Thanks Giving

Late one night, I lay with Michael's arm tucking me tight in bed while my boys slept soundly down the hall, and I thought to myself, "I could not be happier." And then, being the pessimist realist that I am, in my next thought I acknowledged how fragile that happiness is and what tenuous threads tie the people that I love to me.

So with that fragility in mind, I wanted to take a minute to share some gratitude for the people I love.



I've been meaning for awhile now to write a post about my siblings and how truly awesome they are. I am amazed at what great grown-ups they turned out to be. (They must have phenomenal parents.)

Miriam is the best person in the world. You might think you know someone better, but you would be wrong. There is no one else as caring, giving, and open-hearted as she is. Kellie and Josh can back me up on that.

Kellie is so likable. If she were in a Miss America competition, she'd be Miss Congeniality for sure (and I hope she reads that as the complement it's meant to be). I've never met anyone who doesn't love to be around her, and I think they'd all agree with me when I say that she deserves every bit of happiness life can give her.

Josh is such a good father. Who saw that coming?

And did I mention that I have phenomenal parents?



I've never been the type of person to have a ton of friends, but boy, the friends I've had have been the best.

Ada, I took you for granted, and you were a real trooper to put up with me. I was lucky to have you as my best friend in high school.

Leigh, teenage me thought you were the coolest person she'd ever met. You were the Rayanne Graff to my Angela Chase. (If only there was a Jordan Catalano in that metaphor...) You're still cooler than me.

Kati, I will never get used to calling you Kate, but either way, you're still awesome. You're the reason I had a social life in college. My mom can't thank you enough.

Robyn, my very first memory of you is this time we drove down to Nashville for a church dance, and you had to pee really bad but you were wearing some body shaping undergarment that made peeing complicated. I laughed sooooo hard and knew right then that you were a person I wanted to know better. (And I hope you forgive me for sharing that story on the internet.)

Melissa, you are the best friend I've ever had, and I miss you all the time. Couldn't you guys move to Raleigh? It's much warmer here. (Just sayin')

And to all the other friends I've had in the six different states I've lived in up to now, and especially to those of you here in Raleigh, thank you for taking the time to get to know me 'cause heaven knows, I'm not the easiest person to get to know.


Recently, I was telling a friend about the time our apartment was broken into, and she said, "Wait, your car was broken into, one of your apartments burned down, and you had an apartment that was broken into?"

I said, "And Michael totaled one of our cars. And our van was crashed into in the parking lot by some drunk in the middle of the night. And we had a slow water leak that completely ruined our kitchen..."

It's true that we have had quite a few crazy experiences in our marriage, many of them financially burdensome. But overall, I would still say that I have led a pretty charmed life. I've never gone hungry, I've always had a good solid roof over my head and a warm bed to sleep in, and none of my loved ones have died of anything but old age (though that one time in college, Emily, you came way too close for comfort, and I still hold that against you. :)

I could not be more lucky, and I could not be happier.