10 Things & Merry Christmas!

I'm a big fan of Christmas. It's the only time of year that I get to see all my siblings. At once. In the same place. We cook and clean together; laugh and give each other gifts. These last two Christmases I have volunteered at the school kennels while Gramma volunteers to go into work so others can have time with their families.


I thought that Christmas should be about giving thanks for all I have (including this nugget).

I'm grateful for:

1. My loving family. We may not always get along, but we love each other without reservation.

2. A warm apartment that is my oasis, my retreat, my home. I love it here.

3. That I have the knowledge and am working on the cooking skills that my mother taught me. I can make a mean chicken and gravy!

4. I have only one semester left before graduation!! I am thrilled. One semester and an exam away from being a licensed veterinary technician!

5. I can afford some organic food, and I am ever so grateful. I have had the opportunity to really see how others eat and it has made me all the more thankful that my mother raised us on from-scratch food.

6. I did well on my grades! Nothing less than a B, and I struggled mightily this semester.

7. Old friends and new who have helped shape me into who I am today. I am certainly not perfect, and I never have claimed to be, but progress is progress nonetheless.

8. Living in town is wonderful. I never thought I'd enjoy it, but it's such a big change and I love it! It's nice to be able to go for a walk (safely) with Sawyer at 9:30pm. I like it because it gets me out of the house and it lets me clear my head. I also enjoy walking every where. I know it's not permanent, but I'm loving it until it's no longer for me.

9. For life: birds signing, sunrises and sunsets, flickering candles, Christmas carols, and a cuddly Sawyer.

10. For our Lord and Savior whose birth we remember and celebrate today. O Holy Night indeed!

Merry Christmas!