years, I’ve been putting together an A-Z list of the things I am thankful for. I didn’t know if I would do one this year (because it’s really hard to come up with 26 different things, especially for the lesser-used letters!), but once I started making this list, it wasn’t that hard to come up with items for each letter. I tried not to repeat anything I said in 2021 or 2020, but failed for one letter (damn you, Z!).

A – Amazon. I know, I know. Amazon is not a great company and I shouldn’t be supporting it. But it is pretty amazing how easily we can get the things we need. Just yesterday, I realized I needed another set of measuring spoons. I have two sets already, but I’ve somehow lost some of the measuring spoons. I went on Amazon, found a great set, and voila, they will be delivered to me in just a few days. We live in a pretty insane time, that’s for sure.

B – Brother. My brother is one of my most favorite people! We’ve been through so much together and it’s really fun to be in this season of our lives, both of us in our mid-thirties and closer than ever. He’s someone I can always count on and I’m glad I have him by my side.

C – Cruising. Cruises used to be my preferred mode of travel until the pandemic took them away from us. There was a time when I didn’t even know if the cruise industry would survive or if I would ever feel comfortable being on a cruise ship again! Thankfully, all is well and I am taking my 11th cruise in just a few days. I can’t wait!

D – Dogs. Chip and Lucy are my babies that I love more than anything. Whenever I walk into my mom’s house, they go nuts and I have to sit on the couch and let them climb all over me, kiss me all over my face, and give them lots of pets. I am so thankful that they are in my life!

E – Eloise. My little shadow. Eloise is never far from my side, so much so that I honestly feel like a piece of me is missing if she’s not next to me. She loves somersaulting all over my legs when I sit down on the floor with her, fighting with her sister, and stealing my office chair for her naps. She snuggles herself between my legs at night and chats easily with me throughout the day. She’s my little lady, my heart and soul.

F – (The) Friendship Paradox. This year, I embarked on a project I never thought I would do: starting a podcast! Even though I love listening to podcasts, never in a million years did I think I would make one myself. But it’s been such a fun experiment to do with my best friend, Bri, and I actually don’t mind listening to myself on audio! We are having fun right now, and that’s what matters most.

G – Great books. My identity as a reader is so important to me. I love reading. I love the way books can inform, entertain, and make you want to do better. I love romances that make me squeal, thrillers that creep me out, and nonfiction that makes me learn something new. I’ve read some really, really great books this year and it’s going to be very hard to pin down my favorite!

H – Happy Color. My favorite time-wasting app. Happy Color brings me such a great amount of joy on a daily basis. It’s so soothing and cathartic to color in these little digital drawings and see it all come to life.

I – Innumerable Facetime calls with Mom. My mom and I talk to each other multiple times a day. I really mean it when I say she’s my best friend! We never used to talk so much, but in the early, early days of the pandemic, I was fully isolated and my mom and I started Facetiming with each other so we could see each other as we talked. And now that’s our preferred way to communicate! I am so thankful for the relationship I have with my mom.

J – Jokes. The Internet can be a harmful place, but it can be such a great one, too. Whenever I’m feeling lonely or I need a pick-me-up, I know I can tap on my Instagram app and pull up the Reels tab and settle in for 20 minutes of laughing my face off to whatever silly thing people have come up with. It allows me to forget my worries and feel joyful and connected to the greater world. Plus, people are just so damn creative these days!

K – Knox and Jamie. The Popcast is probably my favorite podcast at this point (which is really funny because I used to listen to it years ago and stopped because I couldn’t handle Jamie’s opinions—I guess I really have grown up!) There was a time when I came home from a trip and I was feeling really sad and lonely for some reason, so I put on an episode of The Popcast and it immediately lifted my spirits. I don’t know either of these people, but I just hope they know how many lives they touch and how much joy they bring to the world.

L – Lila. Oh, Lila Bear. My sweet little muffin who is a little whore for treats and will come running from anywhere in the apartment when she hears me open the canister. Every year, I feel like Lila unlocks a new comfort level with me. Now, she will snuggle up next to me when I’m sitting on the couch, which is something she never used to do! Maybe in a few years, she’ll let me hold her for more than 5 seconds at a time?! Lila loves rubbing her face against my computers, licking the condensation from glass cups, and grooming her sister.

