Giving Thanks 2011

I'm in NYC to celebrate Thanksgiving with my brother and I'm already having ridiculous amounts of fun. For example, in less than 24 hours of being here, these are snippets of conversations that could be heard around Apt 11, none of which were uttered by Jerry or myself. 

Enjoy:

"OMG! I need a lint brush now! I'm wearing blaaaaaaaaaaack!"

"Poor people shouldn't get married.  I mean, it's such an inconvenience."

"I've gotten so many compliments when I wear this coat.  Have you?"

"She has a vagina which means she has more qualifications to bake a pie than you."

"Get your liposuction and die!"

So, clearly, you can understand why my Thanksgiving Holiday is shaping up to be amazing and so much fun!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I should do that now - you know, give thanks.  Here goes:

I'm, of course, thankful for my family and my friends. Duh.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to live and work in Chicago.  As it turns out, moving has been one of the best decisions I've ever made (for all kinds of reasons that I won't go in to here - who has the time? turkey is waiting to be eaten).  I am really starting to love my job and am falling in love with my students more and more every day. It's a long drive to and from the school everyday and its a challenge of epic proportions on most days, but I'm thankful that I get to be part of something amazing and important and quite possibly life-changing (for myself and my students).

I'm thankful for a fantastic roommate who is kind, thoughtful and quite frankly, downright enjoyable.  She can't multi-task to save her life but she does overlook my mess, she loves Salt-N-Pepa and SWV, she takes me with her to craft fairs and she drops me off/picks me up from the airport (even when she has to wake up at the ass crack of dawn).  Most importantly though, she knows exactly what kind of drink I like from Sonic and has surprised me with said drink on more than one occasion. She's fantastic and I'm grateful.

I'm thankful for my health and the fact that I'm 23 pounds lighter this Thanksgiving than I was last Thanksgiving.  

I'm thankful for art and music and the impact it has on my life and being.  And, for people like Ms. Duhon who cultivated my love and appreciation for such.

I'm thankful for mentors in my life who took time to acknowledge and encourage me when I needed it most.  

And, I'm thankful for my blog and the ability to express my thoughts and feelings in a way that helps me make sense of them all while hopefully encouraging, inspiring and entertaining others as well.

Happy Thanksgiving.