M – Miami Dolphins. I am so thankful for my Dolphins this year! They are playing so well, and it makes being a Dolfan a bit easier to bear. They are a heartbreak team, for sure, but with the addition of a new head coach that I love fiercely and the emergence of our QB’s exceptional play (not to mention, acquiring the best wide receiver in the league in the offseason!!!), we are at the top of our division and I’m just praying things continue on this trajectory!

N – Niagara Falls trip. My mom and I took a wonderful trip to Niagara Falls over the summer, and it was one of the best trips we’ve ever been on! It was so amazing to see Niagara Falls up close (we visited both the Canada and US sides). We really enjoyed ourselves on this vacation.

O – Orlando weekend. I spent a weekend away with two of my best girlfriends, Bri and Amber, in early September and I had such a fun time with them! We floated along a lazy river, went on an airboat ride, did Disney mini-golfing, and went to a cat cafe. Oh! And we discovered a mad love for Bananagrams. What a fun weekend it was!

P – Promotion. I received a big promotion at the beginning of the year, moving from a senior writer to a team manager. I’ve also taken on a lot of new responsibilities, and it’s been really gratifying to feel as if I am succeeding at something. I think that has a lot to do with me, but also a lot to do with having a super supportive mentor in my immediate director who has helped me through some of the more challenging aspects of being a manager.

Q – Queen Elizabeth. I am not someone who follows the Royals very closely and I wasn’t devastated in any sense by Queen Elizabeth’s passing. I know it was a hard loss for many people, and I respect that! But I do feel a sense of loss in the fact that Queen Elizabeth was such a steadfast part of our culture for so long, and it’s wild to know she’s gone and now we have King Charles?!?!?! What?!?!

R – Reading dates. My friend Amber and I love a good reading date. It all started when we attended a silent reading event held by a local literary society. We enjoyed that, but decided it might be more fun to do our own silent reading dates. Sometimes we meet at a park, but more often than not, we find a local coffee shop, chit-chat for a bit, and then silently read together for about 30 minutes. It’s fun!

S – Student loan forgiveness. I am so very thankful that President Biden signed student loan forgiveness into law. This will take care of my remaining student loans, which is just insane to me! Hopefully, all of the Republican efforts to sabotage this program will be thwarted.

T – Therapy. I went back to therapy this year and it was one of the best decisions I have made. I love my therapist and she has been able to help me really deal with my anxiety and troublesome thought patterns. Plus, sometimes I just really need the perspective of a third party!

U – Unscheduled weekends. Is there anything more beautiful than an unscheduled weekend? I don’t get many of these right now, between my weekly writing dates, podcast recordings, football with the fam, and friend time, but it makes the times I do have a lazy weekend all the more special.

V – Vacuum. This year, I finally took the plunge and bought a robot vacuum and I am so glad I did! It was so worth every penny I spent. It does such a better job vacuuming than I ever could (especially carpet) and can go under my couch and bed, a place that never used to get vacuumed before this little guy came along.

W – Writing dates. I am so glad that Mikaela and I continued our writing dates this year. We had a slight pause after Eleni was born, but picked back up not too long after since Mikaela could just bring her and she’d snooze away in her carrier the whole time. Even if I don’t get a ton of work done on these dates, I love having a touchpoint with one of my best friends every week.

X – eXactly where I need to be. I am exactly where I need to be, here and now. I may think I should be in a different season of life: with a partner, with a fancier job title, with more money, etc. But where I am now is where I am supposed to be.

Y – Yummy food. I am so thankful for food, each and every day. Is there anything better than a fresh-baked, slightly underdone chocolate chip cookie? Or a gooey, cheesy slice of pizza? Or a cold, crunchy salad? Or a perfectly cooked steak? I think not!

Z – Zzz’s. I tried not to repeat any words from the past two years, but y’all, Z is a hard letter! So I’m stealing last year’s word: Zzz’s. I love sleep. I love naps. I love sleeping in. I love my bed. I love naps on the couch. Sleep is my best friend.